Rugby history comes home

Franck Mesnel bought the famed goalposts. Photo / Supplied

A French rugby legend who bought the Eden Park goalposts plans to turn one set of them into sculptures and offer them to every player who competed in the 1987 World Cup final.

Franck Mesnel hopes to present the slice of sporting history to 30 French and All Black players at a ceremony during next year's Rugby World Cup.

Mesnel, who owns the Eden Park fashion empire in France, bought the posts for $15,050 at a Trade Me auction last month to raise funds for the Christchurch earthquake relief effort.

The 18m, 700kg posts have been cut in half in preparation for shipment to France in the next few weeks.

Speaking from Paris, Mesnel, a 56-cap former first-five, said: "Even if it's coming for a while to France, I really want the main part of the posts to come back to New Zealand.

"The idea will be to get the views of some artists in France and to bring a part of these posts back to offer them to different players who have been around since. The World Cup would be a great opportunity to bring everyone together."

Mesnel added he wanted to grow his clothing brand in New Zealand.

"This is a story between [the company] Eden Park and New Zealand ... We were also proud to help out and do a little bit for the earthquake."

His old friend, Grant Fox, who scored more test points at the ground than any other player, said it was a magnificent gesture by Mesnel.

"For Franck to be able to get a piece of history means a lot to him," Fox said. "[The French] are quite emotive and, as a team, they can get to a level of emotion that no other side in the world can reach.

"Sadly from an All Black point of view we have been on the receiving end of a few of those performances. It's the emotional side of things that led [Franck] to buy the posts. France and New Zealand, from a rugby point of view, are extremely close."

Mesnel plans to keep the other set of posts in his homeland. The 49-year-old played during the 1980s when French teams were renowned for their dedication to expansive, running rugby.

He was known for wearing the occasional pink bow-tie and beret to matches, and once served his Racing Club de Paris team champagne at half time.

Mesnel took that flair into his business, where he oversees a team of 80 designers for a company with a turnover of $95 million.