Well, the Rugby Championship is now officially under way as the All Blacks took on the Wallabies in Sydney (Host of the summer Olympics 16 years ago for those who are watching in Rio because we almost ended our successful Olympic campaign with 18 medals including 4 gold (Hamish Bond & Eric Murray, Mahe Drysdale, Lisa Carrington & of course Peter Burling & Blair Tuke), 9 silver (Natalie Rooney, the New Zealand women's rugby sevens team, Luuka Jones, the men's team sprint of Eddie Dawkins, Ethan Mitchell & Sam Webster, Valerie Adams, Genevieve Behrent & Rebecca Scown, Jo Aleh & Polly Powrie, Alex Maloney & Molly Meech & of course Lydia Ko) & 5 bronze (Sam Meech, Carrington, Tom Walsh, Eliza McCartney & of course Nick Willis) so here's a recap of the match that went down to the wire for the full 80 minutes:
The Rugby Championship 2016 kicks off with the Bledisloe Cup clash between the Wallabies and All Blacks in Sydney.
The away side have an unfamiliar look to their backline. Beauden Barrett wears the #10 jersey after leading the Hurricanes to Super Rugby glory.
Ben McCalman plays at flanker for the Wallabies, while Kane Douglas also gets a start in the pack. Will Genia and Bernard Foley partner in the halves. Several players (Such as David Pocock, Matt Toomua, Matt Giteau & Will Genia as well as Argentina half back Tomas Cubelli) amongst the Wallabies line-up have shaved their heads in support of teammate Christian Lealiifano, who was recently diagnosed with leukemia.
The national anthems will precede the haka...
1ST MINUTE, KICK-OFF: Foley does the honours.
1 MINUTE LATER: After a All Blacks handling error, the Wallabies' first scrum holds up very well. They put it through the hands towards Dane Haylett-Petty on the right side and the Western Force man makes good ground. A penalty is looming for offside...
1 MINUTE LATER: Codie Taylor is forced from the field for a concussion test so a less than fully-fit Dane Coles comes on...
1 MINUTE LATER, PENALTY GOAL: Foley, central, makes no mistake from the edge of the 22. He goes past 300 Test points, the sixth Wallaby to do so. 3-0
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: After a strong kick return from Israel Dagg, the ABs switch the ball to the left and Malakai's Fekitoa puts Kieran Read on the overlap. He tips it on to Ryan Crotty, who is 25 metres out, but he palms off Haylett-Petty and outpaces the cover to score a great try. 3-5
1 MINUTE LATER, CONVERSION: Barrett, just 6 or 7 metres in from touch, strikes it cool and calmly. 3-7
5 MINUTES LATER: Matt Giteau has limped out of action and straight down the tunnel. It may be a bad one. Matt Toomua comes on early.
1 MINUTE LATER, MISSED PENALTY: Barrett, close to the left sideline, pushes this attempt right.
2 MINUTES LATER: Brodie Retallick is over the line but is held up. All Blacks penalty for offside. Once again the visitors have enjoyed success by attacking the left edge, with Waisake Naholo going close in the first instance.
1 MINUTE LATER, PENALTY: Barrett, out on the left once more, makes no mistake this time. 3-10
4 MINUTES LATER, TMO
1 MINUTE LATER, NO TRY: Retallick is over after some amazing handling and counter-attacking. The chance came about from a charged down Folau kick, but the recipient of the loose ball was in an offside position. It is a great shame as the offloading was Rugby Sevens like.
Another penalty against Australia, this one against Sekope Kepu for going off his feet.
2 MINUTES LATER, PENALTY: Barrett, from a similar position to the rest of his goal-kicks, is benefiting from that familiarity. 3-13
3 MINUTES LATER, TRY: The man of the moment, Beauden Barrett, goes over! Once again it is down the left that Naholo wins his side field position, before a brilliant Read offload allows the fly-half to slice through the line from just inside the 22. 3-18
1 MINUTE LATER, CONVERSION: Barrett tags the extras on from an angle he made easy by cutting inside. 3-20
3 MINUTES LATER: New Zealand threaten again after making their way upfield with ease. But the danger disappears when Dagg is caught for a high shot on Genia when chasing a chip through.
1 MINUTE LATER: Further reshuffles for the Wallabies, Toomua leaves the field as well so on comes Rob Horne. They will have limited options later on.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: This is becoming a nightmare for Australia. This time the charge down pays off when Jerome Kaino gets himself in front of Foley's clearance. He follows up himself to score. New Zealand are already in bonus point territory. 3-25
1 MINUTE LATER, MISSED CONVERSION: Barrett, 20 in from the right touchline, sees his kick go the wrong side of the right stick!
4 MINUTES LATER, TRY: Aaron Smith wins a turnover for his side and the All Blacks move quickly. Barrett dances through in midfield after taking Naholo's pass, before returning the favour to the winger to make it home. 3-30
1 MINUTE LATER, CONVERSION: Barrett from close range. 3-32.
HALF-TIME: AUSTRALIA 3 - 32 NEW ZEALAND The All Blacks are turning in one of their all-time best Bledisloe Cup performances, while it can be described as no less than a shambles from the home side who look completely lost. Just before the half-time siren, Horne limped off, as did Naholo. The Wallabies have lost three second five-eighths in this half.
40TH MINUTE, 2ND HALF KICK-OFF
4 MINUTES LATER: We have been camped in Wallabies territory once again. The All Blacks' handling has been sublime and it is constantly punching holes into this tired-looking Australia defensive line.
1 MINUTE LATER: Almost another try when Ashley-Cooper fumbles a kick close to his line. It's a 5 metre scrum as he just managed to ground it. Dagg was lurking.
1 MINUTE LATER: Read picks and goes from the resulting scrum but the ball comes loose from his grasp.
4 MINUTES LATER: Almost another spectacular try for New Zealand. Fekitoa attacks from deep and releases Aaron Cruden on the inside. The first five-eighth stabs a kick forward for Julian Savea to chase...The replacement winger hacks it forward but it just evades him over the dead ball line.
5 MINUTES LATER, TRY: Coles is over! Kuridrani knocks it on cold and Fekitoa races away with the ball. But the numbers are there despite Foley's try-saver on the centre, they shift it right for the hooker to finish well. 3-37
1 MINUTE LATER, MISSED CONVERSION: Barrett pushes it to the left.
2 MINUTES LATER, TRY: Savea scores his 40th Test try, his 1st at ANZ Stadium! Barrett came on the second phase to release the big winger after more good offloading from the forwards. 3-42
1 MINUTE LATER, MISSED CONVERSION: Cruden takes over but misses from the left edge.
4 MINUTES LATER: The Wallabies have a rare visit to the All Blacks' 22 but provide little threat. There has been nothing for the home crowd to shout about tonight.
7 MINUTES LATER: With 10 minutes to go a good finish from the All Blacks could hand them their biggest ever win over their Tasman rivals. Their current largest points difference win over Australia is the 43-6 despatch in Wellington in 1996 (Well David Campese (The Mario Andretti (Father of Michael (Brother of John & 1st cousin of Jeff) & grandfather of Marco) & Sylvester 'Sly' Stallone (Brother of Frank) of rugby) was there at the old Athletic Park, so too is his opponent, the late Jonah Lomu (Also the 'Iron' Mike Tyson of rugby).
3 MINUTES LATER: Australia's lineout has been wretched this evening but they are going to kick a penalty to the five-metre line to attempt the catch and drive.
1 MINUTE LATER, YELLOW CARD: Uh-oh! Read drags down the maul and that will be his night over.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: Phipps squeezes over in the left corner. Some quick ball and quick hands from the Wallabies, who of course have the extra man, leave New Zealand short out wide. 8-42
1 MINUTE LATER, MISSED CONVERSION: Foley's sideline attempt is wayward.
3 MINUTES LATER, TMO
1 MINUTE LATER, NO TRY: Dagg manages to dot down from a cross-field kick from Barrett, despite the attempts of Phipps. However, there was a knock-on in the build-up.
All Blacks hoping to rub salt into the wounds by searching for a final try via a scrum penalty. Read's night might not be done, we are deep into added time.
FULL-TIME: AUSTRALIA 8 - 42 NEW ZEALAND
A crushing performance from the All Blacks who probably would have wiped the floor with any side this evening. Australia, who were rough around the edges, certainly did not make things easy for themselves.
And finally, the Springboks took on Argentina in the other match of the Rugby Championship held in Nelspruit so here's the full news report:
South Africa fought back from 13-23 down to beat Argentina 30-23 in their Rugby Championship opener in Nelspruit.
Nerves of steel are becoming a mandatory requirement for players and fans alike in the Allister Coetzee era after Warren Whiteley scored a last minute try to complete a strong comeback by the hosts.
There certainly were moments when South Africa must have feared the worst in losing only a second ever home game against the Pumas. But like they showed in the series against Ireland, this Bok team can grind out a win even if they looked wholly unconvincing for large parts of this contest.
Argentina gave everything and will be kicking themselves that they allowed the Springboks back into the game after taking an imposing ten-point lead with 12 minutes to play. The wet conditions definitely played a part in the standard of the game but Argentina will still feel they had a great chance to secure a memorable victory in South Africa.
In the end it wasn't to be thanks to some sublime combination play at the death. The Boks took the ball through the phases from a line-out inside Argentina's 22. Jaco Kriel and Juan de Jongh carried the ball well before the ball went out wide. Eben Etzebeth and Bryan Habana both drew defenders before Habana offloaded to Whiteley, who beat his man to crash over in the left-hand corner.
South Africa started the game strongly and looked up for the game. Jantjies missed an early penalty but soon made up for it when he exploited a gap in broken play. The ball was recycled quickly to Johan Goosen who found himself in space before putting Ruan Combrinck away for a try in the corner.
