Indeed, Dan looks very dapper alongside All Black teammates Tamati Ellison, Victor Vito and Aaron Smith. The foursome sport black tailored suits, broad grins and a suave demeanour as they emerge from the mist and strut down the tarmac, apparently towing the imposing black plane care of four long, flaccid fuel hoses. Cue virility jokes.
A rep for Air New Zealand told The Diary the pic Carter posted "is part of a wider series of images taken recently to support [the airline's] sponsorship of the All Blacks".
The photo has been used, too, in a competition on the carrier's Facebook page giving Airpoints members a chance to win two seats on the charter flight to Argentina for the All Blacks-Pumas match later this month.
ROWERS PUT BEST FOOT FORWARD
After an exhausting and rewarding Olympic campaign in London, some of our successful rowers have put their feet up. Single sculls gold medal winner Mahe Drysdale, and bronze medal winning pair Juliette Haigh and Rebecca Scown are supporting Camp Quality New Zealand, a charity committed to making life easier for young people living with cancer.
Camp Quality is staging a national awareness and fundraising day - Odd Shoe Day - on Friday, September 14 and asking Kiwis to wear non-matching shoes and make a gold coin donation to the cause. Check out www.campqualitynz.org.nz for details.
CSOKAS IN LINE FOR ROLE AS MURDOCH
I liked Marton Csokas when he played bumbling Dr Leonard Rossi-Dodds in Shorty St, circa 1994. He went on to fame and fortune with The Lord of the Rings and Kingdom of Heaven, and even clocked up a romance with a Bond girl. Csokas seems the sort to be good company in a stalled elevator. He's from Invercargill - what else would you expect?
I expect Rupert Murdoch may have a different view on the rugged Kiwi. Csokas is tipped to play the octogenarian tycoon in an Australian tele-movie and potential 14-part mini-series on the Aussie media mogul.
Dubbed "The Dirty Digger" by British satirical rag Private Eye, Murdoch, who is awaiting the legal outcomes of the phone-hacking scandal, is one of history's most controversial media figures.
Screen Australia has provided development funding to the film, which carries the working title The News of the World in reference to Murdoch's now-defunct Sunday newspaper tabloid. Bob Ellis, a writer for the movie, told Australian media blog Mumbrella nothing is locked in, but Csokas is his first pick to play Murdoch.
Csokas, who is filming Noah with Russell Crowe, may not be screaming "bonza" just yet.
A TV movie about that other Aussie media mogul, Kerry Packer, won the ratings war last week across the Ditch on Channel Nine, but Howzat is unlikely to do much for the career trajectory of lead actor Lachy Hulme.
