Freak On A Leash/Got The Life: 2017 Rugby Championship, Mitre 10 Cup round 2 & Belgian Grand Prix review

Well, it was an eventful day on Saturday (On Friday I had to get the new F1 2017 game that I'm totally happy with because of the good ratings so the game features classic cars & I did the 1988 season on Friday then 1991 on Saturday, 1992 yesterday & 1995 today so I'm doing the 1996 one tomorrow & I had to recreate Sebastian Vettel's 4 victories in Australia, Bahrain, Monaco & Hungary of the 2017 season on Saturday then Lewis Hamilton's 4 wins in China, Spain, Canada & Britain yesterday along with Valtteri Bottas's 2 in Russia & Austria & Daniel Ricciardo's 1 in Azerbaijan & on Sunday, Dad & Jansen took me out to both the beach & the dog park with Buck) that we went to the market & had lunch there (I thought I had sausage & onion sammies but I told Pops that I love sushi so I had some sushi for lunch) before going to the foot clinic (Pops had to go there while I had to say in the car) then we headed to the rugby to see Wanganui play against Wairarapa-Bush at Cooks Gardens (We had to get some snacks at Countdown) not only because Wanganui annihilated/demolished/thrashed them so it was a great win for the butcher's boys.

And what a win for the All Blacks against the Wallabies in a tight but intense close Bledisloe Cup game because that is the best one that we have just witnessed of all time at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin so here is the live match commentary from this epic & exciting game:

A warm welcome from Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin as New Zealand host Australia in yet another Bledisloe clash. Australia will be looking for a big response after a 54-34 drubbing in Sydney last weekend. Both sides have made a couple of changes this week and this is how they line up.New Zealand: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Ryan Crotty, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Joe MoodyReplacements: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 Kane Hames, 18 Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 Thomas Perenara, 22 Lima Sopoaga, 23 Anton Lienert-BrownAustralia: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Dane Haylett-Petty, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Henry Speight, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia, 8 Sean McMahon, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Rory Arnold, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Scott Sio Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Tom Robertson, 18 Sekope Kepu, 19 Izack Rodda, 20 Lopeti Timani, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Reece Hodge, 23 Curtis Rona.

Kick off is just 20 minutes away and both sides are out warming up. As always the pitch looks immaculate with the roof on, which should help the running games of both sides.

The sell-out crowd are having to wait a bit to see the teams due to a bit of drama before kick off. Michael Cheika is fuming about pre-match timings meaning Australia went back out to warm-up and left the All Blacks in the dressing rooms. That seems to have been sorted and the two sides are making their way out on the field to do the national anthems and of course the haka.

1ST MINUTE: Nigel Owens is in place and Beauden Barrett has the ball in his hands and we are underway.
TRY!: Australia (Israel Folau). New Zealand 0-5 Australia.

2ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION MISSED!:  Australia (Bernard Foley). New Zealand 0-5 Australia.

3RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): What an amazing start. The All Blacks got the ball off the kick off and set off on an attack but as Damian McKenzie looked to spread the ball wide Israel Folau read it perfectly to intercept the pass and sprint 75 metres down the field to score in the 1st minute.

5TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The All Blacks show their intent by turning down a shot at 3 points and heading to the corner. That attack ends with a forward pass but they totally overpower the Wallabies at the resulting scrum and win the ball against the head, giving them another platform to attack from.

8TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): Sonny Bill Williams has made his 4th handling error in just 7 minutes to relieve the pressure but the Wallabies defence is partly to thanks for a couple of those with a noticeable increase in intensity and pace.

10TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Interesting tactic from the Wallabies as Foley puts up a monster bomb for Folau, however Damian McKenzie read it well but couldn't gather the ball and knocked it into touch just 5 metres from his own line.

11TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: Australia (Michael Hooper). New Zealand 0-10 Australia.

12TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: Australia (Bernard Foley). New Zealand 0-12 Australia.

13TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The Wallabies are in again. Stephen Moore finds his man from the lineout and as they look to drive forward the All Blacks try bring them down but Michael Hooper doesn't wait for the advantage and catches the All Blacks by surprise to break through a Kieran Read tackle and score their 2nd try in the early stages.

15TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Just going upstairs to see if the Wallabies have scored a third try through Bernard Foley.
TRY!: Australia (Bernard Foley). New Zealand 0-17 Australia.

16TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION MISSED!: Australia (Bernard Foley). New Zealand 0-17 Australia.

17TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The All Blacks and their fans are stunned as the Wallabies score their 3rd try in the first quarter. It comes a retreating scrum as Will Genia gathers the ball and sets off evading Aaron Smith. The half back has support in Michael Hooper and then Bernard Foley was on his shoulder to get away from the defence.

22ND MINUTE (5 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Rieko Ioane). New Zealand 5-17 Australia.

23RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett). New Zealand 7-17 Australia.
It would be fair to say that try was coming. After punting the ball deep into the corner again the All Blacks set up a driving maul and from the base of it Aaron Smith pops the ball back on the inside to Rieko Ioane who scores once again.

27TH MINUTE (4 MINUTES LATER): Some lovely hands and phases from the Wallabies get them deep inside the All Blacks half but a loose pass is picked up by Rieko Ioane who looked set to score. However the assistant referee said Israel Folau was taken early and the Wallabies earn a penalty.

30TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY MISSED!: Australia (Bernard Foley). New Zealand 7-17 Australia.
These missed kicks could be crucial come the final whistle with seven points now missed by Bernard Foley. Once again he hits the upright and Henry Speight gets to the deflected ball 1st but knocks it just a metre from the try line.

34TH MINUTE (4 MINUTES LATER): The All Blacks are just one pass away from scoring again with every phase but it just isn't going to hand and the Wallabies are holding on to date.

37TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): Will Genia concedes a penalty for holding on after collecting a nice grubber from Barrett and the Read decides not to put the ball into touch but opts for the scrum just 5 metres out from the line.

39TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Ben Smith may have scored under the posts but we need the TMO to check if he was in control when grounding the ball.
Huge result for the Wallabies as Ben Smith was deemed to have lost the ball at the last second so the Wallabies survive five minutes of intense pressure and defence but it isn't over yet with another scrum under the sticks.

40TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Aaron Smith). New Zealand 12-17 Australia.

40TH MINUTE + 1 MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett). New Zealand 14-17 Australia.

40TH MINUTE + 2 MINUTES (1 MINUTE LATER): What an end to the half with the All Blacks obliterating the visitors scrum yet again and earning another penalty. Despite the hooter going they turn down the three points in search for more, and they do come up with a converted try. Aaron Smith picks up the ball from the back of the scrum and puts a huge step on Michael Hooper to evade the Wallaby captains' tackle and score under the posts to narrow the half time deficit to just 3 points.

40TH MINUTE + 11 MINUTES (9 MINUTES LATER): Both sets of forwards are taking very deep breathes at present due to the frenetic style of the game but it is a great spectacle. Beauden Barrett has been off the field for a concussion test so Lima Sopoaga has taken his spot and the replacement has made some crucial tackles in the last couple of minutes.

HALF TIME, NEW ZEALAND 14, AUSTRALIA 17: That's the end of the first 40 minutes at Forsyth Barr with the Wallabies leading the All Blacks by 3 points. The visitors scored 3 tries in the opening 15 minutes but then the response was emphatic from the home side with tries from Ioane and Smith getting them back into the game. Foley has missed 3 kicks and 7 points from the boot and that could be crucial come the final whistle.

41ST MINUTE: The players are back on the field and Bernard Foley is set to get the action back underway.

43RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A very positive start from the Wallabies gets them back into a promising attacking postion deep inside the All Blacks half but as Israel Folau looks down the short side he has pulled down and then turned over just short of the line and the All Blacks clear their lines.

47TH MINUTE (4 MINUTES LATER): This game has come alive in the last couple of  minutes with some end-to-end rugby and it is a joy to watch. Ioane is the danger man for the hosts with his rapid pace and quick feet getting him through a small gap a few metres from the Australian line. That break set up a huge overlap to the right but the rush defence of the Wallabies forced another interception and they hack the ball down field to try get a breather.

54TH MINUTE (7 MINUTES LATER): Nigel Owens seemed to award a try to the All Blacks but then decided to go upstairs to Rowan Kitt and he overruled the decision and said Retallick was held up over the line.

56TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Talk about confidence! The All Blacks turned down an easy 3 points to go level with the Wallabies in favour of heading for the corner but it doesn't pay off despite multiple opportunities. Once again the error comes from a Sonny Bill Williams as he has the ball ripped out by Beale.

58TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Dane Haylett-Petty is the next player to give away a penalty in a dangerous position, and with Barrett now back on, he puts the ball in touch just five metres out from the Wallabies line in search of his sides 3rd try.

60TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The visitors are living very dangerously conceding a number of penalties on their line with the latest one an offside infringement and Nigel Owens' patience must be wearing thin. With the line out not functioning too well for the home side it is time for another scrum.

62ND MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett). New Zealand 19-17 Australia.

63RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett). New Zealand 21-17 Australia.
After spending an eternity on the Australian line it seemed inevitabel the home side would score and they do through their first five-eighth. Smith finds Barrett on the short side with Ioane outisde him Haylett-Petty had to make a decision who to take and couldn't stop Barrett with his impressive change of speed.

66TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): The Wallabies are not out of this by any means as they continue to trouble the All Blacks with their fluent passing and impressive hands. Sean McMahon has been a shining light this week and his big carries are getting his side up the field with ease.

67TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: Australia (Will Genia). New Zealand 21-22 Australia.

68TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION MISSED!:  Australia (Bernard Foley). New Zealand 21-22 Australia.
After 15+ phases the visitors made their way up the field and had the All Blacks very much backtracking with every carry. Like all good nines Will Genia spotted a gap in the defensive line and threw a signature dummy to dart though near the ruck, running 15 metres to score and give his side a 1 point lead. For the 3rd time in the game the kick from Foley hits the upright and the Wallabies lead is just 1.

71ST MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Ben Smith). New Zealand 26-22 Australia.

72ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett). New Zealand 28-22 Australia.

73RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Scintillating rugby from the home side as they respond immediately and go through 22 phases before they find space and it is the hometown hero Ben Smith who takes the final pass from Damian McKenzie to cross over out wide and regain the lead for his side in his final Test of the year.

77TH MINUTE (4 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: Australia (Kurtley Beale). New Zealand 28-29 Australia.
CONVERSION!: Australia (Bernard Foley). New Zealand 28-29 Australia.
Australia show some real bravery themselves as they turn down a kick in front to get within 3 and head to the corner. After some good carries they work their way towards the centre of the field and a great short ball from Genia puts Beale in under the posts which leaves a simple conversion for Foley to give his side the lead once again.

79TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett). New Zealand 33-29 Australia.

80TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett). New Zealand 35-29 Australia.
You just can't write off this All Blacks side and they show why once again. They regather the ball from the kick off and start another attack deep inside Wallabies territory. Then the usual suspects came up trumps with Kieran Read going through a half gap finding TJ Perenara on his shoulder and then a quick ball putting Barrett in to win the game for the hosts.

FULL TIME, NEW ZEALAND 35 AUSTRALIA 29: It's all over at Forsyth Barr stadium and the fans have been treated to one of the great games of all time. The Wallabies shot out to an early lead but were dragged back by an impressive home side. A late Beale try gave his side the lead once again with just a couple of minutes to go but the home side, as they always seem to, came back late on through Beauden Barrett and stole it. With the win the All Blacks win the Bledisloe Cup once again and the victory will taste even sweeter this time.

