Seddon kids welcome rugby stars to stay the night

It's not everyday that a professional rugby player stays the night at your house.

But for the kids of Seddon, this is the sleepover they have been waiting for.

Ten players from the Tasman Makos will stay in homes throughout the township before a fundraising match on Thursday.

Seddon School principal Tania Pringle said the game presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the pupils as they got to hang out with their heroes.

"The players take on this God-like status in the minds of the kids, so it will be something completely different to have them stay the night," she said.

Thursday's match will be the first time the Tasman Makos have played in Seddon, and the students at Seddon School are ready to cheer them to victory.

"I'm sure there will be some interesting stories to tell at the end of it."

The Tasman Makos will play an exhibition match in Seddon for the first time as they rally to fund the repair of the Awatere Rugby Club.

The clubrooms have been hit three times in as many years by earthquakes, twice in 2013 and in November last year.

All funds between the Tasman Makos v Wellington Lions warm-up game would help meet a $200,000 repair bill.

Awatere Rugby Club member Andrew Lawson said the first target would be to cover the $29,000 insurance excess.

About 600 tickets had been sold to the match and Lawson was hopeful numbers could reach 1000 to 2000 people.

"There's a buzz, everyone is very excited. It has been a great morale booster around town," he said.

"It's bloody good and the community is really excited about it. Everyone from Nelson to Marlborough is talking about it, so we'll see how the match goes."

Repairs to the Awatere Rugby Club would be carried out over summer if the insurance excess was raised, Lawson said.

All funds from Thursday's game will go towards the Awatere Rugby Club, which needs to renovate after last November's earthquake.

Tasman Mako commercial and marketing manager Martyn Vercoe said it was easy to find Seddon families who would billet 10 players from Nelson for the night.

"I think the players are really looking forward to it, they know they are role models," he said.

"Who knows, they might help out chopping the fire wood and rounding up cattle."

Players were scheduled to visit pupils from Seddon School and Ward School to talk about dealing with pressure and coping under stress on Wednesday.

A training session would then be held with rugby teams at Seddon Domain from 3.30pm.

"We always want to bring events like this to places that have had a rough 12 months," Vercoe said.

"We think it's an awesome opportunity. The players are excited that they can give it back."

Seddon School would finish at noon on Thursday in preparation for the match, which starts at 2.30pm at the Seddon Domain. General admission tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids.