KEY POINTS:
Rugby was not the game for David Beckham.
The football superstar didn't enjoy following in William Webb Ellis' shoes by picking the ball up and running with it.
"I tried it when I was a kid, I tried it when I was in school but it wasn't for
me. It's an amazing sport but definitely not for me," Beckham said at a press conference in Auckland today.
But the sport did feature in his souvenirs when he visited Wellington last year and bought his kids some All Blacks gear.
"They loved that. They wore those for quite a few months," Beckham said.
The football star is visiting New Zealand with his LA Galaxy team who will play an Oceania XI on Saturday at Mt Smart Stadium.
Beckham and his LA Galaxy team mate Eddie Lewis, along with coach Bruce Arena attended the press conference this morning.
They were joined by Oceania All Stars captain Christian Karembeu and Kiwi Ivan Vicelich.
Both teams have their own goals for the match.
"I hope to play well in the match, perform well in the match," said Beckham.
"We're obviously happy and privileged to be here, knowing it's a beautiful country and everyone treats us so well," he said.
As to the future, Beckham said he was looking forward to a short stint playing for Milan and didn't rule out playing for England in 2010 World Cup - if they qualify.
"I take each game as it comes. If I carry on to the World Cup, then great but I'm enjoying the qualifiers at the moment and enjoying the way the team are playing and the way they are bonding together," Beckham said.
He said England not making the Euro 2008 tournament was disappointing but "hopefully we can now reach the World Cup finals".
For the LA Galaxy, Arena said it was about giving their young players some exposure and a chance to prove themselves as the Galaxy prepares for the 2009 season in the US.
Oceania technical director Jim Selby said he hoped Saturday's game would give some of the Pacific Island players a chance to test their skills against a world class side.
"Players that haven't had a lot of experience or opportunity to play at this level. They know it's not easy and regardless of the scoreline, they wouldn't miss it for the world," Selby said.