And what do I think of the game? It was close, really close but it's hard to win anyway.

And the Springboks have moved on top of the Rugby Championship standings on points difference with another victory over Argentina in Salta with a news report coming straight at you:

South Africa made it 2 wins out of 2 in the Rugby Championship after they beat Argentina 41-23 at Estadio Padre Ernesto Marlearena.

Crossings from Siya Kolisi (2), Elton Jantjies and Jean-Luc du Preez as well as a penalty try saw the Springboks to an impressive victory.

In reply the Pumas' scores came from Ramiro Moyano and Matias Moroni but they were hindered by a red card from lock Tomas Lavanini.

Argentina took an early lead on 4 minutes when wing Emiliano Boffelli showed off his powerful boot following a ruck penalty. That shot from 55 metres though should've been chalked off by Jantjies but the Springbok first five-eighth missed with his first two kicks soon after.

It took until the 20th minute for the game's 1st try and it went the way of South Africa and Jantjies was the provider, his chip kick on halfway finding Jesse Kriel whose offload to Kolisi saw the flanker go in untouched. Jantjies would make no mistake from in front for 7-3.

Jantjies made it 10-3 seven minutes later with a penalty but the visitors' joy was shortlived when the restart was allowed to bounce and Pumas wing Moyano duly gathered for a gift wrapped try. Juan Martin Hernandez made no mistake off the tee and the game was locked up at 10 points each.

South Africa came close to striking straight back through Andries Coetzee but Kolisi's pass was adjudged to be forward so it was disallowed.

They wouldn't be denied though on 39 minutes when Jantjies slipped a tackle and reached out for a try to make it 17-10 at the turnaround.

After the interval Hernandez cut the lead to 4 points with a penalty on 45 minutes before good interplay between Coetzee and Courtnall Skosan after a turnover set up a 2nd try for Kolisi. Once again the final pass to Kolisi came from Kriel as the Springboks led 24-13.

Then came Lavanini's second yellow card for a deliberate knock down and that was compounded by a penalty try being given, making it 31-13.

On the hour mark the Pumas hit back through Joaquin Tuculet's converted try and with a Boffelli penalty they were only trailing by 8.

With eight minutes remaining though a Jantjies penalty made it 34-23 before replacement Du Preez made sure of an impressive away victory.

And here's the report about the review of the 2nd round of the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup season:

Wellington's bid to relieve itself of Championship status in the Mitre 10 Cup has made a sound start with maximum points after 2 rounds.

Canterbury remain the frontrunner, as they always would be given their remarkable record, after something of a fright in their 30-24 win over Otago in Christchurch on Sunday.

This was never going to be a game noted for its clinical efficiency. The rivalry between the sides is too great to allow that to happen and the right amount of Otago doggedness ensured Canterbury had to fight all the way to claim their win.

But the loss left Otago without a win so far, although its two games have been against premiership sides.

Auckland were left with plenty to think about after getting their 1st win of the campaign, 10-8 over Northland in a slug fest at Eden Park. It doesn't get any easier for Auckland with a home game on Wednesday against Waikato and then a trip over the harbour bridge where North Harbour are waiting on Sunday.

Manawatu welcomed back some old hands to claim their first win of the season, 35-20 over Tasman in Palmerston North on Sunday afternoon. Tries to Nick Crosswell and Kurt Baker demonstrated the worth of experience at this level.

North Harbour turned it on in the later stages to get a 45-20 win over Southland in Invercargill to leave the home side, like Tasman and Otago, as the only sides still without a win in the two sections.

Bay of Plenty bounced back from their loss to Northland to beat Hawke's Bay 46-17 in Rotorua, an impressive display which augurs well for the side as they eye up a Premiership run.

Waikato completed the round with a good home effort to beat their northern neighbours Counties Manukau 33-21 in a keen contest.

Some early impressions are being made in relation to individual honours. Wellington's Jackson Garden-Bachop heads the individual scoring with 30 points while Mike Delany has 27 for Bay of Plenty and Waikato No.8 Jordan Manihera has five tries to top that section while also sitting in 3rd on the overall points list. Canterbury's Richie Mo'unga has 22 points and Hawke's Bay's Ihaia West 21.

And finally Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) in the Mercedes has begun his road to the Formula 1 title with a win at the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps reducing the deficit of Sebastian Vettel's championship lead from 14 to 7 after successfully starting the race on pole position after hitting the right note in qualifying (And he's on the hunt because Hamilton has tied the all time Formula 1 record for most pole positions at 68 along with Michael Schumacher).

So that is my 138th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 58th this year (Apologies for the lengthy delay trying to post my blog because I thought I was going to post it yesterday because I have been playing the brand new F1 2017 game but it's been pushed back to today).

Dangerous/Remember The Time: All Blacks starting lineup for Bledisloe II, Mitre 10 Cup round 2 & Belgian Grand Prix preview

Well, the All Blacks have named their team to take on the Wallabies in for both round 2 of the Rugby Championship & the 2nd Bledisloe Cup test at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin so here is the starting lineup:

FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Joe Moody (Canterbury/Crusaders)
2 (Hooker): Dane Coles (Wellington/Hurricanes)
3 (Tight head prop): Nepo Laulala (Counties Manukau/Chiefs)

SECOND ROW
4 (Lock): Brodie Retallick (Hawke's Bay/Chiefs)
5 (Lock): Sam Whitelock (Canterbury/Crusaders)

BACK ROW
6 (Blindside Flanker): Liam Squire (Tasman/Highlanders)
7 (Openside Flanker): Sam Cane (Bay Of Plenty/Chiefs)
8 (Number 8): Kieran Read (Captain, Counties Manukau/Crusaders)

HALVES
9 (Half-back): Aaron Smith (Manawatu/Highlanders)
10 (First five eighth): Beauden Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes)

MIDFIELD
12 (Second five eighth): Sonny Bill Williams (Counties Manukau/Blues)
13 (Centre): Ryan Crotty (Canterbury/Crusaders)

OUTSIDE BACKS
11 (Left Wing): Rieko Ioane (Auckland/Blues)
14 (Right Wing): Ben Smith (Otago/Highlanders)
& 15 (Fullback): Damian McKenzie (Waikato/Chiefs)

And in the reserves are:

16. Codie Taylor
17. Kane Hames (Who replaces Wyatt Crockett who has been ruled out due to concussion)
18. Ofa Tu'ungafasi
19. Scott Barrett (Who had won his place ahead of Luke Romano)
20. Ardie Savea
21. TJ Perenara
22. Lima Sopoaga
& 23. Anton Lienert-Brown.

And round 2 of the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup is about to start so here is the list of games being played:

Southland Vs North Harbour: Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill
Bay Of Plenty Vs Hawke's Bay: Rotorua International Stadium, Rotorua
Waikato Vs Counties Manukau: Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Wellington Vs Taranaki: Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Auckland Vs Northland: Eden Park, Auckland
Manawatu Vs Tasman: Central Energy Trust Arena, Palmerston North
Canterbury (Ranfurly Shield) Vs Otago: AMI Stadium, Christchurch

And finally the Formula 1 circus heads to Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium for the Belgian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) trails by 14 points ahead of his nearest rival Sebastian Vettel (Germany) in the Ferrari after 11 action packed rounds but the grand prix itself is the home race of McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne (Belgium) so here is the circuit guide which will host round 12 of of the 2017 FIA Formula 1 World Championship:

''Shortened & brought up to the required safety standards in 1983, Spa-Francorchamps mantains the challenge & character of the 9-mile (14.5km) original from nearly 60 years before. A magnificent combination of purpose-built race track & public roads in the Belgian Ardennes. Spa remains a favourite with drivers & spectators alike.''

So that is my 137th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 57th this year.

You Don't Know Me: Back to back Black Magic, where are they now?

Well, I'm just doing a blog about the key sailors of America's Cup 2000 that are now doing during the present day:

Dennis Conner, Stars & Stripes skipper
Won the America's Cup in 1974 & 1980 with the New York Yacht Club before losing in 1983 to Alan Bond's wing-keeled challenger Australia II 4 races to 3 before winning it back in 1987 & retaining it in 1988 with Stars & Stripes before missing out on winning the 1992 Citizen Cup to America3 & losing to Team New Zealand in 1995 after winning the Citizen Cup with Stars & Stripes (They sailed Young America by merging with the PACT 95 syndicate to compete in the 1995 Americas Cup). Went on to compete in the 2003 Louis Vuitton Cup for the last time before retiring for good because they ran out of funds to compete in the next America's Cup in 2007.

Francesco de Angelis, Prada skipper
Was still the Luna Rossa skipper for their 2003 & 2007 campaigns.

Peter Gilmour, Nippon skipper
Was skipper in the Spirit of Australia challenge in 1992. He went on to skipper the Seattle Yacht Club's OneWorld challenge syndicate in the Louis Vuitton Cup way back in 2002-03 before joining Alinghi as coach in 2007 then retiring from sailing in 2012.

Bertrand Pace, Le Defi Bouygues skipper
Was with France 3 during the 2000 campaign. He joined Team New Zealand for our unsuccessful defence in 2003 before he went on to join BMW Oracle in 2007.

Marc Pajot, Fast 2000 skipper
Previously competed in the America's Cup in 1987 with French Kiss, 1992 with Ville de Paris & 1995 with France 2.

Jochen Schumann, Fast 2000 helmsman
He joined forces with Swiss syndicate Alinghi in both of their successful America's Cup campaigns in both 2003 & 2007.

James 'Jimmy' Spithill, Young Australia skipper
Was with OneWorld as helmsman for the 2003 Louis Vuitton Cup & the Luna Rossa challenge for the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup before he joined forces with Oracle Team USA in which they successfully won the America's Cup in 2010 then his team retained the Auld Mug in 2013 in a historic comeback in San Francisco before losing it this year (2017) in Bermuda.

Paul Cayard, AmericaOne skipper
Used to be the skipper of Il Moro de Venezia in the past way back in 1992 before joining forces with Dennis Conner & Stars & Stripes in a losing effort against Team New Zealand in 1995. Was coach of Desafio Espanol 2007 in the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup held in Valencia.

John Cutler, America True helmsman
Olympic bronze medalist in Seoul 1988. Was with the Nippon Challenge as helmsman in both the 1992 & 1995 Louis Vuitton Cup held in San Diego. Then in 2003 became sailing director & tactician for Oracle before he joined Desafio Espanol as the tactician & technical director for their 2007 campaign.

Ken Read, Team Dennis Conner helmsman
Raced with the PACT 95 syndicate during the 1995 America's Cup in San Diego. Sailed with Stars & Stripes for the 2003 campaign before going on to be a yachting commentator since the 34th America's Cup in 2013.

Ed Baird, Young America skipper
Coached Team New Zealand in 1995 in which they won in the past as well as he joined Alinghi after being sidelined in 2003 as an analyst (For both TVNZ (Television New Zealand) here in New Zealand & OLN (Outdoor Life Network) in Canada) when they retained the America's Cup in 2007.

Massimiliano 'Max' Sirena, Prada bowman
Sailed with Luna Rossa in 2003 & 2007 before joining Oracle as wing mast manager for their successful America's Cup campaign in 2010 then re-joining Luna Rossa to be their skipper in 2013 before switching sides with Emirates Team New Zealand in 2017 as technical advisor.

