VIDEOS: All Blacks get hero's welcome in Cape Town
NEWS: The All Blacks have officially arrived in South Africa for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series and they received a massive welcome from over 4,000 fans in Cape Town.
A ‘Welcome to Country’ event was organised for Dave Rennie and his squad at DHL Stadium on Friday, and it is safe to say the visitors were taken aback by the support they received.
“It’s amazing to see so many fans, and it’s people that just love rugby,” said hooker Codie Taylor, who will captain the squad while Ardie Savea is being rested.
“We take a lot of pride in being a rugby nation ourselves, but I think we are being trumped and it is pretty evident today.”
He added: “I knew we had fans here, but I didn’t expect this sort of reception from so many people.”
‘Incredible’
Rennie, who took the reins as head coach earlier this year, believes Cape Town is the perfect location to start the tour.
“It is incredible,” he said when asked about the fans.
“I know how often the players talked about the support the Super [Rugby] teams and the All Blacks used to get here.
“It’s an awesome place to start our campaign. The support is incredible.”
Meanwhile, Taylor also opened up on his responsibility as captain while Savea is away.
“I am just taking that role on while Ardie isn’t here and it is a huge privilege to lead the group of men that we have,” he said.
“Ardie has been playing a lot of rugby over the last 18 months or so and he deserves a break.
“We have a massive calendar that we are working into this year and I don’t think it starts any harder than coming to play South Africa and the club teams.”
The All Blacks will start their eight-match tour against the Stormers on Friday, August 7.
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