Richie McCaw has made an appearance at an exclusive reception hosted by the Queen and Prince Harry at Buckingham Palace.
The event this morning (NZ time) was attended by about 400 guests, including players, officials and supporters of the Rugby World Cup. Prince Harry, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Gloucester and Princess Alexandra were also in attendance.
McCaw said the visit added an extra boost to the anticipation and feeling surrounding the tournament.
"Getting into the business end of the tournament now, it adds a bit of spice to it.
"Myself and a few of us have been around long enough to know that you do these things and then get straight back into what you're there for."
Although he doesn't have his own Twitter page, McCaw posed for a selfie which was tweeted out on the Queen's official Twitter page.
He also noted how fortunate he was to be able to attend the exclusive reception.
"When I first came to Buckingham Palace and met the Queen, my grandparents were just absolutely blown away. There are heaps of people standing outside who would love to have a look around so we're pretty lucky to go do that."
Other players at the event included Stephen Moore of Australia, Greig Laidlaw of Scotland, Mike Stanley of Manu Samoa, James Haskell of England and Bryan Habana of the Springboks, as well as All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.
Hansen enjoyed his time with the royal family, who wished the All Blacks good luck for the rest of the World Cup.
"It's always nice to come here, they're a lovely family right from the top to the bottom, they're just normal people really when you get to meet them. In these circumstances, obviously they're in the limelight all the time, which is difficult I guess, but when you meet them one on one they're lovely people.
"It was a nice occasion, it's good to catch up with the other coaches and players and enjoy the evening."
The Webb Ellis Cup also made a special appearance at the event, taking "pride of place" at the Buckingham Palace ballroom.
England Rugby fan Prince Harry - who is also vice patron of the RFU and honorary president of England 2015 - gave a speech describing this years' competition as "one of the most competitive and entertaining World Cups ever".
"This evening, we would like to thank all of you for making England 2015 such a successful and enjoyable tournament for everybody," he said.
"You are helping inspire children of all backgrounds to get involved with the game the game we all love."
Prince Harry and his brother the Duke of Cambridge have made several appearances at Rugby World Cup games - they even attended the Wales v England clash, while each cheering for different sides.
- nzherald.co.nz