Well, it's over after the full 80 minutes, triumph for the Butcher Boys of Steelform Wanganui as they win our 5th Meads Cup title against Buller by 10 points, what a relief because about 90% by the crowd thinking that Buller is going to win the Meads Cup title surely but that isn't just the case.
It was on Sunday, the day after the Wanganui-Wairarapa Bush semifinal of the Meads Cup as well as the All Blacks-Wallabies test match at Eden Park that I went to Pops for dinner so we made the fruit salad for dessert by chopping up the fruit for the fruit salad as well as cutting the lettuce for the salad & chopping up the vegetables such as the carrots (Although Pops chopped the tomatoes up & made the vinegarette & put the chicken in the microwave before putting in the oven along with the potatoes) before I read all pages of both the Richie McCaw books such as The Open Side (My favourite part of the book was Richie McCaw (Who was a cult figure in world rugby because he shares the same role as a movie star (Just like rugby coaches share the same role of a rock star according to my blog 4 years ago) by the Robin Thicke of it) saw a sign out in one of the car park yards at a fan trail which is: I HOPE YOU'RE READY QUADE, RICHIE IS (Although McCaw had a feud with Wallaby Quade Cooper because Cooper kneed McCaw to the head during the test in Brisbane 5 years ago but why does the people of New Zealand dislike him so much? Because they boo him a lot whenever he picks up with the ball when he plays rugby here in New Zealand) & the referee Stu Dickinson saying at McCaw: ''Hands off, it's a ruck'' but the referee awarded a penalty because McCaw used his hands in the ruck) & Richie McCaw 148 but Bryan & Viv arrived so Poppa showed both of them Nan's Memorial Garden before we had our starter which is murukku, cheese, salami & red pepper then the main course was chicken, roast potatoes & salad with lettuce, tomatoes & carrots with vinegarette to serve & I did enjoy it but I told Bryan & Viv about my cousin Paige & her mother Cathey & Cathey's husband John who hyad been together for 10 years & my 2 little cousins Nico & Luca as well as Poppa's sister Kathryn & her children such as Ben, Gemma & Huia & partner from between Bristol & Portsmouth, Ken & after then it was dessert which is fruit salad with hokey pokey ice-cream then it was time to go home with Bryan & Viv after they went to see the memorial garden again this time it was during the dark & I talked about during my ride back home that both Bryan & Viv have been together for 42 years since 1974 (Although they 1st met at Spriggens Park but Bryan was 18 when he went to Australia on an under 19's rugby trip 50 years ago because this was way back in 1966 & he was probably working at Placemakers 20 years ago way back in 1996) & only have 1 children which is Ashley who is 35 years old & works for Total automotive & has been doing lots of running as part of their excercise & training & taking part in triathlons although I 1st met Ashley's partner Charlotte 12 years ago & they still together at the moment.
And it was on Thursday that Pops took me to his home at 15A Kells Avenue after we went to Mitre 10 as well as New World for the meal deal to do some stuff like building the houses for the gnomes & had a great lunch at the Red Lion near the city bridge where I had a burger & fries before going back to Poppa's to focus on some more work like building the houses for the gnomes & then we had fruit salad with hokey pokey ice-cream for dessert then finished the Richie McCaw books that I read before I went back home to end a wonderful day it was.
And today was a bit of a cliffhanger as Pops arrived to pick me up to go to the rugby & I did not know that Kathryn's partner Ken (AKA Kenshi) was with Poppa & I did not know that Ken has a son named Will (AKA Takeda) but Will is from Auckland because he has tattoos (And he has been to a rugby game before because he used to play rugby as a kid) & here we are at Cooks Gardens but I will tell you an incredible story about the Meads Cup final between Wanganui & Buller with several news reports coming in:
From Stuff News
Wanganui stamped their authority as the powerhouse of the Heartland Championship with a 5th Meads Cup win, albeit by the closest of margins.
The Butcher Boys however took 75 minutes to get past a brave Buller outfit 20-18 at Cooks Gardens.
In fact, the country's smallest union had two late chances to send the game into extra time but the usually reliable left foot of James Lash (He is a left footed kicker like Dan Carter & Jonny Wilkinson & he is the brother of rugby referee Mike Lash) pushed both attempts wide.
3 weeks earlier, Wanganui had beaten Buller 28-0 but the final was a totally different affair, with Buller dominating at times.
Only 2 times not once in 11 years have the Butcher Boys not appeared in the championships finale.
Sadly for Buller, it was their 2nd loss in 3 years in the end of season show piece.
For Wanganui captain Peter Rowe had a strong game in his last outing for the province.
Rowe said neither side left anything out on the paddock and he congratulated Buller for their efforts.
"We just kept believing. It was everything a final should be."
Lock Gavin Thornbury (Self proclaimed fan of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers) impressed in the pack as did No.8 Malakai Volau.
In the backs wing Te Rangatira Waitokia (Christian Cullen fan) looked dangerous at times, while the experienced Lindsay Horrocks and veteran Craig Clare delivered when it mattered.
Buller's best were loose forwards Daniel Hytongue and Blair McIlroy, while 42-year-old prop Phil Beveridge never took a backward step.
Lash was outstanding in general play and looks set for higher honours while centre Joshua Tuidriva and fullback Anthony Tailua (I didn't know that he was the danger man for Buller) also put in excellent performances.
Buller started brightly and went on to dominate the first half statistics, but ended tied 10-all at half time.
They camped inside Wanganui's 22 early without being able to break their great defence so Lash finally opted for a two point penalty after 16 minutes.
Buller's lead didn't last long however.
Wanganui No.8 Malaki Volau had a try rubbed out by the TMO but it did not matter.
A set move from a lineout saw right wing Te Rangatira Waitokia slice through and offloaded to second five Craig Clare, who scored and then he converted his own try.
Buller appeared hampered with an injury to second five Penijamini Nabainivalu, but with a 6-1 forward-back split (Although Buller ran out of backs due to numerous amount of injuries I probably think) on the bench, he was forced to soldier on until half time..
With 30 minutes gone Buller centre Joshua Tuidriva charged down Dane Whales' attempted drop kick and would have been away but the bounce was not kind in that favour.
Wanganui were however starting to gain some dominance and Clare landed a handy penalty.
Buller however silenced the home crowd when fullback Anthony Tailua sliced through from 25m out, off a perfect Lash pass.
Lash landed the handy conversion to tie the game up 10-all and then the left footer tried a long range drop goal right on halftime with no luck.
Buller couldn't have scripted a better start after the break when a wide Lash pass found Tailua, who stepped his marker brilliantly to score, with Lash adding the extras.
Wanganui however came straight back and were again denied a try, for shepherding in a truck & trailer way.
Buller's defence then held tight until the 60th minute thanks to impressive line speed and Wanganui's repeated poor handling.
Clare's successful penalty reduced to 6 points, the value of a try in the Heartland Championships.
Lash then attempted to restore Buller's lead but his 2nd drop goal attempt was wide.
Wanganui however recovered and after a number of phases big lock Gavin Thornbury scored and Clare's conversion put them in front with 8 minutes remaining on the clock.
With 4 minutes to go Wanganui were penalised for holding on to the ball in a tackle but the usually reliable Lash missed the kick to tie the game and botched a 2nd chance, to allow Wanganui to claim back-to-back crowns.
SCORERS:
Wanganui 20 (Gavin Thornbury, Craig Clare tries, Clare 2 con, 2 pen) Buller 18 (Anthony Tailua 2, James Lash 2 con, pen) HT: 10-10
And from Newshub
Wanganui survived their toughest test of the Heartland championship season to pip Buller 20-18 at home in the Meads Cup final.
The defending champions had romped imperiously through the season in the amateur-based championship for minor unions, averaging nearly 50 points in winning their 10 previous games.
However, Buller launched a bold challenge and could have stolen a win if first five-eighth James Lash had been successful with 1 of 2 long-range penalty attempts in the closing minutes.
It was Wanganui's 5th title, extending their lead as the most successful Heartland Championship union.
And finally from the Mitre 10 Heartland Championship website
In 11 years of Meads Cup play under the format Wanganui have appeared in all but two finals, winning five of them, and in one of the years they didn't qualify they won the Lochore Cup.
It is an impressive record in the Heartland competition and that showed when they didn't manage to get the match-winning lead until the 70th minute of the game when big lock Gavin Thornbury scored what proved the deciding try.
Early on, Wanganui looked to make a comfortable start but Buller put in a strong effort to draw level at half-time and then taking the lead early in the second half to put Wanganui under rare pressure.
Wanganui were denied a try when a strong surge at the line saw the TMO unsighted on the grounding. But in subsequent play, from a lineout just outside the 22m area, Wanganui ran the ball and right wing Te Rangatira Waitokia entered the line and took a gap before finding second five-eighth Craig Clare unmarked outside him to score in the opening try 19 minutes into the game.
Buller demonstrated the potency of their attack when able to put their moves in place in the 33rd minute. From a scrum, first five-eighths James Lash threw a flat pass into a gap where fullback Anthony Tailua hit the ball at speed to thread the needle, sidestep a solitary defender at speed and score under the posts.
There was far more of the orthodox about Tailua's second try scored five minutes into the second half. It came from a Buller scrum 5 metres out from Wanganui's goal-line. Lash threw a long ball and Tailua was able to step inside the defence and cross for the try.
Wanganui were forced into rare panic mode in the middle stages of the second half. They had ample chances to add to their score but were beset by handling woes at crucial moments, although some of that was due to impressive Buller defence. All they could claim was a Clare penalty goal.
Later a series of defensive mishaps by Buller, after a Tailua kick ahead was returned with interest as two key handling mistakes were made as wing Setefano Sauqaqa and Lash dropped the ball between them, and then Lash, covering, wasn't able to hold the ball. But Wanganui managed to get themselves at the breakdown five metres out from Buller's line, and Buller cleared downfield.
However, they came back in a 10-phase play they saw centre Blake Hohaia's sheer determination get him through the defence before finding lock Gavin Thornbury on his inside and with an unimpeded path to the goal-line to score the try which, when converted by Clare, gave Wanganui a 20-18 lead with 10 minutes left on the clock (And I mean this is what you call a sin bin or should I say yellow card period).
Buller stormed back onto attack but forward passes and turnovers proved costly while an attempted penalty goal attempt with 5 minutes remaining missed. But 2 minutes later he was given another chance to level the scores and again it missed.
Scorers: Wanganui 20 (Craig Clare, Gavin Thornbury tries; Clare 2 con, 2 pen) Buller 18 (Anthony Tailua 2 tries; James Lash 2 con, pen). HT: 10-10
So that is my 30th (XXXth) blog of the year 2016 (MMXVI) & my 70th overall because I will be doing a blog about next week's upcoming international rugby test match between the All Blacks & Ireland at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (This is where Diana Kent is going).
P.S. And here's the parody of the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme that I've been doing in the style of the computer game Doom & it goes like this: Doomguy sat on a wall, Doomguy had a great fall, all the demons horses & all the imps men, couldn't put Doomguy together again.
Friday, 28 October 2016
Friday, 21 October 2016
Mudshovel/So Far Away: Laying the Smackdown on the Aussies at Eden Park
It was on Thursday that Pops took me to Mitre 10 to look at something that we brought for the Garden then to the Springvale Garden Centre that we bought something for the garden before we went to New World & saw Hanne because she was telling that my friend Sophie is coming here on February next year to go to Victoria University in Wellington before we got fruits, the cold meat & low alcohol beer but we did not get the meal deal so we brought chicken & stir fry vegetables instead then I headed to 15A Kells Avenue with Poppa & we did the garden work because we were focused on something before we had an Asian meal for lunch before making the mushrooms, fish & sign before having dessert & a moccachino as well & I read that Richie McCaw book The Openside before I went back home to my flat.
But today was real exciting as I played the PS4 as well as tuning in to my favourite radio station called The Rock FM but Pops came here & picked me up to go & have lunch at Japanese Takeaway Momiji & I had a bento box there as well as a miso soup there before we went to the recycling centre & went to The Warehouse & Countdown to get some stuff like acrylic paint for Pops & cheese before we went to see Wanganui play against Wairarapa Bush featuring troubled former All Black star Zac Guildford in the Meads Cup semifinal which is a rematch of the Meads Cup final being played here a decade ago in which Wanganui lost by 2 points & I had cheese with buns & crackers during half-time as well as a murukku, an apple, nuts & raisins & a chocolate nut bar & drank moccachino & coke zero there but we did win the game but I can't remember the score now because we are through to the Meads Cup final by hosting it right here next week against South Canterbury or possibly Buller because Buller probably won the game against South Canterbury before I went back home playing that Formula 1 game that I would always enjoy & listening to The Rock FM but now I am doing a blog about it before I'm having dinner tonight as well as watching the All Blacks Vs Wallabies clash at Eden Park (Venue for much of the 1987 & 2011 Rugby World Cup because it has been about 5 years since we won the 2011 Rugby World Cup after 24 years of agony & pain (I have already wrote a blog about it & of course the same year in 2011 that Steelform Wanganui last hosted a final of the Meads Cup in the Heartland Championship & won by beating Ngati Porou East Coast + the news headlines in 2011 including most wanted terrorist Osama Bin Laden getting killed by Unites States Navy SEAL's, the Christchurch Earthquake that rocked the nation on the 22nd of February with a few people getting killed in the disaster, the massive earthquake & tsunami happened in the Tohoku region in Japan, the Libyan uprising resulting Muammar Gaddafi who got captured, getting killed by the rebels in wake of a NATO air strike, the marriage of His Royal Highness Prince William & Kate Middleton who became Her Royal Highness Princess Catherine & the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs at 56) thanks to a penalty by none other than Stephen 'Beaver' Donald & when the almighty Beaver kicked the penalty, one of the commentators Grant Nisbett says that Donald's kick...& he's nailed it (With authority) in Auckland (Although this is the last Aotearoa test of 2016 folks but we will let you know if the outlook changes tomorrow, understood copy that because we have never lost at that hallowed Fortress Of Mystery ground since 1994 against France in which they scored a length of the field try from the end of the world by fullback Jean-Luc Sardourny (Which saw Philippe Saint-André begin a counterattack from deep in France's end in the final minutes that ended with Sadourny scoring the winning try so that was the clash of the French flair titans moments) & the last time that the Wallabies won at Eden Park in the City Of Sails of Auckland was 30 years ago in which they won the Bledisloe Cup because we are 2 nil up in this years Bledisloe Cup (The scorelines were 42 - 8 in Sydney & 29 - 9 in the nations capital & the Windy City of absolutely, positively...Wellington) but the All Black team has been named to play against Australia because they are closing in on the record for most consecutive victories/straight wins by a tier 1 rugby nation (Although the All Blacks are 17 - 0 at the moment since the pre Rugby World Cup test last year because the Wallabies are looking to end the so called #Blackout of 2016 since they have fallen victim twice along with Argentina & South Africa although Wales had suffered a blackout before not once, not twice but 3 times on that occasion) so here's the starting lineup revealed on Thursday (And hope is not Cheika time because it will be Hansen time here tonight):
1 (Loose head prop): Joe Moody (Canterbury/Crusaders)
2 (Hooker): Dane Coles (Wellington/Hurricanes)
3 (Tight head prop): Owen Franks (Canterbury/Crusaders)
4 (Lock): Brodie Retallick (Hawke's Bay/Chiefs)
5 (Lock): Sam Whitelock (Canterbury/Crusaders)
6 (Blindside Flanker): Jerome Kaino (Auckland/Blues)
7 (Openside Flanker): Matt Todd (Canterbury/Crusaders)
8 (Number 8): Kieran Read (Captain, Canterbury/Crusaders)
9 (Half-back): TJ Perenara (Wellington/Hurricanes)
10 (First five eighth): Beauden Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes)
11 (Left Wing): Julian Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes)
12 (Second five eighth): Ryan Crotty (Canterbury/Crusaders)
13 (Centre): Anton Lienert-Brown (Waikato/Chiefs)
14 (Right Wing): Israel Dagg (Hawke's Bay/Crusaders)
& 15 (Fullback): Ben Smith (Otago/Highlanders)
And in the reserves are Codie Taylor, Wyatt Crockett, Charlie Faumuina, Liam Squire, Ardie Savea, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Aaron Cruden & Malakai Fekitoa.