Argetina were reduced to 14 men when Manuel Montero was yellow carded for a dangerous tackle on Damian de Allende, but the Boks failed to capatalise on their numerical advantage. Instead they conceded 10 points during that period through a penalty and a try.
Some thrilling running rugby by los Pumas, which started inside their own 22, resulted in a brilliant try for Matias Orlando which Nicolas Sanchez converted for a 13-10 lead.
South Africa had a great chance to take the lead and ease the pressure when Lionel Mapoe went over after some build-up play following a 5 metre line-out. However, replays confirmed he lost the ball going over and the try was disallowed.
The 2nd half didn't start well for the hosts when Habana received a yellow card after slipping and taking out Cordero in the air. Still, Jantjies managed to level the score with a penalty despite Argentina enjoying a greater percentage of the possession throughout the game.
The Boks were guilty of too many basic mistakes, especially in the second half and didn't do enough with the ball when they did have it. Cordero punished some poor tactical kicking by Jantjies to stretch the lead to 23-13 after Argentina launched a counter-attack following a pointless up-and-under by Jantjies.
Etzebeth made a great cover tackle but the visitors recycled quickly before Sanchez chipped the ball over the Bok defence for Cordero to pounce.
South Africa looked down and out at this stage, just like they did in the 2nd Test against Ireland, but they composed themselves and hit back with a try through Goosen to get back into the game. From a scrum, the excellent Faf de Klerk gathered the ball and ran down the blind side, sucking in three defenders in before giving the inside pass to Goosen who timed his run well to run through unapposed.
A Jantjies penalty levelled things at 23-23 before Whiteley finished off with the match-winning try to spare the home side an embarrassing defeat.
And on Monday the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic games took place so here's the full rundown of the closing ceremony according to Wikipedia:
The closing ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics was held on 21 August 2016 from 20:00 to 22:50 BRT at the Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro.
As per traditional protocol, the ceremony featured cultural presentations from Brazil and Japan, as well as closing remarks by International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach and the leader of the Games' organizing committee Carlos Arthur Nuzman, the official handover of the Olympic flag from Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes to Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, whose city will host the 2020 Summer Olympics, and the extinguishing of the Olympic flame.
The creative director for the ceremony was Rosa Magalhães. Amid heavy rainfall, the ceremony began with interpretive dancers representing various landmarks in the host city. Martinho da Vila then performed a rendition of the classic song "Carinhoso (pt)" by Pixinguinha. In another segment, introducing the athletes, pop singer Roberta Sá channeled Carmen Miranda, the fruit-headdress-wearing, midcentury Hollywood diva who endures as a beloved camp figure. The Parade of Flags followed shortly after a choir of 27 children, representing the states of Brazil, sang the Brazilian national anthem.
The ceremony featured a performance of "Carry Me" by Norwegian electronic tropical music producer Kygo and singer-songwriter Julia Michaels, as part of a segment that promoted the new Olympic Channel service launching after the Games. The games' final medal awards for the men's marathon were also presented, along with the Kenyan national anthem.
Four newly elected members of the IOC Athletes' Commission were introduced: fencer Britta Heidemann (Germany), table tennis player Ryu Seung-min (South Korea), swimmer Dániel Gyurta (Hungary) and pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia). Lenine then performed his song "Jack Soul Brasileiro" in celebration to those who volunteered during the games. The flag handover ceremony began as standard with the Greek national anthem and the Olympic anthem. Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes handed the flag to IOC president Thomas Bach, who then handed it over to Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike. The flag will be raised in PyeongChang for the 2018 Winter Olympics that will take place on 9 February 2018.
The directors for the show were Hiroshi Sasaki (creative supervisor), Ringo Sheena (creative supervisor and music director), Mikiko Mizuno (choreographer and stage director) and Kaoru Sugano (creative director). Tokyo 2020's presentation for the next Olympics featured swimmer Kosuke Kitajima, long-distance runner Naoko Takahashi, boxer Ryōta Murata and Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. The Japanese national anthem arranged by Jun Miyake was sung while the flag of Japan was projected onto the stadium grounds. The flag then faded out to thank those who aided the country during the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
A video presentation featuring characters from famous Japanese anime and prominent video games such as Captain Tsubasa, Doraemon, Pac-Man and Hello Kitty led up to Abe's appearance, which consisted of him transforming into Mario from Nintendo's Mario franchise and jumping out of a Warp Pipe given by Doraemon to help him get from Tokyo's Shibuya Crossing to Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã Stadium on time. Abe appeared at the Maracana dressed up as Mario.
Male rhythmic gymnasts from Aomori University and dancers then performed a dance routine highlighting Japan's electronic culture (choreographed by MIKIKO (jp), music by Yasutaka Nakata), before the presentation ended with the logo of the forthcoming Tokyo games. The last sequence of presentation used the music from Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre's 2012 play "Egg" (written by Hideki Noda, with music by Ringo Sheena) – contains the message: "sports, music or Olympics" and "War or Nationalism" shall not be linked again.
Speeches by organising committee chairman Carlos Arthur Nuzman and IOC president Bach marked the end of the games. Mariene de Castro sang in front of the Olympic cauldron as the flame was extinguished via piped rain. The ceremony ended with a fireworks display and a tribute to Rio's signature event, the Carnival, which takes place during the four days before Ash Wednesday. The segment showcased Brazil's musical dance culture. The 250-person strong parade was led by Brazilian model Izabel Goulart and street cleaner Renato Sorriso, with the carnival anthem Cidade Maravilhosa playing in the background. The performers in the closing ceremony consisted of actual dancers that will be in the 2017 Rio Carnival.
P.S. I did not know that I have another cousin because her name is Rosalie because she is Gemma's daughter & well I have never met her before in my whole life & I did not know that I have uncles & aunties because Ashley (Who is Bryan & Viv's son) is my uncle (Bryan is my grand uncle) or 2nd cousin but I do have 2 aunties (Actually my 3 2nd cousins) Gemma & Huia (Daughters of Poppa's sister Kathryn who is my grand aunty) & 1 uncle who is Ben (Kathryn's son) & also Paige Williams (My biological aunty Cathey Middelplaats's daughter who is my friend now despite that the fact that we are just cousins), Luca & Nico Mitchell (Cathey's 2 little sons with her husband John Mitchell & Paige's 2 little brothers) are my cousins that I really know that much & I did not know that Cathey is the sister of both Aunty Tania (Although she's coming here with Raejean/Giuseppe on December for Christmas, new year & the 1 year anniversary for Nan's passing) & my Dad but they did not grow up together with them.
And my cousin & friend Paige has sent me an email so here's her message being displayed in it's full entirety:
Hi Whetu,
Sorry for taking so long to reply, I am extremely busy with work at the moment.
I bet you have been watching the Olympics - didn't we do great!
Yes your right, I went to Sacred Heart College. Its was a good school, I loved it and made lots of friends whom I am still very close with :)
I recently graduated in May - four long years of study but I loved it so all paid off in the end.
I listen to any music- usually just what is on the radio.
Wish Jansen a Happy Birthday from me, hope you guys had a good birthday for him.
Love Paige xx
Sunday, 21 August 2016
Saturday, 13 August 2016
A Day Away/Dark Times/Pacifier/Run: The Saturday Dinner Report
Well, Mahe Drysdale (And I mean, this guy is incredible) goes back to back in the men's single sculls here in Rio to claim New Zealand's 2nd gold medal just like Hamish Bond & Eric Murray (And also, these guys are incredible) did in the men's pair but what about the finish, it's shades of the Evers-Swindell twins in Beijing 8 years ago but how about it? How about it! Commiserations for Valerie Adams as her challenger Michelle Carter of the USA snatched it right to the death in the shot put to steal the gold ending her chances of a hat-trick of gold medals as she joins Natalie Rooney, the New Zealand women's sevens team, Luuka Jones, the men's team sprint consisting of Eddie Dawkins, Ethan Mitchell & Sam Webster & the Women's coxless pair of Genevieve Behrent & Rebecca Scown as Silver medalists.
It was on Tuesday that I wished my half-brother Jansen a happy birthday because he is now officially a teenager because he is 13 now but Dad took me to watch Jansen play basketball & guess who was there! It was Poppa but Jansen's team lost so Pops took me to Spice Guru to have an Indian meal there for dinner because I probably had a chicken tikka masala for a main course with basmati rice & a garlic cheese naan but the dessert that I had was a birthday cake that I had but Dad took me home ending a great night it was.
2 days later, I went to the pool at the Splash Centre with Pops, then we went to New World to get the meal deal which was a bit unhealthy as well as getting more mochacchino, cold meat & Clausthaler beer, then we went to 15A Kells Avenue for lunch because we had Asian for lunch x dinner since I had an Italian on Wednesday night & then we did some jobs such as installing the lights for the garden then we had a dessert after that before we headed to Nan's grave & then back here in my flat to end a wonderful day it was.
And then 2 days later, Pops picked me up here to go to 15A Kells Avenue to prepare for lunch x dinner because Leon, Hanne & that Malaysian princess of Sophie were about to arrive & they did because I greeted Leon & Hanne 1st before I had to embrace my Malaysian friend Sophie because I have never seen her for like 9 long years! (That is a long time ago not in a galaxy far far away). So anyway, Pops has told the visitors to look at Nan's memorial garden before we start having our lunch or dinner so we had chicken casserole before having dessert and then afternoon tea but we did chat & I once told Sophie that she liked my glasses as well as my signature/trademark long locks or should I say rock star hair (That's just why because I'm into the alternative rock/heavy metal environment) because my Dad once looked like a rastafarian because he once had dreadlocks back in the day (Well I showed a photo of them) as well as she likes both her sister Amelia & brother Jason & of course that her greatest moment of her life was meeting me (Although she is heading back home on the 29th of August but I told her when will I see her next, she would come back to Wanganui once she gets a job in Auckland but the greatest moment of my life has to be the All Black's Rugby World Cup victories of 2011 & 2015 because we mastered the art of the sport 3 times in 1987 & the 2 that I've mentioned before) & I also told her that I thought Sophie was my only Asian friend but I have just found out that I have 2 Asian friends, 1 is Sophie & the other is John Coburn's partner Lim Chin Keong because Lim comes from KL in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia's capital) because I know where Sophie comes from because she hails all the way from Penang.
