The Beard that Jack Built

Whilst there is no doubt that The Beard of Hayman (as the old scrolls refer to it) is the most powerful All Black weapon since Pinetree's stare, we here at Hayman's Beard always assess the entirety of the All Black team for facial hair efforts.

It's not always an easy job. Most of the backs can't grow facial hair yet, so that does put most of the focus on the forwards.

And whilst Carl has been causing us to cry ourselves to sleep every night over his disgusting fascination with the razor, it does appear as though some others are starting to step up to the plate.

Piri Wepu has been making an excellent effort, with some excellent growth in the last few weeks.

However our current hero is none other than Chris Jack. For a man who runs like a newborn calf, he's always impressed us with his versatility, but since the game against Melbourne, we've been keeping a close eye on his growth.

And it's coming along nicely.

At Melbourne he had that initial "I just didn't shave since the day before yesterday" look, the same one that when Carl wears it causes us to adjust the Beard Threat Scale.

But whereas most shave during the week, by the time they hit Jade Stadium for the Springbok test, Jack's was coming in nicely. A tinge of ginge to be sure, which we feel is a nice touch for the Cantabrian. It allows him to show his home colours even when on international duty.

It's a small start, but at least it's a start.