All Blacks put to tests of a different kind

A selection of All Blacks were put to the test in Dunedin yesterday.

Fresh from training, All Black forwards Dane Coles, Owen Franks, Tony Woodcock, Brodie Retallick and Wyatt Crockett and backs Malakai Fekitoa, TJ Perenara, Ma’a Nonu, Israel Dagg and Cory Jane entertained about 200 people for an hour from 4pm in the Dunedin Town Hall. The crowd was warmed up by

host Nua Finau and host Makere Bradnam and an energetic dance routine from the Otago Dancers.

As the All Blacks were individually announced on arrival, the loud cheer for hometown favourite Fekitoa was equalled only by a piercing declaration of “Love you CJ!” for Jane.

The players answered text message questions, such as naming the most famous person they had met (for Woodcock it was Nelson Mandela) and who was the strongest (all agreed one of the Franks brothers).

Jane answered the “who’s the worst tour roommate” question by telling a tale about Dagg placing his chocolate stash in a hotel toilet and daring him to eat it. “He’s a bad man,” Jane said. Then audience members had to compete in a series of tests.

Otago Girls High School pupil Hannah Tebbutt, 13, of Dunedin beat forwards Retallick and Crockett in an ab strength challenge — but they had the surprise handicap of being tickled by a man in the crowd.

The competition controversy continued when the deciding trivia ques- tion was to list six Dunedin suburbs, stumping Perenara and Dagg.

The creativity test was fashioning a toilet-paper wedding dress.

When the hosts yelled “drop your toilet paper”, the over-the-shoulder dress made on Dunedin student Fano Fesolai, 18, by Jane, Fekitoa and Perenara was the clear winner. As the judges cogitated the other All Black entry fell from the modelling Nonu.

Hannah said the event yesterday was “awesome” and she loved competing on stage against the All Blacks, especially Dagg. “He’s just hot.”

The All Blacks play England at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday and yesterday 127 tickets remained.