Russell Coutts, Team New Zealand skipper
Olympic gold medalist in Los Angeles 1984. 1st won the America's Cup as skipper of Team New Zealand in 1995. Joined forces with the Swiss syndicate Alinghi along with Brad Butterworth for their successful campaign in 2003 before being sacked in 2004 then joined Oracle as the CEO after the 2007 event after being sidelined (And he became CEO of the America's Cup Event Authority for the event held in Bermuda this year).

Sir Peter Blake, Team New Zealand syndicate head
1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race (Volvo Ocean Race present day) winner (Had a rivalry with future Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton). Tragically passed away after being shot by pirates over in Macapa in Brazil way back in 2001 while voyaging the boat Tara (Seamaster).

Joe Allen, Team New Zealand bowman
Was with the team in 1995 but was still with Team New Zealand as coach in 2003 & 2007 before joining Oracle in 2010 then rejoining Emirates Team New Zealand in 2013 as coach.

Dean Barker, Team New Zealand helmsman/tactics
Took over from Russell Coutts as skipper of our unsuccessful campaigns in 2003, 2007 & 2013 then left Team New Zealand (Now Emirates Team New Zealand) to join Softbank Team Japan as CEO & skipper in 2015 for their 2017 Louis Vuitton Cup campaign (The 1st Japanese challenge in 17 years).

Brad Butterworth, Team New Zealand afterguard/tactician
Joined Alinghi along with Russell Coutts for their success in 2003 but still remained with the team in which they retained the America's Cup in 2007 before losing the America's Cup to Oracle in 2010.

Simon Daubney, Team New Zealand genoa trimmer, sail design
Sailed for New Zealand Challenge on KZ 7 during the 1987 Louis Vuitton Cup before becoming mainsheet trimmer for New Zealand challenge at the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup then he became trimmer during Team New Zealand's 1995 America's Cup victory. Joined Alinghi & was part of their 2003 America's Cup victory before becoming trimmer during the successful 2007 America's Cup defence before losing the Auld Mug in 2010. He was inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame.

Richard Dodson, Team New Zealand afterguard
Was with Team New Zealand and sailed on NZL 32 in the afterguard during their 1995 America's Cup win. Joined One World Challenge for the 2003 Louis Vuitton Cup.

Mike Drummond, Team New Zealand designer/afterguard navigator
Sailed with New Zealand Challenge in the past before joining Team New Zealand in which they won in 1995. Sailed in 2003 before joining Alinghi for the 2007 America's Cup then joined Oracle as design director & was involved in designing USA 17 for the 2010 America's Cup and the AC45 class for the 2013 America's Cup. Inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame in 2010

Peter Evans, Team New Zealand weather programme
Was with the New Zealand Challenge in 1992 before joining Nippon Challenge in 1995. Remained with Team New Zealand for the 2003 campaign before switching to Alinghi in 2006 for their 2007 & 2010 campaign.

Warwick Fleury, Team New Zealand mainsail trimmer
Competed with New Zealand Challenge in 1987, 1988 & 1992 America's Cup campaigns before becoming trimmer with Team New Zealand during their successful 1995 America's Cup campaign. Joined Alinghi & was part of their 2003 America's Cup victory, 2007 America's Cup defence and 2010 America's Cup loss. In 2010 he was inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame.

Murray Jones, Team New Zealand tactician/afterguard
Won the America's Cup with Team New Zealand in 1995. Joined Alinghi along with Russell Coutts in both of their successful campaigns in 2003 & 2007 before being inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame in 2010. Then joined Oracle Team USA with Russell Coutts in 2013 before rejoining Emirates Team New Zealand for the 2017 America's Cup which was a success. Married to Olympic sailor Jan Shearer & has a daughter named Gemma who was an Olympic sailor.

Jonathan 'Jono' MacBeth, Team New Zealand winch team/grinder
An endurance athlete. Involved in both the 2003 & 2007 campaigns with Team New Zealand (Now Emirates Team New Zealand). Was with Oracle Team USA (He joined the American syndicate before the 2010 America's Cup) in which they retained the America's Cup in 2013 alongside Jimmy Spithill & Ben Ainslie (Who replaced John Kostecki after his poor performances but remained with the team) after an historic comeback before joining Ainslie & his British syndicate, Land Rover BAR (Ben Ainslie Racing) as a sailing team manager & grinder for their 2017 Louis Vuitton Cup campaign.

Matthew Mason, Team New Zealand mastman
Was with New Zealand Challenge for the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup then joined Team New Zealand during their successful campaign in 1995. Left Team New Zealand to join OneWorld for the 2003 Louis Vuitton Cup then rejoined Emirates Team New Zealand for the 2007 America's Cup before switching sides to Oracle when it won the America's Cup in 2010.

Craig Monk, Team New Zealand port grinder/sail maker
Olympic Bronze Medalist in Barcelona 1992. Joined Team New Zealand as grinder in which they won in 1995. Joined OneWorld for the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2003 before becoming sailing team manager of Oracle until 2007 then he went to Artemis as a grinder in 2013.

Tony Rae, Team New Zealand mainsail trimmer
Competed with New Zealand Challenge in 1992. Was part of Team New Zealand's unsuccessful campaigns in 2003, 2007 & 2013.

Hamish Pepper, Team New Zealand mainsheet
Still with the team in 2003 as tactician before being sacked for good when the team was down 0-3 to eventual winners Alinghi.

Dean Phipps, Team New Zealand bowman
Sailed with Team New Zealand in which they won in 1995. Joined Alinghi in which they also won in 2003 & remained with the team for their successful 2007 & unsuccessful 2010 campaigns before being inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame.

Jeremy Scantlebury, Team New Zealand boat boss/pitman
Raced with KZ 7 in the 1987 Louis Vuitton Cup & 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup before joining Team New Zealand in 1995 in the past. Joined OneWorld Challenge as pitman for the 2003 Americas Cup before becoming sailing team manager for Victory Challenge in the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup.

Tom Schnackenberg, Team New Zealand design co-ordinator/navigator
Became sail designer for Enterprise in 1977 then Australia (1980) and the successful Australia II campaign in 1983. He was with the New Zealand Challenge in 1988, joined Spirit of Australia in ’92 & signed with Team New Zealand as design co-ordinator and navigator for its successful campaign in San Diego in 1995. Became syndicate head at Team New Zealand in their unsuccessful 2003 campaign after Sir Peter Blake's passing then remained with the team in 2007 as design & data analyst before joining Artemis as head of performance & design in 2013.

Chris Ward, Team New Zealand grinder
Sailed with New Zealand Challenge in 1992. Still with Team New Zealand for their unsuccessful campaigns in 2003, 2007 & 2013.

So that is my 136th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 56th this year.

Wild Hearted Son: 2017 Rugby Championship & Mitre 10 Cup round 1 review (+ Sir Colin 'Pinetree' Meads tribute)

Well, the 1st round of the 2017 Rugby Championship season got underway but 1st here is the highly anticipated Bledisloe Cup clash between Trans-Tasman rivals & the 2 heavyweights of the rugby world, the green & gold of Australia & the all black of New Zealand (Well they need to bounce back & pick up the pace a little bit for a last couple of minutes following their disappointment against the British & Irish Lions which resulted in a series draw but they need to give them full power) at ANZ Stadium in Sydney so here is the full match commentary:

The 2017 Rugby Championship kicks off at ANZ Stadium in Sydney with the much anticipated Bledisloe Cup clash between Trans-Tasman rivals Australia & New Zealand.

It's been a tumultuous 2017 for Australian Rugby but there's nothing like a test match against the All Blacks to galvanise the men in green and gold. And the Wallabies will need to be at their very best if they are to even be competitive this evening - they haven't won a test match against New Zealand since 2015.

New Zealand come into tonight's match full of confidence, and as hot favourites, and so they should - the All Blacks completed a clean sweep in last year's Rugby Championship and have won their past five test matches against the Wallabies. They will also be desperate to return to their very best after they tied their recent test series against British & Irish Lions.

We are just moments away from kick off as both sides make their way out onto the middle of ANZ Stadium.

1ST MINUTE, 1ST HALF: The formalities are complete and it will be Bernard Foley to kick off to get us underway in Sydney!
A very solid start from the All Blacks from the kick off - they surge over the half way line with the penalty advantage being played.

2ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): An excellent response from the Wallabies who put together some useful phases before mounting an attacking foray inside the All Blacks' 22.

3RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): A penalty against the All Blacks for not rolling away after the tackle and it will be Bernard Foley to line up virtually right in front of the posts.

4TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL!: Australia (Bernard Foley) 3-0 Australia

5TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The flags are up with Bernard Foley nailing the penalty goal to give the Wallabies an early lead.
The restart from Beauden Barrett doesn't travel the required distance and so the Wallabies have the scrum feed right in the middle of ANZ Stadium.

7TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Allan Alaalatoa takes his eyes off the ball and spills the pill to hand possession back to the All Blacks right on the half way line.

8TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): From a penalty right on half way, Beauden Barrett thumps the ball into touch deep inside the Wallabies' 22 - a terrific attacking opportunity here for the visitors.

9TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Liam Squire) 5-3 New Zealand

11TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 7-3 New Zealand

12TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Slick movement off the ball across the field from the All Blacks catches the Wallabies' defence short out to the left - with just the line ahead, Liam Squire pins his ears back before thundering over to score the opening try!

13TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The Wallabies advance with purpose once again inside the All Blacks' 22 but their momentum is lost when referee Wayne Barnes gets tangled up in the play - scrum feed to the home side just 5m out from the try line.

15TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A penalty against New Zealand at scrum time - skipper Michael Foley points to the posts and Bernard Foley will line up his 2nd penalty goal of this 1st half.

16TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL!: Australia (Bernard Foley) 7-6 New Zealand

17TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): A clean strike from Bernard Foley and the Wallabies draw within a solitary point of the All Blacks.

18TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The All Blacks are looking dangerous once again in prime attacking territory just 10m out from the Wallabies' line and with all the momentum going their way.
TRY!: New Zealand (Rieko Ioane) 12-6 New Zealand

19TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), MISS!: The conversion attempt from Beauden Barrett has missed narrowly to the left hand side.
Outstanding play on the left wing from Rieko Ioane!  With little space to work with, the winger accelerates from a standing start to show Israel Folau a clean pair of heels before acrobatically diving over in the corner.

21ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Rieko Ioane) 17-6 New Zealand

22ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 19-6 New Zealand
Ryan Crotty reads the play to perfection to pull off the intercept and, in the blink of an eye, the All Blacks have turned defence into attack - Crotty shifts the ball to Rieko Ioane out to his left and the winger sprints away to score his second try in a matter of minutes!

24TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): After a slow start, New Zealand have shifted into another gear altogether - the All Blacks are looking like scoring every time they get their hands on the ball!

25TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Ryan Crotty) 24-6 New Zealand
CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 26-6 New Zealand

26TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Aggressive attack from the All Blacks opens up more holes in the Australian defence than Swiss cheese! Ryan Crotty steps through a gaping hole in the line on his way to scoring the All Blacks' 4th try.

27TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Some solid ball retention from the Wallabies who put together several phases however it comes to nought with the All Blacks awarded a penalty on the last line of defence.

29TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The Wallabies' defence, not for the 1st time in this 1st half, is opened up once again however Kurtley Beale has done well to scramble back deep inside his own half and apply a try-saving tackle.

31ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): We are inside the final 10 minutes of this first half with the All Blacks well in control and with the Wallabies under the pump deep inside their 22.

32ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): A break in play with Ryan Crotty receiving treatment after being tackled without the ball - with the kick from the resultant penalty, Beauden Barrett puts the ball into touch right on the Wallabies' 22.

33RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Michael Hooper has been penalised for offside - the All Blacks elect to keep their foot on the Wallabies' throat with Beauden Barrett kicking the ball into touch just 5m out from the try line.

34TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Sonny Bill Williams) 31-6 New Zealand

35TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 33-6 New Zealand

37TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The All Blacks are not finished yet in this 1st half - the visitors have a line out inside the Wallabies' 22.

38TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Beauden Barrett cleverly chips over the top to his own advantage - he almost plucks the ball from the air however Samu Kerevi has done brilliantly in defence to claim the mark and save the day for the Wallabies.

40TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): With time almost up on the clock in this 1st half, the All Blacks have the scrum feed just 10m out from the Wallabies' line.
TRY!: New Zealand (Ryan Crotty) 38-6 New Zealand
CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 40-6 New Zealand

HALF TIME: What a stunning first half from the All Blacks! The Wallabies started well enough and held an early lead but, from that point onwards, it was all New Zealand - the men in black smashed open the flimsy Australian defence to score 6 unanswered tries and they head into the break with a commanding 40-6 lead.

40TH MINUTE, 2ND HALF: Beauden Barrett kicks off to get the 2nd half underway.

41ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Have the Wallabies got what it takes to, at the very least, make a contest of this 2nd half?  The Australians had some promising moments in attack in the opening 40 minutes but were simply outgunned in defence.

43RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Damian McKenzie) 45-6 New Zealand

45TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 47-6 New Zealand

46TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Michael Hooper is stripped off the ball in the middle of the ground by Beauden Barrett who quickly releases Rieko Ioane - the All Blacks' winger has Damian McKenzie in support and it will be the full back who touches down for the first try of the second half.
The Wallabies have the play inside New Zealand territory but their movement of the ball, in stark contrast to the All Blacks in attack, looks all too static and predictable.

49TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Ben Smith) 52-6 New Zealand
CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 54-6 New Zealand

50TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The procession continues!  With a multitude of options, Aaron Smith shares the ball with Ben Smith who becomes the All Blacks' 6th try scorer - the All Blacks have already broken the record for the most points scored by New Zealand against Australia and we still have half an hour left to play!!!

52ND MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The best attacking opportunity of the second half here for the Wallabies - the home side has the scrum feed 5m out from the All Blacks' line.

53RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY: Australia (Curtis Rona) 54-11 New Zealand

54TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: Australia (Bernard Foley) 54-13 New Zealand

55TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Nick Phipps has replaced Will Genia at half back and he has an almost immediate impact! Phipps releases a short and sharp pass that puts Curtis Rona through a rare gap in the All Blacks' defence and the debutante has scored the Wallabies' 1st try.

57TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: Australia (Tevita Kuridrani) 54-18 Australia

58TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: Australia (Bernard Foley) 54-20 New Zealand
It's 2 in a row for the Wallabies! Tevita Kuridrani, who came onto the field at half time, offloads to ​Israel Folau before receiving the ball back - with just the try line ahead he powers over to at least give the home crowd something to cheer about.

59TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): A rare error from the All Blacks with Kieran Read losing the ball in the tackle - the Wallabies are quick to pounce, sweeping the ball clear from the last line of defence

62ND MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): The play opens up for the Wallabies however Rob Simmons is unable to hang onto an awkward high pass from Bernard Foley - the All Blacks have the scrum feed right on the half way line.
TRY!: Australia (Kurtley Beale) 54-25 New Zealand

63RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: Australia (Bernard Foley) 54-27 New Zealand
Australia have scored the last 3 tries in the test match!  The attempted pass from Damian McKenzie doesn't go to hand and it is Kurtley Beale who is the first to react - the Wallabies second five-eighth gathers the loose ball beautifully before striding away to score his 1st test try since 2015.

65TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Despite the lop-sided scoreline, the Wallabies would be pleased with their efforts in this 2nd half especially given the short turnaround to game 2 of the Bledisloe Cup which will be played in Dunedin next week.

66TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Outstanding defensive work from Anton Lienert-Brown who applies the crucial tackle that ultimately results in a penalty to the All Blacks.

68TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Some solid work at the breakdown from Tatafu Polota-Nau is rewarded with the Wallabies handed a penalty just short of the half way line - Reece Hodge, fresh onto the field, thumps the ball into touch deep inside New Zealand territory.

69TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: Australia (Israel Folau) 54-32 New Zealand
CONVERSION!: Australia (Bernard Foley) 54-34 New Zealand

70TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): From broken play, Israel Folau puts on the after burners to step away from the defence before dotting down under the posts. There is an extensive delay with the TMO called upon for a potential accidental offside however the video replay is inconclusive and so the try will stand.

72ND MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): We are inside the final 10 minutes of the test match - the momentum is with the Wallabies who would dearly love some more points to cap off what has been a creditable fight back in the 2nd half after a disastrous opening 40 minutes.

73RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Delightful combination from the All Blacks who almost pick a path through the Wallabies' defence however the linesman's flag is up with the pass from Beauden Barrett to Ben Smith ruled forward.

75TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): On the counter attack, Beauden Barrett chips the ball ahead inside the Wallabies' 22 however Reece Hodge has scrambled back to claim possession for the home side.

76TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TMO!: Bernard Foley's attempted clearance is charged down brilliantly by Beauden Barrett inside the in-goal area - the 2 men desperately lunge for the ball and the TMO will have to review the tape to see who got there 1st.

77TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), NO TRY!: After a lengthy review, the TMO rules that the grounding was simultaneous and so the end result will be a 5m scrum to the All Blacks.

78TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The smallest of knock ons from the Wallabies at the break down will hand possession via a scrum feed to the All Blacks on the Australian 10m line.

80TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The All Blacks are awarded a free kick at scrum time - the visitors will have just enough time to have one last crack at the Wallabies' line.

FULL TIME: The All Blacks have opened their 2017 Rugby Championship campaign in brilliant fashion by recording a comprehensive 54-34 victory over the Wallabies in Bledisloe 1. Australia were gallant in the 2nd half scoring 4 tries to 2 but all the damage was done in the 1st half when the home side was blasted in a withering 6 try blitz from New Zealand.

And what do I think of the game? Because we were high flyers in the 1st 40 but the Wallabies were dominant in the 2nd half by scoring 28 unanswered points but it was too little too late.

And the Springboks open their Rugby Championship campaign by taking on Argentina at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth hoping for a win after dominating the test series against France in June with a news report:

South Africa began their Rugby Championship campaign on a positive note with a 37-15 victory over Argentina at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

Tries from Courtnall Skosan, Raymond Rhule, Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph Du Toit proved too much for Argentina who scored through Martin Landajo and Emiliano Boffelli.

The Springboks had a healthy 23-8 lead with half an hour to go but the Pumas gave them a bit of a scare bringing it back to an eight-point game. However, the Springbok substitutes made a big impact in the last quarter of the game and ensured a comfortable victory.

It means the Springboks exact revenge for the 26-24 defeat in Salta in the 2nd round of Rugby Championship 2016, the last time the sides met.

Meanwhile, the Boks continue their fine record at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium where they remain undefeated in five matches at the state-of-the-art venue.

After New Zealand's 54-34 bonus-point win over Australia, the Boks move in to 2nd position on the Rugby Championship standings behind the All Blacks.

It was not the free-flowing game we saw earlier in the day between the Australasian rivals as frequent handling errors and indiscretions made it a stop-start affair.

It is the Boks' 4th win in a row after the 3 - 0 series whitewash of France. The last time the side achieved this was a 4-match winning streak during the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Crucial to the Boks' success was their dominance of the scrum and breakdown.

An Elton Jantjies penalty gave the Boks a 10 minute 3 - 0 lead after Tomas Lezana was guilty of going off his feet at the breakdown when trying to steal the ball.

And after 20 minutes, Jantjies added three more points from the tee as this time the Pumas were penalised for offside.

Nicolas Sanchez missed an opportunity to half the deficit when Malcolm Marx was penalised for a high tackle. Surprising given that the Pumas fly-half boasted a 87 percent kicking rate with 20 from 23 in Rugby Championship 2016.

But on the half-hour mark, the away side hit back with an excellent counter attack. Tuculet picked up a Jantjies grubber kick and weaved his past a couple of defenders before offloading to Emiliano Boffelli who showed great vision to put it on the boot for Landajo to chase. The pacy scrum-half kicked it further ahead doing well to outstrip Raymond Rhule to collect and dive over in the corner.

The Boks remained in the lead, however, as Sanchez missed the conversion.

Soon after, the Boks scored their 1st try. From another solid Bok scrum out on the left, Cronje shifted play to the right to Serfontein who passed to Jantjies whose inside ball found Skosan who wasn't held in the tackle. The speedy winger showed good game awareness to get up unheld and race through to dot down for his 1st Test try.

The 1st points of the 1st half came from the Pumas via a Sanchez penalty in the 45th minute. However, Jantjies responded with a penalty of his own after strong work from Jaco Kriel at the breakdown to win the penalty.

As if to emulate Kriel's good work at the breakdown, it was his loose forward partner Kolisi this time who was the catalyst for the turnover after a strong Springbok counter-ruck. Turning down a kick at goal, Springbok captain Eben Etzebeth opted to go for the corner. From the 5-metre lineout, the Boks' driving maul was halted. Cronje recycled the ball to Jantjies who passed to Rhule who ran a fine line and was not going to be stopped on his way over the whitewash. Just reward for some sustained Springbok pressure. Jantjies added the extras as the home side led 23-8 after 55 minutes.

Soon after, it was the Pumas who had a 5-metre attacking lineout on the right touchline. After a series of powerful carries from their forwards, the ball was switched out to the left where the Pumas showed good hands and created the overlap where Boffelli was waiting to dive over in the left-hand corner. It was well converted by Sanchez out on the left touchline as the Pumas cut the deficit to 8 at 23-15.

With 15 minutes to go, the Springboks won another scrum penalty and opted for touch 5 metres out on the right-hand side. Taking the ball out left and then back to the right, the home side dragged the Pumas' defence one way before coming back to the other side quickly with slick handling ensuring Kolisi had a clear run to the line, making the score 30-15.

Great work from substitute Du Toit gave the Springboks their 4th try as he reached over after a series of powerful carries from his teammates in the build-up.

And there were no further scores as the Springboks ran out 37-15 victors much to the delight of the Port Elizabeth faithful.

And here's the report about the review of the 1st round of the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup season (This'll be the 1st time I'm doing a report about the Mitre 10 Cup):

Defending Mitre 10 Cup Premiership champions Canterbury set the pace when the 2017 competition opened this weekend but hints of thrilling rugby ahead were offered across both the Premiership and Championship sections.

Tasman, last year's beaten finalists in the Premiership, succumbed to Canterbury in their replay in Nelson when going down 0-39, yet still offered enough to suggest that once they have combinations sorted they will far much better.

