A real Cantabrian, kiwi kid’s party. Top of the list for kiwiana icons are Rugby Union, L&P, tomato sauce, pineapple lumps and the ‘Southern Man’. Our party had all of these and was a rugby loving, kiwi kid’s dream; backyard rugby, L&P and an awesome team like the Crusaders to love and support, we had a winning combination.

Theme:

Red and black, swords, horses, Crusader knights and a champion team. We timed this party with the Super Rugby Crusaders home game. We partied at home and then the boys went to the AMI Stadium to watch the Crusaders take on the Blues in a spectacular NZ derby. My little Crusader William patiently waited weeks for his party and when I asked him the next day what was his favourite part… (hoping he might say Mum’s party decorations… lol…) “Going to the game of course Mum!”

Invitations:

Carla from Sugar Paper Love designed this fun party invitation for us to look like a rugby ticket.

Decorations:

The strong image, symbols and colours of the Crusaders made for fabulous party decorations. We created an awesome balloon garland in red with some white and black accents. You can learn how to make a balloon garland here. (coming soon) Gorgeous weather made an outdoor party possible so the greens combined to add to that outdoor rugby field feel. I popped into Party World to gather up some red party plates, balloons and paper fans. Party World has such a huge selection of party supplies I spent a long time browsing and dreaming up ideas. I hired the kid’s table, chairs and the cake stand from Jenna at The Little Carousel. The kid’s glass milk bottles were decorated with black sparkly washi tape from Warehouse Stationary and a Crusaders Horseman Pin I purchased from Champions of the World. These went home with the boys as an extra party favor. I made fun VIP tags for the boys with some neck tags from Lotsa Goodies. These were popped on their plates as name places. Some baby photos of William added a personal touch and the words TRY made out of artificial grass might have radiated across Christchurch to the stadium where the Crusaders won 33-24.

Food:

We named all the food after the Crusaders team that played the match on Friday night. My husband was impressed because I even learnt a few new players names. I hope Sam Whitelock was happy being the Crusader for the cherioos. Kieran Read wasn’t playing but we couldn’t leave him out so he was the ‘icing on the cake’ so to speak.

The food highlight was the pizza rugby balls. These were a hit and turned out great. Made on rugby ball shaped pita bread. I wanted to add some veges to the party menu as the boys had a big night ahead so corn on the cob was a fun addition. A kiwi boys rugby party needed cherrios and tomato sauce and the drink of course was L&P.

The Owen Franks popcorn rugby ball cones were fun. I used some red paper to make cones and added some sparkly black washi tape for rugby ball stitching. I usually love to DIY but I’m learning that I can’t do everything and my biscuit icing skills weren’t improving. Did you see my police cars? I’m so pleased with my decision to buy cupcakes and biscuits from Sugar Baby Bakery. They looked so amazing and no late night icing for me!

I wanted to try these ‘jelly jigglers’ (jelly made with half the water so it sets firm enough for children to pick up and eat like a biscuit. You can use cookie cutters to cut any shape.) Seeing how we were having a ‘Cantabrian/Christchurch’ party I thought we could have some extra love for our special town. Kia Kaha is a Maori phrase meaning be strong and has become an iconic term used to support Christchurch since the earthquakes.

Party Fun:

Backyard rugby was the main party fun. Ian refereed the boys in what was meant to be touch rugby but it looked like tackle to me! We had some fun ‘team photos’ before sitting down for the party food.

We played ‘The Chocolate Game’. I grew up playing this game at parties and always loved it. The boys were so noisy playing it that I think they must have loved it too. The rules are; throw a six on the dice, pull on the provided clothes (in this case Crusader’s top, hat and some black gloves) then use a knife and fork to cut the chocolate into squares and you can eat it until someone else throws a six. Usually you just get the gloves on and someone throws a six! This game was such a laugh and fun to use the Crusaders gear to dress up in.

William’s cousin Tayla provided some pre-match facepainting for the kids. Red and black swords were the most popular request.

The highlight of the party was the boys heading off to watch the game at AMI Stadium. We had two uncles and an older cousin helping Daddy Ian with the five excited boys. They all sat in the ‘Take a Kid to Footy’ area. As part of their ticket they got fun bucket hats, flags and a goodie bag with chips, lollipop and a drink. The whole experience is such fantastic value for money. Ian said the boys LOVED going to the rugby. I did ask for photos but the camera was accidentally left in the car. Well he did have five boys to look after so I couldn’t complain about my photos!

Cake:

Lisa from Beat-all Cakes made this awesome Crusader’s cake for us. Again we opted not to DIY as Daddy Ian usually bakes the cake. What a difference to party prep this made! The cake was fabulous and the boys loved the crusader’s swords around the outside.

Favors:

William wanted to give his guests rugby balls. I found these in a 1$8 shop at Northlands Mall. I added to the label this quote which matches the Crusader’s team ethos; “It’s not the team with the best players that wins. It’s the players with the best team that wins.”

The Crusader’s ethos is, ‘that the team is valued more highly than any individual.’ Love this ethos for our growing boys and with ‘Conquest of Paradise’ by Vangelis as a theme song our boys will feel the “Crusaders Spirit of the South” and learn those crusading life skills; ‘courage under fire, innovation, risk taking and attention to detail.’ What more could a mum want for her boy? Happy 7th birthday to our William, may you always be innovative and risk taking in life.