And Pops told the 3 visitors that he talked about her long lost daughter Cathey Middelplaats because Nan had a baby but she had no idea how to look after her but the Middelplaats family adopted her then several years later Cathey gave birth to her daughter which is my cousin, Paige Williams because several years later, Paige had to be graduated for her Bachelor of Commerce studies at the Victoria University in Wellington & it's been about a decade that Cathey had been together with her husband John Mitchell and gave birth to 2 sons Nico & Luca which are my other cousins as well as Paige's little brothers because Pops took me there to have breakfast the day after the All Blacks versus Wales clash.
And then all of a sudden, one of Poppa's niece Nufemmia once worked at HSBC because I'll tell you a funny story that Pops told Leon, Hanne & this time Sophie a great joke again about Uncle Wal being several stone had to look like a Buddha because he was getting hot during his trip to see the Terracotta warriors in China, LOL! (OMG it's so funny).
And I once told Leon, Hanne & Sophie what they were doing 20 years ago so Leon was in Wellington (He was 47 way back then because he is now 67 years old) while Hanne was here because she went to polytech & what was Sophie been doing when she was 6 years old? (Although she is now 26 years old) She had to go to pre school because the starting school age in Malaysia was 7 (Compared to 5 in New Zealand) & I was telling Leon that the brand new football/soccer season in England or especially Europe (Including France) was on so I was wearing Liverpool/Manchester United colors rather than Chelsea/Leicester City colours (And that's why because Sophie's favourite color is blue because her favourite colour is the same as mine & she has been to Old Trafford before because someone had asked anyone that they must keep off the football pitch) so I told him that both Paul Pogba of France & the recently retired Swedish international of Zlatan Ibrahimovic that they've joined FA Cup champions Manchester United because Manchester United have got England (Who lost to Iceland in a famous upset during the round of 16 in the Euros) captain Wayne Rooney, recently retired German international Bastian Schweinsteiger & France's Anthony Martial & they did win the FA Community Shield against English Premier League champions Leicester City coached/managed by Italian Claudio Ranieri & consisting of club captain from Jamaica Wes Morgan, Peter Schmiechel's son Kasper as well as Jamie Vardy & I also told him that the Euros was over because the Cristiano Ronaldo (Who still plays for European club champions Real Madrid along with Gareth Bale of Wales) led Portugal beat hosts France 1 - 0 during extra time to be crowned European champions & Lionel Messi (Who still plays for the world's best football/soccer club FC Barcelona along with Brazil's Neymar (Who is leading his country's under 23 men's team at the Olympics & 1 of 3 over aged players), Uruguay's Luis Suarez, club captain Andres Iniesta of Spain, Shakira's husband Gerard Pique, Turkey's Arda Turan, Croatia's Ivan Rakitic & Chile's Copa America winning goalkeeper Claudio Bravo) retiring from the international fold following his side's loss against Chile in the final of the Copa America Centenario & I also told him that I'm a rugby mad fan because he is a football/soccer mad person & Slovakian captain Martin Skrtel joining Turkish club Fenerbahce from Leon's beloved fan of the club, Liverpool (You'll never walk alone coached by German Jurgen Klopp & well, I'm a beloved fan of the Super Rugby franchise, the Hurricanes because they won the Super Rugby title since forming it's establishment 21 years ago) as well as young Portuguese footballer/soccer player Renato Sanches now playing for German club Bayern Munich (Which features the likes of Brazilian born Spanish international Diego Costa, Holland's Arjen Robben, Germany's Thomas Muller & Poland's Robert Lewandowski) & I told everyone that I made a great speech about the curse of the World Cup defeat way back in 2003 which is about the All Blacks campaigns of both 1999 & 2003 are ruined by a movie called Anaconda (A movie starring Jennifer 'JLo' Lopez, rapper Ice Cube & Angelina Jolie's father Jon Voight) but I can't remember it now during the speech & I did get it at the end of the speech, trust me & I told Sophie about the famous Malaysian people such as Lee Chong Wei, Alex Yoong & Michelle Yeoh.
And after the long discussion, I told Sophie to have a selfie with her & she constantly agreed so the selfie was taken & she took another one for me & the last one in the car before I headed back home so I had to officially say goodbye to Hanne & Leon as well as Sophie because I had to embrace her again & I told her that I love her & she said that she loves me too so awwwww...so cute, huh & I once told her that her favourite food is sushi because mine is Italian which is both pasta & pizza because she does eat a bit of pizza so I said goodbye to Poppa so Leon, Hanne & Sophie took me home to end a wonderful day it was & I had pasta for dinner after Valerie Adams won silver in the women's shot put, how disappointing.
It was on Tuesday that I wished my half-brother Jansen a happy birthday because he is now officially a teenager because he is 13 now but Dad took me to watch Jansen play basketball & guess who was there! It was Poppa but Jansen's team lost so Pops took me to Spice Guru to have an Indian meal there for dinner because I probably had a chicken tikka masala for a main course with basmati rice & a garlic cheese naan but the dessert that I had was a birthday cake that I had but Dad took me home ending a great night it was.
2 days later, I went to the pool at the Splash Centre with Pops, then we went to New World to get the meal deal which was a bit unhealthy as well as getting more mochacchino, cold meat & Clausthaler beer, then we went to 15A Kells Avenue for lunch because we had Asian for lunch x dinner since I had an Italian on Wednesday night & then we did some jobs such as installing the lights for the garden then we had a dessert after that before we headed to Nan's grave & then back here in my flat to end a wonderful day it was.
And then 2 days later, Pops picked me up here to go to 15A Kells Avenue to prepare for lunch x dinner because Leon, Hanne & that Malaysian princess of Sophie were about to arrive & they did because I greeted Leon & Hanne 1st before I had to embrace my Malaysian friend Sophie because I have never seen her for like 9 long years! (That is a long time ago not in a galaxy far far away). So anyway, Pops has told the visitors to look at Nan's memorial garden before we start having our lunch or dinner so we had chicken casserole before having dessert and then afternoon tea but we did chat & I once told Sophie that she liked my glasses as well as my signature/trademark long locks or should I say rock star hair (That's just why because I'm into the alternative rock/heavy metal environment) because my Dad once looked like a rastafarian because he once had dreadlocks back in the day (Well I showed a photo of them) as well as she likes both her sister Amelia & brother Jason & of course that her greatest moment of her life was meeting me (Although she is heading back home on the 29th of August but I told her when will I see her next, she would come back to Wanganui once she gets a job in Auckland but the greatest moment of my life has to be the All Black's Rugby World Cup victories of 2011 & 2015 because we mastered the art of the sport 3 times in 1987 & the 2 that I've mentioned before) & I also told her that I thought Sophie was my only Asian friend but I have just found out that I have 2 Asian friends, 1 is Sophie & the other is John Coburn's partner Lim Chin Keong because Lim comes from KL in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia's capital) because I know where Sophie comes from because she hails all the way from Penang.
And Pops told the 3 visitors that he talked about her long lost daughter Cathey Middelplaats because Nan had a baby but she had no idea how to look after her but the Middelplaats family adopted her then several years later Cathey gave birth to her daughter which is my cousin, Paige Williams because several years later, Paige had to be graduated for her Bachelor of Commerce studies at the Victoria University in Wellington & it's been about a decade that Cathey had been together with her husband John Mitchell and gave birth to 2 sons Nico & Luca which are my other cousins as well as Paige's little brothers because Pops took me there to have breakfast the day after the All Blacks versus Wales clash.
And then all of a sudden, one of Poppa's niece Nufemmia once worked at HSBC because I'll tell you a funny story that Pops told Leon, Hanne & this time Sophie a great joke again about Uncle Wal being several stone had to look like a Buddha because he was getting hot during his trip to see the Terracotta warriors in China, LOL! (OMG it's so funny).
