Rogue helicopters and dodgy weather have been blamed for spoiling 13-year-old James Patrick's big moment during the cup opening ceremony on Friday night.
The young Australian was supposed to kick a rugby ball which would be magically transformed in a dramatic fireworks display.
Actually, the ball he ran in to kick wasdropped into the stage to be replaced by a ball fired from a cannon which then soared 80m to bisect a set of posts.
Sadly for James, the spotlights failed to pick the ball up in flight, the fireworks were not ignited and the audience was left wondering what the fuss was about.
Organisers said the fireworks were not fired because they may have hit a helicopter, a claim rejected by Australian rugby officials. It has also been claimed that winds would have ruined the display.
Neither explanation washed for James' parents, who had kept his involvement in the ceremony secret, yet still had to shell out $A450 ($520) for tickets to see him in action.