P.S. And the record for most wins by a tier 1 rugby nation has been broken (And the streak lives! THE STREAK LIVES AT 18 - 0 SINCE THE PRE RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015 TEST LAST YEAR, SO WE HAVE CREATED RUGBY HISTORY SO FAR!!!) as the All Blacks are dominating at the moment by getting a clean sweep against Australia, 3 - 0 in the 3rd & final Bledisloe Cup test at Eden Park AKA the Fortress Of Mystery (Named after a level in the game Doom (Containing & surrounded by Barons of Hell & Cacodemons which is kinda creepy but we now have their attention) & Pops told me last night that the hallowed ground is known as the Fortress Of Misery for visiting teams) in the City Of Sails in Auckland with the final score of 37 - 10...so here's the live scores of the game so far:
7:23pm: Today's factbox
Where: Eden Park, Auckland (capacity 50,000)
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistants: Craig Joubert (South Africa), Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
NEW ZEALAND
World ranking: 1
Coach: Steve Hansen (A former Canterbury & Wales coach & former All Black assistant coach)
Captain: Kieran Read (Used to be my favourite player along with Richie McCaw, Joe Rokocoko & the late Jonah Lomu but he has never lost a test as All Black captain because he is often compared to Zinzan Brooke because Kieran Read was the world's best number 8)
Team: 15-Ben Smith, 14-Israel Dagg (Originally played at fullback but he since started that position because the Welsh proved them wrong), 13-Anton Lienert-Brown (Ah my favourite player at last), 12-Ryan Crotty, 11-Julian Savea (Looking like getting back to his very best), 10-Beauden Barrett, 9-TJ Perenara (Not the best halfback in the world because that honour belongs to Aaron Smith); 8-Kieran Read, 7-Matt Todd, 6-Jerome Kaino, 5-Sam Whitelock, 4-Brodie Retallick (Best lock in the world), 3-Owen Franks, 2-Dane Coles (Best in this position in the world but move over Sean Fitzpatrick), 1-Joe Moody
Replacements: 16-Codie Taylor, 17-Wyatt Crockett, 18-Charlie Faumuina, 19-Liam Squire, 20-Ardie Savea, 21-Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22-Aaron Cruden, 23-Malakai Fekitoa
AUSTRALIA
World ranking: 3
Coach: Michael Cheika
Captain: Stephen Moore
Team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Dane Haylett-Petty, 13-Samu Kerevi, 12-Reece Hodge, 11-Henry Speight, 10-Bernard Foley, 9-Nick Phipps, 8-Lopeti Timani, 7-Michael Hooper, 6-Dean Mumm, 5-Adam Coleman, 4-Rory Arnold, 3-Sekope Kepu, 2-Stephen Moore, 1-Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16-James Hanson, 17-Tom Robertson, 18-Alan Alaalatoa, 19-Rob Simmons, 20-David Pocock, 21-Nick Frisby, 22-Quade Cooper, 23-Sefa Naivalu
OVERALL RECORD
Played: 157
New Zealand wins: 108
Australia wins: 42
Draws: 7
AT EDEN PARK
Played: 26
New Zealand wins: 22
Australia wins: 4
Draws: 0
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
2016 New Zealand 29-9 Australia (Wellington)
2016 New Zealand 42-8 Australia (Sydney)
2015 New Zealand 34-17 Australia* (London)
2015 New Zealand 41-13 Australia (Auckland)
2015 Australia 27-19 New Zealand (Sydney)
* Indicates Rugby World Cup match
* The match is the third in the 2016 Bledisloe Cup series. New Zealand hold an unassailable 2-0 lead.
7:25pm
Welcome to live coverage of the third Bledisloe Cup match for 2016 ... because the first two were so good.
The Wallabies are seeking to lower the All Blacks colours at Eden Park for the first time in 30 years, while the hosts have not lost at the Auckland venue to anyone since 1994.
7:26pm
The curtain-raiser was not such a good omen for the Wallabies with the Australian women's team losing 67-3 to New Zealand.
7:27pm
The Wallabies are now making their way out on to the field.
Just a reminder, the hosts are looking to set a world record for a tier one country of 18 consecutive wins.
7:29pm
Significantly louder cheer as the All Blacks make their way out on to the field.
7:31pm: It's anthem time and Stephen Moore looks fired up as he sings along.
7:32pm
Stan Walker with God Defend New Zealand - beautiful anthem.
7:33pm
Our man at the Wallaby abattoir with his pre-game tip.
7:35pm
Halfback TJ Perenara leads the Haka.
7:37pm
It's not only the same teams from last year's World Cup final but the same referee: Nigel Owens of Wales.
7:38pm
KICKOFF: We have kick-off thanks to Bernard Foley.
7:39pm
2 MINUTES LATER: First penalty goes against the Wallaby who had possession on the All Blacks' 22.
7:40pm
1 MINUTE LATER: The Wallabies will have the first chance for points after winning a lineout against the throw and earn a penalty a few phases later with the All Blacks creeping up offside.
7:41pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Bernard Foley misses it from in front. Another good omen?
7:42pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Great ball movement by the All Blacks after gaining possession from a contested high ball. Danger for the Wallabies.
7:43pm
TRY: Israel Dagg.
7:44pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Horrible miss from Reece Hodge on Ben Smith. A little jink and the fullback was through. He drew the cover and released Dagg who flew to the corner. Beauden Barrett misses the conversion. NEW ZEALAND 5 AUSTRALIA 0
7:45pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Errors creeping into the Wallabies game with Dean Mumm dropping the ball. They need to settle down.
7:46pm
1 MINUTE LATER: First scrum and surprise, surprise first scrum penalty against the Wallabies. All Blacks on the attack.
7:47pm
TRY: Anton Lienert-Brown.
7:48pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Henry Speight is to blame as the ball went through hands from a lineout win. The winger went for the intercept and missed both the ball and the All Blacks outside centre who just strolled over. Barrett misses again. NEW ZEALAND 10 AUSTRALIA 0
7:51pm
4 MINUTES LATER: Some good play by the Wallabies. They kept possession and made ground up field before earning the penalty. They go for the attacking lineout.
7:53pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Helter skelter stuff. The Wallabies lose possession from the lineout after excellent pressure from Matt Todd. The All Blacks throw the ball around on their own tryline with the Wallabies nearly regaining possession. It ends with a penalty to the hosts.
7:55pm
2 MINUTES LATER: More good play by the Wallabies with inroads made before Rory Arnold is once again left isolated at the breakdown and it is a penalty to the All Blacks.
7:56pm
What a Dagg!
7:59pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Wallabies earn the scrum penalty going backwards but they blow the attacking lineout. It's the basics that kill them.
7:59pm
2 MINUTES LATER: The Wallabies again build pressure and make inroads but Samu Kerevi is dragged down five metres out and throws the ball forward as he tries to avoid going out. The difference between the two sides is when the All Blacks attack, they score.
8:02pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Matt Todd again does the business. He forces a turnover from Reece Hodge and the All Blacks get the penalty. Samu Kerevi is limping considerably.
8:05pm
1 MINUTE LATER, INJURY: Kerevi is off and Sefa Naivalu is on. Henry Speight into the centres? Yikes!
8:09pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Lot's of pressure in the scrums. Three resets and no penalty. Stephen Moore cannot lift his foot to strike so the ball just sits in the middle as the two packs shove.
8:09pm
TRY: Rory Arnold.
8:11pm
4 MINUTES LATER: The Wallabies powered over the advantage line for about eight phases before Arnold crashes through the line and plants the ball down. Foley converts. NEW ZEALAND 10 AUSTRALIA 7
It is a penalty on the halfway line for Kieran Read indulging in some niggle after the try was scored and Reece Hodge will have a shot to level the scores.
8:13pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Hodge had the distanced but missed to the left.
8:14pm
1 MINUTE LATER: The Wallabies finally take an intercept but Israel Folau is ruled offside. Attacking lineout to the All Blacks.
8:17pm
1 MINUTE LATER: More injury worries for the Wallabies as the new replacement Sefa Naivalu has a head knock. The All Blacks looked dangerous for the brief time they had the ball but bad handling let them down.
8:17pm
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: TJ Perenara
8:18pm
Reece Hodge's horror game continues. The Wallabies scrum held up well, Nick Phipps' pass was good if not flat and Hodge's kick is charged down by the halfback and he follows through to score.
Barrett misses again. NEW ZEALAND 15 AUSTRALIA 7
8:20pm
3 MINUTES LATER: The Wallabies attack again but Rory Arnold is pinged for taking players out beyond the breakdown.
8:22pm
1 MINUTE LATER: The All Blacks are on the attack after that penalty. Can the Wallabies hold on before halftime? Yes! They get the penalty. Strong defence from Reece Hodge.
8:25pm
That's halftime. Quite an entertaining game of rugby. Best man on the ground is the referee Nigel Owens. His game management is outstanding.
8:36pm
The All Blacks looked very dangerous when they had possession and scored three tries to one in the first half. However, the Wallabies have dominated possession and made lots of half breaks without ever really cutting the All Blacks to shreds. The try to Rory Arnold is a good case in point: lots of possession, lots of telling runs but a bit of a messy finish.
Best for the All Blacks are Matt Todd, TJ Perenara and Kieran Read. The Wallabies have been best served by Michael Hooper, Bernard Foley and Lopeti Timani.
8:36pm: The 2nd half is underway. The Wallabies will have whatever wind there is behind them.
8:39pm
2 MINUTES LATER: The Wallabies have had the better of a scrappy start to the second-half and the Wallabies earn the penalty in front about 15 metres out. Wallabies prop Sekope Kepu produced a barnstorming run to get them there.
8:40pm
Foley kicks it. NEW ZEALAND 15 AUSTRALIA 10
8:41pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Hodge has been closely marked tonight. Another telling tackle by Kieren Read as the All Blacks counterattack from a Wallabies kick. More danger for the visitors.
8:42pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Change for the All Blacks. Aaron Cruden on for Beauden Barrett. That should solve the All Blacks' goalkicking issues.
8:43pm
TRY: Henry Speight. Scores a level.
8:45pm
It was the Bernard Foley show. He caused a halfbreak by Sefa Naivalu and then Foley burst through and sent Speight away.
8:45pm
Oh hang on. The crowd have pressured the TMO into reviewing it.
8:45pm
Oh no. Horrible decision! They have ruled an obstruction and overturned the try.
8:48pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Seven points to the Wallabies has become a penalty and attacking position for the All Blacks. The Wallabies are fired up but they need to keep their cool.
8:49pm
Possible try to the All Blacks. Checking a possible knock on and grounding.
8:50pm
Foley won the race to the ball but this could be a penalty try. However, Nigel Owens says everything ok, so it is just who grounded it first. They rule that Foley got there first. No try!
8:52pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Rob Simmons makes a huge run with his first touch. Wallabies on the attack.
8:53pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Penalty to the Wallabies. Almost in front about 20 metres out. All Blacks are offside again. Israel Folau is beginning to make his presence felt in this game.
8:54pm
Foley's simple kicks hits the upright and goes over the deadball line.
8:57pm
TRY: Julian Savea from a Wallabies mistake.
8:59pm
The All Blacks take a quick conversion which rules out the TMO looking at a possible trip on Scott Sio but the replays show the contact was accidental. NEW ZEALAND 22 AUSTRALIA 10
9:00pm
6 MINUTES LATER: David Pocock is on and Lopeti Timani is off. The Rebels No.8 has had a huge game. The Wallabies have lacked a presence in that position for some years.
9:00pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Scrum penalty to the Wallabies. Attacking lineout on the way, 22 metres out.
9:02pm
1 MINUTE LATER: David Pocock immediately earns a turnover penalty from Kieran Read. Good defence from Nick Phipps too.
9:05pm
2 MINUTES LATER: More pressure from the Wallabies comes to nothing as Phipps throws the ball forward 15 metes out from the New Zealand. Great defence All Blacks. Will we see Quade Cooper on with the Wallabies chasing the game. Israel Folau is having his best game in a long time.
9:08pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Clever play All Blacks. They switched the play and Cruden kicked for space pinning the Wallabies in their own half. NEW ZEALAND 22 AUSTRALIA 10
9:08pm
Nick Frisby is on for Nick Phipps.
9:10pm
3 MINUTES LATER: Penalty to the All Blacks. This could put their lead beyond two converted tries. Israel Folau pinged for offside.
9:11pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Cruden gets it. NEW ZEALAND 25 AUSTRALIA 10
I cannot see a way back for the Wallabies who have struggled to turn promising attacks into points.
9:14pm
2 MINUTES LATER: New Zealand's depth is beginning to show as their bench players are shifting the momentum of this game. Although David Pocock has been sensational since his introduction.
9:15pm
TRY: Julian Savea. It came from a Wallabies turnover.
9:17pm
70th min: The Bus in the right wing was given some space, he got rid of Henry Speight and just steamrolled Nick Frisby before scoring under the posts. Cruden converts. NEW ZEALAND 32 AUSTRALIA 10
9:18pm
3 MINUTES LATER: Dean Mumm takes an intercept but doesn't have the pace as he is run down by the hooker Dane Coles and drops the ball.
9:19pm
TRY: Dane Coles on his favourite right wing.
9:21pm
It was great play by the All Blacks but all credit goes to the Bus, Julian Savea who is dragged down just a metres short of the line but he pops the ball up to Coles who scores. Cruden misses it from the sideline. NEW ZEALAND 37 AUSTRALIA 10
9:21pm
Quade Cooper gets a run with six minutes to go. Now that is on a hiding to nothing.
9:22pm
4 MINUTES LATER: Wallabies get a penalty and are on the attack. Can they salvage something?
9:23pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Strong defence from the All Blacks and Hodge drops it under pressure.
9:27pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Reece Hodge comes from the field after a monster bump off by Malakai Fekitoa. Not the best of nights for the young back. Quade Cooper gets booed at every opportunity by the Eden Park fans.
9:27pm
Possible try to Israel Dagg.
9:28pm
The All Blacks' best attacking platform is the turnover and Aaron Cruden goes through but the replay shows the final pass to Israel Dagg is forward. No try!
Alarmingly, the TMO seemed to want to talk Nigel Owens out of the decision.
9:30pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Scrum penalty to the Wallabies. No he just reversed it to the All Blacks. Will there be one last try?
9:30pm
No, the All Blacks opt to kick it out. It's all over. Can't wait for the Cheika presser.
9:37pm
New Zealand 37 - Australia 10
So the Wallabies lose 37-10. Many will say that does not reflect the match, but I disagree. The All Blacks are so clinical in attack, particularly counter-attacking that they will always rack up points.
The Wallabies did dominate for patched of the game, but they cannot crack the last line of defence.
The big talking point will be the Henry Speight no try which was originally awarded but overturned after a delayed TMO decision. The Wallabies were set to take the lead when Dane Haylett-Petty was ruled to have obstructed Julian Savea "behind" the ball.
I have never seen a decision like it before, which is not to say it was wrong, but does make it highly controversial.
The All Blacks were well served by TJ Perenara, Matt Todd, Julian Savea, Dane Coles and their bench.
The Wallabies' halves Nick Phipps and Bernard Foley were outstanding, as were Stephen Moore and Michael Hooper in a strong performance from the pack. Israel Folau had his best game in a long time.
And what do I think about the game from the All Black perspective point of view? It was so great, absolutely amazing that the record is broken with 18 straight wins on the trot but shame for the Aussies (Even though highly controversial coach Michael Cheika is a clown meaning that they have copped some criticism about it meaning that he's a bit upset, a bit upset at the moment unlike Richetty Grub & Stuart Fraud by the Aussie media department, that is selfish but how foolish by the way, it's an outrage...A SCANDAL!!! (Not a car crash that killed Harry Potter's parents, James & Lily Potter) because they were livid about the try scored by Fijian born Henry Speight being rubbed out by the TMO (It looked like 'DHP' of Dane Haylett-Petty took out 'The Bus' of Julian Savea in a clear & obvious obstruction or should I say shepherding, well it certainly was) but that's all according to former Wallaby who works for Fox Sports, Rod Kafer said that Welsh referee Nigel Owens should never referee a test match again, that is disgraceful just like Craig Joubert about his poor decision (Just like Alain Rolland did by sending Sam Warburton off the field instead of going to the sin bin for a dangerous spear/tip tackle on Vincent Clerc during the Rugby World Cup semifinal in 2011 at Eden Park (The night before the All Blacks finally beating the Wallabies in the other semifinal after 2 consecutive World Cup losses against them in 1991 (Including David Campese scoring a try & setting up another for Tim Horan) & 2003 (Also including Stirling Mortlock's intercept try ending New Zealand's hopes of reaching the final as well as Wallaby halfback George Gregan yelling at Byron Kelleher's ear ''4 more years boys, 4 more years'') including Israel Dagg's show & go move which set up the opening try scored by Ma'a Nonu (He also scored a brilliant try from a signature/trademark Sonny Bill Williams offload during the World Cup final last year) & Cory Jane's man of the match efforts for bomb defusing by securing high balls) between Wales & France & one of the commentators for ITV Nick Mullins said the sending off of Sam Warburton (Well he's been one of the cleanest players of the tournament so far) was one of the most controversial decisions in the history of the World Cup) of awarding the penalty instead of a scrum to Australia against Scotland during the Rugby World Cup Quarterfinal last year (Well that game should've & could've been gone to the Scottish, they were livid), but hey we are just friends for but the All Blacks winning streak continues in a world record fashion of 18 & 0 since the pre Rugby World Cup test where the winning streak began last year but next we take on the luck of the Irish (Well the last meeting between the 2 sides was 3 years ago when Ireland came so close of achieving their 1st win against the All Blacks but the AB's proved them too strong because they were on the comeback trail to end 2013, undefeated) at Soldier Field (Home of the NFL franchise, the Chicago Bears & my American colleague Diana Kent is going to that game because she's got tickets but she told me last year that she went to a game to see the All Blacks play the USA way back 2 years ago) in Chicago, Illnois, United States of America then Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome then Ireland again at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin before ending 2016 in style against France at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France in a rematch of the 2015 Rugby World Cup Quarterfinal in which they thrashed them 62 to 13 & then, the All Blacks begin 2017 in 3 test matches (Including twice at Eden Park & once at Westpac Stadium) against the British & Irish Lions side who has come here to conquer & invade our country as well as chewing bubblegums...and they are all out of gums because they would be swallowing our souls, so come get some...BRING IT! In a dish best served cold. But now my friends, this is WAR! But finding this task was an impossible mission that's all according to movie star Tom Cruise whose impersonator who appeared in a Sara Lee cheesecake ad/commercial (Containing movie stars, pop stars, comedians, presidents & of course rock stars) along with fellow celebrities who are claiming to be impersonators such as Taylor Swift, Ricky Gervais, Victoria 'Posh Spice' Beckham (David Beckham's wife is now ex-wife because the relationship seems to be far from over as we all know it), the President of the United States of America Barack Obama (Although he says that not for him, it's a White House) & Bono from U2 (He tells them that they must try one of these new Sara Lee cheesecakes but the President said it's yummy but Ricky Gervais says that Bono forgot to put his sunglasses on but he managed to put them on instead so that people may have impressed him so much).