And I once told Leon, Hanne & Sophie what they were doing 20 years ago so Leon was in Wellington (He was 47 way back then because he is now 67 years old) while Hanne was here because she went to polytech & what was Sophie been doing when she was 6 years old? (Although she is now 26 years old) She had to go to pre school because the starting school age in Malaysia was 7 (Compared to 5 in New Zealand) & I was telling Leon that the brand new football/soccer season in England or especially Europe (Including France) was on so I was wearing Liverpool/Manchester United colors rather than Chelsea/Leicester City colours (And that's why because Sophie's favourite color is blue because her favourite colour is the same as mine & she has been to Old Trafford before because someone had asked anyone that they must keep off the football pitch) so I told him that both Paul Pogba of France & the recently retired Swedish international of Zlatan Ibrahimovic that they've joined FA Cup champions Manchester United because Manchester United have got England (Who lost to Iceland in a famous upset during the round of 16 in the Euros) captain Wayne Rooney, recently retired German international Bastian Schweinsteiger & France's Anthony Martial & they did win the FA Community Shield against English Premier League champions Leicester City coached/managed by Italian Claudio Ranieri & consisting of club captain from Jamaica Wes Morgan, Peter Schmiechel's son Kasper as well as Jamie Vardy & I also told him that the Euros was over because the Cristiano Ronaldo (Who still plays for European club champions Real Madrid along with Gareth Bale of Wales) led Portugal beat hosts France 1 - 0 during extra time to be crowned European champions & Lionel Messi (Who still plays for the world's best football/soccer club FC Barcelona along with Brazil's Neymar (Who is leading his country's under 23 men's team at the Olympics & 1 of 3 over aged players), Uruguay's Luis Suarez, club captain Andres Iniesta of Spain, Shakira's husband Gerard Pique, Turkey's Arda Turan, Croatia's Ivan Rakitic & Chile's Copa America winning goalkeeper Claudio Bravo) retiring from the international fold following his side's loss against Chile in the final of the Copa America Centenario & I also told him that I'm a rugby mad fan because he is a football/soccer mad person & Slovakian captain Martin Skrtel joining Turkish club Fenerbahce from Leon's beloved fan of the club, Liverpool (You'll never walk alone coached by German Jurgen Klopp & well, I'm a beloved fan of the Super Rugby franchise, the Hurricanes because they won the Super Rugby title since forming it's establishment 21 years ago) as well as young Portuguese footballer/soccer player Renato Sanches now playing for German club Bayern Munich (Which features the likes of Brazilian born Spanish international Diego Costa, Holland's Arjen Robben, Germany's Thomas Muller & Poland's Robert Lewandowski) & I told everyone that I made a great speech about the curse of the World Cup defeat way back in 2003 which is about the All Blacks campaigns of both 1999 & 2003 are ruined by a movie called Anaconda (A movie starring Jennifer 'JLo' Lopez, rapper Ice Cube & Angelina Jolie's father Jon Voight) but I can't remember it now during the speech & I did get it at the end of the speech, trust me & I told Sophie about the famous Malaysian people such as Lee Chong Wei, Alex Yoong & Michelle Yeoh.
And after the long discussion, I told Sophie to have a selfie with her & she constantly agreed so the selfie was taken & she took another one for me & the last one in the car before I headed back home so I had to officially say goodbye to Hanne & Leon as well as Sophie because I had to embrace her again & I told her that I love her & she said that she loves me too so awwwww...so cute, huh & I once told her that her favourite food is sushi because mine is Italian which is both pasta & pizza because she does eat a bit of pizza so I said goodbye to Poppa so Leon, Hanne & Sophie took me home to end a wonderful day it was & I had pasta for dinner after Valerie Adams won silver in the women's shot put, how disappointing.
Saturday, 6 August 2016
Comfort Me/Home Again/La La Land/My Mind's Sedate: The 2016 Super Rugby Final review & short Rio 2016 Olympic Games report
Well, the #Olympics are back after 4 long years so yesterday I have just watched the opening ceremony and I did enjoy it but today I have just witnessed gold medals being won by Australia twice, Belgium, Hungary & Japan & I also saw 2 world records being broken. But last night the Super Rugby final was held between the Hurricanes of Wellington, New Zealand & the Lions of Johannesburg, South Africa, so let's see how it unfolds between the 2 sides with a full news report:
Wellington’s Hurricanes beat the Lions 20-3 at Westpac Stadium to become the 2016 Super Rugby Champions.
The Hurricanes also hosted the Super Rugby final last year but they were beaten 14-21 by the Highlanders.
The Hurricanes were the only New Zealand team who had not won a Super Rugby title but now all five New Zealand teams have won a title.
The victory makes New Zealand the first nation to have all of it’s teams win a title as only the Bulls have won a title for South Africa while the Brumbies, Waratahs and Reds have won Super Rugby titles for Australia.
The Hurricanes outscored the Lions by two tries to none which means that Hurricanes did not concede a try throughout the play offs and went through almost 300 minutes without conceding a try.
The last player to score a try against the Hurricanes was Ryan Crotty of the Crusaders in the first half of their final regular season round match.
Earlier this season the Lions hosted the Hurricanes in Johannesburg and that match was won 17-50 by the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes championship win, coming a year after they ended runners-up at the same venue, added another glorious chapter to New Zealand’s vice-like grip hold on the South Hemisphere competition.
The Hurricanes finally added their name on the trophy after 21 years of trying alongside New Zealand’s four other franchises.
The stage was set for the Hurricanes rather than the Lions as the ‘Cake Tin’ presented similar conditions to that prevailed a fortnight ago when they played the quarterfinal against the Sharks.
After an initial period in which the Lions showed their prowess on attack and defence, the Hurricanes flyhalf Beauden Barrett showed that he and his fellow players had a better understanding of the nuances of playing in rain, wind and soggy underfoot conditions.
Early on, Barrett snatched the initiative with a deft touch finder to transfer play deep into the Lions’ half.
The Hurricanes subsequently stole the Lions’ line-out ball and then moments later Barrett unleashed a cross-kick which left the opposition stranded. Rightwing Cory Jane latched on to the high ball and ran in to score but the TMO Ben Skeen spotted an infringement in the build-up movement and the try was disallowed in the sixth minute.
However, Barrett’s intervention at that stage was to prove telling in the next 15 minutes as his five-point contribution allowed the Hurricanes ran up a 10-0 lead. First, he slotted a penalty and then he banged over a touchline conversion after Jane was not be denied in his second attempt to cross the whitewash.
Jane’s try was the result of an absolute howler after the Lions tried to run the ball from their own tryline with disastrous consequences. Two passes later Lions centre Lionel Mapoe chipped ahead but the ball ended up in Jane’s waiting hands and he was given an unchallenged passage to the tryline.
This passage of play decided the Lions’ first-half fortunes as they never again managed to strike up the necessary cohesion to overcome this 10-point setback.
Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies was on target with a 25th-minute penalty to reduce the deficit but overall he was a pale shadow of the player that was in the forefront of his side’s magnificent performances of late.
Equally, up to this stage, his halfback partner Faf de Klerk was equally off colour and unable to provide the spark as he tried to work with mostly slowed-down ball.
Heading off towards the halftime break, the Lions on occasions enjoyed front-foot ball but the Hurricanes coped well defensively and even better when they started to dominate at scrum time.
When the teams returned for second-half play, the Hurricanes pinned the Lions down in their own half for the opening 10 minutes until De Klerk initiated a promising counter-attack to transfer the pressure. However, once the Hurricanes saw off that threat Barrett landed a 51st-minute penalty to open up a 10-point lead with a 13-3 scoreline.
In the ensuing play, De Klerk showed a few fine touches with some brave plays but his efforts were undone by errors and poor option-taking from his teammates. The Lions, however, were still rock solid on defence and they might have earned some reward at this stage but Jantjies fluffed a penalty around the hour mark.
Barrett again imposed himself on the match in the 68th minute when the Lions made an absolute hash of line-out defence and he pounced for a converted try which was the cue for 35 000 wildly cheering spectators that the 2016 championship had finally been decided as the celebratory chant Olé, Olé, Olé rang out at the stadium.
Beauden Barrett was named Man of the match while Victor Vito celebrated his 100th and final Super Rugby cap with a winners medal.
And then onto the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympics so here's the full rundown of the opening ceremony according to Wikipedia:
The opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics took place on the evening of Friday 5 August 2016 in the Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, starting at 20:00 BRT (23:00 UTC). As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings combined the formal ceremonial opening of this international sporting event (including welcoming speeches, hoisting of the flags and the parade of athletes, as well as a new feature—the presentation of the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Laurel distinction) with an artistic spectacle to showcase the host nation's culture and history.
Directed by Fernando Meirelles, Daniela Thomas and Andrucha Waddington, the ceremony featured presentations of the history and culture of Brazil, including its landscape and forests, the history of the Portuguese people, music and samba, and the favelas among other aspects. Portions of the ceremony were also dedicated to the topics of environmental conservation and climate change. The Games were officially opened by Acting President of Brazil Michel Temer.
Despite having a significantly lower budget than those of other recent Olympics, the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics was praised by the international media for its vivid, diverse performances, emphasis on multiculturalism, and its appeal to the issue of climate change.
The opening ceremony began with aerial images of the city of Rio de Janeiro in a music video with the song "Aquele Abraço", sung by Luiz Melodia. There was a brief instrumental version of Marcos Valle's "Samba de Verão" (or "Summer Samba") during the portion with performers in silver suits with giant silver sheets. After the projection of the first images, the International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach was introduced. Singer Paulinho da Viola sang the Brazilian National Anthem on a stage inspired by the architectural forms of Oscar Niemeyer. The singer was accompanied by a string orchestra. Brazil's flag was raised and 60 flags were carried by Olympic Brazilian athletes Virna Dias, Robson da Silva, Maurren Maggi and Flávio Canto, and children.
The artistic performances were set into motion with an homage paid to the spirit of gambiarra, defined by the organisers as "the Brazilian talent for making the most out of nothing". In this part of the opening ceremony, Brazilian design was honoured with references to Athos Bulcão, indigenous geometry, African prints and Portuguese tiles. Peace and sustainability were featured with the transformation of the peace symbol projection into a tree. This part of the opening is also an homage to the Amazon rainforest, whose biggest part covers the country. This was followed by the representation of the birth of the immense forests that covered Brazil and the arrival of the Portuguese people. From the beginning of life, the ceremony illustrated the formation of the indigenous peoples, whose entrance was represented by 72 dancers of the two major associations of the Parintins Festival. The arrival of Europeans in caravels, the forced arrival of enslaved Africans and the immigration of Arab and Japanese people was represented by descendants of these ethnic groups.
