Aaron Cruden has been coaching students. Picture / Brett Phibbs
Aaron Cruden has been coaching students. Picture / Brett Phibbs
A trio of All Blacks have been on a three-pronged mission to China this week.
The players, Aaron Cruden, TJ Perenara and Patrick Tuipulotu, have been in Beijing for the past two days meeting staff from sponsor AIG, attending an official function and a coaching clinic with university students.
AIG,two years into a deal that extends through to 2018, says the visit was part of an "activation programme", using the All Blacks and other New Zealand rugby teams around the world.
AIG's global head of sponsorship Daniel Glantz said All Blacks, and players from the four other New Zealand teams the insurance giant sponsored, had been in 30 cities in 16 countries last year.
"It's been phenomenal across the board for our employer base and where we've been able to talk rugby."
An NZ Rugby spokesman said the All Blacks were also part of the tourism and trade push into China, New Zealand's second-biggest tourism export destination.
