SACRE BLEU! KIRSTIE'S SECRET ALL BLACK LINK

As she heads to France for the Rugby World Cup, the Sky Sport presenter reveals a surprise family connection

- Kelly Bertrand

Most Kiwis are used to having a "couch coach" in the house - the family member who can't and won't stop with the advice, commentary and, of course, the criticism when the rugby is on.

We're used to rolling our eyes and turning our focus back to the real experts on screen, such as Sky Sport presenter Kirstie Stanway-Thorne.

But Kirstie's own couch coach, her father-in-law, holds a little more mana than your average fan - after all, he's All Blacks legend Grahame Thorne!

"I had no choice but to be rugby-mad when I was a kid because of my own dad, butnow I've gone and married into the same kind of family who are obsessed with it!" laughs Kirstie, who  tied the knot with husband Gareth in a dreamy outdoor wedding in Queenstown earlier this year.

"You know when you used to play sport growing up and your mum or dad would drive you home while debriefing you on your own game? Well, Gareth's dad does that to me now after being on telly. After every game, he'll send me pointers, like, 'Did you see the ref's decision about this!' or, 'Have you seen this article?' And after [Sky rugby show] The Breakdown, I'll get a novel sent to me. It's amazing!