Well, the All Blacks (Coached by Steve Hansen (Former Canterbury & Wales coach & All Blacks assistant coach to Ted, Sir Graham Henry) & captained by Crusader & Cantabrian Kieran Read (Although he was born in Papakura which is located in Auckland & took over the reins from the legendary Richie McCaw) ended our year with a win against the Guy Noves (Who took over as coach from former player Philippe Saint-Andre after France were completely annihilated by New Zealand in Cardiff last year during the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals) coached & Guilhem Guirado (Who plays for former All Black Ma'a Nonu's glamorous French club Toulon (Who has formed a foreign legion of players) which features the likes of Nonu himself, Georgia's finest of Mamuka Gorgodze & Levan Chilachava, Argentinian Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, American Samu Manoa, South Africans Duane Vermeulen, Juan Smith (Who is the captain for Toulon), Marcel van der Merwe, Juandre Kruger & Bryan Habana, Aussies Liam Gill, James O'Connor (Who is exactly, once known as the Justin Bieber (Although Aunty Tania is in Justin Bieber land so she's coming here to New Zealand next month for Christmas, New Year & the 1 year anniversary of Nan's passing on the 6th of January) of rugby (AKA James O'Bieber) because he looks like him a lot), Drew Mitchell & Matt Giteau, Japanese rock star of rugby all the way from the far east: Ayumu Goromaru, Welsh playboy Leigh Halfpenny, current & former French internationals Xavier Chiocci, Charles Ollivon, Sebastien Tillous-Borde, Francois Trinh-Duc, the big & impressive Mathieu Bastareaud, Maxime Mermoz & Vincent Clerc & of course the flying Fijians of prop Manasa Saulo & gold medal winner at Rio in sevens rugby, winger Josua Tuisova) led France at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France & I managed to wake up at 8am (Although I already set the alarm clock at 8am because I always get up there) 30 minutes till the start of the broadcast so I managed to have breakfast just like I watched the Irish game when I had breakfast because I had a cereal with yoghurt as well as having a croissant (Which is a French food that I had) before I had sausages with bacon, tomato & eggs so Pops managed to watch the game just because I had Sky along with my Dad who only watched the 1st half in my flat here but we didn't have smoothie (Well I had a smoothie for dessert on Thursday & Saturday when I saw the lights at 15A Kells Avenue right there) because we were full then but so here's the full match commentary of the game so far to end 2016 on a high for the All Blacks despite the defeat against Ireland which shocked the rugby world in Chicago by putting their train off our rails:
But 1st of all, here's the starting lineup for the All Blacks to play against France:
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): Waisake Naholo (Taranaki/Highlanders)
& 15 (Fullback): Israel Dagg (Hawke's Bay/Crusaders)
And in the reserves are Codie Taylor, Wyatt Crockett, Charlie Faumuina, Scott Barrett, Ardie Savea, Aaron Smith, Aaron Cruden & Rieko Ioane.
1ST MINUTE: Start of 1st half
Time for the anthems and a belting rendition of Le Marsellaise
France have advanced on the Haka with their arms linked. the crowd erupts with delight.
All set for kick off. The All Blacks get us underway.
New Zealand concede a penalty straight from kick off as Brodie Retallick takes the man in the air.
1 MINUTE LATER: France on the attack and piling the pressure on the All Blacks line. Electric start to this game. The All Blacks turn it over though and clear their lines.
2 MINUTES LATER: It's been all France so far. Noa Nakaitaci with a brilliant break down the left hand touch line but can't quite chip the final defender.
1 MINUTE LATER: Attacking maul for France now as the forwards rumble on, but the All Blacks defense is good and they win another turnover. 3 inside the first 5 minutes.
2 MINUTES LATER: 0-5 Try - Israel Dagg, New Zealand
TRY Time!! Julian Savea collects a Beauden Barrett cross kick and puts Israel Dagg in for a simple try. That is the All Blacks all over.
1 MINUTE LATER: 0-7 Conversion - Beauden Barrett, New Zealand
1 MINUTE LATER: France again on the attack as Camille Lopez is put in space but gets bundled into touch just short of the All Blacks line. What a game!
2 MINUTES LATER: The opening 10 minutes has been near enough all France other than a breakout try from the All Blacks. Unfortunately for Les Bleus, they have conceded turnovers at crucial stages which have let the All Blacks off the hook.
1 MINUTE LATER: Substitute on - Gael Fickou, France
12' Player substituted - Wesley Fofana, France
1 MINUTE LATER: Machenaud puts in a half gap after some smart work at the lineout by France.
2 MINUTES LATER: Player substituted - Yoann Maestri, France
15' Substitute on - Julien Ledevedec, France
2 MINUTES LATER: 0-10 Penalty goal - Beauden Barrett, New Zealand
17' Player substituted - Gael Fickou, France
17' Substitute on - Wesley Fofana, France
5 MINUTES LATER: France on the attack again and some slick offloading nearly puts Nakaitaci into space. They come within inches but can't find the decisive pass to break clear.
2 MINUTES LATER: Not seen an All Blacks defense been cut open this easily. French half-backs picking players off almost at will. Haven't converted all this possession and pressure into points though.
1 MINUTE LATER: 3-10 Penalty goal - Maxime Machenaud, France
2 MINUTES LATER: Lamerat strips Julian Savea of the ball to the delight of the French crowd. Strong defensive set from Les Bleus.
1 MINUTE LATER: France go within inches yet again after a flowing move from the half-way puts Vakatawa into space down the left. He steps inside but can't quite find Fofana with the offload. Brilliant play from the French.
3 MINUTES LATER: New Zealand defense has held strong despite an onslaught from France in the opening 30 minutes. You do feel that if they continue to weather this storm then the All Blacks will pull away in the final quarter of the game.
6 MINUTES LATER: The match has hit a bit of a lull after a series of handling errors. For all their possession and territory, France will want to get more than 3 points on the score board before the half.
2 MINUTES LATER: Brilliant kick chance earns France a penalty in front of the sticks. That should be 10-6 at the half-time.
1 MINUTE LATER: 6-10 Penalty goal - Maxime Machenaud, France
6-10 End of 1st half
41ST MINUTE: 6-10 Start of 2nd half
Thrilling 1st half in Paris. The French started at a frenetic pace but couldn't quite break through. The All Blacks have had to endure wave after wave of attack, enjoying just 38% of possession.
About to get back underway in the second-half. Brilliant atmosphere in Paris as the home crowd sense a potential upset. France will need to be more clinical if they are to get anything from this.
1 MINUTE LATER: Brilliant offloading from France as they hammer away at the All Black line once again.
1 MINUTE LATER: OH INTERCEPT!!! HERE WE GO!! Beauden Barrett breaks French hearts as he intercepts and races some 90 metres to dot down under the sticks. Nobody is catching him from there, no one.
1 MINUTE LATER: 6-15 Try - Beauden Barrett, New Zealand
6-17 Conversion - Beauden Barrett, New Zealand
1 MINUTE LATER: Player substituted - Brodie Retallick, New Zealand
Substitute on - Scott Barrett, New Zealand
Player substituted - Ryan Crotty, New Zealand
Substitute on - Rieko Ioane, New Zealand
Player substituted - Joe Moody, New Zealand
Substitute on - Wyatt Crockett, New Zealand
4 MINUTES LATER: Player substituted - Maxime Machenaud, France
Substitute on - Baptiste Serin, France
Player substituted - Owen Franks, New Zealand
Substitute on - Charlie Faumuina, New Zealand
The wind has been taken out of the French sails after that Beauden Barrett try. Drop off in intensity although the endeavor is still there as they continue to look for offloads.