One parkour group crossed the stage and jumped on projections of building roofs in the ceremony that highlighted the urbanisation of contemporary Brazil, concentrated in large cities. To the sound of the classic song "Construção", by Chico Buarque, acrobats scaled the façades of buildings and set up a wall, behind which a reproduction of the 14-bis plane, flown in real life 110 years earlier in the suburbs of Paris arrived with an actor playing the Brazilian inventor Santos-Dumont. Gisele Bündchen interpreted "The Girl from Ipanema" and walked through Maracanã Stadium, while Daniel Jobim, grandson of composer Antônio Carlos Jobim, played the classic song. The walk of Gisele followed the curves that characterised Niemeyer's works, such as the Pampulha Church and the Cathedral of Brasília. It was later revealed that a pre-planned segment was in place for Bündchen after her catwalk, but it had to be cut because she walked too slow during the catwalk.
After Ipanema, the favelas were represented to the sound of samba and funk carioca, with singers Elza Soares, who played the "Canto de Ossanha", and Ludmilla, who sang the "Rap da Felicidade". Rapper Marcelo D2 and singer Zeca Pagodinho simulated a duel of rhythms. Rappers Karol Conká and MC Sofia followed. Cultural performances that simulated conflicts as maracatu and the bumba-meu-boi shared the stage of the stadium. Actress Regina Casé appeared in the stage and mediated the conflict, before she and the singer Jorge Ben Jor singed the hit song "País Tropical".
After that, the delegations representing 207 nations then marched into the stadium during the Parade of Nations. The crowd gave large applause for other Latin American nations as well as notably Spain, the USA, Canada, Portugal, and Russia. However, the biggest applause (aside from the host nation) came when the team of Refugee Athletes marched into the stadium just ahead of the Brazilian team. They received a standing ovation from the crowd. The Brazilian team was led into the stadium by model Lea T, the first transgender person to participate in an Olympic opening ceremony.
After the parade of nations, there was a massed parade of the 12 samba schools of the Rio Carnival's Special Group, and singers Anitta, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil performed the song "Sandália de Prata", by Ary Barroso. The segment was a tribute to Rio's most famous signature event; the Rio Carnival, which happens on the last four days before Ash Wednesday.
A short video on anthropogenic climate change – one of the themes of the event – was also brought to fore during the ceremony. The video, narrated by Brazilian Academy Award-nominee actress Fernanda Montenegro and British Academy Award-winning actress Judi Dench, also reading from Carlos Drummond de Andrade's poem "The Flower and the Nausea", featured Ed Hawkins' visual spiral indicating rising global temperatures, together with an animated projection of rising sea levels on places that included Amsterdam (host of the 1928 Games); Dubai; Lagos; Shanghai; Florida; and the city of Rio de Janeiro itself.
Kenyan runner and two-time Olympic champion Kipchoge Keino ran up to the stage to receive the first Olympic Laurel award, accompanied by children flying 200 white kites shaped like doves. Earlier, children in Kenya inscribed messages of peace on the kites.
After the speeches by Rio 2016 Organizing Committee President Carlos Arthur Nuzman and by IOC President Thomas Bach, Brazil's Acting President Michel Temer recited the games' opening declaration from the stands. Contrary to usual practice, he was not introduced at the beginning of the ceremony, nor was he introduced at the end of President Bach's speech.
After a burst of fireworks, the Olympic Flag then entered the stadium, and was raised while the Olympic Anthem was sung.
The Olympic oath on behalf of the athletes was then recited by Brazilian sailor Robert Scheidt. The corresponding oaths on behalf of the judges and coaches were taken by Martinho Nobre and Adriana Santos respectively. Furher artistic performances followed.
Ending the Olympic torch relay at the end of the Opening Ceremony, Gustavo Kuerten brought the Olympic torch into the stadium, relayed the Olympic flame to Hortência Marcari, who relayed to Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima, who then lit the Olympic cauldron.
Wellington’s Hurricanes beat the Lions 20-3 at Westpac Stadium to become the 2016 Super Rugby Champions.
The Hurricanes also hosted the Super Rugby final last year but they were beaten 14-21 by the Highlanders.
The Hurricanes were the only New Zealand team who had not won a Super Rugby title but now all five New Zealand teams have won a title.
The victory makes New Zealand the first nation to have all of it’s teams win a title as only the Bulls have won a title for South Africa while the Brumbies, Waratahs and Reds have won Super Rugby titles for Australia.
The Hurricanes outscored the Lions by two tries to none which means that Hurricanes did not concede a try throughout the play offs and went through almost 300 minutes without conceding a try.
The last player to score a try against the Hurricanes was Ryan Crotty of the Crusaders in the first half of their final regular season round match.
Earlier this season the Lions hosted the Hurricanes in Johannesburg and that match was won 17-50 by the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes championship win, coming a year after they ended runners-up at the same venue, added another glorious chapter to New Zealand’s vice-like grip hold on the South Hemisphere competition.
The Hurricanes finally added their name on the trophy after 21 years of trying alongside New Zealand’s four other franchises.
The stage was set for the Hurricanes rather than the Lions as the ‘Cake Tin’ presented similar conditions to that prevailed a fortnight ago when they played the quarterfinal against the Sharks.
After an initial period in which the Lions showed their prowess on attack and defence, the Hurricanes flyhalf Beauden Barrett showed that he and his fellow players had a better understanding of the nuances of playing in rain, wind and soggy underfoot conditions.
Early on, Barrett snatched the initiative with a deft touch finder to transfer play deep into the Lions’ half.
The Hurricanes subsequently stole the Lions’ line-out ball and then moments later Barrett unleashed a cross-kick which left the opposition stranded. Rightwing Cory Jane latched on to the high ball and ran in to score but the TMO Ben Skeen spotted an infringement in the build-up movement and the try was disallowed in the sixth minute.
However, Barrett’s intervention at that stage was to prove telling in the next 15 minutes as his five-point contribution allowed the Hurricanes ran up a 10-0 lead. First, he slotted a penalty and then he banged over a touchline conversion after Jane was not be denied in his second attempt to cross the whitewash.
Jane’s try was the result of an absolute howler after the Lions tried to run the ball from their own tryline with disastrous consequences. Two passes later Lions centre Lionel Mapoe chipped ahead but the ball ended up in Jane’s waiting hands and he was given an unchallenged passage to the tryline.
This passage of play decided the Lions’ first-half fortunes as they never again managed to strike up the necessary cohesion to overcome this 10-point setback.
Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies was on target with a 25th-minute penalty to reduce the deficit but overall he was a pale shadow of the player that was in the forefront of his side’s magnificent performances of late.
Equally, up to this stage, his halfback partner Faf de Klerk was equally off colour and unable to provide the spark as he tried to work with mostly slowed-down ball.
Heading off towards the halftime break, the Lions on occasions enjoyed front-foot ball but the Hurricanes coped well defensively and even better when they started to dominate at scrum time.
When the teams returned for second-half play, the Hurricanes pinned the Lions down in their own half for the opening 10 minutes until De Klerk initiated a promising counter-attack to transfer the pressure. However, once the Hurricanes saw off that threat Barrett landed a 51st-minute penalty to open up a 10-point lead with a 13-3 scoreline.
In the ensuing play, De Klerk showed a few fine touches with some brave plays but his efforts were undone by errors and poor option-taking from his teammates. The Lions, however, were still rock solid on defence and they might have earned some reward at this stage but Jantjies fluffed a penalty around the hour mark.
Barrett again imposed himself on the match in the 68th minute when the Lions made an absolute hash of line-out defence and he pounced for a converted try which was the cue for 35 000 wildly cheering spectators that the 2016 championship had finally been decided as the celebratory chant Olé, Olé, Olé rang out at the stadium.
Beauden Barrett was named Man of the match while Victor Vito celebrated his 100th and final Super Rugby cap with a winners medal.
And then onto the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympics so here's the full rundown of the opening ceremony according to Wikipedia:
The opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics took place on the evening of Friday 5 August 2016 in the Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, starting at 20:00 BRT (23:00 UTC). As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings combined the formal ceremonial opening of this international sporting event (including welcoming speeches, hoisting of the flags and the parade of athletes, as well as a new feature—the presentation of the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Laurel distinction) with an artistic spectacle to showcase the host nation's culture and history.
Directed by Fernando Meirelles, Daniela Thomas and Andrucha Waddington, the ceremony featured presentations of the history and culture of Brazil, including its landscape and forests, the history of the Portuguese people, music and samba, and the favelas among other aspects. Portions of the ceremony were also dedicated to the topics of environmental conservation and climate change. The Games were officially opened by Acting President of Brazil Michel Temer.
Despite having a significantly lower budget than those of other recent Olympics, the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics was praised by the international media for its vivid, diverse performances, emphasis on multiculturalism, and its appeal to the issue of climate change.
The opening ceremony began with aerial images of the city of Rio de Janeiro in a music video with the song "Aquele Abraço", sung by Luiz Melodia. There was a brief instrumental version of Marcos Valle's "Samba de Verão" (or "Summer Samba") during the portion with performers in silver suits with giant silver sheets. After the projection of the first images, the International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach was introduced. Singer Paulinho da Viola sang the Brazilian National Anthem on a stage inspired by the architectural forms of Oscar Niemeyer. The singer was accompanied by a string orchestra. Brazil's flag was raised and 60 flags were carried by Olympic Brazilian athletes Virna Dias, Robson da Silva, Maurren Maggi and Flávio Canto, and children.
The artistic performances were set into motion with an homage paid to the spirit of gambiarra, defined by the organisers as "the Brazilian talent for making the most out of nothing". In this part of the opening ceremony, Brazilian design was honoured with references to Athos Bulcão, indigenous geometry, African prints and Portuguese tiles. Peace and sustainability were featured with the transformation of the peace symbol projection into a tree. This part of the opening is also an homage to the Amazon rainforest, whose biggest part covers the country. This was followed by the representation of the birth of the immense forests that covered Brazil and the arrival of the Portuguese people. From the beginning of life, the ceremony illustrated the formation of the indigenous peoples, whose entrance was represented by 72 dancers of the two major associations of the Parintins Festival. The arrival of Europeans in caravels, the forced arrival of enslaved Africans and the immigration of Arab and Japanese people was represented by descendants of these ethnic groups.
