I Am The Fire/Something From Nothing: Wales Vs All Blacks, 2017 end of year rugby internationals week 5 & Abu Dhabi Grand Prix review

Well, the All Blacks end the year with a win against Wales at the Millennium Stadium over in Cardiff so here's the live commentary provided & taken from Newshub:

Hello and welcome to live updates of Wales hosting the All Blacks at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

The match is the last match for 2017 for the All Blacks and the fifth and final on their northern tour.

We bring you live streaming written commentary.

Commentary will start at 5:40 am (NZT).

Lineups

Wales

1. Rob Evans, 2. Ken Owens, 3. Tomas Francis, 4. Jake Ball, 5. Alun Wyn Jones (c), 6. Aaron Shingler, 7. Josh Navidi, 8. Taulupe Faletau, 9. Rhys Webb; 10. Dan Biggar, 11. Steff Evans, 12. Owen Williams, 13. Scott Williams, 14. Hallam Amos, 15. Leigh Halfpenny

Reserves: 16. Kristian Dacey, 17. Wyn Jones, 18. Leon Brown, 19. Cory Hill, 20. Justin Tipuric, 21. Gareth Davies, 22. Rhys Priestland, 23. Jamie Roberts

All Blacks

1. Kane Hames, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Nepo Laulala, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu, 5. Samuel Whitelock (c), 6. Liam Squire, 7. Sam Cane, 8. Luke Whitelock, 9. Aaron Smith, 10. Beauden Barrett, 11. Rieko Ioane, 12. Sonny Bill Williams, 13. Ryan Crotty, 14. Waisake Naholo, 15. Damian McKenzie

Reserves: 16. Nathan Harris, 17. Wyatt Crockett, 18. Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 19. Scott Barrett, 20. Matt Todd, 21. TJ Perenara, 22. Lima Sopoaga, 23.  Anton Lienert-Brown

Match facts and stats

Referee: Wayne Barnes (ENG)

Sideline officials: Jérôme Garcès (FRA) and Frank Murphy (IRE)

Review officials: Rowan Kitt (ENG)

Past meetings

Head to head: Played 33, Wales 3, All Blacks 30

In Wales: Played 19, Wales 3, All Blacks 16

Last time played: All Blacks 46 def Wales 6 June 25, 2016

Last time played in Wales: All Blacks 34 def Wales 16 November 22, 2014

5:47 am: Thanks for tuning in for live updates for the last All Blacks test match of 2017. Millenium Stadium has sold out and fans are starting to fill the second.

5:55 am: If you missed the news, Sam Whitelock will captain the All Blacks with Kieran Read out with hip/back injury.

6:03 am: Both teams are in the sheds and will head out to the field very shortly for the national anthems.

6:07 am: Both team are out on the field under the roof.

6:12 am: The anthems are done and now it is time for the last haka of 2017 by the All Blacks.

6:15 am: The All Blacks go with Kapa o Pango and as always in Wales, there was a very intense stare-down between the two teams.

KICKOFF: We are underway in Wales. The All Blacks get this match started to a massive roar by the sell-out crowd.

1min: Wales clear the ball early and the All Blacks let it bounce but they get to the ball. But then Alun Wyn Jones comes over the top and the Welsh get the ball back.

2mins: Wales continue to go forward and eventually get inside the 22.

3mins: Now Wales have gone backwards and after 18 phases, they kick the ball and once again they let it bounce. Beauden Barrett eventually clears the ball away.

5mins: Wales hot on the attack and they stab a kick through, but Beauden Barrett gets to the ball first but is tackled back in-goal and now the Welsh have a scrum five out from the line.

6mins: Wales very close to the line, but the All Blacks defence holds strong.

8mins: After 16 phases, Wales win a penalty and actually made no grand at all. What will the Welsh do?

9mins, PENALTY GOAL WALES: Leigh Halfpenny lands a penalty goal right in front and Wales lead early.

11mins: Wales back with the ball as the dominate early possession. The All Blacks knock the ball forward so Wales now with scrum.

14mins, TRY ALL BLACKS: First chance with the ball and the All Blacks make a break and Wiasake Naholo goes over. They want to check the grounding. It started all from a Rieko Ioane break.

15mins: From the sidelines, Beauden Barrett kicks the ball straight over the black dot.

17mins: Wales make a break down the wing, but Beauden Barrett makes another great defensive play as Hallam Amos goes into touch.

18mins: Time is off as Jake Ball is down in pain with what appears to be a serious shoulder injury. Meanwhile, Ryan Crotty is heading off for an HIA injury.

19mins: Time is currently off. The All Blacks lead 7-3 thanks to a try to Waisake Naholo.

21mins: Wales back with the ball and they attack through the middle through Gareth Davies. They re close to the line.
The All Blacks survive a close scare as Taulupe Faletau goes over the line and goes to put the ball down but Sam Cane knocks the ball out of his hands.

23mins: Wales going for goal once again. Thy trail despite having over 80% possession.

24mins: The penalty goal goes wide of the mark. The score remains 7 - 3.

25mins: The All Blacks finally have some ball but they need to clear it away into touch.

26mins: Leigh Halfpenny goes on a run and is smashed by Rieko Ioane. Wales still have possession - a very common sight this half.

27mins: Wales hot on the attack and they have a overlap, but the ball doesn't go to hand and once again the All Blacks survive.

28mins: Scrum time and the All Blacks put the ball in. They clear the ball downfield and into touch and Wales go quickly.

30mins: Waisake Naholo with a break down the wing and he cuts back infield and does a 'Benji Marshall' but Damian McKenzie drops the ball. A few plays later, Wales get a penalty as one of their players was taken out by Kane Hames.

32mins, PENALTY GOAL WALES: Leigh Halfpenny kicks his second penalty goal and now Wales trail by one point despite dominating the match.

34mins: Wales with a lineout and Patrick Tuipulotu steals the ball in the air and now New Zealand with some rare possession.

