Sonny Wool facts for kids

Sonny Wool (2008–2020) was a special sheep from the North Island of New Zealand. He was born around 2008 in a town called Dannevirke. He got his name from a famous rugby player, Sonny Bill Williams. Sonny Wool became very well known because he seemed to predict the winners of the New Zealand national rugby union team's games during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. People often compared his role to Paul the Octopus, who predicted soccer game winners in 2010.

Sonny Wool's owner was Beverley Dowling. His manager, Dan Boyd, created the special way Sonny Wool made his predictions. For each rugby match, Sonny Wool was given two boxes of hay. Each box had the flag of one of the rugby teams playing. Whichever box Sonny Wool ate from first was his prediction for which country would win. He was correct for all of New Zealand's matches in the 2011 Rugby World Cup! However, his predictions for three other quarter-final games were not correct.

Sonny Wool was quite famous and even had his own website, Facebook page, and Twitter account. It was even reported that he had 24-hour security because he received some threats!

What Was Sonny Wool Like?

Dan Boyd, Sonny Wool's manager, shared some interesting facts about the sheep's personality. When Sonny Wool was a young lamb, he supposedly could predict when it was going to rain! His manager also said that Sonny Wool was "a bit socially inept," meaning he wasn't very good at hanging out with other sheep.

Instead, he preferred being around people. He also had some unique habits, like needing a light on at night. And, perhaps not surprisingly for a rugby predictor, he really liked rugby balls!

Sonny Wool's Predictions

How Did Sonny Wool Predict Rugby Games?

Sonny Wool became famous for his predictions during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. He correctly predicted every game that New Zealand played. This made him a national sensation! Below is a table showing his predictions and the actual results.

Teams	Stage	Date	Prediction	Result	Outcome
New Zealand  vs  Tonga	Pool stage	9 September	New Zealand	41–10	Correct
New Zealand  vs  Japan	Pool stage	16 September	New Zealand	83–7	Correct
New Zealand  vs  France	Pool stage	24 September	New Zealand	37–17	Correct
New Zealand  vs  Canada	Pool stage	2 October	New Zealand	79–15	Correct
Ireland  vs  Wales	Quarter-finals	8 October	Ireland	10–22	Incorrect
England  vs  France	Quarter-finals	8 October	England	12–19	Incorrect
South Africa  vs  Australia	Quarter-finals	9 October	South Africa	9–11	Incorrect
New Zealand  vs  Argentina	Quarter-finals	9 October	New Zealand	33–10	Correct
New Zealand  vs  Australia	Semi-finals	16 October	New Zealand	20–6	Correct
New Zealand  vs  France	Final	23 October	New Zealand	8–7	Correct

See also

• Sheep
• Other animals that predict things
• Shrek (sheep)