WINTER WONDERLAND
“They’re the world’s worst rugby team – but the players think otherwise in a happy place.”
This was a headline article written by the Associated Press and published by the New Zealand Herald on 26 September 2011.
The All Blacks at the time were marching triumphantly through the pool stages and on towards a second World Cup title.
Other prominent media outlets like CBS also joined in the bashing of Finnish rugby. Stephen Whittaker, who was the captain of the national team at the time fronted up with a sense of humour to the negative press.
As all eyes descend on Japan later this year for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, it should be noted that Finland are no longer the world’s worst rugby team (for the record they are 99th out of 104 nations).
Isaac Visser, the former national coach, who was playing alongside Whittaker in 2011, said that the coverage actually worked in Finland’s favour.
“Somebody had to be the bottom of the world and it was us. We