35mins: Waisake Naholo with another strong run as the All Blacks get a penalty advantage.

37mins: The All Blacks go over the line and Rieko Ioane claims a try but he is held up.

38mins, TRY ALL BLACKS: Waisake Naholo has his second as he goes over in the corner. He is falling into touch but gets the ball down. Great try!

39mins: From the sidelines once again but this time Beauden Barrett pulls it wide.

40mins, TRY WALES: As the siren sounds, wales go over for their first try of the game. Scott Williams the scorer, but it started from a break from a set piece. Fantastic try to the Welsh who have a chance to take the lead at the break.

HAFLTIME: Leigh Halfpenny misses the conversion and the All Blacks lead 12-11 at the break despite having little to no ball.

40mins: Nepo Laulala is off and Ofa Tu'ungafasi will start the second half. Wales get the final 40 minutes started.

41mins: Wales with the ball early as they look to go wide.

42min: The All Blacks get the ball and kick it away. Wales still looking to attack and hold the ball.

44mins: Liam Squire wins the ball back for New Zealand as the All Blacks look to go on the counter-attack and all of a sudden they get inside the Wales 22.

46mins: Patrick Tuipulotu and Luke Whitelock both off the field for the All Blacks. Scott Barrett and Matt Todd both come on as the replacements.

48mins: The All Blacks with some rare attacking ball, as they go wide again. Waisake Naholo stabs a kick through and it goes dead in goal.

50mins: Wales with a lineout only five from the line. Can they score here and reclaim the lead?

51mins: It comes to nothing as the All Blacks turned the ball over.

53mins: The All Blacks now inside Wales' 22.

55mins: Wales turn the ball over and clear it into touch. This has been a vey physical game so far. All Blacks just leading.

57mins, TRY ALL BLACKS: Wow what a try! Rieko Ioane makes a break down the wing and as he was tackled, he offloads the ball back infield and Anton Lienert-Brown goes over for the try.

59mins: The All Blacks right back on the attack and they look to put the nail in the coffin.

60mins: Aaron Smith throws a forward pass and Wales now have a scrum.

61mins, TRY ALL BLACKS: Rieko Ioane goes over for the try. He intercepts the ball and dives over.

64mins: A bounce of the ball goes in favour of Wales and now they are five metres from the line.

66mins: Penalty to Wales who have opted for a scrum five metres from the line.

67mins: Wayne Barnes give the All Blacks a warning and one more penalty, somebody will be carded.

68mins, YELLOW CARD ALL BLACKS: Captain Sam Whitelock is off to the bin as Matt Todd makes a try-saving tackle on Taulupe Faletau. Beauden Barrett takes over the captaincy.

70mins, TRY WALES: Gareth Davies goes over for the try as they make the All Blacks pay for being a man down. The crowd loves it.

71mins: The All Blacks have cleared their bench as Wales now trail by eight points.

74mins, TRY ALL BLACKS: Rieko Ioane scores his second for the All Blacks. He makes a break and busts through a tackle to go over.

75mins: Five minutes remain as Beauden Barrett lands another conversion.

78mins: Sam Whitelock is back on the field.

80mins: Tensions flare as the clock ticks over 80. Nothing coems of it.

82mins: Wales still hunting for one last try. They will face South Africa next week.

FULLTIME: The match is over. The All Blacks beat Wales again 33-18 the fulltime score.

8:40 am: That is all from us here in Cardiff. Thanks for tuning in.

WALES 18 - 33 ALL BLACKS

And what do I think of the game. Well, it was a blockbuster but how good is that barnstorming rookie All Black winger Rieko Ioane? He is a sensational player not only because he was man of the match because he got a double, scoring both tries along with fellow winger Waisake Naholo as well as he set the try up scored by Anton Lienert-Brown (Who just came on for Ryan Crotty during the 1st half) during the 2nd half...& he was the breakthrough player of the year (Man what a player that he is because he is known for his lightning speed) at the World Rugby Awards over in Monaco although star first five Beauden Barrett is still best rugby player in the world (And he is such a fantastic player indeed).

And in other rugby news such as Scotland (Who were without star fullback Stuart Hogg due to injury during a warm-up) trashing the Wallabies 53 - 24 after a Wallaby prop got sent off for that dirty hit (It was shades of Sonny Bill Williams's cheap shot on Anthony Watson during the 2nd test of the Lions series over in Wellington in July this year) at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh then the Springboks got revenge against Italy in Padua then Ireland also got payback against Argentina over at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin followed by England's victory against the struggling Samoa at Twickenham in London & France had another disappointing game with a draw against Japan at the new Racing 92 stadium.

And finally Finland's Valtteri Bottas in the Mercedes has effectively ended the 2017 Formula 1 season (It is all over rover so see you in 2018...watch this space) with a win (His 3rd of the season) at the season ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after starting on pole with 4 time world champion Lewis Hamilton finishing in 2nd & Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel rounded out the podium in 3rd (And New Zealander Brendon Hartley in the Toro Rosso has finished in 15th).

And here's the points standings for both the drivers & constructors but 1st here's the drivers standings:

1st: Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain, Mercedes), 363 points
2nd: Sebastian Vettel (Germany, Ferrari), 317 points
3rd: Valtteri Bottas (Finland, Mercedes), 305 points
4th: Kimi Raikkonen (Finland, Ferrari), 205 points
5th: Daniel Ricciardo (Australia, Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer), 200 points
6th: Max Verstappen (The Netherlands, Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer), 168 points
7th: Sergio Perez (Mexico, Force India Mercedes), 100 points
8th: Esteban Ocon (France, Force India Mercedes), 87 points
9th: Carlos Sainz (Spain, Toro Rosso/Renault), 54 points
10th: Nico Hulkenberg (Germany, Renault), 43 points
11th: Felipe Massa (Brazil, Williams Mercedes), 43 points
12th: Lance Stroll (Canada, Williams Mercedes), 40 points
13th: Romain Grosjean (France, Haas Ferrari), 28 points
14th: Kevin Magnussen (Denmark, Haas Ferrari), 19 points
15th: Fernando Alonso (Spain, McLaren Honda), 17 points
16th: Stoffel Vandoorne (Belgium, McLaren Honda), 13 points
17th: Jolyon Palmer (Great Britain, Renault), 8 points
18th: Pascal Wehrlein (Germany, Sauber Ferrari), 5 points
19th: Daniil Kvyat (Russia, Toro Rosso), 5 points

