Rugby World Cup Confidential — Wallabies’ ‘history lesson’, All Blacks goosed and babes-up-in-arms

THE Rugby World Cup stories you may have missed. All Blacks fear being goosed, France’s bare faced chic and why you’ll need an extra ticket for your bub.

World Rugby are under fire for being greedy after insisting even tiny babies need tickets to get into World Cup games.

Most major sporting events allow parents to have babies and small toddlers on their laps but World Rugby has issued a directive that even “babes-in-arms” will need to have a seat of their own in the stadium.

Reports in England say parents with tickets who intended to take small kids to World Cup games are not happy, particularly given they can’t now buy extra tickets for a child that wouldn’t even spend a second in the seat anyway.

World Rugby responded by saying it is a health and safety issue (aren’t they all?), and that strict venue capacities can’t be exceeded.

RWC A-Z: Dodgy anthems to zero sun games via the Queen and, of course, dwarfs

HAKA SPOOF: This sort of thing is why everyone hates you, England

SWITCHING SIDES: 2003 villain turns Wallabies trump card

The Times editorial called for an urgent re-think by World Rugby bosses and pointed to the fact the same silly ruling was overturned for the 2012 London Olympics following a public outcry.

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You know it’s a proper World Cup when the redtop tabloids splash with feuding between WAGS of leading English players. So it unfolded yesterday when the Sun reported a bust-up between the partner of captain Chris Robshaw, Camilla Kerslake, and the girlfriend of James Haskell, Chloe Madeley.

We’ll spare you the gory details but Kerslake was alleged to have labelled Madeley a “low-rent attention seeker”, apparently due to an obsession of taking selfies and other assorted crimes.

Both denied the reports yesterday. Madeley naturally refuted it on Instagram, by posting a selfie of herself and Kerslake. More on this important story as it comes to hand ...

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The Wallabies got a good deal in being located in historic and beautiful Bath ahead of their opening World Cup games, but others aren’t so happy. Okay, well it is just the French actually, who aren’t best pleased with being based at Croydon. One French reporter sent a dismissive tale of woe back to his paper that the south London suburb was soulless and “pas de chic” (not very stylish). Gasp.

What's more, French players were upset music from a wedding at their four-star resort had kept them awake last weekend. Double gasp.

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Jonny Wilkinson and Clive Woodward: still not popular in Australia.

A new documentary DVD about England’s 2003 Rugby World win in Australia has been released to coincide with the World Cup. While it is predictably a 90-minute backslap for Sir Clive and the gang — 12 years after it happened — there are still a few amusing moments.

Perhaps the best is Sir Clive still attempting to get over the fact he was just a touch disliked in Australia.

“They ran a poll on me” he recounts.

“Who would you least like to be stuck in a lift with? Jack the Ripper, Adolf Hitler or Clive Woodward? And I got 97% of the vote!”

Hard to believe, really. 97% seems a bit light.

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World Cup teams have all been afforded welcome ceremonies this week and RFU chairman Bill Beaumont used the Wallabies’ event to peer down his nose at the colonials. The venue was the Assembly Rooms in Bath, built in 1771, and in his speech Beaumont asked: “1771, were you even discovered then?”.

Stephen Moore volleyed well later by thanking Beaumont for his welcome “but not for your banter mate”, and he also praised a schoolgirl choir who’d sung World in Union.

“Much better than Take That,” Moore said, referring to the boyband who performed at a pre-tournament victory party held by England last week.

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If the cheers at the welcome ceremony is any guide, the most popular member of the Wallabies is kicking coach Chris Malone, closely followed by lock Dean Mumm.

Confused? Malone played five seasons with Bath in the UK Premiership and is fondly remembered, and Mumm was equally well regarded down the road in Devon, where he played for three seasons with Exeter.

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New Zealand have been preparing at the posh Lensbury Hotel on the banks of the River Thames — and being are guarded by two coyotes at training. New deaths of paranoia from Steve Hansen? Nope, the coyotes are plastic — named Wile E and Kylie — and they’re in place to scare off flocks of geese from using the All Blacks field as a toilet.

Sonny Bill Williams enjoys rolling around on a poop-free training pitch.

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It isn’t much use to Michael Hooper now but World Rugby have announced they’ll crack down on “diving” at the World Cup. Concerned about a “football culture” of players feigning injury or simulating contact, World Rugby refs boss John Jeffrey issued a warning that any players going down the soccer route could find themselves in the sin-bin for “ungentlemanly conduct”. Argentina may want to take note, after several instances of said behaviour during the Rugby Championship.

Originally published as Rugby World Cup Confidential — Wallabies’ ‘history lesson’, All Blacks goosed and babes-up-in-arms