All Blacks reveal story behind pre-match gesture

New Zealand scrum-half TJ Perenara is the player credited with the idea of presenting an All Blacks shirt with the name Maradona on the back to the Argentina side ahead of Saturday’s Tri Nations Test in Newcastle.

Captain Sam Cane, who laid the jersey down on Argentina’s side of halfway before the haka, said: “It was a gesture, a token of paying our respects to an Argentinian legend and a world legend in his field.”

While not knowing a lot about football, Cane said the players in the team who did, knew what Diego Maradona meant and he felt it was the right thing to do.

“Rugby’s a game that, first and foremost, is built on respect, I believe, and it was respectful and the right thing to do,” he added.

Argentina captain Pablo Matera revealed that Cane told him at the coin toss that the All Blacks were going to make the presentation.

“We are very thankful for that. Maradona was obviously huge for Argentina so I am really thankful for that gesture from the All Blacks,” he said.

Matera said the side had taken energy from his death because Maradona had represented the country the best way possible as a sportsman. And the Pumas wanted to represent their country the same way that Maradona had.