The Crusaders were caught up in a bizarre hoax involving pop superstar Bruno Mars. Photos / Getty
Several Kiwi Super Rugby franchises were reportedly caught up in a bizarre hoax involving pop superstar Bruno Mars, prompting the Crusaders to lay a formal complaint with the police.
In the build up to the Super Rugby Aotearoa final, which concluded last weekend with the Crusaders beating the Chiefs to
claim their fifth straight title, three New Zealand teams reportedly received calls offering the services of Mars, the Grammy award winning singer who has sold over 150 million records worldwide.
According to 1News, the Crusaders, Hurricanes and Highlanders were told that Mars was in New Zealand working on his new album and was keen to attend a game.
The Highlanders were interested and made plans for Mars to visit the team, while the Crusaders also received an offer for the singer to visit players at the final and even perform a surprise show at Orangetheory Stadium during the halftime show, which involved local act Drax Project.
"The plans were to fly Bruno in with a chopper, deliver the match ball and then join Drax Project for a bit of a jam during pre-match or half-time," Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge told 1News.
