Rugby: Macaw predicts: You seed it here first

Richie the Macaw has picked Argentina to win over Ireland in the quarter final of the Rugby World Cup. Photo / DEAN PURCELL

Richie the Macaw was having a tough day. After confidently picking the Springboks over Wales and the All Blacks over France in the first two knockout games of the weekend - played this morning at 4am and 8am - Richie hesitated when it came to the third quarter-final between Ireland and Argentina.

From his perch at the Bird Barn Pet Store in Henderson, he is our parrot pundit - the Herald's 2015 Rugby World Cup prophet.

But the macaw lost his early assertiveness and instead was clearly deliberating on which direction to move first.

Either side of him were two bowls of nuts, seed and fruit - one with the Irish tricolour and the other bearing the flag of Argentina.

And still the 2-year-old winged wonder refused to pick.

Eventually he moved to his left and, standing over the Pumas' bowl, nibbled on the flag. He continued to hang around the Argentinian bowl, but wouldn't cement it by eating a seed or nut.

After returning to the middle again, still buying time, Richie momentarily looked towards the Irish bowl - heart-in-the-mouth stuff for the Emerald Isle.

But with the game still anybody's to win, late in the second half, the cocky macaw finally chose South America - the land of his ancestors.

Dipping his head into the bowl, Richie picked himself a seed and puffed out his feathers in celebration of the Argentinian victory tomorrow.

For the last quarter-final between the Wallabies and Scotland tomorrow he was equally unsure.

But once past his initial cloudiness, Richie found himself favouring Scotland to his right.

He eventually ate from the St Andrew's Cross-adorned bowl and then, going back for more, confirmed the huge upset.

A historic win for the Scots.

Next week, whether or not his prophecies bear fruit - or nuts - our majestic medium will be sitting on his perch pondering the semifinals.

Having the sight may be a gift, but it can also be a birden.