Rugby community rallies

By Cathy Asplin

The official result of The Great Rugby Debate was a win to Warren Gatland’s team - but the more important result from the event was a serious amount of cash raised for ‘one of their own’ by a caring rugby community.

In an outstanding show of support, around 300 people attended the breakfast debate and auction at Te Awamutu Sports on Sunday - raising more than $37,000 for the Lindsay Berryman cancer treatment fund.

A very humble Lindsay Berryman said he was overwhelmed by the generosity shown at the event.

“I would like to express sincere gratitude and heartfelt thanks for the support and generous giving by so many wonderful friends and family. The generosity shown by you all is truly unbelievable and there are no words to express my deepest gratitude.”

PLAYERS SOFT?

Guests at the fundraiser enjoyed a hearty breakfast before being entertained by the debate which saw teams arguing the point whether rugby players today had ‘gone soft’.

Former Waikato and All Black flanker Geoff Hines probably sealed the win for him and Waikato Coach Warren Gatland with his bag of ‘essentials’ for today’s player. Amongst his collection was a contract, property guide, hair care products, coloured boots, condoms, protein powder, i-pod, laptop and mobile phone (with an unprintable message). He also read out a long list of support staff required for a player in the modern era.

Judges Farrell Te Mata and Sam Biddles had no hesitation in awarding the victory, much to the ‘disappointment’ of opposition members Ian Foster and Tom Willis.

AMAZING AUCTION

The following auction, controlled by Kevin Hart and Doug Hurrell, saw strong bidding for some outstanding rugby memorabilia.

Amongst the collection were signed All Black, British Lions, England Sevens, Waikato, Te Awamutu Sports and Kio Kio jerseys. The framed New Zealand Maori and British Lions jerseys (signed by both captains) was the top drawcard returning $4000. A Junior All Blacks jersey signed by the Pacific Five Nations winning team raised $2000, while a signed All Black Ball fetched $1300. A week at a Raglan bach for 12 people made $2700, while bids for a Jono Gibbes signed Te Awamutu Sports jersey reached $850 and a signed Finn brothers CD reached $220. Other items donated for the auction ranged from calf feed, weed spray and earth works to bottles of wine, dinner vouchers and a fishing trip.

The auction alone raised over $22,000 and co-organiser Keith Parsons says money is still coming in to increase the overall tally of $37,300 reached on Sunday.

“It certainly surpassed all our expectations and we thank everyone who so generously supported this fundraising event.”