And the All Blacks squad for the end of year tour has been named with Steven Luatua coming back into the side after injuries that plagued him during the Super Rugby season with the Blues as well as his good form in the Mitre 10 Cup for Auckland + the 2 uncapped players of winger Rieko Ioane (Brother of Akira) & hooker Liam Coltman (Who has effectively replaced the injured Nathan Harris who is gone for the remainder of the year) as well as Scott Barrett (Brother of Beauden & the young Jordie Barrett who is in the squad as apprentice midfielder but he could become an All Black in 3 years time just like Ardie Savea (Younger brother of Julian) who made the All Blacks this year after joining the squad as apprentice openside flanker 3 years ago in 2013) & Tongan born Vaea Fifita were called up to the squad as injury replacements for Sam Whitelock & Brodie Retallick (As for Vaea Fifita, a decision on whether he joins the squad will be made this week when Retallick undergoes concussion protocols) + Aaron Smith included into the squad under highly controversial circumstances due to the scandal that rocked across the nation (Well I won't be talking about the scandal & I mean, that is AWFUL! Absolutely awful about it) so here's the squad revealed (Although this is the very 1st time that I managed to reveal the All Blacks squad in it's entirety for my blog) for the end of year tour with matches against Ireland twice in Chicago & Dublin as well as Italy in Rome & of course France in Saint-Denis:
Hookers
Dane Coles (Wellington/Hurricanes)
Liam Coltman (Otago/Highlanders)
Codie Taylor (Canterbury/Crusaders)
Props
Wyatt Crockett (Canterbury/Crusaders)
Charlie Faumuina (Auckland/Blues)
Owen Franks (Canterbury/Crusaders)
Joe Moody (Canterbury/Crusaders)
Ofa Tu'ungafasi (Auckland/Blues)
Locks
Scott Barrett (Canterbury/Crusaders) *1
Vaea Fifita (Wellington/Hurricanes) *2
Brodie Retallick (Hawke's Bay/Chiefs)
Luke Romano (Canterbury/Crusaders)
Patrick Tuipulotu (Auckland/Blues)
Sam Whitelock (Canterbury/Crusaders)
Loose forwards
Sam Cane (Bay Of Plenty/Chiefs)
Elliot Dixon (Southland/Highlanders)
Jerome Kaino (Auckland/Blues)
Steven Luatua (Auckland/Blues)
Kieran Read (Captain, Canterbury/Crusaders)
Ardie Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes)
Liam Squire (Tasman/Highlanders)
Matt Todd (Canterbury/Crusaders)
Halfbacks
Tawera Kerr-Barlow (Waikato/Chiefs)
TJ Perenara (Wellington/Hurricanes)
Aaron Smith (Manawatu/Highlanders)
First five-eighths
Beauden Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes)
Aaron Cruden (Manawatu/Chiefs)
Lima Sopoaga (Southland/Highlanders)
Midfielders
Jordie Barrett (Canterbury/Hurricanes) *3
Ryan Crotty (Canterbury/Crusaders)
Malakai Fekitoa (Auckland/Highlanders)
Anton Lienert-Brown (Waikato/Chiefs)
George Moala (Auckland/Blues)
Outside Backs
Israel Dagg (Hawke's Bay/Crusaders)
Rieko Ioane (Auckland/Blues)
Damian McKenzie (Waikato/Chiefs)
Waisake Naholo (Taranaki/Highlanders)
Julian Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes)
Ben Smith (Otago/Highlanders)
*1: Injury replacement for Sam Whitelock
*2: Injury replacement for Brodie Retallick, decision pending
*3: Apprentice player
So that's it for my 29th (XXIXth) blog of the year (And my 69th overall), as Inspector 'Dirty' Harry Callahan would say: Go ahead, make my day.
But today was real exciting as I played the PS4 as well as tuning in to my favourite radio station called The Rock FM but Pops came here & picked me up to go & have lunch at Japanese Takeaway Momiji & I had a bento box there as well as a miso soup there before we went to the recycling centre & went to The Warehouse & Countdown to get some stuff like acrylic paint for Pops & cheese before we went to see Wanganui play against Wairarapa Bush featuring troubled former All Black star Zac Guildford in the Meads Cup semifinal which is a rematch of the Meads Cup final being played here a decade ago in which Wanganui lost by 2 points & I had cheese with buns & crackers during half-time as well as a murukku, an apple, nuts & raisins & a chocolate nut bar & drank moccachino & coke zero there but we did win the game but I can't remember the score now because we are through to the Meads Cup final by hosting it right here next week against South Canterbury or possibly Buller because Buller probably won the game against South Canterbury before I went back home playing that Formula 1 game that I would always enjoy & listening to The Rock FM but now I am doing a blog about it before I'm having dinner tonight as well as watching the All Blacks Vs Wallabies clash at Eden Park (Venue for much of the 1987 & 2011 Rugby World Cup because it has been about 5 years since we won the 2011 Rugby World Cup after 24 years of agony & pain (I have already wrote a blog about it & of course the same year in 2011 that Steelform Wanganui last hosted a final of the Meads Cup in the Heartland Championship & won by beating Ngati Porou East Coast + the news headlines in 2011 including most wanted terrorist Osama Bin Laden getting killed by Unites States Navy SEAL's, the Christchurch Earthquake that rocked the nation on the 22nd of February with a few people getting killed in the disaster, the massive earthquake & tsunami happened in the Tohoku region in Japan, the Libyan uprising resulting Muammar Gaddafi who got captured, getting killed by the rebels in wake of a NATO air strike, the marriage of His Royal Highness Prince William & Kate Middleton who became Her Royal Highness Princess Catherine & the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs at 56) thanks to a penalty by none other than Stephen 'Beaver' Donald & when the almighty Beaver kicked the penalty, one of the commentators Grant Nisbett says that Donald's kick...& he's nailed it (With authority) in Auckland (Although this is the last Aotearoa test of 2016 folks but we will let you know if the outlook changes tomorrow, understood copy that because we have never lost at that hallowed Fortress Of Mystery ground since 1994 against France in which they scored a length of the field try from the end of the world by fullback Jean-Luc Sardourny (Which saw Philippe Saint-André begin a counterattack from deep in France's end in the final minutes that ended with Sadourny scoring the winning try so that was the clash of the French flair titans moments) & the last time that the Wallabies won at Eden Park in the City Of Sails of Auckland was 30 years ago in which they won the Bledisloe Cup because we are 2 nil up in this years Bledisloe Cup (The scorelines were 42 - 8 in Sydney & 29 - 9 in the nations capital & the Windy City of absolutely, positively...Wellington) but the All Black team has been named to play against Australia because they are closing in on the record for most consecutive victories/straight wins by a tier 1 rugby nation (Although the All Blacks are 17 - 0 at the moment since the pre Rugby World Cup test last year because the Wallabies are looking to end the so called #Blackout of 2016 since they have fallen victim twice along with Argentina & South Africa although Wales had suffered a blackout before not once, not twice but 3 times on that occasion) so here's the starting lineup revealed on Thursday (And hope is not Cheika time because it will be Hansen time here tonight):
1 (Loose head prop): Joe Moody (Canterbury/Crusaders)
2 (Hooker): Dane Coles (Wellington/Hurricanes)
3 (Tight head prop): Owen Franks (Canterbury/Crusaders)
4 (Lock): Brodie Retallick (Hawke's Bay/Chiefs)
5 (Lock): Sam Whitelock (Canterbury/Crusaders)
6 (Blindside Flanker): Jerome Kaino (Auckland/Blues)
7 (Openside Flanker): Matt Todd (Canterbury/Crusaders)
8 (Number 8): Kieran Read (Captain, Canterbury/Crusaders)
9 (Half-back): TJ Perenara (Wellington/Hurricanes)
10 (First five eighth): Beauden Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes)
11 (Left Wing): Julian Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes)
12 (Second five eighth): Ryan Crotty (Canterbury/Crusaders)
13 (Centre): Anton Lienert-Brown (Waikato/Chiefs)
14 (Right Wing): Israel Dagg (Hawke's Bay/Crusaders)
& 15 (Fullback): Ben Smith (Otago/Highlanders)
And in the reserves are Codie Taylor, Wyatt Crockett, Charlie Faumuina, Liam Squire, Ardie Savea, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Aaron Cruden & Malakai Fekitoa.
P.S. And the record for most wins by a tier 1 rugby nation has been broken (And the streak lives! THE STREAK LIVES AT 18 - 0 SINCE THE PRE RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015 TEST LAST YEAR, SO WE HAVE CREATED RUGBY HISTORY SO FAR!!!) as the All Blacks are dominating at the moment by getting a clean sweep against Australia, 3 - 0 in the 3rd & final Bledisloe Cup test at Eden Park AKA the Fortress Of Mystery (Named after a level in the game Doom (Containing & surrounded by Barons of Hell & Cacodemons which is kinda creepy but we now have their attention) & Pops told me last night that the hallowed ground is known as the Fortress Of Misery for visiting teams) in the City Of Sails in Auckland with the final score of 37 - 10...so here's the live scores of the game so far:
7:23pm: Today's factbox
Where: Eden Park, Auckland (capacity 50,000)
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistants: Craig Joubert (South Africa), Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
NEW ZEALAND
World ranking: 1
Coach: Steve Hansen (A former Canterbury & Wales coach & former All Black assistant coach)
Captain: Kieran Read (Used to be my favourite player along with Richie McCaw, Joe Rokocoko & the late Jonah Lomu but he has never lost a test as All Black captain because he is often compared to Zinzan Brooke because Kieran Read was the world's best number 8)
Team: 15-Ben Smith, 14-Israel Dagg (Originally played at fullback but he since started that position because the Welsh proved them wrong), 13-Anton Lienert-Brown (Ah my favourite player at last), 12-Ryan Crotty, 11-Julian Savea (Looking like getting back to his very best), 10-Beauden Barrett, 9-TJ Perenara (Not the best halfback in the world because that honour belongs to Aaron Smith); 8-Kieran Read, 7-Matt Todd, 6-Jerome Kaino, 5-Sam Whitelock, 4-Brodie Retallick (Best lock in the world), 3-Owen Franks, 2-Dane Coles (Best in this position in the world but move over Sean Fitzpatrick), 1-Joe Moody
Replacements: 16-Codie Taylor, 17-Wyatt Crockett, 18-Charlie Faumuina, 19-Liam Squire, 20-Ardie Savea, 21-Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22-Aaron Cruden, 23-Malakai Fekitoa
AUSTRALIA
World ranking: 3
Coach: Michael Cheika
Captain: Stephen Moore
Team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Dane Haylett-Petty, 13-Samu Kerevi, 12-Reece Hodge, 11-Henry Speight, 10-Bernard Foley, 9-Nick Phipps, 8-Lopeti Timani, 7-Michael Hooper, 6-Dean Mumm, 5-Adam Coleman, 4-Rory Arnold, 3-Sekope Kepu, 2-Stephen Moore, 1-Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16-James Hanson, 17-Tom Robertson, 18-Alan Alaalatoa, 19-Rob Simmons, 20-David Pocock, 21-Nick Frisby, 22-Quade Cooper, 23-Sefa Naivalu
OVERALL RECORD
Played: 157
New Zealand wins: 108
Australia wins: 42
Draws: 7
AT EDEN PARK
Played: 26
New Zealand wins: 22
Australia wins: 4
Draws: 0
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
2016 New Zealand 29-9 Australia (Wellington)
2016 New Zealand 42-8 Australia (Sydney)
2015 New Zealand 34-17 Australia* (London)
2015 New Zealand 41-13 Australia (Auckland)
2015 Australia 27-19 New Zealand (Sydney)
* Indicates Rugby World Cup match
* The match is the third in the 2016 Bledisloe Cup series. New Zealand hold an unassailable 2-0 lead.
7:25pm
Welcome to live coverage of the third Bledisloe Cup match for 2016 ... because the first two were so good.
The Wallabies are seeking to lower the All Blacks colours at Eden Park for the first time in 30 years, while the hosts have not lost at the Auckland venue to anyone since 1994.
7:26pm
The curtain-raiser was not such a good omen for the Wallabies with the Australian women's team losing 67-3 to New Zealand.
7:27pm
The Wallabies are now making their way out on to the field.
Just a reminder, the hosts are looking to set a world record for a tier one country of 18 consecutive wins.
7:29pm
Significantly louder cheer as the All Blacks make their way out on to the field.
7:31pm: It's anthem time and Stephen Moore looks fired up as he sings along.
7:32pm
Stan Walker with God Defend New Zealand - beautiful anthem.
7:33pm
Our man at the Wallaby abattoir with his pre-game tip.
7:35pm
Halfback TJ Perenara leads the Haka.
7:37pm
It's not only the same teams from last year's World Cup final but the same referee: Nigel Owens of Wales.
7:38pm
KICKOFF: We have kick-off thanks to Bernard Foley.
7:39pm
2 MINUTES LATER: First penalty goes against the Wallaby who had possession on the All Blacks' 22.
7:40pm
1 MINUTE LATER: The Wallabies will have the first chance for points after winning a lineout against the throw and earn a penalty a few phases later with the All Blacks creeping up offside.
7:41pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Bernard Foley misses it from in front. Another good omen?
7:42pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Great ball movement by the All Blacks after gaining possession from a contested high ball. Danger for the Wallabies.
7:43pm
TRY: Israel Dagg.
7:44pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Horrible miss from Reece Hodge on Ben Smith. A little jink and the fullback was through. He drew the cover and released Dagg who flew to the corner. Beauden Barrett misses the conversion. NEW ZEALAND 5 AUSTRALIA 0
7:45pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Errors creeping into the Wallabies game with Dean Mumm dropping the ball. They need to settle down.
7:46pm
1 MINUTE LATER: First scrum and surprise, surprise first scrum penalty against the Wallabies. All Blacks on the attack.
7:47pm
TRY: Anton Lienert-Brown.
7:48pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Henry Speight is to blame as the ball went through hands from a lineout win. The winger went for the intercept and missed both the ball and the All Blacks outside centre who just strolled over. Barrett misses again. NEW ZEALAND 10 AUSTRALIA 0
7:51pm
4 MINUTES LATER: Some good play by the Wallabies. They kept possession and made ground up field before earning the penalty. They go for the attacking lineout.
7:53pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Helter skelter stuff. The Wallabies lose possession from the lineout after excellent pressure from Matt Todd. The All Blacks throw the ball around on their own tryline with the Wallabies nearly regaining possession. It ends with a penalty to the hosts.
7:55pm
2 MINUTES LATER: More good play by the Wallabies with inroads made before Rory Arnold is once again left isolated at the breakdown and it is a penalty to the All Blacks.
7:56pm
What a Dagg!
7:59pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Wallabies earn the scrum penalty going backwards but they blow the attacking lineout. It's the basics that kill them.
7:59pm
2 MINUTES LATER: The Wallabies again build pressure and make inroads but Samu Kerevi is dragged down five metres out and throws the ball forward as he tries to avoid going out. The difference between the two sides is when the All Blacks attack, they score.
8:02pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Matt Todd again does the business. He forces a turnover from Reece Hodge and the All Blacks get the penalty. Samu Kerevi is limping considerably.
8:05pm
1 MINUTE LATER, INJURY: Kerevi is off and Sefa Naivalu is on. Henry Speight into the centres? Yikes!
8:09pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Lot's of pressure in the scrums. Three resets and no penalty. Stephen Moore cannot lift his foot to strike so the ball just sits in the middle as the two packs shove.
8:09pm
TRY: Rory Arnold.
8:11pm
4 MINUTES LATER: The Wallabies powered over the advantage line for about eight phases before Arnold crashes through the line and plants the ball down. Foley converts. NEW ZEALAND 10 AUSTRALIA 7
It is a penalty on the halfway line for Kieran Read indulging in some niggle after the try was scored and Reece Hodge will have a shot to level the scores.
8:13pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Hodge had the distanced but missed to the left.
8:14pm
1 MINUTE LATER: The Wallabies finally take an intercept but Israel Folau is ruled offside. Attacking lineout to the All Blacks.
8:17pm
1 MINUTE LATER: More injury worries for the Wallabies as the new replacement Sefa Naivalu has a head knock. The All Blacks looked dangerous for the brief time they had the ball but bad handling let them down.
8:17pm
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: TJ Perenara
8:18pm
Reece Hodge's horror game continues. The Wallabies scrum held up well, Nick Phipps' pass was good if not flat and Hodge's kick is charged down by the halfback and he follows through to score.
