Meads backs woolly jumpers

Colin Meads. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

All Black greats, including Colin Meads and Fergie McCormick, are supporting calls for the team's Rugby World Cup merchandise to be made of wool.

Currently official All Black supporters' gear is made of synthetics. With the eyes of the world about to be on us, sheep farmers say it would be a crying shame not to use the opportunity to promote a product that is synonymous with New Zealand.

The wool industry is lobbying the New Zealand Rugby Union and the Government to have at least some wool merchandise available.

Wool clothing manufacturers are offering to make the products.

"Rugby, the All Blacks and farming are synonymous, intrinsically part of the New Zealand psyche," the group wrote to the NZRU last week.

Colin Meads, an All Black from 1957 to 1971 and a retired King Country sheep farmer, said it was a good idea.

"I'd support that, because you know wool is going through hard times and has been for quite a few years now," Meads said.

"Any publicity they can get to help the product would be good. Back in our day most of the forwards were farmers or farming oriented.

"Nowadays they're just rugby players."

McCormick, an All Black fullback from 1967 to 1971 who runs sheep on his property in Canterbury, agreed with the campaign. "Why not push that barrow?"

He dismissed the argument that woollen supporters' gear would be too expensive.

"Some of those ratty shirts that are on display in the shops are $150," he said.

Ian Kirkpatrick, a Gisborne farmer and All Black from 1967 to 1977, said someone needed to make the point.

"[Making woollen gear] is certainly a good opportunity, all right. I'm sure it would sell.

"If [RWC visitors] are going to spend the money to come down here I would say buying a bit of merchandise that's a little bit more expensive, I don't think it would make a lot of difference."

NZRU chief executive Steve Tew said the union had "some sympathy" with the farmers' argument.

The door was not closed to anyone who wanted to talk to the NZRU's partners about making wool products.

"But there have to be some realities put across these discussions as well," Tew said.

"We are in the market constantly for partnerships.

"We have approached a number of our primary producers to see if we can't help them sell their products but unfortunately that comes at a price that we have to attach to the All Black brand in that commercial space."

The NZRU was in an international market for its players and therefore it needed to generate revenue.