Richie the Macaw is picking the games for the Rugby World Cup. Photo / Dean Purcell
Cricket the cricket was a downright fraud and Richie McCow - with a strike rate of 60 per cent - was a young bull still finding his form.
Although permanently etched into the hall of fame of entertaining animal clairvoyants, both Cricket and McCow clearly have nothing on Richie the
Macaw.
Now five from six, the Herald's parrot pundit is arguably up there with the very best - lauded alongside the likes of Paul the Octopus and Mani the Parakeet.
After correctly picking the All Blacks over the Springboks and the Wallabies over the Pumas, Richie moves to a success rate of over 80 per cent.
His growing fan base and unquestionable accuracy has even attracted the attention of international media, with South African online news site Sport24 last week running a story with the headline: "Joubert denies 'Richie the Macaw' a clean sweep".
Of course a Scotland victory over Australia would have seen him six from six - a minor injustice in an otherwise perfect run.
"Has there been an animal psychic as brilliant as me?!" Richie shamelessly bragged this morning on Twitter.
"If so, I want to meet them. Birds of a feather flock together and all that, you know."
With only the final to go, the green-winged macaw has one last opportunity to further validate his gift. Not that there are many, if any, doubters at this stage.
Will he pick the All Blacks, or old foes Australia?
One thing is for sure, he does not let preference slant his predictions.
