Cheers to the friggin All Blacks, I'll drink to that!!

On sunday midday SA time, it was more relief than elation that i felt when the final whistle sounded to put an end to one of the best RWC tournaments I have viewed (1995, being the other). It was relief more than elation because the mighty All Blacks, who have earned the right to be called the Mighty All Blacks over the last decade or 2 because they boast arguable the best record of any international sporting team on earth, yet have failed to capture the World Cup since 1987. My relief was for the players, their management staff and their little nation of rugby mad people.

I thorougly enjoyed this tournament because of the excitement it produced to the very last minute of the very last game. It showed that with a bit of exposure even the most unlikely of teams can be competitive. The impact of professionalism can now be seen with the likes of Tonga, Samoa and Japan all showing some vast improvement this is a result of their big and lucrative domestic tournaments that attract people from all walks...players and coaches, whose knowledge gets passed onto players of lesser nations who in turn pass it on into their international setups. The 3rd and 4th play off was quite a tense affair and even though the final whistle only showed a points difference of 3, there was no doubt in anyones mind who the top team on the day was. Australia were all over them, Wales had plenty ball, but they couldnt kick their penalties nor could they find creative ways to breach the Aussie defence. I felt really bleak for QC, because he looked like he was in the mood but alas his night was cut short with a torn ACL! It was a tough old afternoon, but the deserved winners on the day prevailed. Same cant be said about the finals though. From the Haka i knew it was game on, that arrow formation followed by the bowl like engulfing of the ABs by the French had them properly rattled. Ma'a lost his nut so much so that he came up with his own version of the Haka, Piri was more animated than ever, the guys were rattled properly and credit to the French. We were lucky to get away with that game because there was a scrum about 10...15min before the end of the game where the ABs were going backwards and Hore popped up, he was penalised earlier for the same offence a few minutes earlier but by the grace of Craig and maybe the ball spilling out from the base of the scrum, we were let off the hook. In as much as the French had our number, I believe we gave it to them in many ways. Had Piri kicked his 8 points on offer, it would have been a different ball game because it would have been 13-0 or something which is very different from 5-3. The French belief grew as the game wore on and that kick pass from Piri to clear a bumbling ball, would have been genius if it had come off but it didnt and it cost the ABs 7pts and from then i was like same script different cast, but the discipline of the ABs and their composure in the dying minutes of the game carried them through. People were telling me the French would be obliterated, i was not convinced in the slightest, because they are a great side and the ability to bring their A-game at any time, it so happened was that the 23/10/2011 was that time! They didnt deserve to be there they said. The 2 games they lost were against the ABs which was always going to be and Tonga, a game they didnt have to win to qualify. They had to beat England....and they did. They had to beat Wales, and they did, it wasnt their fault that the Welsh were down to 14 players. In the finals they were the slightly better team, through tactics and psyche! And to them I say Alles Le Bleu!! The boys in Black deserved this win, not only because they won it, but because of the amount of work they put in and the learnings they took from past failures. They were smart enough to say to the world we can play durr rugby and win this yellow cup and thats all i wanted to see. Richie and GH and me as an AB supporter, can indeed now rest in peace because I was getting supper tired of hearing that choker tag and this that and the next, now there will have to be another label for them, I guess World Champs will have to do for now. The ABs deserved this because they prepared well. They had depth aplenty and players who knew the team dynamic and set up. Who would have thunk that without DC and down to their 4th choice No. 10 they would have been able to pull this off? It was a massive effort and one deserving of its reward. Congrats to the Kapa O Pango, now you can just go out there and play your game and not worry about this yellow cup for another 24 yrs :) mad respect to my French froggies too. Well done to all 20 teams that took part, now if my dear Lions will just win this Currie Cup to cap off a good year of rugby viewing for me :) Take care boys and girls

RWC2011...and then there were 2

