(Don't Fear) The Reaper/Living On The 110: All Blacks lineup against Argentina (+ Malaysian Grand Prix preview & America's Cup news)

Well, with Pops gone away for 13 days to Australia to perform with the Wanganui male choir in Sydney, Melbourne & Hobart, I have decided to do a blog today.

And the All Blacks team has been named to play against Argentina at the Estadio Jose Amalfitani over in Buenos Aires hoping to retain the Rugby Championship for another stellar year after the disappointment of the Lions series so here is the starting lineup:

FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Kane Hames (Tasman/Chiefs)
2 (Hooker): Dane Coles (Wellington/Hurricanes)
3 (Tight head prop): Nepo Laulala (Counties Manukau/Chiefs)

SECOND ROW
4 (Lock): Luke Romano (Canterbury/Crusaders)
5 (Lock): Scott Barrett (Taranaki/Crusaders)

BACK ROW
6 (Blindside Flanker): Vaea Fifita (Wellington/Hurricanes)
7 (Openside Flanker): Matt Todd (Canterbury/Crusaders)
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): Anton Lienert-Brown (Waikato/Chiefs)

OUTSIDE BACKS
11 (Left Wing): Rieko Ioane (Auckland/Blues)
14 (Right Wing): Waisake Naholo (Taranaki/Highlanders)
& 15 (Fullback): Damian McKenzie (Waikato/Chiefs)

And in the reserves are:

16. Codie Taylor
17. Wyatt Crockett
18. Ofa Tu'ungafasi
19. Patrick Tuipulotu (Who replaces Scott Barrett (Who is elevated to the starting lineup to replace Sam Whitelock who is being rested) to welcome back into the All Blacks fold)
20. Ardie Savea
21. TJ Perenara
22. Ngani Laumape (Who replaces Lima Sopoaga (Who had to return home for the birth of his 1st child) to cover at the backs)
& 23. David Havili (Who replaces Anton Lienert-Brown (Who is also elevated into the starting lineup to replace Ryan Crotty who is also being rested) to make his test debut off the bench).

And the Formula 1 circus heads to Malaysia for the last time (Although they were dropped from the calendar for next year with France & Germany making way) as championship leader Lewis Hamilton hoping to make it 4 race wins in a row (He has a 28 point advantage ahead of championship contender Sebastian Vettel) because the winning streak began in Belgium then Italy & most recently, Singapore (It was a drama filled race as Vettel got taken out by both Max Verstappen & Vettel's Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen & had to retire because he had failed to fire at the last race).

And in other Formula 1 news such as the young Frenchman of Pierre Gasly (The 2016 GP2 champion because GP2 is now Formula 2) who will replace experienced Russian Daniil Kvyat to make his F1 debut for Scuderia Toro Rosso (Although he will race number 10 because it was previously used by Japanese Formula 1 driver Kamui Kobayashi during the 2014 season with Caterham & that's the 4th mid season change because the 1st one was Antonio Giovanazzi who filled in for the injured Pascal Wehrlein for the opening 2 races in Australia & China to race for Sauber then Jenson Button filled the void at McLaren to race in Monaco because Fernando Alonso competed at Indianapolis for the Indy 500 & finally, it was Paul di Resta who replaced Felipe Massa in the Williams to race at Hungary).

And finally here is the circuit guide which will host the Malaysia Grand Prix (It's round 15 of the Formula 1 World Championship before the Grand Prix heads to Japan (Suzuka) then USA (Austin), Mexico (Mexico City), Brazil (Interlagos) & the season finale at Abu Dhabi (And it's only 6 races left in the 2017 season) in the UAE (United Arab Emirates):

''Excellent combination of corners & a wide track to encourage overtaking. Located in a wide dip not far from the international airport & close enough to Kuala Lumpur to draw a modest crowd to the first rate facilities. Humidity & high G-forces make it one of the most physically demanding''

So that is my 148th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 68th this year.

P.S. And the protocol for the next America's Cup in 2021 is revealed so here is the full rundown of the official protocol:

Monohull - 75ft, design details revealed Nov 30. 10-12 on the boat.
Cyclors not banned.
Teams can run 2 boats - TNZ will have 2.
Probably see longer races than Bermuda – Around 40 mins. Include longer pre-start and up-wind start.
Nationality - Citizenship defined 20% of sailors must be from only 1 country – Rest of sailing team must meet strict criteria of residents of 380 days in country from 1 Sep 2018 to 1st Sep 2020
Event - Intent is Auckland, 2021 - but no infrastructure exists. Must start by mid next year. No host city agreement. If not in Auckland - event will go to Italy.
Pre-regattas - Events in 2019, 2020 in the America's Cup race boats. Challenger series will be organised by Challenger of Record (Luna Rossa).

Photograph/The Chain: Mitre 10 Cup round 6 review (Joseph Parker's victory against Hughie Fury)

Well, Bill English is still the Prime Minister of our country, New Zealand (And it's been 9 months since John Key resigned as Prime Minister of New Zealand so Bill English took over the top job way back in December last year but no wait a minute, although National may have won the election, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has formed a coalition with Labour & Greens meaning that Jacinda Ardern is the new Prime Minister of New Zealand, so great news) as well as Kiwi boxing sensation Joseph Parker who lost the fight to Tyson Fury's cousin Hughie Fury...No, wait a minute (Oh, hang on), I thought Joseph Parker lost but Pops told me last night that Parker won the fight because that was another unanimous decision win (And that's the 3rd consecutive time that Parker has had a unanimous decision victory so his last knockout was against Alexander Dimitrenko last year because he beat Andy Ruiz to become the WBO heavyweight champion then he successfully defended it against Razvan Cojanu in April or May this year before facing Hughie Fury & won) meaning that he is still the WBO heavyweight champion & still undefeated.

And so here is the review of round 6 of this year's Mitre 10 Cup season:

Past the halfway stage in the Mitre 10 Cup now the chase is on for play-offs positions in both the Premiership and Championship.

Canterbury are still the front runners in the Premiership but are still not certain round-robin winners, especially with Ranfurly Shield games against Waikato and Taranaki over the next two weekends with their final game away against Auckland.

Wellington, however, are in the comfortable position of being 13 points clear with this weekend's game against second-placed Otago, who face up to Northland in the Wednesday game. Then Wellington have Southland in Invercargill and Northland in Wellington.

But in the Premiership Taranaki, after their 48-17 win over Hawke's Bay are in second place with Tasman on 25 points after a 50-17 win over Southalnd in third and North Harbour on 23 in fourth after losing to Canterbury 28-41 with a game in hand.

They are nine points clear of Waikato who face a battle to reach the play-offs needing to come back from their 10-34 loss to Wellington on Saturday.

The big interest is centred on the relegation zone where Counties Manukau, who drew with Bay of Plenty 31-31 are on 13 points and Auckland, who lost to Otago 26-34 are on 12. Counties Manukau have yet to play Northland, Manawatu and Tasman while Auckland have Bay of Plenty, Tasman and Canterbury.

Things are tight for the remaining three places in the Championship. Otago is on 19 in second, Bay of Plenty have 18 after their draw with Counties Manukau, but have played an extra game, while Northland, who lost to Manawatu 25-39 on Friday, and Manawatu have 16 each.

Otago have still to play Northland, Wellington, Bay of Plenty and Southland. Bay of Plenty also have Auckland and Waikato. Northland have Otago, Counties Manukau, Hawke's Bay and Wellington while Manawatu have Southland, Counties Manukau, Taranaki and Hawke's Bay.

On the individual points scoring list Canterbury's Richie Mo'unga is closest to cracking 100 for the season as he is on 91. Others are: Jackson Garden-Bachop (Wellington) 78, Fletcher Smith (Otago) 77, Bryn Gatland (North Harbour) 75, Mitchell Hunt (Tasman) 57, Marty McKenzie (Taranaki) 53 and Mike Delany (Bay of Plenty 51.

Canterbury's Brayden Ennor heads the try scoring list with seven. Others are: Tim Bateman, Mitch Drummond (both Canterbury), Tevita Li (North Harbour), Jona Nareki (Otago), Jordan Manihera (Waikato) six; Vince Aso (Auckland), George Bridge, Josh McKay (both Canterbury), Shaun Stevenson (North Harbour), Malo Tuitama (Wellington) five.

