The content premiered exclusively on Dude Perfect channels on Sunday 19 May, with behind the scenes content available on NZR+ and the All Blacks youtube channel.
The one episode special features Dude Perfect joined by All Blacks and Black Ferns players on their trip to the adventure capital of the world, Queenstown to tick off a bucket list of adrenaline fuelled (with a touch of rugby and good kiwi kai) experiences.
New Zealand rugby legends Richie McCaw, Kendra Cocksedge, Stephen Donald, Piri Weepu and Andy Ellis, come together to induct Dude Perfect to rugby and the culture behind the rugby teams in New Zealand.
Dude Perfect reflected on filming with New Zealand rugby legends as one of the highlights of their career to date, “We’d been looking forward to coming to New Zealand for a long time, we got to jump from a swing with Richie McCaw, who is a world-class athlete, get taught how to kick by Kendra Cocksedge and even passed a rugby ball between Shotover Jetboats with Andy Ellis, which was awesome.
“When it comes to rugby in the States, a lot of people don’t know about it. But rugby has a lot of similarities to American contact sports, like NFL, which is hugely popular. We wanted to shine a light on how amazing rugby is, hopefully we have through our Bucket List Down Under content.”
New Zealand Rugby Commercial CEO, Craig Fenton said the opportunity to collaborate with such influential, engaging content creators Dude Perfect could not be missed.
“We’re really lucky to have a rich culture, heritage and reputation for adventure and doing things a little differently in New Zealand. That culture and innovation comes together in many ways on the rugby fields of the schools and clubs around the country and is proudly expressed when the Black Ferns, All Blacks and other Teams in Black take the field. It was such a privilege to help bring to life Dude Perfect’s ‘Down Under Bucket List’ and showcase who we are to the world, in a fresh and modern way.
“The USA is an important emerging market for New Zealand Rugby. Rugby is a growing sport over there, and we want to invite the US audience into our waka (canoe) and join our growing international fan whānau (family). Partnering with Dude Perfect allows us to engage with the US market in an authentic, relatable way, especially as we prepare to host a ‘home’ All Blacks game in San Diego on 19th July against Fiji.”
New Zealand legend Richie McCaw was one of the hosts, and demonstrated his exceptional skills are not just limited to professional rugby, as he applied his helicopter piloting skills showing the Dudes the best of New Zealand.
“It was an honour to host the Dudes and show them a spot that is really special to me, Central Otago. We got to share a slice of our beautiful country, culture, rugby and also give them a few thrills with some epic adventure activities thanks to Over the Top Helicopters and Shotover. The Dudes are naturally good at sports, so to our surprise, they picked up the skills of rugby very quickly.”
Free to subscribe to and available globally, NZR+ features behind the scenes, exclusive, and original content that can’t be found anywhere else, including the All Blacks Podcast, NZR Podcast, Small Blacks TV and content series on key moments in the history of New Zealand’s representative teams.
