Rugby: All Black's return a junior delight

All Black Sam Cane with Tauranga Sports junior members Iris Pearmain (left), 6, Felix Pearmain, 6, and Wyatt Neilson, 4. Photo / Andrew Warner

Tauranga Sports junior rugby players got more than they bargained for at the annual club day on Saturday.

Apart from the rare opportunity to play on the main field at the Domain before the club's Premiers took on Whakarewarewa, the next generation of Baywide club stars got to meet All Blacks flanker Sam Cane.

The 23-year-old posed for photos and signed countless autographs to the delight of a large contingent of bright-eyed fans who looked startled to see one of their heroes up close and personal.

For Cane it was a happy homecoming and a chance to give back to the club he joined along with Premier captain Carl Axtens after leaving Tauranga Boys' College.

The two Reporoa boys spent their final year of school there and both players made NZ Secondary Schools before joining Tauranga Sports.

"The club is important to me," Cane said. "It was the first stepping stone into senior footy and I am thankful for that. They are just a good quality club and I enjoy helping them out when I can.

"The club makes a big day of it with the kids getting to play on the main field which is pretty special.

"It just worked out great that we [Chiefs] had a local game and it was a Friday night so that gave me the opportunity to get back.

"I got to meet some of the young Tauranga Sports kids and then sit down and watch the prems play as well."

Cane was sporting stitches in a swollen eye after playing a key role in the Chiefs' important win over the Bulls on Friday night at Rotorua International Stadium.

He says playing so close to where he grew up in front of family and friends made it an even more memorable occasion.

"It is pretty much as close to a home game as I will get so I think between Liam Messam, Yogi [Johan Bardoul] and myself we had pretty much all of the team's allocated tickets, which was quite nice to have all that support there.

"Obviously we started off a bit scratchy but to bounce back and stick to the game plan we had and run them round and score some good tries was pretty pleasing."