Kiwi rugby fans say 'anyone but Aussies' for World Cup
IF the All Blacks choke again at the Rugby World Cup, there is one team above all others that New Zealanders do not want rubbing their noses in it by lifting the trophy in their backyard - Australia.
A survey published in a New Zealand newspaper ranked Australia the runaway leader when fans were asked "which country do you least want to win the Rugby World Cup?".
New Zealand's trans-Tasman neighbour polled 33.8 per cent on the survey of 750 people, almost doubling the next least-popular nation South Africa's figure of 18.6.
While the All Blacks regularly dominate their Bledisloe Cup clashes with the Wallabies, Australia has two won World Cups, in 1991 and 1999, to New Zealand's one, in 1987.
Worse still the Wallabies have twice knocked New Zealand out of the tournament in the semi-finals, despite being ranked below their All Black rivals.
New Zealand's former colonial master, England, ranked third on Kiwis' most disliked list, polling 9.1 per cent, with France fourth on a modest 6.5 per cent, even though it too has eliminated the All Blacks twice, in 1999 and 2007.
A contrary 4.3 per cent of New Zealanders named their own country as the one they would least like to win, although the All Blacks remain the bookies' favourite for the tournament which starts on September 9.