Rugby community raises $488,000 for Christchurch

The rugby community has raised half a million dollars for earthquake-crippled Christchurch.

The first test of the season, All Blacks versus Fiji in Dunedin, was the first rugby fundraiser for Christchurch and raised $200,000, New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said.

An online auction of sporting memorabilia raised $16,000, followed by a further $90,000 at an auction in Paris.

The French Rugby Union donated $90,000, which will be directed to the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust, and the Rugby Football Union donated $82,000.

The AllBlacks.com website raised $10,000 for the All Blacks' official charities Plunket and KidsCan in Christchurch.

All Blacks' captain Richie McCaw said he was grateful for the generosity.

"When you see the amounts being donated from every corner of New Zealand and from all round the world, you realise just how much people have been touched by this tragedy."

- APNZ