The large-lettered information board outside St John's Presbyterian Church in Wellington's inner city tells passers-by: "JESUS loves the All Blacks" It opens itself up to all kinds of ridicule (of the All Blacks, not Jesus), the most obvious being the question why there was no divine intervention when the All Blacks played France in 2007, the Wallabies in 2003, France in 1999 ... You know where this is going.

 Maybe He just loves them when they're actually hosting the World Cup as opposed to playing in it, but Tightheads was always under the impression love in the biblical sense was unconditional.

STAND-IN England captain Mike Tindall got himself into trouble during a team night out in Queenstown recently. After their victory over Argentina last week Tindall was seen cavorting with a mysterious blonde at an establishment hosting an event billed: "Mad Midget Weekender: Jelly Wrestling". Yes, you read that right. While CCTV footage posted on YouTube showed Tindall in the warm embrace of the mysterious blonde, there was none to confirm that any dwarfs were tossed.

AS portents go, Tonga must have known they were in for a rough day when their bus was late to collect them for their game against Canada in Whangarei this week. The bus got stuck on a concrete incline at a garage, requiring a tow truck to get it moving. Canada rallied late in the game to pip Tonga and add to their misery.

THERE was a frenzy among Japanese journalists at that match when they discovered - rather fantastically we might add - that there was a laundromat next door. Unlike Tightheads, who delays the inevitable trip by adding to his already bulging suitcase, the Japanese journalists made their way to the laundromat. They hurriedly returned at halftime to pick up their washing, just beating closing time.

WELLINGTON's tourism officials have bent over backwards to accommodate the travelling media. Apart from being outstanding hosts, Tightheads has been taken by their laid back, unpretentious nature. At one function an elegant middle-aged lady breezed past for a chat. She enquired about the wine and Tightheads was quick to confirm that it was quite "quaffable". She seemed well versed on matters rugby, wine, the New Zealand economy and the upcoming referendum before she moved on. Emptying his wallet the next morning, imagine Tightheads' surprise when a proper look at her business card revealed that the lady in question was in fact Wellington's mayor. We were pretty impressed.