Charlie Faumuina, Richie McCaw and Sam Cane of the All Blacks play Mini Golf at Treetop Adventure Golf in Cardiff. Photo / Getty
Charlie Faumuina, Richie McCaw and Sam Cane of the All Blacks play Mini Golf at Treetop Adventure Golf in Cardiff. Photo / Getty
All you need to know about the Rugby World Cup overnight, including the latest Welsh injury curse.
JUST TAP IT IN
They're pretty good around a rugby paddock - and several All Blacks showed overnight that they can be a dab hand on the putt putt course too.
With a day off training ahead of tomorrow's match against Georgia, a group of All Blacks headed to the local mini-golf course in Cardiff.
They were led by captain Richie McCaw and several of them nailed long putts, much to the delight of other players who were thrilled to have the world's best rugby team turn up unannounced.
The All Blacks also visited a teenage cancer unit at the University Hospital of Wales and Whitchurch High School in South Glamorgan.
Richie McCaw of the All Blacks plays Mini Golf at Treetop Adventure Golf. Photo / Getty
BIGGARS BELIEF
The man Wales can least afford to lose looked to be the latest victim to their injury curse. Dan Biggar limped off the field after the goalkicking first five again led the way for Warren Gatland - this time againt Fiji.
Biggar, whose idiosyncratic pre-kicking routine has become an internet sensation, scored 13 points in Wales' 23-13 win over Fiji in Cardiff this morning.
Just as he did against England, his ultra-reliable right boot proved the difference against the fast-finishing Fijians. But he limped off late in the game, replaced by Rhys Priestland. All Welsh fans would have had baited breath to hear the injury report on Beggar but will be very pleased to know it was just cramp.
The third straight victory puts Gatland's Wales in a strong position in Pool A. They have more than a week off before facing Australia at Twickenham. Read more here....
Dan Bigger goes off the field injured. Photo / Getty
WHO'S A NAUGHTY BOY THEN?
Another social media faux pas for Quade Cooper.
The Wallabies first five-eighth, who has been dropped from the side's crucial Pool A encounter with England on Sunday, has posted a video on his official Facebook page that contains offensive lyrics.
Under a post titled 'Some fun at villa Park', the video features some highlights of Cooper in action during Australia's 65-3 thrashing over Uruguay, with US rapper Kendrick Lamar's song "King Kunta" playing in the background.
Unfortunately for Cooper the grab of the song contains a few expletives. Read the full story.
SORRY SAM
Quade Cooper has some august company on the sidelines at Twickenham this Sunday.
England has dropped Sam Burgess for the big clash, bringing back Jonathan Joseph to take on the Aussies. It's a bitter pill for Burgess who will have been very keen to play against the country where he made his name in the NRL with the South Sydney Bunnies.
Burgess was found out against Wales last week, proving correct the many experts who predicted he would not adapt to rugby fast enough to make any impact at this World Cup. As talented as Burgess is, he left his switch of codes far too late. Sonny Bill Williams could have told him that for free.
COOKING UP A STORM
South Africa and Scotland, who meet in a massive Pool B match on Sunday, went head-to-head in the kitchen this week.
Hanbury Manor in Hertfordshire, which is hosting the USA team, is celebrating World Cup through burgers.
The hotel changes its burger choice every week, offering the creations of former top international players. This week Scottish great Gavin Hastings and the former Springboks skipper John Smit have ventured into the kitchen.
Smit's offering is 'the Barney', a beef burger with avocado, jalapeno peppers, cheddar and salad in a sesame bun. In opposition is 'the Big Gav', a floured bap containing a beef burger, Scotland's famous Dunsyre blue cheese, onion pickle and salad. All served with champagne, which the hotel's current rugby guests will be avoiding with their own match against South Africa coming up next week.
REACHING OUT
The Rugby World Cup is reaching all parts of the globe - even deep inside the Arctic Circle.
More than 1.3m rugby fans have downloaded the RWC 2015 app. Nine out of ten have requested daily updates, so news alerts have been heading to some very remote parts of the planet - on Reunion in the Indian Ocean, northern Mali, Gabon, northern Alaska, the Falkland Islands and on ships in the Southern Ocean.
The remotest follower of all is a lone fan in Sveagruva, a coal mining town in Svalbard. The Norwegian archipelago lies halfway between Norway and the North Pole and is the world's northernmost permanently inhabited settlement.
Nasa used the terrain for a special expedition in 2006, the Arctic Mars Analog, because they thought "the settings were analagous to sites on ancient Mars".
