Awaken/Forgiven: 2017 Mitre 10 Cup finals review (+ Mexican GP qualifying review, Lewis Hamilton becoming Formula 1 world champion & Wanganui winning the Meads Cup)

Well, here is the review of the Championship & Premiership final of this year's Mitre 10 Cup season  but 1st here is the news report of the Championship final being played at Westpac Stadium in the nation's capital of Wellington between Wellington & Bay Of Plenty:

Wellington have claimed their first final victory since 2000 with a scarcely believable 59-45 extra-time victory over Bay of Plenty in the Championship final at Westpac Stadium.

Nothing could separate the sides after a thrilling 80 minutes with the scores locked up 40-40. But Wellington were too good in extra time with a rampaging Julian Savea try securing the win and their place back in the Premiership for the first time since 2014.

Although Wellington went into the game as heavy favourites, it didn’t take long for the Westpac Stadium faithful to realise they had a contest on their hands. The Steamers made all the running early in the first half to push out to a 14-5 lead on the back of two equally impressive tries.

The first was a genuine team effort finished by halfback Luke Campbell while the second was all down to the individual brilliance of Joe Webber. The sevens star fielded an aimless kick from the Lions on halfway and beat three defenders with pace and power to put the Steamers ahead by nine points.

But you cannot afford to let your guard down against this Lions side. Led by their rampaging forward pack, the Lions began to punch holes through the middle of the Steamers defence and tries to lock Sam Lousi and prop Tolu Fahamokioa helped the Lions to a 20-14 lead at the break.

It took the Lions just 14 seconds to get on the board in the second half when captain Brad Shields scored from a charge down to make it 25-14. A penalty to Jackson Garden-Bachop moments later extended the lead to 28-14 and the Steamers could have easily folded against a Wellington side that has looked near-on unbeatable in 2017.

But this Steamers team is made of sterner stuff. An intercept try to Canadian international Tyler Ardron was quickly followed by another stunning solo effort by Joe Webber to make it 28-28.

From there the game entered the Twilight Zone with the teams trading tries to make it 40-40 with time up on the clock. Wellington had the chance to claim the title when Jackson Garden-Bachop stepped up for a long-range shot at goal. Normally reliable with the boot, Garden-Bachop’s attempt went wide to send the game into extra time.

Playing an extra 20 minutes was always going to be a war of attrition and the Lions looked the more fitter and composed team in extra time. Tries to Wes Goosen and replacement hooker Sitiveni Paongo made it 52-40 to the Lions at the end of the first half of extra time.

When Julian Savea bumped off two defenders to score early in the second half of extra-time, the lead was out to 59-40 and the Championship title well in their sights.

Bay of Plenty didn’t give up throughout the entire 100 minutes and had the final say with a try to Mitchell Karpik to make the final score 59-45.

In the end it was to be Wellington’s night in a final that will go down as one of the greats.

Wellington captain Brad Shields said: “It’s been a couple of tough years. I want to commend Bay of Plenty – that was a hell of a match and the way finals should be played. I’m happy with the way the boys have put their hands up and played for the jersey this season. It’s very special to know we will be back up in the Premiership.”

Scorers: Wellington 59 (Thomas Umaga-Jensen, Sam Lousi, Tolu Fahamokioa 2, Brad Shields, Wes Goosen, Sitiveni Paongo, Julian Savea tries, Jackson Garden-Bachop 2 pen, 4 con) Bay of Plenty 45 (Luke Campbell, Joe Webber 2, Tyler Ardron, Jesse Parete, Terrence Hepetema, Mitchell Karpik tries, Mike Delany 4 con)
HT: 20-14

And it was a day later that Canterbury host the Premiership final against Tasman at AMI Stadium in Christchurch with another news report:

A Richie Mo’unga-inspired Canterbury has outclassed Tasman 35-13 to lift their ninth Mitre 10 Cup Premiership title in 10 seasons at AMI Stadium on Saturday night.

In the 2016 Premiership final between the same sides, it was Mo’unga who starred with two tries and he was even more influential tonight with a record 25 point haul for a Mitre 10 Cup Premiership final.

Canterbury completely shut out Tasman 39-0 when they met in round one, but it didn’t take long to see this clash would be a lot closer as the Makos took the game to the reigning champions in the opening quarter.

Playing with high energy and enthusiasm, Tasman had Canterbury on the back foot and opened the scoring in the 10th minute when powerful midfielder Levi Aumua finished off a brilliant interchange of passing.

A Mitchell Hunt penalty soon after stretched Tasman out to a 10-0 lead – a fair reflection of their early dominance.

Enter Richie Mo’unga. The classy first five-eighth missed last week’s semifinal due to being assembled with the All Blacks but stunned Tasman with two brilliant individual tries in the space of five minutes.

In the first, he beat two defenders down the short side to put Canterbury on the board. The second was a spectacular 50 metre effort where he completely bamboozled the Tasman defence to put Canterbury out in front for the first time.

With regular front rowers Tim Perry and Kane Hames with the All Blacks Northern Tour squad, Tasman struggled upfront and Canterbury took advantage on the stroke of halftime.

Opting for a lineout instead of a shot at goal, Canterbury struck on a vital blow on Tasman as Tim Bateman crossed to put Canterbury out to a 19-13 halftime lead.

Canterbury dominated possession in the second half but struggled to cross the line as the Makos defence remained resolute. The pressure told on the scoreboard through Richie Mo’unga penalties in the 42nd, 55th and 64th minute to put the home side out to a 28-13 lead with 15 minutes to play.

Tasman looked to stretch the ball wide to the exciting pair of James Lowe and Will Jordan in the closing stages but the Canterbury defence was equal to the task and was not willing to offer Tasman a route back into the contest.

Fittingly it was Mo’unga who orchestrated Canterbury’s only second half try when he put Jack Stratton over to confirm Canterbury as the best team in New Zealand for another season.

Scorers: Canterbury 35 (Tim Bateman, Jack Stratton tries, Richie Mo’unga 2 tries, 3 con, 3 pen) Tasman 13 (Levi Aumua tries, Mitchell Hunt con, pen)
HT: 19-13

So that is my 160th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 80th this year (Only 40 blogs until I reach 200).

P.S. And don't forget, Sebastian Vettel in the Ferrari is on pole for the Mexican Grand Prix with Red Bull's Max Verstappen starting on the front row while championship leader Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes will start in 3rd ensuring that he must finish in the top 5 to claim his 4th Formula 1 World Championship while Kiwi Brendon Hartley (Well he exactly hails from Palmerston North in the Manawatu region but he's a bit like Stephen Donald because he didn't have to go whitebaiting but he retired during the race) in the Toro Rosso is expected to start in 13th but in the end, the race was won by Max Verstappen in the Red Bull but the title goes to Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes after finishing 9th in the race (All he has to do that Vettel must finish 2nd or above to keep his championship hopes alive but Hamilton clashed both Verstappen & Vettel on the 1st lap) meaning that he becomes the most successful British Formula 1 driver in history to become the 4 time Formula 1 world champion because he joined the likes of both Frenchman Alain Prost & German Sebastian Vettel so he 1st did it in 2008 6 years before winning it again in 2014 & retaining it a year later in 2015 2 years before he clinched the title this year in 2017.

