Meet Angus Ta’avao, the joker in the All Blacks pack

Angus Ta’avao is changing craggy face of stoic, stern Blacks front rowers.

The 29-year-old tighthead may be at his first World Cup but the pressure of the occasion isn’t getting to him, judging by his amiable eagerness to ham it up for the cameras.

Ta’avao’s animated face at a recent pre-World Cup photo shoot set him apart from All Blacks propping predecessors, flinty fellows who tended to tacturnity as they shouldered their way to the the All Jerome Garces (France) bar and sausage rolls table.

There have been erudite All Blacks front rowers down the decades, including 1960s skipper and later business baron Wilson Whineray, the politically aware Ken Gray, Anton Oliver, the hooker turned environmentalist; and business graduates John Drake from the 1987 World Cupwinning squad, and Dave Hewett from the 2003 group.

But few have been as freespirited as Ta’avao, who studied commerce at Auckland University while playing for the Blues early in his career. Romain Poite (France), Karl Dickson (England) Graham Hughes (England)

South Africa

Ta’avao channelled his inner Jim Hickey when he joined fellow All Blacks Joe Moody and Richie Mo’unga to help the Met Service deliver a weather forecast for the Rugby Championship test against the Springboks in Wellington in July.

‘‘It’s a good night,’’ Ta’avao deadpanned. ‘‘Your classic cold, windy Wellington night, but us big boys have got a little bit extra and we get to rug up nice and close for scrums so we should be all right . . . it’s more for the fans.’’

He advised matchgoers to wear ‘‘three clothing layers – just make sure they’re black and there’s a little bit of silver on it.’’

After loosehead prop Moody and first five-eighth Mo’unga added their extras, Ta’avao extended his index finger to act as a weather pointer, highlighting the forecast’s key assets.

A natural around fans, Ta’avao is on the bench for tonight’s match.

While his primary roles are scrummaging, cleaning out ball sneaks at the breakdown and launching his 1.94m 127kg frame at the opposition defensive line, Ta’avao is adding amusement value off the pitch. game plan, the Springboks are expected to stick to everything they do well.

That means driving off lineouts, kicking for the corners and using a fast defensive line with the wings flying in off their territory to make life hell for the All Blacks’ midfield backs.

As Hansen stated this week, the Springboks ‘‘roll the dice’’.

It will be a gamble to ask the quickies to suffocate the All Blacks midfielders Anton Lienert-Brown and Ryan Crotty, but Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus is unlikely to be swayed by Hansen’s talk.

Erasmus will have taken great satisfaction from the way his side rattled the All Blacks’ attack when they drew 16-16 in Wellington on July 27.

Read could be the key for the All Blacks.

Hansen noted yesterday how his skipper had evolved since replacing Richie McCaw after the 2015 World Cup.

Read, said his coach, was an inclusive skipper who communicated well with his team-mates.

‘‘He leads from the front . . . and he’s starting to get more and more demanding, which I like,’’ Hansen said.

‘‘That’s important that he demands, and has expectations. He has recovered from his back now, and is starting to play some good footy.

‘‘He’s a smart captain.’’