ALEX HICKEY | Sport
FINALLY
Sam Whitelock will mark tomorrow’s record-breaking 149th All Blacks test by bringing back the “was-it-wasn’t-it” monobrow that he sported early in his test career.
Whitelock will become the most capped All Black of all time when he’s injected off the bench in tomorrow’s must-win World Cup pool match against Italy.
Those in the know say the grizzled lock takes more pride in his appearance than many might think, and considers his greying 5 o’clock shadow a signature look.
Whitelock took the same care in his approach in his first few tests, where he controversially became the first documented All Black with a monobrow. At the time though, it was one of those “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” type features.
“That’s not something many people know about, but the monobrow was very deliberate. It was all about creating a specific look,” Whitelock admits.
“I was only 12 years old when I made my All Blacks debut, so I needed all the facial hair I could get.”
In a hat-tip to those years, Whitelock has put down the tweezers this week and let the hair between the brows sprout freely.
“I’ve really kept on top of the monobrow for a long time now, but now seems like the right time to come clean with who I really am.
“A lot of teenagers in particular go through the monobrow phase, and I’ve just never come out of it. What better time to be honest with the world than in your 149th test?
“If it helps one person to feel at ease with their own monobrow then it’ll be worth it.”
More to come.
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