IRB crackdown: Mouthguards, now Bible wrist bands?

England centre Manu Tuilagi and the mouthguard that got him into trouble during the match between England and Georgia in Dunedin. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The International Rugby Board is once again under fire, this time for a directive on Bible passages written on players' wrist strapping.

Words written on the tape must be approved by the IRB in advance according to the rules issued to the eight remaining teams in the Rugby World Cup, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The IRB confirmed the directive, which specifically refers to biblical passages, however would take a "common sense approach".

"There is no blanket approach," a spokesperson told the Telegraph. "You find a lot of Fijians, Tongans and Samoans like to write Bible passages on their wrists. We just want to make sure there are no offensive or political statements."

The directive comes as the manufacturer of the mouthguard in the centre of the Rugby World Cup controversy over branding has hit back against claims of ambush marketing.

Samoan brothers Manu and Alesana Tuilagi have both been handed $10,000 fines for wearing the unapproved OPRO branded mouthguards during the tournament, breaching the event's terms of participation.

An England RFU spokesman confirmed yesterday that Manu, who plays for England, received the fine following the team's clash with Georgia in Dunedin, a week after his brother was fined for the same infringement.

OPRO managing director Dr Anthony Lovat said the company would pay the players' fines, and supply any Rugby World Cup players unbranded replacements.

However he denied accusations of ambush marketing.

"OPRO is a professional organisation and has never, and would never be involved in ambush marketing activities," he said in a statement.

Rugby broadcaster Murray Deaker told Newstalk ZB "there's a whiff here of ambush marketing".

"They are a very aggressive company in the way they go about [marketing] - I'm aware of their products because they've sent me [the mouth guards] for my grandson to wear.

"I'm conscious that they know how to get to people and to get them into people's mouths so they can sell more of them around the country."

Mr Deaker believed the $10,000 fine from the IRB was too hefty.

"There is still an uneasy feeling that, hey, its a mouth guard, they are the people that make the mouth guard so, as we all know, everyone puts their name over everything that they make."