Beware Berrick's hygiene habits

Tag : kid's sock

The Wallabies are a very superstitious team. The ARU mediaconglomerate asked the players if they practised any good-luckrituals and discovered Benn Robinson has to wear blue underwearduring a game.
Lachie Turner has two showers on the day of a game to be nice andrelaxed. For the past five years, Berrick Barnes has worn the samegreen and yellow swimming togs on match day, and is now wondering,"What's growing in them?"
Sam Cordingley loves to kiss his son goodbye before he goes to thematch. Drew Mitchell has a lucky coin that he places in his sockwhen he plays. Matt Giteau rubs a little Buddha figure across hischest.
Stirling Mortlock puts his right boot on first, wears red speedos,and religiously goes to the movies the night before a match. AndAdam Ashley-Cooper, Ben Alexander, George Smith, Turner and PeterHynes have joined the Mortlock Movie Appreciation Club.
Macqueen unmasked
Some members of the rugby press don't look back fondly on the RodMacqueen Wallabies days. What irritated many was the mind games heplayed with the media. It was all denied of course, especially whenR&M would talk about this or that agenda. However, his skipper,John Eales, revealed in The Courier Mail last week that Macqueen did have two agendas - one for the teamthat could never be repeated in public and one they would spruik tothe media. "We always got confused and forgot which one waswhich," Eales said. Touche!
Masticate on that
Former Waratahs assistant coach Les Kiss is off to Ireland, andseveral Sydney scribes farewelled him a few nights ago in a bid toconvince him not to change his mind.
One of the many stories told was of sportswriter Mike Colman, whoonce played (very) lower grades for Northern Suburbs. At the clubone night, the disconsolate very lower grader, who was replaced athalf-time, was asked by long-time Norths gear steward Bon Andrews:"How did you go today, old man?" Colman replied:"Not very well. The coach pulled me off at half-time."After 30 seconds of silence, Andrews replied: "Gee, it'spicked up. When I played they used to only give us oranges."
Sam sticks his chin out
The out-there former Wallaby Sam Scott-Young is organising a fightnight in Brisbane. Originally, he wanted to tussle with someonefrom NSW, however, with Michael Brial and Willie Ofahengauesupposedly unavailable, he has instead gone trans-Tasman, and willfight Monty Betham.
When asked who was the best fighter he struck in the Waratahsjersey, Slammin' Sam did not hesitate: "Steve Lidbury."And Wallabies lineout great Rob Heming has been in contact over amention in Monday Maul about the sensational pirouette made by Charlie Crittle in the1963 Springbok test. Heming wanted to remind all that anotherimportant member of that famous try-scoring movement was centreDick Marks.
Turn off that racket
We're not the only ones sick of the dreadful music being played atmajor games. Peter "Fab" Fenton has had a gutful:"Murray Hartin has a good line which suggests rap music isspelt with a silent 'c'. The bloke who chooses the music for thetests and Super 14 games, and then plays it a level which precludesyou talking to the bloke sitting next to you, must be named Rickwith a silent 'P'.
Where did this absurdity start? Music has its place. Anyone who hasbeen to Cardiff Arms Park, now the Millennium Stadium, will tellyou about the shivers that ran up their spine at the singing of thehymns and the anthem. The excitement at last year's World Cup washeightened by the fanfares of the live Mariachi band. So what do wecome up with? Something so crass people all around the groundgenuinely cringe.
Many put fingers to their ears. I do. Do the morons who play itknow how loud it is? How annoying it is before the game and atevery stoppage not to be able to converse with your mates? I couldhonestly name a dozen long-time fans who no longer attend Waratahgames because of this attack on their intelligence andsensibilities.
If the game is not exciting enough, then fix it up. Don't kidyourself that creating a head-banging cacophony helps shorten thestoppages; it makes them seem longer. The music at the rugby rankswith bikini girls in the boxing ring. Wrong time. wrongplace."