Two South African adventurers will be the special guests of Hautapu Sports Club at our clubrooms this Friday (September 30).
Ron Rutland and Adam Nunn are cycling from Tokyo to Auckland, via 10 countries, to deliver the referee’s whistle needed to start the first game at October’s Women’s Rugby World Cup.
It’s the latest charity project undertaken by Rutland who also hand-delivered the referee’s whistle to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan after cycling more than 20,000km from London.
The pair will share a presentation of their trip in the clubrooms, followed by a question and answer session.
Main photo: Nunn (left) and Rutland cycling through Queensland en route to Auckland. Photo: Child Fund Rugby.
Come along to our Friday evening at the club
If you’re looking for an evening of entertainment, come along to the clubrooms for:
- A chance to bring your friends along for a fun evening (no cost of entry)
- Our bar will open at 4.30pm.
- Happy hour between 5.30pm and 6.30pm.
- Our members’ draw will take place between 6pm and 7pm, for a jackpot that is now $750 (members have to be present to collect).
- Presentation by Rutland and Nunn starts at 6.30pm.
- Chance to donate a gold coin to the Child Fund Rugby project being promoted by Rutland and Nunn.
Evening of adventure
Rutland and Nunn have been cycling since leaving Tokyo on March 14 with a specially-engraved whistle that’s needed for the opening game of the WRWC on October 8, between South Africa and France.
The pair are raising money for the Rugby World Cup’s chosen charity Child Fund Rugby by cycling 16,500m through 11 countries, including 2,000km from Invercargill to Auckland.
READ MORE: Race to Rugby World Cup — project website >>>>
Rutland is well-known for his marathon cycling trips to get to rugby matches.
In 2013, he left Cape Town and spent two years with a bicycle and tent, trekking 42,000km through 75 countries before arriving in England for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
In 2019, Rutland and his cycling partner James Owens travelled 20,093km from London’s Twickenham Stadium to deliver the referee’s whistle to Tokyo for the start of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Their journey took 230 days and they raised more than EUR130,000 for the ChildFund Pass It Back charity.
In 2017, Rutland and golfing buddy Adam Rolston designed the longest golf hole on the planet — across the vast, rugged expanse of Mongolia.
With Rutland acting as caddy, Rolston hit up to 250 shots a day as the pair hit a golf ball 2,000km across the Central Asian country, setting a world record for the longest hole ever played.
Their efforts raised money for projects supported by the Laureus Sport For Good Foundation.
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