Boxing Day

Boxing Day

In Britain and some Commonwealth countries, the day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day, much to the bemusement of Americans who imagine a holiday devoted to boxing matches.  Actually, the name originated from the custom of giving a "Christmas box" of money or small gifts to servants and tradesmen on the day after Christmas.  Nowadays, it's another shopping holiday.

But today we celebrate Boxing Day with some photos of unashamed males in boxes, from a 2012 rugby game in New Zealand.

As always, when New Zealand's international rugby team, the All Blacks, plays a home game in Dunedin, New Zealand, the locals play a nude rugby game, with local lads making up the teams on both sides.  Above is Devon Latoa, team captain of the Nude Blacks team.

In this case, the official game was the All Blacks against the South African rugby team called the Springboks (named after a South African antelope).  So in the nude game, the Nude Blacks played the Springbox, who came onto the field each wearing a cardboard box.

Here, Devon is performing the traditional Maori haka, a men's dance performed before battle to taunt and intimidate the opposition.  Note Devon's tongue sticking out.

And the game begins.

The "Springbox" boxes were not up to the physical rigors of a rugby game.  Soon, most of the boxes fell apart.

Then both teams just played naked.