Three New Zealand Sevens players have surprised thousands of students in Tauranga with both the men's and women's Sevens Rugby World Cup trophies.
Scott Curry, Ruby Tui and Risaleaana Pouri-Lane visited the AIMS Games at Blake Park today, signing autographs and more importantly taking selfies with the students.
Curry told 1 NEWS "the cup is New Zealand's cup" and to see the reaction from those lining up for a photo is why the teams work so hard.
He added it's "pretty cool for kids to be involved in sevens" and hopes he can inspire others to the join the game.
Black Fern Ruby Tui says it's "amazing" to see women's rugby growing in popularity.
She says people are "getting onboard" understanding the women's results and competitions.
"The Prime Minister know what's going on in our season," she says.
Meanwhile, Curry says the team hopes to qualify for the Olympics by winning the next World Series starting in Dubai at the end of the year.
The All Blacks Sevens finished third in the last series behind the Flying Fijians and Blitzbokke.
"I think it's maybe been nine years since we've won Dubai, so it's definitely a motivating factor for us heading there.
"I don't why we haven’t won that tournament for so long," Curry says.
SHARE ME