Press Office

Auckland, 7 July 2009 – Fancy your kicking skills over Jimmy Cowan's? Think you can give Andrew Hore a run for his money throwing in to a line out? Soon you may get the chance to prove it as the 2009 MasterCard All Blacks Roadshow begins its journey to 13 towns and cities across New Zealand on Saturday, 27 June at Hagley Park in Christchurch.

This is the second year of the Roadshow, which brings the All Blacks up close to the fans that have been such a source of strength to them over the years. Selected current All Black players, and MasterCard Rugby Ambassador and All Black legend Buck Shelford, will be touring with the Roadshow for its entire journey around New Zealand.

Some lucky fans may even have the chance to score autographs and pictures with the All Blacks players and legends, with a limited number of MasterCard rugby balls to be given out on the day to supporters that show their MasterCard card.

Stuart McKinlay, Country Manager New Zealand, MasterCard Worldwide, said: "MasterCard is delighted to bring the Roadshow back for a second year to New Zealand communities, as part of our investment in New Zealand rugby.

"Not only can you bring your family along for a fun day out at the Roadshow, which will be run on weekends through June, July and September, and test your rugby skills against your All Black heroes; but we hope that it may even inspire some young kiwis to become All Blacks themselves!"

MasterCard Rugby Ambassador Richie McCaw agrees. "It's a great day out. I really enjoyed being part of the Roadshow last year; it gives us, the All Blacks, the chance to visit some communities that wouldn't usually be on tour schedules and to connect with the fans that see us through good times and bad."

The Roadshow features a series of five challenges that aim to give fans and supporters a chance to 'test themselves' against the All Blacks and experience a tiny bit of what it is like to be an All Black, including:

• Testing yourself under a high ball
• Pushing over for a try
• Passing left and right
• Throwing in to a lineout
• Place kicking a goal from a variety of angles

Fans can check on how they rate against their rugby heroes by visiting www.mastercardroadshow.co.nz, which includes Roadshow news, video footage and pictures, blogs from Richie McCaw, Buck Shelford and more.

As part of its ongoing support for community rugby, MasterCard will be donating funds back to the local Provincial Rugby Union clubs to say thanks for the help provided by volunteers. The funds will be used for variety of things ranging from new team kits and equipment to travel costs. Additional local community fund-raising initiatives will happen at the Roadshow along the way.

The MasterCard All Blacks Roadshow will be an impressive sight as it makes its way around New Zealand. The activity represents the single largest investment behind MasterCard's sponsorship of the All Blacks during its six year collaboration with the New Zealand Rugby Union.

The enormous inflatable 'rugby challenges' – some of the biggest ever seen in this country – will be towed by an Iveco Stralis truck in a massive 13m tri-axle trailer unit also containing a 40 square metre fold-out stage. The Roadshow will visit 13 city centres and sporting fields throughout the country.

Roadshow destinations are noted below. For the most up-to-date information please visit www.mastercardroadshow.co.nz:

MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes approximately 21 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial-institution customers and merchants. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network and through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®, MasterCard serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information go to www.mastercard.com.

MasterCard & Rugby World Cup 2011
MasterCard Worldwide is a Worldwide Partner and the official payment system of Rugby World Cup 2011. The company leverages the platform to further deliver shareholder value by creating exclusive business-building opportunities for its customer financial institutions, while building MasterCard brand affinity by offering priceless experiences to MasterCard cardholders. As part of its agreement, MasterCard secures a comprehensive rights and benefits package that allows the company to deliver value to customer financial institutions, merchants and cardholders, including the ability to access "Priceless" experiences linked to Rugby World Cup 2011.
Rugby World Cup is the crown jewel of the sport and a prominent global property – with television coverage of Rugby World Cup 2007 spanning more than 200 territories, reaching a cumulative audience of 4.3 billion viewers. Rugby World Cup 2011 is being held in New Zealand for the first time since the inaugural event in 1987. Teams representing 20 nations will compete in 48 matches across 13 host cities between September 9th and October 23rd, 2011.
Beyond its expertise in world-class sponsorship marketing, MasterCard also has a rich heritage of supporting the sport of Rugby in the host country. Over the past six years MasterCard has been a sponsor of the New Zealand All Blacks team.

MasterCard & Sponsorships
MasterCard boasts a diverse portfolio of business-building sponsorship platforms. The brand has expanded its sponsorship strategy to include alliances in lifestyle, entertainment, in addition to a traditional footprint in sports. Today, MasterCard's sponsorship strategy includes an array of strategic relationships each designed to drive shareholder value, build business for customer financial institutions and provide unique priceless experiences for MasterCard cardholders.