This week the Blues had an enjoyable two days in Northland, training and meeting a host of fans.
On their way to Whangarei the team stopped at New World supermarket in Warkworth where over 200 fans met their team, collected autographs and had their photograph taken with their favourite players.
It was then onto Whangarei and after lunch the team headed to Kensington Park for training, where more fans were waiting to meet the team.
The following day the team also trained before helping their mascot, Bluebeard the Pirate, host over 500 primary school kids in an interactive session.
Relay races, piggyback races and swordfights were the highlight of the afternoon which left both children and players exhausted.
It's always a great time up in the far north, said Blues captain Keven Mealamu. The locals are really hospitable and the kids are always a lot of fun.
The team now takes a break before resuming training next week for their match against the Brumbies on Saturday, March 18.