Well, the 2017 Super Rugby season has begun (Replacing #SuperBangBang for 2017 is #SuperBoomBoom), well...IT HAS BEGUN! (As the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung would say in the 1995 movie Mortal Kombat (Featuring characters such as Liu Kang (The protagonist/main hero from China who is a Shaolin monk), Johnny Cage (The world famous Hollywood actor who happens to be my favourite Mortal Kombat character), Raiden (The thunder god who doesn't fight or brawl in the movie), Sonya Blade (United States Special Forces soldier), Kitana (The Outworld princess), Kano (The Aussie criminal from down under), Scorpion (The yellow ninja & one of the iconic ninjas whose real name is Hanzo Hasashi who always says: GET OVER HERE!), Sub-Zero (The blue ninja of Bi-Han, the original who can freeze), Reptile (The green ninja) & of course, last but not least...Goro (The Shokan prince & reigning champion of Mortal Kombat) Well, not only that the Blues thrashed or should I say demolished the Rebels in the opener at AAMI Park in Melbourne as centre Rieko Ioane (Akira's brother) getting a hat trick of tries as they reach the half-century mark by winning the game 56 - 18 so here's the news report about that epic but most exciting game:
A hat-trick from Rieko Ioane gave the Blues a perfect start to their Super Rugby campaign as they beat the Rebels 56-18 at AAMI Park.
The youngster was outstanding on Thursday, with this result a message to the rest of the competition that the Blues will be a threat in 2017.
Other than Ioane, the visitors' try scorers were Pauliasi Manu, Matt Duffie, Augustine Pulu and Melani Nanai. Ihaia West kicked 16 points.
The Rebels were forced to make a late tweak to their backline as Mitch Inman was ruled out, meaning that Tom English moved to centre and Jonah Placid came onto the wing. The Blues meanwhile were hoping their new faces, such as halfback Pulu, capitalised on the disruption.
It was all the Blues early on as they were patient in possession and eventually moved 3-0 in front as pivot West slotted from 45 metres.
The Rebels struck back though on seven minutes as youngster Jack Maddock showed a calmness to put the ball back inside to halfback Nic Stirzaker who went over for the score, with the conversion from first five eighth Jackson Garden-Bachop making it a 7-3 lead to the home franchise.
That was cut to a point on 18 minutes when several picks for the line from the Blues ended with loosehead Manu getting the ball down.
The Rebels missed the chance to extend the lead to four soon after as Garden-Bachop was off-target, one of three missed kicks in the half. But he would have been a happy fly-half when West was charged down close to his line and the Rebels 10 grounded to make it 12-8 to the hosts.
From then on though the Blues dominated as first nice handling from left to right sent wing Duffie over for a converted try and after West and Reece Hodge traded penalties, a stray pass from Rebels flanker Jordy Reid near halfway led to Ioane sprinting over for a 25-15 buffer.
Hodge was again on target to open the scoring in the second-half, cutting the gap to seven points, but then the Blues onslaught went into full swing as halfback Pulu raced over from 40 metres out to make it 32-18 before Ioane claimed his second from distance for 39-18.
The Rebels were on the ropes and in their desperation were being picked off at will as a kick ahead saw wing Nanai the next to cross for the Blues on 58 minutes before number eight Akira Ioane set up his brother Rieko for a hat-trick. That was his last act to cap a fine game.
At 53-18 the match was starting to fizzle out as it neared its final 10 minutes, with a yellow card for replacement Rene Ranger giving the Rebels some welcome field position. But a loose line-out, which wasn't their first of the night, summed up a poor start to the season for the Rebels, with centre Piers Francis knocking over a late penalty soon after to put the seal on what was an outstanding victory for the Blues.
And it was yesterday that the rampant Chiefs have finally beaten the Highlanders after losing 6 straight games to open up their campaign at Forsyth Barr Stadium with a news report which is less exciting than the Rebels Vs Blues clash:
The Chiefs got their Super Rugby campaign off to a fine start when they claimed a desrved 24-15 victory over the Highlanders in Dunedin on Friday.
Strong defence and ability to takes their limited chances sees Chiefs win 24-15 in Dunedin 24-15 against the error-strewn Highlanders.
The result is a momentous one for the men from Hamilton as it ends a 6 match losing streak against the Highlanders.
With this being 2 New Zealand teams, it is no surprise that it was a thrilling affair as both sides ran the ball from all areas of the field although the Chiefs made better use of their chances and their execution inside the Highlanders' 22 was particularly impressive.
Although the Highlanders were competitive in the tight exchanges, they were unable to contain the Chiefs' ability to move the ball with pace and the visitors eventually outscored them by three tries to none.
The Highlanders drew first blood courtesy of a Lima Sopoaga penalty inside the 1st 5 minutes game but the came alive in the 10th minute when James Lowe went over for the 1st try.
This after he gathered a wayward pass from Aaron Smith close to the halfway line and the flyer showed great strength and determination to shrug off a couple of challengers before dotting down under the posts.
Aaron Cruden added the easy extras and the Chiefs did not increase their lead with Lowe again the chief protagonist when he intercepted a Waisake Naholo offload just outside the home side's 22 before racing away to score his 2nd try.
Cruden, once again, slotted the conversion which meant the Chiefs led 14-0 after the 1st quarter but the Highlanders didn't take that lying down and were soon camped inside the visitors' 22.
The 2015 champions thought they had opened their account in the 23rd minute when Naholo gathered a Lima Sopoaga crossfield kick before crossing the whitewash but his effort was disallowed when the Television Match Official (TMO) ruled that he had knocked the ball on in the process.
The hosts were dealt a massive blow on the hour-mark when their captain and fullback Ben Smith was forced to leave the field when he banged his head on the ground after competing for a high ball with Damian McKenzie.
The Highlanders continued to attack but the Chiefs stood firm in defence and 2 Sopoaga penalties, late in the half, was the home side's only reward before the interval.
The Chiefs continued to attack and were rewarded 2 minutes after the restart when Hika Elliot crossed for their 3rd try after combining brilliantly with Tawera Kerr-Barlow at a lineout inside the Highlanders.
That score caught the Highlanders by surprise and although they upped the ante on attack they couldn't breach the Chiefs' try-line.
Sopoaga added two further penalties midway through the half but Cruden secured the win for the visitors when he landed a three-pointer from the kicking tee in the 68th minute.
And the Reds had a 2 point win over the Sharks in a hard fought victory after a close quarters battle at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
And yesterday Kathryn arrived here for her 3rd visit (She was with her English partner Ken Branch during her 1st visit this year then with her son Ben Blain during her 2nd) the same day as we moved the gnomes (I told her about the honorary Jedi of Huia thinking she's no longer a Kiwi girl (Although my cousin Paige Williams (Cathey Middelplaats's daughter & sister of brothers Nico & Luca Mitchell (Although both Nico & Luca are kinda cute as Kathryn told me) is because I told her that she's a New Zealand girl with a Welsh surname like Thomas or Jones, Jenkins, Evans & Davies) along with Gemma so she revealed that she's pregnant so she must be having a son on the way (And Rosalie (Who is exactly Gemma's daughter so Gemma was with Hamish) is going to have a cousin & I was like ''What? Huia's going to have a baby boy. Are you serious?'' And I told Dad that his cousin is pregnant) so we had dinner which is salmon pasta because me & Pops were watching the rugby when the Highlanders played the Chiefs so we had dessert during the game so Pops went for the Highlanders so I was backing the Chiefs to win because I live in the North Island so the Chiefs ended up winning so I had a chat with Kathryn before I went to bed but this morning I saw Dad taking my stuff in & we were having breakfast just moments before we went to the market & looked at a house we looked for Kathryn (Although she's a good woman or should I say wahine compared to Aunty Tania because not only she's good looking) to live moments before we headed back to my new home which is 15A Kells Avenue (Well I have been living in my flat for nearly 3 years or so after spending nearly 25 years & 8 months with my Dad so I am hoping to get my life back on track by redeeming myself) so we had cold meat, cheese & salad with croutons for lunch & after lunch, I dried dishes & watered the plants & now doing my blog so I have been doing my usual gimmick listening to rock music (Such as Bush, Audiovent, Queens Of The Stone Age, Deftones, 3 Doors Down, Nickelback, Faith No More, The White Stripes, Lenny Kravitz (He's a black (Or should I say African American) rockstar along with William DuVall of Alice In Chains, Living Color & the late Jimi Hendrix), Blink-182, Linkin Park (My Malaysian friend Sophie's favourite band), Red Hot Chili Peppers (Used to be my favourite band, because now it's Breaking Benjamin), Foo Fighters (Used to be my favourite band also), Shihad & of course Pearl Jam because I listen 20 songs a day so I am getting used to it) while blogging.
So that is my 10th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 90th overall (Only 10 to go until I reach 100).
P.S. And my beloved Hurricanes (Although video blogger Shannon 'Shaaanxo' Harris is a self proclaimed Hurricanes fan who appeared in the #SuperBoomBoom ad) opened up our title defence with a demolition or should I say complete thrashing against the Sunwolves at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium over in Tokyo so here's the news report about the most other exciting but epic game played compared to the Rebels-Blues one:
The defending champion Hurricanes put on a master class at Prince Chichibu Stadium in Tokyo. The Sunwolves could not cope with the precision, pace and physicality of the visiors who scored 13 tries to win 83-17.
