Forget Twitter, focus on task, says Lochore

Cory Jane. Photo / Getty Images

The only All Blacks coach to win the World Cup has a few words of advice for the Twitter-obsessed team of today - focus on the task at hand.

"One would have thought the game would be more important in a Rugby World Cup year," said Sir Brian Lochore, who steered his team to triumph in 1987.

"I don't even know what Twitter is.

"We didn't have anything like it at all, the telephone, maybe?"

Sir Brian's comments came after coach Graham Henry announced his team would be banned from tweeting, using Facebook and blogging in the lead-up to this year's tournament.

Henry said All Blacks fans could keep up-to-date through posts on the team's official pages.

Cory Jane has 14,131 followers of his Twitter account, Jerome Kaino has 6061 and Liam Messam 5182.

Jane voiced his response to the ban by tweeting: "Need to learn 2 shut my mouth?? ... Loved your wee media speech on radiosport this morning :)".

Jane and Neemia Tialata got in trouble with team management in 2009 when they tweeted they had not been selected to play England, before the team was released.

Sir Brian said although the whole country seemed to want a piece of the players, focus on the field was key in the lead up to the competition.

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that "the New Zealand Rugby Union hasn't tweeted in more than six months and has a mere 373 followers".

The official Twitter account of the NZRU is http://twitter.com/AllBlacks. The account has more than 27,000 followers and has been actively running for two years with more than 10,000 posts.