Jimmy Spithill loses bet, wears All Blacks top

Aussie Jimmy Spithill was made to wear an All Blacks jersey after losing a bet with former Team NZ Skipper Dean Barker. Photo / Instagram

Kiwi sailor Dean Barker has finally got one over his America's Cup rival Jimmy Spithill, winning a high-stakes transtasman wager with the Oracle skipper.

Spithill reluctantly posted a photo to his instagram account this morning, posing in an All Blacks shirt with the former Team NZ skipper.

"Can anyone guess what best I lost?" the Australia sailor posted, along with the hash tag #48hours of pain.

Barker and Spithill were bitter enemies on the water during the last America's Cup in San Francisco, where Oracle engineered a stunning 9-8 come-from-behind victory.

These days, however, the pair work closely together with Barker's new syndicate, Softbank Team Japan, and Oracle both based in Bermuda - the venue of the next America's Cup. The two syndicates train together, with Team Japan receiving design and operational support from the Cup holders.

Barker, who signed on as CEO and skipper of the Japanese challenge after departing Team NZ earlier this year, has lured several of his old teammates to the syndicate including Jeremy Lomas, Derek Saward and Winston Macfarlane.

Oracle meanwhile has a strong Australian connection, with young sailors Tom Slingsby and Kyle Langford filling key roles on the boat.