Who needs Posh? Now we have our All White WAGs

Samantha Powell, left, and Deanna Donovan laugh at links between themselves and WAGs such as Cheryl Cole. Photo / Marty Melville

One's an international pop star tailed by paparazzi wherever she goes - the other's a former beauty queen who works at a mortgage brokers in Wellington.

They may live very different lives but Samantha Powell, 22, could still be New Zealand's answer to Victoria Beckham.

The former Miss Universe New Zealand is the girlfriend of All White Tony Lochhead, a defender in the team that beat Bahrain to qualify for next year's World Cup finals in South Africa.

Relatively unknown before the game, the All Whites have been thrust into the spotlight since last weekend's victory - and their profiles will only rise further in the lead-up to the tournament.

Powell says she's ready for the attention but laughs at the suggestion she's a WAG.

"It's stereotypical in the UK to be a WAG but in New Zealand it's on a whole different level. None of us see ourselves as WAGs. We support our men but other than that we just get on with our everyday lives."

WAG stands for Wives and Girlfriends, an acronym made famous by the other halves of the England football team at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

David Beckham's wife Victoria, Ashley Cole's pop star wife Cheryl and Wayne Rooney's wife Coleen McLoughlin were among those to become the epitome of British celebrity.

Identified by their flashy designer clothes, social butterfly status and love of the limelight, their every move was subjected to intense media scrutiny. Some even suggested their presence in Germany distracted the England team and was to blame for its exit in the quarter-finals.

Powell said she'd love to have Victoria Beckham's glamorous lifestyle "but there are two sides of the story".

"She's constantly in the public eye and never gets to be herself."

She said Lochhead, 27, is a "modest guy" who didn't even tell her he was an All White until several months into their relationship.

But she thinks the All Whites' increased fame will be great for the status of the sport.

"It's going to help to get more people interested and it'll take some of the spotlight off the All Blacks."

Like the English WAGs, Powell is close to other All White partners, especially those who play for the Wellington Phoenix.

"We hang out at the games and go out for dinners when the boys are away. Having a man who travels a lot gets quite hard sometimes so we're there to support each other. It's like a family."

Another Kiwi WAG is Deanna Donovan, girlfriend of All White Ben Sigmund. The 28-year-old who manages the Clarins counter at a Wellington pharmacy, says the English-style WAG lifestyle isn't for her.

"I'm quite a private person. If it happens I'll be gracious with it and I'll take it in my stride, but Ben's just Ben to me."

She says Sigmund, also 28, didn't tell her he was a sportsman when they first met. "To be honest I probably would have run a mile if he had," she admits.

"It's stereotypical you think soccer boys are naughty, and it's the same with rugby boys. You steer clear of them."

Donovan and Powell both plan to go to South Africa next year. "We're going to go over and have a lot of fun," says Powell. "It'll be a big party scene." Donovan doesn't know how she'd react if her paths crossed with Posh Spice or another bonafide WAG.

"It would be interesting to meet them and see if they're as fierce as people say they are. Us Kiwi girls are quite down to earth, we like to keep our men a bit more grounded," she says.

"I think I'd feel a little bit intimidated, to be honest, but I'd just treat her as I would anyone else."