So that is my 147th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 67th this year.

Bombtrack/Schism: The Rock 1500 review

Well, for the 1st time since 2010, Rage Against The Machine's Killing In The Name (From the self titled album Rage Against The Machine way back in 1992) has taken out the number 1 spot as the best rock song in the world (Last year it went to Metallica's Master Of Puppets because The Rock 1500 1st began in 2001 as The Rock 1000 when Metallica's Enter Sandman took out the top spot 4 times in 2001-02, 2005 & 2008 before Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit took over in 2003 then Pearl Jam's Daughter in 2004 followed by Gun's N'Roses November Rain in 2006, AC/DC's Back In Black in 2007, Metallica's One 3 times in 2009, 2011 & 2012, Tool's Sober in 2013 & Stinkfist (Although Tool took out as the best rock band in the world (They released 4 albums because the last album released by the band was 10,000 Days way back in 2006) in Rock Wars this year while the album released in 1980, Back In Black by AC/DC (1st to feature lead singer Brian Johnson who took over from the late Bon Scott after Scott's tragic passing in 1979) took top spot as the best rock album in the world in Rock Album Almanac) in 2014 before AC/DC's Thunderstruck in 2015) in The Rock 1500 (Formerly The Rock 1000 before it was expanded last year to 50% as The Rock 1500) for only the 2nd time.

So that is my 146th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 66th this year.

P.S. And I'm not a big fan of both Justin Bieber & Ed Sheeran either.

Killing In The Name/Vicarious: Rugby Championship round 4, Mitre 10 Cup round 5 & Singapore Grand Prix review

Well, it was on Saturday that we went to the airport after I took Buck for a traditional morning walk to pick a visitor up named Janice so we went to the market before we drove around Wanganui & went back home to have a salad for lunch then I took Buck for an afternoon walk then watched Mitre 10 Cup rugby on TV just before we went to Caroline's for dinner so I had some breads & dips for starters then I had a boat shed burger so I was full meaning that I didn't eat it all just before I had a cheesecake for dessert before we headed back home to watch the test match on TV.

And all is not lost as the world champion All Blacks side rolled the dice on the Springboks with a 57-0 hiding at QBE Stadium in Albany over in the North Shore in Auckland by taking towards a big step of successfully defending our Rugby Championship title so here is the match commentary:

Welcome to QBE Stadium in Albany for the much anticipated clash between two of the great rivals of world rugby - it is New Zealand playing host to South Africa.

New Zealand are unbeaten from three starts but there have been moments in each of their matches that have shown that this might All Blacks side can be beaten.

South Africa have gone from strength to strength after a disappointing 2016 and come into this match undefeated in 2017. They will consider this their best chance in some time to get the better of the All Blacks, a side they have not beaten since 2014.

1ST MINUTE, 1ST HALF: Elton Jantjies puts boot to ball and we are underway in Albany!
A solid start from the All Blacks with an early clearance finding the touch line right on half way.

2ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Damian McKenzie rolls his kick inside the Springboks' 22 - Courtnall Skosan gathers cleanly for the visitors but is quickly closed down in a solid tackle. The All Blacks are applying the early pressure!

3RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): There is plenty of tension early in this first half - both sides have had a line out and both sides have coughed up possession against the throw.

4TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The all important first scrum of the match! The Springboks' have the feed just inside the All Blacks' 10m line.

5TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): An early confidence booster for the Springboks' pack who have come up with a free kick at the first scrum engagement.

6TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The first penalty of the match goes to the Springboks! The All Blacks have been penalised for not releasing the ball and so Elton Jantjies will line up from right in front of the posts.

8TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), MISS!: A huge early let off for New Zealand - the kick at goal from Elton Jantjies thumps into the woodwork and back into the field of play.

9TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The Springboks have been rewarded for an outstanding scrum! The All Blacks' pack disintegrates under tremendous pressure and the resultant penalty will go to the visitors.

11TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A crucial error from Andries Coetzee - his clearance clears the touch line on the full but the ball had been taken back into the 22 by the Springboks. Play will come all the way back for an All Blacks' line out.

14TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY GOAL!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 3-0 New Zealand

15TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Beauden Barrett makes the Springboks pay for some missed opportunities with the first penalty goal of the match - South Africa have looked better in general play but it is the All Blacks with the early lead.

17TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Rieko Ioane) 8-0 New Zealand

19TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 10-0 New Zealand

20TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The All Blacks have drawn first blood! Outstanding vision from Aaron Smith - he spotted that the Springboks' defence was out of position and took the quick tap from the penalty before brilliantly kicking the ball into the path of Rieko Ioane who caps off the move with a try in the corner.

21ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Nehe Milner-Skudder) 15-0 New Zealand

23RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 17-0 New Zealand
Just too good, a magical try from the All Blacks! Nehe Milner-Skudder pulls off the intercept inside New Zealand territory before darting away - he runs out of legs and is about to be chased down before some brilliant interplay with Beauden Barrett opens up the try line for the right winger who crosses for the All Blacks' second five-pointer.

25TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The stats sheet is showing that the All Blacks have only had 30% of possession but they have been able to capitalise on each of their opportunities unlike the Springboks so far.

27TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Kane Hames has been penalised at half way - the Springboks elect to kick for touch and Elton Jantjies finds the line right on the All Blacks' 22.

29TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Concern is being shown from the sidelines for Liam Squire who is assisted from the field for a concussion test.

30TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Ref Nigel Owens has spotted some obstruction on Siya Kolisi and the resultant penalty will go to the Springboks - we are only half an hour into this match but the visitors desperately need some reward for effort on the scoreboard before half time.

31ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The Springboks have let themselves down with handling errors at crucial moments - in fact the visitors have committed the last five handling errors of this test match.

33RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Scott Barrett) 22-0 New Zealand

34TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 24-0 New Zealand

36TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The All Blacks simply can do no wrong at the moment!  The kick across field from Beauden Barrett doesn't go to hand but they have all the numbers around the ball - Scott Barrett drives through the narrowest of gaps inside the touch line before rounding to score.

37TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Brodie Retallick) 29-0 New Zealand

38TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 31-0 New Zealand
It's try number four for the All Blacks! Normally it is the brilliant backs for the All Blacks but on this occasion it is time for the forwards to show their stuff - Dane Coles shifts the ball inside for the run of Brodie Retallick who strides away to score under the posts.

40TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): We are yet to reach half time but the All Blacks are already in bonus point territory - it is has been a simply devastating opening forty minutes from the world champions!

HALF TIME: What a first half from the All Blacks! The Springboks looked good in the early stages but were unable to make the most of their chances before New Zealand made the visitors pay with a devastating blitz that yielded four converted tries. At half time, New Zealand lead South Africa by 31-0.

40TH MINUTE, 2ND HALF: Beauden Barrett kicks off for the All Blacks to get the second half underway.

41ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): An early attacking opportunity here for the Springboks who have a line out right on the All Blacks' 22m line.

42ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The Springboks' woes at the line out continue - they have won only 5 of their 8 line out throws so far.

43RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The Springboks string together several phases but are unable to gain any territory at all in the face of some aggressive All Blacks' defence.

44TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Yet another error committed by the Springboks at the line out - they manage to secure the throw but it comes to nought after Francois Hougaard left the ball behind.

46TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Sonny Bill Williams takes on the defensive line before releasing the ball but his pass to Ryan Crotty was forward - the Springboks have the scrum feed right in the middle of the park.

49TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): The Springboks' early dominance at scrum time has dissipated - a penalty to the All Blacks' will give Beauden Barrett a chance to kick for touch deep in South African territory.
Magic from Damian McKenzie! The full back spots a gap down field before thumping a beautifully weighted kick that rolls over the touch line a metre inside the corner flag.

51ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A penalty to the All Blacks just outside the Springboks' 22 for a high tackle on Aaron Smith - the home side is keen to keep the heat on and so they turn down a shot at goal and elect to kick for touch in the corner.

53RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Nehe Milner-Skudder) 36-0 New Zealand

54TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), MISS!: The first miss of the match so far from the boot of Beauden Barrett - his conversion attempt is away to the right.

55TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The All Blacks score the first try of the second half! Brilliant vision from Beauden Barrett who floats the pass out to the right to the unmarked Nehe Milner-Skudder and the winger is in in the corner - the TMO checks the grounding before confirming the five pointer.

57TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Nothing is going right for the Springboks at the moment - a handling error from skipper Eben Etzebeth just about sums up South Africa's night so far.

58TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Lima Sopoaga sends a kick across the field however Courtnall Skosan is in the way and he brings the ball to ground, securing possession for the Springboks.
The Springboks go close after a dart from Rudy Paige however the All Blacks' defence holds firm and they come up with a relieving penalty deep in their 22.

61ST MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): Codie Taylor goes close but a review by the TMO shows that he has come up just short of the line - the All Blacks have a scrum feed deep inside the Springboks' 22.

64TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Ofa Tu’ungafasi) 41-0 New Zealand

65TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 43-0 New Zealand
Try number 6 to the All Blacks! After the home side went close on a couple of occasions, the result was never in doubt - from close range, Ofa Tu’ungafasi crashes over to score his first international try.

67TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The All Blacks are looking dangerous once again in attack and have advanced to within 10m of the Springboks' line - it comes to nought however with the visitors awarded a relieving penalty.

70TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): The crowd attendance has been confirmed at a tick over 30,000 - they have been treated to an outstanding display this evening from the All Blacks who have barely put a foot wrong since early in the first half.

72ND MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A sloppy line out from the All Blacks but they still manage to emerge with the ball - more pressure on the Springboks' defence here inside their 22.

73RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Beauden Barrett attempts a delicate chip out to the left however Andries Coetzee has the ball well covered - the Springboks' full back completes the mark before clearing his kick into touch.

74TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Lima Sopoaga) 48-0 New Zealand

75TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 50-0 New Zealand

76TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The procession continues in Albany! Incredible strength and power from Anton Lienert-Brown who steamrolls the Springboks' defence, leaving it in tatters - he offloads to Lima Sopoaga who crosses under the posts. The conversion from Beauden Barrett brings up the half century for New Zealand.

78TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Just under three minutes left on the clock but the All Blacks are not finished yet - they have the scrum feed inside South African territory where the vast majority of the play has taken place in this second half.

80TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): We are inside the final minute and the All Blacks will have one last chance to extend their lead even further - the home side have a line out just a metre out from the Springboks' line.

80TH MINUTE + 1ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Codie Taylor) 55-0 New Zealand

80TH MINUTE + 3RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 57-0 New Zealand
The All Blacks put an emphatic exclamation mark on a sublime performance! At the back of the rolling maul, Codie Taylor crashes over for New Zealand's eighth try.

FULL TIME: The final whistle sounds to end an incredible night of test match rugby in Albany! The rugby world has shifted on its axis on the back of a near-perfect performance from New Zealand who have broken all sorts of records on their way to a dominant 57-0 victory over South Africa.

And what do I think of the game? Well, it was a demolition derby job from our All Black perspective not only because we annihilated them so the Boks were totally embarrassed, outclassed & outperformed by the men in black (Well, they need to regroup for the next match against the Wallabies in Bloemfontein in order to seek utu against New Zealand in Cape Town).

And what about the All Black players such as left winger Rieko Ioane (He is no longer the lion slayer but he is now both a wallaby & springbok slayer), he had such a relatively awesome performance, scoring just the one try off an Aaron 'Nugget' Smith (The one who plays at halfback because he had managed to regain some form) kick along with the likes of right winger Nehe Milner-Skudder (AKA Skudz) who got a double (Including that try off an intercept during the 1st half (Although Springbok winger Courtnall Skosan chased him down but Milner-Skudder passed the ball to Beauden 'Beaudy' Barrett & then bang! Barrett passed it back to him to set up that beautiful try) & from a wide pass from Beauden Barrett during the 2nd half) as well as reserve lock Scott 'Scooter' Barrett who made an impact by scoring a try off his brother Beauden's cross field wipers kick during the 1st half (And Beauden Barrett got his goal kicking mojo back because of that remedial work paid off in order to improve his goal kicking (He missed all of his shots at goal during the test against Argentina in New Plymouth (Well, it was Lima Sopoaga who assumed the goal kicking duties) in front of his adoring home fans as well as getting yellow carded for conceding multiple cynical penalties & scoring a try) despite only missing 1 shot at goal) after coming from the bench to replace Liam Squire who had to go off for a concussion check to play as blindside flanker & what about second rower Brodie Retallick (The man they call him Guzzler), he is an absolute giraffe when he picked up a try off a dazzling run by Ioane & a pass from hooker Dane Coles (Known as Colesy) during the 1st half as well as several players who had to come on from the bench such as tight head prop Ofa Tu'ungafasi for Nepo Laulala who crashed over to pick up his 1st try in test rugby along with first five-eighth Lima Sopoaga for Nehe Milner-Skudder who also scored his 1st test try off an Anton Lienert-Brown (Who just came on for offload guru Sonny Bill 'SBW' Williams) run & inside ball to Sopoaga to set up the try & of course hooker Codie Taylor for Colesy, who picked up the try from a rolling maul to end the game but what a way to finish a match like that because it is one of our greatest test matches of all time but poor old Springboks, the record 57 point defeat was one of their darkest days in South African rugby (Along with that upset loss against Japan during the Rugby World Cup in 2015 which shocked the rugby world) because they suffered one of their worst nightmares in Albany (The South African sport headlines would probably say: NIGHTMARE IN ALBANY FOR THE BOKS).

And the match between the Wallabies & Argentina at GIO Stadium in Canberra resulted in a bonus point win by the Wallabies so here's the news report about the match:

Australia secured a bonus-point 45-20 victory over Argentina in their Rugby Championship clash in Canberra.

The Wallabies displayed brilliant interplay between forwards and backs and were lethal when presented with try-scoring opportunities. An Argentinian yellow card ten minutes from time helped the home side run away with the win, scoring three more tries to secure the much-needed bonus point.

The home side opened the scoring through a penalty goal from first five-eighth Bernard Foley after Argentina were penalised for another offside offence. After 14 minutes, first five-eighth Nicolas Sanchez leveled the score with a penalty goal of his own after a Wallaby entered a maul incorrectly.

Pumas halfback Martin Landajo scored the first converted try of this clash after he sold a fantastic dummy before diving over the line from a few centimeters out.

Wallabies full-back Israel Folau then scored a converted try in the far right corner after some fantatsic interplay from the Wallabies forwards and backs ended with Foley unleashing Folau, who brushed past a hapless Argentinian defender.

Sanchez slotted another penalty after 35 minutes after a Wallaby was caught offside to give the Pumas a 13-10 lead at half-time.

Wallabies prop Sekope Kepu scored a converted try early in the second 40 when he crashed over from close range after a few solid, patient carries from his fellow forwards.

Folau scored his second in the opposite corner after halfback Will Genia sent him a long pass which he gathered before shifting his feet to bamboozle the last Argentinian defender. Foley converted the try and extended the Wallabies lead to 11 points.

Ten minutes before the final whistle, Argentina gave away another penalty after an early engagement and prop Enrique Pieretto was sent to the sin bin. From the resulting scrum, Genia broke and dived in for his try before Foley converted to make the score 31-13 to the home side.

Australian number eight Sean McMahon then broke before passing inside to reserve scrum-half Nick Phipps, who just had enough gas and arm stretch to score his side's bonus point try.

Pumas wing Matias Moroni chipped and gathered in sensational fashion down the right wing to score in the 77th minute before Sanchez added the extra two points. But the home side hammered in the final nail in Argentina's coffin after the final hooter had sounded when reserve hooker Jordan Uelese scored from a close-range leap before Foley's conversion sealed their bonus-point victory.

And here is the review of round 5 in the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup season:

Nothing can ever be taken for granted in the Mitre 10 Cup competition, as Canterbury found out in Wellington on Sunday afternoon when beaten 60-14 by the Championship leaders.

This loss came after Canterbury had earlier in the week beaten Counties Manukau 78-5. It didn't knock Canterbury off the lead in the Premiership but it did show that no side can be immune from the tough double game requirement all teams have to face at some stage of the competition.