Greetings from a rather gloomy and overcast Jozi. Wow, imagine, arguably the best and most consistent international sporting team finally has an opportunity to contest the finals of the RWC for the first time since 1995 thats quite laughable to be honest...but hey they are there and the greatest part is they are up against their RWC nemesis the French, even though i want to play the French, because no matter how crappy they seem to be, they always have that game that will sink the ABs, however I would have loved a shot at the Boks, but this draw was never billed as such unless the Boks were beaten by Wales. Anyway before I start, let me say I am getting oh so bored of hearing/reading about Bryce Lawrence. Its now bordering on sore losers! Bottom line is we all know what Pocock, Brussouw and Richie can do given the opportunity so you negate their threat. The players should have realised this and adjusted their game accordingly. In this weekends game, Pocock was hardly a threat, not because of the reffing, because he was only pinned maybe 3 times in 80 min, the rest of the time he was on his back because he was cleaned out or forced to make the tackle thus couldnt be as menacing. The Boks were great last weekend but were very woeful at sealing the deal, its not the refs fault, the boys and the fans must accept some responsibility and look forward. In 2007 the ABs lost to the French because of a forward pass, I didnt blame the ref, because they were good enough to win it but they didnt so it was their fault. In 2010, Ghana could have been the first African team to qualify for the semis of the SWC, but they didnt, not because Suarez cheated, but because we didnt convert our chance when we had it. FULL STOP!! cant change it we move on... This weekends games wow if ever there was injustice it was on saturday morning. I thought France would win, but that was before I saw the precision with which Wales took to the game in comparison to what the French brought. One has to feel for Warburton, there was no malice intended in that tackle, it was a good aggressive tackle but alas legs up, head down...rules are rules, I would have liked to see a yellow card though but alas the game was killed as a contest...rather it should have been killed as a contest, but respect to Wales they made a proper game of it till the death in spite of having to play for over 60 minutes with just 14 players. The French have a team of great players, but they are just not putting it out there on the park, their big game was against England. Wales, poor Wales, the most consistent team of the RWC2011 along with the ABs, but alas fate would deal them a cruel blow. But i guess they can walk tall! Jamie Roberts, Warburton, Phillips, Halfpenny, Williams Faletau i guess the whole bang lot can be proud of their achievements, no one would have pipped them for RWC2011 finalists and the world feels like they were somewhat robbed of a final spot, but alas those who make it are the ones who deserve to be there. France have been toilet, lost 2 games, yet on sunday we will be watching them contest a final. Oz v ABs, From the coin toss I knew it was game on, Richie is normally a nice guy but there he was very steely faced when he shook Horwill's hand, he had his game face on. Guys even though he was operating on just one foot, man that guy is one hell of a player, not sure if you guys saw when he was flung over one of the Ausies shoulders yet on the way down he still managed to steal the ball from the guy? He is everywhere, tireless in his effort, he may no longer be a force on the ground, but his game beyond that is immense. A player like i said last week and have been saying for a while who is my MVP in the All Blacks team at the moment is Jerome Kaino! How strong is that guy? the way he lifted Digby like a sack of 10kg potatoes was just something else?! he hits hard, gives the boys some go forward ball. The ABs played a very smart game. Pocock was hardly a factor in this game because the runners ran at him, which meant he was part of the tackle and not the arriving player with all rights and as such was rather ineffective, when he was trying to steal the ball however, the ABs would just flood the breakdown and render him off his feet thus not a factor. Their defensive lines frustrated the Aussie backs and they also played some dumb footie. They kept choosing to kick long and to the Blacks' back 3 who were as tough as the walls of Jericho. Instead of using shorter kicks if they had to or just keeping ball in hand and making the Blacks defend, they kept plugging away with the same exams, without knowing that the ABs had bribed the examiner for the paper beforehand! How lovely was it to see Crudes just slot into that no 10 channel like he was born there, all that traffic that was sent his way was adequately dealt with and he threw in a drop goal just for good measure! It was a good game of rugby, but in the end the Wallabies were totally owned everywhere on the park...and on the scoreboard! A lot of NZ supporters will be nervous about this coming sunday. i am not though...well not at the moment. Not because I think the boys have the wood over the French, but more because its an opportunity for these crop of ABs to put the ghost of 2007 to rest properly. That is their challenge and how they prepare and deal with it on sunday is a test of a true champion side. if they panic, go into their shell and stumble well clearly they arent meant to win this tournament. For me its sheer bliss, because my 2 favorite teams to watch will be on display. I hope the French pitch up with their A-game because if they bring that nonsense of last weekend it may well be 50+ ball game. Once again it will be the forward play that will determine the outcome of this game. For some reason i dont think it will be typical finals footy, i think in the first 20 or so the Blacks will amass the 3 pointers and then unleash the backs. The French will be up for the game, they will play french Rugby Is it sunday yet?? Have a great week all!