Barrett misses again. NEW ZEALAND 15 AUSTRALIA 7
8:20pm
3 MINUTES LATER: The Wallabies attack again but Rory Arnold is pinged for taking players out beyond the breakdown.
8:22pm
1 MINUTE LATER: The All Blacks are on the attack after that penalty. Can the Wallabies hold on before halftime? Yes! They get the penalty. Strong defence from Reece Hodge.
8:25pm
That's halftime. Quite an entertaining game of rugby. Best man on the ground is the referee Nigel Owens. His game management is outstanding.
8:36pm
The All Blacks looked very dangerous when they had possession and scored three tries to one in the first half. However, the Wallabies have dominated possession and made lots of half breaks without ever really cutting the All Blacks to shreds. The try to Rory Arnold is a good case in point: lots of possession, lots of telling runs but a bit of a messy finish.
Best for the All Blacks are Matt Todd, TJ Perenara and Kieran Read. The Wallabies have been best served by Michael Hooper, Bernard Foley and Lopeti Timani.
8:36pm: The 2nd half is underway. The Wallabies will have whatever wind there is behind them.
8:39pm
2 MINUTES LATER: The Wallabies have had the better of a scrappy start to the second-half and the Wallabies earn the penalty in front about 15 metres out. Wallabies prop Sekope Kepu produced a barnstorming run to get them there.
8:40pm
Foley kicks it. NEW ZEALAND 15 AUSTRALIA 10
8:41pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Hodge has been closely marked tonight. Another telling tackle by Kieren Read as the All Blacks counterattack from a Wallabies kick. More danger for the visitors.
8:42pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Change for the All Blacks. Aaron Cruden on for Beauden Barrett. That should solve the All Blacks' goalkicking issues.
8:43pm
TRY: Henry Speight. Scores a level.
8:45pm
It was the Bernard Foley show. He caused a halfbreak by Sefa Naivalu and then Foley burst through and sent Speight away.
8:45pm
Oh hang on. The crowd have pressured the TMO into reviewing it.
8:45pm
Oh no. Horrible decision! They have ruled an obstruction and overturned the try.
8:48pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Seven points to the Wallabies has become a penalty and attacking position for the All Blacks. The Wallabies are fired up but they need to keep their cool.
8:49pm
Possible try to the All Blacks. Checking a possible knock on and grounding.
8:50pm
Foley won the race to the ball but this could be a penalty try. However, Nigel Owens says everything ok, so it is just who grounded it first. They rule that Foley got there first. No try!
8:52pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Rob Simmons makes a huge run with his first touch. Wallabies on the attack.
8:53pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Penalty to the Wallabies. Almost in front about 20 metres out. All Blacks are offside again. Israel Folau is beginning to make his presence felt in this game.
8:54pm
Foley's simple kicks hits the upright and goes over the deadball line.
8:57pm
TRY: Julian Savea from a Wallabies mistake.
8:59pm
The All Blacks take a quick conversion which rules out the TMO looking at a possible trip on Scott Sio but the replays show the contact was accidental. NEW ZEALAND 22 AUSTRALIA 10
9:00pm
6 MINUTES LATER: David Pocock is on and Lopeti Timani is off. The Rebels No.8 has had a huge game. The Wallabies have lacked a presence in that position for some years.
9:00pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Scrum penalty to the Wallabies. Attacking lineout on the way, 22 metres out.
9:02pm
1 MINUTE LATER: David Pocock immediately earns a turnover penalty from Kieran Read. Good defence from Nick Phipps too.
9:05pm
2 MINUTES LATER: More pressure from the Wallabies comes to nothing as Phipps throws the ball forward 15 metes out from the New Zealand. Great defence All Blacks. Will we see Quade Cooper on with the Wallabies chasing the game. Israel Folau is having his best game in a long time.
9:08pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Clever play All Blacks. They switched the play and Cruden kicked for space pinning the Wallabies in their own half. NEW ZEALAND 22 AUSTRALIA 10
9:08pm
Nick Frisby is on for Nick Phipps.
9:10pm
3 MINUTES LATER: Penalty to the All Blacks. This could put their lead beyond two converted tries. Israel Folau pinged for offside.
9:11pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Cruden gets it. NEW ZEALAND 25 AUSTRALIA 10
I cannot see a way back for the Wallabies who have struggled to turn promising attacks into points.
9:14pm
2 MINUTES LATER: New Zealand's depth is beginning to show as their bench players are shifting the momentum of this game. Although David Pocock has been sensational since his introduction.
9:15pm
TRY: Julian Savea. It came from a Wallabies turnover.
9:17pm
70th min: The Bus in the right wing was given some space, he got rid of Henry Speight and just steamrolled Nick Frisby before scoring under the posts. Cruden converts. NEW ZEALAND 32 AUSTRALIA 10
9:18pm
3 MINUTES LATER: Dean Mumm takes an intercept but doesn't have the pace as he is run down by the hooker Dane Coles and drops the ball.
9:19pm
TRY: Dane Coles on his favourite right wing.
9:21pm
It was great play by the All Blacks but all credit goes to the Bus, Julian Savea who is dragged down just a metres short of the line but he pops the ball up to Coles who scores. Cruden misses it from the sideline. NEW ZEALAND 37 AUSTRALIA 10
9:21pm
Quade Cooper gets a run with six minutes to go. Now that is on a hiding to nothing.
9:22pm
4 MINUTES LATER: Wallabies get a penalty and are on the attack. Can they salvage something?
9:23pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Strong defence from the All Blacks and Hodge drops it under pressure.
9:27pm
2 MINUTES LATER: Reece Hodge comes from the field after a monster bump off by Malakai Fekitoa. Not the best of nights for the young back. Quade Cooper gets booed at every opportunity by the Eden Park fans.
9:27pm
Possible try to Israel Dagg.
9:28pm
The All Blacks' best attacking platform is the turnover and Aaron Cruden goes through but the replay shows the final pass to Israel Dagg is forward. No try!
Alarmingly, the TMO seemed to want to talk Nigel Owens out of the decision.
9:30pm
1 MINUTE LATER: Scrum penalty to the Wallabies. No he just reversed it to the All Blacks. Will there be one last try?
9:30pm
No, the All Blacks opt to kick it out. It's all over. Can't wait for the Cheika presser.
9:37pm
New Zealand 37 - Australia 10
So the Wallabies lose 37-10. Many will say that does not reflect the match, but I disagree. The All Blacks are so clinical in attack, particularly counter-attacking that they will always rack up points.
The Wallabies did dominate for patched of the game, but they cannot crack the last line of defence.
The big talking point will be the Henry Speight no try which was originally awarded but overturned after a delayed TMO decision. The Wallabies were set to take the lead when Dane Haylett-Petty was ruled to have obstructed Julian Savea "behind" the ball.
I have never seen a decision like it before, which is not to say it was wrong, but does make it highly controversial.
The All Blacks were well served by TJ Perenara, Matt Todd, Julian Savea, Dane Coles and their bench.
The Wallabies' halves Nick Phipps and Bernard Foley were outstanding, as were Stephen Moore and Michael Hooper in a strong performance from the pack. Israel Folau had his best game in a long time.
And what do I think about the game from the All Black perspective point of view? It was so great, absolutely amazing that the record is broken with 18 straight wins on the trot but shame for the Aussies (Even though highly controversial coach Michael Cheika is a clown meaning that they have copped some criticism about it meaning that he's a bit upset, a bit upset at the moment unlike Richetty Grub & Stuart Fraud by the Aussie media department, that is selfish but how foolish by the way, it's an outrage...A SCANDAL!!! (Not a car crash that killed Harry Potter's parents, James & Lily Potter) because they were livid about the try scored by Fijian born Henry Speight being rubbed out by the TMO (It looked like 'DHP' of Dane Haylett-Petty took out 'The Bus' of Julian Savea in a clear & obvious obstruction or should I say shepherding, well it certainly was) but that's all according to former Wallaby who works for Fox Sports, Rod Kafer said that Welsh referee Nigel Owens should never referee a test match again, that is disgraceful just like Craig Joubert about his poor decision (Just like Alain Rolland did by sending Sam Warburton off the field instead of going to the sin bin for a dangerous spear/tip tackle on Vincent Clerc during the Rugby World Cup semifinal in 2011 at Eden Park (The night before the All Blacks finally beating the Wallabies in the other semifinal after 2 consecutive World Cup losses against them in 1991 (Including David Campese scoring a try & setting up another for Tim Horan) & 2003 (Also including Stirling Mortlock's intercept try ending New Zealand's hopes of reaching the final as well as Wallaby halfback George Gregan yelling at Byron Kelleher's ear ''4 more years boys, 4 more years'') including Israel Dagg's show & go move which set up the opening try scored by Ma'a Nonu (He also scored a brilliant try from a signature/trademark Sonny Bill Williams offload during the World Cup final last year) & Cory Jane's man of the match efforts for bomb defusing by securing high balls) between Wales & France & one of the commentators for ITV Nick Mullins said the sending off of Sam Warburton (Well he's been one of the cleanest players of the tournament so far) was one of the most controversial decisions in the history of the World Cup) of awarding the penalty instead of a scrum to Australia against Scotland during the Rugby World Cup Quarterfinal last year (Well that game should've & could've been gone to the Scottish, they were livid), but hey we are just friends for but the All Blacks winning streak continues in a world record fashion of 18 & 0 since the pre Rugby World Cup test where the winning streak began last year but next we take on the luck of the Irish (Well the last meeting between the 2 sides was 3 years ago when Ireland came so close of achieving their 1st win against the All Blacks but the AB's proved them too strong because they were on the comeback trail to end 2013, undefeated) at Soldier Field (Home of the NFL franchise, the Chicago Bears & my American colleague Diana Kent is going to that game because she's got tickets but she told me last year that she went to a game to see the All Blacks play the USA way back 2 years ago) in Chicago, Illnois, United States of America then Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome then Ireland again at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin before ending 2016 in style against France at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France in a rematch of the 2015 Rugby World Cup Quarterfinal in which they thrashed them 62 to 13 & then, the All Blacks begin 2017 in 3 test matches (Including twice at Eden Park & once at Westpac Stadium) against the British & Irish Lions side who has come here to conquer & invade our country as well as chewing bubblegums...and they are all out of gums because they would be swallowing our souls, so come get some...BRING IT! In a dish best served cold. But now my friends, this is WAR! But finding this task was an impossible mission that's all according to movie star Tom Cruise whose impersonator who appeared in a Sara Lee cheesecake ad/commercial (Containing movie stars, pop stars, comedians, presidents & of course rock stars) along with fellow celebrities who are claiming to be impersonators such as Taylor Swift, Ricky Gervais, Victoria 'Posh Spice' Beckham (David Beckham's wife is now ex-wife because the relationship seems to be far from over as we all know it), the President of the United States of America Barack Obama (Although he says that not for him, it's a White House) & Bono from U2 (He tells them that they must try one of these new Sara Lee cheesecakes but the President said it's yummy but Ricky Gervais says that Bono forgot to put his sunglasses on but he managed to put them on instead so that people may have impressed him so much).
And the All Blacks squad for the end of year tour has been named with Steven Luatua coming back into the side after injuries that plagued him during the Super Rugby season with the Blues as well as his good form in the Mitre 10 Cup for Auckland + the 2 uncapped players of winger Rieko Ioane (Brother of Akira) & hooker Liam Coltman (Who has effectively replaced the injured Nathan Harris who is gone for the remainder of the year) as well as Scott Barrett (Brother of Beauden & the young Jordie Barrett who is in the squad as apprentice midfielder but he could become an All Black in 3 years time just like Ardie Savea (Younger brother of Julian) who made the All Blacks this year after joining the squad as apprentice openside flanker 3 years ago in 2013) & Tongan born Vaea Fifita were called up to the squad as injury replacements for Sam Whitelock & Brodie Retallick (As for Vaea Fifita, a decision on whether he joins the squad will be made this week when Retallick undergoes concussion protocols) + Aaron Smith included into the squad under highly controversial circumstances due to the scandal that rocked across the nation (Well I won't be talking about the scandal & I mean, that is AWFUL! Absolutely awful about it) so here's the squad revealed (Although this is the very 1st time that I managed to reveal the All Blacks squad in it's entirety for my blog) for the end of year tour with matches against Ireland twice in Chicago & Dublin as well as Italy in Rome & of course France in Saint-Denis:
Hookers
Dane Coles (Wellington/Hurricanes)
Liam Coltman (Otago/Highlanders)
Codie Taylor (Canterbury/Crusaders)
Props
Wyatt Crockett (Canterbury/Crusaders)
Charlie Faumuina (Auckland/Blues)
Owen Franks (Canterbury/Crusaders)
Joe Moody (Canterbury/Crusaders)
Ofa Tu'ungafasi (Auckland/Blues)
Locks
Scott Barrett (Canterbury/Crusaders) *1
Vaea Fifita (Wellington/Hurricanes) *2
Brodie Retallick (Hawke's Bay/Chiefs)
Luke Romano (Canterbury/Crusaders)
Patrick Tuipulotu (Auckland/Blues)
Sam Whitelock (Canterbury/Crusaders)
Loose forwards
Sam Cane (Bay Of Plenty/Chiefs)
Elliot Dixon (Southland/Highlanders)
Jerome Kaino (Auckland/Blues)
Steven Luatua (Auckland/Blues)
Kieran Read (Captain, Canterbury/Crusaders)
Ardie Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes)
Liam Squire (Tasman/Highlanders)
Matt Todd (Canterbury/Crusaders)
Halfbacks
Tawera Kerr-Barlow (Waikato/Chiefs)
TJ Perenara (Wellington/Hurricanes)
Aaron Smith (Manawatu/Highlanders)
First five-eighths
Beauden Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes)
Aaron Cruden (Manawatu/Chiefs)
Lima Sopoaga (Southland/Highlanders)
Midfielders
Jordie Barrett (Canterbury/Hurricanes) *3
Ryan Crotty (Canterbury/Crusaders)
Malakai Fekitoa (Auckland/Highlanders)
Anton Lienert-Brown (Waikato/Chiefs)
George Moala (Auckland/Blues)
Outside Backs
Israel Dagg (Hawke's Bay/Crusaders)
Rieko Ioane (Auckland/Blues)
Damian McKenzie (Waikato/Chiefs)
Waisake Naholo (Taranaki/Highlanders)
Julian Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes)
Ben Smith (Otago/Highlanders)
*1: Injury replacement for Sam Whitelock
*2: Injury replacement for Brodie Retallick, decision pending
*3: Apprentice player
So that's it for my 29th (XXIXth) blog of the year (And my 69th overall), as Inspector 'Dirty' Harry Callahan would say: Go ahead, make my day.