And then the constructors to wrap up the Formula 1 report:

1st: Mercedes (Germany), 625 points
2nd: Ferrari (Italy), 522 points
3rd: Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer (Austria), 368 points
4th: Force India Mercedes (India), 187 points
5th: Williams Mercedes (Great Britain), 83 points
6th: Renault (France), 57 points
7th: Toro Rosso (Italy), 53 points
8th: Haas Ferrari (USA), 47 points
9th: McLaren Honda (Great Britain), 30 points
10th: Sauber Ferrari (Switzerland), 5 points

So that is my 170th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 90th this year.

Prayer: All Blacks starting lineup against Wales

Well, the All Blacks team has been named to play against Wales in our final test match of the year at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff so here is the starting lineup:

FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Kane Hames (Tasman/Chiefs)
2 (Hooker): Codie Taylor (Canterbury/Crusaders)
3 (Tight head prop): Nepo Laulala (Counties Manukau/Chiefs)

SECOND ROW
4 (Lock): Patrick Tuipulotu (Auckland/Blues)
5 (Lock): Sam Whitelock (Captain, Canterbury/Crusaders)

BACK ROW
6 (Blindside Flanker): Liam Squire (Tasman/Highlanders)
7 (Openside Flanker): Sam Cane (Bay Of Plenty/Chiefs)
8 (Number 8): Luke Whitelock (Canterbury/Highlanders)

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): Waisake Naholo (Taranaki/Highlanders)
& 15 (Fullback): Damian McKenzie (Waikato/Chiefs)

And in the reserves are:

16. Nathan Harris
17. Wyatt Crockett
18. Ofa Tu'ungafasi
19. Scott Barrett (Who replaces Liam Squire (Who is elevated to the starting lineup to replace Vaea Fifita) to cover the second row position)
20. Matt Todd
21. TJ Perenara
22. Lima Sopoaga
& 23. Anton Lienert-Brown.

So that is my 169th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 89th this year.

Bridge Burning: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix preview

Well, the Formula 1 circus is heading to Abu Dhabi in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) for the last time this year in 2017 as the F1 season is coming to a close, what a year (And what a season for all the drivers (Especially the 4 time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who had enjoyed his stellar, roller coaster season) & constructors (Especially Mercedes who have had an incredible season after winning their 4th consecutive constructor's title) they have had so far) so here's the circuit guide which will host the 20th & final round of the 2017 championship:

''Built at huge cost on an island, close to Abu Dhabi airport. Facilities second to none but track layout disappointing with too many slow & medium-speed corners. Racing from dusk into darkness, & marina back-drop, adds to atmosphere. Settled the championship more than once since introduction in 2009.''

So that is my 168th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 88th this year.

Perfect Insanity/Stricken: Scotland Vs All Blacks & 2017 end of year rugby internationals week 5 review

Well, the All Blacks held on to win against the brave Scotland team (Who were on the verge of making history until a forward pass by man of the match Stuart Hogg ended their hopes of claiming their 1st victory against us) by 5 points over in Murrayfield in Edinburgh with the match commentary being provided:

Hello and welcome to live updates of Scotland hosting the All Blacks at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland.

It is the second Test match of the All Blacks northern tour after beating France 38-18 last weekend.

We bring you live streaming written commentary, and all the action.
Commentary will start from around 5:45 am (NZT). In the meantime check out the video above as All Blacks captain Kieran Read talks about what it means to play at Murrayfield Stadium.
Lineups

Scotland

1. Darryl Marfo, 2. Stuart McInally, 3. Zander Fagerson, 4. Ben Toolis,  5. Jonny Gray, 6. John Barclay (c), 7. Hamish Watson, 8. Cornell du Preez, 9. Ali Price, 10. Finn Russell, 11. Lee Jones, 12. Alex Dunbar, 13. Huw Jones, 14. Tommy Seymour, 15. Stuart Hogg

Reserves

16. George Turner, 17.  Jamie Bhatti, 18. Simon Berghan, 19. Grant Gilchrist, 20. Luke Hamilton, 21. Henry Pyrgos, 22. Pete Horne, 23. Byron McGuigan

All Blacks

Kane Hames, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Nepo Laulala, 4. Luke Romano, 5. Sam Whitelock, 6. Vaea Fifita, 7. Sam Cane, 8. Kieran Read, 9. Aaron Smith, 10. Beauden Barrett, 11. Rieko Ioane, 12. Sonny Bill Williams,13. Ryan Crotty, 14. Waisake Naholo, 15. Damian McKenzie

Reserves

16. Nathan Harris, 17. Wyatt Crockett, 18. Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 19. Liam Squire, 20. Matt Todd, 21. TJ Perenara, 22. Lima Sopoaga, 23. Anton Lienert-Brown

Match facts and stats

Referee: Matthew Carley (ENG)

Sideline officials: Romain Poite (FRA) and Ian Davies (WAL)

Review officials: Graham Hughes (ENG)

Past meetings

Head to head: Played 30, Scotland 0, All Blacks 28, Drawn 0

Last time played: All Blacks 24 def Scotland 16, November, 15 2014

5:45 am: Scotland will be wearing their white jersey for this match which means the All Blacks will be in... well, all black.

5:51 am: It is a beautiful, clear afternoon in Edinburgh. Only 4:50 pm and it is dark. Great condition for counter-attacking rugby - something both teams are really good at.

