Rugby fever grips cricketers

While the Aussies confirmed their cricketing superiority over the Kiwis by recording their third straight win here, Down Under they are looking forward to the encounter between the Wallabies and the All Blacks. And as the former Kiwi paceman Danny Morrison says ‘‘the story will be different at the rugby World Cup.’’

As Australia and New Zealand face each other in the rugby semi-final on November 15, Morrison says, ‘‘We can teach them a few lessons in rugby.’’ Predictably the media manager of the Aussie cricket team Jonathan Rose doesn’t quite agree with Morrison. ‘‘The All Blacks are strong only on paper. Our boys are doing well and the entire cricket team backs them to win the World Cup,’’ he says.

But both Jonathan and Morrison agree that cricket fades before the rugby World Cup when it comes to media coverage back home.

‘‘The media is awash with only rugby reports,’’ says Jonathan. ‘‘There is very little space for the exploits of Australian cricketers here.’’

Both the teams are looking forward to action of the rugby match on television next Saturday. But there is a problem for the Kiwis. The rugby match starts around the same time they are supposed to take field against India at Hyderabad.