Team NZ pumped by All Black win

PORTIMAO - Sailor Adam Beashel lost money today but was happy with the spinoff effect for his Team New Zealand crewmates.

Lack of wind forced the cancellation of racing in the Audi MedCup regatta at Portimao, which meant the highlight of the day turned out to be the Bledisloe Cup rugby test in Sydney.

The match was shown live on a big screen in the race village and the 11am local time kick-off coincided with the first postponement.

That gave the sailors the chance to follow the test, complete with Portuguese commentary, and Team NZ boss Grant Dalton and skipper Dean Barker were among those in the front seats.

While most of Team NZ's crew were hoping for an All Black victory, Australian-born strategist Beashel was in the opposition camp.

"I grew up in Australia and I'm still following the Wallabies," said Beashel, who also holds a New Zealand passport.

"I've got money on the Wallabies today."

The All Blacks' last-gasp 19-18 victory mean Beashel lost his punt, but he wasn't complaining too much.

"It's a bit of a double-edged sword for me, because if the Kiwis lose then the boat's down a bit," he said.

"It's often better for the yachting if the All Blacks do win."

The New Zealanders in the race village celebrated with glee at the final whistle, with Dalton describing the contest as a classic.

"We're passionate like all Kiwis about the All Blacks and I thought that was a stunning, gritty test match," he said.

"I was thinking that, if we were going out on the water now, we had better do the same."

- NZPA