The defending champions were full value for their win as the Sunwolves had no answer to their power and strength and the men from Wellington eventually outscored their hapless hosts by 13 tries to three.
It was a one-sided performance from the Hurricanes who made a very big statement, to their rivals for the title, on where they are planning to go in 2017.
The Sunwolves were under the cosh for the full 80 minutes and although they tried gallantly throughout, they could not match the intensity levels and execution of their more illustrious opponents.
It was one-way traffic from the opening whistle and the Hurricanes scored four unanswered tries inside the opening quarter. Ardie Savea got two of those, the first coming in the sixth minute after his brother, Julian, laid the groundwork with a trademark in the build-up.
A minute later, Vince Aso - who was a late addition to the starting line-up after Cory Jane withdrew through injury at the captain's run - went over for a try after gathering his own chip kick down the right-hand touchline.
Savea's second try followed two minutes later before Ricky Riccitelli scored the champions' fourth try after running onto a pass from Ardie Savea at close quarters in the 13th minute.
Otere Black converted four of those tries which meant the Hurricanes were cruising with the score at 24-0 after 15 minutes.
The Hurricanes continued to dominate as the half progressed and TJ Perenara, Ngani Laumape and Julian Savea also crossed for tries before the break with Savea's effort the best of the lot.
The burly All Black gathered a cross-field kick from Black, just outside his 22, and bumped off two tacklers in trademark fashion and then outpaced the cover defence before diving over.
The Sunwolves' best moment of the opening half came in the 34th minute when Riaan Viljoen crossed for their opening try after gathering an inside pass from Kenki Fukuoka close to the visitors' try-line.
By half-time, the Hurricanes were cruising with the score at 45-5 and they continued to dominate in the second half. The one-sided nature continued during the opening 20 minutes of the half with Blade Thomson, Michael Fatialofa (2), Aso, Brad Shields and Wes Goosen all getting over for deserved tries.
Shields' effort in the 49th minute seemed to knock the wind out of the Sunwolves' sails as he intercepted a Shota Horie pass close to his try-line before running the length of the to score his five-pointer.
And by the time Goosen crossed for his try in the 60th minute, the Hurricanes were in total control with the score at 83-5. But to their credit, the Sunwolves did not surrender and Shokei Kin and Willie Britz crossed for consolation tries which added some respectability to the final score.
And the Crusaders battled the Brumbies to begin their 2017 campaign as Izzy Dagg celebrated his 100th Super Rugby appearance in a tight but intense win (Although they finally won in their Super Rugby opener since they beat the Blues in 2012 after losses to the Blues in 2013, the Chiefs in both 2014 & 16 & the Rebels in 2015) with a news report which is less exciting than the Sunwolves-Hurricanes one:
The Crusaders made a winning start to their Super Rugby campaign when they claimed a hard-fought 17-13 triumph over the Brumbies in Christchurch on Saturday.
The home side dominated for large periods and should have won this match by a bigger margin, but the Brumbies delivered a competitive effort.
The Canberra-based side will be wondering what could have been, however, as they had chances to win the game in the second half but failed to pull it off.
Both sides showed great intent on attack although the Crusaders made better use of their opportunities and outscored their visitors by three tries to one.
The seven-time champions made a bright start and after a prolonged period of attack in which they took the ball through 14 phases in the build-up, Israel Dagg delivered a perfectly-weighted long pass to Seta Tamanivalu, who burst through a tackle before crossing for the opening try in the fourth minute.
Richie Mo'unga added the extras but the Brumbies reduced the deficit five minutes later when Wharenui Hawera opened their account via a penalty, after Joe Moody was blown up for an indiscretion at a ruck.
The Crusaders had a bulk of the possession for the rest of the half although they had little to show for their dominance as the Brumbies managed to soak up the pressure with a solid defensive effort.
The visitors suffered a setback midway through the half, however, when James Dargaville was yellow carded for taking out Israel Dagg in an aerial challenge.
The Crusaders showed great patience on attack for the next ten minutes and were rewarded in the 34th minute when Whetu Douglas crossed for their second try after gathering a superb offload from Dagg close to the Brumbies' try-line.
The Brumbies were fastest out of the blocks in the second half and after the ball went through several pairs of hands shortly after the restart, Rory Arnold went over for an easy five-pointer in the left-hand corner.
Hawera slotted the conversion from close to the touchline which meant the Brumbies were back in this game with the score at 12-10 to the home side.
The home side didn't panic though and struck back in the 56th minute when Pete Samu went over for their third try from a dominant scrum by the hosts close to the Brumbies' try-line.
Mo'unga missed with the conversion attempt and the result was in the balance for the rest of the half as the Brumbies upped the ante on attack.
And when Hawera added a three-pointer from the kicking tee in the 68th minute, there were some worried looks amongst the Crusaders supporters in the crowd.
The hosts had a chance to seal the win in the 74th minute when Mo'unga lined up a shot at goal, but his effort was a poor one and went wide of the uprights.
The Brumbies tried desperately to secure the result at the end, but the Crusaders managed to see the threat out and held on for the win.
And in other Super Rugby news as the Waratahs edge the Western Force by 6 points as well as last season's runners up the Lions came back from the dead by downing the Cheetahs with a Rohan Janse van Rensburg double & the Jaguares of Argentina scraped past the Southern Kings by pulling clear in the 2nd half & the Stormers produced an impressive 1st half to end round 1 on a high with a win against the Bulls.
So that was Round 1 of the 2017 Super Rugby season and here are the matches for Round 2:
Force Vs Reds: nib Stadium, Perth
Chiefs Vs Blues: FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton
Hurricanes Vs Rebels: Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Highlanders Vs Crusaders: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Brumbies Vs Sharks, GIO Stadium, Canberra
Sunwolves Vs Kings: National Stadium, Singapore
Lions Vs Waratahs: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
Stormers Vs Jaguares: DHL Newlands, Cape Town
& the Cheetahs Vs Bulls at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein to end Round 2 of Super Rugby 2017.
And on Sunday that we went to 25 Somme Parade for breakfast this morning with Marjorie, Pops & his sister Aunty Kathryn & I had hot cakes which is kind nice & had a moccha there just before Kathryn left to return to Auckland with her son's car (Although Ben looks a little bit like Obi-Wan Kenobi, but he is gigantic) because she might be returning to work tomorrow at the Piratahi childcare over in Waiheke Island but trust me, Kathryn will be back, I promise & the force will be with her, always.
And today we had breakfast out there before heading of Ginza bargains as well as the recycling centre because it was getting full & when we got back, my American colleague from Palatine in Illnois...Diana Kent was here because I saw her rental car & I had a great chat to her before we had wraps for lunch then we headed downtown to go to Warehouse Stationary then back to the recycling because I'd forgot to put something in before we headed to The Warehouse to get some stuff before we headed back to my new home which is 15A Kells Avenue & I played that best Formula 1 game ever which is F1 2016 on my PS4 then we had nibbles while we watched the news & had burgers for dinner before we had a great dessert & right now I am updating my blog as of tonight.
And finally in the Six Nations as Scotland turn the tables on Wales for the 1st time in 10 years with a win as Scotland ended Wales' record 9-match winning streak over Scotland, by winning for the first time since their 21–9 victory in 2007 & Ireland get their 1st win against France in 2 years since France beat Ireland last year as Henry Chavancy made his test debut & of course what about England because they remain unbeaten under coach Eddie Jones as they go 3 from 3, defeating Italy at Twickenham as Leonardo Ghiraldini was named in Italy's started XV, but was ruled out before kick off due to injury then Owen Farrell (England) earned his 50th England cap as well as Mike Brown won his sixteenth consecutive Six Nations match, a championship record in the six-team format & Michele Campagnaro scored Italy's 900th try in tests.
#SuperBoomBoom
Investec Super Rugby
''I'm willing to take full responsibility for the horrible events of the last 24 hours, but you must understand: our interest in their world was purely for the betterment of mankind. Everything has clearly gotten out of hand now, yes. But it was worth the risk. I assure you...''
Friday, 24 February 2017
Wednesday, 22 February 2017
Bottoms Up/Feed The Machine/The Broken/This Means War: 2017 Super Rugby preview (+ Dan Vickerman tribute)
Well, for the 3rd time this year, the rugby world is in mourning as South African born ex Wallaby Dan Vickerman passes away (So RIP) due to mental health issues because 1st there was legendary Springbok halfback Joost van der Westhuizen who had a long battle with motor neuron disease followed by ex All Black Sione Lauaki who also had kidney & renal failure.
