Losing le cool I
Like a huge radioactive mushroom cloud enveloping a pristine Pacific atoll, anger courses through the veins of French coach Marc Lievremont. Asked by a garlic-scented journalist if France could still win the cup, the French gaffer replied: "Go to hell with your question!"
Losing le cool II
It's not just the press suffering from Lievremont's ire. Saffer journo Mark Keohane reports that the French coach was approached by a couple of cockerel-pestering fans who wanted a quiet word post-defeat at Eden Park. Eventually security separated them.
Losing le cool III
Damien Traille gets right behind the gaffer's substitution policy: "It's the first time I've been taken off at halftime and, when you're a competitor, that's hard to take."
Tweet of the week
Jerome Kaino is proving popular with the twitterati. Over at #jeromekainofacts they're collecting a Chuck Norris-style record of the great man's deeds.
Here's one: "Jerome Kaino was originally cast in the lead for Die Hard but it had to be recast after he took out all the terrorists in 7 minutes."
Even his fellow All Blacks are in on it. Piri Weepu tells us that: "Jerome Kaino can touch MC Hammer".
TVNZ's Breakfast host Corin Dann offered this one: "Batman reads Jerome Kaino comic books."
From the TV3 cripp, Jim Kayes put this one in: "The character of Optimus Prime is loosely based on the life of Jerome Kaino."
A record by halves
A statistical oddity from number-spotter Tracey Nelson. Tonga's Taniela Moa became the first player in Rugby World Cup history to start matches at both halfback (v New Zealand) and first five-eighths (v Canada).
He wasn't alone for long. France's Morgan Parra became the second player to tick off both the 9 and 10 jerseys, starting at halfback against Canada and first five-eighths against New Zealand.
All-time party
An email reaches us regarding the CupShorts All-time All Black Partying XV:
"Dear NZ Herald,
On behalf of all the Toulousain (Toulouse citizens) and to complete your '[party] team', it will be wise to add our friend Byron. That would be, to me, a nice award.
Regards, Loic"
Consider it done, Loic!
Thankless task
Oxymoronic job title of the week: Scottish attack coach, Gregor Townsend.