Newcomers North Harbour got their campaign off to a good start with a crossover 19-17 win over Otago. They too showed off some new talent to merge with that nurtured through recent seasons and the continuing guidance of first five-eighths – Gatland was invaluable.

Taranaki demonstrated the quality of their backline in securing a 34-29 win over Waikato. Look for fireworks during the season from Stephen Perofeta, Charlie Ngatai and Sean Wainui during the year while Jordan Manihera's hat-trick of tries showed just how competitive Waikato is going to be.

Counties Manukau dished out a 16-14 loss for Auckland at Pukekohe although it took a late long-range penalty goal from Baden Kerr to seal the deal. Auckland paid the price for indifferent play during the first half, but did enough to suggest that once they are more settled they should be capable of much better, although the same could be said of the home side.

In the Championship, Hawke's Bay showed some spirit to overcome Southland 24-16 in Napier while Northland demonstrated a welcome return of the Taniwha spirit when coming from 7-23 down to beat Bay of Plenty in Whangarei. Deadly in the backs, Northland also showed great defensive heart to finally secure their win.

Completing an action-packed Sunday afternoon, Wellington travelled to Palmerston North and after being up 26-22 at halftime went on to record a 41-29 win that should give them a big boost towards attempting regain Premiership status. Former All Blacks wing partners Julian Savea and Nehe Milner-Skudder both showed moments of attacking brilliance in a thrilling encounter.

It would have been satisfying to end a run of losses to their northern neighbours that stretched since 2013.

New faces of ability abounded in the round while some old faces lent experienced hands to sides and the signs point to closely contested battles for the Premiership and Championship before season's end.

And finally before I wrap this blog up for today, the eyes of the rugby world is in mourning as Te Kuiti & King Country's favourite son & iconic All Black rugby legend, the Pinetree of Sir Colin Meads (He played at lock during his playing career), has passed away aged 81 after losing his battle with a serious terminal illness so RIP Pinetree, all hope is now forgotten because they are going to send condolences but all thoughts & prayers to him.

Sir Colin 'Pinetree' Meads
1936 - 2017

So that is my 135th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 55th this year.

California/Movies/Smooth Criminal: Back to back Black Magic

Well, in light of success of Emirates Team New Zealand's America's Cup campaign in Bermuda 2 months ago against Oracle Team USA, I have decided to do a blog about the back to back Black Magic book which is about Team New Zealand defending the Auld Mug against Luna Rossa of Prada way back in 2000:

That auld black magic

2 sleek racing machines circle each other in the aquatic version of a bullfight. They're teasing, prodding, intimidating in the water dance that constitutes the pre-start in match-race yachting.

One boat, the favourite in most people's estimation, stands out with it's striking black, almost sinister, hull.

The other, with sentimental support, has an understated, almost bland, grey hull which dosen't seem to fit with the copious amounts of money behind it.

This isn't the prelude to just another boat race. It's February 20th, 2000 - after a day's delay, its the 1st race at last in a best-of-9 series to determine the holder of yachting's most coveted & discussed prize, the America's Cup.

More than that, it's the 1st time in the cup's 149-year history that the 'America' has effectively been taken right out of an America's Cup defence. The 1st time Uncle Sam can do nothing about deciding where its own cup will rest for the next 4 years. Instead, Americans are forced to watch as America's Cup whipper-snappers New Zealand & Italy take care of business. And taking care of business in this race, & in the others to follow, underlines the magnitude of what has happened. That the cycle - America's tangible link with the trophy - has been well & truly broken.

America's historic hold was 1st weakened by John Bertrand & his men on Australia II in 1983. Losing the cup for the 1st time wasn't all palatable; it never could have been after owning it for 132 years. But at least that wrong was recitified when, at the very 1st chance 4 years later, the Americans regained the Auld Mug as the belligerent Dennis Conner swept aside Kookaburra III's timid Australian defence. He'd disgraced himself as the 1st American to lose it - but he was also celebrated as the 1st man to win it back.

Trouble was Dirty Den then ensured himself greater notoriety in 1995 by writing a new chapter in this famous event's history as the 1st man to lose the America's Cup twice. Twice the South Pacfic's upstarts - 1st Australia & then New Zealand - had taken the wind out of Conner's & America's sails. For 132 years, it had been an American obsession to keep the cup; now it will become a mega obsession for someone, anyone, to put it back in American hands...whenever that might be.

All of which brings the focus back to the start line for race 1 in America's Cup 2000. While Australia had failed to defend the prize when it had the cup, there's nervous optimism Team New Zealand will change that this time.

Nervous because this is the Kiwis' 1st race against an enemy, the 1st time they'll really find out how their boat measures up against a syndicate that's already been out on the race track 48 times in the Louis Vuitton challenger series.

Skipper Russell Coutts & his men have the desire to keep the cup in Auckland, the city that is so definitively the City of Sails. And they also know there's a calling from an entire country for them to succeed in their mission. It was there to see & hear as NZL60 was towed out of the Viaduct Basin just on 10 a.m. on February 19th, around 3 hours before the scheduled start of race 1. Tens of thousands thronged to Auckland's waterfront for a view as boats in the super, & not so super, categories blasted horns & made as much din as they could in giving the Black Boat an extraordinary send-off. Overhead, there was a thrilling fly-past & aerobatic display from New Zealand Air Force Aermacchis (Which are actually Italian planes!). And, on television sets throughout the land, hundreds of thousands watched it live. For any person with even the slightest interest in the event, it was 'lump on the throat' time.

The 16 Kiwi sailors carrying the nation's hopes also seemed to be moved, which probably wasn't part of the plan. Their intention was to focus on what they'd been waiting for since 1995, to shut out the trimmings around them, switch on to racing mode & head out to the race course stony-faced & unsmiling. In reality they couldn't. Many of them waved as they digested the all too clear evidence that the big day out had arrived - this was the magic of defending the America's Cup in their own waters & realising what it meant to them & their nation.

As it turned out, it was a false start; there wasn't enough wind for what's known as 'The Match' to start. So, here they are going through the whole routine again. The farewell was just as rapturous, the public's passion for the event no less intense than it had been 24 hours earlier.

New Zealanders in their hundreds of thousands have turned on & tuned in to this marathon regatta that started 202 races & 4 months ago with the 1st round-robin phase of the challenger series. That in itself is remarkable because those 202 races encapsulated the deeds & dramas of a competition that didn't involve New Zealand (Apart from numerous Kiwi sailors spread among the 11 foreign syndicates from the United States, Italy, Japan, France, Switzerland, Spain & Australia). Yet, by the time the best-of-nine-races Louis Vuitton final arrived, there was a voracious appetite, especially when Prada locked up the contest up 4-4 & took it into a sudden-death decider. Those cynics who doubted the event's magnetism were left incredulous when TV One's audience peaked around a million during the last race that gave the Italians a 5-4 win over AmericaOne.

Little wonder then that the Kiwis have lifted interest to another league now Team New Zealand is counting down to this moment of truth for this 1st race. Red socks were the lucky fashion statement in 1995; now they're back in vogue. The Kiwi sailors are wearing them & so, too, New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden during the one-day cricket international against Australia the previous day.

The level of enthusiasm & zeal isn't so surprising. After all, Auckland & sailing have always been a perfect fit. For the not-so-adventurous & those in smaller craft, the Waitemata Harbour is an ideal playground. For those wanting a more exacting challenge, the often glistening but sometimes unpredictable Hauraki Gulf has more to offer.

And it's on the Hauraki Gulf where all the America's Cup action is centred. It's there that the Louis Vuitton series was run on often unforgiving days that left a costly trail of damage of many of the syndicates. It's a venue like no other used in the America's Cup before. It's certainly not a case of towing boats out to some unspectacular stretch of water with few or no reference points. Out on those courses, landmarks are everywhere. Auckland's East Coast Bays on one side, a cluster of Hauraki Gulf islands like Tiritiri, Rakino, Motutapuu & the resplendent Rangitoto bordering the northern & eastern sides as well as a southern backdrop of Auckland city marked by the easily identifiable Sky Tower.

And it's in this racing enviroment that Team New Zealand's NZL60 (Or Black Magic) & Prada's Luna Rossa (Or Red Moon) are making the America's Cup sing like it never has before.

There's no Conner, no Cayard, nothing American. The air's rich with Kiwi & Italian accents, expletives muttered or shouted as the 2 amazingly manoeuvrable monsters joust for the preferred end of the start line. And while the sailors aren't thinking about it, there's the realisation that this contest assures the America's Cup of another history-making chapter. If Team New Zealand triumphs, it'll be the 1st time the cup has been successfully defended outside the United States; if Prada wins, the America's Cup will be headed for a defence in Europe for the 1st time.

But New Zealanders care for only 1 scenario, & that's keeping it in a city that's given the America's Cup a sharp facelift. It's there to see in the Cup Village, a fantastic all-purpose facility that's given Auckland a soul & provided the event with a clearly defined home.

That it has all come to this is still like a dream for many. For Team New Zealand head Sir Peter Blake the dream has come true. He had a vision that this was how it would be; now he craves the right result.

The scene is stunning on a superb Auckland day. The gulf is shimmering under the sun although, once again, the wind isn't filling in to Team New Zealand's liking. Keeping their distance are perhaps 2,000 boats & yachts. forming an incredible grandstand as Coutts tries to outwit Prada's Francesco de Angelis in the pre-start.

The fact the talented Coutts is back at the helm with so many familiar faces - Brad Butterworth, Tom Schnackenberg, Andrew Taylor, Simon Daubney & others - makes it impossible not to reflect on New Zealand's part in America's Cup folklore.

How, in 1986-87, an ambitious Michael Fay fired up the 1st tilt in the plastic fantastic KZ7, or Kiwi Magic as it was known, How Chris Dickson & his crew shocked the big boys off Fremantle, only to lose out through inexeperience as much as anything else.

How Sir Michael, as he became, tried & failed again with his ill-fated Big Boat project in 1988 & then his 1992 campaign dogged by the bowsprit controversy.

How Peter Blake & Alan Sefton took over where Fay had failed & mounted the 1995 challenge, when no one could touch the Kiwis & the fabulous NZL32, the 1st of the Black Magic breed. How the Kiwis swept Australia aside 5-1 in the Louis Vuitton final & then faced the ultimate enemy - Dennis Conner - & ambushed him as well in a boat (Young America) that wasn't even his.

And the 5-0 walkover was greeted with Peter Montgomery's commentary: 'The America's Cup is now New Zealand's cup!' A line that has certainly repeated on air more than often than any other in New Zealand's history.

Now, seconds out from taking the gun in race one of America's Cup 2000, the goal is singular - to ensure 'New Zealand's Cup' stays exactly that way for at least another 4 years.

Village people, village life

New Zealand's monuments as a major global player usually arrive too rarely then disappear to quickly. But the final stages of the 20th century offered a relative surfeit of chances to educate the rest of the world about a wee corner of the planet Bill Clinton has labelled a 'jewel'.

In less than 4 months, APEC, the America's Cup regatta & the dawning of the new millennium ensured New Zealand varying degrees of international exposure. Bill Clinton certainly saved New Zealand tourism strategists a lot of trouble when he was here for APEC, his sales pitch shamelessly endorsing almost everything he saw. New Zealanders didn't mind that one little bit. Their overriding sentiment was: 'Don't stop now, Mr President.'