Thursday, 13 October 2016
1000hp/Break Stuff/Falling Away From Me/Nookie: The Thursday round-up
Today was Thursday so Pops was here whilst I was in the shower so I was ready to get dressed to go to Mitre 10 but 1st I had to finish the moccachino then brush my teeth so I could be with Poppa & we went & after that, we went to New World to get the meal deal as well as some stuff to take but we went to Bark & Boulders Landscape Supplies in Wanganui to get the ponga was well as the bark before we went to 15A Kells Avenue & guess who was there, it was Diana Kent (Who lives in Palatine which is a suburb of Chicago, Illinois) & I did meet her (And I also haven't seen her since last year but I told her that when Nan died from cancer, she was on a holiday so she went back home & got a email to inform that Nan passed away) but before that we had to do some garden jobs but I cannot vaguely remember now that we did some work on the garden (Although Pops & I showed Diana Nan's Memorial Garden which I labelled as The Shire which is taken from the movie, The Lord Of The Rings (Which featured the likes of Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins), Sir Ian McKellen (As Gandalf who played the villainous Magneto in X-Men), Viggo Mortensen (As Aragorn who is armed with a sword who appears in films such as Hidalgo & the 2006 flick, A History Of Violence), Orlando Bloom (As Legolas who is also armed with a bow), Sean Bean (Ned Stark from Game of Thrones who plays Boromir), John Rhys-Davies (As the axe-wielding Gimli who is with Lisa Manning), the late Christopher Lee (As Saruman who portrayed Dracula as well as Count Dooku & Willy Wonka's father Wilbur), Liv Tyler (As Arwen Undolmiel who is the daughter of Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler), Cate Blanchett (As Galadriel), Sean Astin (Samwise 'Sam' Gamgee), Dominic Monaghan (Meriadoc ''Merry'' Brandybuck), Billy Boyd (Peregrin ''Pippin'' Took), Andy Serkis (As Gollum who always says: MY PRECIOUS!!!), Hugo Weaving (As Elrond who also played Agent Smith from The Matrix that I have mentioned before in my Euro 2016 final blog) & Ian Holm (As Frodo's dad, Bilbo Baggins who appeared in the 1997 movie starring Bruce Willis (AKA John McLane from Die Hard), Milla Jovovich (That's Alice from the Resident Evil movies), Gary Oldman (Ivan Korshunov/Commissioner James Gordon/Sirius Black) & Chris Tucker (And also, Rush Hour's Detective James Carter) directed by Frenchman Luc Besson (Who was with Milla Jovovich before she is now with the director of Mortal Kombat & the Resident Evil film series, Paul W. S. Anderson), The Fifth Element, portraying the role of Father Vito Cornelius) & after that, I had a chat to Diana to tell everything what is going on such as Donald Trump because I thought Trump was ahead of Hillary Rodham Clinton in the poll for the US election but now that Clinton is ahead of Trump & Diana said that it was a really good question because she was impressed about it although she told me that she's going to Soldier Field (Home of the Chicago Bears) to watch the All Blacks play again to take on Ireland because she has been to that ground before when the All Blacks took on the USA Eagles (The AB's won 74 - 6 convincingly) 2 years ago but I told her about she does not have children like me, John Coburn & Aunty Tania & I thought she was coming with her niece Emily Shrout but she did not come, opting to stay in Chicago because she has nephews such as Alex & Casey (I told her that she has sons but she doesn't because Alex & Casey are her nephews but I did not know that Emily has 2 brothers) & she has cousins as well as telling her that I don't have a cousin (Because Aunty Tania doesn't have any children) but I do now because I have 3 cousins such as Paige Williams (Who I know is the daughter of Cathey Middelplaats because I once told Diana that Nan had a baby named Cathey because Nan doesn't know how to take care of her but the Middelplaats family adopted her instead), Luca & Nico Mitchell (I almost forgot to tell that Cathey had 2 sons with her current partner John Mitchell but family matters anyway) & I also told her about going to the South Island in January 2017 (Which is next year) so me & my whole family are going in a once in a life-time trip because Aunty Tania's French Canadian partner Raejean had never ever been to the South Island & after having a relatively good chat, we went to Caroline's for a lunch which is my dinner by the way because I was always having a rare steak with blue cheese sauce, fries & salad which felt great as well as having a carrot cake (Which is my favourite cake of all time) & mocchachino & I also chatted to Diana lots about she had been to New York City, New York as well as Los Angeles, California & Houston, Texas as well as her favourite food which is cheese (Although mines gotta be pasta by the way for 16 years (Well I've tried it at an italian restaurant in Petone & I quite liked it ever since) since 2000 (The same year that Sydney hosted the Olympic games as well as the Russell Crowe movie Gladiator came out, France beating Italy with a golden goal to win Euro 2000 & Michael Schumacher winning his 3rd of his 7 illustrious Formula 1 World Championship titles) because I had pasta last night (Well I do like pizza, stir fries & sushi at the moment but pasta is always my option) & her greatest moment of her life was having a retirement party because now she is officially retired from school teaching (My greatest moment of my life was the All Blacks winning the Rugby World Cups of 2011 & 2015 because we mastered the art of rugby) as well as that I'm officially friends with her so she gave me a card about her name & email address (She is 56 now because she was born in 1960 & she 1st came to New Zealand in 1988 (She was 28 at the time & that same year that Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of his gold medal in the 100m at Seoul in South Korea due to steroid use after being tested positive to stanozolol, handing the gold to American Carl Lewis & I told her that we had a successful campaign in Rio with 4 gold medals, 9 silvers & 5 bronzes but didn't Diana's country of birth do well at the Olympics as the USA (Which stands for United States of America) topped the medal table ahead of Great Britain with 46 golds, 37 silvers & 38 bronze medals but Pops told Diana that Fiji won it's very 1st ever gold medal at the games by winning rugby sevens (And who did they take on in the gold medal match? It was Great Britain) but I do not believe my eyes that their country, is now officially a rugby sevens mad nation) whenever I want to & after that, we went back to 15A Kells Avenue but I told Diana a question (I told Poppa at Caroline's that I talked about All Black Anton Lienert-Brown (Who is a self proclaimed fan of British reggae band UB40) because his name Anton is Russian for Anthony because he's an All Black with a Russian name (Although there's another Anton who played in the All Blacks was Anton Oliver, who is the son of Frank Oliver) just like Leon Benbaruk told me that Pawel is Polish for Paul & Pierre is French for Peter but that is according to him who is my friend & mentor along with Hanne & Sophie because Diana had never met Leon who was born in Morocco because he was raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada to do some university work there because he was graduated way back then because he was a Rhodes scholar & he lived here in New Zealand 36 years ago compared to Hanne who has been living here for 43 years) about she has seen the Liam Neeson movie Taken or not because she said no & I did a famous line of the movie which is ''I don't know who you are, I don't know what you want but what I do have is a very particular set of skills'' but Pops told me that Arnold Schwarzenegger was my favourite actor but I was blown away when I said ''Hasta la vista, baby'' & ''I'll be back'' which is kinda hard case or should I say hilarious. And after we got back to 15A Kells Avenue, Pops & I went back to work to focus on the stuff & after that, I read all of the Richie McCaw books such as Richie McCaw - The Open Side (Which is about his autobiography leading up the events to the 2011 Rugby World Cup in which he became the 1st All Black captain since David Kirk in 1987 to lift the William Webb Ellis Trophy (Although Kirk became the 1st & last All Black captain to lift the World Cup trophy, I had absolutely no idea that Richie McCaw was the next All Black captain to do that (Some tried & failed such as Gary Whetton, Sean Fitzpatrick, Taine Randell & Reuben Thorne) & Richie McCaw 148 (Which is about his 148 test caps for the All Blacks including his debut against Ireland featuring Brian O'Driscoll in 2001 & 2 Rugby World Cup triumphs in 2011 & last year) but guess Poppa saw? It was Anne (Who gave me a sample of ginger slice) who was with her daughter Lauren who showed Nan's memorial garden as well as having afternoon tea (I drank sparkling water (Well I changed my mind after I turned down the offer to drink) & ate some slice) & having a chat to them (Well I told Diana that Caroline's does not hold 30,000 people because I saw on youtube about the Red Hot Chili Peppers told Moe Szylak that they told their agent that Moe's Tavern holds more than 30,000 people on an episode on The Simpsons & I ended up saying that famous line that Homer Simpson always says: D'OH!!! which is sure as hell as funny although Anne told us that somebody got the right answer on a gameshow called The Chase about a trip to Canada which is Ha ha, ho ho or he he because one of the contestants is a fan of Family Guy not The Simpsons because I used to tune in to The Simpsons because the last time I watched the show was last year in 2015 during our trip in the Coromandel with the late Nan & Pops) & before they go, Pops had an amazing concert singing one of their amazing songs before it was Lauren's turn to have a performance because she was an opera singer because her singing voice was like one of the best in the world because she sang like hell like a primadonna because I'm so impressed on her performance (Well, I smiled about it because it was a miracle but Lauren told us that she would be heading to Chicago on her university work) & guess who was here?! It was Leslee who arrived late because she was coming to have afternoon tea when Anne & Lauren left. But a few minutes later, I was going with Leslee to take her home because I said goodbye to both Diana & Pops & during out drive home, I told her that she would be going to the South Island for 3 weeks & when I arrived back after saying thanks for the ride & goodbye to Lesley, Dad was here (After spending several days in Te Wananga in Otaki) so I put the meal deal & groceries away as possible & I told Dad that Duke Nukem 3D came out 20 years ago (It was in 1996, the same year that England hosted Euro 96 which was won by Germany as well as Atlanta hosted the summer Olympics, Bill Clinton re-elected as President of the United States, a Mad Cow Disease that rocked across the UK which resulted export of British Beef being banned as a result, Sri Lanka winning the Cricket World Cup (New Zealand was out of it after losing to Australia (Who lost to Sri Lanka in the final) which featured the likes of Mark Waugh who scored 110 not out for his 3rd century of the World Cup in the quarterfinal (Although Chris Harris had a century of 130 runs) by 7 wickets with a Aravinda da Silva century of 107 not out, John Howard elected Prime Minister of Australia, Will Smith's movie Independence Day came out along with Eddie Murphy's The Nutty Professor, rapper Tupac Shakur getting shot mutiple times in a drive-by shooting & killed 6 days later, Damon Hill winning his 1st & only Formula 1 World Championship by 19 points, horror classic Scream starring Neve Campbell & Courtney Cox of Friends, also came out along with the Jerry Maguire movie starring Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr & Renee Zellweger & the All Blacks (Featuring the likes of coach John Hart, captain Sean ''Fitzy'' Fitzpatrick, Craig Dowd, Olo Brown, Ian ''Kamo'' Jones, the Brooke brothers of Robin & Zinzan (AKA Zinny), Michael ''Iceman'' Jones, Josh ''Crusher'' Kronfeld, Justin ''Marshie'' Marshall, Simon Culhane, Glen ''Oz'' Osborne, Walter Little (Father of North Harbour player Michael), Frank Bunce (Current Thames Valley Swamp Foxes assistant coach), Jeff ''Goldie'' Wilson (Who is married to Silver Fern Adine), Christian ''The Paekakariki Express'' Cullen & Jon ''JP'' Preston) finally winning a test series against South Africa for the 1st time after many years of failed attempts) & the Tom Cruise flick Mission Impossible came out) so I said to him ''Hail to the King baby'' anything as possible but Dad heard that line because I did not know that one of my Dad's friends who lives on Otaki, Clayton Cook played Duke Nukem 3D before because it was a relatively good game because Dad loved Duke Nukem 3D so much but I prefer Doom which is such another very excellent game & after that kerfuffle, I had sausage rolls for dinner after having that big lunch today & so here I am, doing a blog about today but I have a gimmick which is listening to alternative rock & heavy metal music (With bands such as 3 Doors Down, Green Day, Godsmack, Halestorm, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Live, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers (Which is one of my favourite rock bands (Although one of the Wanganui rugby players named Gavin Thornbury is a self proclaimed fan of the band that I have mentioned before in my blog about the lunch with John & Lim & Wanganui rugby report & well, I've got a Red Hot Chili Peppers T-Shirt that I've got) along with Foo Fighters & Incubus), Soundgarden & Ugly Kid Joe) on YouTube while I am writing a blog for today.
That is my 28th (XXVIIIth) blog of the year 2016 (MMXVI), later on (As I would say goodbye to the late Nan).
P.S. I went to that rugby game today between Steelform Wanganui against Horowhenua-Kapiti (We had a snack there such as chocolates, nuts, raisins as well as cheese (Diana Kent's favourite food) & crackers) & we won but I can't remember the score now & after the game, something went happened as I heard a crash involving a car & a scooter (Well, a female rider got injured seriously) that I've almost witnessed but Poppa urged me not to look too long so we headed back home because I was playing the PS4 there such as the new DIRT Rally game that I've got as well as playing the Formula 1 game which is F1 2016 because it my favourite & it is the best ever game so far.
That is my 28th (XXVIIIth) blog of the year 2016 (MMXVI), later on (As I would say goodbye to the late Nan).
P.S. I went to that rugby game today between Steelform Wanganui against Horowhenua-Kapiti (We had a snack there such as chocolates, nuts, raisins as well as cheese (Diana Kent's favourite food) & crackers) & we won but I can't remember the score now & after the game, something went happened as I heard a crash involving a car & a scooter (Well, a female rider got injured seriously) that I've almost witnessed but Poppa urged me not to look too long so we headed back home because I was playing the PS4 there such as the new DIRT Rally game that I've got as well as playing the Formula 1 game which is F1 2016 because it my favourite & it is the best ever game so far.
Saturday, 8 October 2016
American Idiot/Hitchin' A Ride/Longview/Welcome To Paradise: 2016 Rugby Championship round 6 review
Well, it's over, triumph for the All Blacks as they demolished the Springboks 57 - 15 (And well in all of a sudden, that was New Zealand's biggest winning margin over South Africa at home, surpassing the previous 36 point-margin set in 2003 & of course, last but not least, the 57 points scored were the most conceded by South Africa ever.) in a rousing 2nd half performance (Well I only watched the 1st half but I did not watch the 2nd half because I might fear that they are gonna lose that game but Dad told me that we have won the game because we're not livid at all) at Growthpoint Kings Park (Home of the Sharks Super Rugby & Currie Cup sides) in Durban during the final round of the 2016 Rugby Championship because the Rugby Championship is over for another year as the AB's for the 1st time in 2013, 6 out of 6 victories so far (Well I labelled the current New Zealand side in 1 word: dominating because they are closing in for most straight wins by a tier 1 nation & they have claimed another big scalp as South Africa had fallen victim again in the so called #Blackout of 2016 along with Argentina, Australia (Let's hope that the Wallabies join the Welsh 3 times just like they did) & Wales because the All Blacks were on fire during the 2016 Rugby Championship campaign since we regained our honours from Australia because they won it last year) but hey...we are just friends for so here's the full match commentary straight outta Durban (Not Compton in Los Angeles, California):
Kings Park in Durban is the scene for the Rugby Championship clash between South Africa and New Zealand.
There is a massive crowd in attendance for this clash and the atmosphere is electric - the formalities are complete and we are just moments away from kick off.
Conditions are perfect for fast, running rugby however there is a strong breeze blowing which could make it tricky under the high ball - the All Blacks have the breeze at their back in the first half.
1ST MINUTE, 1ST HALF: Morne Steyn kicks off for the Springboks and we are underway!
1 MINUTE LATER: An awkward pass for Waisake Naholo - the winger spills the ball on the half volley and the Springboks have the first scrum feed of the match, just inside All Blacks' territory.
1 MINUTE LATER: Matt Todd is off his feet at the breakdown and the Springboks have the first penalty of the match, right on the half way line.
2 MINUTES LATER, PENALTY GOAL: A wonderful strike from Steyn from 50m out into the teeth of the breeze and, with both flags raised, the Springboks take an early 3-0 lead.
2 MINUTES LATER, PENALTY MISS: A chance for Beauden Barrett to level the scores but he has left his kick away to the right and the flags stay down.
1 MINUTE LATER: A wayward pass from Kieran Read lands into the waiting arms of Juan de Jongh who effects the intercept before, despite having plenty open space ahead of him, electing to boot the ball down field.
3 MINUTES LATER: Naholo, under plenty of pressure inside the in-goal area, does well to scramble his clearing kick into touch beyond the All Blacks' 22m line.
4 MINUTES LATER: A rare error from the All Blacks at the line out will give the Springboks a chance to clear the danger area with a long kick up toward the half way line.
2 MINUTES LATER: A break in play with Damian de Allende receiving treatment - he gets to his feet eventually but his left arm, which is heavily strapped, is obviously giving him some discomfort.
2 MINUTES LATER, PENALTY GOAL: Steyn, from much closer in this time, drives home his second penalty goal of the match to give the Springboks a 6-0 lead.
The All Blacks have had the best of territory and possession in the early stages but it is the Springboks who have converted their opportunities into points on the scoreboard.
1 MINUTE LATER: The All Blacks are just 5m out from the Springboks' line - Samuel Whitelock fumbles the pass initially but manages to hang on as the visitors continue to attack the line.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: A brilliant team try from the All Blacks! Wonderful ball retention from the visitors eventually wears down the Springboks' defence with an overlap created out wide for Israel Dagg who strolls over.
3 MINUTES LATER, CONVERSION MISS: Barrett struggling to come to terms with the breeze in this first half - his conversion attempt slams into the woodwork. In an absorbing contest, the Springboks lead by 6-5.
2 MINUTES LATER, PENALTY GOAL: Steyn keeps the scoreboard ticking over for the home side with his 3rd penalty goal from 3 attempts - the Springboks extend their lead to 9-5.
1 MINUTE LATER: The All Blacks are once again on the front foot deep inside Springboks' territory with Brodie Retallick crashing his way through the South African defence.
1 MINUTE LATER: The Springboks' defence has been outstanding so far but the big question is how long are they able to keep up this work rate - the home side currently leads the tackle count by 44-14.
3 MINUTES LATER: A penalty for the All Blacks who elect to kick for touch - Barrett finds the line right on the Springboks' 22.
1 MINUTE LATER, TMO: TJ Perenara drives low and hard for the try line - the TMO will review the video but it initially appears as though he lost control of the ball short of the paint.
TRY: Controversy at Kings Park! The TMO rules that, although control appeared to have been lost, there was no separation between ball and hand and so the try to TJ Perenara has been awarded.
2 MINUTES LATER, CONVERSION: Barrett converts the try from virtually right in front of the posts and the All Blacks are into the lead for the first time - the visitors lead by 12-9.
2 MINUTES LATER: A loose pass from Perenara but Naholo is able to gather the bouncing ball and secure possession for the All Blacks.
1 MINUTE LATER: PENALTY MISS: Steyn drops into the pocket and attempts an ambitious drop goal attempt however his kick falls well short of the target.
2 MINUTES LATER: The All Blacks are once again piling the pressure on the Springboks' defence - they come up with a penalty and Barrett will put the ball into the corner.
1 MINUTE LATER, TMO: Brodie Retallick breaks from the rolling maul and dives over - the ref wants to have a look to see if there was any separation in the build up which would result in the All Blacks being off-side.
NO TRY: After a lengthy review, the ref rules that there was separation and so the try is disallowed - that will be the last action of the 1st half.
HALF TIME: The All Blacks head into the break with a 12-9 lead over the Springboks - only 3 points separate the two sides but the story of the first half is New Zealand's dominance of possession and territory.
40TH MINUTE, 2ND HALF: Barrett kicks off for New Zealand and the 2nd half is underway.
2 MINUTES LATER: A familiar pattern emerges in the opening minute of the second half with the All Blacks attacking from deep inside the Springboks' 22.