Exciting quarters done, now for some tense semis

Many of you might disagree, but bar 1995 and the excitement it generated for our then newly born democracy, this NZ RWC2011 has been to me by far the most exciting. It all started in the knock out stages when the minows stood up and thought they were part of SA Census 2011...they were counted!Then the quarters didn't disappoint one little bit in terms of excitement. Wales v Ireland, youth and execution prevailed over heart and experience. It was a proper ding dong battle, but the Welsh prevailed, that menacing Jamie Roberts, the wiley Mike Phillips, that youngster Rhys at 10 and the midgets Williams and Halfpenny and the very accurate forwards put paid to the passion of the Irish, ably lead by captain my captain BoD, in my mind the best centre of his generation, a superb centre combination would have been him and Tana!! The Irish tried but this games was Wales'. Farewell BoD (and Co) thanks for the years of great viewing pleasure you gave us Then the game that gave me the most joy of the weekend. My lovely erratic French team wiping that smug arrogance off Martin Johnson's and his English teams faces! I knew the French had 1 big game in them and the old foe was the right fuel to light their fire within. They played just like only the French could, many questioned the choice of Para at 10, i guess those people can hush a wee bit now. The English have been woeful the whole tournament...actually bar 2003 they have just been such a random side to watch, watching a fly flying into a closed window has given me immeasurably more pleasure. For them to make it to another world cup final would have been a proper injustice to the game...in my humble opinion of course. Then the most controversial game of the weekend. Boks v Oz, I didnt watch the game live unfortunately, rugby had been the cause of me missing Church too often and even though i woke up with all intentions of watching the game, i was called and I answered. I managed to get the last 15 min or so live and from the little I saw, the Australians were properly owned. When i got home I watched the game and those 15 minutes were in fact a reflection of the whole game, bar a 'freakish' try in the first half for the Australians, they were absolutely nowhere. Genia and Cooper...who??? SA made all the play, but unfortunately they ended up on the wrong side of the ledger, I guess you can ask Wales and Samoa how that feels. The ref was incompetent in this game,properly toilet, but to say he favoured Australia may not be entirely accurate. He was bad for both sides, BUUUUTTT SA can feel aggrieved because they had most of the ball 60% or so and all the territory almost 80% so i guess most of the calls would not have favoured the Boks, but he didnt favour one side over the other he just decided to blow the obvious and not make any potentially controversial decisions. He was properly inept during this game. BUUUUUTTTT that being said if you own the ball and own the pitch and cant win....ah then i feel forkall for you. Many people wanna give Divvy a tough time as a bad coach, man he was a proper coach. territorial advantage, al the possession, make the opposition tackle you 150 times as opposed to your mere 50 tackles...tactics were spot on, then we have forward passes, marginal, but still forward, FdP knocking on twice in good positions...who can i blame??? the first 15 pummelled the opposition properly, then along came the clean up crew, bigger and badder to finish the job. great tactics i say...but couldnt get over the line...who do I blame??the 22 that took the field of course. It shouldnt be a blame game, I know, but the boys were just not good enough. The Australians, take nothing away from them, they resembled Sylvester Stalone in Rocky 5...street fight against Tommy Gunn, beaten hard, then he stumbles to his feet when Tommy thought the fight was done and muttered "Hey Tommy, I didnt hear no bell...one more round....they defended like trojans and hats off to them. But in the end there had to be a loser and unfortunately for Bok supporters Sunday wasnt their day. Honestly hard luck Bok supporters, I will be honest when i say i did want you guys to come home, because the thought of hearing world champions Boks, only team to defend the cup win it 3 times, blaah would have grated my cheese, that being said though, I wanted this tournament for PdV so that all you one eyed supporters out there who have no good to say about the coach and certain players of colour would know exactly where to stick it. for example, Chilliboy, we will never