For the first time, Dan Carter will be auctioning off an All Blacks Test jersey to raise money for his local rugby club, which is struggling for money following the pandemic.
Like other sports clubs around the country, Southbridge just out of Christchurch, had been badly hit financially over the past few months.
It prompted Carter to part with his 70th Test jersey from the 2010 Eden Park match between the All Blacks and the Springboks to try and get Southbridge back on its feet.
It’s a jersey that represents fond memories for Carter.
“You put your heart and your soul to be able to get in a position to receive one of these [jerseys] … we hold on to them very closely.”
He said he performed one of the “most intense haka” while wearing the jersey.
“Probably one of the most physical test matches I’ve ever played in but we managed to get the win which was nice."
While he’s becoming a familiar sight these days at Eden Park wearing blue, the Cantabrian's still thinking of home.
"They are the heartbeat of the community,” he said of the Southbridge club.
“I don't know what my little town of Southbridge would be like without the rugby club.
“I don't even want to imagine what it would be like. It would leave a big hole in a lot of people’s hearts that live around that community.”
He said he hoped he could do his part and is encouraging other sporting legends to do the same for their local clubs.
The jersey, embroidered with Carter’s name, is on sale on TradeMe .
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