It only took one match for Beauden Parrot’s credibility as a Rugby World Cup expert to be put into question.
Ahead of the All Blacks and France opener at Stade de France last weekend, Beauden Parrot pecked the men in black to beat the hosts but
All Blacks v Namibia: Watch - Beauden Parrot pecks a winner for New Zealand’s second match
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And it appears that’s the trail of thought from punters too, with Namibia paying $81 to win the match, while the All Blacks to win by 13 and over is paying $1.001 and the All Blacks by 12 and under at $21.
Success at the Rugby World Cup is measured very differently by New Zealand and Namibia. For New Zealand, the tournament is a good one only if the cup is won. For Namibia, their mere presence in France is a win. The Namibians are unlikely to end their World Cup losing run - 23 games and counting since 1999 - but they also won’t go down wondering.
Using animals to help predict the winners of World Cup matches isn’t a new phenomenon, with New Zealand’s very own Richie McCow milking it in 2011 and Richie the Macaw having a go in 2015. In 2010, for the Football World Cup in South Africa, German octopus Paul rose to global fame by correctly predicting results at the tournament, including the final between Spain and the Netherlands.
NZME will broadcast all All Blacks’ games from the tournament live on Newstalk ZB, Gold Sport and The Alternative Commentary Collective (The ACC), and across iHeartRadio platforms, sharing all the action and excitement straight from the tournament in France.
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You can also follow the action live, with the nzherald.co.nz Match Centre.
Luke Kirkness is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He previously covered consumer affairs for the Herald and was an assistant news director in the Bay of Plenty. He won Student Journalist of the Year in 2019.