And I like to pay tribute, to the list of Formula 1 world champions spanning from 1950 - 2017

1950: Giuseppe Farina
1951: Juan Manuel Fangio
1952: Alberto Ascari
1953: Alberto Ascari
1954: Juan Manuel Fangio
1955: Juan Manuel Fangio
1956: Juan Manuel Fangio
1957: Juan Manuel Fangio
1958: Mike Hawthorn
1959: Jack Brabham
1960: Jack Brabham
1961: Phil Hill
1962: Graham Hill
1963: Jim Clark
1964: John Surtees
1965: Jim Clark
1966: Jack Brabham
1967: Denny Hulme
1968: Graham Hill
1969: Jackie Stewart
1970: Jochen Rindt
1971: Jackie Stewart
1972: Emerson Fittipaldi
1973: Jackie Stewart
1974: Emerson Fittipaldi
1975: Niki Lauda
1976: James Hunt
1977: Niki Lauda
1978: Mario Andretti
1979: Jody Scheckter
1980: Alan Jones
1981: Nelson Piquet
1982: Keke Rosberg
1983: Nelson Piquet
1984: Niki Lauda
1985: Alain Prost
1986: Alain Prost
1987: Nelson Piquet
1988: Ayrton Senna
1989: Alain Prost
1990: Ayrton Senna
1991: Ayrton Senna
1992: Nigel Mansell
1993: Alain Prost
1994: Michael Schumacher
1995: Michael Schumacher
1996: Damon Hill
1997: Jacques Villeneuve
1998: Mika Hakkinen
1999: Mika Hakkinen
2000: Michael Schumacher
2001: Michael Schumacher
2002: Michael Schumacher
2003: Michael Schumacher
2004: Michael Schumacher
2005: Fernando Alonso
2006: Fernando Alonso
2007: Kimi Raikkonen
2008: Lewis Hamilton
2009: Jenson Button
2010: Sebastian Vettel
2011: Sebastian Vettel
2012: Sebastian Vettel
2013: Sebastian Vettel
2014: Lewis Hamilton
2015: Lewis Hamilton
2016: Nico Rosberg
& 2017: Lewis Hamilton

And finally we did it! Not only because Wanganui retained the Meads Cup for the 3rd consecutive year (It's the 6th time we have won the Meads Cup because we 1st did it in 2008 then a year later in 2009 2 years before we went on to win it in 2011 then 4 years later in 2015 a year before we retained it last year in 2016 before winning it this year in 2017) because we managed to beat Horowhenua-Kapiti 30 - 14 in the Meads Cup final of the 2017 Mitre 10 Heartland Championship at Levin Domain in Levin (And winger Cameron Crowley (Who was the 2008 Heartland Championship player of the year) was that star of the game setting up several tries as well as scoring one).

Getaway/Lightning Bolt: Mexican Grand Prix preview (+ An action packed finals rugby weekend & All Blacks squad for the Northern tour)

Well, the Formula 1 circus is heading to Mexico at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez over in the nation's capital of Mexico City as Lewis Hamilton still leads the championship hoping to regain the title so here is the circuit guide which will host round 18 of the 2017 FIA Formula 1 World Championship at the Mexican Grand Prix before it heads to Brazil (Interlagos) & the season finale at Abu Dhabi (And it's only 3 races left in the 2017 season) in the UAE (United Arab Emirates):

''Challenging track within a park not far from the centre of Mexico City. Colourful & controversial from the 1st Grand Prix in 1963 to the last of that era in 1970. Revived on a shorter version between 1986 & 1992. Returned with more revisions in 2015.''

So that is my 159th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 79th this year (Only 41 blogs until I reach the double hundred because I have broken the record for the most blogs in a month, unbelievable! Well, believe that!).

P.S. And go Wanganui tomorrow against Horowhenua-Kapiti in the Meads Cup final at Levin Domain over in Levin tomorrow so I'll be watching tomorrow's game with Pops live on Sky Sport 1 at 2:30pm (The Mitre 10 Cup Championship final is on tonight with Wellington taking on Bay Of Plenty at Westpac Stadium in Wellington with the winner taking Waikato's place to play in the Premiership next year then it is all business as Canterbury (One of 2 teams along with Auckland to have never been relegated) taking on Tasman in a repeat of last year's Premiership final in the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership final at AMI Stadium in Christchurch & finally it is the Lochore Cup final between Mid Canterbury & West Coast over at the Methven Recreational Reserve in Methven to wrap up an action packed weekend of domestic rugby finals weekend) but I've got the new Project CARS 2 game that I've got on the PS4 yesterday (It is much better than the 1st Project CARS game).

And finally the All Blacks squad has been named for the Northern tour (3 tests against France, Scotland & Wales as well as both uncapped games against the Barbarians & France XV) just several days after our heartfelt & gut-wrenching defeat against the Wallabies in the last Bledisloe Cup test for 2017 so here's the full squad:

Forwards

Hookers
Asafo Aumua (Wellington, 0)
Dane Coles (Wellington/Hurricanes, 55)
Nathan Harris (Bay of Plenty/Chiefs, 9)
Codie Taylor (Canterbury/Crusaders, 26)

Props
Wyatt Crockett (Canterbury/Crusaders, 68)
Kane Hames (Tasman/Chiefs, 6)
Nepo Laulala (Counties Manukau/Chiefs, 10)
Tim Perry (Tasman/Crusaders, 0)
Jeffery Toomaga-Allen (Wellington/Hurricanes, 1) *3
Ofa Tu'ungafasi (Auckland/Blues, 11)

Locks
Scott Barrett (Taranaki/Crusaders, 14)
Luke Romano (Canterbury/Crusaders, 29)
Patrick Tuipulotu (Auckland/Blues, 15)
Sam Whitelock (Canterbury/Crusaders, 93)

Loose forwards
Sam Cane (Bay of Plenty/Chiefs, 50)
Vaea Fifita (Wellington/Hurricanes, 3)
Jerome Kaino (Auckland/Blues, 81)
Kieran Read (Captain, Counties Manukau/Crusaders, 107)
Ardie Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes, 22)
Liam Squire (Tasman/Highlanders, 13)
Matt Todd (Canterbury/Crusaders, 10)

Backs

Halfbacks
Tawera Kerr-Barlow (Waikato/Chiefs, 27)
TJ Perenara (Wellington/Hurricanes, 39)
Aaron Smith (Manawatu/Highlanders, 68)

First five-eighths
Beauden Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes, 59)
Lima Sopoaga (Southland/Highlanders, 13)

Midfielders
Ryan Crotty (Canterbury/Crusaders, 32)
Jack Goodhue (Northland/Crusaders, 0)
Ngani Laumape (Manawatu/Hurricanes, 4)
Anton Lienert-Brown (Waikato/Chiefs, 19)
Sonny Bill Williams (Counties Manukau/Blues, 43)

Outside backs
Matt Duffie (North Harbour/Blues, 0)
David Havili (Tasman/Crusaders, 3)
Rieko Ioane (Auckland/Blues, 10)
Damian McKenzie (Waikato/Chiefs, 9)
Waisake Naholo (Taranaki/Highlanders, 15)
Seta Tamanivalu (Taranaki/Crusaders, 3)

Players unavailable due to injury, personal reasons or sabbatical
Jordie Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes, 1)
Liam Coltman (Otago/Highlanders, 1)
Israel Dagg (Hawke's Bay/Crusaders, 66)
Owen Franks (Canterbury/Crusaders, 95)
Nehe Milner-Skudder (Manawatu/Hurricanes, 11)
Joe Moody (Canterbury/Crusaders, 31)
Brodie Retallick (Hawke's Bay/Chiefs, 68)
Ben Smith (Otago/Highlanders, 64)

One: United States Grand Prix review

Well, the United States Grand Prix ended when Lewis Hamilton (The self proclaimed king of qualifying because he was on pole for the race) won the race but didn't claim the title (Although Mercedes have won the constructor's war by clinching the constructor's championship) because his rival Sebastian Vettel finished 6th or above to claim 2nd with Kimi Raikkonen rounding out the podium in 3rd after Max Verstappen stripped of his podium finish due to a 5 second timed penalty for cutting the corners & what a debut for our very own Kiwi Brendon Hartley in the Toro Rosso, as he finishes 13th in the race in an impressive display after starting at the back of the grid due to a grid penalty.

So that is my 158th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 78th this year.

P.S. And did you know that it is only 8 weeks until Christmas? Oh yes indeed.

Diamond In The Rough/Rock The Casbah: Mitre 10 Cup Championship & Premiership semifinal highlights

Well, here is the review of the Championship & Premiership semifinal of this year's Mitre 10 Cup season because we are heading into the finals of both the Championship & Premiership:

Two giant-killing efforts in eight days – that's what it will take if Tasman are to claim their first Mitre 10 Cup Premiership on Saturday.

Taranaki's bogey team did it again when fourth prevailed over first from the minor premiership by claiming a 30-29 win at Yarrow Stadium.

Tasman first five-eighths Mitchell Hunt, who has seamlessly stepped into the role played for so many years for Tasman by Marty Banks, must have wondered if he had let the dream slip through his fingers when making a near-fatal kick to the corner for a lineout three minutes from the end of the game.

The kick missed and Taranaki had a final chance to clinch the win that would have kept alive their hopes of a Ranfurly Shield-Mitre 10 Cup double.

But fortune stayed with Tasman who now face the daunting task of breaking the stranglehold Canterbury have enjoyed on the national championship for a decade.

Canterbury had prevailed in the final quarter, predictably as that has been their norm, to beat a gallant North Harbour 35-24 in Christchurch.

Any fears they would miss first five-eighths Richie Mo'unga, who was required to stay with the All Blacks in Brisbane, were soon allayed as Brett Cameron stepped up to the plate.