But not everyone was as seemingly enamoured of things Kiwi as Mr Clinton. During APEC. one Australian journalist decided it was better to offend than to commend. In a column ridiculing Auckland, he rated its waterfront 'boring'.

Just what his observation was based on remains a total mystery. The Cup Village was up & running by then, and it made the Auckland waterfront many things - but 'boring' wasn't one of them.

Indeed, the village evolved into a genuine jewel after starting out as nothing better than a derelict & neglected part of the city's harbour landscape. It gaind unanimous acclaim as an all-round facility of unrivalled quality. At least that's the way many visiting America's Cup syndicates rated it.

The challengers & Team New Zealand were housed in well-designed & appointed compunds at one end of the village while around 70 moorings were developed for a breathtaking array of visiting super yachts & boats.

And all of this was supplemented by apartments, cafes, restaurants, bars, clubs & a performance stage to generate an atmosphere that had some overseas visitors claiming it was up there with Monte Carlo.

Auckland's waterfront with its Cup Village was the place to be throughout the 1999-2000 America's Cup regatta.

Louis Vuitton - the race is on

Winning the America's Cup was the easy part for Team New Zealand 5 years ago. Defending it in 2000 always promised to be another matter altogether.

The fact was the Kiwis & their rocket ship NZL32 were on easy street in San Diego in 1995. To call the Louis Vuitton Cup a challenger series then was rather a contradiction in terms.

There were only 7 challengers & the other 6 provided no threat at all to Team New Zealand. In fact, the New Zealand camp even decided not to complete the semifinals. Assured of a place in the final, it argued that training between its 2 boats was far more valuable than racing against modest opposition.

And, if the semifinals were meaningless, then the final wasn't much of an improvement as Black Magic demolished oneAustralia's bid 5-1.

Switch to Auckland, & the challengers always knew they'd have a better deal...

While there were early hopes that as many as 15 or 16 syndicates would be looking for space in the Cup Village, the end result was a still impressive list of 11 challengers. Not bad at all compared with the 13 that Fremantle had in 1986-87.

The 11 syndicates represented 7 countries ranging from huge money operations like Patrizio Bertelli's Prada (Which reportedly spent more than $100 million mounting its bid) to Syd Fischer's Young Australia, a basement budget effort if ever there was one. The Australians, with James Spithill as skipper, certainly delivered on the 'young' part in a challenge that was built around surviving as cheaply as possible.

While the Francesco de Angelis-skippered Prada & Young Australia represented the top end & bottom end of the spectrum, there was plenty of interest of the other 9 syndicates sandwiched in between.

The United States provided 5 of them. There was Paul Cayard's AmericaOne. Dennis Conner & his familiar Stars & Stripes brand, the New York Yacht Club's Ed Baird-skippered Young America, Dawn Riley's America True & Hawaii's Aloha Racing, skippered by John Kolius.

Of the other 4, 3 were from Europe - Bertrand Pace skippering Le Defi Bouygues, Switzerland's Fast 2000 with Frenchman Marc Pajot as skipper & the Spanish Challenge (Pedro Campos). Rounding out was Japan's Nippon Challenge, Australian Peter Gilmour the skipper.

The 3 shakedown, round-robin phases soon sorted out the haves & have-nots - but being a have-not didn't necessarily mean that it was all a alost cause this time. That's because the challengers reached agreement, although not universally accepted, to allow 6 boats in the January semifinal series.

Young Australia, the Spanish Challenge, Fast 2000 & Aloha Racing soon realized their prospects were limited. Equally so, Prada, AmericaOne & Nippon were usually travelling smoothly enough while Team Dennis Conner, Le Defi, America True & Young America scrapped over the other 3 semifinal spots.

There was however, no sympathy from the other syndicates when Young America missed the cut for the top 6. After all, it figured in the most dramatic mishap in a series that had a demolition derby mentality about it.

The proud New York Yacht Club was indeed humiliated the day Young America broke up, bending like a banana.

But Ed Baird wasn't on his own in suffering such embarrassment. Nippon lost its rig one blustery day, the Swiss had similar troubles & spinnakers were blowing out all over the place, especially the lime green ones on Cayard's AmericaOne. Nippon's disasters also included a broken boom plus a crewman being belted senseless when struck by spinnaker pole. And Stars & Stripes had the fairly frightening experience of its transom splitting & lifting alarmingly just before the start of a race.

Always the racing was spectacular in conditions which wavered wildly between the slow, the sublime & often the plain scary. No one was spared

So it proved in the semifinals involving 10 races for each boat (All each other racing twice). Prada was in poor shape early on, left with just win from 3 starts after ITA45's mast broke in light breeze while racing AmericaOne. And the Italians were no better off when their 2nd clash with Cayard turned into an absolute dog fight, the sea air rich with all manner of accusations before the Americans squeezed home.

That helped Cayard assume a position of strength as the 1st boat to reach the final. As for the other spot, Conner's men were staging a dramatic recovery after losing a point in the protest room for breaching protocol (They had a rudder manufactured in Australia). All the time it was a grim battle for Prada to stay in contact for that 2nd spot.

In the end, it all came down to just one race - the very last one. Team Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes, having been granted a postponement earlier in the series, had a held-over race against America True. All Conner needed from his sailing crew was a win & it would mean a sail-off against Prada to find the 2nd finalist.

All around the place people wandered how there could be anything other than a Stars & Stripes win. For her part, Dawn Riley was adamant she wasn't about to give Stars & Stripes a soft passage to the final, not after losing out to Conner in dramatic & embarrassing circumstances in San Diego 5 years earlier.

Well, she wasn't kidding. America True picked a big shift early & left Conner's campaign out the back. End of story. End of glory. End of Conner. Jubilation, though for Prada in knowing that its millions & millions of dollars still had earning power. Yet, if the Louis Vuitton had already been unbelievably dramatic, controversial & thrilling, there was even more astonishing fare ahead.

Of helmsmen...

They Came from Europe & America, Asia & Australia - 11 syndicates going head to head for the right to challenge Team New Zealand for the greatest yachting prize of all.

Italy (Prada): Francesco de Angelis

Japan (Nippon): Peter Gilmour (Australia)

Spain (Bravo Espana): Pedro Campos

France (Le Defi Bouygues): Bertrand Pace

Switzerland (Fast 2000): Jochen Schumann (Germany)

Australia (Young Australia): James 'Jimmy' Spithill

Hawaii (Aloha Racing): John Kolius

AmericaOne: Paul Cayard

America True: John Cutler (New Zealand)

Team Dennis Conner: Ken Read

Young America: Ed Baird

America chokes on pasta fantasta

The verdict was unanimous. This was as good as it gets. Whether it was the skippers & sailors themselves, commentators, journalists or the yachting public, everyone agreed - the Louis Vuitton Cup final produced match racing of matchless equality.
Nippon skipper Peter Gilmour was adamant he hadn't seen anything like it before. He was far from alone as Paul Cayard's AmericaOne & Prada's Francesco de Angelis-skippered Luna Rossa delivered an absolutely exceptional contest.
New Zealand wasn't involved at all. but the event still captivated Kiwis just the same. So much so that close to a million viewers were drawn to TV One's live coverage at the business end of the decider. Oddly enough, too, New Zealanders had made it clear they had a favourite, & it wasn't the American boat. That sounds & scenes at the Cup Village, comments on talkback radio & anecdotal evidence had long since established the Italians as the syndicate Kiwis wanted to see challenging for the ultimate prize. But, if that was to happen, Prada had to negotiate the most demanding waters yet seen in Louis Vuitton decider. It unfolded like this race by race...

Race 1: Prada's comeback (January 26)

Prada cops a pre-start penalty but wins the favoured left side of the course. De Angelis builds a big lead on the 2nd beat as AmericaOne fails to cover. Prada has enough time to complete its penalty turn & still lead by 25 seconds around the 3rd mark. Cayard closes on the run to the finish but not soon enough to stop the Italians.

Margins

Start: AmericaOne (2 Seconds)
Mark 1: Prada (25 seconds)
Mark 2: Prada (33 seconds)
Mark 3: Prada (25 seconds)
Mark 4: Prada (34 seconds)
Mark 5: Prada (28 seconds)
Finish: Prada (24 seconds)

Prada 1
AmericaOne 0

Race 2: Big turnaround (January 27)

Shifty light breeze. Prada reads it right for huge 1 minute 49 second lead at the 1st mark. Lead trimmed on the 1st run then Prada was caught among spectator boats. Cayard closes it up only to blow a spinnaker but recovers brilliantly to lead by 1 minute 27 seconds around 4th mark. Prada couldn't make any impression on AmericaOne after that.

Margins

Start: AmericaOne (8 Seconds)
Mark 1: Prada (1 minute 49 seconds)
Mark 2: Prada (1 minute 4 seconds)
Mark 3: Prada (18 seconds)
Mark 4: AmericaOne (1 minute 27 seconds)
Mark 5: AmericaOne (1 minute 35 seconds)
Finish: AmericaOne (1 minute 33 seconds)

Prada 1
AmericaOne 1

Race 3: Mayhem on the gulf (January 29)

Conditions at the limit gusting to 25 knots. Cayard works to an early lead but is penalised on a port starboard incident. On the next downhill slide, AmericaOne loses its 7th spinnaker in 43 races, as well as a headsail. Cayard hears a cracking, splintering noise up the mast. He pulls out of race fearing more serious damage. Prada sails solo for the win.

Margins

Start: AmericaOne (1 Second)
Mark 1: AmericaOne (14 seconds)
Mark 2: Prada (23 seconds)
Mark 3: Prada (45 seconds)
Mark 4: Prada (51 seconds)
Mark 5: Prada (AmericaOne withdrawn)
Finish: Prada

Prada 2
AmericaOne 1

Race 4: Cayard Brawls (January 30)

Tight tussle upwind but on the 1st run, Cayard sees another spinnaker blow (The eighth of the campaign). Keeps control brilliantly though. AmericaOne still leads by 41 seconds at final mark but Prada closes. Cayard incurs a windward-leeward penalty close to finish line. Crosses line 1st without taking the penalty so incident-packed race awarded to Prada.

Margins

Start: AmericaOne (4 Seconds)
Mark 1: AmericaOne (18 seconds)
Mark 2: AmericaOne (39 seconds)
Mark 3: AmericaOne (54 seconds)
Mark 4: AmericaOne (47 seconds)
Mark 5: AmericaOne (41 seconds)
Finish: Prada (2 minutes 32 seconds, AmericaOne failed to complete penalty)

Prada 3
AmericaOne 1

Race 5: Staying alive (February 1)

A must-win day for AmericaOne. They can't afford to go 4-1 down. Another sensational race unfolds. Cayard's early lead was cut to only 10 seconds after 1st run. There were more spinnaker fears when a small tear appeared near the head of the sail. Luna Rossa closes only to be thrown by Cayard's dummy gybe & broaches - an embarrassing error that costs Prada the race.

Margins

Start: AmericaOne (7 Seconds)
Mark 1: AmericaOne (32 seconds)
Mark 2: AmericaOne (10 seconds)
Mark 3: AmericaOne (18 seconds)
Mark 4: AmericaOne (26 seconds)
Mark 5: AmericaOne (42 seconds)
Finish: AmericaOne (34 seconds)

Prada 3
AmericaOne 2

Race 6: All tied up (February 2)

More dazzling sailing. AmericaOne has tennis great Steffi Graff as 17th 'man'. Prada has the advantage over the 1st 2 legs. Disaster strikes as sloppy crew work sees Prada's spinnaker dragging in water. Part of it catches around the rudder & a man is dangled over the side to free it. Cayard cruises by but is chased all the way before winning with little to spare.

