Nil Point!

I was not convinced we would win this one. I knew it would be close, but not which way it might go depending on refs and interpretation of the breakdown. All Blacks v Springboks games in South Africa are the Big Day Out games for AB fans here in the UK - afternoon kick-off and only an hour time difference. It usually means an annual pilgrimage to the Walkabout to bait our Jaapie Brethren, the hordes that inevitably outnumber even the ubiquitous ex-pat Kiwis in London, but this year it did not happen.

It felt like all my mates wanted to watch it apart. Each in a dark room. Alone ... just in case things went pear-shaped again. Personally, I had been to the Ikea in Tottenham Hale before the game, so I figured if I could survive that hell-hole, take that bullet for the team, then I could sit at home on my own couch with a pint and finally get some use out of my over-priced Sky Uk subscription.

Besides, I like Guinness - and chances are, waiting for a poured pint of Black Magic at the Walkie on Saturday would have been agony - like an English winger waiting for the ball.

So Carter is only human? He still recovered and kicked us well territorially. I am liking what I see now of the game plan adapting to the ELVs - we seem to have a few more options if things don’t work. Our 6,7 and 8 were tireless, we absolutely killed them in the breakdown and McCaw was everywhere ... sublime. And I enjoyed the spark Piri Weepu added when he came on. It seems Henry likes to keep him on the bench, fizzing ... then he revels in an appearance.

Maybe a reactive win than a full tilt blinding performance. We did score two great tries (and an opportunistic lurking Hooker score), but it was the huge, shuffling defensive effort that kept the Boks out. And it was great to not see too much high percentage, crazy stuff again.

One concern though: Can anyone remind when was the last time an All Black wing scored a try this year? It seems like forever. Where is Joe?

And so to the UK press. My favourite part of the weekend, when I see what the English scribes have been up to, or what planet they are on:

Lord Sphincter is up to his old tricks - I mean, I myself sometimes get signal interference on Sky in the heavy rain, but what channel is this guy actually watching!? The All Blacks were ‘nothing special’ and DC merely a ‘serviceable player’. Stop it, Steve-O ... my sides are aching. Besides, the last way an All Black would want to appear to an English fan is ‘serviceable’ - he might well end up in a hotel room getting ‘serviced’.

The Indy had Richie down as ‘giving the greatest displays in rugby history’. They also had a little preview of the game on Friday by the shabbily treated Brian Ashton - read between the lines and I think you see a guy very much in favour of the ELVs.

Aunty has us as ‘edging’ the Boks. 19-0? That’s a thicker edge than Brendan McCullum has ever swished his way to.

Good old Guardian lefties got a favourable report too, indeed the tone echoed Sky’s post match opinion of NZ rugby: “Crisis? What crisis?” Does this mean all rugby pundits here in the UK have a thing for Supertramp?

Congrats to Percy Montgomery too. He could not produce the fairytale 100th cap, but hell, 100 tests for South Africa? Pretty amazing when you think about the politics of their game. And they had a minute’s silence pre game for a recently departed Bok, who played a mere 4 tests for his country. Percy should get the back of a coin or bank note surely.

But maybe the best performance, the one that should be cherished the most for possibly saving the game for NZ game (or at least preserved our lead) ... it should go to the demonised Wayne Barnes for eyeing up Brian Habana’s trotter as it dabbed the chalk when he seemed to break free for a try. Mr Barnes can’t quite expect a lifetime of upgrades on Air NZ just yet, and I still can’t totally let go of his Cardiff effort last year, but well ... he was on the job.


80 minutes of the real season left. Off to Brisbane to beat the Wallabies. Hopefully, eh.

A Week is a long tme ...

Watching Sky UK this morning, it seemed Zinny Brooke could hardly contain himself . He had ants in his pants, and I think I was the same.

Naturally being over here too means I can avoid the nastiest and utterly stupid rantings of some so-called NZ sports ‘writers’, but I still picked up on the undercurrent of derision that seems to permanently float so near the surface of All Black support these days, and it is embarrassing.

