The All Blacks and the other titans of the World Cup may be gods on the field, but to the Canadians they are a bunch of arrogant snobs off it.
Jersey-swapping and a beer after the game, once the norm, seem to be out this time round for the minnows
of the tournament, the Canadians told the Sydney Morning Herald.
When winger David Lougheed went to the All Black dressing room in the hope of trading a couple of jerseys, he came away empty-handed.
Said skipper Al Charron: "There's less mingling and there's less socialising, having a drink with the opposite number after the game. That's disappointing."
* * *
Romania are rising in the rugby rankings as they keep getting thrashed by top teams in World Cup pool play.
The latest IRB rankings show Romania have jumped from 15th in the world to 13th after losing 17-45 to Ireland and 8-90 to Australia.
The rankings are mostly influenced by wins and losses, but also take winning margins into account. This has aided the hapless Romanians, who used to have an even worse team that lost by heavier margins. Another big loss is on the cards today when the Romanians play Argentina.
* * *
First it was the All Blacks. Now the English and South Africans are being ribbed for the nightclub shirts they wear during rugby games. England and South Africa use Nike "ripstop" shirts - apparently so called because they do not stop ripping, as shown when the teams played each other on Sunday morning. "They're so modern they don't even need washing," the Sydney Morning Herald said of the shirts. "You just throw them out after they've been ripped off your back."
* * *
The World Cup is helping rugby to cross gender barriers - in fashion, anyway.
Official figures show that between 40 and 45 per cent of cup merchandise is being bought by women, who are going for products ranging from "rugby girl" tank tops designed by artist Ken Done to cup scarves.
Retail sales are expected to reach A$100 million ($116 million) and the top sellers are jerseys for the leading 10 teams - the All Blacks are third, behind the Wallabies and England.
The "rugby girl" tank tops are No 7 on the top-selling list, and Reebok women's T-shirts are No 9.
Full World Cup coverage
<i>Counterattack:</i> Wall of silence greets minnows
The All Blacks and the other titans of the World Cup may be gods on the field, but to the Canadians they are a bunch of arrogant snobs off it.
Jersey-swapping and a beer after the game, once the norm, seem to be out this time round for the minnows
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
