LONDON (AP) It's possible that the beards have been bigger, bushier and more commonly worn at the Rugby World Cup in 2015 than they were four years ago, when a trio of Canadians made waves as ''The Beardos'' in New Zealand.
Hubert Buydens returned for another run in England with another set of bearded ones.
Joining him in the Canadian furry fanclub this time were Ray Barkwill and Evan Olmstead. Jebb Sinclair sheered his bushy beard from last time, but still carried the fuzz. The Canadians failed to progress from the pool stage, along with the teams from Samoa, Tonga, Japan, Namibia and Romania that featured some heavily bearded men. But there'll be plenty of lumberjack look-a-likes in the quarterfinals.
Scott Fardy has been a feature of the Australian lineup on the blindside flank at the tournament, and coach Michael Cheika said jokingly that his No. 6 only grew the bushy beard so he'd get noticed in a dynamic back row containing David Pocock and Michael Hooper.
Australia plays Scotland in the quarterfinals, and the Scots have Josh Strauss in their ranks. Charlie Faumuina is part of the New Zealand squad attempting to defend the title, and has had opponents bristling in three pool games.