Dan Vickerman
1979 - 2017
And the 2017 Super Rugby season is due to get underway tonight with the Rebels hosting the 3 time Super Rugby champions the Blues (Captained by ex Crusader Jimmy Tupou for the match for both co-captains Jerome Kaino & James Parsons) over at AAMI Park in Melbourne then tomorrow the 2015 champions the Highlanders (Well how would they put All Black blindside flanker & number 8 Elliot Dixon on the bench, how would they do that?) take on the 2 time champions the Chiefs (And they are without influential All Black openside flanker Sam Cane due to a niggling ankle injury) at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin followed by the Reds & the Sharks at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane then on Saturday, my beloved Hurricanes (Although it felt great that we went to see them play against the Crusaders at Waverley 6 days ago in a pre-season game (It was shades of Super Bowl LI as the Hurricanes were playing like the New England Patriots because they inspired them of a Super Bowl-esque comeback not only when the Crusaders were leading until the Hurricanes had blown them into smithereens by downing them in a tight, intense & epic game played in miserable conditions) but I enjoyed both the experience & game except it was wet so we had sandwiches for dinner as well as a chocolate for dessert but right winger & fullback Nehe Milner-Skudder's return to action would have to wait until round 2 because of an hamstring injury as well as the Tongan Bear of prop Loni Uhila who is also injured with a calf problem meaning that Beauden & Scott's brother, Jordie Barrett, who is in line to make his Super Rugby debut at fullback for the Hurricanes following his successful Mitre 10 Cup season stint with Canterbury because he is expected to feature in the outside backs department consisting of wingers Julian Savea & Cory Jane in order to team up with his brother Beauden Barrett but I really don't know whether it is Jordie or Beauden may be fighting over the goal kicking duties although Beauden may start on the bench due a protocol which is return to play) begin our Super Rugby title defence against the Sunwolves (Who are in their 2nd Super Rugby season since their debut last year) at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo followed by the 7 time champions the Crusaders hosting the Brumbies at AMI Stadium Addington in Christchurch followed by the Waratahs taking on the Western Force at Allianz Stadium in Sydney followed by Cheetahs hosting last year's runner up the Lions at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein then the Kings hosting the Jaguares from Argentina (Who are also in their 2nd Super Rugby season) at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth followed by the Stormers who will wrap up round 1 of the competition when they face the Bulls at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.
And finally today that I woke up & had breakfast at my flat & went with Pops to The Warehouse to get some stuff & after that went to Pak'n'Save to get the fruit then to UCOL to discuss about having a student here then to Bark & Boulders before staying at 15A Kells Avenue on a temporary basis or should I say temporarily (Well I like staying there a lot) just because we had wraps for lunch before we went to Nan's grave & so here I am, now doing a blog after listening to music on Youtube with rock bands to listen to today such as 3 Doors Down, Nickelback, Deftones & Audiovent.
So that is my 9th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 89th overall (Only 11 remaining until I reach my 100th).
Dan Vickerman
1979 - 2017
And the 2017 Super Rugby season is due to get underway tonight with the Rebels hosting the 3 time Super Rugby champions the Blues (Captained by ex Crusader Jimmy Tupou for the match for both co-captains Jerome Kaino & James Parsons) over at AAMI Park in Melbourne then tomorrow the 2015 champions the Highlanders (Well how would they put All Black blindside flanker & number 8 Elliot Dixon on the bench, how would they do that?) take on the 2 time champions the Chiefs (And they are without influential All Black openside flanker Sam Cane due to a niggling ankle injury) at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin followed by the Reds & the Sharks at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane then on Saturday, my beloved Hurricanes (Although it felt great that we went to see them play against the Crusaders at Waverley 6 days ago in a pre-season game (It was shades of Super Bowl LI as the Hurricanes were playing like the New England Patriots because they inspired them of a Super Bowl-esque comeback not only when the Crusaders were leading until the Hurricanes had blown them into smithereens by downing them in a tight, intense & epic game played in miserable conditions) but I enjoyed both the experience & game except it was wet so we had sandwiches for dinner as well as a chocolate for dessert but right winger & fullback Nehe Milner-Skudder's return to action would have to wait until round 2 because of an hamstring injury as well as the Tongan Bear of prop Loni Uhila who is also injured with a calf problem meaning that Beauden & Scott's brother, Jordie Barrett, who is in line to make his Super Rugby debut at fullback for the Hurricanes following his successful Mitre 10 Cup season stint with Canterbury because he is expected to feature in the outside backs department consisting of wingers Julian Savea & Cory Jane in order to team up with his brother Beauden Barrett but I really don't know whether it is Jordie or Beauden may be fighting over the goal kicking duties although Beauden may start on the bench due a protocol which is return to play) begin our Super Rugby title defence against the Sunwolves (Who are in their 2nd Super Rugby season since their debut last year) at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo followed by the 7 time champions the Crusaders hosting the Brumbies at AMI Stadium Addington in Christchurch followed by the Waratahs taking on the Western Force at Allianz Stadium in Sydney followed by Cheetahs hosting last year's runner up the Lions at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein then the Kings hosting the Jaguares from Argentina (Who are also in their 2nd Super Rugby season) at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth followed by the Stormers who will wrap up round 1 of the competition when they face the Bulls at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.
And finally today that I woke up & had breakfast at my flat & went with Pops to The Warehouse to get some stuff & after that went to Pak'n'Save to get the fruit then to UCOL to discuss about having a student here then to Bark & Boulders before staying at 15A Kells Avenue on a temporary basis or should I say temporarily (Well I like staying there a lot) just because we had wraps for lunch before we went to Nan's grave & so here I am, now doing a blog after listening to music on Youtube with rock bands to listen to today such as 3 Doors Down, Nickelback, Deftones & Audiovent.
So that is my 9th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 89th overall (Only 11 remaining until I reach my 100th).
Thursday, 16 February 2017
Joyride (Omen)/Rivers/Take Out The Gunman: My blog before going to the rugby (Sione Lauaki tribute, 1981 - 2017)
Well, it is Friday the 17th of February today so yesterday (Although I had to pack my bags before Pops gets here), Pops took me to 15A Kells Avenue to stay here for the night so we had morning tea before dropping that old lady home then we headed to Springvale Garden Centre for lunch where Pops & I had a jumbo burger for lunch which is yesterday's dinner then we headed off to the recycling centre & off to The Warehouse to get some stuff as well as Countdown & Pak'N'Save to get my food supplies then headed back home where I had a shave because I hadn't had a shave since January 30th (Although I stopped shaving to grow a beard until yesterday because I had a cut on my lip but I really have to be extra careful for that) after we had a smoothie not once but twice (I had to read my favourite Richie McCaw books which is Richie McCaw: The Open Side & Richie McCaw 148 because I am reading about the history of past matches), a few hours before I watched both Prime News First At 5:30 then TVNZ 1 News to look at the sports news section but we had salmon pasta with vegetables for dinner (Although it is a light meal anyway) before we had Silo Naqaisima's steamed pudding with hokey pokey ice cream & frozen yoghurt then I had to watch my favourite TV programme which is MacGyver (It is a remake of the original TV series that ran from 1985 to 1992 (Starring Richard Dean Anderson from Stargate SG-1 as Angus MacGyver before actor Lucas Till took over the role in the remake (And he appeared in such films such as Hannah Montana: The Movie, The Spy Next Door, X-Men: First Class & Monster Trucks (And yes from Miley Cyrus to Jackie Chan to Michael Fassbender & James McAvoy & of course Jane Levy) but the original is better because I have never seen the original) & after that looked that on the computer listening to rock music before I had to go to sleep (I read both Richie McCaw books again).
And today is the big day that we are going to the rugby at Waverley between my beloved reigning Super Rugby champions the Hurricanes & the 7 time champions the Crusaders in our final pre-season Super Rugby clash but some great news, we got the tickets after we had breakfast (Although I had a great sleep) & went to Mitre 10 because there were only 3 available out of the 4 & a half thousand capacity just before we went back here to do some gardening jobs (I was getting hot wearing my gardening shirt because I took it off so I only wore some of Poppa's track pants) then looked on youtube which is a classic we had lunch which is a risotto & for dessert is some fruits and after that I had a shave again & now I am doing my blog today before we heading to Waverley to watch the rugby.
And finally I have found my 2 favourite parts of the Richie McCaw: The Openside book which is 'New Age Crusaders, Stone Age Bulls' & 'Richard Bands, part Springbok prop, part Brahma Bull' (And yeah, along with: Hands off, it's a ruck, DC's wrecked, I HOPE YOU'RE READY QUADE, RICHIE IS & of course, Hands off! Get out of there!) so here is the full rundown of my 2 favourite parts:
Crusade
''At fulltime, it's Crusaders 54, Bulls 19.
Journalist Paul Lewis sums it up: 'New Age Crusaders, Stone Age Bulls'.
Okay, no Bryan Habana, no Matfield, no Bakkies Botha for the Bulls, but we're still able to take some big pointers from the game. Robbie's strategy to get us fit enough to take advantage of the space the ELVs create seems to work''
And finally, Start Again
''The following year, I got knocked unconscious at Loftus in a front-on tackle of Richard Bands, part Springbok prop, part Brahma Bull. That was easier to deal with. I recovered pretty quickly and after a week or so I was feeling pretty good again.''
So that is my 8th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 88th overall (Only 12 left until I reach 100 blogs).