Yes, they did suck last week, and yes, certain players have convincingly played themselves out of the 22 ... even the 30. The coaches also got it horribly wrong to the point where the NZRFU HR Dept was feeling the heat, and we got hijacked in an ELV frenzy.

The All Blacks have lost crucially experienced players and are rebuilding. If Deans had been given the reigns, would it be any different two games in? I doubt it. In a choice between a complete clean out or continuity, I know what I would choose given a pretty successful 3-4 years ... bar (massive) the Cardiff blip.

Well done All Blacks. Some awesome individual efforts there, and so much attitude was brought today with the forwards committing and blowing out Wallabies everywhere. Keep it up, and please improve even more.

I don’t see why how the way the game was played today can’t a blueprint moving forward. We exhibited all our usual speed, width and quick hands, but it was tempered with a lot more control and a consideration of options, often followed by the correct strategic choice; Carter kicked much better tonight, and steadied us with territorial gains nicely. Plus the scrum was used more and (quelle horreur!) we attacked the Wallaby lineout with great effect.

I think the game in Sydney was turned into a shocking showcase for the ELVs in Test rugby - it was scrag, and that playsed into the hands of ‘footy’ style Australia. Eden Park was a game of rugby, and a thrilling 60 minutes.

We still have to dominate the other 20 minutes though to deserve the reputation of invincibility we so willingly apply to our beloved All Blacks. Less football-like 5 minute subs please!

And Manawatu beat Canterbury as well! First time since when, 1982 or something. Done in style too, hoaxing the touch judges into not awarding the final penalty that would have given it to the red and blacks. The greatest trick pulled by the green and whites since our ‘ball up the jumper’ ploy back in the Ranfurly Shield glory days of the late 70s.

GO, GO, MANAWATU!!!

RFU recommends further Twickenham expansion

Well, they had their jokes at our expense.
Tee hee hee, Fi

Mercy Buckets, France!

Simply put, France were fantastic hosts. Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Lyon, Toulouse all put on such a good atmosphere during the pool stages of the tournament. Fans from all countries mixed easily the whole time; people in shops, bars, cafes and hotels all welcomed us warmly. I am not taking anything away from Cardiff and Edinburgh, but they are what Crazy Don Rumsfeld calls ‘known knowns’ - though they were hilariously good fun, the ‘foreign field’ aspect of travelling around the south of France made for a memorable holiday. Sunny too, eh.

There was no animosity or arrogance projected between fans, no sore losing on our part that we saw - whether on the streets or in the stands. This only exists in the column inches of British newspapers.

Half an hour after the Cardiff loss (and a couple of tequilas) we were talking and laughing with French fans at the pub. And on the final weekend, French fans were still coming up to New Zealand fans, almost apologising for not going ‘all the way’, and saying the All Blacks remained the best team. That is cameraderie. Until next time, mon amis!

I seem to remember a lot of media opinions saying in 2003 that Australia had just hosted the best ever Cup, and they did take it to a new level on the back of their experience with the 2000 Olympics, but similar plaudits are now being offered up to the French.

I can’t wait until 2011, when I get the chance to welcome visiting rugger fans to our country. On reflection, here are my highlights:

Best Game: NZ v Portugal in Lyon.
Sunny day with a mental crowd cheering on both sides, especially the Portuguese. Amazing football-like atmosphere that went beserk when Portugal scored. Followed by Aussie v Wales in a nearby garden bar with loopy, dancing Portuguese fans.

Favourite Town: Aix-en-Provence.
Not a venue as such, but our base (and the All Blacks’) for Marseille). Pretty fine town, great wine & food including the best pie-cart pizza - Le Royale was our poison. Told Keith Robinson about it ... so it may have been our fault if he looked weighed down. Sorry.

Best stadium: Toulouse
Walking distance from town, and on in island in the river. Not a huge stadium, but intimate and intense with a very knowledgeable crowd of locals, and our seats were so close we could hear the tackles. Halfway there was a Cup Village of bars & bid TVs to watch other matches.

