Prince William's Auckland visit a hit from the start

Prince William's first big overseas royal jaunt started with a pretty basic Kiwi kickoff - a rugby ball right in the groin.

"Got him in the Crown jewels," yelled a 12-year-old from the Pakuranga Rugby Club, part of the gang who lobbed the ball at the prince.

The boys were at Eden Park to do some passing practice with Prince William as he toured the ground, viewing the 2011 Rugby World Cup preparations.

Finding the boy who made the kick yesterday was not straightforward - they all wanted the post-match credit.

The right one though seems to be Sebastian Diedricks. "He just missed the ball and I got him."

Nursing an injury, William blew a whistle on the play and suggested the boys kick the balls at the cameras. As club officials tried to bundle the boys away from the media, it was plain they were not familiar with the royal visitor.

"He's with the king of England," one said, while another added "he's got a pretty posh accent".

In front of an 80-strong media pack, William - on his first international outing representing the Queen - chatted with a couple of All Blacks. Richie McCaw, Ali Williams and Dan Carter were on hand to show the prince around.

McCaw said Prince William was just "a genuine bloke".

"I think Kiwis will be intrigued to see him in the country for the next couple of days.

"There's definitely a lot of respect there. It can't be easy being in the position he's in, but he handles himself amazingly well. Underneath all that stuff he has to deal with, he's just a genuine bloke you can have a yarn with," he said.

Towering lock Ali Williams was unfazed by it all. "I said to him we were going to have some beer at a mate's place, but he said he had prior engagements."

William arrived on a commercial flight yesterday morning, largely unnoticed until Australia's Channel Nine TV handed around placards with "Welcome Will" on them.

The Queen has insisted that the prince have his own "wise man" at his side throughout his tour of New Zealand and Australia.

The mentor is diplomat Sir David Manning, the former British ambassador to Washington who was a key adviser to Tony Blair in the buildup to the 2003 Iraq war.

About 50 international media members were waiting for William's first outing at Eden Park.

After Eden Park, William went sailing on Waitemata Harbour and was to attend a hangi at Government House last night.

- © Fairfax NZ News