I Know Jonny’s got good range, but ...

This morning saw this appear on a plinth in Trafalgar Square. You could say people in the UK are waking up to the fact there is a big game of rubgy on tomorrow night, especially after their million pound boys choked. ... er, I mean, lost the Euro qualifier against Russia on Wednesday. Rugby is starting to dominate the media like never before. Well, not since 2003 anyway. Two weeks ago you had to come in about 7 or pages from the back to find any rugby in most papers, now the bandwagon is rolling on merrily.

Anyone checked whether the deposit on the open top bus in refundable?

Is it wrong for me to bacl South Africa solely for Southern Hemisphere reasons? Why is my anti-England stance seen as ungracious by my workmates or friends here? I back them in football - until the inevitable slip-up - but not in rugby. I mean, I did cheer them on against France in the Six Nations ... I want, and like, to see them play good, attacking rugby, which they are capable of. If they win it, they have to win it in style ... not just off Jonny’s boot. Fat chance according to Spiro Zavos.

I just hope it is a cracker of a game; tense, hard up front and explosive in the backs without whistle deciding the engraver’s job. It’s a cliché, but a ‘game of two halves’ would be great, seeing the teams adjust to each other’s styles, maybe counter-adjusting. Then the term World Champion will be deserved.

But meanwhile, back in 5th place ... The Guardian has a dig at us still obsessing over Wayne Barnes here. Considering what they source is almost word for word what they themselves published the day before, it serves no purpose. And what is The New Zealander? Are they making up media outlets now? I have never heard of that paper / website.

Reckon Planet Rugby got out of bed on the Northern side too with this line:

Just two weeks after they bowed out of the World Cup the All Blacks are faced with the prospect of losing the only thing that justifies their claim as the best rugby team in the world, the number one spot on the official International Rugby Board (IRB) rankings.

What do they mean “the only thing”? I mean its not like we got to the No. 1 spot a fortnight before the tournament started; we’ve been there for most of the preceeding four years, and we’ll be back there come June next year. If we played anyone tomorrow I reckon we would win. Of course it is a major dent in our pride that we did not convert that form into the Webb Ellis Cup - again - but most people know that we are consistently the best team, and rugby fans around the world will still come to see the All Blacks play because of it. At this tournament, we were the only team that played attacking rugby, game in, game out, so ask yourself, ‘Would you really be happy if NZ won the the Cup by playing like the All Blacks, or like England?’. Brazil’s soccer stars were not popular at home when they won the Football World Cup in 1994, in the US ... they were criticised for a playing boring, un-Brazilian, non-Samba style game.

Its a World Cup thing. Are Italy the best football team in the world?

New Zealand are the Brazil of rugby, so why should we change our natural game just to win a pissy small mug with a pineapple on the lid? Keep it up I say - but at least practice drop goals more, eh.

Oh, come on the Lions as well in the Air New Zealand Cup final tonight, or early Saturday morning UK time. Hopefully with Steve Walsh out of the country we can get our hands our hands on a prize again. And which will be bigger ? ... the crowd or John Banks’ ego, I mean ... majority.

Laterz