Top Acts Line Up at Legends of League Charity Match

Auckland, New Zealand, March 8, 2011 – Some of New Zealand’s leading acts will join together to entertain fans ahead of the Legends of League Charity Match being played at Mount Smart Stadium on Thursday (March 10) to raise funds for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal.

After the gates open at 5.00pm, the music will start at 5.30pm leading up to the players of yesteryear going all-out for the earthquake cause at 7.00pm.

Vince Harder and ReQuest had already been lined up and today the New Zealand Rugby League confirmed they’d be joined Che Fu and the Krates and Ivy Lies along with Jason Kerrison, who will sing the national anthem before the encounter between the New Zealand and Australian legends.

Some of the biggest names of the past are coming together in the name of charity on Thursday night.

The 38-year-old Ruben Wiki will captain the New Zealand side, starting in the centres, the position he filled early in his Test career after making his debut in 1994.

Alongside him will be a number of players he had as New Zealand team-mates at some stage during his career including Richie Barnett, Sean Hoppe, David Kidwell, Stacey Jones, Joe Vagana, Gary Freeman, Quentin Pongia and more.

Also in the New Zealand side are the legendary Kurt Sorensen and Olsen Filipaina, brilliant players from the 1980s now both well into their fifties. Filipaina is playing despite battling illness in recent years while one of the game’s organisers Tawera Nikau will play with his artificial leg.

Ben Elias, an outstanding hooker in his day for Balmain, New South Wales and Australia, will captain the Australian side which includes revered Vodafone Warriors hard man Kevin Campion as well as Jason Death, one of the club’s most popular players during his time at Mount Smart Stadium. Included in the Australian side are five New Zealand guest players in Clayton Friend, Mark Horo, Craig Smith, James Goulding and Jason Williams.

Also named is Australian football star Mark Bosnich, who carved out a long professional career with Manchester United, Aston Villa and Chelsea in the English Premier League.

The only names to be confirmed are for the spots kept open in each side for the highest bidders in an online auction on www.trademe.co.nz.

Apart from Nikau, the other former players helping to bring the squads together are Gary Freeman, former Vodafone Warriors captain Monty Betham and Nigel Vagana while the New Zealand Rugby League, the League 4 Life Foundation, Vodafone and Mount Smart Stadium are lending their support to the event.

• To be a part of the action, fans can bid here for a place in one of the teams (all proceeds to the official appeal). For those wanting to attend the match buy your tickets here (or go to www.ticketek.co.nz or www.nzrl.co.nz).

• Tickets are priced at $20.00 for everyone except children 12 and under, who will be granted free entry. There’ll be bucket collections throughout the evening to raise funds for the appeal.

The gates open at 5.00pm with entertainment starting at 5.30pm.

LEGENDS OF LEAGUE CHARITY MATCH

Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland

7.00pm, Thursday, March 10

NEW ZEALAND
1 RICHIE BARNETT
2 SEAN HOPPE
3 DAVID KIDWELL
4 RUBEN WIKI (c)
5 SAM PANAPA
6 OLSEN FILIPAINA
7 STACEY JONES
8 JOE VAGANA
9 MONTY BETHAM
10 JERRY SEUSEU
11 KURT SORENSEN
12 TAWERA NIKAU
13 HUGH McGAHAN
Interchange:
14 GARY FREEMAN
15 DUANE MANN
16 PAUL RAUHIHI
17 LOGAN SWANN
18 TRADEME
19 QUENTIN PONGIA
20 AWEN GUTTENBEIL

AUSTRALIA
1 DAVID PEACHEY
2 HAZEM EL MASRI
3 DAVID MYLES
4 TEA ROPATI
5 NATHAN BLACKLOCK
6 SCOTT HILL
7 CLAYTON FRIEND
8 MARK HORO
9 BEN ELIAS (c)
10 CRAIG SMITH
11 PAUL LANGMACK
12 JOHN HOPOATE
13 KEVIN CAMPION
Interchange:
14 JASON DEATH
15 JAMES GOULDING
16 BRUCE McGUIRE
17 MARK BOSNICH
18 BILLY PEDEN
19 TRADEME
20 JASON WILLIAMS

ENDS

© Scoop Media