New Zealand Rugby
All Blacks' Bledisloe Cup hopes dented already
NZPA
November 24, 2008
All Blacks head coach Graham Henry drinks from the Bledisloe Cup, Australia v New Zealand, Tri-Nations, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia, September 13, 2008.
All Blacks head coach Graham Henry celebrates his side's Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup double-triumph earlier this year © Getty Images
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The Bledisloe Cup is one of the most treasured prizes in the New Zealand Rugby Union's (NZRU) trophy cabinet.

It weighs 21.6kg and has been valued at over $250,000. But not everybody treats it with reverence and awe, or even kid gloves.

In fact after the All Blacks retained the trophy in Brisbane in September it looked as if it needed a panel beater, judging by recently-used photos that showed New Zealand coach Graham Henry holding the cup.

NZRU communications manager Brian Finn told NZPA the highly-visible damage happened shortly after the game -- won by the All Blacks 28-24. The players had paraded it around Suncorp Stadium and allowed fans to touch it.

Somehow it came back with a "fairly big ding" in it, he said. Mr Finn said it was inevitable such a large trophy would get damaged and there had been similar incidents previously.

The Bledisloe Cup is "reconditioned" at least once a year. "It's not the first time and it won't be the last."

© Scrum.com

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