1 MINUTE LATER: A loose pass has Dagg retreating but he gathers the bouncing ball as the All Blacks look to set up another assault on the Springboks' defence.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: After an incredible 20 phases, weight of numbers eventually proves too much for the Springboks' defence with Barrett offloading to Dagg who touches down.
2 MINUTES LATER, CONVERSION MISS: Barrett hasn't had his best game from the tee - he has pushed this conversion attempt wide as well but the All Blacks hold an ominous 17-9 lead early in the 2nd half.
2 MINUTES LATER: From the outset, the Springboks have been happy to kick the ball away but it is a tactic that hasn't paid dividends - the home side has not yet had possession inside the All Blacks' 22.
2 MINUTES LATER, PENALTY GOAL: Steyn adds his 4th penalty goal to keep the Springboks in touch - the home side trails by 17-12.
3 MINUTES LATER: The difference in tactics between the two sides are once again in stark contrast - the All Blacks win a penalty well within kicking distance but they look to go on the front foot with Barrett kicking for touch.
2 MINUTES LATER, TRY: The attempted clearing kick from Pat Lambie is charged down by Anton Lienert-Brown who is quick to toe the loose ball forward for the run of Barrett who dots down for the All Blacks' 2nd try of the second half.
4 MINUTES LATER, CONVERSION MISS: Barrett continues to struggle from the tee but it matters little given the All Blacks' dominance of general play - the visitors lead by 22-12.
1 MINUTE LATER, PENALTY GOAL: Steyn gives the home side some hope with his 5th penalty goal - it is the All Blacks ahead by 22-15.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: More brilliance from the All Blacks from the restart - Dagg hands off to Dane Coles who with strength manages to get away the offload to TJ Perenara and the scrum half scrambles over.
3 MINUTES LATER, CONVERSION: A much better strike from Barrett - the flags are up and the extra two points has the All Blacks ahead by 29-15.
3 MINUTES LATER: An injection of pace for the Springboks with Willie le Roux onto the field and he has an immediate impact by breaking the All Blacks' defensive line for one of the rare occasions this evening - he flings a hopeful pass out wide but it is chopped off by Dagg.
2 MINUTES LATER: A penalty at scrum time for the All Blacks and it will be Lima Sopoaga, fresh onto the field, who will kick for touch up toward the visitors' 10m line.
2 MINUTES LATER, TMO: Barrett scoots away from the defence before rounding the last man to dot down under the posts - the ref wants to have a look to see if there was a knock on in the lead up.
TRY: After the review, the try to Barrett stands and he will line up the conversion from right in front of the posts.
1 MINUTE LATER, CONVERSION: Barrett converts his own try for a commanding 36-15 lead.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: The All Blacks are in again - the rolling maul rumbles forward virtually unimpeded and at the back of the pack it is Codie Taylor who comes up with the 5-pointer.
2 MINUTES LATER, CONVERSION: The scoreboard continues to tick over with Lima Sopoaga nailing his first kick of the match - the All Blacks are steaming to victory, ahead by 43-15.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: Unbelievable rugby from the All Blacks! Barrett has the try line at his mercy but he unselfishly pops up the pass to Ben Smith who adds his name to the growing list of try scorers.
3 MINUTES LATER, CONVERSION: Sopoaga converts as the All Blacks reach the half century mark - it is New Zealand ahead by 50-15.
1 MINUTE LATER: A penalty for South Africa and, for one of the rare occasions, the home side turns down a shot at goal with Lambie kicking for the touch line.
YELLOW CARD: A loose tackle from Codie Taylor catches Patrick Lambie high around the neck and the ref produces a yellow card.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: Time is up on the clock but the All Blacks are not done yet! Ben Smith brilliantly releases the offload from the ground to Liam Squire who scrambles over in the corner.
CONVERSION: A brilliant conversion from Sopoaga from out wide near the touch line increases the All Blacks' lead to a record breaking 57-15.
FULL TIME: A breathtakingly ruthless display from the All Blacks who, somehow, continue to grow from strength to strength. A record breaking night on several counts for New Zealand who have equalled the record of 17 consecutive Test wins with a crushing 57-15 victory over South Africa.
And finally in this blog, the Wallabies travelled to Twickenham in London to take on Argentina in this epic encounter in a rematch of the Rugby World Cup semifinal last year when the 2 sides met in a 1st ever test match in Tri Nations/Rugby Championship history being played in the Northern Hemisphere:
Australia ended the Rugby Championship with a victory as they overcame Argentina 33-21 at Twickenham, London to finish in second spot.
48,515 fans were in attendance for a fixture that the Pumas will have nightmares over as they lost a game they probably should have won.
Early missed penalties from Santiago González Iglesias - in for the injured Nicolás Sánchez at first-five eighth - coupled by 2 Australia yellow cards and a contentious try will leave the Pumas wondering what might have been. Ultimately they finish with the Rugby Championship wooden spoon.
Australia, in contrast, will be thankful for Bernard Foley's boot while Adam Coleman, Samu Kerevi (2) and Dean Mumm picked up tries.
It was a nightmare 1st 10 minutes for Argentina as they had a try chalked off due to offside against Iglesias and then the TMO, Rowan Kitt, controversially allowed Wallaby second-row Coleman a try after Dane Haylett-Petty looked to have lost the ball in an earlier phase.
With Foley adding a penalty a minute later, Australia were in a good position at 10-0 to the good. The Pumas meanwhile were rightly upset.
Seeing flanker Michael Hooper sent to the bin for a high-tackle improved their mood on 17 minutes and when Matías Alemanno crashed over from close-range they were back in the game. Unfortunately Iglesias missed his second attempt at goal from the conversion so it remained 5-10.
Foley was having no such trouble off the tee as his second penalty moved Australia into a 13-5 lead before Hooper returned to the fray.
Iglesias' woes continued before the half-hour when another penalty kick went awry. One feared that not even a second yellow card for the Wallabies, this time going the way of Coleman for a high tackle, would result in Argentina winning if they didn't sort out their kicking.
Their next issue was the line-out and an overthrow from Agustín Creevy that led to Kerevi powerfully finishing off a try to make it 18-5. But fortunately for the Pumas Kerevi offended from the resulting restart, allowing Iglesias to fire over his first points before the break.
It was game on six minutes into the second-half as Martin Landajo's quick thinking from five metres out saw him tap before he sent De la Fuente over the whitewash. With Iglesias kicking the conversion suddenly the Pumas were right back in the game at just 15-18 behind.
But then came a moment that took the wind out of Argentina as a fumble in midfield led to Kerevi racing over for his brace on 49 minutes. Iglesias did hit back via a scrum penalty five minutes later but they were down by seven points, lamenting that earlier handling mistake.
It was perhaps fitting that a Pumas error led to the final score of the game as this time a loose pass was gobbled up by Mumm, who set off for the unconverted try that gave the Wallabies a bonus-point victory.
That is my 27th (XXVIIth) blog of the year 2016 (MMXVI), see you up front.
Kings Park in Durban is the scene for the Rugby Championship clash between South Africa and New Zealand.
There is a massive crowd in attendance for this clash and the atmosphere is electric - the formalities are complete and we are just moments away from kick off.
Conditions are perfect for fast, running rugby however there is a strong breeze blowing which could make it tricky under the high ball - the All Blacks have the breeze at their back in the first half.
1ST MINUTE, 1ST HALF: Morne Steyn kicks off for the Springboks and we are underway!
1 MINUTE LATER: An awkward pass for Waisake Naholo - the winger spills the ball on the half volley and the Springboks have the first scrum feed of the match, just inside All Blacks' territory.
1 MINUTE LATER: Matt Todd is off his feet at the breakdown and the Springboks have the first penalty of the match, right on the half way line.
2 MINUTES LATER, PENALTY GOAL: A wonderful strike from Steyn from 50m out into the teeth of the breeze and, with both flags raised, the Springboks take an early 3-0 lead.
2 MINUTES LATER, PENALTY MISS: A chance for Beauden Barrett to level the scores but he has left his kick away to the right and the flags stay down.
1 MINUTE LATER: A wayward pass from Kieran Read lands into the waiting arms of Juan de Jongh who effects the intercept before, despite having plenty open space ahead of him, electing to boot the ball down field.
3 MINUTES LATER: Naholo, under plenty of pressure inside the in-goal area, does well to scramble his clearing kick into touch beyond the All Blacks' 22m line.
4 MINUTES LATER: A rare error from the All Blacks at the line out will give the Springboks a chance to clear the danger area with a long kick up toward the half way line.
2 MINUTES LATER: A break in play with Damian de Allende receiving treatment - he gets to his feet eventually but his left arm, which is heavily strapped, is obviously giving him some discomfort.
2 MINUTES LATER, PENALTY GOAL: Steyn, from much closer in this time, drives home his second penalty goal of the match to give the Springboks a 6-0 lead.
The All Blacks have had the best of territory and possession in the early stages but it is the Springboks who have converted their opportunities into points on the scoreboard.
1 MINUTE LATER: The All Blacks are just 5m out from the Springboks' line - Samuel Whitelock fumbles the pass initially but manages to hang on as the visitors continue to attack the line.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: A brilliant team try from the All Blacks! Wonderful ball retention from the visitors eventually wears down the Springboks' defence with an overlap created out wide for Israel Dagg who strolls over.
3 MINUTES LATER, CONVERSION MISS: Barrett struggling to come to terms with the breeze in this first half - his conversion attempt slams into the woodwork. In an absorbing contest, the Springboks lead by 6-5.
2 MINUTES LATER, PENALTY GOAL: Steyn keeps the scoreboard ticking over for the home side with his 3rd penalty goal from 3 attempts - the Springboks extend their lead to 9-5.
1 MINUTE LATER: The All Blacks are once again on the front foot deep inside Springboks' territory with Brodie Retallick crashing his way through the South African defence.
1 MINUTE LATER: The Springboks' defence has been outstanding so far but the big question is how long are they able to keep up this work rate - the home side currently leads the tackle count by 44-14.
3 MINUTES LATER: A penalty for the All Blacks who elect to kick for touch - Barrett finds the line right on the Springboks' 22.
1 MINUTE LATER, TMO: TJ Perenara drives low and hard for the try line - the TMO will review the video but it initially appears as though he lost control of the ball short of the paint.
TRY: Controversy at Kings Park! The TMO rules that, although control appeared to have been lost, there was no separation between ball and hand and so the try to TJ Perenara has been awarded.
2 MINUTES LATER, CONVERSION: Barrett converts the try from virtually right in front of the posts and the All Blacks are into the lead for the first time - the visitors lead by 12-9.
2 MINUTES LATER: A loose pass from Perenara but Naholo is able to gather the bouncing ball and secure possession for the All Blacks.
1 MINUTE LATER: PENALTY MISS: Steyn drops into the pocket and attempts an ambitious drop goal attempt however his kick falls well short of the target.
2 MINUTES LATER: The All Blacks are once again piling the pressure on the Springboks' defence - they come up with a penalty and Barrett will put the ball into the corner.
1 MINUTE LATER, TMO: Brodie Retallick breaks from the rolling maul and dives over - the ref wants to have a look to see if there was any separation in the build up which would result in the All Blacks being off-side.
NO TRY: After a lengthy review, the ref rules that there was separation and so the try is disallowed - that will be the last action of the 1st half.
HALF TIME: The All Blacks head into the break with a 12-9 lead over the Springboks - only 3 points separate the two sides but the story of the first half is New Zealand's dominance of possession and territory.
40TH MINUTE, 2ND HALF: Barrett kicks off for New Zealand and the 2nd half is underway.
2 MINUTES LATER: A familiar pattern emerges in the opening minute of the second half with the All Blacks attacking from deep inside the Springboks' 22.
1 MINUTE LATER: A loose pass has Dagg retreating but he gathers the bouncing ball as the All Blacks look to set up another assault on the Springboks' defence.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: After an incredible 20 phases, weight of numbers eventually proves too much for the Springboks' defence with Barrett offloading to Dagg who touches down.
2 MINUTES LATER, CONVERSION MISS: Barrett hasn't had his best game from the tee - he has pushed this conversion attempt wide as well but the All Blacks hold an ominous 17-9 lead early in the 2nd half.
2 MINUTES LATER: From the outset, the Springboks have been happy to kick the ball away but it is a tactic that hasn't paid dividends - the home side has not yet had possession inside the All Blacks' 22.
2 MINUTES LATER, PENALTY GOAL: Steyn adds his 4th penalty goal to keep the Springboks in touch - the home side trails by 17-12.
3 MINUTES LATER: The difference in tactics between the two sides are once again in stark contrast - the All Blacks win a penalty well within kicking distance but they look to go on the front foot with Barrett kicking for touch.
2 MINUTES LATER, TRY: The attempted clearing kick from Pat Lambie is charged down by Anton Lienert-Brown who is quick to toe the loose ball forward for the run of Barrett who dots down for the All Blacks' 2nd try of the second half.
4 MINUTES LATER, CONVERSION MISS: Barrett continues to struggle from the tee but it matters little given the All Blacks' dominance of general play - the visitors lead by 22-12.
1 MINUTE LATER, PENALTY GOAL: Steyn gives the home side some hope with his 5th penalty goal - it is the All Blacks ahead by 22-15.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: More brilliance from the All Blacks from the restart - Dagg hands off to Dane Coles who with strength manages to get away the offload to TJ Perenara and the scrum half scrambles over.
3 MINUTES LATER, CONVERSION: A much better strike from Barrett - the flags are up and the extra two points has the All Blacks ahead by 29-15.
3 MINUTES LATER: An injection of pace for the Springboks with Willie le Roux onto the field and he has an immediate impact by breaking the All Blacks' defensive line for one of the rare occasions this evening - he flings a hopeful pass out wide but it is chopped off by Dagg.
2 MINUTES LATER: A penalty at scrum time for the All Blacks and it will be Lima Sopoaga, fresh onto the field, who will kick for touch up toward the visitors' 10m line.
2 MINUTES LATER, TMO: Barrett scoots away from the defence before rounding the last man to dot down under the posts - the ref wants to have a look to see if there was a knock on in the lead up.
TRY: After the review, the try to Barrett stands and he will line up the conversion from right in front of the posts.
1 MINUTE LATER, CONVERSION: Barrett converts his own try for a commanding 36-15 lead.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: The All Blacks are in again - the rolling maul rumbles forward virtually unimpeded and at the back of the pack it is Codie Taylor who comes up with the 5-pointer.
2 MINUTES LATER, CONVERSION: The scoreboard continues to tick over with Lima Sopoaga nailing his first kick of the match - the All Blacks are steaming to victory, ahead by 43-15.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: Unbelievable rugby from the All Blacks! Barrett has the try line at his mercy but he unselfishly pops up the pass to Ben Smith who adds his name to the growing list of try scorers.
3 MINUTES LATER, CONVERSION: Sopoaga converts as the All Blacks reach the half century mark - it is New Zealand ahead by 50-15.
1 MINUTE LATER: A penalty for South Africa and, for one of the rare occasions, the home side turns down a shot at goal with Lambie kicking for the touch line.
YELLOW CARD: A loose tackle from Codie Taylor catches Patrick Lambie high around the neck and the ref produces a yellow card.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: Time is up on the clock but the All Blacks are not done yet! Ben Smith brilliantly releases the offload from the ground to Liam Squire who scrambles over in the corner.
CONVERSION: A brilliant conversion from Sopoaga from out wide near the touch line increases the All Blacks' lead to a record breaking 57-15.
FULL TIME: A breathtakingly ruthless display from the All Blacks who, somehow, continue to grow from strength to strength. A record breaking night on several counts for New Zealand who have equalled the record of 17 consecutive Test wins with a crushing 57-15 victory over South Africa.
And finally in this blog, the Wallabies travelled to Twickenham in London to take on Argentina in this epic encounter in a rematch of the Rugby World Cup semifinal last year when the 2 sides met in a 1st ever test match in Tri Nations/Rugby Championship history being played in the Northern Hemisphere:
Australia ended the Rugby Championship with a victory as they overcame Argentina 33-21 at Twickenham, London to finish in second spot.
48,515 fans were in attendance for a fixture that the Pumas will have nightmares over as they lost a game they probably should have won.
Early missed penalties from Santiago González Iglesias - in for the injured Nicolás Sánchez at first-five eighth - coupled by 2 Australia yellow cards and a contentious try will leave the Pumas wondering what might have been. Ultimately they finish with the Rugby Championship wooden spoon.
Australia, in contrast, will be thankful for Bernard Foley's boot while Adam Coleman, Samu Kerevi (2) and Dean Mumm picked up tries.
It was a nightmare 1st 10 minutes for Argentina as they had a try chalked off due to offside against Iglesias and then the TMO, Rowan Kitt, controversially allowed Wallaby second-row Coleman a try after Dane Haylett-Petty looked to have lost the ball in an earlier phase.
With Foley adding a penalty a minute later, Australia were in a good position at 10-0 to the good. The Pumas meanwhile were rightly upset.
Seeing flanker Michael Hooper sent to the bin for a high-tackle improved their mood on 17 minutes and when Matías Alemanno crashed over from close-range they were back in the game. Unfortunately Iglesias missed his second attempt at goal from the conversion so it remained 5-10.
Foley was having no such trouble off the tee as his second penalty moved Australia into a 13-5 lead before Hooper returned to the fray.
