Aaron Smith has a lot to answer for - Dan Carter's new haircut did not go down well. Photo / Brett Phibbs
They may have beaten Georgia by over 30 points, but the All Blacks' performance - and their haircuts - took a beating on Twitter this morning.
Prior to the start of the match, most were expecting the ABs to win with a huge margin - with Darren Carlson predicting 70 to 80 points plus.
A try from Waisake Naholo within the first minutes of the game added to the confidence of Kiwi supporters.
There was plenty of praise for the traditional Fijian medicine that helped Nahola overcome a broken leg in order to play in the Rugby World Cup - and it certainly seemed to have done the trick.
"Not sure what went down in Fiji with that healer, but sign me up!" wrote Steph.
However, Georgia were quick to respond with a surprise try of their own and the scoreboard was leveled.
Thanks to the underdog spirit of the 2015 tournament, Kiwi supporters were quite happy to congratulate the opposition.
And it was hard not to cheer, thanks to the massive smile on Beka Tsiklauri's face as he scored.
"I love how happy the players get when they score against the ABs," wrote Oscar Ellison.
But as the game progressed, many despaired over the All Blacks frustrating performance and excessive handling errors.
Herald sports writer Dylan Cleaver wrote that it was "really hard to like this All Blacks performance so far", while comedian Sanjay Patel compared their number of handling errors to the Warriors.
"I fear for Steve Hanson's nose. Poor thing is going to get scratched right of if they keep playing like this, " wrote Rowan Simpsons - referring to the coach's ongoing mysterious tic.
There were definitely a few cracks in their performance, that's for sure.
Dan Carter in particular was singled out for missing conversions - with some blaming his new haircut.
"The only thing more questionable than Dan Carter's place kicks is his hair style," wrote Kohei Minura.
Nope, that would Aaron Smith. And it seems he may have a lot to answer for after this game - some of the All Blacks new hairstyles were not well-received at all.
"Maybe this past week shouldn't have been spent getting haircuts boys?!" asked Leah Panapa.
Even rugby-mad Labour MP Grant Robertson was blaming the hair.
On the other hand, Paul J Newell reckoned that "everyone watching the All Blacks right now will be thinking the same thing. They do have lovely hair".
And it seems he was right.
English fans singing Swing Low midway through the game confused New Zealanders and angered the Welsh.
"Swing low?? At Cardiff. Just no." wrote Thomas Corbett.
As the game ended and Mamuka Gorgodze was named Man of the Match, Piri Weepu praised Georgia's performance for their "passion, fire and heat".
And the score was ...
But remember, there's no need to worry - Richie said "don't panic". Three times, as Warwick Rasmussen pointed out.
We'll just have to wait and see what happens next.
- nzherald.co.nz
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