All Black lock Luke Romano gave the group of school kids the once over and caught the gaze of the only one tall enough to look him in the eye.

"You've got big feet," he said. "Like me."

He reached into his kit bag, monogrammed "LR", and produced three pairs of rugby boots about the length of most people's forearms. Size 16.

IAIN MCGREGOR/ FAIRFAX NZ Luke Romano donates some of his size-16 rugby boots to Linwood College prop Adonai Schwenke (middle). Cassander Sua, left, and Leaana Lefua watch on.

He placed them in front of Adonai Schwenke – the tall kid. Adonai grinned and looked at the ground.

"Thank you," he said.

It was an unlikely exchange in an unlikely setting.

Romano and Adonai were standing on the verdant quad at Christ's College, a school neither of them had ever attended but were about to help out.

Starting this weekend, Adonai, 16, and three of his school mates from Linwood College will play for the Christ's College 3rd XV in the Metro Schools Age Group competition.

The deal was brokered this week by Christ's College rugby development manager Stephen Dods. The school's 3rd XV was short on front rowers, and without the requisite players in a specialist position would forfeit 20 competition points. Dods called Massey Williams, who he used to coach at High School Old Boys and now managed rugby at Linwood College, to see if he had any players.

As it happened, Linwood didn't have the numbers for a senior team this season and Williams had four Year 12 boys who weren't getting any game time. Two of them were props. The only problem was one of them was Adonai Schwenke, who hadn't played for two years because he couldn't find big enough boots.

"There were some old boots in the shed at school that no one used," Adonai said.

"Some kids had really big feet that used to go to school. They were wearing out [though] and . . . I kind of lost them.

"I haven't been playing since. I'm real gutted about it. Two years with no game. I've gained a little bit of weight as you can see."

Dods called Romano, another of his former charges, whose shoe size mirrored his age as went through Christchurch Boys' High School. Romano had plenty of spare boots and was happy to bequeath a few pairs that he used in Super Rugby and test matches to Adonai.

"Just don't beat Boys' High," he said.

Adonai, along with fellow prop Mahalo Lui and backs Cassander Sua and Leaana Lefua, had their first training with their new Christ's College team mates on Wednesday. It is an unlikely composite team. Christ's College is a decile 10 school; Linwood College is decile 3.

"It's good for our lads as much as it is good for them," Dods said.

"It breaks down all those barriers and perceptions. It's just going to blend all our lads and theirs. Otherwise they probably never would have got the chance to play with each other."

Adonai wasn't bothered.

"[I've] never had any problems with Christ's College like some people have," he said.

"It's a real prestigious school. Look at the fancy buildings and stuff. It's a real honour and a blessing."

He does have one problem, though. The team he wants to beat the most is Boys' High.

"If we win I'll just apologise to Luke Romano or something."