Canterbury have made an art form of throwing off most challenges and there is a feeling that while they may have let go of the Ranfurly Shield, the return of skipper Luke Whitelock has been timed perfectly in their Premiership quest.

In the Championship all the signs point to Wellington finally exiting the lower division after putting away Northland 49-21 in the capital.

Complacency would be their biggest problem although they only need to think back to last season when similarly favoured in their semifinal with North Harbour only to be sunk by the side that went on to claim the prize.

Northland had a marvellous season after some time in limbo and have created a fine platform to build from in the future. Wellington look the part and will take some effort to be beaten.

Bay of Plenty, similarly to Northland but less so in terms of desperation, have performed well. They have an exciting team, strong, rugged forwards capable of mixing it with the best while their backs have pace and class as Otago found out when beaten 48-32 in Tauranga.

There is no doubt that first five-eighths Mike Delany has brought some tactical nous to a young team and he will need plenty of quality ball if he is going to be able to set his side up for the challenge in Wellington at the weekend.

Mitre 10 Cup Championship Final
Friday 27 October, 7.35pm
Wellington v Bay of Plenty at Westpac Stadium

Mitre 10 Cup Premiership Final
Saturday 28 October, 7.35pm
Canterbury v Tasman at AMI Stadium

So that is my 157th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 77th this year (Only 43 blogs remaining until I reach the 200 mark).

Down Under/Great Southern Land: Making Australian rugby great again

Well, unfortunately, the result last night says it all as the Wallabies topple the All Blacks 23 - 18 (By 5 points (Well, Australian coach Michael Chieka might have helped the Australian Super Rugby coaches by holding a special meeting with Australian rugby) so this means that for the 1st time in 2 years that Australia had to win (Well New Zealand have blown it (Although they were missing both star first five Beauden Barrett & dynamic world class lock Brodie Retallick) as the Wallabies joined the British & Irish Lions to become the 2nd team to beat the All Blacks in 2017 because New Zealand are now 8 wins, 2 defeats & 1 draw this year) because they were the real improvers) in the 3rd & final Bledisloe Cup (Well the Bledisloe Cup is still in New Zealand's hands since 2003) test at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane meaning that they have made Australian rugby great again (Well it looks like Australia are the All Blacks main challengers for the 2019 Rugby World Cup along with Ireland & possibly England) just like Donald Trump became President of the United States by making America great again.

Disarm/Drum + Fife/Today/Zero: All Blacks lineup against Australia & United States GP preview

Well, the All Blacks team has been named to play against our old foe the Wallabies (Who'll try to end our New Zealand dominance because the last time Australia won against the All Blacks, it was 2 years ago way back in 2015 in a winner takes all match at ANZ Stadium in Sydney to claim the Rugby Championship before we retained the Bledisloe at Eden Park in Auckland, effectively beginning our 6 game winning streak) at Suncorp Stadium (Flashback hint: It was the site of our 29 - 28 win for New Zealand against the Wallabies way back in 2014 with Malakai Fekitoa scoring the last try of the game right at the death then Colin Slade successfully took the match winning conversion resulting the then Australia coach Ewen McKenzie being sacked for good allowing the current Wallabies coach Michael Chieka to take over the job where Chieka has been ever since but they have worked together with Super Rugby coaches in a special meeting with the ARU (Australian Rugby Union) to topple the All Blacks on Saturday night) over in Brisbane for the final Bledisloe Cup test for 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): Sam Whitelock (Canterbury/Crusaders)
5 (Lock): Scott Barrett (Taranaki/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): Lima Sopoaga (Southland/Highlanders)

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): 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
20. Matt Todd
21. TJ Perenara (Who replaces La Rochelle bound halfback Tawera-Kerr Barlow)
22. Anton Lienert-Brown (Who replaces Lima Sopoaga (Who is elevated to the starting lineup replacing Beauden Barrett because Barrett has been ruled out due to the effects of concussion) to cover at the midfield)
& 23. David Havili.

And the Formula 1 circus heads to Austin, Texas in America with Lewis Hamilton (Who appears in the brand new Gran Turismo Sport game exclusively for the PS4 as both the mentor & maestro who'll lead & guide players) in the Mercedes needing a win to seal the title with both Sebastian Vettel & Ferrari struggling meaning that Mercedes has the far, superior car which is fast & quick enough to win a championship due to its blistering pace (And I mentioned about that Kiwi driver Brendon Hartley making his debut in Formula 1 on my previous blog).

And finally here is the circuit guide which will host round 17 of the 2017 Formula 1 season at the United States Grand Prix before it heads to Mexico (Mexico City) then Brazil (Interlagos) & the season finale at Abu Dhabi (And it's only 4 races left in the 2017 season) in the UAE (United Arab Emirates):

''The USA finally produced a permanent track worthy of inclusion on the F1 schedule in 2012. An excellent combination of corners & sweeps, falling & rising to give good viewing. Well appointed & enjoyed by enthusiastic crowds. The vibrant city of Austin threw itself behind the race from the outset.''

So that is my 155th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 75th this year (Only 45 blogs left until I reach 200, that's all).

By The Way/Dani California/Tell Me Baby/The Zephyr Song: All Blacks rugby & Formula 1 news update (+ facts about Paige that I wrote today)

Well, it looks like that Beauden Barrett has been ruled out of the 3rd & final Bledisloe Cup test between the Wallabies & the All Blacks at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane due to concussion because he is suffering symptoms from the head knock he sustained against South Africa last weekend so Canterbury's dynamic first five-eighth Richie Mo'unga has been called into the squad immediately meaning that Lima Sopoaga would have to start at 10 & fullback Damian McKenzie to cover at first five.

And All Black openside flanker Sam Cane has signed on with New Zealand rugby until at least in 2021 on a 4 year deal meaning that he is still committed with both the Chiefs & Bay Of Plenty because he at least played 49 tests for New Zealand since his debut in 2012 & has become the regular starter in the number 7 jersey since the retirement of Richie McCaw after the 2015 Rugby World Cup but Cane has also captained the All Blacks twice, against Namibia during the Rugby World Cup in 2015 and to another victory against Italy in Rome last year.

And finally twice Le Mans winner from New Zealand, Brendon Hartley (Well, he is only 27 years old at the moment because he will be 28 next month) will make his long awaited Formula 1 debut driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso at the United States Grand Prix over at the Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, Texas...meaning that he is the 1st Kiwi to compete in Formula 1 since Mike Thackwell 33 years ago replacing the young Frenchman Pierre Gasly who is competing in Super Formula (Which is Japan's answer to Formula 1 as well as Indycar) over in Japan with Russian Daniil Kvyat coming back into the fold after originally being sacked with the team, replacing the Renault bound Carlos Sainz (His ex teammate since last year when he arrived back at Toro Rosso, replacing the Red Bull Racing bound Max Verstappen).

So that is my 154th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 74th this year (Only 46 blogs still remaining until I reach the big 200).

P.S. And we went to Caroline's today to have dessert there (We had hot dogs for dinner but Buck is a garbage disposal unit).

And finally today that I have written the facts about my cousin Paige Williams so here are the facts for her:

1. Paige lives in Upper Hutt with Jarrod Ahearn not Lower Hutt.
2. She & her boyfriend have a house down Te Puni Grove
3. Paige went to Auckland for the weekend with her mother Cathey for a nice holiday
4. She listens to any music - usually just what is on the radio (Well I listen to both alternative rock & heavy metal music as well)
5. Paige is a big fan of decorations (Compared to Sophia Ong being a Final Fantasy fanatic)
6. Paige went to Sacred Heart School & got her full drivers licence at 17
7. She had a party in town for her 21st in 2015 & she made a black & white theme
8. Paige worked at Kiwibank doing a customer service role in the call center when she was 20 way back in 2014
9. She only watches All Black test matches because she doesn't watch any Super Rugby (Only her boyfriend watches Super Rugby games)
10. Paige went to an All Blacks game against the Lions in Wellington with Jarrod in a competition to get tickets on Facebook that they won
11. She graduated in May last year after studying for 4 years
12. Paige loves her brothers Nico & Luca Mitchell
& 13. She's a Japanese food & salad lover (Well I'm an Italian food lover by the way).

Be Yourself/Doesn't Remind Me: A wonderful action packed story

Well, Pops is back after touring Australia with the Wanganui male choir so I was like when Pops arrived back to his home at 15A Kells Avenue ''Oh my god! Holy cow!'' because I was so excited to see him again.

