Cup Shorts: It's mutually assured scrum destruction

Heroes of the RWC - No 1: Adam Watkins. All Black fan Adam Watkins poses for a photo with Quade Cooper and Kurtley Beale. Photo / Supplied

Heroes of the Rugby World Cup - NO 1: Adam Watkins

All Black fan Adam Watkins captured a magic moment with Public Enemy No 1 and Kurtley Beale in Auckland last week.

Adam tells us: 'I got one of my mates to take this photo of me at a Wallabies training session. On the count of three, I flicked these Aussie players the cheeky bird! They had no idea of what was going on. I hope you like it as much as I do.'

Got a great shot? Send it to supersport@nzherald.co.nz

Russian around

It's like Rocky IV, but with liniment and oranges at halftime! Today in New Plymouth, the dead embers of the Cold War spark into life as The Great Satan and The Evil Empire go toe-to-toe.

Rugby in Russia has the backing of a wealthy benefactor, Vyacheslav Kopiev, president of the Rugby Union of Russia. Kopiev, who paid for a two-week training camp in New Zealand over summer, owns a TV network which ensures rugby gets prime-time slots - much to the bewilderment, no doubt, of most Russian sports fans.

'Win for the Gipper' I

Former US President Ronald Reagan revealed his fascination with Five Nations rugby tactics of the early 80s with his insightful comment during a National Public Radio soundcheck in 1984: "We start bombing Russia in five minutes."

'Win for the Gipper' II

Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev were keen rugby followers. In fact the definitive quote from the final days of the Cold War was misheard: History shows that Reagan demanded of his Soviet opposite: "Tear down this wall, Mr Gorbachev."

In fact, Reagan was settling a debate on breakdown interpretations and said: "Tear down this maul, Mr Gorbachev."

Well, it could be true ...

A load of Obolensky
(These next bits definitely are true.)

Russia's most gifted player was a White Russian noble who cut the All Blacks to shreds in a famous test against England. Prince Alexander Obolensky, son of an officer in Tsar Nicholas' Imperial Horse Guard, was sent to Britain as a toddler to escape the Revolution.

He kept the gossip columns busy with the range of society girls on his arm and his habit of downing champagne and a dozen oysters before Oxford University matches.

The Russian prince's greatest deeds came when he nailed two tries in England's 13-0 win over the All Blacks in 1936 and their first victory over the tourists is universally referred to as "Obolensky's match".

Comrade Henry

There's a Kiwi connection to this match - and it has nothing to do with walking out of Anzus in a huff. Henry Paul, who represented New Zealand in league and England in rugby, is on the coaching staff for the Russian Bears. Paul is learning the Russian language.

Golden boys

The Septic Tanks are the only team to have won two Olympic gold medals. They won in Antwerp in 1920 and again in Paris four years later.

The 1924 match finished in uproar when Gideon Nelson, one of the American reserves, was flattened by a walking stick. The American anthem was jeered, and rugby has never been seen at the Olympics since.

New Zealand did not send a rugby team to either Games.

Siberia-Taranaki

Three Russian players completed what is believed to be the longest commute in Rugby World Cup history to get here. Denis Simplikevich, Vladimir Botvinnikov and Ivan Prishchepenko all live in Siberia. They flew seven hours to get from Siberia to Moscow before beginning the journey to Auckland for a total travel time of 40 hours.

Being Siberian, they'll feel right at home in Taranaki.