It contains 48 stubbies and it was filled four times – deservedly – after the All Blacks breathtaking win over Australia in Melbourne.
And now the time-honoured Bledisloe Cup has been toasted by rugby and sports fans just south of Christchurch.
The cup has had pride of place in the Selwyn Community Pharmacy in Lincoln this week.
News of its temporary home spread quickly around the township.
“It’s been unbelievable,” pharmacist Dave Wyatt told The Star yesterday.
“There’s disbelief that it’s actually the genuine Bledisloe Cup. It’s not a fake or a look-a-like. The size of it ... I can’t believe how big it is.”
Over a couple of beers.
Wyatt is a neighbour of Jason Ryan, one of the All Blacks assistant coaches. They both live in Lincoln.
Said Wyatt: “Jase texted me and said ‘pop over for a beer’. Jase cracked open a beer and we went through to the next room and there’s the Bledisloe Cup! I thought: ‘Jeepers, how good is that’.”
Wyatt was told the cup can take 48 stubbies and during the post match celebrations in Melbourne it was filled four times.
Ryan asked Wyatt if he would like to put it on display in the pharmacy.
So when the pharmacy re-opened on Tuesday after Monday’s public holiday, the Bledisloe Cup was put into a protective crate, put on to the flat deck of a vehicle and driven to the pharmacy.
“We’ve had so many people coming in, grandparents with their grandkids. It’s been just amazing,” said Wyatt.
The cup returns today to Ryan's custodianship.
