The rugby community has done itself proud and raised $500,000 for the Christchurch earthquake relief fund.

The fundraising initiative was hailed a success by All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.

McCaw, in Christchurch to prepare for what will be his 100th test on Saturday, said yesterday: "When you see the amounts being donated from every corner of New Zealand and from all round the world, you realise just how much people have been touched by this tragedy."

The rugby fundraisers for Canterbury kicked off with the first test of the season, All Blacks v Fiji For Canterbury in Dunedin in July, which raised $200,000, and an online auction of sporting memorabilia which raised $16,000.

An auction this month in Paris organised by Avenport Investment Group in partnership with the NZRU raised $90,000 for the Government's Earthquake Appeal Fund for Christchurch.

Among the rugby memorabilia on auction was a unique "Bvlgari Chronosprint Endurer All Blacks" watch engraved with the date of the February earthquake. The successful bid was for $40,000. It was made by the Qatar Group GSSG.

The French Rugby Union also made a significant contribution to the NZRU with a $90,000 donation that will be directed to the Government's Earthquake Appeal.

England's RFU generously donated $82,000, which the NZRU forwarded directly to the Canterbury Rugby Union in the aftermath of the quake.

Fans of the All Blacks official website also chipped in a further $10,000 to support the ongoing work of the All Blacks' official charities, Plunket and KidsCan, as they support young children and families in Christchurch.