09/20/2011 04:00 pm

Rugby Legend Sean Fitzpatrick on Rugby World Cup 2011

New Zealand All Blacks legend Sean Fitzpatrick is DHL’s Global Rugby Ambassador. After spending the past several months travelling around the world for DHL, he’s now back in New Zealand for the tournament. DHL checked in with him recently.

DHL: You are DHL’s Rugby Ambassador. But people say, “once an All Black, always an All Black.” What does it mean to be part of New Zealand’s famous rugby team?

Fitzpatrick: It means being part of one of the best teams on the planet. This rugby team has come to represent New Zealand so deeply and completely that most Kiwis feel part of the All Black team. They feel they have a stake in the team. The All Blacks epitomize all that we stand for as a nation and we are proud of: our spirit and our cultural heritage, our fight and our desire. The All Blacks have a fierce loyalty to the jersey and each other. They work bloody hard. They have a deep sense of history and tradition. They are tough and uncompromising. They play the game as it should be played. And they like to win.

DHL: They have been so close to winning the World Cup so many times. The last time they won a World Cup was 24 years ago. This year they’re playing on home ground. Can they repeat that victory of 1987?

Fitzpatrick: I look at how they’ve prepared and the experience they have on the team. I think they’ve got the best coach and the best captain in world rugby at the moment. So I think it’s theirs to lose – but as we’ve seen recently with the South African and Australian teams beating the All Blacks, on any given day, the top four or five teams can beat each other.

DHL: You’re traveling a lot these days. Can you feel the rugby fever growing?

Fitzpatrick: Yes, very much so! It’s amazing. I hadn’t been in New Zealand until a couple of weeks ago. The atmosphere is unbelievable, the whole country is involved.

DHL: Are the people of New Zealand ready?

Fitzpatrick: Everyone’s so into it. The stadiums are ready, and Eden Park, where the final will be, looks fantastic. But of all the world cups I’ve been to, it’s not just the games, it’s the time during the entire tournament that is so exciting. If you look at South Africa in 1995, Australia in 2003, France in 2007, it was the people that made it such a great time.

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TM © Rugby World Cup Limited 2008.

 

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