Iglesias' woes continued before the half-hour when another penalty kick went awry. One feared that not even a second yellow card for the Wallabies, this time going the way of Coleman for a high tackle, would result in Argentina winning if they didn't sort out their kicking.
Their next issue was the line-out and an overthrow from Agustín Creevy that led to Kerevi powerfully finishing off a try to make it 18-5. But fortunately for the Pumas Kerevi offended from the resulting restart, allowing Iglesias to fire over his first points before the break.
It was game on six minutes into the second-half as Martin Landajo's quick thinking from five metres out saw him tap before he sent De la Fuente over the whitewash. With Iglesias kicking the conversion suddenly the Pumas were right back in the game at just 15-18 behind.
But then came a moment that took the wind out of Argentina as a fumble in midfield led to Kerevi racing over for his brace on 49 minutes. Iglesias did hit back via a scrum penalty five minutes later but they were down by seven points, lamenting that earlier handling mistake.
It was perhaps fitting that a Pumas error led to the final score of the game as this time a loose pass was gobbled up by Mumm, who set off for the unconverted try that gave the Wallabies a bonus-point victory.
That is my 27th (XXVIIth) blog of the year 2016 (MMXVI), see you up front.
Saturday, 1 October 2016
Californication/Give It Away: Rugby Championship Round 5 report
Well, it was today that I was up & ready to watch the game between Argentina & the All Blacks so Pops came here along with Dad & Jansen to my flat to watch the rugby & during the game, I was having Pizza for lunch (Well I had a Clausthaler low alcohol beer with it).
But 1st, it was the Springboks who have home ground advantage against the Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria (The site of the All Blacks capturing their 1st test series win in South Africa 20 years ago) so here's the full news report:
South Africa returned to the victory trail when they secured a deserved 18-10 triumph over Australia in their Rugby Championship clash in Pretoria in Round 5.
An accomplished kicking display from Morne Steyn, who scored all his team's points, guided the home side to victory although the Wallabies scored the game's only try early in the first half when Scott Sio went over the whitewash.
The result means the Boks ended a 3-match losing streak and they move above the Wallabies into second place in the standings.
Despite their win, there are still question marks about the Boks though as the Wallabies dominated the territorial stakes and spent large parts of the game in the home side's half.
Springbok head coach Allister Coetzee's decision to go with a 6/2, forwards/backs split backfired on him as the Boks lost the services of Jesse Kriel in the first half as well as Bryan Habana and Rudy Paige early in the second half.
This meant that the Boks were forced to play with Jaco Kriel on the left wing during the game's final quarter. But to their credit, the Boks showed great character and a solid defensive effort in the second half secured them this result.
The home side's captain Adriaan Strauss deserves special praise as he led from the front in what was by far his best Test of the season. He was named the official man of the match.
The Boks made a bright start and after taking the ball through several phases with their forwards, Steyn opened the scoring with a well-taken drop goal in the fifth minute.
The Wallabies were soon level, however, when Bernard Foley landed a penalty after Eben Etzebeth was penalised for taking Sean McMahon out off the ball midway between the halfway line and South Africa's 22.
Five minutes later, Habana failed to find touch and Israel Folau launched a counter-attack from inside his 22. The ball went through several pairs of hands and the Wallabies were soon close to the home side's try-line.
Will Genia then threw a long pass to Sekope Kepu who did well to offload to his front row partner Sio,who went over under the posts for his first Test try.
Australia had a chance to increase their lead in the 23rd minute, when Vincent Koch was blown up for a scrum infringement midway between the halfway line and the visitors' 22, but Reece Hodge's monster effort landed just short of the cross-bar.
3 minutes later, Steyn narrowed the gap to four points with a penalty, after several Wallabies went off their feet at a ruck. South Africa were then handed a lifeline in the 35th minute when Folau was yellow carded for taking Habana out off the ball after the Bok flyer had chipped ahead, close to the Wallabies' 22.
Steyn made no mistake with the subsequent place-kick which meant the game was evenly poised with score at 10-9 to the visitors. South Africa upped the ante on attack but couldn't round off their attacking chances but they regained the lead on the stroke of half-time when Steyn added his third penalty after Australia strayed offside on defence.
There wasn't much to report during the early exchanges in the second half although the Wallabies had two golden opportunities to take lead but Hodge missed two shots at goal in quick succession.
Steyn also had an opportunity to extend his side's lead on the hour mark but his penalty attempt, from 55 metres out, was also off target.
The rest of the half was a war of attrition as both sides tried to gain the ascendancy but although the Wallabies spent large parts of the half camped inside the Boks' half, they committed a plethora of handling handling errors which proved costly in the end.
Steyn scored the first points of the half in the 76th minute when he landed a penalty from close quarters after the Wallabies were penalised for a ruck infringement and the pivot sealed the result when he slotted his second drop goal in the game's closing stages.
And now, here's the full match commentary of the All Blacks playing at Estadio Jose Amalfitani in Buenos Aires as they face Argentina in round 5 of the Rugby Championship:
KICK OFF: We are underway as the referee blows his whistle.
2 MINUTES LATER, PENALTY GOAL: Beauden Barrett has kicked a penalty goal.
The defensive line has been broken as Dane Coles goes through the gap.
16 MINUTES LATER: A gap opened in the defence and Agustin Creevy took full advantage.
2 MINUTES LATER: Argentina have won 20 rucks so far this game.
1 MINUTE LATER: This is dangerous for the defence as Julian Savea bursts through to advance the New Zealand attack.
New Zealand have won 20 rucks so far this game.
6 MINUTES LATER: Javier Ortega Desio has made 10 good tackles so far this game.
TRY: New Zealand are only a few metres out, surely they must score! And they do with Anton Lienert-Brown touching down.
Beauden Barrett sets up the try.
1 MINUTE LATER, CONVERSION: Beauden Barrett has kicked a conversion.
5 MINUTES LATER: Nicolas Sanchez kicks the penalty.
1 MINUTE LATER: Trouble here as Julian Savea breaches the defence.
Fabulous play by New Zealand has led to Patrick Tuipulotu being able to wriggle through a gap.
TRY: Great hands by New Zealand leads to a try for Ryan Crotty.
Ryan Crotty makes the break as the defence re-enacts the parting of the red sea.
That's a great try assist by Anton Lienert-Brown.
2 MINUTES LATER, CONVERSION: Beauden Barrett converts the try.
What a run here by Ardie Savea as he gets over the gainline!.
2 MINUTES LATER, TRY: A series of passes by New Zealand results in a try for Dane Coles.
The defensive line has been broken as Israel Dagg goes through the gap.
Anton Lienert-Brown played a key part in that try.
1 MINUTE LATER, CONVERSION: Beauden Barrett makes no mistake with that conversion attempt.
A gap opened in the defence and Ryan Crotty took full advantage.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: A wonderful passing move by New Zealand is finished off by TJ Perenara.
Spellbinding play by Ben Smith is finished off with a try.
1 MINUTE LATER: Beauden Barrett has hooked the conversion to the right of the posts.
HALF-TIME: The half-time whistle blows and both teams’ head for the dressing rooms.
40TH MINUTE: The 2nd half is underway.
2 MINUTES LATER: New Zealand have won 40 rucks so far this game.
1 MINUTE LATER: This is dangerous for the defence as Brodie Retallick bursts through to advance the New Zealand attack.
1 MINUTE LATER: Trouble here as Anton Lienert-Brown breaches the defence.
TRY: Silky skills by New Zealand ends with a try for Ben Smith.
1 MINUTE LATER: Beauden Barrett does the business as his conversion attempt goes over.
2 MINUTES LATER, SUBSTITUTION: Brodie Retallick comes off. Sam Whitelock comes on.
1 MINUTE LATER, SUBSTITUTION: Agustin Creevy leaves the field. Julian Montoya comes on for Argentina.
SUBSTITUTION: Ryan Crotty departs for New Zealand. New Zealand sub Damian McKenzie comes onto the field.
3 MINUTES LATER: Fabulous play by Argentina has led to Santiago Cordero being able to wriggle through a gap.
Argentina have won 40 rucks so far this game.
What a tackle there by Damian McKenzie as he saves a certain try!.
YELLOW CARD: Joe Moody (New Zealand) is shown a yellow card.
SUBSTITUTION: New Zealand make a substitution with Liam Squire coming off. New Zealand make a substitution with Wyatt Crockett coming on.
1 MINUTE LATER, SUBSTITUTION: Argentina decide to make a substitution, with Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro being replaced. Argentina decide to make a substitution, with Lucas Noguera Paz getting some game time.
3 MINUTES LATER: Ardie Savea has made 10 good tackles so far this game.
1 MINUTE LATER, SUBSTITUTION: Martin Landajo comes off. Tomas Cubelli comes on.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: Facundo Isa scores the try from close range.
CONVERSION: Nicolas Sanchez adds the two points for Argentina.
1 MINUTE LATER: Facundo Isa makes the break as the defence re-enacts the parting of the red sea.
5 MINUTES LATER, SUBSTITUTION: Ramiro Herrera comes off. Enrique Pieretto Heilan comes on.
SUBSTITUTION: Owen Franks leaves the field. Ofa Tu'ungafasi comes on for New Zealand.
SUBSTITUTION: Joe Moody departs for New Zealand. New Zealand sub Liam Squire comes onto the field.
1 MINUTE LATER: Argentina have won 60 rucks so far this game.
YELLOW CARD: Liam Squire (New Zealand) is shown a yellow card.
1 MINUTE LATER, SUBSTITUTION: Argentina make a substitution with Pablo Matera coming off. Argentina make a substitution with Juan Manuel Leguizamon coming on.
2 MINUTES LATER: TJ Perenara has made 10 good tackles so far this game.
1 MINUTE LATER, SUBSTITUTION: Argentina decide to make a substitution, with Nicolas Sanchez being replaced. Argentina decide to make a substitution, with Jeronimo De La Fuente getting some game time.
SUBSTITUTION: TJ Perenara comes off. awera Kerr-Barlow comes on.
1 MINUTE LATER: Dane Coles comes off. Codie Taylor comes on.
1 MINUTE LATER: Try saving tackle made by Javier Ortega Desio.
What a run here by Julian Savea as he gets over the gainline!.
5 MINUTES LATER, SUBSTITUTION: Beauden Barrett comes off. Lima Sopoaga comes on.
SUBSTITUTION: Kieran Read leaves the field. Elliot Dixon comes on for New Zealand.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: The kick through from Argentina has allowed Joaquin Tuculet to touch down.
1 MINUTE LATER: The defensive line has been broken as Joaquin Tuculet goes through the gap.
CONVERSION: The touch judges raise their flags as Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias kicks the conversion.
SUBSTITUTION: Ramiro Moyano departs for Argentina. Argentina sub Matias Orlando comes onto the field.
2 MINUTES LATER: A gap opened in the defence and Matias Moroni took full advantage.
3 MINUTES LATER: This is dangerous for the defence as Tomas Cubelli bursts through to advance the Argentina attack.
Argentina have won 80 rucks so far this game.
FULL-TIME: It's all over! The referee has blown his whistle to end the match.
Until next time it's bye from us. (That is my 26th blog of the year 2016 (MMXVI)
But 1st, it was the Springboks who have home ground advantage against the Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria (The site of the All Blacks capturing their 1st test series win in South Africa 20 years ago) so here's the full news report:
South Africa returned to the victory trail when they secured a deserved 18-10 triumph over Australia in their Rugby Championship clash in Pretoria in Round 5.
An accomplished kicking display from Morne Steyn, who scored all his team's points, guided the home side to victory although the Wallabies scored the game's only try early in the first half when Scott Sio went over the whitewash.
The result means the Boks ended a 3-match losing streak and they move above the Wallabies into second place in the standings.
Despite their win, there are still question marks about the Boks though as the Wallabies dominated the territorial stakes and spent large parts of the game in the home side's half.
Springbok head coach Allister Coetzee's decision to go with a 6/2, forwards/backs split backfired on him as the Boks lost the services of Jesse Kriel in the first half as well as Bryan Habana and Rudy Paige early in the second half.
This meant that the Boks were forced to play with Jaco Kriel on the left wing during the game's final quarter. But to their credit, the Boks showed great character and a solid defensive effort in the second half secured them this result.
The home side's captain Adriaan Strauss deserves special praise as he led from the front in what was by far his best Test of the season. He was named the official man of the match.
The Boks made a bright start and after taking the ball through several phases with their forwards, Steyn opened the scoring with a well-taken drop goal in the fifth minute.
The Wallabies were soon level, however, when Bernard Foley landed a penalty after Eben Etzebeth was penalised for taking Sean McMahon out off the ball midway between the halfway line and South Africa's 22.
Five minutes later, Habana failed to find touch and Israel Folau launched a counter-attack from inside his 22. The ball went through several pairs of hands and the Wallabies were soon close to the home side's try-line.
Will Genia then threw a long pass to Sekope Kepu who did well to offload to his front row partner Sio,who went over under the posts for his first Test try.
Australia had a chance to increase their lead in the 23rd minute, when Vincent Koch was blown up for a scrum infringement midway between the halfway line and the visitors' 22, but Reece Hodge's monster effort landed just short of the cross-bar.
3 minutes later, Steyn narrowed the gap to four points with a penalty, after several Wallabies went off their feet at a ruck. South Africa were then handed a lifeline in the 35th minute when Folau was yellow carded for taking Habana out off the ball after the Bok flyer had chipped ahead, close to the Wallabies' 22.
Steyn made no mistake with the subsequent place-kick which meant the game was evenly poised with score at 10-9 to the visitors. South Africa upped the ante on attack but couldn't round off their attacking chances but they regained the lead on the stroke of half-time when Steyn added his third penalty after Australia strayed offside on defence.
There wasn't much to report during the early exchanges in the second half although the Wallabies had two golden opportunities to take lead but Hodge missed two shots at goal in quick succession.
Steyn also had an opportunity to extend his side's lead on the hour mark but his penalty attempt, from 55 metres out, was also off target.
The rest of the half was a war of attrition as both sides tried to gain the ascendancy but although the Wallabies spent large parts of the half camped inside the Boks' half, they committed a plethora of handling handling errors which proved costly in the end.
Steyn scored the first points of the half in the 76th minute when he landed a penalty from close quarters after the Wallabies were penalised for a ruck infringement and the pivot sealed the result when he slotted his second drop goal in the game's closing stages.
And now, here's the full match commentary of the All Blacks playing at Estadio Jose Amalfitani in Buenos Aires as they face Argentina in round 5 of the Rugby Championship:
KICK OFF: We are underway as the referee blows his whistle.
2 MINUTES LATER, PENALTY GOAL: Beauden Barrett has kicked a penalty goal.
The defensive line has been broken as Dane Coles goes through the gap.
16 MINUTES LATER: A gap opened in the defence and Agustin Creevy took full advantage.
2 MINUTES LATER: Argentina have won 20 rucks so far this game.
1 MINUTE LATER: This is dangerous for the defence as Julian Savea bursts through to advance the New Zealand attack.
New Zealand have won 20 rucks so far this game.
6 MINUTES LATER: Javier Ortega Desio has made 10 good tackles so far this game.
TRY: New Zealand are only a few metres out, surely they must score! And they do with Anton Lienert-Brown touching down.
Beauden Barrett sets up the try.
1 MINUTE LATER, CONVERSION: Beauden Barrett has kicked a conversion.
5 MINUTES LATER: Nicolas Sanchez kicks the penalty.
1 MINUTE LATER: Trouble here as Julian Savea breaches the defence.
Fabulous play by New Zealand has led to Patrick Tuipulotu being able to wriggle through a gap.
TRY: Great hands by New Zealand leads to a try for Ryan Crotty.
Ryan Crotty makes the break as the defence re-enacts the parting of the red sea.
That's a great try assist by Anton Lienert-Brown.
2 MINUTES LATER, CONVERSION: Beauden Barrett converts the try.
What a run here by Ardie Savea as he gets over the gainline!.
2 MINUTES LATER, TRY: A series of passes by New Zealand results in a try for Dane Coles.
The defensive line has been broken as Israel Dagg goes through the gap.
Anton Lienert-Brown played a key part in that try.
1 MINUTE LATER, CONVERSION: Beauden Barrett makes no mistake with that conversion attempt.
A gap opened in the defence and Ryan Crotty took full advantage.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: A wonderful passing move by New Zealand is finished off by TJ Perenara.
Spellbinding play by Ben Smith is finished off with a try.
1 MINUTE LATER: Beauden Barrett has hooked the conversion to the right of the posts.
HALF-TIME: The half-time whistle blows and both teams’ head for the dressing rooms.
40TH MINUTE: The 2nd half is underway.
2 MINUTES LATER: New Zealand have won 40 rucks so far this game.
1 MINUTE LATER: This is dangerous for the defence as Brodie Retallick bursts through to advance the New Zealand attack.
1 MINUTE LATER: Trouble here as Anton Lienert-Brown breaches the defence.
TRY: Silky skills by New Zealand ends with a try for Ben Smith.
1 MINUTE LATER: Beauden Barrett does the business as his conversion attempt goes over.
2 MINUTES LATER, SUBSTITUTION: Brodie Retallick comes off. Sam Whitelock comes on.
1 MINUTE LATER, SUBSTITUTION: Agustin Creevy leaves the field. Julian Montoya comes on for Argentina.
SUBSTITUTION: Ryan Crotty departs for New Zealand. New Zealand sub Damian McKenzie comes onto the field.