2 MINUTES LATER: 9-17 Penalty goal - Baptiste Serin, France
1 MINUTE LATER: The French backs have been making yards almost at will tonight. Last ditch All Blacks defense has been superb otherwise this could be a very different game.
2 MINUTES LATER: Another let off for the All Blacks as Gourdon is judged to have gone off his feet.
3 MINUTES LATER: Another cross kick successfully claimed by the All Blacks, this time Naholo links up with Beauden Barrett. First meaningful passage of attack from New Zealand this half.
1 MINUTE LATER: Player substituted - Matt Todd, New Zealand
Substitute on - Ardie Savea, New Zealand
Player substituted - Israel Dagg, New Zealand
Substitute on - Aaron Cruden, New Zealand
Try Time All Blacks - Charlie Faumuina barges his way over after swatting away the French half-back Serin. New Zealand built through the phases there and the French defense became ragged.
1 MINUTE LATER: 9-22 Try - Charlie Faumuina, New Zealand
1 MINUTE LATER: 9-24 Conversion - Beauden Barrett , New Zealand
Player substituted - TJ Perenara, New Zealand
Substitute on - Aaron Smith, New Zealand
Troubling for France is that the All Blacks have a history of coming to life in the last 20 minutes.
1 MINUTE LATER: Guirado looked for all the world to be in for a try but the hooker just didn't quite have the reach and the ball is knocked on.
1 MINUTE LATER: Player substituted - Uini Atonio, France
Substitute on - Rabah Slimani, France
Player substituted - Xavier Chiocci, France
Substitute on - Cyril Baille, France
Player substituted - Remi Lamerat, France
Substitute on - Gael Fickou, France
1 MINUTE LATER: 14-24 Try - Louis Picamoles, France
What a try from France! Baptiste Serin with a sumptuous offload to Louis Picamoles who crashes over from close range. That all off the back of a devastating French scrum penalty.
1 MINUTE LATER: 16-24 Conversion - Baptiste Serin, France
Player substituted - Dane Coles, New Zealand
Substitute on - Codie Taylor, New Zealand
The no look offload from Baptiste Serin was out of this world! He's 22 and living up to the blockbuster billing.
3 MINUTES LATER: End to end stuff now as New Zealand look to put the game beyond doubt. Julian Savea charging up the middle of the pitch.
1 MINUTE LATER: Player substituted - Louis Picamoles, France
Substitute on - Damien Chouly, France
1 MINUTE LATER: Loose lineout by France sets New Zealand on the attack again. Beauden Barrett immediately puts in another cross field kick which isn't dealt with but play is brought back for a knock on.
2 MINUTES LATER: Player substituted - Guilhem Guirado, France
Substitute on - Camille Chat, France
New Zealand looking to finish the game off now as they go through the phases on the edge of the French 22. France's defense was superb though as they smash back the likes of Kieran Reid and Codie Taylor.
5 MINUTES LATER: France trying to unlock the New Zealand defense from deep inside their own half and end up being bundled into touch. It erupts into some pushing and shoving. France with penalty now and they opt for a shot at goal to bring them within one score of the All Blacks.
1 MINUTE LATER: Exciting finish now as France are within 5 points of New Zealand. The All Blacks win the ball back from kick off and Barrett pins the French back onto their own 5 metre line. They'll have to go the length now, though they have the players to do it.
1 MINUTE LATER: 19-24 Penalty goal - Baptiste Serin, France
2 MINUTES LATER: All Blacks on the attack deep inside the French half. They'll be looking to close this game out now. France need to make a play.
1 MINUTE LATER: It's all over as Aaron Smith lumps the ball into touch. What a match that was.
1 MINUTE LATER: 19-24 End of 2nd half
And what do I think of the game? Well we sank the French into oblivion as we end the year on a high (Although we had a test series win against Wales as well as ending our Rugby Championship campaign undefeated & breaking the record for most straight wins by a tier 1 nation with 18 now) but how did TJ Perenara became the 1st choice halfback for the All Blacks? Because he overtook Aaron Smith at the pecking order because of the scandal that rocked across the nation but because of that, Aaron Smith is no longer considered the best halfback in the world.
And finally in other rugby news such as the Joe Schmidt coached & Rory Best led Ireland (One of the All Blacks main challengers along with England for possibly the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan) who had to win against the Wallabies (Who will try to end England's hopes of a perfect year just like the Irish who almost ended the All Blacks unbeaten run in 2013) coached & captained by Michael Cheika & Stephen Moore respectively at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin ending Australia's hopes of a Grand Slam & the Springboks (Coached by Alister Coetzee & led by Adriaan Strauss for the last time before retiring for good) are in turmoil after being brassed off & embarrassed by Wales (Coached by Rob Howley who is filling in for Warren Gatland who is coaching the British & Irish Lions & captained by Gethin Jenkins who is also filling in for the injured Sam Warburton) at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff as well as England (Coached by an Aussie Eddie Jones & captained by a Kiwi born in Rotorua who is now officially an Englishman, Dylan Hartley) who defeated the Daniel Hourcade coached & Agustin Creevy led Argentina side to remain unbeaten in 2016 after an ill disciplined match (A player from each team got sent off for that aerial challenge which landed on it's head (Which is winger Elliot Daly who will miss the crucial clash against the Wallabies due to suspension because he did that to Argentinian Number 8 Leonardo Senatore just like Malakai Fekitoa did against Ireland for the head high tackle or should I say a high shot on Irish winger Simon Zebo (Although the Irish aren't happy with that because they were livid about it well that is disgraceful) because New Zealand were playing dirty to seek utu after the Chicago blues disappointment & how did Sam Cane (Who missed the final AB's game of the year against France due to injury along with Ben Smith) got away from it after being cited?) & stomping on the face of the opponent (Which is prop Enrique Pieretto who did that to English prop Joe Marler (Who got sin binned for a probable retaliation) in the England 10 metre line) in the ruck) at Twickenham in London + Scotland pipped Georgia (Who entertained last year at the Rugby World Cup by securing automatic qualification for the next Rugby World Cup in 2019 which is going to be held in Japan with both victories against Namibia & Tonga in Pool C) in Kilmarnock & Tonga getting their 1st win against Italy in Padua since the Rugby World Cup pool match in 1999.
So that is my XXXIVth blog of the year 2016 (MMXVI) & my 74th overall, see you then because I will be doing a blog about the year in review split into 6 parts.
Monday, 28 November 2016
Monday, 21 November 2016
Go With The Flow/Make It Wit Chu/No One Knows: All Blacks Revenge of the Irish
Well, it was 6am when I woke up by setting the alarm clock so the game was on as the All Blacks are exacting revenge against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin since Ireland beat them to create rugby history at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illnois a fortnight ago so Dad came here to watch in my flat so too is Poppa as he arrived late because he brought with the breakfast stuff so I had muesli with bananas & strawberries (1st course) & sausages with eggs & cooked tomatoes (Main course) for breakfast so here's the full match commentary about the game so far:
1ST MINUTE: Start of 1st half
15 minutes to go until kick off at the Aviva Stadium. After Ireland's historic win in Chicago a fortnight ago, this really has become the most anticipated match of the Autumn.
