Well, today...Pops (Well Pops & I went to Vision's on Wednesday for lunch), Jansen & I went to Caroline's for lunch where I had nachos & I had chocolate stack for dessert because it was a great day compared to yesterday where Pops, Jansen (I had a selfie with him today along with Cathey & Paige, Sophia, Gemma, Ben & Huia) & I went to Funky Duck cafe before we went to Twin Kilns & Bricksticks furniture at 18A Georgetti Road in Bastia Hill then to the glass factory at 21 Kings Road in Gonville then we went to Ivan Vastivar at 7 Rangiora Street in Castlecliff before going to the Springvale Garden Centre for lunch where Jansen & I had that Hawaiian burger before we went to Singos Studio then to the Whanganui spinners & weavers at the Jane Winstone retirement village just before we went back home where I had to do the vac blowing before those people get here in time to have drinks & nibbles at Nan's memorial garden before going to the buffet dinner at Red Lion Inn in which I enjoyed the most.
And now onto the season opening round of the brand new 2017 Formula 1 World Championship season which is the Australian Grand Prix where 4 time world champion Sebastian Vettel of Germany in the Ferrari (Although they have never won a race since the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix which ran under lights) winning the Grand Prix (That's the 43rd of his career) ahead of 3 time world champion Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) in the Mercedes who finished ahead of his new teammate Valtteri Bottas of Finland completing the podium so here's the news report about it:
Ferrari proved that their pre-season testing form was no fluke on Sunday, as Sebastian Vettel soundly beat Lewis Hamilton to win the 2017 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix. Hamilton’s new Mercedes team mate, Valtteri Bottas, completed the Albert Park podium.
After shadowing pole sitter Hamilton throughout the race’s opening stages, Vettel leapfrogged the silver car at the first round of stops. From there the German never looked back, taking the chequered flag almost 10 seconds clear to clinch Ferrari’s first win since Singapore 2015, with team mate Kimi Raikkonen 4th.
Hamilton won the start, leaving Vettel to chase him, but the Mercedes had consumed its ultra soft Pirelli tyres after 17 laps, whereas Vettel managed to get his to the 22nd lap before making his sole pit stop.
Hamilton ought still to have been able to regain the lead, but he came out of the pits behind Max Verstappen’s 5th placed Red Bull, and simply could not pass it despite running on fresher rubber. Thus Vettel was able to make his stop and emerge still in the lead, to the chagrin of Mercedes.
Thereafter, there was no stopping Ferrari, who made up for fumbling what should have been victory here last year by setting out their stall for all to see.
Hamilton did what he could, while coping with what he thought might be a floor problem and some intermittent power surges, which meant he also had to keep an eye on team mate Bottas who, having fallen well behind the two leaders in the opening stages, was coming back strongly in the second half of the race.
In the end, though, there was no way either could challenge the red car, as Ferrari scored a hugely important victory which ushered in the new era of F1 in the most popular way, as far as many fans round the world were concerned.
Raikkonen never gave the top three a moment’s concern and finished a distant and uncompetitive 4th, challenged at one stage by Verstappen until he woke up and set the fastest lap on the penultimate tour.
The ‘unretired’ Felipe Massa was a likewise lonely 6th for Williams as Sergio Perez just kept his Force India ahead of a charging Carlos Sainz’s Toro Rosso, and the Spaniard’s Russian team mate Daniil Kvyat.
Tenth place fell to Esteban Ocon after a heady dust-up with Fernando Alonso, who had kept his uncompetitive McLaren in the final points-scoring position for lap after lap until a suspension problem enabled both Ocon and the Renault of a closing Nico Hulkenberg to pass him in one corner on the 52nd lap.
As Alonso retired, Pascal Wehrlein stand-in Antonio Giovinazzi made an excellent F1 debut with Sauber to take 12th place ahead of a struggling Stoffel Vandoorne, who at least finished in his McLaren MCL32.
