MARSEILLE - Daniel Carter became an instant sex symbol for a crowd of cheering French teenage girls as the dashing fly-half arrived with his All Blacks teammates for the World Cup.
As the mighty New Zealanders were given a rousing reception by around 3,500 locals, most of thegirls in the crowd only had eyes for Carter, the gifted and beguiling heartbeat of his team.
"We are extremely touched by the welcome we have received here in Marseille," said Carter, the IRB player of the year in 2005, and the man hoping to inspire an end to the 20-year wait for a second World Cup title.
"The expectations of our country are always there as we haven't won the World Cup for 20 years. This can inhibit us but it can also act as a motivation.
"We really, really want to win this year," added Carter whose first name was chanted by his fans, although flying winger Joe Rokocoko was also causing a rise in the decibels levels.
The All Blacks, who spent two days in Corsica to recover from their marathon flight from Wellington, will be based in Marseille for the first round which gets underway for them when they take on Italy at the Stade Velodrome on Saturday.
Also amongst the crowd here was 38-year-old Kiwi expatriate Brent Lorenson, who has lived in Provence for five years.
He was dressed in the black shirt of the All Blacks and wrapped himself up in the New Zealand flag.
"They are ambassadors for our country," said Lorenson who spent his youth in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia.
He discovered recently that he had been adopted and that his natural family were New Zealanders.
"My heart is now split in two," he said. "Half is for France, half is for New Zealand."
The 30-man All Blacks squad received a civic reception from the city mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin who presented all the players with a medal.
All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw then pulled off a timely public relations coup by speaking to the crowd, most of whom had opted to welcome his team rather than stay at home to watch the French league football match between Marseille and bitter rivals Paris St Germain, in French.
"We all hope to have a good stay here and enjoy a great World Cup," said McCaw.
All Blacks in Marseille