What a fantastic week I had in Brisbane for the Rugby league World Cup final. I stayed at the same hotel as the England team, which was a great opportunity for me to get to know a lot of the players I hadn’t met before, and what a great bunch of guys they were. It was great to catch up with old mates like Sam Burgess, James Graham and even a couple of Leeds Rhinos legends in Jamie Peacock and Kevin Sinfield. I also had the pleasure of going to the Golden Boot Awards and it was no surprise Cameron Smith won the award, and his speech had the audience in fits of laughter. The highlight of the day was seeing Kiwi Ferns player Teuila Fotu-Moala win the woman’s award, and I thought the Kiwi Ferns did us proud in the final. Captain Laura Mariu played her last game for the Kiwi Ferns, so a massive thank you for the dedication and commitment to the Kiwi Ferns over the years. Everywhere I went the major talking point was the success of Tonga, everyone was talking about the team’s efforts and the commitment of their fans, and everyone agreed they made the tournament. And a special vote of thanks to members of the team for sharing some of their pictures from their visit to Tonga. We get all the exclusives! For me I had an absolutely blast being the chief ambassador for the World Cup in New Zealand. I met many wonderful league fans and it was a privilege, and I also had the privilege of catching up with some of the legends of the game and you can check some of those interviews on my Facebook page Sir Peter Charles Leitch. Next week will be our last newsletter for the year – it will also be our 200th addition so I’m working on a good giveaway to put in the edition. On Saturday night I’m of to the Surfdale Bowling Club for a Christmas dinner, so be sure to enjoy your weekend too. Sir Peter Charles Leitch KNZM QSM Chief NZ Ambassador for Rugby League World Cup 2017