The 'Allstar Baa Baaz' team are now in their 20th year with former All Blacks coming from around the world for the event.
Former New Zealand captain Tana Umaga was one of the founders of the side and says the reasons for playing remain the same.
"For us it's about coming together in one place for us to reconnect and talk about old times and what we are all doing now," said Umaga.
The Whakatane tournament has been running for more than 30 years and attracts players of all ages across more than seventy teams.
This year, restricted teams played for the Jerry Collins Memorial Shield while those in the open grade competed for the Jonah Lomu Cup.
Both trophies were gifted to the tournament by Umaga and his side who thought this would be a great way to pay tribute to two former greats.
"Didn't take much to decide that it was really for us to grow the legacy of these two guys that did a lot with us and meant a lot to us," said Umaga.
In fact it meant so much that after two decades of trying the team has finally gone on to claim their first ever title winning the final 4-3.
Newshub.
