Dying man’s farewell game
All Blacks Sam Cane and Anton Lienert-Brown flew to Southland to support a dying man’s last wish.
The pair attended a bucket list rugby match on Saturday for Winton man Blair Vining, 38, who has terminal bowel cancer.
A last-minute drama led to offers of help to ensure the All Black players got to the important game on Saturday.
Southland rugby coach Vining, 38, wanted a simple game with mates after being diagnosed in October with stage four cancer.
But a huge response from past and present friends and his Central Southland College First XV saw it spiral into a star-studded event.
Organisers kept the appearance of Cane and LienertBrown a tightly held secret until 3pm.
A minor hiccup in transport had caused some last-minute ‘‘drama’’, partner Melissa Vining said from the game’s venue, Winton’s Midlands Rugby Football Park.
The flight for the All Blacks from Hamilton was cancelled but within 45 minutes of posting about it on social media businesses and supporters around New Zealand rallied to get them there.
Two helicopter companies worked together to fly them from Queenstown and then on to the field, with the stars arriving five minutes before the kick-off.
Melissa Vining said the offers of help were overwhelming.
‘‘We’ve been dealt a really rough hand but you can’t be anything but positive with everything people are doing to help.’’
Blair Vining’s hand-picked team took on an invitational team selected from a flurry of offers made by past and present players he had played with.
A local company sponsored full team kits for both sides including old-school rugby shirts designed by Blair Vining.
In addition to the support of Cane and Lienert-Brown, the game featured well-known names Jimmy Cowan, Mils Muliaina – who subbed for Blair – Tim Boys, Corey Flynn, Jason Rutledge and David Hall.
Melissa Vining said a Blair Vining Sports Foundation was set up late last year as Blair wanted offers of support to go towards his and future college teams.
‘‘He’s a very brave, courageous and selfless person.’’
A curtain-raiser between the Central Southland College First XV and an invitational team handpicked by Blair kicked off at 1.15pm.
An auction, sausage sizzle and black-tie event on Saturday night all helped to fundraise for the foundation’s first goal of helping to pay for the first XV’s pre-season tour to Queensland in April.
Melissa said that after his diagnosis Blair asked her to promise his boys would make it to the tour – with or without him.
By the time he was diagnosed the cancer had spread to his lungs and was now also in his liver.