Known for his uncanny prophecies, Beauden Parrot has taken flight once more to cast his feathered prediction for the upcoming Rugby World Cup quarter-final clash between the All Blacks and Ireland.
Beauden has more likely caught the attention of the rugby world more for his cuteness target="_blank">than by accurately foretelling outcomes during the All Blacks’ campaign, incorrectly picking New Zealand in the opener and for Italy to beat them a couple of weeks ago. However, he nailed it when selecting the All Blacks to beat Namibia and Uruguay.
Despite the past missteps, the parrot prodigy remains undaunted and he envisions a victory for Ireland in Paris on Sunday.
For bookmakers, this prediction will unlikely tilt the scales but the TAB odds reflect a neck-and-neck competition, making it a tricky proposition for those seeking to wager on what will be a fierce match. New Zealand, the traditional powerhouse that has won the tournament three times, stands at odds of $2.00 for victory, while the Irish, who have never made it past the quarter-finals, sit at $1.80.
As the rugby world eagerly awaits this clash, we watch with bated breath, pondering if the winged seer’s foresight will once again mesmerise us and if his wings of fae will guide Ireland to a victory. The pitch awaits, and so does destiny – the stage is set for quite the clash.
Using animals to help predict the winners of World Cup matches isn’t a new phenomenon, with New Zealand’s very own Richie McCow milking it in 2011 and Richie the Macaw having a go in 2015. In 2010, for the Football World Cup in South Africa, German octopus Paul rose to global fame by correctly predicting results at the tournament, including the final between Spain and the Netherlands.
How to follow the match
Follow the live updates at nzherald.co.nz or listen to the commentary from 8am on Sunday: Join Elliott Smith on Newstalk ZB, Gold Sport and iHeartRadio
Luke Kirkness is an online sports editor for the NZ Herald. He previously covered consumer affairs for the Herald and was an assistant news director in the Bay of Plenty. He won Student Journalist of the Year in 2019.
