Rugby: Ten seconds of fame for Player X

The Nude Blacks are calling on ''Player X'' to make himself available for international selection next year.

But Otago rugby captain Charlie O'Connell says his team-mate has been the butt of enough jokes.

The player - the Otago Daily Times believes it knows his identity but does not want to further expose him - made a cheeky appearance on Sky Sport last week before Otago's game against Northland at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

He was nude on screen for about 10 seconds, not realising Sky's pre-game camera was on for a brief period.

Mild embarrassment could give way to the honour of an international cap should he get a crack at making New Zealand's most famous bare-bottomed rugby team.

''Obviously, we only got a snippet of him, but he seemed to be putting his best foot forward,' Nude Blacks spokesman Ralph Davies said yesterday.

''We're talking about an international cap up for grabs. He might want to give it a crack. I might get a call from him at some stage.''

Davies believed it was ''pretty significant'' that the accidental unclothing happened at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

''The Nude Blacks are pretty well accepted now, and we'd love to think we could play there some day.''

O'Connell said his team-mate, who was not part of the match-day squad, was ''a bit embarrassed'' by the incident.

Still, he acknowledged there were worse posteriors in the squad that could have been unveiled to the country and affected ratings.

O'Connell is a supporter of the use of television cameras for brief glimpses inside the dressing room, and said this was merely ''an unfortunate incident''.

Sky spokeswoman Kirsty Way said no complaints from viewers had been received.

Incidents of dressing-room nudity in sporting broadcasts were extremely rare, she said. It had been eight years since the issue last reared its head.

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