North Harbour, with another win over a Championship side, elevated themselves to second place in the Premiership, now only three points behind Canterbury but with some heavy timber to come, including Canterbury on Saturday. But it was another thrilling contest in Whangarei before North Harbour secured a 31-22 win over Northland.

Auckland got a necessary win when beating Southland 27-17 in Invercargill, but it was a tough contest with the home side looking for their first win and bouncing back from their Christchurch humiliation with some determined play that pushed the northerners all the way.

Taranaki showed why they are in third place in the Premiership with their 29-7 win over Bay of Plenty, an effort which ultimately demonstrated the differences between the two divisions, where chances are better taken by the higher-ranked side.

Manawatu are perpetual road bump merchants, just ask Canterbury sides through the years, and they unleashed their tricks on Waikato in Hamilton to take a 23-10 win.

Tasman showed their mettle when reduced to 14-men and having to cope with a fast-finishing Otago side in Dunedin before claiming a 29-27 win. That was enough to lift Tasman to fourth in the Premiership while Otago slipped back to third in the Championship behind Northland.

Counties Manukau got an overdue win when beating Hawke's Bay 33-14 but it still wasn't enough to lift them off the bottom of the Premiership as they sit one point behind Auckland.

Counties Manukau face a key game when travelling to Tauranga to play Bay of Plenty on Sunday. They will be playing a Bay side which hosts Southland on Wednesday in Rotorua. Meanwhile, Auckland are in Dunedin to play Otago on Thursday, and the respective results may have a key impact on their final positions in the competition.

In the individual points scoring, Wellington's win over Canterbury saw Jackson Garden-Bachop reach 74 points, four ahead of Canterbury's first five-eighths Richie Mo'unga while Otago's Fletcher Smith has 68 with North Harbour's Bryn Gatland on 67 points.

The leading try scorer remains Braydon Ennor, who didn't play in Canterbury's loss to Wellington, on seven tries while Waikato's Jordan Manihere and North Harbour's Tevita Li are on six and sharing five tries are Wellington's Malo Tuitama and Cantabrians George Bridge and Tim Bateman.

And finally I will be doing the review of the Singapore Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton has won the race, increasing his championship lead from 3 to 28 after a 1st lap carnage (And Sebastian Vettel was on pole so I watched qualifying but I had to watch the start of the race when Max Verstappen had a great start but was collided by Kimi Raikkonen before he bumped Vettel whilst Fernando Alonso crashed into both Raikkonen & Verstappen but Vettel spun out & lost the lead meaning that his car got seriously damaged but what does that mean for Lewis Hamilton? He had to take over the lead of the race but I switched it off before I took Buck for a traditional morning walk but I managed to watch the highlights at 2pm, 30 minutes before I took Buck for a traditional afternoon walk when Hamilton won the Grand Prix).

So that is my 145th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 65th this year.

P.S. Those who died are justified, for wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites
You justify those that died by wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites
Those who died are justified, for wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites
You justify those that died by wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites

And my dear cousin Paige Williams has sent me an email so here's her message in it's entirety:

Hi Whetu,

Sorry for the late reply, I don't always check my personal email as also have a work one.

That's lovely you have a visitor, how do you know her?

I did watch the rugby on Saturday, we won by heaps! Go the All Blacks! Did you watch it?

What did you get up to this weekend?

Lots of Love,

Paige xx

Duality/Symphony Of Destruction: America's Cup news update

Well, in America's Cup news, it seems that Oracle Team USA has pulled out of the next America's Cup which is going to be held in Auckland in the year 2021. Well it seems that Sir Russell Coutts has indicated that Oracle Team USA boss Larry Ellison won't be contesting the next America's Cup, in Auckland. But the 2021 America's Cup will feature mono hulls which was last used in 2007 (Even German America's Cup legend Jochen Schumann (He was formerly of FAST 2000 in 2000 & Alinghi in both 2003 & 07) liked & embraced the idea of sailing mono hulls for the 2021 event, absolutely), will likely return for the next edition. But Oracle, which was 1st established in 2000 with the intention to compete in the 2003 America's Cup, 1st won it in 2010 sailing a giant trimaran against Alinghi's catamaran. They then defended the Cup in 2013 in San Francisco in 72-foot catamarans, winning the match against Emirates Team New Zealand in a dramatic comeback then Team New Zealand got their revenge in Bermuda this year in a lop-sided final sailed in 50-foot foiling catamarans. But Coutts has now returned to Auckland and is commodore of the Mainly Sailing Club as well as Spithill has indicated he is keen to carry on in the America's Cup and gain revenge for this year's loss but there has been speculation that Richard DeVos, a co-founder of Amway and owner of the Orlando Magic NBA team, could mount an American challenge. While cup historian Bob Fisher concluded that Australia were likely to re-enter the Cup. This could be a likely avenue for Spithill and the strong core of Australians who were part of Oracle and other syndicates to carry on in the competition.

And what do I think of Oracle Team USA's decision not to compete in the next America's Cup? Well, it looks like the end of the Russell Coutts era as safe to say (Which began in 1995 when he 1st won it for Team New Zealand then defended it in 2000 before joining Alinghi to win it in 2003 before being sacked in 2004 & sidelined in 2007 then joined Oracle as CEO in which they 1st won it in 2010 before defending it in a historic comeback in 2013 before becoming CEO of the America's Cup Event Authority in Bermuda this year) according to America's Cup legend Dennis Conner. But only 2 confirmed syndicates are competing such as the defender of Emirates Team New Zealand & the challenger of record which is the Luna Rossa Challenge of Prada.

So that is my 144th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 64th this year.

P.S. And go the All Blacks by the way for the test tomorrow against the Boks in Albany.

Hero/Monster: All Blacks team naming against the Springboks & Singapore Grand Prix preview

Well, the All Blacks have named their team against the strong Springboks side for round 4 of the Rugby Championship at QBE Stadium in Albany for our last Aotearoa test of 2017 so here is the starting lineup:

FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Kane Hames (Tasman/Chiefs)
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): Nehe Milner-Skudder (Manawatu/Hurricanes)
& 15 (Fullback): Damian McKenzie (Waikato/Chiefs)

And in the reserves are:

16. Codie Taylor
17. Wyatt Crockett
18. Ofa Tu'ungafasi
19. Scott Barrett
20. Ardie Savea (Who will start on the bench with Sam Cane returning to the starting lineup)
21. TJ Perenara (Replaces Tawera Kerr-Barlow with Aaron Smith also returning to the starting lineup)
22. Lima Sopoaga
& 23. Anton Lienert-Brown (Who replaces Ngani Laumape with Ryan Crotty coming back after being rested for the match against Argentina).

And finally the F1 circus is heading back to Asia from Europe with Singapore hosting round 14 of the 2017 FIA Formula 1 World Championship with the race being held under lights at the street circuit located in Marina Bay since it was 1st held in 2008. And with Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) in the Mercedes hoping to go one better (Well, I predicted Lewis Hamilton's victory in Singapore by playing that F1 2017 game that I always love now) after taking over the lead of the championship following back to back victories in Belgium & Italy (He has 6 victories so far in the 2017 season compared to Vettel's 4, Bottas's 2 & Ricciardo's 1).

And here is the circuit guide which will host the Singapore Grand Prix (It's round 14 of the Formula 1 World Championship before the Grand Prix heads to Malaysia (Sepang) then Japan (Suzuka), USA (Austin), Mexico (Mexico City), Brazil (Interlagos) & the season finale at Abu Dhabi (And it's only 7 races left in the 2017 season) in the UAE (United Arab Emirates):

''Adventurous project on streets of business district & alongside Marina Bay, Introduced in 2008: the 1st Grand Prix to be run at night. Paid off handsomely. Rapidly became one of the most popular - & different - Grands Prix on the calendar. Bumpy surface, angular corners & humidity make it a tough test.''

So that is my 143rd blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 63rd this year.

