It takes a country to make an All Black

The series will see the British & Irish Lions play 10 matches in seven New Zealand regions, including against all five New Zealand Super Rugby teams, the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians, the Māori All Blacks and three test matches against the All Blacks.

Along with being one of the sponsors of the All Blacks and the tour, ASB is also the official sponsor of the 500-strong group of volunteers that will ensure the series runs smoothly and fans receive a great Kiwi welcome. Volunteers will work in a variety of roles in the seven host cities, within stadiums, fan zones and transport hubs, and we’re particularly pleased to lend our support.

The British & Irish Lions will play 10 games throughout New Zealand. The series kicks off with a game at the Toll stadium in Whangarei on June 3, and ends at Eden Park on July 8.

• Saturday 3^rd June – New Zealand Barbarians v Lions at Toll Stadium (Whangarei)
• Wednesday 7^th June – Blues v Lions at Eden Park (Auckland)
• Saturday 10^th June – Crusaders v Lions at AMI Stadium (Christchurch)
• Tuesday 13^th June – Highlanders v Lions at Forsyth Barr Stadium (Dunedin)
• Saturday 17^th June – Maori All Blacks v Lions at Rotorua International Stadium (Rotorua)
• Tuesday 20^th June – Chiefs v Lions at Waikato Stadium (Hamilton)
• Saturday 24^th June – All Blacks v Lions at Eden Park (Auckland)
• Tuesday 27^th June – Hurricanes v Lions at Westpac Stadium (Wellington)
• Saturday 1 July – All Blacks v Lions at Westpac Stadium (Wellington)
• Saturday 8^th July – All Blacks v Lions at Eden Park (Auckland)

We’d love it if you came along to show your support by getting involved at the fanzones ahead of each game. We’ll be there giving away foam fingers, banners and scarves, plus we’ll be roaming the around with the ASB Donation Balls raising money for Starship – if you see us come and say hi!

We’ll also have fun activities there for kids, including the ASB throwing ball.

ASB is proud to bring on board Starship as the official charity partner of the 2017 DHL New Zealand Lions Series. We are thrilled to celebrate our 25-year partnership with Starship this year by being involved in the Lions series, together.

We’ve created the ASB Donation Ball to help raise funds for necessary upgrades to Starship Hospital’s Children’s Emergency Department. We’ve set a series-target of raising $200,000, and we think these innovative fundraising devices will help us reach that goal. There are five ASB Donation Balls in total and these will travel around the country; they’ll be at games, at fanzones and on the Auckland fan trail.

We will also be rewarding more than 25 male and female student rugby players across New Zealand with an ASB Young Leaders Rugby Experience.  This is an once-in-a-lifetime experience that includes attending a pre-match captain’s run and a leadership breakfast with former All Blacks, as well as an Adidas All Blacks gear pack. The first students chosen were Rosehill College rugby players Utumalama Atonio and Vulangi Olosoni. Read more about them.

Around the world, rugby fans marvel at New Zealand’s production line of players, and wonder how it can be replicated.

For Kiwis, coaches aren’t the only ones with important roles, there’s many people that influence the playing: the volunteers that supply the oranges, the parents that drive players to the games, the teachers that give up their weekends to watch…

The truth is, it takes a country to make an All Black.