P.S. Sione Lauaki (AKA Wax) has passed away aged 35 so RIP (Rest in peace/Rest in pieces as the rugby world is in mourning again because Springbok halfback Joost van der Westhuizen was the 1st rugby player to pass away) as the Chiefs pay tribute to him by winning the inaugural Brisbane Global Tens competition (Featuring all 5 Super Rugby teams from both Australia (Which are the Brumbies, Rebels, Reds, Waratahs & Western Force) & New Zealand (Which also are the Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Highlanders & the Hurricanes) as well as Toulon from France, the Panasonic Wild Knights from Japan, a Samoan team & the Bulls of South Africa) by beating the Crusaders in the final.
Sione Lauaki
1981 - 2017
And finally in the Six Nations as Ireland bounce back after losing to Scotland in the opener with a bonus point win as they thrash Italy by 63 points to 10 over at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome as hooker Niall Scannell made his test debut for the Irish but Ireland captain Rory Best was named to start but was withdrawn from the team due to illness on the day of the match then CJ Stander became the first forward to score a hat-trick in the Six Nations as Ireland earned the 1st try bonus point in the history of the Six Nations & that match was Ireland's largest ever victory in the tournament moments before England had to snatch victory against Wales from the jaws of defeat to remain the only unbeaten team in this year's tournament when winger George North was named to start for Wales but was replaced by Alex Cuthbert after failing to recover from injury & of course France getting their 1st win of 2017, defeating Scotland by 6 points as Stuart Hogg (Scotland) earned his 50th test cap & Simon Berghan (Scotland) made his international debut.
And today is the big day that we are going to the rugby at Waverley between my beloved reigning Super Rugby champions the Hurricanes & the 7 time champions the Crusaders in our final pre-season Super Rugby clash but some great news, we got the tickets after we had breakfast (Although I had a great sleep) & went to Mitre 10 because there were only 3 available out of the 4 & a half thousand capacity just before we went back here to do some gardening jobs (I was getting hot wearing my gardening shirt because I took it off so I only wore some of Poppa's track pants) then looked on youtube which is a classic we had lunch which is a risotto & for dessert is some fruits and after that I had a shave again & now I am doing my blog today before we heading to Waverley to watch the rugby.
And finally I have found my 2 favourite parts of the Richie McCaw: The Openside book which is 'New Age Crusaders, Stone Age Bulls' & 'Richard Bands, part Springbok prop, part Brahma Bull' (And yeah, along with: Hands off, it's a ruck, DC's wrecked, I HOPE YOU'RE READY QUADE, RICHIE IS & of course, Hands off! Get out of there!) so here is the full rundown of my 2 favourite parts:
Crusade
''At fulltime, it's Crusaders 54, Bulls 19.
Journalist Paul Lewis sums it up: 'New Age Crusaders, Stone Age Bulls'.
Okay, no Bryan Habana, no Matfield, no Bakkies Botha for the Bulls, but we're still able to take some big pointers from the game. Robbie's strategy to get us fit enough to take advantage of the space the ELVs create seems to work''
And finally, Start Again
''The following year, I got knocked unconscious at Loftus in a front-on tackle of Richard Bands, part Springbok prop, part Brahma Bull. That was easier to deal with. I recovered pretty quickly and after a week or so I was feeling pretty good again.''
So that is my 8th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 88th overall (Only 12 left until I reach 100 blogs).
P.S. Sione Lauaki (AKA Wax) has passed away aged 35 so RIP (Rest in peace/Rest in pieces as the rugby world is in mourning again because Springbok halfback Joost van der Westhuizen was the 1st rugby player to pass away) as the Chiefs pay tribute to him by winning the inaugural Brisbane Global Tens competition (Featuring all 5 Super Rugby teams from both Australia (Which are the Brumbies, Rebels, Reds, Waratahs & Western Force) & New Zealand (Which also are the Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Highlanders & the Hurricanes) as well as Toulon from France, the Panasonic Wild Knights from Japan, a Samoan team & the Bulls of South Africa) by beating the Crusaders in the final.
Sione Lauaki
1981 - 2017
And finally in the Six Nations as Ireland bounce back after losing to Scotland in the opener with a bonus point win as they thrash Italy by 63 points to 10 over at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome as hooker Niall Scannell made his test debut for the Irish but Ireland captain Rory Best was named to start but was withdrawn from the team due to illness on the day of the match then CJ Stander became the first forward to score a hat-trick in the Six Nations as Ireland earned the 1st try bonus point in the history of the Six Nations & that match was Ireland's largest ever victory in the tournament moments before England had to snatch victory against Wales from the jaws of defeat to remain the only unbeaten team in this year's tournament when winger George North was named to start for Wales but was replaced by Alex Cuthbert after failing to recover from injury & of course France getting their 1st win of 2017, defeating Scotland by 6 points as Stuart Hogg (Scotland) earned his 50th test cap & Simon Berghan (Scotland) made his international debut.
Monday, 6 February 2017
Face To The Floor/Hats Off To The Bull/The Red/Vitamin R (Leading Us Along): Superbowl LI & Six Nations round 1 review (Waitangi day special + Joost van der Westhuizen tribute)
Well, the Patriots of New England (Although the Patriots are without influential player Rob Gronkowski due to back injury) have won back the Super Bowl & the Vince Lombardi trophy from the Denver Broncos after beating Matt Ryan & the Falcons of Atlanta, Georgia over in Houston, Texas (Host of Super Bowl LI) meaning that both coach Bill Belichick & 39 year old quarterback Tom Brady (Who sat out the 1st 4 games of the season due to suspension in wake of the Deflategate scandal) have won 5 Super Bowls altogether out of 7 attempts (Although they lost to the New York Giants on both occasions in Super Bowls XLII & XLVI) after a miraculous comeback ever with 31 unanswered points to down the Falcons with a match winning touchdown scored by James White during overtime in which Super Bowl LI was the 1st Super Bowl to be played at overtime when the scores were locked at 28 all so here is the news report of Super Bowl LI from Stuff News:
Tom Brady led one of the greatest comebacks in sports history highlighted by an unbelievable Julian Edelman catch that helped lift New England from a 25-point hole against the Atlanta Falcons to the Patriots' unprecedented 5th Super Bowl victory, the 1st ever in overtime.
The Patriots scored 19 points in the final quarter, including a pair of 2-point conversions, then marched relentlessly to James White's 2-yard touchdown run in overtime to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28.
Brady, the 1st quarterback with five Super Bowl rings, guided the Patriots (17-2) through a tiring Atlanta defense for fourth-quarter touchdowns on a 6-yard pass to Danny Amendola and a 1-yard run by White, which came with 57 seconds remaining in regulation. White ran for the first 2-pointer and Amendola did the deed with a reception on the second.
Brady, winning Super Bowl MVP for a record fourth-time, finished 43 for 62, the most attempts in Super Bowl history, for 466 yards, also a record, and two touchdowns.
"You know, we all brought each other back," Brady said. "We never felt out of it. It was a tough battle. They have a great team. I give them a lot of credit. We just made a few more plays than them."
Before the stunning rally - New England already held the biggest comeback in the final period when it turned around a 10-point deficit to beat Seattle two years ago - the Falcons (13-6) appeared poised to take their first NFL championship in 51 seasons. Having never been in such a pressurised environment, their previously staunch pass rush disappeared, they stumbled on offence and Brady tore them apart.
"Deflategate" far behind them, Brady and coach Bill Belichick won their 25th postseason game, by far a record. The Falcons added to Atlanta's long history of pro sports frustration.
Belichick became the first coach with five Super Bowl crowns.
The Patriots won the coin toss for overtime and it was no contest. Brady completed six passes against an overmatched Falcons secondary. A pass interference call took the ball to the 2, and White scooted to his right and barely over the goal line.
His teammates streamed off the sideline to engulf White as confetti streamed down from the NRG Stadium rafters.
It was almost an impossible dream for the Patriots a bit earlier. But helped by Matt Ryan's fumble on a sack, a Edelman's catch off of a defender's shoe, and Brady's passing, they never stopped coming.
White scored a hat trick of touchdowns and had 14 receptions for 110 yards, but Brady hit 7 different receivers.
Until the Patriots took charge with their late surge, league MVP Ryan was outplaying Brady. It didn't last.
Atlanta's string of touchdowns on its opening drive ended at eight, though Devonta Freeman sprinted for 37 yards on the Falcons' first offensive play. The drive was stunted when Ryan was sacked by Trey Flowers, New England's leader in that category.
Then it was Atlanta's D that went sacks-happy, getting two on the Patriots' next drive in what would be a scoreless opening quarter. Who expected that? Well, New England has not scored a point in the first 15 minutes in Brady's seven Super Bowls.
It sure looked as if the Patriots would get on the board immediately in the second period as Brady and Edelman connected twice for 40 yards. But Blount's fumble turned the momentum to the Falcons, who then took their biggest lead in a Super Bowl, yeah, we know, they have been here only twice, on Freeman's 5-yard run to cap a quick 71-yard drive on which Jones came alive.
Jones showed why he is an All-Pro receiver with a tough leaping catch over the middle for 19 yards, then got open on the sideline for 23. Freeman did the rest.
Before New England could catch its breath, Ryan had the Falcons up by 14. Using the no-huddle attack to perfection, he threw for 51 yards on a 52-yard drive, hitting Hooper with a pinpoint pass in the left side of the end zone.