One parkour group crossed the stage and jumped on projections of building roofs in the ceremony that highlighted the urbanisation of contemporary Brazil, concentrated in large cities. To the sound of the classic song "Construção", by Chico Buarque, acrobats scaled the façades of buildings and set up a wall, behind which a reproduction of the 14-bis plane, flown in real life 110 years earlier in the suburbs of Paris arrived with an actor playing the Brazilian inventor Santos-Dumont. Gisele Bündchen interpreted "The Girl from Ipanema" and walked through Maracanã Stadium, while Daniel Jobim, grandson of composer Antônio Carlos Jobim, played the classic song. The walk of Gisele followed the curves that characterised Niemeyer's works, such as the Pampulha Church and the Cathedral of Brasília. It was later revealed that a pre-planned segment was in place for Bündchen after her catwalk, but it had to be cut because she walked too slow during the catwalk.
After Ipanema, the favelas were represented to the sound of samba and funk carioca, with singers Elza Soares, who played the "Canto de Ossanha", and Ludmilla, who sang the "Rap da Felicidade". Rapper Marcelo D2 and singer Zeca Pagodinho simulated a duel of rhythms. Rappers Karol Conká and MC Sofia followed. Cultural performances that simulated conflicts as maracatu and the bumba-meu-boi shared the stage of the stadium. Actress Regina Casé appeared in the stage and mediated the conflict, before she and the singer Jorge Ben Jor singed the hit song "País Tropical".
After that, the delegations representing 207 nations then marched into the stadium during the Parade of Nations. The crowd gave large applause for other Latin American nations as well as notably Spain, the USA, Canada, Portugal, and Russia. However, the biggest applause (aside from the host nation) came when the team of Refugee Athletes marched into the stadium just ahead of the Brazilian team. They received a standing ovation from the crowd. The Brazilian team was led into the stadium by model Lea T, the first transgender person to participate in an Olympic opening ceremony.
After the parade of nations, there was a massed parade of the 12 samba schools of the Rio Carnival's Special Group, and singers Anitta, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil performed the song "Sandália de Prata", by Ary Barroso. The segment was a tribute to Rio's most famous signature event; the Rio Carnival, which happens on the last four days before Ash Wednesday.
A short video on anthropogenic climate change – one of the themes of the event – was also brought to fore during the ceremony. The video, narrated by Brazilian Academy Award-nominee actress Fernanda Montenegro and British Academy Award-winning actress Judi Dench, also reading from Carlos Drummond de Andrade's poem "The Flower and the Nausea", featured Ed Hawkins' visual spiral indicating rising global temperatures, together with an animated projection of rising sea levels on places that included Amsterdam (host of the 1928 Games); Dubai; Lagos; Shanghai; Florida; and the city of Rio de Janeiro itself.
Kenyan runner and two-time Olympic champion Kipchoge Keino ran up to the stage to receive the first Olympic Laurel award, accompanied by children flying 200 white kites shaped like doves. Earlier, children in Kenya inscribed messages of peace on the kites.
After the speeches by Rio 2016 Organizing Committee President Carlos Arthur Nuzman and by IOC President Thomas Bach, Brazil's Acting President Michel Temer recited the games' opening declaration from the stands. Contrary to usual practice, he was not introduced at the beginning of the ceremony, nor was he introduced at the end of President Bach's speech.
After a burst of fireworks, the Olympic Flag then entered the stadium, and was raised while the Olympic Anthem was sung.
The Olympic oath on behalf of the athletes was then recited by Brazilian sailor Robert Scheidt. The corresponding oaths on behalf of the judges and coaches were taken by Martinho Nobre and Adriana Santos respectively. Furher artistic performances followed.
Ending the Olympic torch relay at the end of the Opening Ceremony, Gustavo Kuerten brought the Olympic torch into the stadium, relayed the Olympic flame to Hortência Marcari, who relayed to Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima, who then lit the Olympic cauldron.
Thursday, 4 August 2016
Money For Nothing: The Life & Times Of Scottish Rally Driver Colin McRae
Billy Connolly, Dario Franchitti, Shirley Manson of Garbage, Richie Gray, Greig Laidlaw, Stuart Hogg, Finn Russell, Gavin Hastings, Chris Paterson, the late Bill McLaren, David Coulthard, Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Sean Connery, Gerard Butler, the late William Wallace, James McAvoy, Andy Gray, Andy Robertson, Tilda Swinton, Andy Murray, Gordon Brown, Colin Montgomerie, Ewan McGregor, Billy Boyd, Karen Gillan, Ian McDiarmid, Robert Carlyle, Franz Ferdinand, The Proclaimers, Simple Minds, Biffy Clyro, Ewen Bremner, Paul di Resta, David Tennant, Peter Capaldi, Denis Lawson, the late Jim Clark, Calvin Harris, The Fratellis, Allan McNish, Drew McIntyre, Sir Chris Hoy...these are the famous faces of Scotland (Home of bagpipes, haggis, the Loch Ness monster & the tartan), but we can now reveal the one & only great Scot, a professional rally driver like no other with 25 wins & only 1 World Rally Championship to his belt, he is the one & only, Colin Steele McRae, now in this blog, I will tell you about the life & times of Colin McRae (He is the son of Jimmy & the brother of Alister) so here's one of the famous Scotsman, Sir Chris Hoy with that story:
I'm Chris Hoy, Olympic cycling champion, & lifelong fan of rally driving. Now I'm going to retrace the steps of one of my all-time sporting heroes, 90's rally legend, Colin McRae. With the help of his friends & family, I'm on a mission to uncover, what made him to such a revered driver. By tempting to drive like Colin, I'll discover a man who lived life to the limit, and drove to the limit too, like all geniuses, he had his flaws, but he was respected around the world. Now I'm going to experience the Colin McRae story...From the driver's seat.
As a professional cyclist, I've been crowned world champion 11 times, an Olympic champion on 6 occasions. But that doesn't stop me looking for the next big thrill. This is my purpose built track car, the toy that feeds me my love of speed.
Of course when it comes to driving, I'm just an amateur, but that hasn't stopped me wandering what life what have been like had I've chosen a different route, like Colin McRae.
Sadly, Colin died when a helicopter he was piloting crashed in 2007, the tragedy also claimed the life of his son & 2 other people. But for legions of fans, his success of a rally driver still an inspiration.
Now I'm going to retrace the steps of Britain's 1st world rally champion, & with the help of his friends & family, I tempt to drive just like Colin.
Before I meet those who knew him best, I want to understand what made Colin McRae legendary. So I'm getting the lowdown from a man who knows what it takes to drive a rally car. Meet American rally driver, Ken Block. Block is a superstar, famous for his trademark urban rally driving, which is becoming an internet phenomenon. In terms of driving style, Ken is as close as it gets to McRae, so with the help of archive footage, I wanted to grill him on what made Colin tick.
Bravery seems to be a key ingredient in a rally driver's makeup, & Colin's mantra of ''If in doubt, flat out'' often gave him the upper hand, but this approach also earnt him the nickname, 'Colin McCrash'. Colin was the 1st rally driver to gain notoriety in the USA, helped by a spectacular performance in America's 1st ever televised rally.
Another thing Colin is famous for, is his computer game. The legend's franchise has sold over 10 million copies worldwide, making him a household name. I just hoped my driving would be better in a few days time, when I be doing this for real.
My 1st meeting with the McRae family is at Colin's farm in Lanarkshire, the house that he & his wife Alison made their family home.
My guide for the next few days would be Colin's dad Jimmy, who's a 5 time British rally champion, can take some of the credit for his son's glittering career.
To my amazement, Colin's treasured car collection is still housed here.
Every car we uncovered revealed another part of this fascinating story, the auto test Mini he drove aged 14, the Talbot Sunbeam he learnt to rally in, & his 1st professional car.
But there was one car that Jimmy had a special connection with.
Rallied by Jimmy, Colin & his brother Alister, this family played a part in all of their careers.
Jimmy was going to take me back where it all started for Colin.
We were going to find out exactly how his son became a rally legend. And I had a feeling that it might be a bumpy ride.
Colin's driving ability was obviously in his DNA. But I know his personal experience, that it takes hard work to get the top in your game.
His story starts on 2 wheels. By the age of 13, Colin showed promise on a motor bike. And had befriended Scottish junior champion, Robbie Allan.
Within a year, Colin had taken the Scottish junior scrambles crown, making a name for himself as one of the best young talents in the country.
But to his mother's relief, Colin didn't want to be a motorcyclist, he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps & become a professional rally driver.
In 1988 Colin entered the Scottish Rally Championship, in a humble Vauxhall Nova, one of the slowest cars in a 10 stage competition that year.
But keeping up with his father's Sierra would be impossible.
It remind challenging that year's favourite. Gillanders drove a Metro that it was so powerful it was eventually banned.
But that didn't stop Colin having a go.
Just a few rallies into the season, to everybody's amazement, Colin was keeping up with the big players.
Now McRae junior had a fighting chance to beat Gillanders in his monster Metro.
Colin & his co-driver Derek were steadily catching the leader of the pack.
By the final rally of the '88 season, Colin was poised to win the Scottish title.
The 20 year old was ready for a showdown.
But early in the rally, Gillanders lost control of his mighty Metro.