know whether he is better than Bissie or not, because he is always going to be no 2.On Sunday i felt a little for the Boks because for a change, they did all the play yet lost, which in my mind is totally unfair, but iiwii (it is what it is). thats life they say Many have maligned John Smit and PdV, Smit recently PdV forever. Respect to JS for his work, he lead his country well both on and off the field a man that gains respect without even asking for it because of his mana...wish him and his retiring colleagues well. PdV, sorry for you guy, you tried hard and in my mind you did well in the context of SA rugby, but you were always going to struggle. People want Heineke Meyer, i wish him no ill, but lets see him coach this team and see what the results will be. How funny is it though. Fourie du Preez, has been so dog toilet this year, and last, but not a harshly negative word was uttered towards him, just a muttering of sheesh he is getting slow, he looks a little out of form, but had that been Ricky or even Bolla...hmmmm???!!! its a full time job i tell you being a "second rate" citizen!! All Blacks game, no real surprises in this game. The Pumas forward power was there, their latin passion was there, but not once during that game did i honestly feel the game was under threat. We took them lightly and it showed from the get go during the Haka, the ferocity and intensity wasnt there. Our game looked fractured most times, but when we had to turn it on in the last 60 we sure did. Piri at no 9...ayeye, how he has lost so much weight is beyond me but well done to him and to think a few years ago he was unwanted. But Jimmy Cowan, nah man, that bra must waai!! I am properly concerned about the well being of my main man Jerome Kaino, that guy is so underrated in the loose trio the amount of work he gets through and the amount of punishment he takes for the team is insane, he is my key guy in that forward pack. Captain Richie, he may not be the no 1 guy on the ground anymore, but what a game he plays, you miss a tackle and he is generally there to cover you, always there in support. Another guy who has become 'fulcrum' of the ABs backs. Colin Slade, happy birthday today bra, bummer about your injury cous, but alas man you are still a young man and there will be another world cup. Cruden, that little guy came on and said world cup quarters whaat??!! I got this. Played with much confidence as if tomorrow was not going to come and good on him. But then again if you beat cancer, what is a rugby game?? Cory Jane, might i suggest you go and get boozed again this thursday please because man did he have a game on the wing as did SBW. Even though the Blacks' depth has been properly tested, over the 4 years with DC's absence, 5 other flyhalves have had an opportunity to feature....Slade, Cruden, Donald, Delaney, McAlister so there are some reserves that can be called upon. Even though it wasnt the rotational policy that was employed in the lead up to 2007, but the 3 wise men have managed to build up stocks over the years and hopefully that will be enough to carry them through the next 2 games if its meant to be ofcourse :). Mils 100th game, pity he had to retire hurt, but what a player...what a man, mad respect!! Semis Notice that 3 out of the 4 teams in the finals are NZ coached...as are might I add, the top 2 teams in this years currie cup so far...The beauty about these last 4 teams is that currently in world rugby, if you take away Fiji and Samoa, they are by far the most exciting teams to watch in terms of what they do with the ball in hand and couple that with their ability in set plays as well (well some might argue Australia not so much but they are getting better, ask the Boks in Durban earlier this year)... Wales v France...I actually really like both these teams and before the world cup i called a France v Australia final which is still very possible and typing that my heart sank a wee bit. As much as i would dig Wales to make it because they have played pretty well thus far by far the most consistent team in the semis along with the host nation, but for some reason i have this feeling there is a movie script here which would result in the French making it to the finals. ABs v Oz, they (Oz) havent won in NZ since 2001, havent won in Eden park since 1986 havent .... all means nought! Its all down to 80 min on sunday. The Wallabies will be buoyed by their get out of jail free card on sunday. They will be buzzing. Quade and Will had a toilet game and they will be so eager to set the record straight. Robbie has won 2 out of the last 3 