Then Brady was victimized by his own poor decision, a rarity on the big stage. Atlanta was called for defensive holding three times on third downs to keep the drive alive. From the Falcons 23, under pressure Brady tried to squeeze a throw to Danny Amendola. Alford stepped in and sprinted, then glided 82 yards for the second-longest pick-6 in a Super Bowl - and Brady's first.
Shockingly, it was 21-0.
New England gathered its wits for a 52-yard drive to Stephen Gostkowski's 41-yard field goal. Still, it was 21-3 when Lady Gaga took the stage.
There was smoke hanging over the field when both teams had three-and-outs to open the third quarter. It was a mirage regarding Ryan and Co., who marched 85 yards to Coleman's 6-yard TD catch on a swing pass. While New England scored the next nine points on James White's 5-yard TD reception - the extra point was missed by Gostkowski, who later made a 33-yard field goal.
And the 2017 Six Nations rugby championship season sponsored by RBS (The Royal Bank Of Scotland) is now officially begun in which Scotland (Coached by Kiwi Vern Cotter & captained by halfback Greig Laidlaw) upset Ireland (Coached by fellow Kiwi Joe Schmidt & led by hooker Rory Best) 27 - 22 in considerable fashion at Murrayfield over in Edinburgh as Scotland reclaim the Centenary Quaich for the 1st time since 2013, the last time they beat Ireland because this was the 1st time since 2006 that Scotland won their opening Six Nations match & also the 1st time since 2012 that Ireland lost their opening Six Nations match while Stuart Hogg became Scotland's highest try scorer in the Six Nations & of course that Ireland scored the 1st bonus point in the history of the Six Nations while England (Coached by Australian Eddie Jones & captained by hooker Dylan Hartley) opened up their 2017 Six Nations rugby title defence with a 3 point victory over rivals France (Coached by Guy Noves & led by fellow hooker Guilhem Guirado) extending their winning run to 15 (Although they remained intact since the Second City Saint or Savior of Eddie Jones (Who doesn't sport a black eye anymore because he is recovering from it) took over because the winning streak began when England defeated Uruguay in their final pool game during the 2015 Rugby World Cup because they couldn't advance after losing to both Wales & Australia in Pool A which is the pool of death because the last time England lost was against the Wallabies which cost their previous coach Stuart Lancaster his job), now with their longest winning run while new lock Arthur Iturria made his test debut for the French and finally, Wales (Coached by Rob Howley who is filling in for British & Irish Lions coach, New Zealander Warren Gatland & captained by lock Alun-Wyn Jones) defeated Italy (Coached by Irishman Conor O'Shea & led by number 8 Sergio Parisse) to begin their campaign with a 33-7 knife-edged win with Italy opened up the scoring 1st & led 7 - 3 at halftime after the self proclaimed Welsh playboy from Toulon, fullback Leigh Halfpenny kicked a penalty before Wales in the 2nd half, scored 28 unanswered points with tries scored by centre Jonathan Davies, wingers Liam Williams & George North (Who had an injury concern) with Halfpenny scoring all 3 conversions & adding 3 more penalties to their tally.
And finally, yesterday was Waitangi day (Formerly New Zealand day from 1974 to 76 because it is the late reggae star Bob Marley's birthday also because he had lived until his passing in 1981 (So that was 36 years ago) so the treaty was signed on the 6th of February way back in 1840 so I had a great time with Pops so we had fish & wedges for dinner (While I had chicken with spaghetti pasta, beans & red capsicums for dinner on Sunday) while I had a non alcoholic punch drink as well as a lemon flavoured water & for dessert we had fruit salad & a trifle so we have been having wraps for lunch as well as smoothies not only because I had them but I had to watch the Super Bowl on TV during Waitangi day whether it was on TVNZ 1 or TVNZ Duke.
So that is my 7th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 87th overall (Only 14 to go until I reach 100 which is the century).
P.S. Former Springbok halfback Joost van der Westhuizen has passed away aged 45 so rest in peace (RIP) or should I say rest in pieces...all thoughts, prayers & condolences to his family who amassed 89 caps for his country from 1993 until 2003 because he managed to stop the late Jonah Lomu from scoring a try during his team's triumph in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final (Then in 1995, disaster struck as New Zealand (Which featured rugby's 1st global superstar, Jonah Lomu) failed to regain the crown (With several players fell victim to food poisoning with the exception of captain Sean Fitzpatrick and the Brooke brothers of Robin & Zinzan), losing to debutants and hosts South Africa in the final in which united the host country as well as their leader Nelson Mandela).
Joost van der Westhuizen
1971 - 2017
And it was yesterday that I went with Poppa that we went to Mitre 10 & The Warehouse to get some stuff before we had an amazing lunch where we had a wrap pizza & it tasted so really good in the process then we moved the table back to the old barbecue area as well as doing garden work & always went to Nan's grave because we went in a orange Citroen (I always tell Pops that he has been isolated, any lateral passes & fumbles on the way) & had dessert before heading back to my flat at home.
Tom Brady led one of the greatest comebacks in sports history highlighted by an unbelievable Julian Edelman catch that helped lift New England from a 25-point hole against the Atlanta Falcons to the Patriots' unprecedented 5th Super Bowl victory, the 1st ever in overtime.
The Patriots scored 19 points in the final quarter, including a pair of 2-point conversions, then marched relentlessly to James White's 2-yard touchdown run in overtime to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28.
Brady, the 1st quarterback with five Super Bowl rings, guided the Patriots (17-2) through a tiring Atlanta defense for fourth-quarter touchdowns on a 6-yard pass to Danny Amendola and a 1-yard run by White, which came with 57 seconds remaining in regulation. White ran for the first 2-pointer and Amendola did the deed with a reception on the second.
Brady, winning Super Bowl MVP for a record fourth-time, finished 43 for 62, the most attempts in Super Bowl history, for 466 yards, also a record, and two touchdowns.
"You know, we all brought each other back," Brady said. "We never felt out of it. It was a tough battle. They have a great team. I give them a lot of credit. We just made a few more plays than them."
Before the stunning rally - New England already held the biggest comeback in the final period when it turned around a 10-point deficit to beat Seattle two years ago - the Falcons (13-6) appeared poised to take their first NFL championship in 51 seasons. Having never been in such a pressurised environment, their previously staunch pass rush disappeared, they stumbled on offence and Brady tore them apart.
"Deflategate" far behind them, Brady and coach Bill Belichick won their 25th postseason game, by far a record. The Falcons added to Atlanta's long history of pro sports frustration.
Belichick became the first coach with five Super Bowl crowns.
The Patriots won the coin toss for overtime and it was no contest. Brady completed six passes against an overmatched Falcons secondary. A pass interference call took the ball to the 2, and White scooted to his right and barely over the goal line.
His teammates streamed off the sideline to engulf White as confetti streamed down from the NRG Stadium rafters.
It was almost an impossible dream for the Patriots a bit earlier. But helped by Matt Ryan's fumble on a sack, a Edelman's catch off of a defender's shoe, and Brady's passing, they never stopped coming.
White scored a hat trick of touchdowns and had 14 receptions for 110 yards, but Brady hit 7 different receivers.
Until the Patriots took charge with their late surge, league MVP Ryan was outplaying Brady. It didn't last.
Atlanta's string of touchdowns on its opening drive ended at eight, though Devonta Freeman sprinted for 37 yards on the Falcons' first offensive play. The drive was stunted when Ryan was sacked by Trey Flowers, New England's leader in that category.
Then it was Atlanta's D that went sacks-happy, getting two on the Patriots' next drive in what would be a scoreless opening quarter. Who expected that? Well, New England has not scored a point in the first 15 minutes in Brady's seven Super Bowls.
It sure looked as if the Patriots would get on the board immediately in the second period as Brady and Edelman connected twice for 40 yards. But Blount's fumble turned the momentum to the Falcons, who then took their biggest lead in a Super Bowl, yeah, we know, they have been here only twice, on Freeman's 5-yard run to cap a quick 71-yard drive on which Jones came alive.
Jones showed why he is an All-Pro receiver with a tough leaping catch over the middle for 19 yards, then got open on the sideline for 23. Freeman did the rest.
Before New England could catch its breath, Ryan had the Falcons up by 14. Using the no-huddle attack to perfection, he threw for 51 yards on a 52-yard drive, hitting Hooper with a pinpoint pass in the left side of the end zone.
Then Brady was victimized by his own poor decision, a rarity on the big stage. Atlanta was called for defensive holding three times on third downs to keep the drive alive. From the Falcons 23, under pressure Brady tried to squeeze a throw to Danny Amendola. Alford stepped in and sprinted, then glided 82 yards for the second-longest pick-6 in a Super Bowl - and Brady's first.
Shockingly, it was 21-0.
New England gathered its wits for a 52-yard drive to Stephen Gostkowski's 41-yard field goal. Still, it was 21-3 when Lady Gaga took the stage.
There was smoke hanging over the field when both teams had three-and-outs to open the third quarter. It was a mirage regarding Ryan and Co., who marched 85 yards to Coleman's 6-yard TD catch on a swing pass. While New England scored the next nine points on James White's 5-yard TD reception - the extra point was missed by Gostkowski, who later made a 33-yard field goal.
