Dancing All Black to be a dad

Josh Kronfeld had extra reason to dance with joy last night at Carisbrook he's soon to become a dad for the first time.

The All Blacks great and Dancing With The Stars competitor is expecting a child with partner Bronwyn Illingworth, co-owner of an Auckland hair salon, who encouraged him to do the TV show.

The delighted couple's baby is due in September.

"It's very exciting. We have had our first scan," Kronfeld said.

The legendary flanker, who played 54 tests for the All Blacks, is understood to be telling his baby story to a women's magazine and did not want to reveal any more details of his impending fatherhood.

Last night he returned to his old stomping ground with Dancing With The Stars partner Rachel Burstein to perform at Carisbrook before the Highlanders match against the Cheetahs.

He said it was a weird feeling to be tripping the light fantastic on the rugby ground where he's played 50 matches for Otago, the Highlanders and the All Blacks.

"I'm not sure how I'm feeling about it just yet," he told Sunday News.

"It's rugby but we are dancing there.

"I find dancing on telly very nerve-wracking, more so than running out on the field. But maybe this will be a little bit more familiar it's a crowd I know and understand."

Josh said he was not initially keen to mix his passions of rugby and dancing but dance partner Rachel talked him into it.

It won't be the first rugby experience for Rachel, who is American. Josh took her to watch the Blues play the Sharks.

"We sat in the terraces and made lots of noise and (the crowd) spotted me and started cheering and shouting," he said.

"She's got a little look at what it's like in the rugby world. Now we are going to Carisbrook so she's going to see what that's like, and we're going to hang out with the rugby people afterwards."

He was pleased at the reaction of his rugby mates to his new dancing identity.

Former Otago team-mate John Leslie went to Carisbrook last night to watch him dance and former All Black Jamie Joseph has asked to take his daughters to watch the filming of the show.

Josh says he had not been given too much stick from his All Black mates.

"I get various sorts of comments. They ask what it's like, and how hard it is they are more curious than anything."

Now based in Auckland, Josh is passionate about Dunedin and hopes to return there soon to live.

Having impressed the crowd last night, he hopes to impress the show judges on Tuesday. Last week he scored 25 for his quickstep and was at the bottom of the table.

"It's frustrating but I have got to take it on the chin."

- © Fairfax NZ News