World Cup Diary: Betty and a Kiwi cover-up
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Your support makes all the difference.People missing from this World Cup as the nerves twitch and the guts tighten: the silver-ferned super hero Daniel Carter (injured), the Wallaby wing Drew Mitchell (crocked), the reigning world champions South Africa (defeated), the England rabble (laughed out of town)... and Betty Messent, aged 78, of West Auckland.
Betty Who? Come on, catch up! Betty was the lady seen streaking down the aisle of an Air New Zealand flight by every passenger sufficiently obedient to watch the rib-ticklingly camp safety instruction video performed, at least in part, by the All Blacks themselves, including Graham "Thunderbird" Henry, complete with pilot's hat. Sadly, Betty's cameo has been axed from long-haul flights. "Not all cultures are familiar with the idea of streaking of major sporting events," explained a spokeswoman from the airline. Still, you can catch up with her on a YouTube clip. Some 950,000 people have already cast an eye.
Captain Kirk's final frontier...
Things are being stoked up inside the All Black camp, as well as outside it. Yesterday, the players had lunch with members of the 1987 World Cup-winning team – the only silver-ferned vintage to lay hands on the Webb Ellis Trophy. Michael Jones, the great open-side flanker, was there, as were the wings John Kirwan and Craig Green, the full-back John Gallagher, the prop Steve McDowall (who spelt his surname with an "e" rather than an "a" back then) and the scrum-half David Kirk, who captained that side.
"There was a small address from David that hit the spot," reported one of New Zealand's current senior coaches, Wayne Smith, who retired from Test rugby just before that inaugural global tournament. "If anyone was in any doubt as to the significance of what they're trying to achieve here..." Phew, it's sweaty-palm time already.
Win or lose, Kiwis face meltdown
How seriously are the New Zealanders taking their team's seriously itchy semi-final against the lot from the other side of the Tasman? Put it this way: you can't move for shrinks and head-meddlers – even some professional clinicians – advising the local populace on the best way of getting through the semi-final weekend without jamming the Samaritans' switchboard. Barry Kirker, a psychologist from South Auckland, believes folk would make it easer on themselves if they could "just start thinking about the possibility" that the All Blacks might lose. "A lot of people say they don't want to think that because it'll curse them, but it's the opposite," he pronounced. Meanwhile, some kind soul has set up a website called Wait-of-a-Nation to help the masses deal with their fear of another World Cup trauma. Is it worth pointing out that this is only a game? No. Thought not.
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