And the 2017 Six Nations rugby championship season sponsored by RBS (The Royal Bank Of Scotland) is now officially begun in which Scotland (Coached by Kiwi Vern Cotter & captained by halfback Greig Laidlaw) upset Ireland (Coached by fellow Kiwi Joe Schmidt & led by hooker Rory Best) 27 - 22 in considerable fashion at Murrayfield over in Edinburgh as Scotland reclaim the Centenary Quaich for the 1st time since 2013, the last time they beat Ireland because this was the 1st time since 2006 that Scotland won their opening Six Nations match & also the 1st time since 2012 that Ireland lost their opening Six Nations match while Stuart Hogg became Scotland's highest try scorer in the Six Nations & of course that Ireland scored the 1st bonus point in the history of the Six Nations while England (Coached by Australian Eddie Jones & captained by hooker Dylan Hartley) opened up their 2017 Six Nations rugby title defence with a 3 point victory over rivals France (Coached by Guy Noves & led by fellow hooker Guilhem Guirado) extending their winning run to 15 (Although they remained intact since the Second City Saint or Savior of Eddie Jones (Who doesn't sport a black eye anymore because he is recovering from it) took over because the winning streak began when England defeated Uruguay in their final pool game during the 2015 Rugby World Cup because they couldn't advance after losing to both Wales & Australia in Pool A which is the pool of death because the last time England lost was against the Wallabies which cost their previous coach Stuart Lancaster his job), now with their longest winning run while new lock Arthur Iturria made his test debut for the French and finally, Wales (Coached by Rob Howley who is filling in for British & Irish Lions coach, New Zealander Warren Gatland & captained by lock Alun-Wyn Jones) defeated Italy (Coached by Irishman Conor O'Shea & led by number 8 Sergio Parisse) to begin their campaign with a 33-7 knife-edged win with Italy opened up the scoring 1st & led 7 - 3 at halftime after the self proclaimed Welsh playboy from Toulon, fullback Leigh Halfpenny kicked a penalty before Wales in the 2nd half, scored 28 unanswered points with tries scored by centre Jonathan Davies, wingers Liam Williams & George North (Who had an injury concern) with Halfpenny scoring all 3 conversions & adding 3 more penalties to their tally.
And finally, yesterday was Waitangi day (Formerly New Zealand day from 1974 to 76 because it is the late reggae star Bob Marley's birthday also because he had lived until his passing in 1981 (So that was 36 years ago) so the treaty was signed on the 6th of February way back in 1840 so I had a great time with Pops so we had fish & wedges for dinner (While I had chicken with spaghetti pasta, beans & red capsicums for dinner on Sunday) while I had a non alcoholic punch drink as well as a lemon flavoured water & for dessert we had fruit salad & a trifle so we have been having wraps for lunch as well as smoothies not only because I had them but I had to watch the Super Bowl on TV during Waitangi day whether it was on TVNZ 1 or TVNZ Duke.
So that is my 7th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 87th overall (Only 14 to go until I reach 100 which is the century).
P.S. Former Springbok halfback Joost van der Westhuizen has passed away aged 45 so rest in peace (RIP) or should I say rest in pieces...all thoughts, prayers & condolences to his family who amassed 89 caps for his country from 1993 until 2003 because he managed to stop the late Jonah Lomu from scoring a try during his team's triumph in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final (Then in 1995, disaster struck as New Zealand (Which featured rugby's 1st global superstar, Jonah Lomu) failed to regain the crown (With several players fell victim to food poisoning with the exception of captain Sean Fitzpatrick and the Brooke brothers of Robin & Zinzan), losing to debutants and hosts South Africa in the final in which united the host country as well as their leader Nelson Mandela).
Joost van der Westhuizen
1971 - 2017
And it was yesterday that I went with Poppa that we went to Mitre 10 & The Warehouse to get some stuff before we had an amazing lunch where we had a wrap pizza & it tasted so really good in the process then we moved the table back to the old barbecue area as well as doing garden work & always went to Nan's grave because we went in a orange Citroen (I always tell Pops that he has been isolated, any lateral passes & fumbles on the way) & had dessert before heading back to my flat at home.
Saturday, 4 February 2017
Bring Me To Life/Everything Zen/Fell On Black Days/Tonight, Tonight: The 2017 Six Nations championship & Super Bowl LI preview
Well, the 2017 Six Nations championship season is finally here so here's the preview of the tournament so far according to Sky Sports UK:
The Six Nations Championship (Although for the 1st time this season will feature the bonus points system so 1 bonus point is awarded for scoring 4 tries or more & by losing less than 7 points (Although 4 points will be awarded if a team wins & 2 points for a draw) & 3 added bonus points on offer if one of the 6 countries win all games such as a grand slam could also win the title) kicks off on Saturday as the defending Grand Chelem champions England (Led by Dylan Hartley who returns from suspension for a swinging arm prompting changes to the tackling laws which was in effect from the 3rd of January this year in an attempt for the players like Hartley to fine tune or change the tackling technique being implemented) attempt to win back-to-back titles for the first time since 2001.
Eddie Jones (Japanese Aussie coach who once coached the Wallabies as well as his mother's homeland, Japan because he turned up at the Six Nations launch, sporting a black eye, well that was unusual because he forgot to shave because he had to be slipped in the bathroom of his hotel after he had a shower in a hotel room for his 57th birthday by squad players & management, while exiting the shower to fetch his razor, requiring a nasty wound above his cheekbone to be treated. And I mean, was that even funny? Was it? Well to say the least, yes, probably) has promised that England will defend the Grand Slam won last year with a brave brand of rugby that he hopes will ignite the entire Six Nations, but he knows the champions enter the tournament with a target on their backs after 14 successive victories.
The most dangerous of their rivals are Ireland, the team responsible for ending New Zealand's record-breaking run last year, and a thunderous climax to the tournament awaits in Dublin on March 18 when white and green shirts collide.
Wales have a new captain in Alun Wyn Jones and could be ready to make their presence felt once more, and Vern Cotter will be hoping to end his Scotland reign on a successful note.
Italy will anticipate that Conor O'Shea's presence will help them avoid the wooden spoon, while Jones is among those to speak enthusiastically of France's revival under Guy Noves.
England
Only five teams have successfully defended the Grand Slam and in seeking to become the sixth, Eddie Jones' England have pledged to adopt a bold approach.
The Six Nations title launched Jones' regime with Twickenham's first silverware for five years and by the end of 2016 the Australian had presided over a sequence of 13 successive Test victories (That's 14 because the winning streak began when England defeated Uruguay at a Rugby World Cup match in 2015 after being knocked out of the tournament after 2 straight defeats (Which cost Stuart Lancaster his job meaning that they had to send the coach of Japan to coach the team which happened to be in all of a sudden, Eddie Jones (The so called Savior, Second City Saint because he is the 1st foreigner to coach for the England rugby team) against Wales & eventual runners up who lost to the All Blacks in the final, the Wallabies).
England are now 2nd in the global rankings and the next stage on their mission to supplant New Zealand at the pinnacle of the sport is to rid themselves of any conservatism against their European rivals.
France
It is a question which seems to accompany every staging of the Six Nations - and 2017 is no exception. Which France team will turn up?
There used to be no doubt, as illustrated by Les Bleus winning five Six Nations titles in nine seasons between 2002 and 2010. But that 2010 season - a Grand Slam campaign - was France's most recent taste of Six Nations silverware, as Wales, Ireland and England have dominated since then.
It is eminently possible that France could again find themselves on a slippery Six Nations slope after the opening weekend of this year's tournament, given that their opening game is against England at Twickenham.
But international rugby's most recent form guide - the autumn Tests - showed a French squad appearing to make strides under head coach Guy Noves. Even though they were beaten narrowly by Australia and New Zealand, performance levels were high and sustained.
Ireland
Ireland finished 3rd last year in fending off a host of injuries having won the title in 2014 and 2015, and Joe Schmidt is seeking a top 2 finish after November wins over New Zealand and Australia.
Schmidt says "indomitable" England are the team to beat but wants an improvement on his side's finish of 12 months ago.
Ireland face a tough opening assignment in Murrayfield and concerns remain over Johnny Sexton's fitness, but a favorable fixture list presents them with the chance to build momentum heading into their key clashes with Wales and England in March.
Italy
When Conor O'Shea took the Italy job he talked of bringing the team to the highest point in their history. For now, that entails securing a respectable finish in the Six Nations.
The former Ireland full-back has improved Italy's fortunes in the six months since he swapped the Stoop for Rome. Few expected two-time world champions South Africa to struggle in Florence in November, but the Springboks were stunned as Italy registered a first-ever victory against one of the 'big 3' southern hemisphere nations (Such as Australia, New Zealand & South Africa).
Having picked up a head of steam, and with accomplished defensive coach Brendan Venter recruited on the eve of the tournament, Italy are further boosted by a 2-game opening home stand against Wales and Ireland.
Scotland
Vern Cotter's path as Scotland head coach has not always been smooth but the Kiwi will hope he can bow out this summer having steered the Dark Blues down the road to lasting success.
