Wally (Wallabies mascot)
Encyclopedia
Wally is the name of the official mascot of the Australian rugby union team - the Wallabies. As his name implies, Wally is a Wallaby
. The stuffed version of the mascot is carried with the Wallabies on overseas tours to Europe. It then becomes the duty of the youngest member of the touring party to protect the mascot from pranks by older players to hide and sabotage it. It is considered an embarressment to the protector if Wally is not safely guarded. For example when Berrick Barnes
was forced to protect Wally during the 2007 World Cup in France he had to stitch it up several times and perform a search of every member's hotel room to retrieve it - despite the help of Lote Tuqiri. As the protector is forced to hold Wally at all times it becomes a source of entertainment for senior players when the team is out socialising. During the 2008 tour it became a long running joke among the players that the mascot could be used by 18 year old James O'Connor
to break the ice with young ladies.
In May 2007 a Welsh rugby fan was ejected from a stadium in Sydney during a match for attempting to dance with the life size version of Wally.
Wallaby
A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
. The stuffed version of the mascot is carried with the Wallabies on overseas tours to Europe. It then becomes the duty of the youngest member of the touring party to protect the mascot from pranks by older players to hide and sabotage it. It is considered an embarressment to the protector if Wally is not safely guarded. For example when Berrick Barnes
Berrick Barnes
Berrick Barnes is an Australian rugby union footballer with the NSW Waratahs in the Super Rugby competition. His usual position is fly-half or inside centre and he previously played for the Queensland Reds....
was forced to protect Wally during the 2007 World Cup in France he had to stitch it up several times and perform a search of every member's hotel room to retrieve it - despite the help of Lote Tuqiri. As the protector is forced to hold Wally at all times it becomes a source of entertainment for senior players when the team is out socialising. During the 2008 tour it became a long running joke among the players that the mascot could be used by 18 year old James O'Connor
James O'Connor (rugby)
James O'Connor is an Australian international rugby union footballer. He made his Wallabies debut in 2008. In the Super Rugby competition he played from 2008 to 2011 with Western Force, and subsequently signed to the Melbourne Rebels for the 2012 season.-Biography:O'Connor is a versatile...
to break the ice with young ladies.
In May 2007 a Welsh rugby fan was ejected from a stadium in Sydney during a match for attempting to dance with the life size version of Wally.