games against the Blacks, Tri Nations...Oz, S15...Oz, Bledisloe...Blacks. No DC. To beat this merry band of waltzing matildas, who have lots of belief we will have to monster them up front ala the Bledisloe cup earlier. Piri will have to play a territorial game and skop the ball out of the stadium! our back s will be interesting Piri, Cruden, SBW, Nonu, Smith, Kahui, Dagg/Jane. Tough game to call, but you know me I'm properly backing black. Bummed about the fact that the Blacks were denied the opportunity to play the Boks, but Australia are no 3 in the world so i guess i'll take it... Lets see what this Sunday Dishes out, how i'd love to face the French in the finals if its how its meant to be... Happy viewing all

RWC2011...play time's over

What an interesting few days ey?!! Pretty interesting pool rounds, but I guess the usual suspects made it through the pool stages, with the only 2 teams that can be really dissapointed not to make it being Samoa and Scotland. Both teams played as well as they could but i guess a tough draw in a tough pool resulted in their eventual demise or rather non-qualification. Scotland played with the ghost of William Wallace in both their last 2 games, but still managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, it was pretty tough for them, particularly the last game, because I guess I am biased and i could think of few things better than to see England and their smug bums knocked out before the knock out stages. Pool A finished as we had all predicted but the 3 minnow teams really did impress me. They may all have been well put away by the men in black, but I looked for more than that. The Japanese weren't exactly the biggest people but they played with much heart and structure and they threw everything they could have in all their games. particularly enjoyed their showing against France, sad shame about their draw against Canada, but alas i guess no one really deserved to lose that game. Canada played as well as could be expected with their bearded individuals shining their light. What let them down though was their conditioning in the last 20 or so minutes against the big guns. Tonga, by far my team of the pool stages. Their last pool match was just for me a proper David and Goliath story where David once again prevailed, but not because Goliath didnt play well, but because David played beyond themselves with lots of belief. My favourite world cup moment was the closing scrums on the Tongan line and the front row were excited about scrumming even though they were under the pump a little :). Their game against France my favourite game as well just because of the way they played. Pool B, no suprises here, some called it a group of death, which i guess it was in some way it was the closely contested of the 4, but in the end it was really a 3 horse race, with Scotland i guess not having enough in the tank to keep the other 2 teams out, so unfortunate it was for them, but alas such is life i guess. Pool C, what a ripper. Ireland v Aus maximum respect to the Irish on that performance, they had a game plan and they deployed it so effectively and I will not be supprised to see the Boks try and adopt parts thereof this weekend. Italy, USA and Russia gave a good account of themselves and you can see the improvement in those sides. What the latter 2 need is more game time without a doubt and they will be better for it. Pool D, was another group i had much interest in. I was terribly dissapointed in Fiji. I expected much from them they had a fair amount of their team that did battle in 2007 present at this tournament and also had the support base as well but what they just didnt seem to have was the structure, plan or the heart to be as competitive as they were in 2007. Namibia unfortunately were no match for anyone. They did try hard and they had moments of brilliance and some individuals who really stood out like their flyhalf and captain to name a few, but once again, the lack of game time was to be their downfall. A team that I felt sorry for was Samoa. Man that team has much game. They were a tad rough against the Boks, without a doubt, but I think there was a plan there, either the Boks to get under their skin or them under the Boks skin. I know a lot of Bok supporters are on Nigel Owens' case for how he reffed the game, but I think he got it wrong both ways. I will cite a few examples...the Boks second penalty, Scrum, Nigel Owens is right there, Jannie is binding on his opposite scrumagers arm, immediate penalty, but what happens, penalty against the Samoans because the Boks pack was