Rugby World Cup 2019: All Black Ardie Savea puts goggles experiment on hold

All Blacks loose forward Ardie Savea hasn't abandoned his attempt to wear goggles during the Rugby World Cup, but he's had to put that experiment on hold for now.

Last week, Savea announced he would sport the eyewear, after tests showed deteriorating vision in his left eye.

While athletes in other sports had successfully used goggles before, very few rugby players had tried them.

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Bespectacled Savea took the field against Canada, but they lasted about two minutes, before falling off - he seemed to recover them and re-attach them moments later.

But they were nowhere to be seen, when he played against Namibia on Sunday and he admits the goggles are more problematic than he expected.

"Like anything you try that's new, it takes a bit of time," he says. "It's probably the worst time to try them, because of the conditions here - it's so humid and the weather's been really hot.

"I'm just trying to get used to them. They were fogging up quite a bit through the warm-up, so I decided not to wear them during the game.

"I'll continue to give them a crack and finding ways to wear them. I'll work with the doc and the people who make the goggles to see how they can work."

Savea says he'll keep training with them and decide on game days whether to take them into the contest.

Against Canada, the straps malfunctioned and Savea discarded them. The team doctor brought on a new pair at a stoppage in play.

Fans have also got into the spirit of his campaign, with young players sporting similar goggles to mimic their hero.

"I really hadn't thought of that when I decided to wear the goggles, but seeing those youngsters aspiring to wear them now is pretty awesome."

Join us at 5:45pm Saturday for live updates of the All Blacks v Italy Rugby World Cup clash.

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