2006 rugby union handbag controversy

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The 2006 rugby union handbag controversy (also known as the Handbag incident) involved a handbag owned by a patron of the Jolly Poacher tavern at Christchurch, New Zealand on the night of the Super 14 final on 27 May, 2006. Tana Umaga, former All Black captain, allegedly struck Hurricanes team mate Chris Masoe over the head with the woman's handbag, breaking her cell phone, after Masoe allegedly attempted to strike another patron. Masoe was fined $3000 by the NZRU as punishment. The CCTV footage of the incident was eventually shown on NZ television news.

The Seven Network TV channel in Australia later aired a promo showing the All Blacks performing their haka, with the images digitally altered to show the players carrying handbags. This was criticised in New Zealand where All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith said "It's insensitive, I think, to Māori and disrespectful of the All Blacks".[1] The incident featured on Keith Olbermann's nightly "Worst Person in the World" award, coming in third with a rank of "worse":

The Bronze to the Australian television channel, network Seven, promoting its coverage of Saturday's rugby match between its hometown nation Aussies and New Zealand by altering the video of the New Zealand players so it looks like they are all carrying women's handbags. That's sportsmanship.

The handbag was auctioned on the New Zealand internet auction site Trade Me, and fetched NZ$22,800. The auction was interrupted several times by frivolous bids. (Auction)