KEY POINTS:
The All Blacks have not won the Rugby World Cup since 1987, and a controversial new theory as to why that might be is receiving serious consideration.
Rather than blame the tacticians, the selectors, coaches or even the players, many in the know are starting to shift their focus to the curse of King Tut's mummy.
History tells us the infamous curse was released when Tut's tomb was discovered by archaeologist Howard Carter in Egypt in 1923.
But what, if any, connection is there between the legendary curse and the performance of the All Blacks?
Legend has it that an inscription near Tut's sarcophagus said misfortune would come to all who disturbed the ancient tomb.
Fantastic as it might seem, it was only two days after the tomb's seals were broken when Lord Carnarvon, the English high roller funding the expedition, died in mysterious circumstances, as did his gerbil.
Countless other unexplained deaths followed, including that of official photographer Peter Sainsbury, who died aged 68 of sclerosis of the liver.
David Scott, his long-time friend and drinking partner, mysteriously shot himself in the head after the great financial crash of 1929.
Many other members of the 60-strong archaeological team suffered terrible fates, with the notable exception being the team head, Howard Carter.
But today, with a greater knowledge of the finer scientific points of Egyptian curses, we can conclude that "the Boy King" may have saved his most sinister revenge for one of Howard Carter's descendants and the country he represents.
All Black Dan Carter has been in two All Black teams, which for no rhyme or reason have failed to win rugby's World Cup.
Could Tut's curse have skipped generations to Howard Carter's great, grand nephew, Dan Carter?
Expert Egyptologists believe Dan would have to be related to Howard Carter on his mother's side as these types of curses can only be carried by women. Much like male pattern baldness and colour blindness, there are also parallels with the blood disorder haemophilia, though it has little bearing in this case.
Sceptics naturally say that this notion is ridiculous and lacking any hard evidence, but is it as far-fetched as New Zealand being unable to win the World Cup since 1987?
When our losses are considered in this context it becomes clear supernatural forces may indeed have been at work.
Archaeologist Brian Biggs was food-poisoned in 1925 and the All Blacks were food-poisoned in 1995. Only an ancient supernatural force with little understanding of the game of rugby could have dreamed up, let alone stuck with the notion of the ill-fated and mysterious rotation policy.
The curse theory stacks up well until you factor in the fact that we won the '87 World Cup.
Egyptologists believe the explanation is simple. The 1987 World Cup was the first cup, and Tutankhamen allowed New Zealand to win it, so that as a nation we would know what we were missing.
"Curses work in mysterious ways. Tut allowed New Zealand to drink from the fountain once, and then denies us ever drinking from it again, leaving us with a thirst that can never be quenched," says Haseem Humus of the Cairo Institute of Antiquities.
Another more plausible explanation is that as it was the first World Cup and hashed together fairly quickly, Tut wouldn't have seen it coming.
Consequently, he would have been relatively unprepared for it, much like the Italian players who allowed wing John Kirwan to run through them at will in 1987.
But is Dan related to archaeologist Howard Carter? (Even I would have to concede that the theory loses a lot of credibility if he isn't.) Consider the photos - the likeness is incredible, especially if you factor in a moustache for Dan Carter, which many powerful computers can now do. Egyptologist and Texas hold 'em professional Willy Meyer believes the odds of them not being related is about 25,000 to 17.
Our research budget hasn't allowed us to investigate this, but as he shares the same last name, he is 3000 per cent more likely to be related to him than someone with the name of, say, Stevens. We are obviously conducting a full genealogy search on the internet and the results look fairly promising.
It would be fair to say that, compared to many other people, the spotlight burns more brightly on Dan than the hot Egyptian sun.
So how can the curse be lifted?
Shameil Hamass, an ear, nose, throat and curse specialist in Luxor, believes Dan needs to visit the tomb and apologise for his family's wrongdoing.
Dan Carter was unavailable for comment but a spokesman for the New Zealand Rugby Football Union said they were seriously considering holding a Bledisloe Cup match in Cairo, but like Hong Kong, it was purely for financial reasons.
He denied any knowledge of an Egyptian curse.