Best All Black
A tough one this, but I’ll pick Dougie Howlett. Thought he was essential for the game against France, and his work rate had been awesome against Scotland - he was ball hungry. He will be missed. Big ups to Alastair Williams, Jeremy Collins and Nicholas Evans too. Richie - no need to comment ... always class, they are changing the rules to cope with you, dude.

Best Player of The Rest
Hard to pick just one: Jason Robinson for his dancin’ feet and sheer guts - a class act. Nicky Little for that Fiji v Wales effort. Victor Matfield, awesome lock, and Simon Shaw too. Hernandez for adding a little Carlos to it all. Kid Steyn - he has ‘X’.

Best Game (that I saw)
Wales v Fiji. We watched it in Toulouse, at a bar by the river after NZ v Romania, and it was one of the best days of the whole trip. Awesome festival atmosphere, and one of the best games I have ever seen ... through bleary eyes, natch.

Moment of Doom
Forget the forward pass. The advantage Barnes gave us against France in the last minutes; Lukey took a pot shot, and the advantage vanished ... but a new scrum or penalty may have won it for us.

Best try (that I saw)
Kosuke Endo’s try for Japan against Wales. TV showed he tracked 110 metres before he touched down. Talk about sweeping, length of the field stuff.

Best Thing about being there
The atmosphere, the crazy bands in the stands (get them for 2011!) and the PA playing that loopy little bugle tune at every restart, followed by the crowd screaming ‘Ole’ or ‘Allez’. Beats all that loud ZM/FM pants music we get at Super 14 in Wellington. I hate Blur’s ‘Song 2’ so much these days.

Best Anthem
Argentina - who else would have a 30-40 second overture or intro before the actual singing. Tear jerking stuff, apparently.

Best Strip
Duh ... All Blacks. The worst was our ‘away’ silver abomination. Flick Adidas, they have done nothing for us. BRING BACK CANTERBURY!

I could go on, but I won’t. Time to get back to life.

See you in Aotearoa in 2011.
Lu

Le Grand Final

Not exactly a classic was it? There was more nervousness on show than genuine tension, and in the end I thought South Africa managed to play more like England, than England. There was no shape to either back line, and forwards just hung off, never committing to anything - they all looked a bit rudderless. It was probably the most boring final I have watched, and hopefully it draws a line under the whole ‘The best defence is a truck load of defence’ style. It was another game where only a couple of players on each team would get more than 7/10 for their performances. Viktor was a true victor though.

South Africa have though capped off an impressive year, what may be the end of an era usher in if ‘transformation’ really kicks in. At least Jake White can produce a World Cup as an argument for the government not being too radical or going as far as that being the last time we see a team called the Springboks at a World Cup. One thing I enjoyed about ITV's coverage (just one, mind) was Francois Pienaar’s input; he was passionate, yet succinct, unbiased (on camera) and informative. I bet he is happy.

John Smit also impressed me after the full-time whistle. No sky-punching, screaming histrionics from him - he just stood still, taking it all in with a look of pure satisfaction on his face, right up until he got the Cup in his hand. Dignity personified?

England: Great run though it was, they just did not play enough rugby to win a World Cup. Sheer pluckiness, personal messages from Kenny Rogers and a phenomenal left boot alone could not do it. The line out failed, the kicking game failed, and the back line again looked pedestrian at best. In the end it was a mighty title defence that fell at the last hurdle.

The call on the disallowed Cueto ‘try’ by the TMO (sorry, the ‘Australian TMO’ as they call him up here in t’North) was right. With a sniff of touch involved it was never going to go England’s way and he had plenty of looks at it; had it been merely a grounding issue I think they may have got it. It was a great break by Tait began that move, and he is one of the shining lights for England, a player they rightly have talked up for two years, and with more like him on the books, its time for a Young Guns team building to 2011. Let Vickery rest, and sell Dallaglio to an Indian breakers yard.

