Doris hangs on to her old favourite

CHRIS HILLOCK/Waikato Times

TIGHT PAIR: Hamilton's Doris Campbell shares a cuddle with her favourite rugby player Richie McCaw ahead of Friday night's clash between the Chiefs and the Crusaders.

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Doris Campbell, 99, expects to cop a bit of flack when she wears her new jersey to the rugby tonight but she doesn't care.

She will be wearing her red and black jersey with pride when the Chiefs take on the Crusaders at Waikato Stadium because one of her favourite players, Richie McCaw, has signed it.

Mrs Campbell met the Crusaders and All Black captain last night and was delighted to let him into a little secret after he signed her jersey.

"I always watch you on the TV and whenever I do you always win," she said.

McCaw laughed at the comment and asked if she could give him a bit of that good luck in his hunt for the elusive World Cup next year.

A former Canterbury resident, Mrs Campbell has lived in the Waikato since 1994 but has always remained a staunch Crusaders and Canterbury fan, and the meeting with McCaw was a birthday present from her family. She turns 100 in July.

"My family asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I said I wanted to do a bungy jump but they said no and then asked what else I would like.

"When I said I didn't know they asked if I could meet any rugby player who would it be and I said `Richie McCaw or Dan Carter of course'."

Mrs Campbell will be accompanied by family to tonight's game including her daughter Ros Snow, granddaughter Melanie Johnson and four-year-old great-granddaughter Emma.

Mrs Snow's husband Owen, who was the one who contacted the Chiefs and Crusaders franchises to set up the meeting with McCaw for his mother-in-law, will also attend the game.

But he is adamant he will be flying the Chiefs flag.

More than 14,000 tickets have been sold to the Super 14 game, surpassing last week's crowd total of 13,300 when the Chiefs took on the Reds.

Chiefs spokeswoman Erin Andersen expected that figure to rise during the day.

- © Fairfax NZ News