Rugby glory hits the road

Some of rugby's most treasured spoils are heading to Masterton as part of a roadshow aimed at promoting the game in the Wairarapa-Bush region.
The NZRFU has emptied out the trophy cabinet and is taking at least five special trophies on a nationwide tour which will take in 31 towns over five weeks
The Bledisloe Cup, the Tri Nations Trophy, the Hillary Shield, the IRB Women's Rugby World Cup and the IRB Junior World Championship Trophy will be on display at Trust House Memorial Park all day on Wednesday, March 2.
The Bledisloe Cup - the traditional prize of transtasman contest was won by the All Blacks last year.
The Tri Nations Trophy is at stake when the All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks meet in competition - the All Blacks claimed that prize too last season.
The Hillary Shield is for matches between the All Blacks and England with the All Blacks triumphant during their end-of-season tour last year.
The Women's Rugby World Cup was won by the Black Ferns for the fourth year in a row last year.
Eketahuna's Rebecca Mahoney was a second-time winner last year.
The Junior World Championship Trophy was won for the third straight year by the New Zealand under-20s last year.
The Webb Ellis Cup, which will be the centre of attention at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, may come in Masterton too but that is still to be confirmed.
Wairarapa-Bush RFU chief executive Phil Taylor said the trophy tour provided a unique opportunity for the sporting community here to get up close and personal with the trophies which have been the prizes of so many gruelling battles on the field. "It is something special to have all these wonderful trophies in the one place," he said
Taylor urged locals to bring their family and friends to Memorial Park to have their photos taken with the trophies and test their rugby skills through some of the other activities arranged for the day.
Younger fans would be able to meet children's rugby mascot Rugger and the Ruggerbees and play on the Ruggerland bouncy castle.
NZRFU general manager of community rugby and provincial unions, former All Black and Wairarapa-Bush rep Brent Anderson, said the trophy tour is the first of six initiatives the NZRFU is undertaking this year, with the aim of leveraging the world cup event to develop a strong legacy for grassroots rugby.
He said while the Webb Ellis Cup would not be available for every leg of the tour those provinces that missed out would get another chance to see it.