The other retirements included the Haas cars of Romain Grosjean, who fell from 7th with suspected engine failure, and Kevin Magnussen who crashed with Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson on the opening lap and later suffered suspension failure; Ericsson, whose engine broke; Daniel Ricciardo, who joined the race on the second lap after starting from the pits following a sensor problem on his way to the grid which jammed his Red Bull in 6th gear, then went out with suspected engine failure; Jolyon Palmer whose Renault had persistent brake problems; and Williams rookie Lance Stroll, who jumped from 20th to 14th on the opening lap but later suffered brake problems too.
Vettel thus leads the drivers’ points table with 25 points to Hamilton’s 18, Bottas’ 15, Raikkonen’s 12, Verstappen’s 10, Massa’s eight, Perez’s six, Sainz’s four, Kvyat’s two and Ocon’s one.
Ferrari head the constructors’ stakes with 37 points to Mercedes’ 33, as Red Bull have 10, Williams eight, Force India seven and Toro Rosso six.
And what do I think of the Grand Prix, I proved them wrong as Mercedes were the strongest in both the 1st 2 practice sessions & qualifying (My favorite part of the session) despite Ferrari are going to be faster only in the 3rd practice session & I was backing Hamilton to win both the race & the title but when Vettel rejoined the lead from the pits during the race, I was so disappointed about it because both drivers were going to do a 2 stop strategy (I don't like Vettel at all from now on so I used to be a fan of him) but they sticked to plan A which is a 1 stop strategy so both drivers backed off plan B after all.
And here's the points standings for both the drivers & constructors but 1st here's the drivers standings:
1st: Sebastian Vettel (Germany, Ferrari), 25 points
2nd: Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain, Mercedes), 18 points
3rd: Valtteri Bottas (Finland, Mercedes), 15 points
4th: Kimi Raikkonen (Finland, Ferrari), 12 points
5th: Max Verstappen (The Netherlands, Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer), 10 points
6th: Felipe Massa (Brazil, Williams Mercedes), 8 points
7th: Sergio Perez (Mexico, Force India Mercedes), 6 points
8th: Carlos Sainz (Spain, Toro Rosso), 4 points
9th: Daniil Kvyat (Russia, Toro Rosso), 2 points
10th: Esteban Ocon (France, Force India Mercedes), 1 point
And then the constructors to wrap up the Formula 1 report:
1st: Ferrari (Italy), 37 points
2nd: Mercedes (Germany), 33 points
3rd: Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer (Austria), 10 points
4th: Williams Mercedes (Great Britain), 8 points
5th: Force India Mercedes (India), 7 points
6th: Toro Rosso (Italy), 6 points
And finally onto round 5 of Super Rugby when the unbeaten Crusaders pipped the Western Force to take over the lead of the New Zealand conference from the Chiefs so here's a news report about that incredible game:
The Crusaders moved top of the New Zealand Conference on Friday as they picked up a 45-17 triumph over the Force in a damp Christchurch.
Digby Ioane, Matt Todd, Scott Barrett, Luke Romano, Codie Taylor, David Havili and Ben Funnell scored their 7 tries as the 7 time winners made it 5 wins from 5 to jump above the Chiefs, who this week have a bye.
The Force crossed twice in the game, through Alex Newsome and Chance Peni, and despite a spirited effort were well beaten in the end.
The Crusaders came out firing and didn't take long to make an impact, scoring the 1st of 4 1st-half tries after just 3 minutes. Ioane was the scorer after Mitchell Drummond's smart break and pass allowed the right wing a simple job of diving over under the uprights.
Jono Lance cut the lead off the kicking tee four minutes later but the Crusaders got over again on 16 minutes when returning flanker Todd showed intelligence to ground the ball on the base of the post. With Mitch Hunt again having a simple conversion, the margin was 11 points.
At this point it looked as though the Crusaders were set to run away with matters. But then a stray pass from Todd was gobbled up by wing Newsome and he raced to the uprights, thus reducing the arrears to 14-10. Even the Force would admit to being fortunate to be that close.
