MELBOURNE - Former Australian captain Nick Farr-Jones has reminded the All Blacks of the perils of not presenting an open, happy face to the public.
He suggested the team, under fire for their closed-door mentality, risk a repeat of the 1991 tournament where their semifinal loss to the Wallabies was linked
to their unfriendly image.
Neutral Irish supporters roared Australia to a 16-6 victory at Lansdowne Rd, preferring to support the publicly accessible Wallabies, who went on to win the final. By contrast, the All Blacks' scowling demeanour in the week before the semifinal was compared with that of grave-diggers.
"The intangibles are important - a highly spirited team that has a bit of fun along the way will tend to do well," Farr-Jones said in the Sydney Morning Herald.
All Blacks management have provoked a negative response from Australian and international reporters over the "code of secrecy" about injuries to key players Ali Williams and Tana Umaga - issues of public interest to supporters.
- NZPA
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