Breakdown/Hey Yeah: 2017 Rugby Championship round 3 & Mitre 10 Cup round 4 review

Well, it was on Saturday that we went to see Wanganui play against Poverty Bay at Cooks Gardens so we won the game but we didn't get the bonus point. And after that we went home so I took Buck for a 1 block walk before we had burgers for dinner before watching the All Blacks play against Argentina at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth on TV so I thought we were going to lose (Although the Argentinians were looking for a famous upset victory just like Ireland last year not only because Argentina is one of 3 tier 1 rugby nations along with Italy & Scotland to have never beaten the All Blacks) but we won the game instead so here is the match commentary of that clash:

After a week's break, the Rugby Championship of 2017 continutes at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth with New Zealand playing host to Argentina.

New Zealand find themselves in an unfamiliar position sitting in second position on the standings.  The All Blacks will be desperate for an improved performance this evening after they were forced to come from behind to defeat Australia a fortnight ago.

Argentina showed some glimpses of what they were capable in their opening two matches against South Africa but ultimately lost both by significant margins.  The Pumas will need to be at their very best if they are to break a 22 game losing streak against New Zealand that stretches all the way back to 1985.

1ST MINUTE, 1ST HALF: The formalities are complete and it will be Nicolas Sanchez to kick off for the Pumas.
Conditions won't be easy for the players with a light rain currently falling in New Plymouth.
MISS!: Nicolas Sanchez has an ambitious drop goal attempt however the ball falls well short of the posts.

3RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The Pumas have the feed into the all important first scrum of the match.

4TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): An excellent build up from Argentina who recycle the ball through several phases to push deep inside the All Blacks' 22.

5TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): There is plenty of space out to the right for Israel Dagg however the All Blacks' winger is denied by a desperate Javier Ortega Desio who manages to scramble the ball over the touch line.

7TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Nehe Milner-Skudder) 5-0 New Zealand

8TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), MISS!: Beauden Barrett has pushed the conversion attempt away to the left hand side.

9TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The All Blacks draw first blood in New Plymouth!  Back into the starting line up for this test match, Nehe Milner-Skudder makes an immediate impact by receiving the pass from Damian McKenzie before streaking over for the first try of the match.

11TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The All Blacks have been penalised for hands in the ruck and so Nicolas Sanchez will line up from right in front of the posts.

12TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL!: Argentina (Nicolas Sanchez) 5-3 New Zealand

13TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Nicolas Sanchez makes no mistake with his first kick of the match and the Pumas are on the scoreboard, trailing the All Blacks by 2.

14TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): A huge attacking opportunity here for the All Blacks who have the scrum feed deep inside the Pumas' 22.

16TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Terrific defensive work from the Pumas who spoil the All Blacks' attempts to spread the ball out to the left however there has been a knock on in the process which hands the All Blacks another attacking scrum feed.

17TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Anton Lienert-Brown) 10-3 New Zealand

18TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), MISS!: Beauden Barrett produces a carbon copy of his first conversion attempt - his kick has curled away to the left and the flags stay down.

19TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Try number 2 for the All Blacks!  A nicely weighted kick from Beauden Barrett bounces for Anton Lienert-Brown who, with terrific control in slippery conditions, grounds the ball a millimetre inside the dead ball line.

21ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Nicolas Sanchez sends a high testing kick inside All Blacks' territory however Damian McKenzie is more than up to the task with an excellent take under immense pressure.

24TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY GOAL!: Argentina (Emiliano Boffelli) 10-6 New Zealand
With a penalty goal attempt from inside the Pumas' half, winger Emiliano Boffelli sends a thumping kick straight between the posts with plenty of distance to spare! Argentina remain within striking distance, trailing by 4 points.

26TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Damian McKenzie looks to go to the air but the ball skews off the side of his boot to give the Pumas a chance to secure possession inside New Zealand territory.

28TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), DROP GOAL!: Argentina (Nicolas Sanchez) 10-9 New Zealand
It's a point the difference in New Plymouth! Nicolas Sanchez drops back into the pocket and sends a sweetly struck drop goal attempt straight between the uprights.

29TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Kieran Read looks to toe the ball through however Pablo Matera reads the play superbly to smother the kick with the rebound spilling over the touch line.

31ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): We have a break in play with front-rowers Agustin Creevy and Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro both requiring treatment on the field.

33RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A victory for the All Blacks' pack with the Pumas penalised at scrum time - the home side look to go on the front foot by turning down a shot at goal instead electing to send a kick into the corner.

34TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The All Blacks are so close here! They are just a metre out from the Pumas' line with a penalty advantage up their sleeve.

36TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Yet another scrum for the All Blacks inside the Pumas' 22 - this time they are just 5m out from the try line.

37TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Israel Dagg) 15-9 New Zealand

38TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), MISS!: Beauden Barrett has had a first half to forget from the tee - he is 0 from 3 so far with this attempt swinging away to the right.

39TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The All Blacks are in just short of half time! It wasn't pretty but more than effective with Israel Dagg isolated out to the right - the All Blacks' winger picks a path through the scattered Pumas' defence before finding the line.

40TH MINUTE + 1ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: Argentina (Nicolas Sanchez) 15-14 New Zealand

40TH MINUTE + 2ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: Argentina (Nicolas Sanchez) 16-15 Argentina
The Pumas take the lead in New Plymouth after the half time siren!  Nicolas Sanchez makes amends for a defensive error in the lead up to Israel Dagg's try at the other end of the field by stepping inside the would-be tackler and diving over to score - he follows up by converting the try to give Argentina a one-point advantage at the break.

HALF TIME: The scene is set for a thrilling second half in New Plymouth!  The All Blacks looked to be in control for most of the first half however a late strike from Argentina has the visitors leading by 16-15 at half time.

40TH MINUTE, 2ND HALF: Beauden Barrett puts boot to ball to get the second half underway.

41ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The conditions have worsened during the break with very steady rain now falling in New Plymouth.

42ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): An early penalty for the Pumas! It is a long way out from goal but within the kicking range of Emiliano Boffelli who will take the kick from around 50m out.

43RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL!: Argentina (Emiliano Boffelli) 19-15 Argentina
Another thumping kick from Emiliano Boffelli clears the crossbar and the flags are up! The Pumas extend their lead to 4 points - is there a massive upset brewing?!?!

45TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A well executed exit strategy from the All Blacks with the kick from Beauden Barrett finding touch on New Zealand's 10m line.

46TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Another penalty to the Pumas! An All Blacks' infringement in the scrum will result in Nicolas Sanchez lining up from as good as right in front of the posts.

49TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), MISS!:  Nicolas Sanchez has pushed his penalty goal attempt away to the left hand side - a massive let off for the All Blacks on that occasion!

50TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), YELLOW CARD!: Under immense defensive pressure, the All Blacks concede multiple penalties on their own line and the ref has little option but to send Beauden Barrett to the bin for 10 minutes.
PENALTY GOAL!: Argentina (Nicolas Sanchez) 22-15 Argentina

51ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Nicolas Sanchez makes amends for his previous miss by slotting the penalty goal - the Pumas lead by a converted try with the All Blacks down a man.
TRY!: New Zealand (Vaea Fifita) 22-20 Argentina

53RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): New Zealand (Lima Sopoaga) 22-22

54TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Individual brilliance from Vaea Fifita! He receives the pass with plenty of work to do but the flanker superbly rounds the last defender before putting on the after-burners to steam away and over the line in the corner.

55TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): You can never write off the All Blacks!  The home side looked to be in all sorts of trouble just a few minutes ago however they have found another gear and, despite still having a man off the field, they are now piling the pressure on the Pumas' defence.

58TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), MISS!:  A chance for Lima Sopoaga to put the All Blacks into the lead however his kick has veered away to the right hand side - scores are still level in New Plymouth!

59TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Some news from the New Zealand bench is that Israel Dagg, currently off the field for a HIA, is unlikely to see any more action this evening.

60TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): A massive roar from the home crowd as Beauden Barrett returns to the field after 10 minutes in the sin bin - no damage done to the All Blacks whilst he was sitting in the bin.

61ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Penalty to the All Blacks!  A hands in the ruck infringement from Argentina hands the home side a chance to set up a scrum just 5m out from the Pumas' line.

63RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A second consecutive penalty to the All Blacks following a Pumas' scrum infringement - the home side are piling huge pressure on the Argentinian defence at the moment!

64TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Damian McKenzie) 27-22 New Zealand

65TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Lima Sopoaga) 29-22 New Zealand

66TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The All Blacks are back in the lead! Normal transmission resumes in New Plymouth with TJ Perenara sending a well directed pass out to Damian McKenzie who touches down right in the corner.

68TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), NO TRY!: Damian McKenzie explodes away to score what appears to be an exhilirating try however a review by the TMO confirms that the pass from Vaea Fifita in the lead up was forward.
Bad news on the injury front for the All Blacks with Joe Moody leaving the field cradling his arm and looking to be in plenty of pain.

70TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY GOAL!: New Zealand (Lima Sopoaga) 32-22 New Zealand
Lima Sopoaga has been striking them superbly since taking over the kicking duties following Beauden Barrett's yellow card - he swings his penalty goal attempt beautifully from left to right to give the All Blacks a 10 point buffer.

73RD MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): We are inside the final ten minutes of the match - the Pumas need to score and score soon if they are to have any chance of pulling this one from the fire.
The All Blacks are showing plenty of patience at the moment inside Pumas' territory, content to hang onto the pill and look for a chance to land the knock out blow.

76TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): Nicolas Sanchez receives the ball inside the Pumas' in-goal area before being quickly besieged by black jerseys - he is unable to scramble back into the field of play and the All Blacks have a 5m scrum!

78TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 37-22 New Zealand

79TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Lima Sopoaga) 39-22 New Zealand

80TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): It is game over in New Plymouth!  Beauden Barrett slips through a gap in the defensive line to cap off a terrific fight back from the All Blacks who looked to be in some serious trouble at the beginning of this second half.

FULL TIME: The final whistle sounds and the All Blacks have made it three from three in the 2017 Rugby Championship with a hard fought 39-22 victory over Argentina. The scoreboard doesn't truly reflect the closeness of the contest which was right into the balance until New Zealand found another gear in the final half hour.

And what do I think of the game? It was tight but intense showing from Argentina but the All Blacks had a better game especially the lock turned blindside flanker Vaea Fifita because he made a solid impact & even picked up a fabulous 40 or 50 metre solo try where he out ran a winger & the fullback & he ran a game high 113 metres (He's the metre eater of course because my Dad even liked that comment about the try during the match that we watched on TV). And what about the return of Nehe Milner-Skudder? Because he had his 1st game back since the 2015 Rugby World Cup final by scoring a try after sitting on the sidelines last year due to a serious shoulder injury because he had even played on the left wing in that game with Rieko Ioane being rested.

And the match between the Wallabies & Springboks at nib Stadium in Perth ended in a draw because the Wallabies thought that they gonna win but they blew their lead so here's the news report about the match:

Australia and South Africa played out a 23-23 draw in their Rugby Championship round three clash at nib Stadium in Perth after Wallabies led by 10 points.

Nothing could separate the two teams at the final whistle in Perth in a physical and very tight tussle. Both sides scored their points in identical fashion: two tries, two conversions and three penalties each.

The away side opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a penalty from first five-eighth Elton Jantjies after the Wallabies were penalised once again for an early drive. Four minutes later, the Wallabies fired back with a penalty of their own courtesy of first five-eighth Bernard Foley.

South Africa scored the game's first try. Half-back Ross Cronje offloaded to outside centre Jesse Kriel, who hoofed the ball downfield for the galloping Raymond Rhule to chase. He shouldered off Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper, giving Kriel space to collect his own kick and score unopposed in the right hand corner.

Moment later the Wallabies scored their reply try. Full-back Israel Folau jumped and tapped back a kick-off to Adam Coleman. The ball found inside centre Kurtley Beale, who utilised his vision and footwork to run around the Bok defenders to score. Foley landed another penalty just before the half-time hooter to give the home side a three point advantage at the break.

A fantastic driving maul saw Australia hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau score a converted try early in the second half. South Africa reduced the home side's lead to seven points after Jantjies slotted another penalty kick which was awarded after a Wallaby was caught offside.

The Springboks then scored a levelling converted try after a 20 metre maurauding maul resulted in a try for Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx. After 67 minutes, a monsterous Bok scrum from five metres out resulted in a penalty awarded which Jantjies duely converted.

Foley responded with his third penalty conversion after South Africa illegally cleared out the half-back. Possession was exchanged numerous times in the last five minutes but the drama ended with a 23-23 draw.

And finally here is the review of round 4 in the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup season:

Two teams who two seasons back were lingering at the bottom of the Mitre 10 Cup Championship ranks, North Harbour and Northland, have been setting the competition alight this year.

North Harbour, promoted to the Premiership after their play-offs victories over Wellington and Otago last year, added another scalp to their already impressive list when beating Counties Manukau 27-18 in the latest round and are in second place behind Canterbury, two bonus points adrift.

Northland sit in second place in the Championship, one game in arrears and six points behind leaders Wellington, but knowing they have the ability to take it to the best sides after dishing out a 37-7 thrashing for Premiership side Waikato in Whangarei on Saturday.

However, it is Canterbury who continue to set the pace by demonstrating the marked division in standards in the competition by taking a 78-20 win over a Southland side still without a point of any kind after four games.

Canterbury's dominance in the competition continues as it contributes more young players to the game with their latest, New Zealand Under-20 back Braydon Ennor scoring four tries in Friday's win.

Taranaki are still there and abouts and were too good for an Auckland team which came undone at a vital stage of their Saturday game on Eden Park. Taranaki won 49-38 and are in third place in the Premiership.

Tasman recovered some ground in the Premiership when beating Wellington 37-35 in a thriller in Blenheim on Sunday afternoon.

Bay of Plenty seized the initiative in the middle ranks of the Championship by beating Manawatu 20-17 in Palmerstone North to claim fourth place.

Fletcher Smith's 34-point haul is the best individual haul in a game this season and lifted him to a share of highest points scorer on 56 points with Wellington's Jackson Garden-Bachop.

Others on the list are: Bryn Gatland (North Harbour) 51, Richie Mo'unga (Canterbury) 43, Otere Black (Manawatu) 43, Brent Cameron (Canterbury) 33 and Mike Delany (Bay of Plenty) 32.

Ennor's bag lifted him to a share of most tries for the season with six, where he joined Waikato's Jordan Manihera. Sitting on four tries each are Jona Nareke (Otago), George Bridge (Canterbury), Shaun Stevenson (North Harbour) and Jone Macilai (Northland).

So that is my 142nd blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 62nd this year.

Falling Down/Zombie: All Blacks starting lineup against Argentina (+ An email with my cousin Paige Williams)

Well, the All Blacks have named their team to take on Argentina for round 3 of the Rugby Championship at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth 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): Luke Romano (Canterbury/Crusaders)
5 (Lock): Brodie Retallick (Hawke's Bay/Chiefs)

BACK ROW
6 (Blindside Flanker): Vaea Fifita (Wellington/Hurricanes)
7 (Openside Flanker): Ardie Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes)
8 (Number 8): Kieran Read (Captain, Counties Manukau/Crusaders)

HALVES
9 (Half-back): TJ Perenara (Wellington/Hurricanes)
10 (First five eighth): Beauden Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes)

MIDFIELD
12 (Second five eighth): Sonny Bill Williams (Counties Manukau/Blues)
13 (Centre): Anton Lienert-Brown (Waikato/Chiefs)

OUTSIDE BACKS
11 (Left Wing): Nehe Milner-Skudder (Manawatu/Hurricanes)
14 (Right Wing): Israel Dagg (Hawke's Bay/Crusaders)
& 15 (Fullback): Damian McKenzie (Waikato/Chiefs)

And in the reserves are:

16. Codie Taylor
17. Wyatt Crockett (Who comes back to the fold after recovering from concussion)
18. Ofa Tu'ungafasi
19. Scott Barrett
20. Sam Cane (Who will start on the bench after returning from concussion with Ardie Savea elevated to the starting lineup)
21. Tawera Kerr-Barlow (Replaces Perenara who is elevated to the starting lineup to replace Aaron Smith who is being rested)
22. Lima Sopoaga
& 23. Ngani Laumape (Who replaces Lienert-Brown who is also elevated to the starting lineup to replace Ryan Crotty who is also being rested).

So that is my 141st blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 61st this year.

P.S. And Paige has sent me an email so here's her message in it's full entirety:

Hi Whetu,

Sorry for the late reply I have been very busy and don't often check this email address as I have a seperate work one as well.