Normal service was resumed for the hosts in the next 10 minutes as 1st blindside flank Barrett barged his way over from close range and then lock Romano spotted no offside due to the ball being over the Force try-line and duly dived on it. That left the Crusaders 28-10 up.
The Force though would end the half strongly and were rewarded for their efforts after the siren when wing Peni got over to make it 28-17.
After the break the Crusaders set about putting the bonus point beyond doubt and on minute 50 they had it in their grasp once again, with hooker Taylor at the back of a driving maul on the right side of the field. Hunt was unsuccessful with the conversion but the lead was 15.
The wet weather wasn't helping the match as a spectacle at this point, as the Force looked to turn the screw at scrum time. They knew that scoring their third try would give them a good deal of hope of claiming at least a losing bonus point from a difficult Super Rugby venue.
Helping their cause was the referee Rohan Hoffmann's decision to send replacement prop Tim Perry to the sin-bin for repeated infringements.
They came agonisingly close to crossing on 66 minutes when a quick tap from half-back Ryan Louwrens led to Luke Morahan almost collecting over the line. But the full-back couldn't hold on and one felt that maybe was the Force's last real chance to set up a grandstand finish.
So it proved as a yellow card for Force flanker Isi Naisarani, which was somewhat harsh, preceded the Crusaders getting into the 22 where full-back Havili squeezed over to make it 40-17 with the conversion.
That wrapped up the try bonus-point for the hosts and there was still time for one further try as replacement hooker Funnell went over off the back of a driving maul to make it seven crossings in this simple victory.
And the Waratahs end their 3 match losing streak with a victory right to the death against the hopeless Rebels outfit in Melbourne (Where the Grand Prix was held at Albert Park) while the Blues return their winning ways by thumping the Bulls 38 - 14 with another news report:
The Blues ended a run of 3 straight losses as they claimed a 38-14 bonus-point win over the Bulls in North Harbour on Saturday.
A much-improved 2nd-half effort saw them cross 5 times to add to Augustine Pulu's early effort as they get their second victory.
Matt Duffie grabbed a double with Ihaia West, Matt Moulds and Melani Nanai also crossing for the hosts, with the Bulls' scorers being Lizo Gqoboka and Rudy Paige as they lose their 3rd game of the Super Rugby season.
Errors from both sides created a scrappy opening half in North Harbour in a low-scoring 40 minutes which saw the game tied up at 7-7.
It had all started so promisingly for the Blues though when dangerous half-back Pulu finished off a lovely exchange down the left sideline involving full-back Michael Collins and wing Nanai. With fly-half Piers Francis knocking over the conversion it was a seven-point advantage.
But the Bulls, who claimed a 1st win of the campaign last week against the Sunwolves, hit back on 18 minutes when a brilliant touch-finder from first five-eighth Handré Pollard took them into the corner. Following an unsuccessful lineout drive, loosehead Gqoboka crossed and it was 7-7.
There was to be no further score until the 2nd-half though as those errors - and the fact the Blues 1st snubbed a kickable penalty in favour of heading to the corner and then Francis missed off the tee soon after - meant it was a fractious opening 40 minutes at QBE Stadium.
The 2nd half was much better in terms of taking their chances from the Blues and it took just 5 minutes for them to cross for their 2nd try, with a lovely offload out the tackle from in-form full-back Collins seeing Duffie race over from 20 metres out. Francis made it 14-7.
11 minutes later that cushion was stretched to 12 points as a well-weighted cross-kick in the Bulls red zone from Francis found Duffie, who was over for a simple try.
The missed conversion was Francis' last act as West replaced him at first five-eighth and relished the closing stages.
Despite being a man down when flanker Jimmy Tupou was yellow carded for a neck roll which is deemed illegal under the strict high tackle guidelines, the Blues broke loose with West spotting a gap in the 22 and promptly slicing through it.
That pushed the Blues into a 24-7 lead and also put the bonus point on the board with 13 minutes remaining.
