'Incredible opportunity': Volunteers leap to help Ardie Savea train

1News

10 hours ago

All Black Ardie Savea has capped off his preparation for his team's tour to Argentina with an early morning training at Wellington's St Patrick's College featuring plenty of young and eager volunteers.
In an Instagram post last night, the 31-year-old called for assistance with a skills session or "just go for a run", and several turned up, despite the 6am start, including a student from Palmerston North Boys' High.
'To be fair, selfishly, I needed help, there's a few rugby skill blocks in there and I can't do it on my own, running at 6am. I can't ask the other rugby boys to get up that early, so, I come here early so I can go home and do the drop-offs with the kids," Savea told 1News today.
'You know, like, one of my blocks is wrestling and a sprint, and if no one turned up, I would be wrestling with the air so it's actually nice the boys turned up," Savea said.
Savea trains with students at Wellimgton's St Pats College. (Source: 1News)
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One of the kids who took up the chance to rub shoulders with the All Blacks great was Kyren Carmont from Palmerston North Boys'.
'Oh, man, wake up at 3.30am just to take the opportunity to train with Ardie, that's just a massive opportunity,' Kyren told 1News.
'Like, training with him is just incredible. I actually can't believe it still.
'You train with someone that's at a higher level; you get brought up to that level. And yes, I feel like I'm making it up there just by training with him.
"It's just an incredible opportunity.'
Early morning training at Wellington's St Patrick's College attracts plenty of young and eager volunteers. (Source: 1News)
Savea, a leader on and off the field who this year inspired Moana Pasifika to their best-ever Super Rugby position, said he was grateful to have members of the community help him.
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'A few of them really push me,' he said.
'Even though you're young, you still learn a lot when you're old and it's nice to just run around with the youth.
"They're fast fit, so they really push you.'
Theo, a year 9 student from Wellington College, said: 'Yeah, pretty surreal, because he is such an idol to me — he has been for the last five years. Just to be able to be up close and do some drills with him, it's just pretty special.'
Savea added: 'I want them to know that they come and they see me as just a normal kid that grew up in Wellington and I'm just like them.
'So, idol or not, we're just normal people, that were once really like them. We grew up in these communities.'
For loose forward Savea, it was one last hit out before the All Blacks leave for Argentina ahead of the Rugby Championship. Their first of two Tests against the Pumas is in Cordoba a week on Sunday.
'People overlook them [Argentina] beating the British and Irish Lions....and we're over there in their home territory," Savea said.
"So it's an exciting tour for us to go there in the first few weeks... but also at the same time, it's a great challenge for us to elevate our game and do better.'