The 54-year-old is gearing up for his final Six Nations campaign after Scottish Rugby took the unilateral decision to replace him with Glasgow boss Gregor Townsend when his contract expires later this year.
From suffering a humiliating whitewash during Cotter's first Six Nations campaign in charge, the Scots have grown into an exciting side packed with attacking intent and backed up by an ever-deepening pool of talent.
Their run to the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup has been the clear highlight of the Cotter reign so far, yet he will also have to admit that just two wins from 10 games in the Six Nations has hardly persuaded Murrayfield chiefs he is irreplaceable.
Cotter now has five matches left to write his final Scotland chapter and shape his legacy.
Wales
Wales have been excluded from the majority of Six Nations title talk, with the competition widely billed as a two-horse race between England and Ireland.
However, Wales will have a major say as they face both teams in Cardiff during a campaign that will see them targeting a first Six Nations crown since 2013.
Rob Howley, in charge this season while Warren Gatland concentrates on British and Irish Lions business, oversaw Wales' most successful autumn series since 2002 last November as victories were recorded over South Africa, Argentina and Japan.
And when he was last at the helm 4 years ago, Wales recovered from a comprehensive opening Six Nations weekend loss against Ireland to reel off four successive wins and secure Six Nations silverware in scintillating fashion by crushing England 30-3 in Cardiff.
And finally in this blog, the city of Houston in the Lone Star state of Texas is getting prepared to host the Super Bowl between the New England Patriots featuring coach Bill Belichick & star quarterback Tom Brady (AKA TB12) & of course, the Falcons of Atlanta (Featuring Matt 'Matty Ice' Ryan), Georgia so here's the preview of Super Bowl LI according to Yahoo Sports:
This Sunday the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots will meet in Houston as they matchup for Super Bowl LI. Atlanta will be seeking their first Super Bowl title, in just their second appearance in the NFL’s championship game during their 51-year franchise history. The Patriots meanwhile, make their ninth trip while in search of their fifth Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Sunday’s game will not be lacking in excitement as the NFL’s top scoring defense comes to a head with the league’s top scoring offense.
New England has been here before. This will be their second Super Bowl appearance in Houston as they came away victorious in Super Bowl XXXVIII. After sitting out the first four games of the season for his role in the Deflategate scandal, Tom Brady is just one win away from his NFL record fifth Super Bowl win. Head coach, Bill Belichick, will be making his 10th showing in the big dance — seven as a head coach and three as an assistant — as he looks for his seventh Super Bowl victory.
The Patriots and Brady thrilled this year on their way to a 14-2 record. At 39-years-old, Brady managed to put together one of the finest seasons of his career, despite only playing in 12 games. He finished with 3,554 yards passing while throwing for 28 scores and only two picks. The future Hall of Famer has been nearly impossible to slow down, let alone stop.
Legarrette Blount led New England’s rushing attack, averaging 3.9 yards per carry and racking up a league-best 18 rushing touchdowns on 299 carries. He could end up playing a big role in Sunday’s contest if the Patriots opt to go with a heavy-run power football gameplan.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots were just as prolific, finishing as the NFL’s top ranked group in points allowed, averaging just 15.6 points per game. They will be tested by the Falcons’ bevvy of offensive weapons and will have to pick their poison when trying to reign in Atlanta’s potent offensive attack.
After a disappointing finish to his freshman campaign as the Falcons’ head coach, Dan Quinn has managed to rebound, taking Atlanta to the NFL’s biggest stage, in his just second year with the team. Quinn has also been here before. Two years ago, he played a key role in helping the Seattle Seahawks punch their ticket to the Super Bowl, after building one of the preeminent defenses the league has ever seen.
This season, Atlanta established one of the premier offensive attacks in NFL history and lead the league with an average of 33.8 points per game. For his work, offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, was named Assistant Coach of the Year and appears to be heading to San Francisco next year.
Leading the Falcons’ offensive attack was quarterback, Matt Ryan, who took home Offensive Player of the Year honors and is the frontrunner to receive the league’s MVP award. He played at an unprecedented pace, finishing with 4,944 passing yards while tossing 38 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
Aside from their aerial assault, Atlanta thrived on the ground with the tandem of Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman, who averaged more than 170 yards from scrimmage. However, the offensive line deserves just as much of the credit as they finished the year as the only team to start the same five linemen — including Pro Football Focus’ top-rated run blocker — in every game this season.
While they were the NFL’s top-ranked group on the offensive side of the ball, Atlanta’s defense was not nearly as formidable, ranking 27th in points allowed, though some of which can be attributed to the Falcons sitting on large leads late in games and ceeding points to the opposition in garbage time.
Atlanta will attempt to fluster an unshakable Brady by getting their hands up and applying pressure to make him uncomfortable in the pocket, with hopes of disrupting his tempo and throwing him off rhythm. The Patriots are likely to employ a similar tactic while trying to slow Ryan down, moving him outside of the pocket and forcing him into committing costly mistakes. Whichever team is able to do this best, is the favorite to come out ahead as turnovers are likely to decide the outcome of the game.
So that is my 6th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 86th overall (Only 14 remaining until I reach the so called 100 mark).
P.S. Well I'll tell you a funny thing which is when Pops says close, I say nearby (Which means not far away or close by).
The Six Nations Championship (Although for the 1st time this season will feature the bonus points system so 1 bonus point is awarded for scoring 4 tries or more & by losing less than 7 points (Although 4 points will be awarded if a team wins & 2 points for a draw) & 3 added bonus points on offer if one of the 6 countries win all games such as a grand slam could also win the title) kicks off on Saturday as the defending Grand Chelem champions England (Led by Dylan Hartley who returns from suspension for a swinging arm prompting changes to the tackling laws which was in effect from the 3rd of January this year in an attempt for the players like Hartley to fine tune or change the tackling technique being implemented) attempt to win back-to-back titles for the first time since 2001.
Eddie Jones (Japanese Aussie coach who once coached the Wallabies as well as his mother's homeland, Japan because he turned up at the Six Nations launch, sporting a black eye, well that was unusual because he forgot to shave because he had to be slipped in the bathroom of his hotel after he had a shower in a hotel room for his 57th birthday by squad players & management, while exiting the shower to fetch his razor, requiring a nasty wound above his cheekbone to be treated. And I mean, was that even funny? Was it? Well to say the least, yes, probably) has promised that England will defend the Grand Slam won last year with a brave brand of rugby that he hopes will ignite the entire Six Nations, but he knows the champions enter the tournament with a target on their backs after 14 successive victories.
The most dangerous of their rivals are Ireland, the team responsible for ending New Zealand's record-breaking run last year, and a thunderous climax to the tournament awaits in Dublin on March 18 when white and green shirts collide.
Wales have a new captain in Alun Wyn Jones and could be ready to make their presence felt once more, and Vern Cotter will be hoping to end his Scotland reign on a successful note.
Italy will anticipate that Conor O'Shea's presence will help them avoid the wooden spoon, while Jones is among those to speak enthusiastically of France's revival under Guy Noves.
England
Only five teams have successfully defended the Grand Slam and in seeking to become the sixth, Eddie Jones' England have pledged to adopt a bold approach.
The Six Nations title launched Jones' regime with Twickenham's first silverware for five years and by the end of 2016 the Australian had presided over a sequence of 13 successive Test victories (That's 14 because the winning streak began when England defeated Uruguay at a Rugby World Cup match in 2015 after being knocked out of the tournament after 2 straight defeats (Which cost Stuart Lancaster his job meaning that they had to send the coach of Japan to coach the team which happened to be in all of a sudden, Eddie Jones (The so called Savior, Second City Saint because he is the 1st foreigner to coach for the England rugby team) against Wales & eventual runners up who lost to the All Blacks in the final, the Wallabies).
England are now 2nd in the global rankings and the next stage on their mission to supplant New Zealand at the pinnacle of the sport is to rid themselves of any conservatism against their European rivals.
France
It is a question which seems to accompany every staging of the Six Nations - and 2017 is no exception. Which France team will turn up?
There used to be no doubt, as illustrated by Les Bleus winning five Six Nations titles in nine seasons between 2002 and 2010. But that 2010 season - a Grand Slam campaign - was France's most recent taste of Six Nations silverware, as Wales, Ireland and England have dominated since then.
It is eminently possible that France could again find themselves on a slippery Six Nations slope after the opening weekend of this year's tournament, given that their opening game is against England at Twickenham.
But international rugby's most recent form guide - the autumn Tests - showed a French squad appearing to make strides under head coach Guy Noves. Even though they were beaten narrowly by Australia and New Zealand, performance levels were high and sustained.
Ireland
Ireland finished 3rd last year in fending off a host of injuries having won the title in 2014 and 2015, and Joe Schmidt is seeking a top 2 finish after November wins over New Zealand and Australia.
Schmidt says "indomitable" England are the team to beat but wants an improvement on his side's finish of 12 months ago.
Ireland face a tough opening assignment in Murrayfield and concerns remain over Johnny Sexton's fitness, but a favorable fixture list presents them with the chance to build momentum heading into their key clashes with Wales and England in March.
Italy
When Conor O'Shea took the Italy job he talked of bringing the team to the highest point in their history. For now, that entails securing a respectable finish in the Six Nations.