5:52 am: I also better mention that it is a cool five degrees at the ground.

5:56 am: Both teams are finishing their final warm-ups and will head to the locker rooms very shortly.

5:58 am: Last time the All Blacks and Scotland squared off, the All Blacks scraped past with a 24-16 win.

6:00 am: England have just beaten Australia 30-6 in Twickenham. They scored three tries in the last 10 minutes to get the win.

6:01 am: The lights have gone out at the stadium and all you can see is a sea of blue thundersticks.

6:03 am: The teams are back out in the sheds and will be heading out shortly. The atmosphere is incredible. Can't wait to hear Flower of Scotland as it always sounds amazing.

6:05 am: Not long to go now!

6:08 am: Both teams are out on the field to a massive roar by the crowd.

6:09 am: Time for the national anthems. God Defend New Zealand is first.

6:11 am: Anthems are done. As always they sound amazing in Edinburgh. Haka time!

6:13 am: The All Blacks go with Ka Mate! and the Scotland crowd is singing so loud you can't even hear it! Magical scenes at Murrayfield.

6:16 am: Former Scotland international Doddie Weir brings the match ball out. He is well loved by the Scots and sadly was diagnosed with motor neurone disease this year.

KICKOFF: We are underway at Murrayfield. The All Blacks get the match started.

1min: Scotland gets an early penalty as Waisake Naholo obstructed and they kick to touch. Attacking lineout 22 out.

2min: Vaea Fifita comes through the middle of the maul and wins the turnover. Great play by the blindside flanker. All Black scrum.

3min: Aaron Smith clears the ball away. A great clearance kicks off a strong carry by Sonny Bill Williams. Scotland win the lineout and Stuart Hogg breaks the line but Cornell du Preez drops the pass.

5min: Stuart Hogg causing problems early on. Scotland just outside the 22.

6min: The home side has a penalty advantage and the referee blows his whistle. The All Blacks have had little ball and the Scotland chant starts around the stadium.

7min, PENALTY GOAL SCOTLAND: The home side is the first to score as Finn Russell slots the penalty goal. They lead early in this clash.

8min: The All Blacks have the ball on the halfway line and are taking their time as the Scotland defence holds strong.

9min: Finn Russell goes for an intercept and nearly get his hands to the ball but it goes forward. He is one of the best at intercepts.

10min: Stuart Hogg puts in a great kick and it goes into touch 5 out from their line.

11min: Scotland just outside the 22, but a loose pass forces them back and Ali Price has to clear the ball away but it drifts into touch on the full.

12min: All Blacks not rolling away and Scotland get the ball back and they will go for goal again.

13min: 45 out and it misses just to the right. A Missed opportunity with that one.

14min: Stuart Hogg with another deadly run making good ground. He is tackled and Sam Cane gets over the top or the ball and they win the turnover.

15min: This will be the All Blacks first real attacking chance and the ball has been turned over. But the ball pops out and the All Blacks have a scrum 25 out from the line.

16min: Brilliant start to the game I must admit. Both sides playing well but Scotland's defence will be tested here.

18min: The Scotland defence rushes up and they win the turnover Big play by John Barclay. The All Blacks honestly look stunned so far.

19min: Another penalty to Scotland just outside the 22. Will they kick for touch or go for goal?

They kick for touch. Five metres out.

20min: Scotland go for it and have a overlap. But the ball goes to ground, and the All Blacks survive again.

21min: All Blacks attack down the left wing and Aaron Smith throws the ball back infield but it is intercepted by Jonny Gray.

22min: Ali Price kicks the ball into touch and they will have a throw in 10 out from their line. cotland will be wanting to steal the lineout here.

23min: A mistake by Tommy Seymour and the All Blacks have an attacking lineout and now the All Blacks have a penalty advantage also.

24min: The All Blacks throw a forward pass but they had a penalty advantage. They have a chance to go for goal but they opt to go for touch. Five out.

26min: Scotland's defence is just holding on here. The All Blacks are inches from the line and they go wide, but Beauden Barrett throws a forward pass.

27min: The crowd loves it as another Scotland chant starts around the stadium.

Luke Hamilton comes on for Hamish Watson who will go for a HIA.

28min: Scotland get a free kick and the boot the ball downfield but but it doesn't go into touch.

Waisake Naholo could be in serious trouble here for taking Stuart Hogg out in the air. Time is off.

Waisake Naholo is lucky and stays on the field. The crowd are not happy with that at all. Naholo is very lucky.

29min: Scotland is now five out from the line as the Scotland chant starts again, but they are heading backwards now.

30min: The All Blacks defence is holding strong and is like a brick wall. Hogg attacks the line and they are five out again.

Another missed opportunity as Zander Fagerson knocks the ball on after 19 phases on attack. The All Blacks look puffed. The need to really score as they keep blowing chances inside the All Blacks 22.

31min: The All Blacks win a penalty at the scrum.

33min: Scotland carries the ball back by accident it looks like. All Blacks scrum five out from the line.

34min: Penalty to the All Blacks five out from the line and they go for the scrum. After dominating the match, Scotland are on the back-foot.

36min: Scotland survives again as they get a turnover at the scrum. But they kick the ball straight to the All Blacks instead of into touch and the All Blacks are back on the attack.

37min: Another penalty to the All Blacks, will they go for goal this time?

38min, PENALTY GOAL ALL BLACKS: Beauden Barrett lands the penalty goal from right in front and the game is tied.

39min: From the restart, Vaea Fifita makes a break down the right wing and the momentum is now with New Zealand.

40min: Codie Taylor drops the ball into touch just before the halfitme siren, so the home side get one last chance before the break.

42min: Play still goes on as the All Blacks win a penalty. They will now have a chance to score before the break.

HALFTIME: What a first half. Scotland, yes Scotland have been the better of the two teams in the first 40 as the game is all square at the break. Scotland has had a number of chances to score, but have failed to capitalise. No tries in the opening 40.

