AUSTRALIA: Australian TV add showing All Blacks with hand bags ahead of a Rugby game upsets New Zealanders

Record ID: 559624

  • Title: AUSTRALIA: Australian TV add showing All Blacks with hand bags ahead of a Rugby game upsets New Zealanders
  • Date: 7th July 2006
  • Summary: (ASIA) SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (JULY 7, 2006) (REUTERS) WIDES OF SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE (2 SHOTS)
  • Embargoed: 22nd July 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Australia
  • Country: Australia
  • Topics: International Relations,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAEH1XK1MGIDU6DRJH59MWMJ96A
  • Story Text: Australia has upset near neighbour New Zealand with television advertisements depicting some of its rugged rugby players carrying women's handbags.
    Australia's Seven Network has been running the handbag advertisements, an irreverent reference to one of the most embarrassing moments in New Zealand sport, to promote Saturday's first Tri-Nations test between the arch-rivals.
    They show All Blacks players, including former captain Tana Umaga, performing the haka, a traditional indigenous Maori war dance performed by New Zealand teams before every test match.
    But the television station has placed large, digitally enhanced handbags over their shoulders.
    In a bizarre off-field incident in May, Umaga broke up a fight between team mate Chris Masoe and an unidentified man in a nightclub by hitting the burly Masoe over the head with a woman's handbag he picked up off a table.
    The incident reduced a tired and emotional Masoe, who weighs a hefty 106 kg (233 lb), to tears.
    The offending handbag later attracted NZ$22,750 ($13,650) in an online auction and made New Zealand's players the centre of many jokes.
    But New Zealand rugby officials have complained about the advertisement.
    "It's insensitive, I think, to Maori and disrespectful of the All Blacks," New Zealand assistant coach Wayne Smith said.
    "I think it is them getting it a bit carried away, but at the end of the day, they will find it out on Saturday. It's weak. Australians are obviously very humorous people, so are we. So I take it on the chin, it should make a for an interesting game, we'll see where their real handbags are," said Ray, a New Zealander living in Sydney.
    "I think it is in good humour, but Australians shouldn't take the 'All Blacks' lightly at all. I don't think Tana Umaga and all those guys are handbag carriers at all, they are pretty tough guys," said an the Australian Gary.
    Australia and New Zealand, who meet in the opening round of the Tri-Nations at Christchurch on Saturday (July 8) have played 147 times and the All Blacks have won 99 of those games while Wallabies 43.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register