Back on Deck

When is a blog not a blog? Despite our best efforts, our 10 day trip to the first two pool games in Marseille and Lyon, we were distracted by the fine food and wine Provence supplied, and by the confusing French keyboards when we did try to use a local web cafe ... I mean, who wants to read about the “Qll Blqcks”?

Trip was awesome, and I am pleased to say that the expensive seats in the purple zone are worth it - in fact at Lyon we were on half way, near the non-playing ABs, and about 2 rows in front of Graham Henry and Steve Hansen, though separated by more technology than the Apollo Space Program, and also by the largest bloody bouncer I have ever seen. Fingers like sausages.

The atmosphere for Portugal was great - their fans perked up a fairly one-sided affair and gave it a carnival feel. I know a lot has been said about reducing the number of teams to 16 for 2011 in an attempt to make it more even, but the significance of that game for the Portuguese was immense. Fans by us said they can never see their team on TV, so to come and see them play the All Blacks in a World Cup was special. The reaction to their first points (the drop goal) was amazing; the noise upon Joao Correia getting the try was beserk.

No doubt a special day for them. Just a pity they don’t get much in the way of souvenirs. That night we bumped into two of their forwards in town, speaking to Andre Silva and he said that they could not get the All Black jerseys at the end. It seems Henry’s All Blacks can only give out socks and shorts to opponents. Doesn’t quite look the same, framed on the club room’s wall does it?

The game: Well, 108 on the board doesn’t look bad, but the consensus at the pub afterwards seemed to be that we were sloppy and off the pace. Luckily a lot of other teams seem below par as well - I hope we improve, cut out the dropsies, and begin to tighten up. The coaches didn’t look that wrapt afterwards.

Also thought Sione Luaki should have showed more. He had a chance to carve it up against Portugal, but still looks like he is a bit off the pace. Too much Provençal nosh, mayhaps?

Game day was awesome though, and afterwards we discovered we were staying in the same hotel as the TV3 team - so it was beers with Hamish McKay, AJ Wetton, Grant Fox and their crew in the foyer, then again later for Junior when he joined them in town at the Maori Cafe in Lyon.

Other highlights:

• All Black fans: dressed up, pumped up and proving popular in France (so far)
  
• The French getting back behind Les Bleus after their thumping of Namibia
• Byron Kelleher’s immaculate French. We saw him on French TV, signing autographs, endlessly repeating in French “Hi ... How are you ... it’s hot, eh?” ... though with a pretty good accent to be fair.
• Provençal food and wine: not much for vegetarians or tea-totallers ... but we managed.
• World Cup organisation: all good so far, volunteers very helpful and each city very geared up for it.
• Rectangular grounds: Lyon & Marseille are shared with football clubs and the immediacy of not sitting on a cricket boundary makes for great spectatoring!
  

Gripe - well, non-alcoholic beer at grounds, and only one bar selling it at all in the surrounding area at Lyon. Did all those Kiwis really know they were paying 5 euros for a 0% pint? We did try one - it tasted like a day old shandy. It does make for a relaxed atmosphere, and maybe saves a few casualties in the heat, but if Heineken are a major sponsor why can’t you buy their product?

Better go and let the missus post at some stage. Will try and get some photos up today.

Lu

Mind the Gap

Its just over three days to go, and only now are The Papers here starting to even notice. The weekend just gone finally saw the likes of The Times and The Observer acknowledge the fact the World Cup was even on this week, but the supplements were poor when you consider the the scale of this sporting event. They were by the numbers, and had a few odd mistakes or items. For a start, The Times identified Matt Giteau as a Springbok player to watch (under a photo of him in the Canary Yellow of the Wallabies), and the Observer saw fit to designate nearly four pages of the ‘World Cup Special’ in their Sport Monthly to an irrelevant chat between two great English journeymen - Martin Corry and ... Matthew Hoggard! Last time I looked, even Henry Paul had more English rugby caps than Hoggard. The cover story: Beckham. Sigh.

Conclusions that they seemed to draw across the board:

• The gap between NZ and the rest of the World has closed - I say “Rope a dope”
• Dan Carter is not the player he was in 2005 - I say “Correct, he’s now got two more years experience”
• Get McCaw: nullify him by making him make tackles and ending up under rucks - I say “Brilliant ... that's his bloody job”
• The weight of expectation is too much for the All Blacks - I say “Duh, its our National Sport. Its the same every Test Match, let alone a World Cup”
• That Ireland will be our 2007 Banana Peel - I say “They have never beaten us. They won’t achieve that in a RWC knockout.”

Mind the Gap I reckon - it’ll open up again in the knockout stages.

With all of England as usual obsessed with the new Premiership season, and the upcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers against Russia and Israel (yes, they’re in UEFA because the Palestinians won’t give their ball back since it went over the Aparthei ..., sorry, Peace Wall) I am glad we are going to France - a rugby country. See the welcome the ABs got in Marseilles? What a master stroke having Monsieur Fluffy McCaw greet the locals in French! Finally a PR success from the Thorndon Quay brains trust. Now even the French are on our side, that’s gotta be a good sign. Mind you, I think that's what Churchill thought ...

ALL BLACK PLAYLIST

TV 3 and Sky (in their 60 second highlights bonanzas) will no doubt rely on Back in Black by AC/DC, or if they really stretch themselves, Men in Black by Will Smith. Yawn. Why not ‘get pumped’ with proper music, I found these tunes lurking on my iPod. Got any others to add?

All Black World Cup - Casiospittake

The Haka - Ka Mate

Men in Black - Frank Black

Black Magic - Jarvis Cocker

Back to Black - Amy Winehouse

Black & White - Asian Dub Foundation

Black Flowers - Yo La Tengo

Black Out - Pavement

Weight of the World - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Black Supreme - Ansell Collins & The Upsetters

Waltzin’ Black - The Stranglers

Black Wave - The Shins

Home Again - Shihad

Home, Land & Sea - Trinity Roots (my pick for new natty anthem)

And one last (possible) musical omen - I went to see Sonic Youth perform Daydream Nation in a Don’t Look Back concert at The Roundhouse on Saturday night; it was phenomenal. What’s it got to do with the rugby? Well, it was released in 1988 ... when NZ were World Rugby Champions. Sign of desperation?

Lu