All Blacks vice-captain Sam Whitelock has shared why he isn't planning on joining the All Blacks' "mullet movement", led by locking partner Brodie Retallick.
Retallick, along with Sam Cane and Liam Squire, started growing out their mullets, and have encouraged others to join them in doing so.
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"We're on the movement - it's a mullet movement," Retallick pronounced in August. "Me, Liam and Sam have started it, and we're taking all members."
First-five Beauden Barrett and centre Jack Goodhue have since joined the gang wearing long hair on the back and short hair on the rest of the head.
Retallick and Whitelock will make history this weekend, when they become New Zealand's most-capped locking combo against Ireland.
They will play their 50th test together in Dublin, surpassing Ian Jones and Robin Brooke as the All Blacks' all-time leaders.
Whitelock was asked if he would join the movement to mark the occasion, but he shared why he wasn't planning on doing so anytime soon.
"I'm looking at my two older brothers [Adam and George], so I should enjoy my hair while I can," he said. "When it's gone, it's gone, so I don't want to eat my time up as they say."
Retallick admitted he was yet to talk with Whitelock about joining the "mullet movement".
"We haven't talked about that, to be fair," Retallick said. "We'd more than welcome him.
"We've had a big impression with Beauden Barrett. I don’t know if you noticed, but he' starting to go very short around the side, so we're happy with that at the moment."
The pair were asked if their partnership was more like a 'marriage'.
"Who's the male, who's the female?" Whitelock questioned.
"I guess it is," Retallick added. "We have been working together pretty closely for a number of years now, we know each other pretty well.
"He's [Whitelock] got a massive work rate around the field, he is generally pretty much always the top tackler within the team, so it's that hard work that keeps this team ticking over."
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