The teams are out as the IRFU president is introduced to the sides.
Anthems over, it's time for the All Blacks haka. Can we expect anything from the Irish side this week?
Intensity to that haka! The match has feels more like the rematch of two a heavyweight boxers than a rugby game. This ought to be a stormer!
All Blacks on the attack straight away but Ireland ferocious in defense and earn a turnover. Still the All Blacks come though.
1 MINUTE LATER: New Zealand hammer away at the Ireland line now, the big men making easy metres.
1 MINUTE LATER: 0-5 Try - Malakai Fekitoa, New Zealand
TRY TIME!! Fekitoa gets over wide on the left after a kick pass from Beauden Barrett. 3 minutes of relentless attack finally see's the All Blacks breakthrough.
2 MINUTES LATER: 0-7 Conversion - Beauden Barrett, New Zealand
1 MINUTE LATER: Loose pass from the All Blacks see's them immediately under pressure from the restart. They might be pumped but clearly nerves are still affecting them. Smith clears the lines. Ireland on the attack now with Sean O'Brien bursting through but he's held up over the line. Breathless start in Dublin!
3 MINUTES LATER: Ireland again held up over the New Zealand line! This time is CJ Stander. Referee Jaco Peyper brings play back for a penalty in front of the sticks, should be an easy 3 points.
1 MINUTE LATER: 3-7 Penalty goal - Johnny Sexton, Ireland
Play stopped for a second look at a Sam Cane tackle on Robbie Henshaw. Looked like the All Black could be seeing a card, but the TMO decides on just a penalty.
1 MINUTE LATER: Player substituted - Robbie Henshaw, Ireland
Substitute on - Garry Ringrose, Ireland
That decision seems to have divided opinion. New directives mean that any tackle that is even slightly high should be strictly policed and cards issued.
1 MINUTE LATER: As expected, this game has been electric so far. Beauden Barrett carries back a loose Rob Kearney kick and perfectly chips over the Irish defense to re-collect. Nearly puts Dagg through but a Ireland defender just gets a hand to it.
2 MINUTES LATER: 3-12 Try - Beauden Barrett, New Zealand
TRY TIME!! Beauden Barrett slices through the Ireland defense and dots down for the score. Jonny Sexton gets back and looked like he had prevent Barrett from touching down but the TMO awards the try. That's why Barrett is World Player of the Year.
1 MINUTE LATER: 3-14 Conversion - Beauden Barrett, New Zealand
2 MINUTES LATER: Ireland need points and quickly, the All Blacks are near impossible to reign in once they have a lead. They have a penalty and Aaron Smith is given a yellow card! That's exactly what they needed. They kick to the corner though? Right decision? We shall find out
1 MINUTE LATER: Yellow card - Aaron Smith, New Zealand
Player substituted - Johnny Sexton, Ireland
Substitute on - Paddy Jackson, Ireland
Player substituted - Sam Cane, New Zealand
Substitute on - Ardie Savea, New Zealand
Wrong Decision. All Blacks counter the resulting maul superbly and force Ireland to peel off, conceding a penalty in the process.
1 MINUTE LATER: Henshaw and Sexton are both off early on. They were instrumental in Ireland's win over the All Blacks in Chicago.
2 MINUTES LATER: It's wave after wave of green jerseys in attack now as Ireland work their way up to the New Zealand try line. Excellent attack with Stander and Heaslip both making strong carries. Ireland scrum 5 metres out. Can they convert this pressure into points?
1 MINUTE LATER: Player substituted - CJ Stander, Ireland
Substitute on - Josh Van der Flier, Ireland
2 MINUTES LATER: That had to be a another card for the All Blacks! The Irish scrum is on the march and Liam Squire decides to unbind and dive onto the ball to prevent them going any further. Jackson slots the penalty but you feel had Piper been stronger, it could have been more.
1 MINUTE LATER: 6-14 Penalty goal - Paddy Jackson, Ireland
Another penalty against the All Blacks for a high tackle. Fair to say the Irish players and fans are not impressed with the officials so far.
4 MINUTES LATER: Tadhg Furlong has been outstanding so far for Ireland, as have the backrow of O'Brien, Heaslip and Stander
Beauden Barrett knocks the ball out of Paddy Jackson's hands and races under the sticks but play is brought back for a knock-on.
5 MINUTES LATER: Julian Savea with a powerful carry that emulated another All Black winger, Jonah Lomu. Great way to mark the anniversary of his passing.
2 MINUTES LATER: New Zealand enjoying some lengthy possession now and are asking questions of the Irish defense. Another Ireland choke tackle earns a turnover though. They truly are the best in the world at that.
1 MINUTE LATER: Scrum penalty for Ireland. The tight five have really dominated at the set piece so far. Chance for the home side to get some points before half-time.
2 MINUTES LATER: Resolute defense from New Zealand who earn a penalty at the breakdown.
1 MINUTE LATER: 6-14 End of 1st half
Thrilling 1st 40 minutes in Dublin. The All Blacks have been clinical in attack with World Player of the Year Beauden Barrett at the heart of both tries. Ireland have looked threatening upfront but haven't been able to convert pressure into points. 3 key injuries in Henshaw, Sexton and Stander will no doubt take it's toll, particularly in the 2nd half.
41ST MINUTE: 6-14 Start of 2nd half
Paddy Jackson gets us back underway in the second-half. New Zealand lead by 8 points. It's Ireland on the attack early on as they try to unlock this All Blacks defense.
3 MINUTES LATER: Kieran Read wins a turnover penalty to bring a halt to the Irish attack. Joe Schmidt has clearly pinpointed Julian Savea as a weakness under the high ball as Jackson hangs one on the powerful winger to good effect. Ireland scrum just outside the New Zealand 22.
2 MINUTES LATER: Fields of Athenry rings around the Aviva Stadium as Ireland hammer go through the phases deep inside the New Zealand 22.
2 MINUTES LATER: Another high tackle from an All Blacks player and this time its a yellow card. Fekitoa the culprit. That's been coming. Ireland on the attack with a lineout on the New Zealand 5 metre line.
1 MINUTE LATER: Yellow card - Malakai Fekitoa, New Zealand
Player substituted - Joe Moody, New Zealand
Substitute on - Wyatt Crockett, New Zealand
1 MINUTE LATER: Sean O'Brien knocks on as he peels round the back of the lineout and Smith clears the pressure. Ireland need to turn this pressure into points. It's been nothing but wave after wave of green jerseys in the 2nd half.
2 MINUTES LATER: Player substituted - Owen Franks, New Zealand
Substitute on - Charlie Faumuina, New Zealand
Ireland maul goes marching deep inside the All Blacks 22. Brought down 5 metres out. Again the Irish hammer away at the New Zealand defense and again it holds strong.
2 MINUTES LATER: Dangerous All Blacks attack see's Dane Coles race down the touchline after some smart thinking at the lineout. O'Brien recovers well.
2 MINUTES LATER: Ireland almost over! Kearney agonisingly short and can't get the offload away. New Zealand turn it over and try to run it out of their own 22. Jared Payne wins a penalty and Ireland this time go for goal. Breathless second half.