40min: Scotland get the second half started at Murrayfield. The All Blacks let the ball bounce straight into touch.

41min: The All Blacks win the lineout and Vaea Fifita knocs the ball out. Scotland scrum 15 out from the try line.

42min: Scotland five metres from the line... Now inches from the line. But the ball is trapped and the All Blacks win the penalty.

43min: Rieko Ioane causing problems for Scotland as he makes a break down the wing. Now it is the All Blacks who are hot on attack.

44min, TRY ALL BLACKS: As all hookers do in 2017, Codie Taylor just stands on the wing and dives over in the corner. New Zealand leads for the first time in the match. It was bound to happen.

46min: The conversion goes wide, so the All Blacks hold a five point lead.

47min: Scotland on the attack are just outside the 22. They need to score here.

48min: The All Blacks in a penalty. Scotland let the away side off the hook again. But good defence by New Zealand once again.

49min: Time is off as Luke Hamilton is down injured. It looks like the guy on debut has a broken leg. Which is disappointing because Hamilton has been great since coming on.

Due to the injury, George Turner will come on, meaning Stuart McInally will shift to the back row.

The All Blacks are doing some drills to keep the blood flowing as it is only four degrees.

50min: The All Blacks dominate the scrum and win a penalty.

51min: Another penalty advantage to the All Blacks who look like they will score.

TRY ALL BLACKS: New Zealand go over for their second. Sonny Bill Williams puts a grubber kick through and Damian McKenzie dives on the loose ball to score by the posts.

52min: Scotland just outside the 22 and now they really need to score next.

53min: Another knock-on inside the All Blacks 22 and the Scots will rue another missed opportunity.

55min: Scotland back with the ball as Finn Russell clears the ball away.

56min: Another loose carry by Scotland and the All Blacks go on the counter-attack.

57min: The All Blacks looked like they were about to score try number three, but the king of intercepts Finn Rusell coms up with a big play and now the All Blacks are all the way back on their line and the crowd loves it.

59min: Ryan Crotty comes off for what appears to be an HIA. Scotland has the ball just inside New Zealand's 22.

60min: 20 minutes remain and the All Blacks lead by 12 points. Scotland has a lineout five out from the line.

YELLOW CARD ALL BLACKS: Sam Cane is off to the sin-bin for killing the play right in front of the posts as Scotland were about to cross the line.

61min, TRY SCOTLAND: Scotland makes the All Black pay right away as Jonny Gray powers his way over the line.

62min: Finn Russell lands the conversion and it is a five point ball game. The crowd is loving this.

64min: That try has sparked Scotland as they make a break down the muddle but the double knock on lets the All Blacks off the hook. Ryan Crotty is back on the park. TJ Perenara is also on for Aaron Smith.

66min: The All Blacks have just kiled about three minutes with scrum resets.

TRY ALL BLACKS: Beauden Barrett sprints over the line for try number three. Sonny Bill Williams attacks the line and offloads to his five-five who dives over to counter Scotlands try.

68min: Barrett converts his own try as the All Blacks restore their 12 point lead. Sonny Bill Williams heads off for Anton Lienert-Brown.

69min: Scotland gets the match back underway and the All Blacks five-way another penalty. Lineout five out from the line.

70min: Penalty to Scotland right in front and they take a quick tap.

71min, YELLOW CARD ALL BLACKS: Wyatt Crockett goes to the bin for taking out the halfback (And remember that halfbacks are protected species) just as Sam Cane is about to come back on for killing the play.

With Crockett in the bin, Kane Hames has to come back on and Vaea Fifita heads off.

72min: Another penalty to Scotland right in front. The Scots wanted to take it quickly but the referee brings the playback which the crowd doesn't like.

The All Blacks win a penalty at the scrum which is a let down for Scotland.

74min: Liam Squire makes a break and is tackled, but they turn the ball over and Scotland clear the ball downfield quickly as possible.

75min: Another blown chance by Scotland.

76min, TRY SCOTLAND: It is not over yet! Huw Jones scores in the corner. Stuart Hogg stabs a grubber through and Tommy Seymour gathers and finds Jones on the inside.

77min: Three minutes to go and it is a five point ball game.

79min: One minute to go. Scotland with the ball.

FULLTIME: Stuart Hogg makes a break down the wing and throws it back infield but it goes forward and the referee blows his whistle and that is it. Heartbreak for Scotland as Stuart Hogg is in tears knowing he could have made history.

SCOTLAND 17 - 22 ALL BLACKS

And what do I think of the game? Well, it was scrappy I would have to say. But our discipline has been a bit of a letdown because we conceded most penalties as well as both yellow cards handed out from the English referee to both Sam Cane (For killing the ball) & Wyatt Crockett (For taking out the opposing halfback) which proved to be costly. And what about patriotic Scottish fullback Stuart Hogg, because he was their star performer of the game for his heroic performance (And he was the hero of Scottish rugby) but the Scots missed out on making history (As Hogg's pass drifted forward when the ref blew the final whistle, effectively ending the match in front of a sell-out crowd at Murrayfield).

And finally in other rugby news such as England continue their dominance against the Wallabies in a highly controversial fashion (Even the Wallaby coach Michael Chieka isn't so happy with the all important decisions such as a no try from Wallaby captain Michael Hooper because he was clearly offside then Hooper getting sent to the sin bin due to multiple cynical infringements from the maul followed by Kurtley Beale who joined Hooper in the bin for a deliberate knock down then a try scored by long range goal kicking winger Elliot Daly whether it's out or not when the ball touched the sideline then Marika Koroibete crossed over but former Wallaby captain Stephen Moore obstructed one of the English players as he made his tackle but Chieka is facing disciplinary action for his conduct which is currently under investigation by World Rugby but he was cleared for that) with a win over in Twickenham in London then South Africa topple France by 1 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis then Argentina scraped past Italy over in Firenze (Which is located in the Tuscany region) then Ireland win by 3 against Fiji at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin & the under strength Wales side win against Georgia by 13 points in another scrappy game during their 1st meeting between the 2 nations at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

So that is my 167th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 87th this year.

