He's used to adoration and support from fans around the ground, but with a little makeup magic, Jeff Toomaga-Allen's experience changed dramatically.
The tighthead prop appeared alongside Hurricanes teammates Victor Vito, Jason Woodward and Reggie Goodes, in an experiment that tested how people act on the sidelines during children's rugby matches as part of the Positive Sideline Behaviour initiative.
The rugby stars wore disguises to officiate the game so other parents wouldn't recognise them, and Vito featured as referee - but Toomaga-Allen said the sideline behaviour at the game they went to was actually fairly civil.
"We did have a couple of actors in the crowd, but that kind of stirred up more parents to stick up for the ref [Vito], though there were a couple of kids giving stick to Vic on the field," he told Paul Henry on Tuesday morning.
"It was good to see some parents sticking up for the ref."
Toomaga-Allen said despite Vito receiving some heckling from the youngsters on the pitch, it's the behaviour of supporters that presents more of a problem at children's sport matches.
"We're there to encourage, not discourage, anyone on the field - its junior rugby, so you want to bring up and really encourage our young people," he said.
The prop says he doesn't think some parents are aware of just how bad their behaviour is at times.
"I'm not saying that every parent is bad, or that parents in general are bad supporters - obviously they're just sticking up for their kids, and that's what you want," Toomaga-Allen said.
"But I think people just need to be aware of what they're saying, because I think sometimes it does have a negative impact - not just on the ref - but you're showing your kids unsportsmanlike behaviour."
The initiative is a partnership between Wellington Rugby and Burger King.
Newshub.