Margins

Start: Even
Mark 1: Prada (20 seconds)
Mark 2: Prada (17 seconds)
Mark 3: AmericaOne (16 seconds)
Mark 4: AmericaOne (7 seconds)
Mark 5: AmericaOne (7 seconds)
Finish: AmericaOne (9 seconds)

Prada 3
AmericaOne 3

Race 7: Match point Cayard (February 4)

Down 3-1 just 5 days earlier, Cayard is on the verge of being all but there. He seems to have Prada on the run after winning 2 straight. Pressure tells on Prada's afterguard as it makes some ill-judged calls. Cayard able to take control from the outset to lead by 2 minutes 31 seconds at the 3rd mark. Prada trimmed margin but AmericaOne had match point.

Margins

Start: Even
Mark 1: Prada (20 seconds)
Mark 2: Prada (17 seconds)
Mark 3: AmericaOne (16 seconds)
Mark 4: AmericaOne (7 seconds)
Mark 5: AmericaOne (7 seconds)
Finish: AmericaOne (9 seconds)

Prada 3
AmericaOne 4

Race 8: All square again (February 5)

AmericaOne knew what desperation was all about - now it was Prada's turn. Lose today & it would be all over. Coming back from 3 straight defeats would be difficult but the Italians found the formula, helped by a penalty against AmericaOne had to make a penalty turn near finish line.

Margins

Start: Prada (2 seconds)
Mark 1: Prada (20 seconds)
Mark 2: Prada (19 seconds)
Mark 3: Prada (30 seconds)
Mark 4: Prada (17 seconds)
Mark 5: Prada (16 seconds)
Finish: Prada (37 seconds)

Prada 4
AmericaOne 4

Race 9: Prada KOs Cayard (February 6)

The tension was unbelievable as the start was delayed almost an hour. More than 1,200 spectator boats are on the water as Prada makes all the right moves - no errors this time. They are in control at 1st mark & from then on. Italy takes glory on New Zealand's national day in fantastic final series. For the 1st time in 149 years, America won't be in the America's Cup!

Margins

Start: Prada (2 seconds)
Mark 1: Prada (20 seconds)
Mark 2: Prada (19 seconds)
Mark 3: Prada (30 seconds)
Mark 4: Prada (17 seconds)
Mark 5: Prada (16 seconds)
Finish: Prada (37 seconds)

Prada 5
AmericaOne 4

Graphically speaking

New Zealand always had the big picture in mind as it revolutionized the America's Cup - & it's scarcely an exaggeration to suggest a small nation has indeed revolutionised a big event.
That same small nation has also had an equally remarkable impact on a much smaller picture - the one we use to watch the drama unfolding. That small picture is, of course, television. And its influence on the America's Cup has been very bit as powerful as New Zealand's rise & rise as the yachting world's pre-eminent force. While New Zealand's bid to lift the cup intensified, so too did TVNZ's efforts to take coverage of the event to another stratosphere.
It reached still new levels during the 1999-2000 Louis Vuitton Cup & America's Cup in Auckland; & again one of the most eye-catching & user-friendly features was the ever-developing on-screen animated graphics package provided by Dunedin's Animation Research Ltd.
ARL director Ian Taylor & his team pioneered it during the America's Cup in 1995. It's an invention TVNZ's head of sport Denis Harvey rates as one of the best ever devised for covering sport on television. Few would disagree with him.
Let's face it, when you watch yachting on television without the graphics, it can be a case of 2 boats heading off in opposite directions & nobody having a clue which one is in the lead. Bring up the graphics & it's a whole new world. When they're combined with live pictures on the water, it's a sporting symphony. Suddenly, it's possible to extrapolate just where boats are on the course, who's leading & by how much. In essence, it gives viewers the kind of context they would have though possible only a few years ago.
Taylor recalls a moment during the America's Cup 1995 final when Black Magic was taking on Dennis Conner. ''I was going through Wellington Airport'' He says ''And there was this crowd gathered around a television set and all I could hear them saying was: 'Show us the graphics!' ''And I thought: 'Yes!"'
It was said that it wasn't a lot of use trying to follow America's Cup 2000 from a boat out on the Hauraki Gulf. That you were far better off watching TV One's coverage at home, graphics & all.
In fact, there was something better. And that was being on a boat with a television set in front of you - then you could watch the yachts in front of you & still use the animation to give you a frame of reference. Now, nothing could beat that.

Watching yachting on television has never been the same since Animation Research Ltd opened up a whole new world for viewers. Until ARL came along with its graphics tricks, it was often impossible to figure out who was leading a yacht race.
Not now. Using GPS technology on boats, data is collated & generated on screen from a variety of perspectives & angles to give the viewer the best possible look at how a race is unfolding.

Luna eclipse - the black boat rules

As Prada celebrated sailing into the challenger's spot in America's Cup 2000, New Zealand were enhancing their deserved reputation for changing the competition's landscape.
The Kiwis might have been late starters in a game known as much for its huge stakes as its dubious past, but they're never been slow to connect new-age edges designed to lift them above the mainstream. Ditto for the 30th defence of the ancient prize.
Just like New Zealand's 1st 4 tilts at the Auld Mug, it wasn't always about the old number 8 wire ingenuity that has characterized the Kiwi psyche. Instead, the New Zealanders in this game have been ahead of their time & have stayed there; they were shaking the technological tree well before the emergence of the Information Technology age that's so much a part of our lives today.
That was evident the moment Michael Fay began his driven, but ultimately unsuccessful, quest to snare the famous ever in Fremantle in 1986-87.
Back then, New Zealand's party trick in their America's Cup boat was the boat called KZ7 or Kiwi Magic. A party trick because it was a fibreglass boat, or what came to be known as the 'plastic fantastic'. The America's Cup world was stunned, Dennis Conner especially so, as the New Zealanders gatecrashed the Louis Vuitton Cup series. Conner contended no one would build fibreglass boats unless they wanted to cheat.
He used the 'c' word but no one else agreed with him. This was patently a case of Kiwi innovation at work for the 1st of many times in their short history in the long-running America's Cup. Australian ingenuity in the shape of Ben Lexcen's famous winged keel on Australia II accounted for Conner in 1983, & he didn't intend to be undone by technology again. He wasn't & took the cup back to the United States.
Yest just as quickly the now-knighted Sir Michael Fay was putting his head above the crowd again. Having pored was over the America's Cup Deed of Gift, Sir Michael audaciously launched his abortive Big Boat challenge (Using the maximum size sloop permitted). It was doomed to become a courtroom fight rather than a fair one on the water. Actually, it wasn't fair one on the water. Actually, it wasn't fair on the water either as Conner's catamaran mad the contest a mismatch. The court battle proved even more unfair in the end.
But what you discover throughout New Zealand's cup history is that setbacks failed to discourage innovation. So, for the 1992 challenge, there were more tricks. NZL20 (The Red Sled) was certainly a radical design with its tandem keel & no rudder. It also had a seemingly innocuous bowsprit, an appendage that finished up causing no end of trouble. Paul Cayard rained protests at the New Zealand challenge & eventually overturned the way the Kiwis had been using the bowsprit; it was the turning point in a Louis Vuitton final Cayard went on to win.
Move forward 3 years to New Zealand's 4th & finally successful shot at the trophy & you find a campaign that may not have appeared as overtly innovative as the previous 3. But there was one very significant change. Instead of continuing with one-stop designer Bruce Farr, the Peter Blake-headed Team New Zealand bypassed Farr for a total design team concept. It was a breakthrough; the various strands of that team's brains gelled to generate a rocket ship in NZL32 or Black Magic. It was way too hot for everyone else &, innovatively, it was painted an intimidating black.
A deliberately low-key approach also worked in San Diego, a mood the New Zealanders sought to emulate in their defence in Auckland.
Of all New Zealand's 5 campaigns, this one proved more innovative than the others. Crucially, there was the decision to forgo a defender series, to focus on just one unified New Zealand syndicate. To mount any more than one defence syndicate would have diluted ab already limited sponsorship base; the country couldn't afford that. And a 2nd syndicate would arguably split the nation as well. The downside was no genuine racing, the Kiwis being forced to subsist instead on a diet of constant training.
Well, it didn't hurt the sailing team, not least because Team New Zealand had so many other tricks to unveil - like slick new, aerodynamic sailing strips & the invaluable earpiece technology (So skipper Coutts could communicate clearly with his crew during races).
But, most of all, Team New Zealand's accomplished design team delivered the masterstrokes. The latest from the Black Magic production line had a revolutionary so-called millennium mast featuring fewer spreaders, a new-style bow, deeper sails & wings placed further forward on the bulb of the keel. It all added to a total package that clearly outpointed Luna Rossa.
And to think Prada's chief designer, Doug Peterson - part of Team New Zealand's set-up in 1995 - claimed before The Match that NZL60 would be slow. Obviously not slow enough.
New Zealand's penchant for trend-setting created another slice of history - Team New Zealand becoming the 1st syndicate to successfully defend the America's Cup outside the United States, & doing it in a contest minus American involvement for the only time in the cup's 149-year existance.
Roll on 2003 for more of the same.

Race 1: Black on track (Sunday, February 20)

Team New Zealand had been practicing for more than 4 months, able only to watch the challengers racing on the Hauraki Gulf. Now they had the chance at last to mix it themselves in real racing, if still a little nervous about how they would compare to the Italians.
In a southerly breeze of 8-10 knots, Prada had the early edge but Russell Coutts & his crew started throwing tacks at the Italians, making gains each time until they passed Prada & never gave up the lead from then on.
Francesco de Angelis tried throwing dummy tacks but the experienced New Zealand crew weren't fooled as the Black Boat built a handy 22 second lead at the 1st mark.
NZL60's upwind speed was impressive on the 1st beat & it also looked sharp on the 1st downwind leg as its lead was extended. Again excelling upwind, the margin was more than a minute around the 3rd mark but then the complexion of the race changed. The Italians brought down more wind on the 2nd run & Luna Rossa was just 25 seconds behind after the 2nd downhill slide.
That proved something of an aberration as Coutts immediately applied the blow torch upwind to go well clear & stay there, providing plenty of encouragement for the Team New Zealand camp.

Margins

Start: Prada (3 seconds)
Mark 1: Team NZ (22 seconds)
Mark 2: Team NZ (36 seconds)
Mark 3: Team NZ (1 minute 3 seconds)
Mark 4: Team NZ (25 seconds)
Mark 5: Team NZ (1 minute 16 seconds)
Finish: Team NZ (1 minute 17 seconds)

Team NZ 1
Prada 0

Race 2: Blood red moon (Tuesday, February 22)

Prada failed to make much of an impression in the 1st race but, in race 2, it gave itself no chance at all after a series of disasters.
The boats started in a southerly of 14-16 knots, the wind varying from 10-17 knots during the race. This time, Russell Coutts nailed the pre-start & had a huge 18 second lead at the start line.
That alone might well have marked the begging & end of the contest had it been a more regular race. As it turned out, Luna Rossa ensured it was distinctly irregular with a terrible 1st beat.
1st Prada slowed suddenly. It seemed there was some plastic entwined around the keel. If that wasn't enough, bowman Massimiliano 'Max' Sirena had his head cut when a carbon fibre stick being used to clear the problem, whipped back & hit him. Blood was splattered over the bow & he was eventually taken off the boat to have the wound stitched.
Another crewman hung over the side trying to clear the trouble & finally Piero Romero dived into the water to sort it out. All of which left Prada 2 minute 19 seconds behind at the 1st mark.
To top it off Prada lost more time with a disabled port side jib sheet track on the 2nd beat. End result - a total disaster for Prada with Team New Zealand untested.

