A Clean Sheet

Forty points to nil. It looks like another awesome effort by the ABs in their less than challenging pool, but why is it that every person I talk to is still shaking their heads and doubting that the team is rising to a peak in time for the knockout stages? There were dropped balls galore and the backs even looked confused at times. I honestly think the two teams could not tell each other apart in tight play - the similarity of the strips, especially the upper body, was too strong. Bring Back Black!

Some ‘moves’ seem to be slowly appearing, and I love it when the All Blacks pull off good ones - though I thought the two cross kicks used very early on were both telegraphed, and its no wonder they didn’t quite come off. Will they pull a variation on these kicks later on? JC to Hayman?

I know the score does not matter in the big picture, and the Brains Trust has a plan, but we are going to need our A game for France in the Quarter because I can’t see Ireland beating the Pumas easily. Result after Cardiff = either the host nation or the favourite (us) will be out. If that happens, the bloody Wallabies will win again. Or South Africa. Or Argentina? Or England? Pull yourself together man.

It was a hilarious weekend again. Every Kiwi in the UK must have converged on Edinburgh, the town was swathed in black and it was an inescapable fact that the World Cup had hit town, even more so than in the two previous games at Marseille and Lyon. The Scots were also out in force, but as the big screen revealed the line-ups in Murrayfield the cheers of thousands greeting each All Black name made it clear that the Scots may not have the home ground easy ride they wanted.

Jonesy again found a celeb: this time he cornered pig hunter and part-time All Black Keith Robinson in a pub (he and Mils had pass-outs for a night). I think the big guy was there with friends or family for a quiet catch up, but he was kind enough to accept a five minute inquisition from us ... though the strange swing of topics that we were unleashing, from hunting, to training, to injuries, to where he and the boys can find the best pizza in Aix-en-Provence must have been daunting. I think we were pretty boozed by then. Robinson said he was itching for a run at Romania and things were looking good for that. Can’t wait to see him unleashed again and back in the sort of form that used to see him torment the English at HQ.

Other thoughts from the weekend:

• Weren’t Tonga robbed of glory by a premature full time whistle?
• England were loads better - could they upset the Wallabies?
• I really, no really miss Tana nowadays
• Why were there so many Basque flags up there?
• Why does Edinburgh smell of Weetbix?

Off to Toulouse next, and can’t wait to spend a couple of days down in a real rugby heartland of France. I just hope we can truly click against Romania, a team who NZ used to play fairly regularly, and I think have been at every finals? Time to really pummel someone convincingly.

As I am typing Romania are seven points down to Portugal, a team that have been a revelation - maybe they should get a Divisional XV game out of NZ or something? They are the most professional amateurs in the Cup. If they play any better, the IRB might offer them hosting rights to ‘grow the game’.

Aurevoir
Lu