2 MINUTES LATER: 9-14 Penalty goal - Paddy Jackson, Ireland
Player substituted - Jack McGrath, Ireland
Substitute on - Cian Healy, Ireland
Player substituted - Donnacha Ryan , Ireland
Substitute on - Iain Henderson , Ireland
Player substituted - Aaron Smith , New Zealand
Substitute on - TJ Perenara , New Zealand
Player substituted - Julian Savea , New Zealand
Substitute on - Aaron Cruden , New Zealand
2 MINUTES LATER: 20 minutes gone in the 2nd half and it's been all Ireland. New Zealand scramble defense has been brilliant, restricting Ireland to just 9 points so far.
3 MINUTES LATER: New Zealand enjoying their first meaningful piece of possession in this second half. Dagg gets on the outside but can't quite find Cruden inside with the offload as Zebo recovers. A glimpse at how dangerous the All Blacks are with ball in hand.
3 MINUTES LATER: 9-19 Try - Malakai Fekitoa, New Zealand
TRY TIME!! That in a nutshell, is why the All Blacks are World Champions. Fekitoa gets over after some superb offloading from Beauden Barrett and TJ Perenara.
1 MINUTE LATER: 9-21 Conversion - Beauden Barrett, New Zealand
Rory Best and the Irish crowd not happy as the final pass for the Fekitoa try looks forward. It stands though and that's all that matters.
1 MINUTE LATER: Player substituted - Rory Best, Ireland
Substitute on - Sean Cronin, Ireland
Player substituted - Tadhg Furlong, Ireland
Substitute on - Finlay Bealham, Ireland
Player substituted - Dane Coles, New Zealand
Substitute on - Codie Taylor, New Zealand
Player substituted - Liam Squire, New Zealand
Substitute on - Scott Barrett, New Zealand
1 MINUTE LATER: The New Zealand try appears to have taken the wind out of Ireland's sail. They have given everything but just cannot crack this All Blacks defense.
3 MINUTES LATER: Josh Van Der Flier has been impressive in a green jersey. He makes another line break but has no support and the attack fizzles out.
1 MINUTE LATER: Player substituted - Simon Zebo, Ireland
Substitute on - Kieran Marmion, Ireland
Player substituted - Ben Smith, New Zealand
Substitute on - Waisake Naholo, New Zealand
1 MINUTE LATER: Rare poor execution out wide by the All Blacks and Ringrose races up the pitch. Ireland pile into New Zealand but once again they knock it on at the crucial moment. That sums up the match so far.
5 MINUTES LATER: New Zealand have come up with turnovers at key times in this 2nd half. Whether it's forcing an Irish error or excellent work at the breakdown. Another Ireland attack fizzes out as the seconds count down.
1 MINUTE LATER: Beauden Barrett named man of the match. He's been every bit the world player of the year today.
It's all over in Dublin. Ireland were valiant but the All Blacks were clinical in attack and dogged in defense. It's been great to watch these two sides battle it out this Autumn.
1 MINUTE LATER: 9-21 End of 2nd half
Well, what a way to exact revenge for the All Blacks since that loss in Chicago a fortnight ago but the next game is the final test match of the year which is against France at the Stade de France (Hosted the Euro 2016 final between eventual winners Portugal & hosts France) in Saint Denis & how did Rugby World Cup winning player from last year, Beauden Barrett (One of her favourite All Blacks players according to one of Uncle Andrew's daughters) get his World Rugby player of the year award because he was the best first five-eighth this year because Dan Carter (Who won the player of the year honours last year because he now plays for French Top 14 champions Racing 92 but how did he get cleared for a positive drug test? Because he claims that he took drugs or should I say steroids in order to win the Top 14 title against Ma'a Nonu's Toulon in the final (Although Nonu did not play due to concussion) along with his teammates Joe Rokocoko (Used to be my favourite All Black player because he kept scoring tries a lot along with the late Jonah Lomu, Richie McCaw & Kieran Read because my favourite All Black player at the moment is Anton Lienert-Brown) & Argentinian Juan Imhoff) no longer played for New Zealand since our World Cup success last year in England & he overtook Aaron Cruden as the AB's premier first five eighth since their Super Rugby triumph this year with the Hurricanes & the All Blacks getting team of the year as well as the super coach of Steve Hansen picking up coach of the year after missing out to Wallabies coach Michael Cheika last year.
And finally in other rugby news such as Australia beating France by 2 points as well as the Springboks getting beaten by 2 points against Italy because the Italians exactly created rugby history for their 1st ever win against South Africa + Scotland mowed down Argentina by 3 points with a match winning penalty by Scottish halfback Greig Laidlaw & England getting the benefit against Fiji to remain unbeaten in 2016 & of course finally that Wales almost succumbed to Japan by tearing them apart with a match winning drop goal by Sam Davies.
So that is my XXXIIIrd blog of the year 2016 (MMXVI) & my 73rd overall, see you next time because I will be doing a blog about the final rugby test match of 2016 between France & the All Blacks.
1ST MINUTE: Start of 1st half
15 minutes to go until kick off at the Aviva Stadium. After Ireland's historic win in Chicago a fortnight ago, this really has become the most anticipated match of the Autumn.
The teams are out as the IRFU president is introduced to the sides.
Anthems over, it's time for the All Blacks haka. Can we expect anything from the Irish side this week?
Intensity to that haka! The match has feels more like the rematch of two a heavyweight boxers than a rugby game. This ought to be a stormer!
All Blacks on the attack straight away but Ireland ferocious in defense and earn a turnover. Still the All Blacks come though.
1 MINUTE LATER: New Zealand hammer away at the Ireland line now, the big men making easy metres.
1 MINUTE LATER: 0-5 Try - Malakai Fekitoa, New Zealand
TRY TIME!! Fekitoa gets over wide on the left after a kick pass from Beauden Barrett. 3 minutes of relentless attack finally see's the All Blacks breakthrough.
2 MINUTES LATER: 0-7 Conversion - Beauden Barrett, New Zealand
1 MINUTE LATER: Loose pass from the All Blacks see's them immediately under pressure from the restart. They might be pumped but clearly nerves are still affecting them. Smith clears the lines. Ireland on the attack now with Sean O'Brien bursting through but he's held up over the line. Breathless start in Dublin!
3 MINUTES LATER: Ireland again held up over the New Zealand line! This time is CJ Stander. Referee Jaco Peyper brings play back for a penalty in front of the sticks, should be an easy 3 points.
1 MINUTE LATER: 3-7 Penalty goal - Johnny Sexton, Ireland
Play stopped for a second look at a Sam Cane tackle on Robbie Henshaw. Looked like the All Black could be seeing a card, but the TMO decides on just a penalty.
1 MINUTE LATER: Player substituted - Robbie Henshaw, Ireland
Substitute on - Garry Ringrose, Ireland
That decision seems to have divided opinion. New directives mean that any tackle that is even slightly high should be strictly policed and cards issued.
1 MINUTE LATER: As expected, this game has been electric so far. Beauden Barrett carries back a loose Rob Kearney kick and perfectly chips over the Irish defense to re-collect. Nearly puts Dagg through but a Ireland defender just gets a hand to it.
2 MINUTES LATER: 3-12 Try - Beauden Barrett, New Zealand
TRY TIME!! Beauden Barrett slices through the Ireland defense and dots down for the score. Jonny Sexton gets back and looked like he had prevent Barrett from touching down but the TMO awards the try. That's why Barrett is World Player of the Year.