Margins

Start: Team NZ (18 seconds)
Mark 1: Team NZ (2 minutes 19 seconds)
Mark 2: Team NZ (1 minute 55 seconds)
Mark 3: Team NZ (1 minute 49 seconds)
Mark 4: Team NZ (1 minute 59 seconds)
Mark 5: Team NZ (2 minutes 26 seconds)
Finish: Team NZ (2 minutes 43 seconds)

Team NZ 2
Prada 0

Race 3: The beat goes on (Saturday, February 26)

A lack of solid breeze at the low end of the scale had forced the abandonment of racing 2 days earlier but brilliant Saturday weather helped generate the biggest display of support yet for race 3 of America's Cup 2000.
Estimates put the number of boats on the Hauraki Gulf at 2,500+ &, after waiting in vain on February 24, those spectators & a worldwide television audience witnessed a telling display of Team New Zealand's sailing power.
Russell Coutts rotated his afterguard, bringing Mike Drummond onto NZL60 for regular navigator Tom Schnackenberg. That did nothing at all to disrupt Team New Zealand's sailing rhythm.
Coutts won the preferred right side & then set about putting the squeeze on Prada. The contest simply became a case of how much New Zealand would win by, despite some fears when they tore a gennaker on the 2nd downhill run. The sail held & there was little cost to the Kiwis' lead. From then on, upwind superiority took them well clear.
Everyone was in awe of Team New Zealand's total package - boat speed & crew work - in this sort of breeze (7-14 knots) with 5-0 now looking the most likely of outcome. In fact, in a total of 8 America's Cup races in 1995 & this campaign, New Zealand still hadn't lost a race or even behind at any mark.

Margins

Start: Team NZ (1 second)
Mark 1: Team NZ (19 seconds)
Mark 2: Team NZ (17 seconds)
Mark 3: Team NZ (1 minute 11 seconds)
Mark 4: Team NZ (1 minute)
Mark 5: Team NZ (1 minute 43 seconds)
Finish: Team NZ (1 minute 39 seconds)

Team NZ 3
Prada 0

Race 4: On the brink (Wednesday, March 1)

After leaping to a 3-0 lead, Team New Zealand had hoped to make it 4-0 on February 27. And an even bigger spectator fleet numbering at least 3,000 wanted action on that sizzling Auckland Sunday.
Once again, though, the wind gods failed & racing was abandoned for the 3rd time in 6 scheduled race days. It became 4 out of 7 race days when the weather again failed to yield 2 days later. That forced a re-think, with race director Harold Bennett gaining agreement from all parties to use a scheduled lay day for racing.
On what was Russell Coutts' 38th birthday, a much smaller fleet of spectator boats was on the gulf with just enough wind (5-11 knots) to allow race 4 to go ahead. And, by now predictably, it was another Black Magic benefit. Team New Zealand set the tone in the pre-start when it unveiled yet another weapon from its back of tricks - a Code Zero headsail, designed to give it a speed edge in the starting box. It had the desired effect as Coutts grabbed a 7-second edge at the start.
That wasn't quite game over as Prada actually led on the 3rd cross - but the Italians then chose not to tack on top of NZL60. From that moment, Prada was gone. Team New Zealand cruised to match point, Coutts securing his 9th consecutive win in an America's Cup race, to equal a century-old record.

Margins

Start: Team NZ (7 seconds)
Mark 1: Team NZ (45 seconds)
Mark 2: Team NZ (39 seconds)
Mark 3: Team NZ (1 minute 39 seconds)
Mark 4: Team NZ (1 minute 46 seconds)
Mark 5: Team NZ (1 minute 30 seconds)
Finish: Team NZ (1 minute 49 seconds)

Team NZ 4
Prada 0

Race 5: Still New Zealand's cup! (Thursday, March 2)

Just after 3:00pm on Thursday March 2, the voice of yachting Peter Montgomery told it like it was to a world-wide television audience: ''The America's Cup is still New Zealand's Cup.''
It was always going to be that way the moment Team New Zealand showed its power in the 1st race of America's Cup 2000 on February 20. It became a near procesion as the Kiwis emulated their 1995 success with yet another 5-0 blackwash.
The latest Black Boat NZL60 was every bit as superior as the famous NZL32 that lifted the cup in San Diego. Back then Dennis Conner could do nothing about it. This time Prada faced the same predicament.
What became the last day's racing in the 5-month regatta had an air of predictability about it from the outset. Team New Zealand was always going to win. But it was also a day of emotional extremes. There was sorrow initially as the Kiwis, wearing black armbands, scattered the ashes of former Team New Zealand boatbuilder Derek Tremain in the Hauraki Gulf. He died in October & never saw his boat race.
There were also nerves for 26-year-old Dean Barker as regular skipper Russell Coutts gave him the helm, unselfishly surrendering the chance to claim a record 10th consecutive America's Cup race win.
There was jubilation & then celebration (And plenty of it) when NZL60 finished 48 seconds clear to retain the cup.
And then the sheer joy of witnessing the incredible scenes as the mighty Black Boat edged into a Cup Village choked with tens of thousands of supporters.
But most of all there was the feeling of total satisfaction as the crew again got their hands on what it was all about - the America's Cup.
All you could say after that was: ''Bring on the next one in 2003.''

Margins

Start: Team NZ (12 seconds)
Mark 1: Team NZ (24 seconds)
Mark 2: Team NZ (22 seconds)
Mark 3: Team NZ (47 seconds)
Mark 4: Team NZ (1 minute 1 second)
Mark 5: Team NZ (1 minute 13 seconds)
Finish: Team NZ (48 seconds)

Team NZ 5
Prada 0

Let's party!

Starved of sporting success for longer than most New Zealanders care to remember, tens of thousands of Aucklanders basked in the reflected glory of the America's Cup. As Team New Zealand made its way back to the Viaduct Basin, having rammed home the final nail in Prada's hull, homes & offices in Auckland's inner city emptied in a mad scramble for vantage points right along the waterfront. Let the party begin...

Meet the team

Team New Zealand's America's Cup defence had a very obvious shop window - the latest rocket ship from its Black Magic brand plus skipper Russell Coutts & the 15 other sailors that made it fly. Sydnicate head Sir Peter Blake was another highly visible part of the campaign but there were more than 80 others who all had a role in making Team New Zealand what it was.

Russell Coutts CBE
Skipper

Sir Peter Blake KBE
Syndicate Head

Lesley Acutt
Sponsorship servicing

Joe Allen
Bowman

Cameron Appleton
Traveller

John Appleton
Skipper of Archangel

Dean Barker
Helmsman/Tactics

Trevor Berry
Machinist/Spar builder

Richard Booten
Shore Crew - Boat Builder

Debbie Bradley
Accountant

Brad Butterworth OBE
Afterguard/Tactician

Scott Chapman
Executive Director

James Dagg
Trimmer

Simon Daubney
Genoa Trimmer, Sail Design

Laurie Davidson
Principal Designer

Richard Dodson
Afterguard

Tom Dodson
Afterguard

Mike Drummond
Designer/Afterguard Navigator

Kristy Dunhill
Receptionist

Geoff Dunn
Schorecrew

Peter Evans
Weather Programme

Burns Fallow
Head of Sails Department

Warwick Fleury
Mainsail Trimmer

Jamie France
Design Team

Craig Franks
Chase Boat Driver

Russell Green
Rules and Technical Advisor

Paul Gudgeon
Sailmaker

Tim Gurr
Construction Boss

Jared Henderson
Pitman

Nick Heron
Bowman

Tobias Hochreutener
Weather Team

Nick Holroyd
Design Team

Matthew Hughes
Grinder

Mickey Ickert
Sail Designer

Diana Jack
Personal Assistant

Philip Jameson
Shore Team - Chase Boats

Melanie Jones
Media Liason

Murray Jones
Tactician/Afterguard

Richard Karn
Design Team

Grant Loretz
Sail Development/Trimmer

Fiona Lovell
Assistant Accountant

Jonothan Macbeth
Winch Team/Grinder

Chay McIntosh
Shore Crew

Barry McKay
Pitman

Bruce McKay
Tender Boat Skipper

Matthew Mason
Mastman

Roy Mason
Shore Crew

Richard Meacham
Bowman

Tony Millet
Shore Crew - Sailmaker

Chris Mitchell
Design Team (Rigs)

Ian Mitchell
Design Team

Matthew Mitchell
Bowman

Crag Monk
Port Grinder/Sail Maker

Paul Murray
Shore Crew/Back-up sailor

Robbie Naismith
Genoa Trimmer

Andrew Nottage
Shore Crew/Engineering Machinist

Clay Oliver
Principal Designer

Dr Mark Orams
Co-ordinator

Hamish Pepper
Mainsheet

Dean Phipps
Bowman

Loren Poole
Design Team

Mike Quilter
Weather/Electronics

Tony Rae
Mainsail Trimmer

Sean Reeves
Rules Advisor

Bob Rice
Chief Meteoroligist

Selwyn 'Crowbar' Ross
Shore Crew

Jeremy Scantlebury
Boat Boss/Pitman

Tom Schnackenberg
Design Co-ordinator/Navigator

Alan Sefton
Executive Director

Kevin Shoebridge
Weather & Support Craft

Wayne Smith
Design Team

Kristen Sneyd
Sailing Team Co-ordinator

Jason Squire
Shore Crew - Boat Builder

Michelle Tapper
Reception/Team Assistant

Andrew Taylor
Starboard Grinder

Neville Thorpe
Shore Crew

Mark Turner
Shore Crew

Chris Waird
Grinder

Peter Waymouth
Pitman

Neil Wilkinson
Design Team

Steve Wilson
Spar/Rig Designer

Andrew Wotherspoon
Sailmaker

So that is my 134th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 54th this year.

P.S. And both my biological aunty Cathey & my cousin Paige has sent me both emails respectively so here is Cathey's message that she sent to me 1st:

Hi Whetu

No I have not met Jansen. I have seen photos of him though and he looks really nice.

Scott Robertson is cool.

We wanted the Hurricanes to win, never mind, it is good a New Zealand Team won.

Yes, I will send you some pictures of Paigey and me including the selfie one.

The dinners you and your Pop make look tasty!!

How is Buck?

Love Aunty Cathey

And finally here is Paige's email message in it's full entirety:

Hi Whetu,

Thanks for your email! Sorry I forgot to reply to your last one!

I'm not watching the rugby tonight instead I'm just catching up with friends but will probably watch it tomorrow :)

Jarrods last name is Ahearn. Yes that's right! I won the tickets to the all blacks game which was awesome!

For my 21st I had a party in town! I'll have to show you the photos when I next see you. I made it a black and white theme so everyone could dress up!

I've got my full License luckily. I got it when I was 17.

What are you up to tonight?

Let me know what your blog is I'll have to have a look at it.

Tell everyone I say hello. Hopefully I will see you soon.

Love you too xxx