The Blues eyed more though and made sure of the maximum haul with further crossings from replacement hooker Moulds and wing Nanai adding the gloss to a comfortable win that puts them on 11 points from 5 games.
And the Highlanders get their 3rd win of the season against the Australian conference leaders the Brumbies by making 2 in a row at Canberra with another news report:
The Highlanders came from 10-0 down to battle past the Brumbies 18-13 in their Super Rugby meeting in Canberra on Saturday.
It wasn't pretty or entertaining as a contest but for what is only their second victory of the season, the Highlanders won't care about that as they make it 3 successive triumphs against the Brumbies over recent seasons.
The Highlanders scored two tries as Sio Tomkinson and Aki Seiuli dived over, with Marty Banks kicking 8 points for his side.
In reply the Brumbies could only muster a single try, through Chris Alcock, as they get a losing bonus point and remain Australia's top seed.
It was a low-scoring 1st-half in Canberra as the Brumbies looked to grind down their opponents, who have been out of sorts this season.
Going into the match the Highlanders had won just one of their 4 games while the Brumbies were two from four, with both not yet firing.
It showed in the early sparring as neither seriously troubled their opposition's whitewash, with only a Hawera penalty on the board after 26 minutes of action. Those 3 points came in the 15th minute after an offside at a ruck, he made no mistake from 40 metres out.
Things were to get a whole lot better for the home team in the 27th minute when a clever lineout move saw Alcock dummy to attack open before turning to the blindside of the set-piece, fending and showing good pace to cross. That made it 10-0 to the Brumbies after the conversion.
The Highlanders, missing several players due to injury, desperately needed something before half-time and fortunately for them they scored a try in the 39th minute following a sustained period of pressure in the red zone.
The try came from 1st-phase ball off a scrum, with slick passing from Aaron Smith and Richard Buckman seeing wing Tomkinson go over on the right. Fletcher Smith was unable to add the extras.
After the break the contest continued in its knock-out feel as only a penalty apiece from Hawera and Highlanders replacement pivot Banks - both for offside - troubled the scorers until the 63rd minute. At 13-8 it remained anyone's game as both coaches opted for fresh legs.
Crucially the Highlanders got the next points and in truth it was gift-wrapped for Banks from the tee as Lolo Fakaosilea's late hit on half-back Smith was right in front of referee Marius van der Westhuizen. That made it a 2 point ball game with just over 16 minutes to play.
Territory was obviously going to be key at this stage so when replacement prop Siua Halanukonuka failed to roll away at the ruck, the Brumbies duly set up camp in the Highlanders 22, launching their now infamous driving maul. Unfortunately for them it did not bear fruit.
It came back to haunt them as after Joe Wheeler was held up over the try-line, prop Seiuli then barged over soon after to nudge his side in front, with Banks adding the extras to make it an 18-13 advantage to the visitors.
And despite the Brumbies pressing in the closing stages, that was the final scoreline as the HIghlanders managed to hold for a priceless win they'll hope kick-starts their season after what has been a disappointing start.
And the Stormers remain unbeaten along with the Chiefs & Crusaders by beating the Sunwolves in a thrilling clash in Singapore while the Lions defeated the Kings to regain number 1 status of the Africa 2 conference then the Sharks won the game by 8 points against the Cheetahs & finally, the Jaguares miss out on a bonus point win by claiming victory over the ill disciplined Reds in Buenos Aires.
So that was Round 5 of the 2017 Super Rugby season and here are the matches for Round 6:
Highlanders Vs Rebels: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Blues Vs Force: Eden Park, Auckland
Chiefs Vs Bulls: FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton
Reds Vs Hurricanes: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Stormers Vs Cheetahs: DHL Newlands, Cape Town
Lions Vs Sharks: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
& the Waratahs Vs Crusaders at Allianz Stadium in Sydney to end Round 6 of Super Rugby 2017 (With the Brumbies, Jaguares, Kings & Sunwolves taking a week off to prepare for Round 7).
So that is my 16th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 96th overall (Only 4 remaining until I reach 100 blogs), good luck fellas.
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