Bombardier rugby is big hit

Marketeers at Charles Wells Brewery have come up with a novel way for wreaking havoc while supporting England's bid to win the Rugby World Cup....

Marketeers at Charles Wells Brewery have come up with a novel way for wreaking havoc while supporting England's bid to win the Rugby World Cup.

Snifter is the proud recipient of a miniature rugby ball, courtesy of the Bedford brewer, together with some Bombardier to lubricate the vocal cords to cheer England on.

The ball, we are told, is "to throw at the TV screen when our opponents have the audacity to score against us".

So, Snifter tested it while watching last Saturday's match against the Springboks.

It seems to have worked, because a well-aimed ball hit the screen every time Springbok's Louis Koen took a penalty, resulting in only two scoring kicks out of six.

Snifter would urge any fan with a mini ball to do the same for the rest of the tournament.

Continuing on the rugby theme, Young's is also getting in on the act with a new advertising campaign.

The intriguing thing about the London brewer's ad is that neither computer-generated enhancements nor picture rendering were used.

It's a real WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) and the sheep really is dressing up in stockings, suspenders, shoes and ear-rings.

And who was given the task of dressing up the animal ­ none other than Alice, the great niece of octogenarian and brewery chairman John Young.

While on the subject, rugby fans can show their true colours by dyeing pints to match the shade of their favourite team's shirt.

O'Neil's pub in Didsbury, Manchester, will serve Guinness with black, red, blue or green heads depending on a customer's allegiance.

A splash of food dye will help supporters enjoy a patriotic pint during the World Cup, according to pub manager, Ramsey Young.

The concept will mean a "solid black" Guinness for Kiwis.

Irish fans will enjoy a green-topped pint while English followers will stick to a traditional white head.

Snifter thinks the red variety will reflect perfectly the crimson faces of Welsh fans after their hapless side catch the early plane home.