With his rival gone, Colin had won the Scottish Championship, but in his sign of things to come, he drove flat out anyway.
My next meeting with Jimmy is at the Sweet Lamb rally complex in mid Wales. Eventually, I'm going to emulate Colin McRae, by driving a world class rally car. But to get there, I must 1st learn the basics in a Talbot Sunbeam, which is exactly Colin did.
Throwing a rally car round a corner is like intricate dance routine, something that Colin had down to a fine art.
Back at Sweet Lamb, I was ready for my attempt at cornering.
I could see how Colin's experiences in motorbikes helped him, rallying is all about balancing the car, & understanding how it reacts to the slightest of movements.
Fortunately my career in 2 wheels seems to have stood me in good stead.
But riding a bike is a world away from my final challenge, driving a world rally spec Subaru Impreza.
Colin was signed by Subaru in 1991, at the age 23, he was at last a professional rally driver.
He started out in the British Rally Championship, which he won 2 years on the trot, his spectacular driving style in dared him to the fans, & fortunately, his new employers have deep enough pockets to keep providing him with new cars.
By the '93 season, Subaru were ready to give the young superstar a shot on the world stage.
Despite huge investment, the team were yet to win a single rally in the World Championship.
But the car he won 2 British titles in, Colin was totally at ease.
As the results came in, the final outcome was impossible to call.
But Colin had done it.
By 1995, Subaru's fortunes were changing, they had a powerful new car, the Impreza. And had signed up double world champion Carlos Sainz to lead the team.
With 2 rallies to go, McRae was just ahead of Sainz in the race for the driver's prize.
But Subaru were worried that the fight might end in a crash.
In the penultimate rally of the season, the pair were way ahead of the pack, when they ordered to stop racing each other.
But when the order came, Colin was in 2nd place.
In Spain, Colin recorded a faster time than Carlos, but his disobedience had jeopardized his chances of winning anything.
Colin was forced to give the victory to Sainz, meaning that they went to the final rally of the season on equal points.
Determined to become Britain's 1st ever world champion, Colin McRae drove like never before in front of his home crowd.
Quite simply, he was unbeatable.
Soon, I'm going to recreate Colin's famous victory, by driving the legendary WRC Impreza. And for my next lesson, I'm at a disused aerodrome awaiting an old friend of Colin's, Ken Block.
It may look like a thrill ride, but this car has a setup to handle just like a rally car would on gravel.
Using amazing dexterity, Ken was demonstrating how to keep the car perfectly balanced at all times.
To succeed in the Impreza, I needed to take note, especially is there is just 1 obstacle to tackle. A Vulcan bomber.
After his 1995 world title, Colin was at a all-time high, and away from the track, he married the girl of his dreams.
Colin had it all, he was the fastest rally driver of his generation, but his inconsistency opened the door, to an up & coming rival.
The Finn beat Colin to the world title in 1996, 97, 98 & 99.
But Colin and his Subaru team didn't like coming 2nd.
The losses had put Colin's relationship with Subaru under serious strain.
In the end, the team could not stop it's frustrated star from seeking pastures new.
Colin's new employers had high hopes for their latest car, the Focus.
Ford made Colin the highest paid rally driver in history.
But Colin had gone from a proven car he knew well, to one with teething problems, that was unfamiliar.
And without the firm hand of his old boss to keep in check, McRae often pushed his new machine beyond his limits.
The combination of extreme driving & mechanical failures, meant that Colin finished just 3 out of 14 rallies in 1999.
But his uncompromising commitment to being the fastest, was earning him more respect than ever before.
By 2000 Colin had a legendary reputation, but winning championships requires a more calculating approach.
But away from the madness of rally driving, Colin was growing up, He & Alison bought a farm in their home county of Lanarkshire, & were starting a family. And McRae's newfound responsibility was changing him as a driver too. Come 2001, he seemingly bonded him with his Focus.
But standing in his way was a young English star, driving for his old team.
McRae had a big point to prove against the Subaru driver, & what was held as the battle of Britain.
By the final rally of the season, Colin led by a single point. All he needed to do is to drive faster than Burns, & the world championship would be his.
Once again, after all the hopes & expectations, Colin had pushed it too far.
It was Colin's last real chance at the championship, 2 years later, he left the WRC to seek pastures new.
I'm in Azucar, Morocco, where Colin came to prepare for his next big challenge.
Unable to find the right offer from a WRC team, Colin turned to endurance racing, finishing 3rd in his class at Le Mans, before competing in the Dakar twice. The Dakar rally is the ultimate off-road marathon. The last time Colin entered it in 2005, it stretched from Barcelona, through the deserts of North Africa, before finishing in Senegal.
It seemed that rather than enjoy a little time off, Colin was intent on taking things up a gear.
I was about to get a taste of the world's longest rally, courtesy of Jimmy. And he lined up a very special vehicle. Developed by Colin's brother Alister, The McRae Enduro. This beast of a 4 by 4 is powerful enough to lug through the finest sand, is able to run for 2000 kilometres on a single tank, can cool itself for a searing heat, & has suspension that soaks up the toughest of terrains. Designed especially for the Dakar, The Enduro is quite simply, the beast of the car.
Jimmy didn't start rallying until he was in his 30s, & has a result, he missed out on international competitions like the Dakar. But I had a feeling had he started a little longer, He would have made for a name of himself, on the world stage.
Sadly, Colin never experienced a thrill of his brother Alister's creation. But at least Jimmy's been able to get his teeth into this 1.8 ton monster vehicle.
Winning the Dakar requires an equal mix of man & machine. And the true test of that was living on the horizon.
The Sahara desert is an unforgiving place, but it wasn't hard to see why Colin jumped at the chance to rally here.
In 2005, Colin blew the competition away, by the time he reached Africa, he built up an unbeliveable lead of over 5 minutes. And on my adventure, Jimmy was also getting the groove.
The McRae family truly are legendary dynasty of rallyers, but the reason Colin was so spectacular was he pushed his car to the absolute limit. A few stages from the 2005 finish, he wiped out. Once again, his flat out style saw another dream in tatters.
Back in the desert, I hoped we wouldn't have a similar experience. But then we got completely stuck.
My respect for Colin was growing by the limit, but then we found a magic button, that made life a whole lot easier.
Thanks to the car's self lifting mechanism, it was my turn at the wheel.
Jimmy is a very brave man.
I wanted to make my teacher proud, & if there is one thing learnt from Colin, It's the in knee situations, it's best to drive as fast a possible.
Our day in a desert was over, & what a day it would been.
Despite leaving the WRC, Colin continued to follow in his dreams, & to push himself, even further. By 2006, he was back in Scotland planning to return to rallying, but as a budding entrepreneur.
He designed a purpose built rally car, called the McRae R4. This concept vehicle was aimed to be a semi-professional market.
After years of work, he debuted the car in 2007.
But the R4 project was to remain unfinished.
The circumstances of the crash are well documented. But I wanted Jimmy to know that his son will always have a place in motorsport history.
5 years after Colin's untimely death, I'm going to recreate his most inspiring victory. By driving the same rally stage that he clinched the 1995 world title on.
As a top cyclist, I'm used to endless training, but I'm not sure if anything can prepare me for the challenge that awaits. Taking the control of a genuine WRC Subaru Impreza.
In the hands of a professional, this finely tuned 4 wheel drive beast, is capable of breakneck speeds, no matter what to what to any throw at it. The stakes couldn't be higher.
But fortunately, I'll have Colin's co-driver from 1995 by my side, Derek Ringer.
I was finally ready for the drive of my life. I'd just hoped that I make Jimmy proud.
As I attempted to tame the Impreza, by suddenly understood something Colin once said: ''If in doubt, flat out.''
And that's all folks for the life & times of Scottish rally driver, Colin McRae
I'm Chris Hoy, Olympic cycling champion, & lifelong fan of rally driving. Now I'm going to retrace the steps of one of my all-time sporting heroes, 90's rally legend, Colin McRae. With the help of his friends & family, I'm on a mission to uncover, what made him to such a revered driver. By tempting to drive like Colin, I'll discover a man who lived life to the limit, and drove to the limit too, like all geniuses, he had his flaws, but he was respected around the world. Now I'm going to experience the Colin McRae story...From the driver's seat.
As a professional cyclist, I've been crowned world champion 11 times, an Olympic champion on 6 occasions. But that doesn't stop me looking for the next big thrill. This is my purpose built track car, the toy that feeds me my love of speed.
Of course when it comes to driving, I'm just an amateur, but that hasn't stopped me wandering what life what have been like had I've chosen a different route, like Colin McRae.
Sadly, Colin died when a helicopter he was piloting crashed in 2007, the tragedy also claimed the life of his son & 2 other people. But for legions of fans, his success of a rally driver still an inspiration.
Now I'm going to retrace the steps of Britain's 1st world rally champion, & with the help of his friends & family, I tempt to drive just like Colin.
Before I meet those who knew him best, I want to understand what made Colin McRae legendary. So I'm getting the lowdown from a man who knows what it takes to drive a rally car. Meet American rally driver, Ken Block. Block is a superstar, famous for his trademark urban rally driving, which is becoming an internet phenomenon. In terms of driving style, Ken is as close as it gets to McRae, so with the help of archive footage, I wanted to grill him on what made Colin tick.
Bravery seems to be a key ingredient in a rally driver's makeup, & Colin's mantra of ''If in doubt, flat out'' often gave him the upper hand, but this approach also earnt him the nickname, 'Colin McCrash'. Colin was the 1st rally driver to gain notoriety in the USA, helped by a spectacular performance in America's 1st ever televised rally.
Another thing Colin is famous for, is his computer game. The legend's franchise has sold over 10 million copies worldwide, making him a household name. I just hoped my driving would be better in a few days time, when I be doing this for real.
