When it comes to trans-Tasman rugby, the stakes are high; bragging rights and more importantly, national pride is on the line. So it took a lot of guts for New Zealand Prime Minister John Key to honor a bet he made with CNBC's Oriel Morrison.
New Zealand's All Blacks were crowned world champions in the last Rugby World Cup, and are hot favorites for this year's tournament in England. This meant that when CNBC anchor and erstwhile Sydneysider Morrison challenged Key to a bet on Friday, the odds proved irresistible.
The terms: the loser in Saturday's Bledisloe Cup, featuring Australia vs. New Zealand, dons the victorious team's jersey.
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It's a bet Key has made previously with former Australian Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, and he's never been on the losing end - until now
With the All Blacks going down 19-27 to the Wallabies in Sydney, Key - in Singapore for official visits - made good on his promise. Kind of. He wore a Wallabies jersey, albeit with the jersey mostly covered by a Singapore scarf in celebration of the city-state's 50th birthday celebrations on Sunday.
The decider in the trans-Tasman Bledisloe Cup series will be played in Auckland on Saturday.