3 MINUTES LATER: Fabulous play by Argentina has led to Santiago Cordero being able to wriggle through a gap.
Argentina have won 40 rucks so far this game.
What a tackle there by Damian McKenzie as he saves a certain try!.
YELLOW CARD: Joe Moody (New Zealand) is shown a yellow card.
SUBSTITUTION: New Zealand make a substitution with Liam Squire coming off. New Zealand make a substitution with Wyatt Crockett coming on.
1 MINUTE LATER, SUBSTITUTION: Argentina decide to make a substitution, with Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro being replaced. Argentina decide to make a substitution, with Lucas Noguera Paz getting some game time.
3 MINUTES LATER: Ardie Savea has made 10 good tackles so far this game.
1 MINUTE LATER, SUBSTITUTION: Martin Landajo comes off. Tomas Cubelli comes on.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: Facundo Isa scores the try from close range.
CONVERSION: Nicolas Sanchez adds the two points for Argentina.
1 MINUTE LATER: Facundo Isa makes the break as the defence re-enacts the parting of the red sea.
5 MINUTES LATER, SUBSTITUTION: Ramiro Herrera comes off. Enrique Pieretto Heilan comes on.
SUBSTITUTION: Owen Franks leaves the field. Ofa Tu'ungafasi comes on for New Zealand.
SUBSTITUTION: Joe Moody departs for New Zealand. New Zealand sub Liam Squire comes onto the field.
1 MINUTE LATER: Argentina have won 60 rucks so far this game.
YELLOW CARD: Liam Squire (New Zealand) is shown a yellow card.
1 MINUTE LATER, SUBSTITUTION: Argentina make a substitution with Pablo Matera coming off. Argentina make a substitution with Juan Manuel Leguizamon coming on.
2 MINUTES LATER: TJ Perenara has made 10 good tackles so far this game.
1 MINUTE LATER, SUBSTITUTION: Argentina decide to make a substitution, with Nicolas Sanchez being replaced. Argentina decide to make a substitution, with Jeronimo De La Fuente getting some game time.
SUBSTITUTION: TJ Perenara comes off. awera Kerr-Barlow comes on.
1 MINUTE LATER: Dane Coles comes off. Codie Taylor comes on.
1 MINUTE LATER: Try saving tackle made by Javier Ortega Desio.
What a run here by Julian Savea as he gets over the gainline!.
5 MINUTES LATER, SUBSTITUTION: Beauden Barrett comes off. Lima Sopoaga comes on.
SUBSTITUTION: Kieran Read leaves the field. Elliot Dixon comes on for New Zealand.
1 MINUTE LATER, TRY: The kick through from Argentina has allowed Joaquin Tuculet to touch down.
1 MINUTE LATER: The defensive line has been broken as Joaquin Tuculet goes through the gap.
CONVERSION: The touch judges raise their flags as Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias kicks the conversion.
SUBSTITUTION: Ramiro Moyano departs for Argentina. Argentina sub Matias Orlando comes onto the field.
2 MINUTES LATER: A gap opened in the defence and Matias Moroni took full advantage.
3 MINUTES LATER: This is dangerous for the defence as Tomas Cubelli bursts through to advance the Argentina attack.
Argentina have won 80 rucks so far this game.
FULL-TIME: It's all over! The referee has blown his whistle to end the match.
Until next time it's bye from us. (That is my 26th blog of the year 2016 (MMXVI)
Around The World/Breaking The Girl: The lunch with John & Lim & Wanganui rugby report
It was on Thursday that Pops took me to 15A Kells Avenue to do the garden job & after that, we went to mint & guess who I saw, Craig Cleveland the funeral director said hi to me to tell how is everything going then we had lunch because I had Nachos while Pops had Caesar salad and for dessert I had a pineapple lump cheesecake & a moccachino but I can't remember now that Pops had a dessert & then headed straight home & played that brand new F1 2016 game moments before having Pizza for dinner to end that incredible day it was.
And today which is 2 days later (Dad told me last night that I'm going with Poppa to have lunch with John & Lim today), Pops took me to New World to get the white vinegar, red onion, tomatoes & milk & then all of a sudden, it was closed due to the owner having to attend the funeral but we went to countdown instead but there was a power cut last night so we were unable to but the milk but we did get the white vinegar, red onion & tomatoes only before heading of to 15A Kells Avenue but Pops told me that we are having a salad so i cut 52 lettuce leaves & we were making it by chopping the red onions & tomatoes as well as making the vinegarette, getting both cold meats out & chopping them & cooking the croutons before John & Lim arrived so we showed them Nan's Memorial Garden because that was the 1st time that they've been there before we start the formalities of having lunch which is a salad with crutons (And yeah, Pops was sticking to Plan B because we were originally going to have a soup then because the soup was filling so we had ended up having a salad only) & I did enjoy it (Well I had a low alcohol beer with that one because it is my favourite drink now) & after having that meal, I felt like I was going to have another one but I didn't then I changed my mind by having another one and then I was so full & after that, John & Lim took me to show Nan's grave (Well I had a chat with John about they last time I saw him was the morning after the 2nd test between the All Blacks Vs Wales before we saw Cathey & Paige & I also chatted to Lim that what was New Zealand like when he 1st came here by 1st meeting John at Marton back in 2001 (The same year that I 1st met Lim) as well as he had been to a funeral before in both Malaysia & here before we went back home to 28 Koromiko Road (Well the interesting part was talking to John about the Olympics that we had our successful Olympic campaign in Rio with 4 gold medals, 9 silvers & 5 bronzes & even though that Lim is so proud that his country Malaysia only got both the silver & bronze medals but no golds) to show my flat that I have been living for 2 & a half years then I had said goodbyes to John & Lim as well as my Dad & Raewyn because Pops & I headed straight off to the rugby at Cooks Gardens so I had to get my Wanganui rugby flag that I forgot as well as taking the yellow & red cards with me so here's the full news report about Steelform Wanganui took on the Swamp Foxes of Thames Valley (And I saw 2 Olympians such as Bronze medalist in London & Silver medalist in Rio, Rebecca Scown & Christopher Harris (Not the cricketer) featuring assistant coach & dual international who played for Samoa & of course, the All Blacks, Frank Bunce (His son Chance was playing):
Wanganui remained on top of the table after thumping Thames Valley 60-14 at Cooks Gardens.
The Swamp Foxes showed much better mettle in the second half but had leaked 52 points before the break as the defending champions ran rampant.
Wanganui remain unbeaten in 2016 and are the favourites to secure their fifth Meads Cup title.
Fullback Te Rangatira Waitokia added his 10th try of the season to remain on top of the individual Heartland try-scoring list.
Wanganui 60 (Jamie Hughes 2, Kameli Kuruyabaki 2, Te Rangatira Waitokia, Tremaine Gilbert, Gavin Thornbury, Michael Nabuliwaqe tries; Dane Whale 5 con; Te Tau Kemp con) Thames Valley 14 (Hayden Wishnewski, Haere Renata tries; Beau Hamilton con). HT: 52-8.
Well I had a moccachino & 2 sausage dogs dipped in tomato & barbecue sauce and after the last try scored and successful conversion, the referee had no choice but to end the game early with only 3 minutes left on the clock but this is more like the All Blacks clash with our traditional Trans-Tasman rivals the Wallabies 20 years ago at Athletic Park in Wellington.
And after the game, Pops took me home to end an incredible day it was so I played a bit of F1 2016 (Not only because I had just bought the game itself on Monday & I quite liked it compared to F1 2015 because the game had a better reception than the previous one so the next game that I am buying is Dirt Rally for Christmas now) then I had spaghetti bolognese (Or spag bol for short because I had Italian week meaning that I had an Italian meal for a week compared to pasta week that I had 4 years ago) for dinner because Pops told me that I must have a light meal for dinner & right now I am now doing my 65th blog overall (25th of the year MMXVI) as well as listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers (One of Irish born rugby players playing for Wanganui Gavin Thornbury who is a self proclaimed fan of the band) on YouTube because I am still into alternative rock & heavy metal music but I will update to you tomorrow about the clash between Argentina & New Zealand in the 2nd to last or should I say the penultimate round of the Rugby Championship in Buenos Aires.
P.S. The All Blacks team has been named to face Argentina has been named with 3 changes to the starting side with lock Patrick Tuipulotu given the honor starting in the number 4 jersey with Brodie Retallick switching to No.5 replacing Sam Whitelock who is elevated to the reserves bench by replacing Luke Romano as well as Liam Squire coming into the starting XV to replace the injured Jerome Kaino (Who is ruled out for at least 1 game) while TJ Perenara replaces Aaron Smith who is rested so he could play against the Springboks next week & Anton Lienert-Brown been given the nod ahead of Malakai Fekitoa who has been given a rest & changes to the bench as Ofa Tu'ungafasi replaces Charlie Faumuina, Elliot Dixon replacing Matt Todd, Tawera Kerr-Barlow replaces Perenara who is gone into the starting XV as the starting half-back & finally, Mr Smiley himself Damian McKenzie gets his chance to make his test debut off the bench so here's the starting lineup for the test at Estadio Jose Amalfitani in Buenos Aires (Originally going to be played at the River Plate Stadium but the venue has since been changed & when will the so called #Blackout of 2016 end? Because Argentina might fall victim again if the AB's deserved to beat them but Wales have fallen victim on 3 occasions as well as the Wallabies twice, the Argentinians & South Africa once but will Argentina put an end to the blackout as well?):
1 (Loose head prop): Joe Moody (Canterbury/Crusaders)
2 (Hooker): Dane Coles (Wellington/Hurricanes)
3 (Tight head prop): Owen Franks (Canterbury/Crusaders)
4 (Lock): Patrick Tuipulotu (Auckland/Blues)
5 (Lock): Brodie Retallick (Hawke's Bay/Chiefs)
6 (Blindside Flanker): Liam Squire (Tasman/Highlanders)
7 (Openside Flanker): Ardie Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes)
8 (Number 8): Kieran Read (Captain, Canterbury/Crusaders)
9 (Half-back): TJ Perenara (Wellington/Hurricanes)
10 (First five eighth): Beauden Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes)
11 (Left Wing): Julian Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes)
12 (Second five eighth): Ryan Crotty (Canterbury/Crusaders)
13 (Centre): Anton Lienert-Brown (Waikato/Chiefs)
14 (Right Wing): Israel Dagg (Hawke's Bay/Crusaders)
& 15 (Fullback): Ben Smith (Otago/Highlanders)
And in the reserves are Codie Taylor, Wyatt Crockett, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Sam Whitelock, Elliot Dixon, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Lima Sopoaga & Damian McKenzie.
And today which is 2 days later (Dad told me last night that I'm going with Poppa to have lunch with John & Lim today), Pops took me to New World to get the white vinegar, red onion, tomatoes & milk & then all of a sudden, it was closed due to the owner having to attend the funeral but we went to countdown instead but there was a power cut last night so we were unable to but the milk but we did get the white vinegar, red onion & tomatoes only before heading of to 15A Kells Avenue but Pops told me that we are having a salad so i cut 52 lettuce leaves & we were making it by chopping the red onions & tomatoes as well as making the vinegarette, getting both cold meats out & chopping them & cooking the croutons before John & Lim arrived so we showed them Nan's Memorial Garden because that was the 1st time that they've been there before we start the formalities of having lunch which is a salad with crutons (And yeah, Pops was sticking to Plan B because we were originally going to have a soup then because the soup was filling so we had ended up having a salad only) & I did enjoy it (Well I had a low alcohol beer with that one because it is my favourite drink now) & after having that meal, I felt like I was going to have another one but I didn't then I changed my mind by having another one and then I was so full & after that, John & Lim took me to show Nan's grave (Well I had a chat with John about they last time I saw him was the morning after the 2nd test between the All Blacks Vs Wales before we saw Cathey & Paige & I also chatted to Lim that what was New Zealand like when he 1st came here by 1st meeting John at Marton back in 2001 (The same year that I 1st met Lim) as well as he had been to a funeral before in both Malaysia & here before we went back home to 28 Koromiko Road (Well the interesting part was talking to John about the Olympics that we had our successful Olympic campaign in Rio with 4 gold medals, 9 silvers & 5 bronzes & even though that Lim is so proud that his country Malaysia only got both the silver & bronze medals but no golds) to show my flat that I have been living for 2 & a half years then I had said goodbyes to John & Lim as well as my Dad & Raewyn because Pops & I headed straight off to the rugby at Cooks Gardens so I had to get my Wanganui rugby flag that I forgot as well as taking the yellow & red cards with me so here's the full news report about Steelform Wanganui took on the Swamp Foxes of Thames Valley (And I saw 2 Olympians such as Bronze medalist in London & Silver medalist in Rio, Rebecca Scown & Christopher Harris (Not the cricketer) featuring assistant coach & dual international who played for Samoa & of course, the All Blacks, Frank Bunce (His son Chance was playing):
Wanganui remained on top of the table after thumping Thames Valley 60-14 at Cooks Gardens.
The Swamp Foxes showed much better mettle in the second half but had leaked 52 points before the break as the defending champions ran rampant.
Wanganui remain unbeaten in 2016 and are the favourites to secure their fifth Meads Cup title.
Fullback Te Rangatira Waitokia added his 10th try of the season to remain on top of the individual Heartland try-scoring list.
Wanganui 60 (Jamie Hughes 2, Kameli Kuruyabaki 2, Te Rangatira Waitokia, Tremaine Gilbert, Gavin Thornbury, Michael Nabuliwaqe tries; Dane Whale 5 con; Te Tau Kemp con) Thames Valley 14 (Hayden Wishnewski, Haere Renata tries; Beau Hamilton con). HT: 52-8.
Well I had a moccachino & 2 sausage dogs dipped in tomato & barbecue sauce and after the last try scored and successful conversion, the referee had no choice but to end the game early with only 3 minutes left on the clock but this is more like the All Blacks clash with our traditional Trans-Tasman rivals the Wallabies 20 years ago at Athletic Park in Wellington.
And after the game, Pops took me home to end an incredible day it was so I played a bit of F1 2016 (Not only because I had just bought the game itself on Monday & I quite liked it compared to F1 2015 because the game had a better reception than the previous one so the next game that I am buying is Dirt Rally for Christmas now) then I had spaghetti bolognese (Or spag bol for short because I had Italian week meaning that I had an Italian meal for a week compared to pasta week that I had 4 years ago) for dinner because Pops told me that I must have a light meal for dinner & right now I am now doing my 65th blog overall (25th of the year MMXVI) as well as listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers (One of Irish born rugby players playing for Wanganui Gavin Thornbury who is a self proclaimed fan of the band) on YouTube because I am still into alternative rock & heavy metal music but I will update to you tomorrow about the clash between Argentina & New Zealand in the 2nd to last or should I say the penultimate round of the Rugby Championship in Buenos Aires.
P.S. The All Blacks team has been named to face Argentina has been named with 3 changes to the starting side with lock Patrick Tuipulotu given the honor starting in the number 4 jersey with Brodie Retallick switching to No.5 replacing Sam Whitelock who is elevated to the reserves bench by replacing Luke Romano as well as Liam Squire coming into the starting XV to replace the injured Jerome Kaino (Who is ruled out for at least 1 game) while TJ Perenara replaces Aaron Smith who is rested so he could play against the Springboks next week & Anton Lienert-Brown been given the nod ahead of Malakai Fekitoa who has been given a rest & changes to the bench as Ofa Tu'ungafasi replaces Charlie Faumuina, Elliot Dixon replacing Matt Todd, Tawera Kerr-Barlow replaces Perenara who is gone into the starting XV as the starting half-back & finally, Mr Smiley himself Damian McKenzie gets his chance to make his test debut off the bench so here's the starting lineup for the test at Estadio Jose Amalfitani in Buenos Aires (Originally going to be played at the River Plate Stadium but the venue has since been changed & when will the so called #Blackout of 2016 end? Because Argentina might fall victim again if the AB's deserved to beat them but Wales have fallen victim on 3 occasions as well as the Wallabies twice, the Argentinians & South Africa once but will Argentina put an end to the blackout as well?):
1 (Loose head prop): Joe Moody (Canterbury/Crusaders)
2 (Hooker): Dane Coles (Wellington/Hurricanes)
3 (Tight head prop): Owen Franks (Canterbury/Crusaders)
4 (Lock): Patrick Tuipulotu (Auckland/Blues)
5 (Lock): Brodie Retallick (Hawke's Bay/Chiefs)
6 (Blindside Flanker): Liam Squire (Tasman/Highlanders)
7 (Openside Flanker): Ardie Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes)
8 (Number 8): Kieran Read (Captain, Canterbury/Crusaders)
9 (Half-back): TJ Perenara (Wellington/Hurricanes)
10 (First five eighth): Beauden Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes)
11 (Left Wing): Julian Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes)
12 (Second five eighth): Ryan Crotty (Canterbury/Crusaders)
13 (Centre): Anton Lienert-Brown (Waikato/Chiefs)
14 (Right Wing): Israel Dagg (Hawke's Bay/Crusaders)
& 15 (Fullback): Ben Smith (Otago/Highlanders)
And in the reserves are Codie Taylor, Wyatt Crockett, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Sam Whitelock, Elliot Dixon, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Lima Sopoaga & Damian McKenzie.
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