The WHAT_architecture proposal for the IRB World Cup 2011 Man of the
Match Award works with, not against, the RWC media partners. This is the
spirit of cultural communications: maoritanga will be given a global platform.
The current IRB logo suggest a global yet local ‘poro whakairo’ (a carved ball)
award:

CARVING:

The ‘carved ball’ award can be a design working with a local iwi carver
working on a localised timber: for example, a Nga Puhi carver using local
totara to produce a site specific Award for the USA versus Russia game
played on the 12-Sept-2011 in Whangarei. This expands the RWC beyond
purely sporting terms into the cultural realm. In terms of the actual award
production, the traditional craft of carving could be developed by absorbing
the use of CNC digital production techniques. Maori carving, as a cultural
technique, is therefore elevated into the realms of state of the art technology.

BALL:

In rugby, like any ball sport, supreme recognition of performance during a
game is to be given the ball. In football (soccer), a hat-trick scorer is awarded
the ball. The ball, as in the actual game, is everything. If the Man of the Match
Award is not the ball itself, perhaps given to commercial sponsors, then it
should be a facsimilie.
Yet, subtlety, the poro whakairo, is an award with a difference: it actually
moves! It looks like a ball, yet it wobbles and moves yet ultimately stabilises
and is therefore more representative of physical prowess than those cups,
tankards, shield and medals which sit upon the trophy cabinet.