Bradyn Fitzgerald, 7, from Broadlands School with the new bench outside Reporoa Community Hall with All Blacks Sam Cane and Emoni Narawa behind him. Reporoa is one of 26 sites around the country to get a bench as part of the All Blacks' Our Bench is Your Bench World Cup initiative. Photo / Dan Hutchinson
Bradyn Fitzgerald, 7, from Broadlands School with the new bench outside Reporoa Community Hall with All Blacks Sam Cane and Emoni Narawa behind him. Reporoa is one of 26 sites around the country to get a bench as part of the All Blacks' Our Bench is Your Bench World Cup initiative. Photo / Dan Hutchinson
All Blacks captain Sam Cane made a trip to his home town of Reporoa on Sunday to unveil one of 26 benches that are being left in each of the country’s 26 rugby union territories ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
The “Our Bench is Your Bench” promotion drew a fair chunk of Reporoa’s population off the farm and out to the playground beside the Reporoa Community Hall, where children got the chance to sit on the bench with Cane and new All Black Emoni Narawa, who is based in Taupō with his partner and daughter.
Cane said the idea was to say “thank you” and give something back to the communities for their support.
“The team is only as strong as the bench, but it extends far beyond the playing group.”
He said it was important for the team to feel that support before they set off for the World Cup in France, which starts on September 8.
“The All Blacks really do feel the country in behind us, when the community is pumping, so part of that is wanting to get the country in behind us and we will be a long way away but to feel the country’s support will mean the world.”
All Blacks Sam Cane and Emoni Narawa sit on the bench at Reporoa while local children line up to get their photo taken. Photo / Dan Hutchinson
He was glad of the opportunity to bring one of the 26 benches to Reporoa.
“It is a community that has always supported me and it holds a pretty special place in my heart so to be able to have a bench that sits here and you can sit down here and have a yarn on it and watch the kids in the playground ... It’ll be there for long after we move on too, so that’s cool.”
NZRU Māori development manager Tiki Edwards said the bench concept was about building the mana of the team that takes the field and it replicated the All Blacks’ bench.
“Then there is a wider bench who sit up in the stand who don’t get named in the 23 and they whakamana everybody who gets named in the 23 and then there is the wider bench, and this [bench at Reporoa] replicates the wider bench of our five million people who sit around the country, who get up in the morning ... probably I’m thinking 2.30 in the morning when these fellas are playing.”
Reporoa is one of 26 sites around the country to get a bench as part of the All Blacks' Our Bench is Your Bench World Cup initiative. Photo / Dan Hutchinson
He said they could have placed the bench anywhere in the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union area.
“But it’s right to come here for the big fella Sam, his home town. Awesome to have him here, both him and Emoni here today to unveil this gift to this community here.”
Mayor of Rotorua Tania Tapsell also came out to the bench unveiling.
“Rugby is so much more than just a game, so much more than just a sport. It teaches our kids, our players great values of commitment, of sharing, of giving back and most importantly, if you work hard, you can make it.
“This is where it begins but this is where it comes back to as well – our people, our community.”