1 MINUTE LATER: 3-14 Conversion - Beauden Barrett, New Zealand
2 MINUTES LATER: Ireland need points and quickly, the All Blacks are near impossible to reign in once they have a lead. They have a penalty and Aaron Smith is given a yellow card! That's exactly what they needed. They kick to the corner though? Right decision? We shall find out
1 MINUTE LATER: Yellow card - Aaron Smith, New Zealand
Player substituted - Johnny Sexton, Ireland
Substitute on - Paddy Jackson, Ireland
Player substituted - Sam Cane, New Zealand
Substitute on - Ardie Savea, New Zealand
Wrong Decision. All Blacks counter the resulting maul superbly and force Ireland to peel off, conceding a penalty in the process.
1 MINUTE LATER: Henshaw and Sexton are both off early on. They were instrumental in Ireland's win over the All Blacks in Chicago.
2 MINUTES LATER: It's wave after wave of green jerseys in attack now as Ireland work their way up to the New Zealand try line. Excellent attack with Stander and Heaslip both making strong carries. Ireland scrum 5 metres out. Can they convert this pressure into points?
1 MINUTE LATER: Player substituted - CJ Stander, Ireland
Substitute on - Josh Van der Flier, Ireland
2 MINUTES LATER: That had to be a another card for the All Blacks! The Irish scrum is on the march and Liam Squire decides to unbind and dive onto the ball to prevent them going any further. Jackson slots the penalty but you feel had Piper been stronger, it could have been more.
1 MINUTE LATER: 6-14 Penalty goal - Paddy Jackson, Ireland
Another penalty against the All Blacks for a high tackle. Fair to say the Irish players and fans are not impressed with the officials so far.
4 MINUTES LATER: Tadhg Furlong has been outstanding so far for Ireland, as have the backrow of O'Brien, Heaslip and Stander
Beauden Barrett knocks the ball out of Paddy Jackson's hands and races under the sticks but play is brought back for a knock-on.
5 MINUTES LATER: Julian Savea with a powerful carry that emulated another All Black winger, Jonah Lomu. Great way to mark the anniversary of his passing.
2 MINUTES LATER: New Zealand enjoying some lengthy possession now and are asking questions of the Irish defense. Another Ireland choke tackle earns a turnover though. They truly are the best in the world at that.
1 MINUTE LATER: Scrum penalty for Ireland. The tight five have really dominated at the set piece so far. Chance for the home side to get some points before half-time.
2 MINUTES LATER: Resolute defense from New Zealand who earn a penalty at the breakdown.
1 MINUTE LATER: 6-14 End of 1st half
Thrilling 1st 40 minutes in Dublin. The All Blacks have been clinical in attack with World Player of the Year Beauden Barrett at the heart of both tries. Ireland have looked threatening upfront but haven't been able to convert pressure into points. 3 key injuries in Henshaw, Sexton and Stander will no doubt take it's toll, particularly in the 2nd half.
41ST MINUTE: 6-14 Start of 2nd half
Paddy Jackson gets us back underway in the second-half. New Zealand lead by 8 points. It's Ireland on the attack early on as they try to unlock this All Blacks defense.
3 MINUTES LATER: Kieran Read wins a turnover penalty to bring a halt to the Irish attack. Joe Schmidt has clearly pinpointed Julian Savea as a weakness under the high ball as Jackson hangs one on the powerful winger to good effect. Ireland scrum just outside the New Zealand 22.
2 MINUTES LATER: Fields of Athenry rings around the Aviva Stadium as Ireland hammer go through the phases deep inside the New Zealand 22.
2 MINUTES LATER: Another high tackle from an All Blacks player and this time its a yellow card. Fekitoa the culprit. That's been coming. Ireland on the attack with a lineout on the New Zealand 5 metre line.
1 MINUTE LATER: Yellow card - Malakai Fekitoa, New Zealand
Player substituted - Joe Moody, New Zealand
Substitute on - Wyatt Crockett, New Zealand
1 MINUTE LATER: Sean O'Brien knocks on as he peels round the back of the lineout and Smith clears the pressure. Ireland need to turn this pressure into points. It's been nothing but wave after wave of green jerseys in the 2nd half.
2 MINUTES LATER: Player substituted - Owen Franks, New Zealand
Substitute on - Charlie Faumuina, New Zealand
Ireland maul goes marching deep inside the All Blacks 22. Brought down 5 metres out. Again the Irish hammer away at the New Zealand defense and again it holds strong.
2 MINUTES LATER: Dangerous All Blacks attack see's Dane Coles race down the touchline after some smart thinking at the lineout. O'Brien recovers well.
2 MINUTES LATER: Ireland almost over! Kearney agonisingly short and can't get the offload away. New Zealand turn it over and try to run it out of their own 22. Jared Payne wins a penalty and Ireland this time go for goal. Breathless second half.
2 MINUTES LATER: 9-14 Penalty goal - Paddy Jackson, Ireland
Player substituted - Jack McGrath, Ireland
Substitute on - Cian Healy, Ireland
Player substituted - Donnacha Ryan , Ireland
Substitute on - Iain Henderson , Ireland
Player substituted - Aaron Smith , New Zealand
Substitute on - TJ Perenara , New Zealand
Player substituted - Julian Savea , New Zealand
Substitute on - Aaron Cruden , New Zealand
2 MINUTES LATER: 20 minutes gone in the 2nd half and it's been all Ireland. New Zealand scramble defense has been brilliant, restricting Ireland to just 9 points so far.
3 MINUTES LATER: New Zealand enjoying their first meaningful piece of possession in this second half. Dagg gets on the outside but can't quite find Cruden inside with the offload as Zebo recovers. A glimpse at how dangerous the All Blacks are with ball in hand.
3 MINUTES LATER: 9-19 Try - Malakai Fekitoa, New Zealand
TRY TIME!! That in a nutshell, is why the All Blacks are World Champions. Fekitoa gets over after some superb offloading from Beauden Barrett and TJ Perenara.
1 MINUTE LATER: 9-21 Conversion - Beauden Barrett, New Zealand
Rory Best and the Irish crowd not happy as the final pass for the Fekitoa try looks forward. It stands though and that's all that matters.
1 MINUTE LATER: Player substituted - Rory Best, Ireland
Substitute on - Sean Cronin, Ireland
Player substituted - Tadhg Furlong, Ireland
Substitute on - Finlay Bealham, Ireland
Player substituted - Dane Coles, New Zealand
Substitute on - Codie Taylor, New Zealand
Player substituted - Liam Squire, New Zealand
Substitute on - Scott Barrett, New Zealand
1 MINUTE LATER: The New Zealand try appears to have taken the wind out of Ireland's sail. They have given everything but just cannot crack this All Blacks defense.
3 MINUTES LATER: Josh Van Der Flier has been impressive in a green jersey. He makes another line break but has no support and the attack fizzles out.
1 MINUTE LATER: Player substituted - Simon Zebo, Ireland
Substitute on - Kieran Marmion, Ireland
Player substituted - Ben Smith, New Zealand
Substitute on - Waisake Naholo, New Zealand
1 MINUTE LATER: Rare poor execution out wide by the All Blacks and Ringrose races up the pitch. Ireland pile into New Zealand but once again they knock it on at the crucial moment. That sums up the match so far.
