All Black's drastic makeover

All Blacks star lock Sam Whitelock is unrecognisable after having his hair and beard shaven off in hope of raising more than $100,000 for the charity of a close friend who is battling cancer.

The 29-year-old got rid of the "caveman" look after a dare by former All Blacks logistics manager Kevin "Chalky" Carr, who has terminal cancer.

Carr has pancreatic cancer, but it is not for himself the Chalky Carr Trust is raising funds, but for a 7-year-old girl who lost her mum to the disease in August.

"There was a knowing that someone was always worse off than me. So that was added motivation for me getting through those dark times and being able to contribute," Carr told 1 News.

As for Whitelock, he said it was a no-brainer to lose the now-famous woolly do with the Chalky Carr Trust persuading him to part with his hair.

"My hair and beard has just been shaved off for a great cause. The Chalky Carr Trust has persuaded me to lose the locks," he told RadioLive.

"Chalky had some bad news and was diagnosed with cancer, and it's terminal, which isn't nice to hear from anybody involved, but he hasn't let that get him down.

"He's gone out there and found this beautiful little girl and he's decided to set up his trust, and he's set a goal to raise $100,000 for her. She doesn't have cancer, but she lost her single-parent mother earlier in the year with breast cancer.

"Chalky wants to set up a little nest egg for her later on in life. He is putting all his time and effort into it."

Whitelock's new look has attracted a number of comments, including from his wife.

The towering lock said his wife Hannah has been asking for him to cut his hair the whole time they've been married but admits he gets lazy.

Whitelock, now sporting the bald-eagle look, will spend the rest of the year recovering from a long, gruelling season.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.