One hundred and 86 test matches, 14 international tour games, 1267 Super Rugby caps and 2010 provincial appearances.

That is the mighty combined resume of experience for the potential Classics line-up to take on Steelform Whanganui at Cooks Gardens on Saturday, as these legends of the past will test the locals on their first steps towards the 2025 Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship.

And the Whanganui side will likely be selected with an eye to the future, after the representative withdrawal of a couple of veterans while others are still working their way back from injuries and thus a lack of recent club rugby.

The Classics team was started by Whanganui-born former New Zealand test captain Andy Haden under the ‘Classic All Blacks’ moniker and has played many festival matches across the globe over the years, and following Haden’s death in 2020 the mantle is now carried on by his family members Chris and Laura.

There are a number of local connections within the star-studded line-up.

Former All Black Chris Masoe (21 tests) and Manu Samoa standout Paul Perez (25) played their first senior provincial games for Whanganui as youngsters in 1999 and 2005 respectively, while Mana Ashford left his hometown to later play for the NZ Sevens team.

Tough lock Jason Eaton (15 tests), historically noteworthy in 2005 alongside Isaia Toeava (36) for being among the last players chosen for All Blacks debuts before playing Super Rugby, made his provincial debut against Whanganui in 2002 for Manawatu.

Fans will enjoy seeing 2011 Rugby World Cup hero Stephen Donald (23 tests) as well around a dozen players who have played test matches for not only New Zealand, but also Samoa, Japan, Ireland and England.

The bulk of the Classics side were involved in the 79-14 win over Pasifika Legends last Friday, as the curtain-raiser to Manu Samoa vs Scotland test at Eden Park.

“There’s some big boys there, so we’re telling our fellas they’ve got to be running our game plan, which is moving the ball,” said Whanganui coach Jason Hamlin.

“They wouldn’t like running into those big bodies, but they’ll learn their lessons I’m sure.

“[The Classics are] doing rolling subs - we can if we want, but we’ll probably look and see we go [for longer].

“They’re a pretty decent, they won’t have the speed that they once had, but they still know how to play their game.”

Indeed, while the average age of the Classics side will be in the late 30’s to early 40’s, with former Hurricanes halfback Jamie Booth being the ‘spring chicken’ of the bunch at 30-years-old, their number of First-Class fixtures dwarfs Whanganui’s overall Heartland caps.

Regular players like hooker Alesana Tofa, lock Peter-Travis Hay-Horton and midfielder Timoci Seruwalu are still working through the injuries which saw them miss much of the Premier club season.

“Young Te Atawhai Mason will get his opportunity come Saturday, as Dane Whale’s out from the [club] final, still two weeks away,” said Hamlin.

“That’s a good opportunity for some of the boys to play not only this week but next week as well against Saracens.

“We can see where they’re standing in the scheme of things. What we’ve been saying to them, after a couple of weeks of trainings, is they’re making our [Heartland selection] job harder – it’s a good thing.

“This game gives us three or four extra guys that we wouldn’t be able to look at in any other [match] scenario, but this one we get to name a 26 man squad.

“Adam Boult, hasn’t played for Whanganui in a Heartland jersey, he’ll get his opportunity.”

The game will be played in four quarters of twenty minutes, so Hamlin and his coaching start can decide after Thursday training if they start the game with a few young bolters against the seasoned professionals, or begin with a likely ‘shadow’ Heartland XV.

“With the couple of weeks we’ve had [together], there’s probably a few boys in there that get an opportunity in the first instance.

“We’re able to field 26, as much as they are, so it just means players won’t probably play as long, but they’ll get an opportunity out there.”

Kickoff is 2.35pm.
 

By Jared Smith