Anna Molly/Talk Shows On Mute: All Whites failure against Peru & Kiwis early exit in the Rugby League World Cup

Well, the All Whites & Kiwis rugby league team are in sporting crisis (So too are the US men's soccer team who lost to Trinidad & Tobago during the FIFA World Cup qualifiers (1986 was the last time that the USA has failed to qualify) as well as Italy who went down to Sweden in the UEFA qualification playoff (And 1958 was the last time Italy failed to qualify) followed by The Netherlands & Chile) as the All Whites fail to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, losing to Peru (Who had to score both goals to book their golden ticket) in Lima then the Kiwis rugby league team went down to Fiji by 2 points in the Rugby League World Cup quarterfinals in Wellington (After surprisingly losing to Tonga in the final pool game over in Hamilton, producing the biggest upset in international rugby league history), producing our worst result in the history of the Rugby League World Cup (And it is one of our darkest days in New Zealand rugby league although Pops isn't a rugby league fan at all).

And 2017 wasn't our year for All Blacks standards because they missed out on winning the Lions series as well as both defeats against both the British & Irish Lions in the 2nd test of the Lions series in Wellington (Including Sonny Bill Williams moment of madness when he was the 1st All Black to be sent off in a test match since Colin Meads in 1967 against Scotland for a reckless boot to a Scottish player which proved to be the game changer/turning point that cost the AB's a chance of clinching the test series (And the reason why the referee sent Williams off? Is because Williams's shoulder made contact to the head of Lions player Anthony Watson with the French referee had no choice but to give SBW the red card) & the Wallabies in the 3rd & final Bledisloe Cup test in Brisbane (Including Ofa Tu'ungafasi's massive hit on Wallaby Bernard Foley has best been remembered) but let's hope that the Warren Gatland coached Wales doesn't become the 3rd team to down the All Blacks.

So that is my 166th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 86th this year (Only 34 blogs remaining until I reach 200 blogs).

Monkey Wrench: France XV Vs All Blacks review, All Blacks starting lineup against Scotland, RWC 2023 host announced & list of teams qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Well, the All Blacks have beaten the French XV side by 5 points in a midweek game at Groupama Stadium over in Lyon in preparation for the test this Sunday morning against Scotland over in Murrayfield in Edinburgh with a news report:

The All Blacks have beaten a rugged French selection XV 28-23 in Lyon and laid the foundation for future success in the process, according to coach Steve Hansen.

A hugely inexperienced New Zealand team trailed 15-14 at halftime in a physical contest before gaining some control soon after the break.

Hansen was delighted his team held its nerve as the final quarter descended into a testy affair and the French scored to close the margin while debut centre Jack Goodhue was in the sin bin for taking out a support runner.

Hansen wanted to assess his next wave of talent in an international cauldron and got the acid test he wanted from a committed home team. That a New Zealand side featuring nine uncapped players and boasting just 150 caps between them clung on could only be positive for the future, he said.

"Everyone put their hand up. You can go right through the group and I think everybody did what we asked them to do and enhanced their reputations," Hansen said.

"The confidence that will give some of those guys, you can't buy. Some of these guys may not get their opportunity until after 2019."

Among New Zealand's best was halfback Tawera Kerr-Barlow, in possibly his last game before taking up a French club contract. Hansen said the nuggety Chiefs No.9 he will be missed.

"He's been in outstanding form most of his All Blacks career, I reckon. Do we want him to leave? No. But he's made that decision so then we've got to decide what we do."

Burly flanker Liam Squire shook off the effects of a virus which ruled him out Saturday's 38-18 Test win over France in Paris and unleashed a muscular display to prove he is ready to face Scotland in Edinburgh this weekend.

"I thought he was really physical and punishing with his defence," Hansen said.

The All Blacks' first-half tries were fine team efforts, with both converted from the sideline by first five-eighth Lima Sopoaga.

Squire crossed in the left corner in the 11th minute and Matt Duffie in the right in the 24th, the first All Blacks try for the former Melbourne Storm NRL winger. On both occasions France responded with a try to winger Gabriel Lacroix, the second a 70m intercept effort following a long, loose pass from Ngani Laumape.

Playing with more precision in the third quarter, the visitors create close-range tries to lock Patrick Tuipulotu and Laumape to power 28-15 ahead. The 14-man All Blacks couldn't stop centre Henry Chavancy crossing but were able to hold out the passionate hosts over the final seven minutes.

And the All Blacks team has been named to take on Scotland at Murrayfield in Edinburgh so here is the starting lineup:

FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Kane Hames (Tasman/Chiefs)
2 (Hooker): Codie Taylor (Canterbury/Crusaders)
3 (Tight head prop): Nepo Laulala (Counties Manukau/Chiefs)

SECOND ROW
4 (Lock): Luke Romano (Canterbury/Crusaders)
5 (Lock): Sam Whitelock (Canterbury/Crusaders)

BACK ROW
6 (Blindside Flanker): Vaea Fifita (Wellington/Hurricanes)
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): Waisake Naholo (Taranaki/Highlanders)
& 15 (Fullback): Damian McKenzie (Waikato/Chiefs)

And in the reserves are:

16. Nathan Harris (Who replaces Asafo Aumua with Codie Taylor being elevated into the starting lineup to replace the injured Dane Coles who had to return home)
17. Wyatt Crockett (Who replaces Atu Moli for this clash)
18. Ofa Tu'ungafasi
19. Liam Squire (Who replaces Scott Barrett for this one after a comfortable performance against France XV by overcoming a virus)
20. Matt Todd (Who replaces Akira Ioane to take his place back by covering the openside flanker position)
21. TJ Perenara (Who has replaced Dillon Hunt to cover at halfback)
22. Lima Sopoaga (Who is dropped to the bench to replace Mitchell Drummond to cover at first five)
& 23. Anton Lienert-Brown (Who has replaced Richie Mo'unga to cover at the midfield position).

