Tui, long term sponsor of rugby in the Canterbury region, has issued a cash-for-try incentive to the Crusaders.

Each try scored by the team in the next 11 Super Rugby fixtures will be worth $5,000 with all proceeds going to help revive Canterbury’s rugby community, grounds and facilities which have been hit hard by the recent earthquakes.

It’s no secret that the rugby loving region of Canterbury is going through a really tough time at the moment which is why Tui has decided to give back to the community and offer a try incentive to the Crusaders for their remaining Super Rugby round robin games.

Money will truly be on the line (try line) starting with this weekend’s big clash between the Crusaders and the Sharks in London. It’s the first time Super Rugby has been played in the northern hemisphere and the Crusaders players will have an extra incentive to rack up dollars by crossing the try line as many times as possible during the match.

Tui has based its $5,000 per try amount on the impressive 46 tries the Crusaders managed to score in their 2010 campaign. The figures translate to a try per game average of 3.29, which when roughly estimated, means Tui should be looking at donating $200,000 to the affected Canterbury rugby community.

Tui marketing manager Jarrod Bear says he’s hoping the challenge which Tui has given to the Crusaders will help spur them on for a worthy cause. “Tui is very aware of the pride the Crusaders feel in representing the people within the Canterbury region. We ourselves have a great relationship with the team and the region’s rugby community which is why we are pleased to able to drive this initiative. It allows both the Crusaders team and Tui to contribute directly to rebuilding community rugby facilities and helping ensure rugby remains a strong community driver within Christchurch.”

Crusaders and Canterbury rugby CEO Hamish Riach says he’s delighted with the support of Tui with this campaign. "Tui have been great supporters of the Crusaders and Canterbury rugby for many years, and this is another wonderful example of an initiative that promises to benefit community rugby in Canterbury, while creating an exciting link with the performance of the Crusaders."

Tui has been the backbone of several other community fundraisers including its 2010 Snow Shout for Southland farmers affected by heavy rain and snow which caused the loss of tens of thousands of lambs. In 2009 Tui came to the rescue by helping the flood-ravaged Kaeo Rugby Club get back on dry land after a devastating flood and back in 2008, Tui came to the aid of drought stricken farmers in the central region with a ‘drought shout’.

Tui hope to present Richie McCaw with a cheque for the total number of tries scored following the Crusaders last game against the Hurricanes on Saturday 18th June.

For more information and to follow the try and cash tally visit the Tui Facebook page, http://www.facebookcom/TUI?v=app_4949752878

ENDS

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