And it was on Wednesday that my god cousin Sherry arrived from Tauranga (Although we had dinner & tuned in to watch the rugby on TV but Sherry gave me presents such as Whittaker's penaut slabs & my 1st 2 albums that I've got now which is the Red Hot Chili Peppers (They're my favourite band along with Breaking Benjamin, Foo Fighters & Incubus) but the 2 albums that I've got now are What Hits? & Stadium Arcadium released way back in 2006), but it was on Thursday that we went to Caroline's for that $15 lunch rump & I even saw my favourite waitress Tessa so I asked Tessa to be my friend & she agreed & I also asked her that she went to Aramoho School but she didn't because she went to St Mary's instead (We would've known her if she went to Aramoho School graphically speaking but Pops managed to show Tessa a photo of me & Buck in my bedroom at home on his phone) & we went to my Dad's for dinner where we had starters, the main & dessert although Dad managed to perform a couple of songs with his guitar & he jammed along with Jansen not only we had a great night (Although I had to watch rugby again at the end) but it was on Friday where Pops took me, Sherry & Buck to Jerusalem but we had lunch at Matahiwi where I had a sausage roll that's all because I gave the leftovers to Buck where he ate them & we went out for dinner at The Citadel where I had a chicken kara-age burger with satay sauce & salad so it was good times (And I had sticky date pudding for dessert but I had to watch another rugby game on television because I'm a bit like Rejean because Rejean always watches Ice Hockey on TV back home in Canada so Pops & I are rugby fans while Leon is a Football/Soccer fanatic & Rejean is a self proclaimed ice hockey aficionado) & it was on Saturday that I took Buck for a morning walk just before we left to go to the market then we came back to get the fruit salad & ice cream to visit Hanne & Leon Benbaruk's (Formerly the Command Post) at 15 Alexander Street to see Hanne, Leon & my best friend from Malaysia for 10 years, Sophia Ong where I had a great time because I had a riveting chat to all 3 of them by any means necessary & we had an awesome lunch (We had chicken with couscous & beans) & dessert but the main part was Pops showing Sophia a picture of my cousin Paige Williams so too is Hanne & Sherry because I told my BFF (Best friend forever) about being friends with my favourite waitress Tessa who looks like Paige & she listens to both rock (Well, she's a fan of 3 Doors Down, Korn, Linkin Park & Nickelback but Evanescence & Green Day are fine) & hip hop/rap music (Well, I only like rock because I'm not a hip hop/rap music critic & not only Sophie is half Gemma (She always listens to Mai FM) & half Ben Blain (He listens to alternative rock & heavy metal like me but he seriously is a fan of jazz music) & Charlotte (Ashley's partner) & she plays the PS4 just like me at her flat in Wellington (Well, she likes horror games by the way). But Sherry took a picture of me & Sophie but I told her that we had a selfie already (Along with my biological aunty Cathey & my cousin Paige, my 2nd cousins Gemma, Ben & Huia, my half brother Jansen & Hanne) so Sophie agreed to take a selfie again & we did so good times of our fabulous friendship between the 2 so Pops, Sherry & I said goodbye to all 3 of them so we had to go home because I was taking Buck for an afternoon walk just before I tune in to watch Mitre 10 Cup rugby on TV & played the F1 2017 game on the PS4 then we had a great dinner with one of Pops roommates John during the tour to Australia (Dinner was chicken with pasta & salad & dessert was fruit salad with ice cream) & Jess the musician who has a broken right thumb plastered but I grew tired when they started singing while I was concentrating & focusing on watching the rugby on television so I went to bed by listening to the radio then I had to sleep at half past 9 but today we had a big breakfast (1st course was weetbix with fruit salad & 2nd course was bacon, eggs, tomatoes & sausages) so I hadn't been eating until I had hot dogs for dinner but Sherry left so I had to say goodbye to her & now so here I am writing my blog as of tonight (I had to listen to the radio today because my favourite radio station is always The Rock FM).

So that is my 153rd blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 73rd this year (Only 47 blogs to go until I reach the 200 mark).

P.S. And my cousin Paige has sent me a magnificent email so here's her message in it's entirety:

Hi Whetu,

Thanks for your email! I only check this email account about once a month so have just seen it now.

I am not sure what I am named after you would have to ask my mum that question haha. I live in Upper Hutt with Jarrod. We have a house down Te Puni Grove 😊

Jarrod has an xbox one! Wouldnt have a clue what games he plays though. I know he likes Grand theft auto if you have played that one before.

What have you been up to lately?

I am off to Auckland this weekend with mum for a nice holiday!

Lots of love, Paige xx

The Game/Voices: Mitre 10 Cup round 9 review

Well, here is the review of round 9 of this year's Mitre 10 Cup season because we are heading into the semifinals of both the Championship & Premiership:

Taranaki hardly enjoyed the best of warm-ups for their semi-final against Tasman next weekend when on the end of a 33-64 thrashing by North Harbour in the final round or regular season Mitre 10 Cup Premiership rugby on Sunday.

It was Taranaki's third game in little over a week and they had opted to give their wider squad some match exposure whereas North Harbour had their top side involved, albeit without the injured Bryn Gatland at first five-eighths. But his replacement Ben Volavola took his chances to play a big role for the side.

North Harbour will play Canterbury in Christchurch in the semi-final between second and third after Canterbury bounced back from their Ranfurly Shield loss of a week earlier by beating Auckland 32-27.

Tasman didn't have the best warm-up for the semi-final when beaten 52-30 by Counties Manukau who confirmed fifth place in the Premiership as a result.

Like Taranaki, Manawatu also faced two games in the round in the Championship and needing a win to deny Northland fourth place they came up short with Hawke's Bay pipping them 36-31.

Earlier, Bay of Plenty ensured Waikato would be relegated from the Premiership for next season when winning 36-32 in Tauranga. Otago also gained a semi-final berth with their 43-19 win over Southland, who finished in 14th place overall.

On the individual points scoring tables Canterbury's Richie Mo'unga sits on top with 133 points while Otago's Fletcher Smith has 121 with Wellington's Jackson Garden-Bachop on 111 the only players to have passed 100.

Others are: Bryn Gatland (North Harbour) 96, Marty McKenzie (Taranaki) 91, Mike Delany (Bay of Plenty) and Jono Hickey (Auckland) 73.

North Harbour's Tevita Li's five-try haul against Taranaki on Sunday carried him to 11 tries in the competition, one more than Canterbury's Braydon Ennor.

Others are: Jona Nareki (Otago) 9, Vince Aso (Auckland), Tim Bateman (Canterbury), Shaun Stevenson (North Harbour), Asafo Aumua (Wellington) 7.

Sitting on six are: Lalaki Foketi (Bay of Plenty), George Bridge (Canterbury), Josh McKay (Canterbury), Mitchell Drummond (Canterbury), Matt Duffie (North Harbour), Jordan Manihera (Waikato), Sevu Reece (Waikato), Alex Fidow (Wellington), Ben Lam (Wellington).

The semi-finals are:

Premiership:

Canterbury v North Harbour, Christchurch, Saturday, 5pm

Taranaki v Tasman, New Plymouth, Saturday, 7.30pm

Championship:

Wellington v Northland, Wellington, Friday, 7pm

Bay of Plenty v Otago, Tauranga, Saturday, 2.30pm

So that is my 152nd blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 72nd this year (Only 48 blogs remaining til I reach 200).

P.S. And I'll do a blog tomorrow about Pops return to New Zealand after an amazing trip to Australia with the Wanganui male choir & Sherry's time in Wanganui.

Ace Of Spades/Bad To The Bone/Dude (Looks Like A Lady)/Know Your Enemy: Rugby Championship round 6, Mitre 10 Cup round 8 & Japanese Grand Prix review

Well, the All Blacks ended our Rugby Championship campaign undefeated for the 2nd year in a row & for only the 4th time since it began in 2012 after a close but narrow victory by a single point against the rampant & brave Springboks at DHL Newlands in Cape Town in one of their greatest tests of all time compared to the Dunedin test against the Wallabies for the Bledisloe Cup so here is the match commentary:

It's a very warm welcome to Newlands in Cape Town where the Rugby Championship enters the final week with the heavyweight clash between South Africa and New Zealand.

We are very close to a start with both sides making their way out onto the field and lining up for the singing of the national anthem.

The formalities are complete and so that all remains is for kick off to get us underway on a perfect Saturday afternoon in Cape Town.