How are you? What have you been up to?

When I was 20 I worked at Kiwibank doing a customer service role in the call center.

And yes Jarrod owns a Xbox 360 and an Xbox One he doesnt have a playstation though!

Hope you are having a good day.

Lots of love, Paige xx

Down With The Sickness/In Bloom: Behind The Silver Fern (The Players Speak) + Mitre 10 Cup round 3 review

Hey everyone, just to let you know that I've got a book taken from the main library here in Whanganui so this one is called Behind The Silver Fern: The Players Speak but this book is about behind the scenes with the world's most successful sports team:

31

A RUGBY WORLD CUP

'We all got fitness programmes, but I chucked mine away, I thought it was too easy'

The RUGBY WORLD Cup has become the pinnacle of the game, reaching a atmospheric level few could have envisaged on a showery May afternoon in Auckland, 1987. Eden Park was not even half-full for the opening match between the All Blacks & Italy, a game preceded by a modest 'ceremony' consisting of the great Waka Nathan & a group of school children. It had to start somewhere. The All Blacks were not the favourites. That tag bestowed upon the Australians, having claimed the Bledisloe Cup the year before. But this was an All Black team well-primed for the challenge. Coach Brian Lochore had enlisted the help of the country's 2 leading provincial coaches John Hart & Alex Wyllie, polar opposites, but whose attributes were cleverly harnessed. They picked a team to play an expansive, high-tempo game, & employed the Scottish-born Auckland fitness guru Jim Blair to ensure they were in the best possible shape to be able to play it. With the addition of the extraordinary young Auckland flanker Michael Jones, an excellent team was put together. The only glitch was a training injury suffered by captain Andy Dalton, & it was David Kirk who would lead the team in all of their matches. Italy were put to the sword in the opening game, an encounter that began with a penalty try, followed by the 1st individual touchdown of the tournament scored on debut by Jones. The most memorable moments however, were an astonishing end-to-end solo try by Kirwan, & a post-match interview by the Italian captain Marzio Innocente, who tearfully bemoaned the fact that 'they have ALWAYS the ball'. They ran up a second twelve-try, 70-point score against Fiji, & despite fielding newcomers, including Zinzan Brooke, comfortably accounted for Argentina 46-15.

Scotland were expected to provide sterner resistance in the quarter-final in Christchurch, but they too succumbed to the All Blacks' running game 30-3, & when Wales, the last survivors of the Home Unions, were laid to waste by 49-6 in the Brisbane semi-final, the All Blacks had booked a place at Eden Park for the final. The only sharp intake of breath came when Buck Shelford took exception to a flurry of punches thrown by Welsh lock Huw Richards & meted out his own justice with a single blow that left Richards prone. Once he came to, Richards was sent off by Australian referee Kerry Fitzgerald, Shelford altogether fortunate not to join him. Retaliation then was not the cardinal sin it is today.

The All Blacks expected to meet Australia in the final, & had watched the 1st semi-final the previous day as the Wallabies unravelled against an inspired French team in Sydney. In one of the greatest of all World Cup matches, the French stormed home to win through a late try by fullback Serge Blanco. Not only were the pre-tournament favourites out, the All Blacks would get the chance to avenge their bloody defeat in Nantes. In front of a heaving Eden Park crowd there would be no repeat of Nantes, & little of the brilliance that had swept France to victory against Australia. The All Blacks took control early when Jones crossed following a miscued drop goal attempt by Grant Fox. It was not until the middle of the 2nd half that the resistance was truly broken. A period of pressure finally produced a 2nd try when Jones ran strongly off a Fox inside-ball & offloaded to Kirk who darted over, thumping the ground in the knowledge that the game was, in all likelihood, New Zealand's. Moments later Kirk ducked around the side of a ruck that had formed from the restart, & shot off upfield, a brilliant pick up & pass by Shelford then putting Kirwan in for the clincher. The French got a late consolation try through skipper Pierre Berbizier.

The crowd poured onto the field at the end to watch Kirk hold the trophy aloft, & then call on Dalton to share the moment. It might be viewed in hindsight as a symbolic gesture, bringing together once & for all the leaders of the Baby Blacks & the Cavaliers. By today's standards the 1st Rugby World Cup was a modest affair...only 20,000 had attended the opening ceremony, a meagre 17,000 the fantastic semi-final in Sydney. But enough good had been done to ensure the tournament had a future. Almost immediately the Northern Hemisphere nations, amongst whose number had been many staunchy resistant to the concept, began to realize its potential. The biggest concern amongst traditionalists remained that it would set rugby on the path to professionalism, & whilst they would fight tooth & nail, in a relatively short space of time, lose that battle too. As for the All Blacks, no one would have considered it would be another 24 years before they held the trophy again.

44

WORLD CUP BLISS

'You'd better get a hold of Ted, he wants to speak to you'

As the World Cup finally kicked off, the All Blacks had to scrap for their opening night with a 41-10 win over Tonga. The 2nd game, against Japan, was preceded by emotional scenes as tributes were paid to the victims of both the Christchurch earthquake & the tsunami in Northern Japan, which have occurred barely a fortnight apart. When Japan's most capped player, Hirotoki Onozawa, scored there was a great cheer, but the All Blacks, with Richard Kahui & Sonny Bill Williams scoring twice, won 83-7.
A day later, roared on by most of the 60,000 at Eden Park, Ireland upset the Wallabies. That put the Australians on collision course for a semi-final against the host nation.
New Zealand hit top gear in the pool decider against France, Dan Carter in commanding form as the All Blacks won 37-17, although even more memorable was a poignant post-game presentation of a commemorative cap to Richie McCaw to mark his 100th test, by an ailing Jock Hobbs, the former All Blacks captain & NZRU chairman, who since playing a lead role in securing the tournament had been ravaged by leukaemia.
Then, at training before the final pool match against Canada, All Blacks rugby fans' worst nightmare occurred as Carter ripped a groin muscle, sending New Zealand into a state of shock. The trepidation levels rose further when it was revealed Richie McCaw was nursing a painful foot injury. Adding to the drama, an outbreak of stir craziness saw Cory Jane & Israel Dagg busted over a boozy night out, publicly berated by manager Darren Shand, & having to explain themselves to their team-mates. Colin Slade took over from Carter & Aaron Cruden was called into the squad, only for Slade to suffer a tournament-ending injury in the quarter-final win over Argentina. For many, it looked as if the wheels were coming off another All Black World Cup campaign.
With the management not wanting to burden Cruden with too much responsibility, the man who really stepped up to steady the listing ship was halfback Piri Weepu, who became both general & goal-kicker, landing 7 penalty goals against the Pumas. Dagg missed the quarter-final game against the Pumas because of injury, allowing Mils Muliaina to play his 100th test, the All Blacks walking off to learn they would be playing Australia in the semi-finals. The Wallabies had earlier in the day beaten the Springboks in a match controversially refereed by New Zealander Bryce Lawrence.
Australia had won their 2 previous World Cup encounters against New Zealand & were the reigning Tri Nations champions. The tension before the semi-final was palpable, losing to Australia seen by New Zealand fans as the worst possible scenario. After Quade Cooper, to the delight of the crowd, put the opening kick-off into touch on the full, the All Blacks took complete control, playing their best rugby of the tournament en route to a decisive 20-6 victory. There was 1 try, a thing of beauty laid on for Ma'a Nonu by Dagg, who atoned his social misdemeanor with a brilliant performance. The only time Australia really threatened was when wing Digby Ioane made a searing break - only to be abruptly halted by Jerome Kaino.
Against all expectation, France made it through to the final, despite losing pool games to the All Blacks &, astonishingly, to Tonga. Their progress had been helped by the controversial red carding of Wales skipper Sam Warburton in the semi-final. They were at odds with their coach Marc Lievremont & under a barrage of fire from the French media. Tailor-made for them, some would say!
In front of a nervous crowd the All Blacks took an early lead when Tony Woodcock scored from a lineout move, but with Piri Weepu having strained a mauscle in the warm-up, the All Blacks weren't landing their goals. The Cruden went down in a heap, & on came Stephen Donald, who had been called in from a white-baiting expedition on the Waikato River following Slade's injury. Donald kicked a penalty goal from near halfway which proved crucial as the French stormed back with a try by their outstanding skipper Thierry Dusautoir. The rest of the match was pure trench warfare, & with France not able to cash in on a penalty & dropped goal attempts, the All Blacks held on to win, marshalled superbly by McCaw, playing at the height of his powers despite a broken bone in his foot. Craig Joubert's final whistle exorcised 24 years of frustration, disappointment & recrimination, & a country went wild with celebration before slumping back in its collective armchair, exhausted. George Gregan's '4 more years' took on a whole new meaning.

