KEY POINTS:
Rugby great Wayne "Buck" Shelford is fighting cancer. The 49-year-old father of three, discovered just three months ago that he has lymphoma, a cancer that attacks the lymph nodes, weakening the immune system.
Shelford has begun treatment in Auckland after discovering the illness following a routine visit to
his GP.
The former All Black captain said last night he wasn't giving interviews as he was concentrating on his recovery.
But as news spread of his illness, Shelford's friends and former colleagues said they were confident the Number 8 would "get through".
Close friend and former All Black Andy Haden, who has been battling cancer for four years, said he had "every confidence" Shelford would cope with the often invasive cancer treatment. "It's something that you don't look forward to. You just have to get on with it," Haden said. "The alternative is worse."
Shelford's former coach, John Hart, said he caught up with the sportsman turned entrepreneur at a function a few months ago, and described Shelford as looking fine.
"People who know him well, have known for a while," Hart said of the illness. "I think it will be his strong character that gets him through. He will have a lot of support and will get through it well."
Another All Black great, Frank Bunce, last night said he had not heard the news. "I don't know if I've got any words of inspiration that I'd even try on Buck Shelford. All I can do is wish him the very best."
Shelford owns a tavern on Auckland's Hibiscus Coast and has two adult children, Lia and Eruera. He also adopted his god-son Mitchell Haapu.
Shelford's stellar career with the All Blacks began late - his debut was at age 27 and under his captaincy the All Blacks never lost a game.
Fellow North Harbour player Blair Larsen described him as "a hero of mine, and a hero to a lot of people".
"There will be a lot of people out there wanting him to get well, fight the thing," Larsen said. "He's so inspirational and it's probably quite ironic that he's probably going to need inspiration for what he's going through. I don't think he'd lie down with it. He'd be the sort of bloke that would fight it crazy."
Shelford's many fans knew him as a fighter - and for years after his career ended, "Bring Back Buck" signs could be seen around rugby grounds whenever the All Blacks played. They still appear at other international events.
Dr Leanne Berkahn, lymphoma specialist at Auckland City Hospital, said early symptoms of lymphoma included painless swelling in the neck, armpits or groin. She said CT scans of the bone marrow would determine how far the disease had spread.
Although curable, Berkahn said lymphoma was one of the few cancers on the increase. Patients often had to deal with other diseases because their immune systems were weakened. Lymphoma is New Zealand's sixth most common cancer, diagnosed in around 700 people a year.
Wayne "Buck" Shelford
* Age 49, born in Rotorua, December 1957.
* Has two children with wife Joanne, Lia and Eruera. He also adopted his god-son, Mitchell Haapu.
* Position: Number 8.
* Made his All Black debut in 1985, aged 27, playing against Club Athletico San Isidro at Buenos Aires.
* Played his last test in 1990, aged 32, against Scotland, in Auckland.
* Scored 88 points in 48 All Black matches.
* First captained the All Blacks during the 1987 tour of Japan. During his captaincy of 14 games from 1987 to 1990, the All Blacks didn't lose one game.