1ST MINUTE, 1ST HALF: Beauden Barrett sends the ball deep for the All Blacks and we are underway in the first half!
There is plenty of feeling out there in the middle of Newlands - the Springboks are still very much hurting from the pounding they received at the hands of the All Blacks just three weeks ago.

3RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The two packs will set up for the all important first scrum of the match - it is South Africa with the feed right on their 10m line.

4TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): A huge victory for the Springboks' pack! The home side have been awarded the first penalty of the match after the All Blacks went down at scrum time.

5TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): So close for the All Blacks!  Brilliant counter-attacking rugby from the visitors turns defence into attack in the blink of an eye however Aaron Smith, who had a look at the line, has been shut down short of the paint.

7TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): There is no doubt that the Springboks are here to play this afternoon - all of the elements that let them down so badly in Albany appear to be working well for the home side.

10TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY GOAL!: South Africa (Elton Jantjies) 3-0 South Africa
It's first points to South Africa! lLton Jantjies, from as good as straight in front, strikes truly from the tee to give the Springboks an early advantage.

12TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY GOAL!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 3-3
A quick response from the All Blacks! Beauden Barrett sweetly strikes his penalty goal attempt to put the All Blacks on the scoreboard.

13TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Terrific ball retention from the All Blacks under enormous pressure - the visitors have recycled the ball through several phases and edged their way inside the Springboks' 22.

14TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Outstanding defence from the Springboks! Under fierce pressure, the home side have held on and are rewarded with a penalty on the last line of defence.

16TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Try or no try?!?! Rieko Ioane makes a desperate lunge for the line after a brilliant dash down the touch line but did he get the ball to ground - referee Jérôme Garcès refers the decision upstairs.

17TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), NO TRY!: The video replay shows that the ball was dislodged from the hand of Rieko Ioane as he reached out in his attempt to score - a huge let off there for the Springboks.

19TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The All Blacks are on the verge once again however some outstanding work at the breakdown from Malcolm Marx has won the home side a timely penalty.

20TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Beauden Barrett flies high under the kick however the ball bounces off his chest and straight into the arms of Steven Kitshoff.

22ND MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The intensity that this match is being played at is absolutely incredible - there's no doubt these two sides are leaving nothing out there in this first half!

23RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): We have a break in play whilst Malcolm Marx receives treatment in back play - a chance for everyone to catch their breathe after an action packed opening to this test match!

24TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): A penalty has been awarded to the Springboks and so Elton Jantjies will line up from just a slight angle.

26TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), MISS!: The penalty goal attempt from Elton Jantjies looks ok off the boot however fades away to the left and the flags stay down - scores remain tied up with 15 minutes left until half time.

27TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Penalty to the All Blacks! A chance for New Zealand to relieve some pressure inside their own half after the South African pack were penalised at scrum time.

29TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Malcolm Marx has been outstanding at the breakdown in this opening stanza! The Springboks' hooker has won his side an important penalty just short of the half hour mark in this test match.

31ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Beauden Barrett somehow manages to find some space out to the right however he has mistimed the pass to Nehe Milner-Skudder with the ball crossing the line and into touch.

32ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): We are going upstairs! Ryan Crotty makes a desperate lunge for the ball which is bouncing loose inside the in-goal area - did he ground it cleanly? The final decision is referred to the TMO.
TRY!: New Zealand (Ryan Crotty) 8-3 New Zealand

33RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), MISS!: With Beauden Barrett off the field for a Head Injury Assessment, Damian McKenzie steps up to the tee however his conversion attempt swings away to the left.

34TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Controversy at Newlands! After a lengthy review of the tape by the TMO, the try is awarded to Ryan Crotty although the replay shows it could be claimed that he had knocked the ball forward. It's New Zealand ahead deep in this first half.

36TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Scrum feed to South Africa - the two sets of forwards will pack down virtually on the half way line in the shadows of half time.

37TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): A bulldozing run from skipper Eben Etzebeth has the Springboks on the front foot approaching the All Blacks' 10m line.

39TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): News from the All Blacks' bench is that Beauden Barrett has passed his HIA however, with half time not far away, the visitors are taking no chances and he will be reassessed during the break.

40TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): We are inside the last minute of the first half and the Springboks have the scrum feed in what will be the last play before the break.

40TH MINUTE + 5TH MINUTE (5 MINUTES LATER): After a gut wrenching passage of play after the half time siren has sounded, the Springboks are rewarded with a penalty for some outstanding defence - the resultant kick for touch from Elton Jantjies finds the touch line right on half way.

40TH MINUTE + 6TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): We have played nearly six minutes of additional time with neither side prepared to take a backward step - incredible stuff from Newlands in what has been an absorbing first half!

40TH MINUTE + 9TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): A massive blow for the All Blacks! Nehe Milner-Skudder crashes to the ground heavily after being tackled by Courtnall Skosan and the winger will leave the field clutching at his right shoulder.

40TH MINUTE + 10TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): We have had almost ten minutes of additional time played in this first half and the Springboks are hammering away at the All Blacks' defence.

HALF TIME: The first half, which had everything including an additional ten minutes, finally draws to a close with Lima Sopoaga sending the ball into touch. There was very little between the two sides in the opening stanza and it is only a controversial try to Ryan Crotty that separates the two sides at half time. Don't go too far away - at the break, it is New Zealand leading South Africa by 8-3.

40TH MINUTE, 2ND HALF: Elton Jantjies kicks off to get the second half under way - if the first half is any indication, we are set for a grandstand finish in Cape Town!

41ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Some bad news from the New Zealand rooms during the break with confirmation that neither Nehe Milner-Skudder or Beauden Barrett will be returning to the field in this second half.

43RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A brilliant start to this second half from the Springboks! The home side is hot on attack deep inside the All Blacks' 22 - the New Zealand defence is hanging on but only just.

44TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: South Africa (Ross Cronje) 8-8

45TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: South Africa (Elton Jantjies) 10-8 South Africa

46TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The Springboks have taken the lead! Brilliant continuity from South Africa who recycled the ball through 18 phases to have the All Blacks on the back foot right on their own line - Ross Cronje picks and drives from close range to find the paint and send the home crowd into a frenzy.

47TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The All Blacks, looking for fresh legs, swing a number of changes including a completely new front row - New Zealand are under the sort of pressure at the moment that they haven't felt in a very long time!

50TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): An important penalty at scrum time is awarded to the All Blacks and so it will be Lima Sopoaga to line up the posts from 45m out to try and put the visitors back into the lead.

52ND MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), MISS!: The penalty goal attempt from the boot of Lima Sopoaga has faded out to the right and the flags stay down.

53RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): A net territorial gain for the All Blacks - Elton Jantjies has time at the back but very little angle to work with and his kick for touch only just reaches the South African 22m line.

54TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The All Blacks win a crucial turnover and the visitors will look to launch a counter attack from right on half way.

57TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): Excellent defence from South Africa prevents the All Blacks from forming a ruck from the maul and so the scrum feed will be awarded to the home side.

58TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Jan Serfontein looks to be away down the right after a delightful step however he is brilliantly chased down from behind by Scott Barrett - a try saving tackle from the All Blacks' lock!

60TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Rieko Ioane) 13-10 New Zealand

61ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Lima Sopoaga) 15-10 New Zealand

62ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The All Blacks have taken the lead! The loose ball falls into the arms of Rieko Ioane - with just open space between him and the try line, the winger puts his foot down and explodes 70m downfield leaving the defence in his wake on his way to scoring a crucial five-pointer.

64TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The ball is well and truly back in the Springboks' court. The home side have been superb in this test match but will that try to Rieko Ioane take the wind out of their sails?

66TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: South Africa (Jean-Luc du Preez) 15-15

67TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: South Africa (Handré Pollard) 17-15 South Africa

68TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): What a test match and what a try! Handré Pollard, fresh onto the field, releases Malcolm Marx who has been superb for the home side from start to finish - the Springboks' hooker in turn shifts the ball to Jean-Luc du Preez and the replacement goes all the way to bring the crowd to its feet. The conversion from Handré Pollard has South Africa back into the lead.

70TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Damian McKenzie) 20-17 New Zealand

71ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Lima Sopoaga) 22-17 New Zealand

73RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Just when you thought this test match could not get any better, it somehow goes to another level! Damian McKenzie has just a fraction of space to work with but that is all the All Blacks' full back needs - with unbelievable acceleration, he slices through the defence on his way to the try line. The conversion from Lima Sopoaga never looked like missing and New Zealand have put their noses ahead with just under 8 minutes left on the clock.

74TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The All Blacks are in possession and are at the right end of the field inside the Springboks' 22.

75TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), MISS!:  Lima Sopoaga drops back into the pocket before unloading a drop goal attempt - he has struck the kick well but the ball lands out to the left hand side.

76TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): We have a lengthy break in play with Eben Etzebeth leaving the field due to injury and with the referee wanting to look at the replay of the Lima Sopoaga drop goal attempt - the All Blacks' first five-eighth was felled after the ball had left his boot.

77TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), RED CARD!: A sensation at Newlands with the referee pulling out the red card for Damian de Allende for an elbow to the face of Lima Sopoaga - just as importantly, the All Blacks' first five-eighth will line up for a penalty goal from directly in front of the posts.

78TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL!: New Zealand (Lima Sopoaga) 25-17 New Zealand

79TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The flags are up! Lima Sopoaga drives his penalty goal attempt right through the middle to stretch the visitors' lead beyond a converted try with just on two minutes left on the clock.
TRY!: South Africa (Malcolm Marx) 25-22 New Zealand

80TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: South Africa (Elton Jantjies) 25-24 New Zealand
It's game on at Newlands! Malcolm Marx who has played the test match of his life breathes life back into the contest with a try right at the death - the resultant conversion drags the Springboks within a point with under a minute left to play.

FULL TIME: What an incredible test match - players from both sides are out on their feet as the final whistle sounds to end a pulsating, action-packed 80 minutes! A chance for everyone to catch their breath and reflect on one of the truly great contests. The match went right down to the wire but in the end it was New Zealand who have got to the line with a thrilling 25-24 victory over a gallant South Africa.

And what do I think of the game? It was tight but intense close game compared to that tough game in Albany in which we trashed the Boks by 57 points but the not so moment of the game goes to Ryan Crotty's opening but highly controversial try in which he knocked the ball on in the in goal area but the referee thinks that he scored so the try was given because Crotty's body managed to ground the ball but Dad told me that it went back. And it looked like all 3 All Black backs have scored a try such as Crotty, Rieko Ioane off a brilliant intercept & Damian McKenzie off a beautiful pass from David Havili who just came on to replace the injured Nehe Milner-Skudder who damaged his shoulder (His season looks to be far from over) after a front on tackle made by Springboks outside back Courtnall Skosan. But what about the Boks especially their 1st choice hooker Malcolm Marx who was probably their star of the game (He was the hero for South Africa & possibly man of the match/player of the game (Although McKenzie was actually player of the game according to Wikipedia) because he made several turnovers (He was an additional back rower or should I say a loose forward because he used to play that position during his 1st XV school days), set up a try scored by reserve flanker Jean-Luc du Preez & even perhaps, scored a single try off a rolling maul (The Springboks main strengths compared to Argentina's scrum) with several minutes left on the clock (Although Springbok halfback Ross Cronje was the only back to score a try in that game). But the villain of the match had to be Springbok reserve back Damian de Allende (Who had to come on to replace second five-eighth Jan Serfontein), because he was red carded by the French referee Jerome Garces (The man who sent off Sonny Bill Williams, who is about to send off Damian de Allende) for that unacceptable challenge on Lima Sopoaga (And yes it was thoroughly deserved to be a cheap shot (Although de Allende flattened Sopoaga with a elbow to the face whilst Sopoaga attempted a drop goal just like Stephen Perofeta did for Taranaki during the Ranfurly Shield game against Canterbury) just like SBW did on Anthony Watson with a shoulder charge to the head during the 2nd Lions series test in Wellington but World Rugby (The sport's governing body), is laying down the law on head high tackles/high shots in an effort to reduce concussion throughout the players head & neck area since the current laws was already introduced (Or should I say being in effect) from the 3rd of January this year) but he managed to escape suspension just like Bismarck du Plessis did 4 years ago because that cheap shot was worthy of a yellow card (Well he should've & could've been sent to the bin for 10 minutes rather or instead of than getting sent off the field in disgrace).

And the Wallabies finished runner up ahead of the Boks in the 2017 Rugby Championship standings after a 17 point win against the hapless/luckless Argentinians over in Mendoza with a news report:

Australia secured second spot in the Rugby Championship as they beat Argentina 37-20 at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas on Saturday.

Tries from Marika Koroibete, Reece Hodge (2), Bernard Foley and Will Genia saw them to the five points as they finish one point ahead of the Springboks and 13 behind champions New Zealand, who ended with five wins from five.

The Pumas are bottom of the pile as despite a spirited performance that saw Matias Alemanno and Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias score, it was loss number five for them, ending another dismal campaign in the southern hemisphere.

In an entertaining opening 40 minutes there was nothing to separate the sides as they went into the break locked up at 13 points apiece.

Argentina were chasing their first win of the Rugby Championship campaign while Australia only had one themselves, plus two draws.

Foley put his side in front on 15 minutes after the home side infringed in front of their posts, but he was off-target soon after with a sitter.

Fortunately for the Wallabies they made amends in perfect style a minute later when Koroibete finished well down the left from 30 metres out. Again though Foley couldn't add points to the tally although this was a much more difficult attempt from the touchline. Australia were 8-0 up.

On 25 minutes the Pumas suddenly clicked and a series of strong carries led to Alemanno barging his way over near the uprights for seven. Argentina looked confident at this point and edged in front with a Nicolas Sanchez penalty, after Michael Hooper went off his feet at a ruck.

However, the hosts switched off on 34 minutes to allow Hodge to have a simple run in from eight metres out that put Australia 13-10 up.

Sanchez would level matters off the tee four minutes later before team-mate Joaquin Tuculet rightly had his try chalked off for a knock-on. That meant the teams went into their respective dressing room with honours even on the scoreboard which was a fair reflection of the half.

Foley's night didn't improve from the tee upon his return as he missed another attempt on 45 minutes, this time following a scrum offence.

The Wallabies were now desperately hunting a try as their next form of score, proved by their decision to snub three points from in front in favour of a scrum. It paid off with Foley throwing a dummy and slicing through to make it 20-13 for a try he thoroughly enjoyed of course.

But the lead was shortlived as a solid Pumas scrum set-piece led to Iglesias cutting back inside to go in near the posts to level matters.

Australia though just seemed the more likely to cut loose in the final quarter and so it proved with a slick move off the back of a lineout seeing Hodge bust through near halfway before finding Genia on his shoulder. The Wallabies were looking strong with a bonus-point in sight.

However they couldn't shake off the Pumas, who were denied a try from Juan Martin Hernandez because of an earlier forward pass. That was compounded soon after when Marcos Kremer was yellow carded for a tip tackle that meant they'd end the game down to 14 players.

Foley also added to Argentina's woes by extending the lead to 10 points following Kremer's indiscretion, leaving them with plenty to do. And it proved far too much with the Wallabies in fact putting the seal on an impressive victory with a bonus-point try coming from Hodge on the left.

And here is the review of round 8 in the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup season:

In a perfect scenario interest in the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership and Championship races will continue until the last act of the final round of play at the weekend.

In the Premiership, Ranfurly Shield holder Taranaki, who beat Canterbury 55-43 in one of the great Shield challenges, and defending champion Canterbury are tied at the top of the table on 36 points with North Harbour and Tasman clear holders of third and fourth place.

However, Taranaki have their double schedule of games to get through which if they were successful in both could see them qualify in first place.

They defend the shield against Manawatu on Wednesday and then play North Harbour in Albany on Sunday afternoon.

North Harbour made life difficult for Waikato when claiming a 13-11 win in Hamilton. While lifting North Harbour to third, it left Waikato needing to beat Bay of Plenty at Tauranga on Saturday to decide the relegation race.

Auckland, who lost to Tasman 18-31 on Sunday, play host to Canterbury on Friday and will need a win to send Waikato to relegation even before they meet Bay of Plenty. However, if Auckland can't win the pressure goes on Waikato.

Counties Manukau are eight points behind fourth-placed Tasman after their 29-24 win over Manawatu and fifth place is the best they can hope for when playing Tasman on Saturday.

In the Championship, Wellington, who thrashed Southland 61-12 are clear front runners when they face what will be an interesting contest with second-placed Northland. The Northland side beat Hawke's Bay 34-7.

Just who will reach the top four with Wellington will depend on Manawatu who face two games, Taranaki on Wednesday and Hawke's Bay on Sunday. Manawatu warmed up for their tough week with a 29-24 loss to Counties Manukau.