5 MINUTES LATER: New Zealand have come up with turnovers at key times in this 2nd half. Whether it's forcing an Irish error or excellent work at the breakdown. Another Ireland attack fizzes out as the seconds count down.
1 MINUTE LATER: Beauden Barrett named man of the match. He's been every bit the world player of the year today.
It's all over in Dublin. Ireland were valiant but the All Blacks were clinical in attack and dogged in defense. It's been great to watch these two sides battle it out this Autumn.
1 MINUTE LATER: 9-21 End of 2nd half
Well, what a way to exact revenge for the All Blacks since that loss in Chicago a fortnight ago but the next game is the final test match of the year which is against France at the Stade de France (Hosted the Euro 2016 final between eventual winners Portugal & hosts France) in Saint Denis & how did Rugby World Cup winning player from last year, Beauden Barrett (One of her favourite All Blacks players according to one of Uncle Andrew's daughters) get his World Rugby player of the year award because he was the best first five-eighth this year because Dan Carter (Who won the player of the year honours last year because he now plays for French Top 14 champions Racing 92 but how did he get cleared for a positive drug test? Because he claims that he took drugs or should I say steroids in order to win the Top 14 title against Ma'a Nonu's Toulon in the final (Although Nonu did not play due to concussion) along with his teammates Joe Rokocoko (Used to be my favourite All Black player because he kept scoring tries a lot along with the late Jonah Lomu, Richie McCaw & Kieran Read because my favourite All Black player at the moment is Anton Lienert-Brown) & Argentinian Juan Imhoff) no longer played for New Zealand since our World Cup success last year in England & he overtook Aaron Cruden as the AB's premier first five eighth since their Super Rugby triumph this year with the Hurricanes & the All Blacks getting team of the year as well as the super coach of Steve Hansen picking up coach of the year after missing out to Wallabies coach Michael Cheika last year.
And finally in other rugby news such as Australia beating France by 2 points as well as the Springboks getting beaten by 2 points against Italy because the Italians exactly created rugby history for their 1st ever win against South Africa + Scotland mowed down Argentina by 3 points with a match winning penalty by Scottish halfback Greig Laidlaw & England getting the benefit against Fiji to remain unbeaten in 2016 & of course finally that Wales almost succumbed to Japan by tearing them apart with a match winning drop goal by Sam Davies.
So that is my XXXIIIrd blog of the year 2016 (MMXVI) & my 73rd overall, see you next time because I will be doing a blog about the final rugby test match of 2016 between France & the All Blacks.
Wednesday, 16 November 2016
Broken/Fine Again/Remedy: The Italy Vs All Blacks report (RIP Nana Minnie Ngapo)
It was on Saturday that we went on a road trip to Auckland (Although we stopped at Taumarunui where I had mince & cheese & butter chicken pies for lunch & I even saw my old hometown of Raetihi where Jansen & I spent most of my childhood there) to go on the ferry to Waiheke Island to attend the funeral of Nana Minnie Ngapo who was passed away aged 95 because she was born in 1921 & went to see the family there including Kathryn, Ken, my 2nd cousins Gemma (Although I had a selfie with her which felt good) & Huia (Ex fashion model to be), Gemma's daughter Rosalie (Although I did not know that Rosalie is my 2nd cousin once removed) & one of the late uncle Andrew's daughters & we had dinner at Wilma Road where Kathy lives before we stayed at Tawa Lodge for the night before heading off to Piratahi marae where I saw my 2nd cousin Ben (Although I also had a selfie with him & I gave him a gift which is a list of my favourite bands that I listen to when I wrote it down although Gemma listens to Mai FM) & we had a feed there like lunch & dinner at the marae (Although I saw during the funeral was Uncle Wal although I said Kia Ora to him & his house is clean because he had moved previously) then we stayed the night before the funeral was held then (I had breakfast there) & after that we had lunch x dinner before I said goodbye to Kathryn as well as Gemma, Ben & Huia (Although I finally had a selfie with her so no hard feelings eh?) before going on the ferry to Half Moon Bay in which I enjoyed the ferry ride & I watched the news report about the earthquakes in Kaikoura & after that we went on a motorway (Although I would like to go back to Auckland or Waiheke Island again, that is disgraceful because of the heavy traffic) but we spent the night in the Kiwiana capital Otorohanga because Dad was feeling sick & tired along with Poppa & Jansen & it was 2 days ago that we departed Otorohanga to go back home to Wanganui where we stopped at Taumarunui again to have morning tea where I had a chocolate & caramel slice & mocchachino & linch where I only had a butter chicken pie & Raetihi where Dad went to the loo before we headed back home.
And finally in this blog that the All Blacks led by Sam Cane for Kieran Read took on Italy led by 120 cap veteran Sergio Parisse at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome (Host of the summer Olympics in 1960) after our Chicago blues disappointment against Ireland (Although they beat Canada in the next game because they were on a high in which they shocked the rugby world) at Soldier Field by making so many changes including both Liam Coltman & Rieko Ioane making their test debuts on the bench respectively so here's a news report about it (Although I missed the game live because I was in Waiheke Island but I saw the replay the same day as we went back home to Wanganui):
New Zealand put Italy to the sword as they ran in 10 tries at Rome's Stadio Olympico in a 68-10 victory.
Malakai Fekitoa (2), Charlie Faumuina, Patrick Tuipulotu, Israel Dagg, Wyatt Crockett, Steven Luatua, Elliot Dixon, Rieko Ioane and Waisake Naholo scored for the All Blacks, with first five eighth Aaron Cruden kicking 7 conversions and Lima Sopoaga 2.
Italy's points came from the boot of Carlo Canna, with Tommaso Boni scoring their solitary try in the 2nd half with Tommaso Allan adding the conversion
New Zealand scored 5 tries in the 1st half, with Fekitoa dotting it down in the 4th minute and Cruden converting, only for Canna to cut the deficit shortly after with a penalty to make it 7-3.
Faumuina extended the lead in the 15th minute and Tuipulotu crossed the line 5 minutes later, with Dagg and Crockett also touching down before the break as Cruden did not miss from the tee.
Luatua continued the scoring 4 minutes into the 2nd half before Fekitoa claimed his brace and Dixon got his 1st ever test try. Ioane and Naholo also crossed and Sopoaga took over kicking duties from Cruden with 2 successful conversions.
And finally in other rugby news, the Wallabies coached by Michael Cheika have taken victory against Scotland by a single point in their 1st meeting since the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal (Although referee Craig Joubert got the decision wrong of awarding the penalty to Australia instead of a scrum which cost Scotland a place in the semifinal against Argentina) as well as England coached by Eddie Jones defeated South Africa after 10 long years that has been & Wales beating Argentina by 4 points.
So that is my XXXIInd blog of the year 2016 (MMXVI) & my 72nd overall (Although my target would exactly be 40 blogs this year so I'm working on it by doing a year in review by splitting into 6 parts so anything everything I can do better), see you later then.
P.S. Poppa took me to Mud Ducks there today where I had a venison burger, very nice (We went to Carters 1st then New World (Although I saw Hanne there saying hi to her) & Pak n'Save to get the groceries like the cold meat & low alcohol Clausthaler beer at New World as well as chicken & stir fried vegetables like Chinese & international). Then we headed to 15A Kells Avenue to paint the gnomes & had smoothie there before heading to the cemetery to see Nan's grave before heading back home here to listen to some rock music like Seether & A Perfect Circle (One of Ben's good bands that he listens to) on YouTube & doing a blog right here, just before I have a homemade pizza for dinner.
