Clowns, grubs and ghouls - a rugby rivalry in cartoons and Photoshop

Michael Cheika the clown in the Weekend Herald (Dan Satherley)
Michael Cheika the clown in the Weekend Herald (Dan Satherley)

Richie McCaw's a grub, Wallabies coach Michael Cheika's a clown, and the entire Australian rugby side are ghouls.

That's how the newspapers have viewed the increasingly bitter rivalry between the trans-Tasman neighbours in recent years.

The Aussies started it, Sydney's Daily Telegraph depicting McCaw as a 'Richetty grub' standing between the Wallabies and the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Clowns, grubs and ghouls - a rugby rivalry in cartoons and Photoshop

'Richetty grub' (Daily Telegraph)

"He's been bugging Australia for years with his grubby interpretation of rugby's rules," the paper's front page read.

They weren't done, however. Noting the final was to be held on October 31, their graphics team whipped out the Photoshop yet again to turn their own side into "the walking dread dressed in green and gold... ready to scare the life out of the superstitious All Blacks".

Clowns, grubs and ghouls - a rugby rivalry in cartoons and Photoshop

Australia's "walking dead" (Daily Telegraph)

After the All Blacks tore through the Aussies 34-17, the paper called their team "brave" but had to admit the All Blacks were just "too strong". Calling them the "walking dead" was probably a mistake, in hindsight.

Fast-forward a year, and the All Blacks are on the cusp of breaking the tier one record of 17 consecutive Test wins. The Weekend Herald decides to kick the struggling Wallabies while they're down, and print a cartoon of Cheika as a clown.

Clowns, grubs and ghouls - a rugby rivalry in cartoons and Photoshop

Cheika the clown on the cover of the Weekend Herald (Dan Satherley / Newshub.)

Wallabies captain Steven Moore said it was "disrespectful", but Newshub sports reporter Jim Kayes argued it was entirely accurate following Cheika's post-match tirade.

"Rather than be a grumpy loser, Cheika should take a look at the gulf in class between the two sides and focus on fixing that," wrote Kayes.

The Weekend Herald defended its clown cartoon, editor Miriyana Alexander saying it was "all in good fun" and saying "it was time they got a taste of their own medicine".

Twitter users have joined in the fun too now.

Newshub.