Brief encounter one for posterity
Desperate for an autograph and with nothing for him to sign, Pahiatua mum Toni Andersen asked All Blacks captain Richie Mccaw to put his name on her knickers.
‘‘Luckily, they were red,’’ said Ms Andersen, who was at the Hurricanes v Crusaders preseason match at Mangatainoka on Saturday along with about 8000 other spectators. Ms Andersen was able to get close enough to put in the cheeky request to the man who led the national rugby team to World Cup victory last year.
‘‘It was a bit of a spur-of-the-moment thing,’’ she said.
‘‘He was signing hats and T-shirts so I asked him if it was OK and he said yes. I guess I can tick that off my bucket list now. I’ve wanted to meet him for a long time.’’
A quick loosening of her shorts’ waistband and the obliging Mccaw sprawled his sought-after signature across the top of her underwear at the back.
Ms Andersen said she was not a big rugby fan but went to the game to enjoy the spectacle.
‘‘It’s great to have such a big thing in a small town like ours.’’
Ms Andersen was bemused by the amount of attention the signing received, after being interviewed by a local radio station and the Manawatu Standard. ‘‘I’m sure he’s seen a lot of things, so signing my knickers wouldn’t have been a big issue. He’s a really nice guy.’’
Ms Andersen said she would probably hold on to the knickers and give them to her daughter Rebecca when she was old enough to understand the value of them.
‘‘She’s only 3 at the moment, so it may be a while before she appreciates them,’’ she said.
‘‘I’ve washed them and put them away in the meantime.’’
She hoped signing such an intimate item of clothing would not cause any problems for Mccaw.
‘‘I hope he doesn’t get into trouble for doing it.’’