What an occasion this will be.
Plenty of Jerry Collins’ friends and former team-mates have done his memory justice in the last few weeks with some emotional gestures but Toulon and the Classic All Blacks will give the bruising flanker a particularly brilliant send off this autumn.
Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal has organised a friendly to take place during the World Cup between his side and an XV of former All Blacks based in Europe. Players like Smokin’ Joe, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Carl Hayman and Ali Williams will play for the All Blacks team while Toulon will no doubt field a galactico-laden line-up to match them.
“I am sure the All Black Haka on this day will remember Jerry Collins with great emotion and so will we. Fans from around the world will witness two heavyweight rugby institutions competing against one another in the heart of Toulon,” Boudjellal said in a statement.
According to their press release, here is a list of some of players that the classic All Blacks will choose from:
Carl Hayman, Ali Williams, Chris Masoe, Rudi Wolfe, John Afoa, Corey Flynn, Andrew Hore, Brad Thorne, Adam Thompson, Daniel Braid, Joe Rococoko, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Anthony Tuitavake, Sam Tuitoupou, Nemia Tialata, Simone Taumoepeau, Nick Evans, Tom Donnolly, Jason Eaton, Mike Delaney, Luke McAlistair, Richard Kahui, Mils Muliaina and others.
It will basically be a rehash of the 2007 World Cup team, who were phenomenally short odds to win the tournament before they were upset by France.
They will be hoping to extract a teeny, tiny modicum of revenge on French soil in the memory of their friend and team-mate who started at blindside flanker on that All Blacks team (and assisted a beautiful Luke McAlister try in that doomed quarter-final).