Bay of Plenty will have plenty to play for when meeting Waikato because their own hopes of making the top four could depend on a win.

Otago are sitting in fifth place, after their 28-36 loss to Bay of Plenty in Dunedin but only four points separate second from fifth.

And finally championship leader Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes has won the Japanese Grand Prix after successfully starting on pole as he finishes ahead of Red Bull's young 20 year old driver Max Verstappen who has finished in 2nd & Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo rounding out the podium in 3rd but Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel's form is deteriorating as he retires from the race due to a spark plug problem but 1 more race win for Hamilton at the next Grand Prix at Austin, Texas in America will guarantee the title (Just like 2 years ago in 2015 when he last did it at Circuit Of The Americas).

So that is my 151st blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 71st this year (Only 49 blogs left til I reach the double hundred).

Immortality/Not For You/Shout 2000/Stupify: All Blacks team naming against South Africa & Japanese GP preview

Well, the All Blacks team has been named to play against old rivals the Springboks at DHL Newlands (Flashback hint: It was the site of our 19 - 0 victory for New Zealand against South Africa during the old Tri Nations way back in 2008 (And the Olympics was still on in Beijing (Which is China's capital) over in Cape Town (Which is South Africa's safest city to live) after successfully retaining the Rugby Championship 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): Sam Whitelock (Canterbury/Crusaders)
5 (Lock): Scott Barrett (Taranaki/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. Patrick Tuipulotu
20. Matt Todd (Who replaces Ardie Savea who has gone home)
21. Tawera Kerr-Barlow (Who replaces TJ Perenara to play his 2nd game of the year on the bench & possibly his last test for the All Blacks because he's heading off to France to play for La Rochelle)
22. Lima Sopoaga (Who returns from child birth by replacing Ngani Laumape to cover at first five)
& 23. David Havili.

And the Formula 1 circus heads to Suzuka in Japan with Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes still leading the championship but his 3 race winning streak came to an abrupt halt with Max Verstappen in the Red Bull, scored an impressive win at the last ever Malaysian Grand Prix...But here is the circuit guide which will host the 16th round of the 2017 Formula 1 season at the Japanese Grand Prix before it heads to the USA (Austin) then Mexico (Mexico City), Brazil (Interlagos) & the season finale at Abu Dhabi (And it's only 5 races left in the 2017 season) in the UAE (United Arab Emirates):

''A design dating back to the early 1980s helps Suzuka stand alone as a fascinating & difficult track in the modern era. Challenging combination of every type of corner, gradient & camber. The only figure-of-eight layout in F1. Remains hugely popular among drivers & the quietly passionate Japanese fans.''

So that is my 150th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 70th this year (It is only 50 until I reach the 200 mark).

P.S. I watched the last of the 1997 movie, The Fifth Element on today because that was the last movie I have seen because the next movie that I'm going to watch is Star Wars: The Last Jedi (And it is the sequel to The Force Awakens & the 2nd movie of the Star Wars sequel trilogy but I have seen all Star Wars movies such as A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return Of The Jedi (1983), Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Episode II: Attack Of The Clones (2002), Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith (2005), The Force Awakens (2015) & Rogue One (2016) which is a stand alone Star Wars movie).

Everybody Wants To Rule The World/Shout: Rugby Championship round 3, Mitre 10 Cup round 7 & Malaysian Grand Prix review (My 1st blog of October)

Well, it looks like the All Blacks have clinched & retained our Rugby Championship title just before we played against Argentina at Buenos Aires after a nail biting draw between the Springboks & the Wallabies over in Bloemfontein but the All Blacks ran out comfortable winners against Argentina in the end, so here is the full match commentary of the game (And yeah, I am always a die-hard rugby fanatic & this is my 1st blog of the new month of October so Pops is still away in Oz):

Welcome to Estadio Jose Amalfitani for the match between Argentina and New Zealand.

1ST MINUTE, 1ST HALF: The All Blacks kick off and we are under way.

2ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The Pumas have not had a great run of form, going into this game.

4TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY GOAL ALL BLACKS: (Beauden Barrett) 0-3 NZ - Barrett takes the penalty kick after a silly penalty by the Pumas. He guides it through to score the first points of the day.

5TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL ARGENTINA: (Nicolas Sanchez) 3-3 - The Pumas take it into attack pretty quickly on the counter and they are awarded a penalty after some sloppy play from the All Blacks. Sanchez takes the kick and he levels the scores.

7TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY ALL BLACKS: (Kieran Read) 3-8 NZ - Read runs along the sideline, as Naholo releases the ball over to him. Read shrugs the tackle to ground the ball over the line.

8TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), MISSED CONVERSION ALL BLACKS: Barrett kicks it across the face of goal, failing to add the extra points for the All Blacks.

10TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): It has been a quick fire start from the All Blacks, who have been quick to add to the scoreboard.

12TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): It has been a bit of a scramble in the last couple of minutes, with both teams wrestling for possession of the ball.

14TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The All Blacks have been spending a lot of time inside their forward half without any reward on the scoreboard.

16TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The mistakes are coming through thick and fast for the Pumas.

17TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY ALL BLACKS: (Damian McKenzie) 3-13 NZ - A penalty is paid to the All Blacks, they play on instantly as McKenzie hops over the line under the uprights for a try.

18TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION ALL BLACKS: (Beauden Barrett) 3-15 NZ - Barrett takes an easy kick on goal and picks up the extra points.

20TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY ALL BLACKS: (Waisake Naholo) 3-20 NZ - Barrett breaks one tackle, then another, as he flicks it over to Naholo, who runs the ball over the line, running to the middle to ground it past the middle of the uprights.

21ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION ALL BLACKS: (Beauden Barrett) 3-22 NZ - Barrett kicks it through for the easy points and the All Blacks are really starting to dominate.

22ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), YELLOW CARD ARGENTINA: Tomas Lavinini is awarded a yellow card after a high attempt of a tackle. The job just gets that little bit harder for the Pumas.

24TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The All Blacks aren't able to secure their own line out, close to the line.

26TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY ALL BLACKS: (Kieran Read) 3-27 NZ - McKenzie puts on the after burners, as he gives the ball over to Read, to score a try beside the uprights.

28TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), CONVERSION ALL BLACKS: (Beauden Barrett) 3-29 NZ - Barrett squeezes it through, going just inside the left upright.

30TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Here come the All Blacks again, as they pass the ball around their attacking half. This could be very dangerous for the Pumas.

32ND MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The Pumas just need to score something before half time, just to give them a shot of confidence.

34TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A slight delay as Hames is attended to by the trainers. He seems to be fit to continue.

36TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Argentina have done well in the last few minutes, as they haven't conceded any more points.

38TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), YELLOW CARD ALL BLACKS: Matt Todd has been sin binned, after a rough tackle. The All Blacks now have a turn with only having 14 on the field.

40TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Argentina have a golden opportunity to score a try deep inside their attacking half.

HALF TIME: The whistle sounds for half time and the All Blacks go into the break holding a 29-3 lead over the Pumas.

41ST MINUTE, 2ND HALF: Argentina kick off to get us back under way for the second half.

42ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Play is held up once again, as the trainers attend to Barrett, he looks to be fine to continue in the game.

44TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Argentina continue their good patch of form, from late in the first half.

46TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The All Blacks force the turnover from deep inside the Pumas attacking half. The All Blacks are away.

48TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Lavanini attempts to force his way over the try line, but the ball is lost forward over the line. So close, but yet so far away for the Pumas.

50TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), YELLOW CARD ALL BLACKS:  It appears that Read is in a lot of trouble hear, as he puts in a high tackle, with direct contact to the head. He is awarded a yellow card by the ref.

52ND MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Barrett takes possession of the ball in the middle of the ground and he kicks it into touch.

54TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY ARGENTINA: (Juan Manuel Leguizamon) 8-29 NZ - Leguizamon manages to to wrangle his way down inside the pack as he looks to have grounded the ball. The ref sends it to the video ref and he confims it is a try.

55TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION ARGENTINA: (Nicolas Sanchez) 10-29 NZ - Sanchez kicks it through for the extras as the Pumas are finally getting some reward for the effort.

57TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The All Blacks have gone quiet, as they have not scored in just under 30 minutes of the match.

59TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The Pumas are on the better side of the penalty count, for the first time in the rugby championship.

61ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Naholo takes the pass from Taylor along the sideline, he runs in and scores a try in the corner. The ref sends it upstairs and the TMO rules that the Taylor pass was forward. No try.

63RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Argentina are still having the better of the All Blacks at the moment, but they are not scoring quick enough to concern the All Blacks.

65TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Fifita gets up gingerly from the pack and he limps around. He doesn't look too bad.

67TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), YELLOW CARD ARGENTINA: Ramiro Herrera has been sent off with a yellow card after an over eager tackle attempt.

69TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The error count continues to increase for both teams, as fatigue starts to affect both teams.

71ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Havili makes his international debut for the All Blacks, after plying his trade with the Tasman Makos in the Mitre 10 Cup.

73RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The game is predominantly being played in the middle of the ground, with neither side looking like they can score at the moment.

75TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Havili with a scintillating break from the middle. He is starting to show the big boys that he belongs in this team.

77TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): There is still time left on the clock for a late consolation try for Argentina, if they are good enough.

79TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The All Blacks push it into attack, as they look to add more points to their score line.

80TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Play is held up as Lezana is helped off the ground.

80TH MINUTE + 1ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY ALL BLACKS: (David Kaetau Havili) 10-34 NZ - Havili with a slick run to score a try in the corner on debut for the All Blacks.

80TH MINUTE + 3RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), CONVERSION ALL BLACKS: (Beauden Barrett) 10-36 NZ - Barrett kicks it through the middle and that will be the last play of the day.

FULL TIME: The All Blacks run out 26 point winners over the Pumas, after a quickfire start to the game. They faded in the second half, scoring the final try of the match.

And what do I think of the game? There were great tries being scored especially All Black captain Kieran Read getting a double but discipline has been a bit of a letdown as a result so both teams picking up both yellow cards each such as Tomas Lavanini & Ramiro Herrera for Argentina & Matt Todd & Read for the All Blacks (Well let's hope Kieran Read doesn't get suspended just like Malakai Fekitoa did last year (Fekitoa could've been sent off for a high shot on Irish winger Simon Zebo during the test against Ireland last year in Dublin (Not in Chicago because Ireland were the clear favourites to win the match (Well, the Irish managed to break their 111 year stranglehold to register their 1st win against the All Blacks) because the All Blacks had a locking crisis with world class locks Brodie Retallick & Sam Whitelock unavailable due to concussion (Retallick) & injury (Whitelock) as well as Luke Romano who had to be sent home for a family bereavement) under the new laws which resulted in a 1 match ban/suspension therefore Fekitoa wasn't available for selection against France but now he's still playing for Auckland in the Mitre 10 Cup & is no longer playing for both the Highlanders & the All Blacks because he's heading over to France to play for Toulon) because he copped a head high tackle (It's a direct contact to the head but it would've been a penalty only under the old laws) but he was lucky not to get sent off because he only received a yellow but he might've got possibly cited for that one).

And the match between the Springboks & Wallabies at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein again ended in a draw resulting the All Blacks to retain the Rugby Championship for another year so here's the news report about the match:

South Africa and Australia could not be separated as they played out a highly entertaining 27-27 draw in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

In a fast-paced and thrilling encounter, in which the lead changed hands several times, both sides gave the ball plenty of air throughout and each team scored three converted tries.

With the All Blacks on course to win the Rugby Championship again, this Test was a shootout for second place in the standings and both sides were competitive throughout although like the corresponding Test in Perth, they had to settle for a share of the spoils.

The Springboks showed their intent from the outset and opted to run the ball from all areas of the field. This tactic seemed to surprise their opponents initially, but the Wallabies adapted quickly and soaked up the early pressure with a solid defensive effort.

And in the 11th minute, the Wallabies caught the Boks by surprise with a brilliant move which saw Israel Folau crossing for the opening try.

This, after an attacking scrum on the edge of South Africa's 22 saw Tevita Kuridrani running a superb dummy line, before Bernard Foley threw an inside pass to the on-rushing Folau, who glided through a huge gap in the Bok back-line before scoring next to the posts.

Foley added the extras, but the Boks were soon camped inside the visitors' 22 and five minutes later, they were rewarded when Ruan Dreyer shrugged off a couple of tacklers before barging over for his first Test try.

Elton Jantjies converted before a Foley penalty in the 23rd minute gave the Wallabies a 10-7 lead but Jantjies restored parity two minutes later with a penalty of his own, after Jack Dempsey was blown up for deliberately knocking down the ball when South Africa were on the attack deep inside Australia's half.

The Wallabies regained the lead in the 35th minute - Foley slotting a penalty after Dreyer was penalised for illegal scrummaging.

Both sides continued to show attacking intent as the half drew to a close, but no further points were scored during this period. Folau was fortunate not to be yellow carded, however, as a rough challenge - in which he pulled Dillyn Leyds by the hair - led to some pushing and shoving off-the-ball between several players, just before the break.

The Boks made a superb start to the second half when, three minutes after the restart, Jan Serfontein crossed for his side's third try after Leyds and Siya Kolisi combined brilliantly in the build-up.

That score meant the Boks held the lead for the first time and although Jantjies slotted the conversion, the Wallabies gave the perfect response shortly afterwards when Foley made a telling break before offloading to Marika Koroibete, who outpaced the cover defence before crossing for his first Test try.

The topsy-turvy nature of this game continued as two minutes later, Serfontein made a telling break before getting a pass out to Courtnall Skosan, who crossed for his side's third try despite the attentions of two defenders.

Five minutes later, the Wallabies struck back - Koroibete rounding off in the left-hand corner after the ball was taken through several phases in the build-up.

Foley showed his class as he calmly slotted the conversion from close to the touchline which meant the Wallabies were now leading 27-24 with just over 20 minutes left on the clock.

The Boks were desperate to strike back and they did just that courtesy of a long range penalty from Jantjies in the 71st minute. That meant the score was level again and although Jantjies had a chance to win the game for the hosts, he pushed a difficult penalty attempt wide of the posts in the dying moments.

And here is the review of round 7 in the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup season:

Week seven action in Mitre 10 Cup rugby has seen Waikato slip into the relegation zone after Counties Manukau and Auckland both managed wins.

They now share 17 points, three more than last-placed Waikato who went down to competition leader Canterbury 37-17 in Saturday's Ranfurly Shield challenge in Christchurch.

Auckland showed some overdue form in securing a four-try bonus point 38-19 win over Bay of Plenty at Eden Park on Saturday while Counties Manukau got up to beat Northland 25-16 at Pukekohe on Sunday afternoon.

It doesn't get any easier for Waikato either as they play North Harbour in the last game of week eight in Hamilton. North Harbour, who beat Hawke's Bay 33-30, also have to face a trip to Palmerston North to play Manawatu on Wednesday. North Harbour are sitting in third place on the ladder with 27 points.

Ahead of them are Canterbury on 35 and Taranaki on 31, the sides to meet in the Ranfurly Shield challenge of the season in Christchurch on Friday evening.

Taranaki warmed up with a 40-26 win over Tasman on Thursday.

In the Championship, Wellington is well out in front on 37 points after their 27-24 win over Otago in Wellington on Sunday. Otago, by virtue of their points differential, hold second place back on 21 points and would be a worthy finalist on the basis of their effort against Wellington.

Manawatu, who beat Southland 25-20 on Saturday, share 21 points and have a game in hand. Northland are in fourth place in spite of their loss to Counties Manukau while Bay of Plenty are two points further back. Manawatu have still to play Counties Manukau, Taranaki and Hawke's Bay. Otago have Southland and Bay of Plenty to play while the Bay side's last game is against Waikato.

Two games in the round allowed Otago fullback in Wellington, Fletcher Smith, to boost his scoring to 111 points. Canterbury's Richie Mo'unga is the only other player to have three figures with 108. Next highest is North Harbour's Bryn Gatland on 91 with Jackson Garden-Bachop from Wellington on 85.

Canterbury's three-quarter Braydon Ennor leads the try scoring list with eight tries while Otago's Jona Nareki has seven. Those with six tries are: Jordan Manihera (Waikato), Ben Lam (Wellington), Vince Aso (Auckland), Tevita Li and Shaun Stevenson (North Harbour), Tim Bateman, Josh McKay and Mitch Drummond (Canterbury).

And the now 20 year old Max Verstappen in the Red Bull has won the last ever Malaysian Grand Prix (Although he hasn't won since Spain last year in which he became the youngest driver to win a Grand Prix at the relatively, young tender age of 18), ending Lewis Hamilton's 3 race winning streak but Hamilton still leads the championship anyway (And Lewis Hamilton was on pole but he lost the lead from Verstappen so he had to settle for 2nd).

So that is my 149th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 69th this year.