46

THE HISTORY MAKERS

'You realize that no person is bigger than the team. Your job is to enhance & add to that legacy.'

THE 2015 WORLD Cup was a massive success, played in excellent conditions promoting positive rugby - ideal for the defending champions. Their early form was questioned by a compulsively nervous sector of the New Zealand fan base, however. Their pool win was guaranteed after a hard-fought opening win against Argentina in front of a World Cup record crowd at Wembley, during which the All Blacks were reduced to 13 men at one point. Namibia, Georgia & Tonga all put up stirring performances, the scores 58-14, 43-10 & 47-9 a far cry from the landslides of the past. But, for the All Blacks, the tournament was only just starting. Their plan was to hit their stride in the final 3 weeks. A quarter-final with France in Cardiff brought back bad memories for Kiwi fans, but their nerves were soon calmed as the All Blacks produced a stunning performance. From Brodie Retallick's chargedown of a clearing kick which he gathered & scored, the All Blacks cut the French to ribbons, scoring 9 tries, 3 to an uncontainable Julian Savea including one that Jonah Lomu would have been proud of. 7 were converted by Carter, who played his best rugby in several years. That put the All Blacks into a semi-final with the Springboks. With heavy rain threatening at Twickenham, a different kind of strategy was needed. It was a tight contest, worthy of the best traditions of their rivalry. The All Blacks used their kicking game to great effect, but with Handre Pollard goal-kicking accurately, they were unable to put the Boks away. A crucial moment near the end, when Sam Whitelock won a crucial lineout steal, gave the All Blacks the field position they needed to close out a nerve-shredding 20-18 win to advance to their 4th final. The Wallabies won through the so-called 'Pool of Death', beating Wales & the tournament's disappointment England, before a controversial escape from their quarter-final against Scotland & a more convincing win over the Pumas in their semi. Given their form, & their less arduous path through the pool phase, the All Blacks were heavily-backed to win the final, & were on course early in the 2nd half. Milner-Skudder's try before half-time, & a brilliant scything run by Nonu from a Williams' offload had them out to a 21-3 lead. But Ben Smith's sin-binning for a dangerous tackle changed things. The Wallabies roared back with 2 tries to close to 21-17, before a dropped goal from an ice-cool Carter & a blistering kick-chase by Beauden Barrett restored the advantage, the All Blacks taking a memorable match 34-17 - the highest scoring World Cup final - at the end of a memorable tournament. They became the 1st team to defend the Webb Ellis Trophy, & the 1st to win it 3 times.

And so, 110 years after 1st arriving in the UK, the All Blacks took their place again at the head of the rugby table. The win in the 2015 World Cup final was their 413th out of 538, a success percentage of almost 79%. Richie McCaw would retire after a record of 148 tests, 110 as captain & having played in 131 wins, Dan Carter would step away as the highest points scorer in Test rugby, & other notable players Keven Mealamu, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu & Tony Woodcock (Who'd been injured midway through the tournament) could end their careers on a high note. Almost as importantly to them & their fans, they'd be able to achieve the victory in style, playing the open, creative & yet still physical game that had, for much of a glorious history, been the hallmark of All Blacks rugby.

So that is my 140th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 60th this year.

P.S. And here is the review of round 3 in the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup season:

It's a small move, but a move nonetheless, with a changing of the guard in New Zealand's Mitre 10 Cup.

That was dramatically hit home in the manner of North Harbour's 57-10 win over Auckland in Albany on Sunday afternoon. For so long the whipping boy of their big brothers North Harbour showed how when the floodgates are opened they can wreak havoc.

Auckland were on the backend of a 2-game weekend but their loss has left them 3rd from the bottom of the Premiership.

North Harbour meanwhile are on 14 points from their 3 games, a share of 2nd with Waikato who also had a 2-game weekend having beaten Auckland 35-27 on Wednesday at Eden Park but going down to Tasman in a thriller in Hamilton 31-29.

Tasman looked to be in for a big win before Waikato stormed home just missing gaining a draw when the final conversion attempt of their comeback missed.

Canterbury continue to reign supreme having proven too strong for Hawke's Bay with a 53-10 win Napier on Friday.

Taranaki sit in 4th from three games with their latest effort a 30-27 win over Counties Manukau in another thrilling contest in New Plymouth on Saturday.

In the Championship, Wellington continued on their climb out of the wilderness with a 31-10 win over Bay of Plenty in Rotorua. They have gained maximum points from their 3 games to sit 4 points clear on the table

Northland demonstrated how much their fortunes have improved when leaving Invercargill on Sunday morning with an impressive 44-13 win to their credit. They are in 2nd place from their three games while Otago are in 3rd after their 40-30 win, on the back of a strong 2nd half effort against Manawatu in Dunedin.

Wellington faces their 2-game weekend next week with Hawke's Bay on Wednesday in Wellington & then Tasman in Blenheim on Sunday.

Hawke's Bay will play Otago in Napier on Sunday.

North Harbour will head south to Pukekohe to take on Counties Manukau on Thursday.

Canterbury face a Ranfurly Shield challenge from the bottom side in the Championship, Southland at 5:45pm on Friday while Manawatu will host Bay of Plenty in Palmerston North.

There will be only 2 games on Saturday afternoon, Auckland v Taranaki at Eden Park at 2:35pm and Northland v Waikato in Whangarei at 4:35pm, ahead of Saturday's Investec Rugby Championship Test between New Zealand and Argentina.

Bryn Gatland moved to the top of the individual points scoring table with 46 points for North Harbour. Behind him are Jackson Garden-Bachop on 36, Mike Delany has 32 for Bay of Plenty, Otere Black 31 for Manawatu.

Waikato's Jordan Manihera still leads the try scoring stakes with 6 while on 4 tries at Otago's Jona Nareke and North Harbour's Shaun Stevenson and Tevita Li.

Show Me How To Live/The Middle: Italian GP preview (& review)

Oh, I almost forgot that the Formula 1 circus is heading to Italy as Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) is attempting to take over the lead of the Formula 1 World Championship if championship leader Sebastian Vettel (Germany) gets a DNF (Did not finish) because he is trailing by 7 but Hamilton in the Mercedes is closing in on the all time Formula 1 record for most pole positions (He is tied with Michael Schumacher at 68).

And here's the circuit guide which will host the Italian Grand Prix (It's round 13 of the Formula 1 World Championship before the Grand Prix heads to Singapore then Malaysia (Sepang), Japan (Suzuka), USA (Austin), Mexico (Mexico City), Brazil (Interlagos) & the season finale at Abu Dhabi (And it's only 8 races left in the 2017 season) in the UAE (United Arab Emirates):

''A true theatre of motor sport, built nearly 100 years ago. Set in a park in a northern suburb of Milan. Monza oozes character, tradition & passion despite a relatively simple layout that encourages high performance at a track considered to be home ground for Ferrari & the Italian team's fanatical supporters''

So that is my 139th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 59th this year.

P.S. And Lewis Hamilton has broken the all-time record set by Michael Schumacher for most pole positions at 69 but he had to spoil Ferrari's party (Well, he just came here in Italy to take victory) with a win by finally taking over the championship lead from Sebastian Vettel (And I mean how did Vettel surrender his championship lead to Hamilton? Because he was put to the sword after finishing on the podium in 3rd behind Valtteri Bottas (Finland) & ahead of Daniel Ricciardo (Australia), well that was disappointing enough for him) after back to back wins in Belgium & Italy because that was Hamilton's 6th win of the season compared to Vettel's 4, Bottas's 2 & Ricciardo's 1 but he still might win the championship (Well, his road to his 4th Formula 1 title has started already in Belgium so it's game on) in order to regain it from Nico Rosberg.