A RUGBY fan had the surprise of his life when he was offered a place to stay in New Zealand – when it ended up being the home of two All Black stars.
Alex Edwards is currently Down Under following the British Lions’ tour in a camper van.
And on one particular night a woman at the local Auckland rugby club suggested he could stay with them instead, an offer he duly accepted.
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But there was a shock in store when her sons walked in – New Zealand stars Rieko and Akira Ioane.
Edwards told BBC: “I didn’t actually recognise them at first – I was sitting with a cup of tea with the dad when the lads came in and their mum introduced the boys.”
While sipping his cup of tea he commented that the duo looked like they would make decent rugby players, to which the father replied he would see them “run out the next night”.
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His first thought was that he meant for a local rugby club, but he was correctly sharply.
He was told: “They’re playing for the Blues, mate.”
That was in reference for the Auckland team the British-Irish team were due to face the following day.
The Ioane brothers are also stars of the New Zealand national team.
Edwards said: “I thought they’d looked familiar, but it didn’t click until the dad told me.
“People here worship the ground these guys walk on – and I didn’t have a clue.
“They were great, really great. Everyone talks about Kiwi hospitality and that’s really true in this case.”
The brothers, both in their early 20s, still share a room at their parents’ home.
But the hospitality on offer did not extend to the visiting Lions team, who suffered a 22-16 defeat 24 hours later.
And their misery continued with a 30-15 defeat against the All Blacks last Saturday - with Rieko Ioane scoring two tries.
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