And the hosts for the 2023 Rugby World Cup goes to France (For only the 2nd time because they 1st hosted it in 2007 a decade ago) as announced by the sport's governing body World Rugby as favourites Ireland had been eliminated during the 1st round of voting before France outperformed the other favourite South Africa in the last round of voting then the decision came from World Rugby as France (Who were clear outsiders to host the 2023 tournament) revealed that they are hosting the 2023 Rugby World Cup (And the French were like: Vive la France! Oui, oui, oui (Yeah, yeah, yeah), merci beaucoup (Thanks very much). Because they were ecstatic & happy about it, so relieved especially the legend of the game, Sebastian 'Caveman/Seabass' Chabal (He was part of France's world cup bidding mastermind for 2023) because it was in fact a shock decision I have to say because not only favourites Ireland were out in the 1st round of voting then another favourite South Africa crashed out in the last round of voting).

And finally here are the list of national teams qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup next year in Russia (And their star men):

Argentina (Lionel Messi)
Australia (Tim Cahill)
Belgium (Eden Hazard)
Brazil (Neymar)
Colombia (James Rodriguez)
Costa Rica (Giancarlo Gonzalez)
Croatia (Luka Modric)
Denmark (Christian Eriksen)
Egypt (Mohamed Salah)
England (Harry Kane)
France (Antoine Griezmann)
Germany (Toni Kroos)
Iceland (Gylfi Sigurdsson)
Iran (Sardur Azmoun)
Japan (Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa & Shinji Okazaki)
Korea Republic (Son Heung-min)
Mexico (Hirving Lozano)
Morocco (Mehdi Benatia)
Nigeria (John Mikel Obi)
Panama (Luis Tejada)
Peru (Jefferson Farfan)
Poland (Robert Lewandowski)
Portugal (Cristiano Ronaldo)
Russia* (Igor Akinfeev)
Saudi Arabia (Nasser Al Shamrani)
Senegal (Sadio Mane)
Serbia (Branislav Ivanovic)
Spain (Isco)
Sweden (Marcus Berg)
Switzerland (Xherdan Shaqiri)
Tunisia (Aymen Abdennour)
& last but not least, Uruguay (Luis Suarez)

*: Hosts

So that is my 165th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 85th this year (Only 35 blogs left until I reach the 200 mark).

Generator: France Vs All Blacks, 2017 end of year rugby internationals week 4 & Brazilian Grand Prix review (+ All Blacks team naming against France XV)

Well, the All Blacks have comfortably beaten the unpredictable French side (Although they are missing several key players such as Brice Dulin, Gael Fickou, Camille Lopez, Yoann Maestri, Noa Nakaitaci, Scott Spedding & Virimi Vakatawa) by 20 points (The final score was 38 - 18) at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis to begin our Northern tour with the match commentary being provided:

Hello and welcome to live updates of France hosting the All Blacks at Stade de France in Paris, France.

This morning the All Blacks begin their Northern tour in earnest with the first of three Test matches following their win over the Barbarians in London last weekend.

The French took them close in the last year's fixture, can their inexperienced and injury-stricken side pull off the unthinkable here today?

We bring you live streaming written commentary, video highlights (be sure to refresh your browser) and all the action. Video will be available as soon as the final whistle goes.

Commentary will start from around 8:30am (NZT).

All Blacks

1.Kane Hames 2.Dane Coles 3.Nepo Laulala 4.Luke Romano 5.Sam Whitelock 6.Vaea Fifita 7.Sam Cane 8.Kieran Read 9.Aaron Smith 10.Beauden Barrett 11.Rieko Ioane 12.Sonny Bill Williams 13.Ryan Crotty 14.Waisake Naholo 15.Damian McKenzie

Reserves: 16.Codie Taylor 17.Wyatt Crockett 18.Ofa Tu'ungafasi 19.Scott Barrett 20.Matt Todd 21.TJ Perenara 22.Lima Sopoaga 23.Anton Lienert-Brown

France

1.Jefferson Poirot 2. Guilhem Guirado (c) 3. Rabah Slimani 4. Sebastien Vahaamahina 5. Paul Gabrillagues 6. Judicael Cancoriet 7. Kevin Gourdon 8. Louis Picamoles 9. Antoine Dupont 10. Anthony Belleau 11. Yoann Huget 12. Mathieu Bastareaud 13. Geoffrey Doumayrou 14. Teddy Thomas 15. Nans Ducuing

Reserves: 16 Clement Maynadier 17 Raphael Chaume 18 Daniel Kotze 19 Paul Jedrasiak 20 Anthony Jelonch 21 Baptiste Serin 22 Francois Trinh-Duc 23 Damian Penaud

Match facts and stats

Referee: Angus Gardner (AUS)

Sideline officials: Matthew Carley (ENG) and Tom Foley (ENG)

Review officials: Rowan Kitt (ENG)

Past meetings

Head to head: Played 57: France 12, All Blacks 44, Drawn 1

In France: Played 24: France 6, All Blacks 18

Last time played: All Blacks 24 def France 19 November 26, 2016

8:35am - The word on the ground from Ross Karl is that the rain has cleared but it's a bitterly chilly evening in Paris.

8:44am - Non-Test matches aside, there are few things more dangerous in rugby than an All Blacks side coming off a loss. This youthful French side could be in for a baptism of fire.

8:51am - The teams are taking the park, best get those bacon and eggs done ASAP and head to the couch.

8:57am - The Stade de France breaks into full song for La Marseillaise. The greatest anthem of all time? It has my vote.

8:58am - TJ Perenara leads Kapa o Pango and the crowd respond with their own full-hearted chorus of boos. I think they wanted Ka Mate.

Kick off...

