Uruguayan captain Diego Ormachea, at 40 the oldest man competing in the World Cup, has to pay for the privilege of representing his country. He explained: "I do have to buy my own boots, I'm not joking. We don't get anything for being here. We're from another world." Prior to the World Cup, Ormachea approached a leading sportswear company and asked about the possibility of sponsorship.

"The answer was no," he recalled. "Uruguay was not interesting for them commercially. It's true that we are not a rugby nation. Most of the people back home don't even know the rules." But some of the players were so upset that they put stickers over the particularly manufacturers logo that had previously turned the down, giving the company the "order of the boot".