The former Ireland full-back has improved Italy's fortunes in the six months since he swapped the Stoop for Rome. Few expected two-time world champions South Africa to struggle in Florence in November, but the Springboks were stunned as Italy registered a first-ever victory against one of the 'big 3' southern hemisphere nations (Such as Australia, New Zealand & South Africa).
Having picked up a head of steam, and with accomplished defensive coach Brendan Venter recruited on the eve of the tournament, Italy are further boosted by a 2-game opening home stand against Wales and Ireland.
Scotland
Vern Cotter's path as Scotland head coach has not always been smooth but the Kiwi will hope he can bow out this summer having steered the Dark Blues down the road to lasting success.
The 54-year-old is gearing up for his final Six Nations campaign after Scottish Rugby took the unilateral decision to replace him with Glasgow boss Gregor Townsend when his contract expires later this year.
From suffering a humiliating whitewash during Cotter's first Six Nations campaign in charge, the Scots have grown into an exciting side packed with attacking intent and backed up by an ever-deepening pool of talent.
Their run to the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup has been the clear highlight of the Cotter reign so far, yet he will also have to admit that just two wins from 10 games in the Six Nations has hardly persuaded Murrayfield chiefs he is irreplaceable.
Cotter now has five matches left to write his final Scotland chapter and shape his legacy.
Wales
Wales have been excluded from the majority of Six Nations title talk, with the competition widely billed as a two-horse race between England and Ireland.
However, Wales will have a major say as they face both teams in Cardiff during a campaign that will see them targeting a first Six Nations crown since 2013.
Rob Howley, in charge this season while Warren Gatland concentrates on British and Irish Lions business, oversaw Wales' most successful autumn series since 2002 last November as victories were recorded over South Africa, Argentina and Japan.
And when he was last at the helm 4 years ago, Wales recovered from a comprehensive opening Six Nations weekend loss against Ireland to reel off four successive wins and secure Six Nations silverware in scintillating fashion by crushing England 30-3 in Cardiff.
And finally in this blog, the city of Houston in the Lone Star state of Texas is getting prepared to host the Super Bowl between the New England Patriots featuring coach Bill Belichick & star quarterback Tom Brady (AKA TB12) & of course, the Falcons of Atlanta (Featuring Matt 'Matty Ice' Ryan), Georgia so here's the preview of Super Bowl LI according to Yahoo Sports:
This Sunday the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots will meet in Houston as they matchup for Super Bowl LI. Atlanta will be seeking their first Super Bowl title, in just their second appearance in the NFL’s championship game during their 51-year franchise history. The Patriots meanwhile, make their ninth trip while in search of their fifth Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Sunday’s game will not be lacking in excitement as the NFL’s top scoring defense comes to a head with the league’s top scoring offense.
New England has been here before. This will be their second Super Bowl appearance in Houston as they came away victorious in Super Bowl XXXVIII. After sitting out the first four games of the season for his role in the Deflategate scandal, Tom Brady is just one win away from his NFL record fifth Super Bowl win. Head coach, Bill Belichick, will be making his 10th showing in the big dance — seven as a head coach and three as an assistant — as he looks for his seventh Super Bowl victory.
The Patriots and Brady thrilled this year on their way to a 14-2 record. At 39-years-old, Brady managed to put together one of the finest seasons of his career, despite only playing in 12 games. He finished with 3,554 yards passing while throwing for 28 scores and only two picks. The future Hall of Famer has been nearly impossible to slow down, let alone stop.
Legarrette Blount led New England’s rushing attack, averaging 3.9 yards per carry and racking up a league-best 18 rushing touchdowns on 299 carries. He could end up playing a big role in Sunday’s contest if the Patriots opt to go with a heavy-run power football gameplan.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots were just as prolific, finishing as the NFL’s top ranked group in points allowed, averaging just 15.6 points per game. They will be tested by the Falcons’ bevvy of offensive weapons and will have to pick their poison when trying to reign in Atlanta’s potent offensive attack.
After a disappointing finish to his freshman campaign as the Falcons’ head coach, Dan Quinn has managed to rebound, taking Atlanta to the NFL’s biggest stage, in his just second year with the team. Quinn has also been here before. Two years ago, he played a key role in helping the Seattle Seahawks punch their ticket to the Super Bowl, after building one of the preeminent defenses the league has ever seen.
This season, Atlanta established one of the premier offensive attacks in NFL history and lead the league with an average of 33.8 points per game. For his work, offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, was named Assistant Coach of the Year and appears to be heading to San Francisco next year.
Leading the Falcons’ offensive attack was quarterback, Matt Ryan, who took home Offensive Player of the Year honors and is the frontrunner to receive the league’s MVP award. He played at an unprecedented pace, finishing with 4,944 passing yards while tossing 38 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
Aside from their aerial assault, Atlanta thrived on the ground with the tandem of Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman, who averaged more than 170 yards from scrimmage. However, the offensive line deserves just as much of the credit as they finished the year as the only team to start the same five linemen — including Pro Football Focus’ top-rated run blocker — in every game this season.
While they were the NFL’s top-ranked group on the offensive side of the ball, Atlanta’s defense was not nearly as formidable, ranking 27th in points allowed, though some of which can be attributed to the Falcons sitting on large leads late in games and ceeding points to the opposition in garbage time.
Atlanta will attempt to fluster an unshakable Brady by getting their hands up and applying pressure to make him uncomfortable in the pocket, with hopes of disrupting his tempo and throwing him off rhythm. The Patriots are likely to employ a similar tactic while trying to slow Ryan down, moving him outside of the pocket and forcing him into committing costly mistakes. Whichever team is able to do this best, is the favorite to come out ahead as turnovers are likely to decide the outcome of the game.
So that is my 6th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 86th overall (Only 14 remaining until I reach the so called 100 mark).
P.S. Well I'll tell you a funny thing which is when Pops says close, I say nearby (Which means not far away or close by).
Wednesday, 1 February 2017
Daughter/Gravity/Spoonman/You're Going Down: Kathryn & Ben's visit to Whanganui & seeing the movie Pork Pie
And it was on Saturday where Poppa's sister Kathryn & her son Ben Blain (Well I told him that he met my cousin Paige at Nufemmia's but he has never met both Nico & Luca but Ben is a fan of X-Men comic books because he loves jazz music & he listens to alternative rock & heavy metal like me & his favourite Soundgarden Song is Fell On Black Days & finally, his 1st album that he bought was Californication by my favourite band (Well I prefer Breaking Benjamin by the way), Red Hot Chili Peppers) arrived in Whanganui because we where watching the sevens in Wellington on TV (Too bad for the All Blacks sevens side losing to the gold medalists from Rio, Fiji in the cup quarterfinals (This is like a repeat of Rio where the All Blacks sevens keep getting beaten) then Argentina in the 5th place playoff because this is like they are in both Suva & Buenos Aires) so we had wraps for lunch on both days so we had a great dinner where we had pasta which is my favourite food because it was quite filling then 1 day later we went to that house that Kathryn might live one day because that place is worth $670,000 (Well, I quite liked that place so much) & before I said good bye to both of them, I saw Ben wore a Star Wars t shirt so he gave me a Darth Vader one which is very kind because I know that Ben is a nice guy after all.
And finally today was something special as I finally got the chance to see the movie Pork Pie which is a remake from a movie that came out in 1981, Goodbye Pork Pie (Although it has been about 10 months since I have seen a movie set like that before because we where in Wellington staying at John & Lim's to watch a Hurricanes game there) but my favourite part of the movie was some Hurricanes fans heading to Westpac Stadium to go to a rugby match during an epic car chase but I did quite enjoy the movie because it was better than the original & after the movie, we headed to The Warehouse to get some stuff but we had sushi for lunch with seaweed, panko crumbed chicken & pickled ginger so I did have a great time there so we went to Countdown to get some stuff so Pops dropped me off home & here I am, doing my blog for today.
So that is my 5th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 85th overall (Only 15 left until I reach my objective which is 100 blogs).
P.S. It's been a long time comin'
And the tables' turned around
Cause one of us is goin'
One of us is goin' down
I'm not runnin'
It's a little different now
Cause one of us is goin'
One of us is goin' down
And finally today was something special as I finally got the chance to see the movie Pork Pie which is a remake from a movie that came out in 1981, Goodbye Pork Pie (Although it has been about 10 months since I have seen a movie set like that before because we where in Wellington staying at John & Lim's to watch a Hurricanes game there) but my favourite part of the movie was some Hurricanes fans heading to Westpac Stadium to go to a rugby match during an epic car chase but I did quite enjoy the movie because it was better than the original & after the movie, we headed to The Warehouse to get some stuff but we had sushi for lunch with seaweed, panko crumbed chicken & pickled ginger so I did have a great time there so we went to Countdown to get some stuff so Pops dropped me off home & here I am, doing my blog for today.
So that is my 5th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 85th overall (Only 15 left until I reach my objective which is 100 blogs).
P.S. It's been a long time comin'
And the tables' turned around
Cause one of us is goin'
One of us is goin' down
I'm not runnin'
It's a little different now
Cause one of us is goin'
One of us is goin' down
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