Richie McCaw

All Blacks captain and Small Blacks ambassador Richie McCaw will be giving 73,000 young rugby players a great surprise this week when they receive a personalised postcard in their letterboxes from him.

The personally addressed postcards, featuring a photograph and message from Richie are being sent to every young rugby player registered with a club or school in 2009 to remind them to register for the 2010 season. The postcard will arrive in letterboxes this week and coincides with the return of Small Blacks TV to the screens this Sunday morning.

Richie says he still gets a thrill out of playing rugby and is only too happy to share that enthusiasm with young players.

"I remember how excited I used to get about the rugby season kicking off and I always looked forward to playing on Saturdays.

"The postcard is a great way to reach all those young kids who are the stars of tomorrow and get them excited about the upcoming season," he said.

Last year, a total 73,000 boys and girls aged Under 13 played rugby as part of a Small Blacks programme throughout New Zealand.

NZRU General Manager of Provincial Union and Community Rugby Brent Anderson said Richie was the ideal postcard figure to promote the registrations season.

"So many of these young players look up to our All Blacks and many of them dream of following in Richie's footsteps. To receive a message from him encouraging them to come back for another season is fantastic," he said.

Junior rugby registrations have already begun in some provinces and are commencing soon in others leading into the junior rugby season.