They recently turned out for an official reception to meet the people who give hours of their own time to make sure the competition runs smoothly.
The volunteers operate as drivers, stewards, and administrative staff to carry out a huge workload 24 hours a day.
Even when the team trains volunteers are on hand to make sure crowds are monitored and requirements of the team are met.
In Hamilton volunteers gathered at the local council headquarters in the city centre to meet the players. The crowd wasn’t disappointed when Shane Williams, Dan Lydiate, Aled Brew, James Hook, Ken Owens, Craig Mitchell, Ryan Bevington and Tavis Knoyle all turned up.
The players autographed photographs, jerseys and flags before posing for souvenir pictures with the families gathered to welcome them.
Shane Williams said: “We know how hard these people work so it has been a pleasure to have a chance to meet them off duty and say thanks. Wherever we go we come across them working hard to make sure everything works smoothly and they are very good at what they do.
“We’ve met one or two of them out and about socially but we wanted to come along to this reception to meet as many of them as possible. This is a huge competition and there is an enormous amount of work to be done behind the scenes and off the rugby pitch.
“We are here to focus on the rugby but they have all helped to make our stay in New Zealand a little bit special.”
Volunteer work group organiser for Hamilton Jenny Blanchett said: “We are delighted the boys took the time to come here and meet us. They are extremely courteous young men and it has been a real pleasure to chat to them in a relaxed environment.
“All the volunteers really love rugby and the Wales players have been particularly nice to deal with. We all hope they will take home some special memories of our country and will want to come back again to see us.”
The Wales players have carried out a series of community visits during their stay in New Zealand. Some of the players have visited a hospital and the entire squad travelled to the Waitamo community to train on a local pitch and meet hundreds of children and fans who turned out to watch the session.