And finally in this blog that the All Blacks led by Sam Cane for Kieran Read took on Italy led by 120 cap veteran Sergio Parisse at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome (Host of the summer Olympics in 1960) after our Chicago blues disappointment against Ireland (Although they beat Canada in the next game because they were on a high in which they shocked the rugby world) at Soldier Field by making so many changes including both Liam Coltman & Rieko Ioane making their test debuts on the bench respectively so here's a news report about it (Although I missed the game live because I was in Waiheke Island but I saw the replay the same day as we went back home to Wanganui):
New Zealand put Italy to the sword as they ran in 10 tries at Rome's Stadio Olympico in a 68-10 victory.
Malakai Fekitoa (2), Charlie Faumuina, Patrick Tuipulotu, Israel Dagg, Wyatt Crockett, Steven Luatua, Elliot Dixon, Rieko Ioane and Waisake Naholo scored for the All Blacks, with first five eighth Aaron Cruden kicking 7 conversions and Lima Sopoaga 2.
Italy's points came from the boot of Carlo Canna, with Tommaso Boni scoring their solitary try in the 2nd half with Tommaso Allan adding the conversion
New Zealand scored 5 tries in the 1st half, with Fekitoa dotting it down in the 4th minute and Cruden converting, only for Canna to cut the deficit shortly after with a penalty to make it 7-3.
Faumuina extended the lead in the 15th minute and Tuipulotu crossed the line 5 minutes later, with Dagg and Crockett also touching down before the break as Cruden did not miss from the tee.
Luatua continued the scoring 4 minutes into the 2nd half before Fekitoa claimed his brace and Dixon got his 1st ever test try. Ioane and Naholo also crossed and Sopoaga took over kicking duties from Cruden with 2 successful conversions.
And finally in other rugby news, the Wallabies coached by Michael Cheika have taken victory against Scotland by a single point in their 1st meeting since the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal (Although referee Craig Joubert got the decision wrong of awarding the penalty to Australia instead of a scrum which cost Scotland a place in the semifinal against Argentina) as well as England coached by Eddie Jones defeated South Africa after 10 long years that has been & Wales beating Argentina by 4 points.
So that is my XXXIInd blog of the year 2016 (MMXVI) & my 72nd overall (Although my target would exactly be 40 blogs this year so I'm working on it by doing a year in review by splitting into 6 parts so anything everything I can do better), see you later then.
P.S. Poppa took me to Mud Ducks there today where I had a venison burger, very nice (We went to Carters 1st then New World (Although I saw Hanne there saying hi to her) & Pak n'Save to get the groceries like the cold meat & low alcohol Clausthaler beer at New World as well as chicken & stir fried vegetables like Chinese & international). Then we headed to 15A Kells Avenue to paint the gnomes & had smoothie there before heading to the cemetery to see Nan's grave before heading back home here to listen to some rock music like Seether & A Perfect Circle (One of Ben's good bands that he listens to) on YouTube & doing a blog right here, just before I have a homemade pizza for dinner.
Tuesday, 8 November 2016
Everyday Is Exactly The Same/Just Like You Imagined/The Hand That Feeds: The Chicago blues disappointment (+ a brand new POTUS)
Well, we are in mourning as Ireland (Led by hooker Rory Best (Who took over the reins from Paul O'Connell (Although Jamie Heaslip took over the captaincy for the quarterfinal match against Argentina (Who had qualified for the quarterfinals after finishing 2nd behind the All Blacks (Who had gone on to retain the William Webb Ellis cup after beating traditional Trans Tasman rivals the Wallabies 34 - 17 in the final, no question about it) in Pool C) because O'Connell was injured in their victory against France (Who had lost to New Zealand in the quarterfinal) in the final pool game to top Pool D during the Rugby World Cup last year & ruled out for the tournament) after their disappointing Rugby World Cup 2015 quarterfinal exit against Argentina (Who progressed to the Semifinals against Australia (Who had fought against Scotland after topping the pool of death (With all 4 victories against Fiji in the opener, Uruguay, hosts England who have been knocked out on their own home turf & Wales (Who had lost to the Springboks in the quarterfinal because South Africa topped Pool B by virtue of 3 wins & a famous upset loss against the might of Japan led by Kiwi born Chiefs player Michael Leitch with fellow Kiwi born replacement winger Karne Hesketh going in for the match winning try to shock the rugby world by completing the biggest boilover in Rugby World Cup history (Compared to France who had just beaten the favourites, the AB's at Twickenham during the semifinal of the 1999 Rugby World Cup which shocked the rugby world in it's entirety) but the Japanese failed to make it through to the quarterfinals on points difference after losing to Scotland) & won under controversial circumstances in the quarterfinal & lost the Rugby World Cup final to the All Blacks) & lost before losing to the Boks (Who had just lost to New Zealand in the semifinal) to decide who will claim 3rd place in the bronze final) & coached by New Zealander Joe Schmidt just like Australian Eddie Jones coaching England led by Rotorua born Dylan Hartley as they pick up a test series victory down under against the Michael Cheika coached Wallabies led by Stephen Moore 5 months ago 3 - 0 (The same month that the AB's defeated Wales to win a test series 3 - 0 & South Africa won the test series against the Irish 2 - 1 after losing the 1st test then winning the last 2 tests after coming from behind) shocked the rugby world by taking a monumental upset victory against the Rugby Championship winners & reigning world champions the All Blacks (I was like oh my god, why...but that wasn't just the case as our 1st ever test loss against them because Ireland joined the tier 1 nations club along with Australia, the Springboks, Six Nations champions England, France & Wales by deservedly crushing the AB's but only Argentina, Italy & Scotland are the other tier 1 nations to have never beaten the All Blacks, oh well, just tell me the truth WILL YA! Tell me the truth, what on earth is going on, good lord (Sarcasm) because we finally tasted our Irish curse at last because the streak...is over at 18 & 1 (It's 10 & 1 this year because it is now 11 & 1 since we beat Italy) which created rugby history (The final score was 40 - 29 to the Irish because Ireland thwarted our comeback plans not once but twice, slowly but surely & of course the All Blacks had a locking crisis as 2 of the world's best locks Brodie Retallick & Sam Whitelock both gone due to injuries as well as Luke Romano withdrawn from the squad due to family bereavement (Although Romano's family are in mourning right here, right now) so Patrick Tuipulotu ended up being our sole specialist lock for the All Blacks (Although one of Beauden & Jordie Barrett's brothers Scott Barrett was called up into the squad as injury replacement to Whitelock) with Jerome Kaino wearing the number 4 jersey but they proved to be a failure just like Leon MacDonald wore the number 13 jersey against the Wallabies in the Rugby World Cup semifinal way back in 2003 (Although the selectors preferred MacDonald at centre ahead of the fit again Tana Umaga because Umaga's 2003 World Cup campaign was over because of an injury picked up in the opener against Italy coached by World Cup winning All Black in 1987, John Kirwan (Who was one of the players along with Beauden Barrett to score a try in both the semifinal & final of the Rugby World Cup in 1987 against Wales in the semis & France in the final (John Kirwan) & 2015 against South Africa in the semis & Australia in the final (And of course Beauden Barrett) as Irish lock Devin Toner totally dominated the lineout for Ireland as tall as Metcalfe) as the All Blacks winning streak is over with 18 straight victories before the luck of the Irish ended the so called #Blackout of 2016 (Ireland just avoided becoming a latest victim right there so this means that Wales & the Wallabies on 3 occasions & literally, of course, Argentina & the Springboks twice) by humiliating, pummeled & smashed them into pieces (Although our All Black defence got penetrated so we are not gettin good but still to improve on the next game we'll see if it works)...so we might get a 2nd chance of redemption in Dublin (At last we will reveal ourselves to the Irish, at last we will have revenge) but 1st we have got to face Italy to avenge the demons here in Chicago which is on celebration mode as their beloved team in Major League Baseball, the Chicago Cubs won MLB's World Series after 108 long years (Well their last win in the World Series was in 1908 & their last appearance was 1945 (The same year that the 2nd World War ended in fashion since it began in 1939) against the Cleveland Indians who tried desperately hard to add a MLB/NBA double following their NBA finals dominance with the Cavaliers (Which features the likes of superstar LeBron James (Although he is the greatest NBA player of all time along with Kobe Bryant (Who played for the Los Angeles Lakers during his career although the Lakers have never won an NBA title since 2010) & Michael Jordan (Who also during his career played for his beloved Chicago Bulls side which last won an NBA title in 1998), Kevin Love, J.R. Smith & Kyrie Irving) by getting some payback or should I say revenge over the Golden State Warriors since the Cavaliers lost last year which includes Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant (Who had moved from Oklahoma City Thunder which features Russell Westbrook & New Zealander Steven Adams) & Klay Thompson.
