Rugby World Cup final: Air New Zealand and Qantas agree wager amidst Twitter banter ahead of Twickenham showdown

Airlines mock up images of rival's planes before settling on humiliating wager

The banter between Rugby World Cup finalists has reached new levels, specifically the skies, with the two nations' leading airlines engaging in a Twitter wager ahead of this Saturday's showdown at Twickenham.

The respective Twitter accounts of the airlines, which both have strong ties with their respective sides through various sponsorships and endorsements, have been engaged in banter throughout the tournament.

But with the final nearly upon us, the stakes have been raised with a cheeky wager that will see the crew of the defeated airline dress in the uniform of their rivals.

Initially a suggestion was put forward that would have seen a complete redesign of their respective fleets.

Air New Zealand suggested Qantas paint their planes black, complete with slogans including 'Dan's the man' and 'Go Richie' in reference to star players Dan Carter and captain Richie McCaw.

Qantas, refusing to shirk the challenge, responded with a mocked up image of their own. It depicted the Air New Zealand plane painted predominantly the yellow of Australia with a tag reading: "Air New Zealand hearts Qantas Wallabies".

"@FlyAirNZ While black is slimming, we think it needs a golden touch. Something like this...#AirlineWager #NZLvAUS," the tweet read.

The exchange didn't end there.

Air New Zealand responded: "@Qantas No thanks - we wouldn't want to slow our planes down. You know… with all that extra paint. Leave it with us. #AirlineWager #NZLvAUS".

Qantas retorted: "@FlyAirNZ We wouldn't think you'd be in a hurry to get here when you lose. Keep in touch. #AirlineWager #NZLvAUS."

Then a more realistic wager was settled upon that will see the crew of the defeated airline dress in the uniform of the other.

The final kicks off at 4pm on Saturday. Expect more from these two after that.