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Home away from home for Celtic Kiwis
Xavier Rush Xavier Rush (Cardiff Blues) tries his hand at sheep shearing
Ahead of the last rounds of fixtures in the 2007/08 season, the Magners League caught up with some of the New Zealanders that are adding their quality and professionalism to the competition.
It may be a bit of a stereotype but few would disagree that when it comes to rugby and sheep, New Zealanders and the Welsh have a lot in common. So, when deciding on a venue for an end of season get-together for several former-All Blacks who play in the Magners League, it was perhaps little surprise that the players ended up on a working sheep farm in South Wales.
Several players from EDF Energy Cup Champions Ospreys, as well as members of the Cardiff Blues and the Llanelli Scarlets found themselves thrown into the thick of farming life on Tuesday as they offered some much-needed muscle to Port Talbot farmer Richard Millichap, who was right in the middle of shearing season.
The players, including former All Blacks Xavier Rush (Cardiff Blues) and Marty Holah (Ospreys), all turned their hand to a bit of shearing and discovered that a moving sheep can be a lot more challenging to control than a ball flying out the back of a ruck!
The group then joined the 40 gathered locals in a traditional Maori hangi - a feast cooked for over 3 hours deep under the ground - before thanking their hosts by performing a stirring rendition of the Haka.
The Haka Players perform the Haka
When asked who won the award for best shearing on the day, Richard Millichap decided that Holah had the best action whilst Tito, who didn't hesitate to grab his sheep out of the pen, was voted most confident!
Paul
Tito Paul
Tito (Cardiff Blues) shearing sheep as
Marty Holah (Ospreys) looks on