And finally in this blog, America has found a new leader with 70 year old billionaire mogul & Republican Donald Trump has been elected President of the United States of America (Well the last Republican (Although I did not know that world famous Austrian American actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was a Republican when he became Governor of California AKA the Governator from 2003 until 2011) to be elected president was former Governor of the lone star state of Texas, George W Bush because Bush defeated former Vice President Al Gore by so many votes & 4 years later got re-elected by defeating Democratic candidate John Kerry) but most Americans hated the new leader becoming president so they decided to move to Canada (But Canadian immigration officers are left fuming so they refuse to let those Americans to move across the border) & New Zealand (Although 1 American family said that they decided to move here because those kids decided to go to a New Zealand school because they felt that they did not want to go to an American school under the leadership of Donald Trump). And Trump had a great speech about former 1st Lady & Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton (Wife of former president Bill Clinton (He defeated George W Bush's father George Bush Sr in the 1992 general election because Bush Sr took over the presidency from the late Ronald Reagan) until Bush took over as president before Barack Hussein Obama 8 years ago when he got elected ahead of Arizona senator John McCain to become the 1st African American or black president (He was born in Honolulu in the state of Hawaii (Aloha) not Kenya because his family came from Kenya) & re-elected 4 years ago ahead of Mitt Romney) because she just missed out on that top job to become America's 1st female president & what do I think about Trump, because he is just one of those billionaire bozos that just got elected I mean & most Americans are livid about that especially Diana Kent, just simply plain rubbish so watch your backs which are rightfully mine, & so too are the All Blacks because the AB's are getting sick about Trump being elected president at the moment after winning so many votes & Hanne told me today at the New World supermarket that she dislikes Trump at the moment compared to our Prime Minister John Key (And hey, the election is coming our way next year so I hope that we have a new leader like Andrew Little of the Labour party just like Trump at the moment) so move over Obamacare because it now been renamed to Trumpcare so I can care less about what I do.
So that is my XXXIst blog of the year 2016 (MMXVI) & my 71st overall about the All Blacks losing to Ireland for the 1st time ever in a rugby test match which shocked the rugby world, the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series after 108 long years & Donald Trump being elected to become the 45th President of the United States of America so catch ya later then.
P.S. Nana Minnie...has passed away, RIP (Requiescat in pace/Rest in peace, well I'm not sure what year Nana Minnie was born until her death today on the 11th of November 2016 but I'd like to give condolences, thoughts & prayers to them about her life because she had Dementia for 16 years). Because I will be doing a blog about the funeral of Nana Minnie Ngapo as well as the All Blacks Vs Italy clash in Rome because I am not sure that either Kathryn or Ken has Sky on Waiheke Island (Well it was in 2007 (9 years ago) that I last been there on a holiday so I was a Star Wars fan way back then) so I will be going there tomorrow until Wednesday because the funeral is held on a Tuesday.
And finally in this blog, America has found a new leader with 70 year old billionaire mogul & Republican Donald Trump has been elected President of the United States of America (Well the last Republican (Although I did not know that world famous Austrian American actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was a Republican when he became Governor of California AKA the Governator from 2003 until 2011) to be elected president was former Governor of the lone star state of Texas, George W Bush because Bush defeated former Vice President Al Gore by so many votes & 4 years later got re-elected by defeating Democratic candidate John Kerry) but most Americans hated the new leader becoming president so they decided to move to Canada (But Canadian immigration officers are left fuming so they refuse to let those Americans to move across the border) & New Zealand (Although 1 American family said that they decided to move here because those kids decided to go to a New Zealand school because they felt that they did not want to go to an American school under the leadership of Donald Trump). And Trump had a great speech about former 1st Lady & Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton (Wife of former president Bill Clinton (He defeated George W Bush's father George Bush Sr in the 1992 general election because Bush Sr took over the presidency from the late Ronald Reagan) until Bush took over as president before Barack Hussein Obama 8 years ago when he got elected ahead of Arizona senator John McCain to become the 1st African American or black president (He was born in Honolulu in the state of Hawaii (Aloha) not Kenya because his family came from Kenya) & re-elected 4 years ago ahead of Mitt Romney) because she just missed out on that top job to become America's 1st female president & what do I think about Trump, because he is just one of those billionaire bozos that just got elected I mean & most Americans are livid about that especially Diana Kent, just simply plain rubbish so watch your backs which are rightfully mine, & so too are the All Blacks because the AB's are getting sick about Trump being elected president at the moment after winning so many votes & Hanne told me today at the New World supermarket that she dislikes Trump at the moment compared to our Prime Minister John Key (And hey, the election is coming our way next year so I hope that we have a new leader like Andrew Little of the Labour party just like Trump at the moment) so move over Obamacare because it now been renamed to Trumpcare so I can care less about what I do.
So that is my XXXIst blog of the year 2016 (MMXVI) & my 71st overall about the All Blacks losing to Ireland for the 1st time ever in a rugby test match which shocked the rugby world, the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series after 108 long years & Donald Trump being elected to become the 45th President of the United States of America so catch ya later then.
P.S. Nana Minnie...has passed away, RIP (Requiescat in pace/Rest in peace, well I'm not sure what year Nana Minnie was born until her death today on the 11th of November 2016 but I'd like to give condolences, thoughts & prayers to them about her life because she had Dementia for 16 years). Because I will be doing a blog about the funeral of Nana Minnie Ngapo as well as the All Blacks Vs Italy clash in Rome because I am not sure that either Kathryn or Ken has Sky on Waiheke Island (Well it was in 2007 (9 years ago) that I last been there on a holiday so I was a Star Wars fan way back then) so I will be going there tomorrow until Wednesday because the funeral is held on a Tuesday.
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