A feature of the British & Irish Lions’ tour this year has been the hospitality shown to travelling supporters by New Zealanders, a friendliness that even extends to All Blacks’ families themselves, with one Lions fan put up in the family home of Rieko Ioane.

The Lions supporter Alex Edwards pitched up at the Ponsonby Rugby Club on the eve of the tour match against the Blues, intending to sleep in his campervan in the car park. But Sandra Wihongi, mother of the in-form New Zealand back Rieko, scorer of two tries in the first Test on Saturday, and the Blues flanker Akira, heard him talking in the club and offered him a bed for the night.

“I was at the club and he turned up and we were having a chat and I said: ‘Can I help you?’” Sandra told the New Zealand radio programme Newstalk ZB.

“He said: ‘I’ve come to park up and sleep in my van,’ so I thought that’s no good and decided to take him home with me. The boys were out at the time but they came home 10 minutes later and I said: ‘These are my sons.’ He didn’t click. Then we were having a cup of tea and he said: ‘Those boys, I’ve seen them before somewhere?’ I said: ‘No, no way.’

“He ended up staying on a mattress on the floor. He clicked when the boys said they had to get themselves ready for the Blues game. The boys sat there and chatted with him but he wasn’t very happy after he came home after the Blues game [the Blues won 22-16 in the match on 7 June, with Rieko scoring a try].”

Edwards said: “When we got to their house, she introduced me to her husband Ed and the two lads came in, and she said: ‘This is Akira and Rieko.’ I still didn’t twig. After having a cup of tea with Ed for five or 10 minutes, I said: ‘Your lads must play a decent standard being that big!’

“Ed goes: ‘You’ll see them run out tomorrow night.’ I was like: ‘What do you mean?’ I thought they’d be running out for Ponsonby, Sandra’s team. Then Ed said: ‘They’re starting for the Blues, mate.’

“They were just really nice, really good blokes,” he told the programme Veitchy on Sport.