The player power that supposedly got them to the final could not win it, and it will not rebuild them - they must look to 2011 now, and not blow it again like they did after 2003 ... if they can sort the club v country situation out. England have the raw materials to truly dominate the sport, at least in the Northern Hemisphere if not the world, and like it or not rugby and the World Cup need a strong England. The Six Nations will be a true test of whether anything from the tournament sticks ... then of course the two tests in New Zealand next year [sound of licking chops].

The final was totally inferior to the France v Argentina game the night before. Obviously there was not a World Championship riding on that game, and less pressure helped it as a contest, but Argentina were superb, from 1 through to 15 playing an aggressive, open game that went against their previous tactical nouse and simply left Les Bleus stunned. I thought that Honiss and his two touchies showed a lot of restraint in the first 40 minutes, and by not over-reacting with cards they allowed the match to be an 80 minute contest. Old and young, the Pumas have some real stars & match winners, moulded by the professional careers in France.

It was a grand final in only one way - loads of previously disgruntled Kiwis got in excess of 1,000 pounds/euros each for their final tickets. Cue more currency flowing in, inflationary pressure ... now the ABs are to blame for the housing boom!

With a podium finish the Argentinians really must be admitted into some form of expanded Tri-Nations, or a new tournament between World Cups, along with more big games for the Pacific teams. More tests is not simply the answer; quality or at least meaningful games must reign over straight quantity but despite all the accusations of the NZRU behaving like a brutal plantation owner towards Polynesia, the biggest hurdle to genuinely freeing up Test rugby between World Cups remains the British and French clubs' obsession with the football model of squads, ownership, salaries and player release. Until there is a professional league in Argentina though, how can this move forward? There is nothing for the French based players to come home to, and indeed their coach and star No. 10 may both well be at Leicester next season. Fancy a Balti?

Lord Sphincter cut loose another series of insane utterances over the weekend. I think we should actually take any dig at the All Blacks or New Zealanders as a compliment now. Given the fact that we went out two rounds ago, and never even played Mighty England, it really is a measure of this bitter Welshman’s paranoia about our superiority that he rants about it constantly. Was he bullied when he visited Palmerston North with the Lions in 2005? Keep it up, Jonesy, you and the rest of your chums at The Times make me laugh. They are human though, I mean look at their pre-tourny picks ... but calling Paul Sackey a ‘dark diamond’? Well, isn't that the sort of Colonial Overlord attitude the ANC are trying to stamp out in South Africa?

These arrogant, parochial, Empire-obsessed snobs have already written off 2011, 48 hours after the 2007 final. New Zealand is now being accused of being some third world backwater that will billet teams & visitors in tents, and is manipulating the IRB into cutting the teams to 16, introducing a round-robin format, and changing the laws to ensure we win. Where do they get this shite from?!

Been interesting readin gwriter’s World Cup XVs, and you have to agree that no All Blacks is probably the right call. Our stars dimmed with two rounds to go, and anyone who did play out of their skins (namely Williams & Howlett) just don’t deserve to be ahead of the French, Argentinian, South African players. A lot of by the English press put Wilkinson & Robinson in, but I think that’s sentimentality.

And as a player leaving NZ (for Toulouse), and safe from recrimination, Byron Kelleher has seen fit to break silence a bit on our quarter final loss and squad rotation.

The new laws, the EVLs, look certain for Super 14 next year, but how long before Test rugby adopts them is unknown. Naturally we in New Zealand prefer the open rugby that the All Blacks specialise in, but we have seen once more in 2007 that it does not win World Cups. Rugby is an international (not global) sport, and that geographical spread does produce different styles (and disagreement over their respective merits), but variety is good and everyone has to adapt to win the thing. Are the new rules going to be just crowd pleasing effort to homogenise the very parts of the game that bred the variety? Or will they benefit the game truly?

If rules and their interpretation are not clear, clarify them. Don’t change for change sakes. This may well worsen the North/South political gap at the IRB buffet.

Whoah. Too long - round up of our Cup highlights to follow soon, as our sign off. Is anyone still reading? Well, it gives me something to do at work ... when I am not busy I mean.

Laterz