The World's Cup: David Pocock 'looks more like a panda than arguably the most influential player of the tournament'

David Pocock is in a bit of state after copping a bash to the snozz against Argentina that left him with two tremendous black eyes. Photo / Getty Images

Steve Deane scours global media for an offbeat look at rugby's biggest show.

FAROOCOCK

Hoo Roo Pooper, gidday mate Faroocock. The practice of combining the names of partners to form one word proper nouns appears to have a hit a new low. As if Pooper for serial Wallaby breakdown cheats David Pocock and Michael Hooper wasn't bad enough, the folks at ESPNscrum.com are insisting the previously anonymous Scott Fardy be added to the mix. So now we have Faroocock. Apparently the work of Fardy "is now impossible to overlook after the workhorse No.6 turned in a performance the equal of the two men who make up the Pooper nickname".

PANDA POCOCK

Speaking Faroocock - or at least the cock part - Wallabies vice captain David Pocock is in a bit of state after copping a bash to the snozz against Argentina that left him with two tremendous black eyes. 'He looks more like a panda than arguably the most influential player of the tournament", notes the Sydney Morning Herald. "I don't know heaps about the panda, I'm just trying to avoid snoring at the moment," Pocock joked. The breakdown menace, though, was about as forthcoming as mute zoo attraction when quizzed on his plans for combating All Blacks supreme being Richard McCaw.
"As a player, you don't want to let yourself get swept up in all those things," Pocock said. "We're very much focused on it being the next game in our campaign in our journey and we'll treat it like that." Yawn.

THE OTHER SMITH

"New Zealand have enough Smiths in their squad to make a hotel receptionist more than suspicious" reckons the Guardian in a line this column very much wishes was its own. Turns out the clever intro was a nice way of getting into a story not about star players Aaron, Conrad or Ben, but assistant coach Wayne. "Smithy has been excellent," reckons Ben Smith of his coaching namesake. "He gives us a great insight into how other teams will be looking at us and what they will be seeing. He is having a big input in the team and we have been good in defence. He has good individual skills and you can talk to him about position specific things to help your game." Sounds helpful.

NOT TOO LATE

Fans wanting a seat at Twickers for the big day can still get tickets - but they sure ain't cheap. The Daily Mail reports that the cheapest tickets available from the tournament's website are going for $1164.27. That little sum will get you a category B ticket, while a category A seat will set you back $1616.42. StubHub, an online marketplace owned by eBay, had 1,458 tickets left for the final by 12.45am Wednesday, with prices ranging from $1051 to $60,022.
The tournament became the most expensive sporting event in history prior to its start, with the average price of a normal ticket more than $235.