From the Touchline

A lighter look at Rugby World Cup 2011. The number 23 - The age Wales flanker Sam Warburton, the youngest team captain at RWC 2011, turns on Wednesday, 5 October. He said it "It's something I've been working on for a while now, it's time to let it go and let it free. I haven't got any major plans for that, but you could see that. I don't want to give too much away too early." - Despite his protestations, New Zealand's Adam Thomson clearly has grand ambitions for his fledgling moustache. Freebie agent England's scrum half tussle between incumbent Ben Youngs and first-choice reserve Richard Wigglesworth is heating up ahead of their quarter-final clash with France on Saturday. Off the pitch though the pair are firm friends. "Me and Ben went for lunch the other day," Wigglesworth said on Tuesday. "We share the same agent and he bought lunch, which is good as we're both pretty tight." Puss in boots When an Argentine press man asked Richard Kahui what he knew about Pumas, the New Zealand wing jokingly asked the journo to clarify whether he meant the team or the big cats. Once Kahui gave his answer on the Argentina rugby team, Adam Thomson shared his knowledge of the feline variety, revealing a possible future career as a wildlife expert. “It’s a solitary animal that likes to hunt by itself, ambush attack and has big claws. It goes for the neck and will choke its victim usually.” Out of range Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards feels for injured South Africa kicker Frans Steyn and New Zealand fly half Dan Carter. Edwards told a packed press conference in Wellington on Monday that collisions are part of the modern game and the top teams at the Rugby World Cup should expect to lose one or two key players to injury over the course of the tournament. But he could also see an upside to Steyn being on the sidelines. “It certainly levels the playing field with Steyn being out because now we can give away penalties from 60 metres again,” he said. Forward pack Edwards was in typically fine form following Wales' 66-0 defeat of Fiji on Sunday. When asked if the team mindset changes heading into the quarter-finals he answered deadpan: “Yeah. You have your bags packed in case it doesn’t go right.” Bowe and arrows The Irish team have apparently found a new hobby, taking any opportunity to badmouth their charismatic wing Tommy Bowe. "You want me to slag off Tommy Bowe?" second row Donncha O'Callaghan eagerly asked a packed press conference room on Tuesday. Continuing into a description of what good guys the Welsh players are, O'Callaghan told how they took the 27-year-old Irishman under their wing during the 2009 British and Irish Lions Tour. "No one else would have accepted an idiot like Tommy so fair play to the Welsh lads for taking him off our hands," he said. Ireland prop Tom Court, who reads at least two books a week, later paused while expounding on his favourite literature to let slip that Bowe had not read a book since primary school. Lost in translation Australia captain James Horwill was nonplussed when asked at a press conference to comment on South Africa's "miserable defence". "I don't know if they've been miserable on defence. Until the weekend they've only had one try scored against them," a puzzled Horwill pointed out. Which is when the reporter realised that what he had actually meant to say was "miserly" defence. "Sorry mate, I was a bit confused there," Horwill said, before going on to again defend their defence as excellent, and not in the least execrable.