During a chat to Willem Alberts it came to our attention that one of his nicknames is "Bone Collector".

"It's an old boarding school nickname," he explained. "In one game I tackled two blokes off the field," Alberts said. Tightheads immediately asked if the casualties happened during the same tackle but a sheepish Alberts confirmed they were two separate bone-rattlers.

TIGHTHEADS and several other guests gathered for the screening of the opening game at the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand in Wellington. During the game, a South African member of the Twitterati hardly looked up at the big screen as Tonga took lumps out of the All Blacks as he was transfixed with whatever he was doing. Another South African rather pointedly asked the journalist, on whom the sense of occasion was clearly lost, how on earth he got his SuperSport Drifta to work.

WE know it's a bit early to start crystal ball-gazing but in the unlikely event of the World Cup final ending in deadlock after extra time and sudden death, the match goes to penalties. "But we've got Morne Steyn," we hear you say. Yes, we do, but the kick-off works on a rotational basis of the players who finished the game. We thus have every prospect of John Smit lining one up to secure back-to-back World Cups.

"I KNOW dad will be supporting the Tongan boys and mum will be supporting the All Blacks with me. If I'm sitting in the middle, I think I could be black and blue," said Tongan-born All Black legend Jonah Lomu in the build up to Friday's opening game.

HAVING experienced the pitfalls of many long tours, Tightheads set sail for the World Cup with every intention of maintaining his weight. The plan was simple. Eat two meals a day and substitute beer with other less belly-inflating beverages. Imagine Tightheads' reaction at Wellington airport when Bok coach Peter de Villiers (waiting for another arrival) opined as Tightheads greeted him: "Die gesig is ook maar lekker rond." (Your face is rather round). Deflating, hey!

"WE will seek a meeting with Saru in order to concretise the implementation practicalities of their public commitment to increase local manufacturing of rugby supporters gear." Concretise? Sactwu, the Clothing and Textile Workers' Union delved deep in their condemnation of Saru and where they have the Bok supporters' jerseys manufactured. And we thought being "concretised" occurs when mobsters make you disappear.