mucho dominant. There were 2 occasions where the Samoans were on attack and then Daniesaurous knocks the ball on to stop the flow and later Jacques does the same thing, only a knock on was given. Then there is a stage where the Samoans are hot on attack and JP off his feet dives in and taps the Samoans arm and boom knock on no penalty try....anyway bygones, but what i am trying to indicate is Nigel Owens helped alot. I am well impressed with the Samoans, and i will go as far as saying that Kahn and Williams (sans the palm plant on Brussows face) will make the form 15 from the pool stages. they will be a formidable force and I am pleased that many new zealanders with Samoan herritage are going back to play for Samoa, because World Rugby needs more competition. Heading into the knock out stages, the only 2 teams with momentum and are looking like world beaters, in my humble opinion are Wales and Ireland, pity they have to face each other, because a semi between the 2 of them would have been absolute class. Right now for the serious stuff. I for some reason see either of those teams in the finals. England have been unconvincing as always but ey they have managed to win and we all know that nothing picks up a team more than winning when you actually shouldnt. BUttttttt, France are due their big game, and I could well be wrong, but i think this game against England could be it, the players have been riled up. Ireland v Wales...yeah man, hot hot game this. very evenly matched teams, tough one to call but I am convinced the winner of this will go all the way. I enjoy both teams, great characters they seem, great ballers they are. its insanely tough to call but for some reason I am tending towards Wales. SA v Aus, I am torn here, ASSUMING we make it past Argentina, i am not sure who i would rather face. SA brings a game we know well and not much will change, well not much has changed in the last 2/3 years, i doubt they would tinker now. Oz on the other hand would be more unpredictable and they have beaten us 2 out of the last 3 games. But its not about us this game, its about OZ and SA, both teams have injury worries, both teams have the no 1 and 2 fetchers (note not open side flankers, fetchers) in the world at the moment. SA historically has better/more brutish forwards that seem to dominate the collisions, but this has been undone of late. Oz without a shadow of a doubt has the most exciting backs in the game at the moment. We all know that games are won or lost up front. If PdV starts with Bissie and Alberts, Oz is in trouble, if its John or Spies, they can rest easy..er :) its going to be an epic battle, hard to call, but once again, for some reason I am swaying towards the Boks, but i guess if i have an idea of their squads i can make a more informed decision. I was having a conversation with a mate a week or so ago and i said that the loss of DC will be far greater than the loss of Richie. I had this feeling that DC would get injured. And boom groin no more. Feel so sorry for the man 2003, 2007...fail this was his time but alas its sport and if i was thinking this way I am well sure the 3 wise men must have had a similar thinking and should have made contingent plans. Rugby is a 22 man team sport and I believe the team is strong enough if not stronger to overcome...Earthquakes, Jock Hobbs, DC...Richies last RWC, RWC at home, can you think of anything more to galvanise a team? maybe I am an optimist, but I am pretty excited, a lot of people dont have faith in Colin, but the man has done it for the Saders time and time again in DCs absence, I believe he can step up, even though the pressure is not the same, he just has to be Colin Slade (not try to be DC) because he has mad game!! A backline that will see them through is Piri, Slade, Kahui, Nonu, Smith, Dagg, Mills....plenty experience all around him. I am sure the selectors may try start him with Ellis because they know each other, but Piri is my guy even as back up 10, he has the heart and the confidence. I am not totally dismissing Argentina. I think they will bring a serious forward game, but its out wide the Blacks might have their number. Its a pity they have lost so many of their frontline players like fernandez lobe, because they are a quality side and I am well pleased to see them in the tri-nations making it the 4 nations, I would have liked to see a 5 nations with a pacific nations side, but in good time. My call for this weekend and watch me get it all wrong because i opened my mouth....Wales, France, SA, NZ Saturday cant come soon enough for me man. Happy viewing Y