My 1st meeting with the McRae family is at Colin's farm in Lanarkshire, the house that he & his wife Alison made their family home.
My guide for the next few days would be Colin's dad Jimmy, who's a 5 time British rally champion, can take some of the credit for his son's glittering career.
To my amazement, Colin's treasured car collection is still housed here.
Every car we uncovered revealed another part of this fascinating story, the auto test Mini he drove aged 14, the Talbot Sunbeam he learnt to rally in, & his 1st professional car.
But there was one car that Jimmy had a special connection with.
Rallied by Jimmy, Colin & his brother Alister, this family played a part in all of their careers.
Jimmy was going to take me back where it all started for Colin.
We were going to find out exactly how his son became a rally legend. And I had a feeling that it might be a bumpy ride.
Colin's driving ability was obviously in his DNA. But I know his personal experience, that it takes hard work to get the top in your game.
His story starts on 2 wheels. By the age of 13, Colin showed promise on a motor bike. And had befriended Scottish junior champion, Robbie Allan.
Within a year, Colin had taken the Scottish junior scrambles crown, making a name for himself as one of the best young talents in the country.
But to his mother's relief, Colin didn't want to be a motorcyclist, he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps & become a professional rally driver.
In 1988 Colin entered the Scottish Rally Championship, in a humble Vauxhall Nova, one of the slowest cars in a 10 stage competition that year.
But keeping up with his father's Sierra would be impossible.
It remind challenging that year's favourite. Gillanders drove a Metro that it was so powerful it was eventually banned.
But that didn't stop Colin having a go.
Just a few rallies into the season, to everybody's amazement, Colin was keeping up with the big players.
Now McRae junior had a fighting chance to beat Gillanders in his monster Metro.
Colin & his co-driver Derek were steadily catching the leader of the pack.
By the final rally of the '88 season, Colin was poised to win the Scottish title.
The 20 year old was ready for a showdown.
But early in the rally, Gillanders lost control of his mighty Metro.
With his rival gone, Colin had won the Scottish Championship, but in his sign of things to come, he drove flat out anyway.
My next meeting with Jimmy is at the Sweet Lamb rally complex in mid Wales. Eventually, I'm going to emulate Colin McRae, by driving a world class rally car. But to get there, I must 1st learn the basics in a Talbot Sunbeam, which is exactly Colin did.
Throwing a rally car round a corner is like intricate dance routine, something that Colin had down to a fine art.
Back at Sweet Lamb, I was ready for my attempt at cornering.
I could see how Colin's experiences in motorbikes helped him, rallying is all about balancing the car, & understanding how it reacts to the slightest of movements.
Fortunately my career in 2 wheels seems to have stood me in good stead.
But riding a bike is a world away from my final challenge, driving a world rally spec Subaru Impreza.
Colin was signed by Subaru in 1991, at the age 23, he was at last a professional rally driver.
He started out in the British Rally Championship, which he won 2 years on the trot, his spectacular driving style in dared him to the fans, & fortunately, his new employers have deep enough pockets to keep providing him with new cars.
By the '93 season, Subaru were ready to give the young superstar a shot on the world stage.
Despite huge investment, the team were yet to win a single rally in the World Championship.
But the car he won 2 British titles in, Colin was totally at ease.
As the results came in, the final outcome was impossible to call.
But Colin had done it.
By 1995, Subaru's fortunes were changing, they had a powerful new car, the Impreza. And had signed up double world champion Carlos Sainz to lead the team.
With 2 rallies to go, McRae was just ahead of Sainz in the race for the driver's prize.
But Subaru were worried that the fight might end in a crash.
In the penultimate rally of the season, the pair were way ahead of the pack, when they ordered to stop racing each other.
But when the order came, Colin was in 2nd place.
In Spain, Colin recorded a faster time than Carlos, but his disobedience had jeopardized his chances of winning anything.
Colin was forced to give the victory to Sainz, meaning that they went to the final rally of the season on equal points.
Determined to become Britain's 1st ever world champion, Colin McRae drove like never before in front of his home crowd.
Quite simply, he was unbeatable.
Soon, I'm going to recreate Colin's famous victory, by driving the legendary WRC Impreza. And for my next lesson, I'm at a disused aerodrome awaiting an old friend of Colin's, Ken Block.
It may look like a thrill ride, but this car has a setup to handle just like a rally car would on gravel.
Using amazing dexterity, Ken was demonstrating how to keep the car perfectly balanced at all times.
To succeed in the Impreza, I needed to take note, especially is there is just 1 obstacle to tackle. A Vulcan bomber.
After his 1995 world title, Colin was at a all-time high, and away from the track, he married the girl of his dreams.
Colin had it all, he was the fastest rally driver of his generation, but his inconsistency opened the door, to an up & coming rival.
The Finn beat Colin to the world title in 1996, 97, 98 & 99.
But Colin and his Subaru team didn't like coming 2nd.
The losses had put Colin's relationship with Subaru under serious strain.
In the end, the team could not stop it's frustrated star from seeking pastures new.
Colin's new employers had high hopes for their latest car, the Focus.
Ford made Colin the highest paid rally driver in history.
But Colin had gone from a proven car he knew well, to one with teething problems, that was unfamiliar.
And without the firm hand of his old boss to keep in check, McRae often pushed his new machine beyond his limits.
The combination of extreme driving & mechanical failures, meant that Colin finished just 3 out of 14 rallies in 1999.
But his uncompromising commitment to being the fastest, was earning him more respect than ever before.
By 2000 Colin had a legendary reputation, but winning championships requires a more calculating approach.
But away from the madness of rally driving, Colin was growing up, He & Alison bought a farm in their home county of Lanarkshire, & were starting a family. And McRae's newfound responsibility was changing him as a driver too. Come 2001, he seemingly bonded him with his Focus.
But standing in his way was a young English star, driving for his old team.
McRae had a big point to prove against the Subaru driver, & what was held as the battle of Britain.
By the final rally of the season, Colin led by a single point. All he needed to do is to drive faster than Burns, & the world championship would be his.
Once again, after all the hopes & expectations, Colin had pushed it too far.
It was Colin's last real chance at the championship, 2 years later, he left the WRC to seek pastures new.
I'm in Azucar, Morocco, where Colin came to prepare for his next big challenge.
Unable to find the right offer from a WRC team, Colin turned to endurance racing, finishing 3rd in his class at Le Mans, before competing in the Dakar twice. The Dakar rally is the ultimate off-road marathon. The last time Colin entered it in 2005, it stretched from Barcelona, through the deserts of North Africa, before finishing in Senegal.
It seemed that rather than enjoy a little time off, Colin was intent on taking things up a gear.
I was about to get a taste of the world's longest rally, courtesy of Jimmy. And he lined up a very special vehicle. Developed by Colin's brother Alister, The McRae Enduro. This beast of a 4 by 4 is powerful enough to lug through the finest sand, is able to run for 2000 kilometres on a single tank, can cool itself for a searing heat, & has suspension that soaks up the toughest of terrains. Designed especially for the Dakar, The Enduro is quite simply, the beast of the car.
Jimmy didn't start rallying until he was in his 30s, & has a result, he missed out on international competitions like the Dakar. But I had a feeling had he started a little longer, He would have made for a name of himself, on the world stage.
Sadly, Colin never experienced a thrill of his brother Alister's creation. But at least Jimmy's been able to get his teeth into this 1.8 ton monster vehicle.
Winning the Dakar requires an equal mix of man & machine. And the true test of that was living on the horizon.
The Sahara desert is an unforgiving place, but it wasn't hard to see why Colin jumped at the chance to rally here.
In 2005, Colin blew the competition away, by the time he reached Africa, he built up an unbeliveable lead of over 5 minutes. And on my adventure, Jimmy was also getting the groove.
The McRae family truly are legendary dynasty of rallyers, but the reason Colin was so spectacular was he pushed his car to the absolute limit. A few stages from the 2005 finish, he wiped out. Once again, his flat out style saw another dream in tatters.
Back in the desert, I hoped we wouldn't have a similar experience. But then we got completely stuck.
My respect for Colin was growing by the limit, but then we found a magic button, that made life a whole lot easier.
Thanks to the car's self lifting mechanism, it was my turn at the wheel.
Jimmy is a very brave man.
I wanted to make my teacher proud, & if there is one thing learnt from Colin, It's the in knee situations, it's best to drive as fast a possible.
Our day in a desert was over, & what a day it would been.
Despite leaving the WRC, Colin continued to follow in his dreams, & to push himself, even further. By 2006, he was back in Scotland planning to return to rallying, but as a budding entrepreneur.
He designed a purpose built rally car, called the McRae R4. This concept vehicle was aimed to be a semi-professional market.
After years of work, he debuted the car in 2007.
But the R4 project was to remain unfinished.
The circumstances of the crash are well documented. But I wanted Jimmy to know that his son will always have a place in motorsport history.
5 years after Colin's untimely death, I'm going to recreate his most inspiring victory. By driving the same rally stage that he clinched the 1995 world title on.
As a top cyclist, I'm used to endless training, but I'm not sure if anything can prepare me for the challenge that awaits. Taking the control of a genuine WRC Subaru Impreza.
In the hands of a professional, this finely tuned 4 wheel drive beast, is capable of breakneck speeds, no matter what to what to any throw at it. The stakes couldn't be higher.
But fortunately, I'll have Colin's co-driver from 1995 by my side, Derek Ringer.
I was finally ready for the drive of my life. I'd just hoped that I make Jimmy proud.
As I attempted to tame the Impreza, by suddenly understood something Colin once said: ''If in doubt, flat out.''
And that's all folks for the life & times of Scottish rally driver, Colin McRae
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