The All Blacks appear happy and relaxed. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Starting to feel more at ease about the All Blacks' chances at the World Cup? Maybe it's because the players themselves are coming across so relaxed.
Experts say the easy-going, happy nature the team is exhibiting in the early stages of the tournament is inspiring confidence and bodes
well for the big matches that lie ahead.
Images of the 2007 All Black World Cup squad in France have invariably been of smiling players having fun off the field - in contrast to the "unsmiling giants" of past tournaments in which players gave little away.
Former All Black coach John Hart said it all looked good from the outside.
"But so it should. They are staying in the best accommodation, and in the best places, and they had a great win to start with," he said.
"They look as though they are on exactly the right track. But we have to be careful not to make too many early judgments.
"You can have all the smiles and humour you like, but it all comes back to how you play on the field."
Not only are the images of All Blacks frolicking inspiring more confidence in fans, there are also more images to be seen as All Black management gives greater access to the players.
"You couldn't get near them in the 2003 World Cup. They were shut off from the world," said a photographer who followed the last campaign in Australia.
A Canterbury University sociologist specialising in sports media, Dr Camilla Obel, said the All Blacks appearing happy and letting the cameras in puts their fans at ease.
The carefree, happy attitude that came across seemed genuine.
"It's hard to expect people to act that. They don't want to be spending their energies in that," Dr Obel said.
"They gave us the impression they have nothing to hide and that puts people at ease. They are also perhaps given more scope to mess around and to be silly - they are allowed to act younger and be a bit more boyish."
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