1 min - Barrett goes deep, ball spills but the ref rules it was a boot at the ruck. Penalty takes the hosts up to halfway for a line-out.

2 mins - France look to maul but the ABs have held it up. Scrum NZ at the half.

3 mins - Free kick France after the ABs engage early. France want to pack another scrum as we hear the first round of 'allez les Bleus'. Big shunt and NZ concede, France go onto the attack with a line-out 10m from the try line.

5 mins - Ball's lost from the line-out and NZ win a penalty for offisde. Barrett relieves the pressure, back to halfway they go.

6 mins - Smith box-kick expertly claimed by Ioane. Laulala with room to move, Barrett finds Coles running hard. 22m out now...

7 mins - SBW breaks and finds McKenzie, the fullback has men outside but he can't free his hands for the pass after some superb scrambling defence. SBW drives again, he's over the line but it's held up. 5m scrum NZ.

8 mins - Smith from the base of the scrum, scragged down a metre out....

TRY ALL BLACKS - Barrett has options at the line, beautifully delayed no-look pass puts a storming Dane Coles into a yawning hole and the hooker dots down between the posts. (NZ 7-0)

12 mins - NZ swing back the attack as Ioane breaks down the left flank. Smith can't find support. Ball turned at the ruck and France clear as far as the 22m.

13 mins - Dane Coles puts through a grubber, bizarrely enough. France gather with ease and make a mini-break of their own, past halfway they go. Naholo pounces at the breakdown and wins the penalty.

14 mins - Coles seems to have injured his knee and Codie Taylor will take his place.

16 mins - Fifita rummages forward, All Blacks just 5 metres short now. France pinged for a foot in the ruck. A gift three points coming up for Barrett....and over it goes. (NZ 10-0)

18 mins - French restart out on the full, quel dommage! NZ scrum in the center of the paddock, plenty of attacking options on offer.

19 mins - Barrett chips from the scrum and puts the winger under a ton of pressure, Ioane thunders in and the All Blacks blow over right on the France try line. Read looked like he may have got a hand on it, he's claiming a try. Referee review says otherwise, but we will have an NZ 5m scrum.

20 mins - Penalty NZ after a powerful ABs scrum, France saved themselves a pushover try with a clear front row collapse.

22 mins - Another collapse and another NZ penalty. Read wastes no time asking for a re-pack.

TRY ALL BLACKS - Another advantage was being played but they didn't need it in the end. Ioane goes inches short before Barrett finds Naholo with a pinpoint floater out wide to stroll over in the corner. All far too easy. Barrett slots it from the sideline. (NZ 17-0)

25 mins - France with some rare possession in NZ territory. Penalty won, to a 22m line-out they go.

TRY FRANCE - Bastareaud pops a lovely ball in the tackle to free his outside backs, ball is shifted and Teddy Thomas dives over in the corner. Conversion is adrift. (NZ 17-5)

29 mins - Ioane in open spaces, gives young Anthony Belleau one of those patented fends and sits him right down. Kick over the top rolls into the in-goal, 22m restart for France.

30 mins - Loose ball, Hames gathers and finds Read but the skipper's hit hard and spills it. He's yet to get up after that one. Light shower of rain swings through le Stade.

32 mins - NZ scrumfeed just inside the French half. Quick hands from Laulala finds Crotty in space. Wide they go and Naholo has a line to the corner but the referee rules a knock-on at the previous ruck. Scrum France, right on their own line.

35 mins - The scrum collapses yet again and finally a yellow card is produced, prop Slimani is off to the naughty chair and Hames is letting him know all about it.

37 mins - ABs build patiently off the base of the ruck....

TRY ALL BLACKS - Quick ball after the measured build up, SBW drops a deft grubber over the line for Ryan Crotty to dive on uncontested and claim the All Blacks' 2000th Test try. Big blow as halftime looms with a man in the bin. Barrett makes no mistake. (NZ 24-5)

TRY ALL BLACKS - Mistake France from the restart and the All Blacks counter swiftly. Fantastic cut-out ball from McKenzie to free Ioane who returns it to the fullback, Read on hand to finish things off. Barrett sends it over and that will be it for the first half. (NZ 31-5)

HALFTIME - Two late tries have really swung this contest in the All Blacks' favour against a French side which, while not lacking any enthusiasm, has looked slightly off the pace throughout. Join us back here shortly for the second 40.

Second half underway...

40 mins - France start well, loose ball hacked ahead and they manage to regather. Working their way past the NZ 22m line now.

41 mins - Advantage for offside blown up. Right in front of the posts, they can't turn down the easy three points. Odd decision, really. (NZ 31-8)

43 mins - NZ line-out, Barrett inside ball off the top to Naholo. France are quick to the breakdown and win a penalty, back to halfway for the line-out.

45 mins - France look to maul before freeing the pill. Bastareaud hammered by SBW as they edge their way to the NZ 10m.

46 mins - Break by Belleau! Can't find any support. Advantge being played as the cross-field kick is placed into the in-goal. SBW leaps and reverts to rugby league mode, tapping the ball purposely dead. Easy call for Gardner, who reaches into this pocket and produces a yellow card.

TRY FRANCE - To add insult to inury, the referee and his assistants rule that the ball would've landed in the chasing French player's hands had SBW not tapped the ball dead. Highly dubious decision, but here we are. (NZ 31-15)

49 mins - Penalty France immediately from the restart and the crowd are right into this now, their tails are well and truly up.

50 mins - Barrett's restart from the 22m drifts out on the full, France now right back in attacking position.

51 mins - Penalty France at the scrum, right in front of the sticks. Kicking tee comes out, another trois for the French. (NZ 31-18)

52 mins - 13 unanswered points for the French in the second half as the rain sets in at Le Stade.

54 mins - Scrum France, and it's another penalty. Crockett concedes. Belleau taps and then looks to kick, Whitelock rushes up to tackle, and rightly so, but the ref gives the 10 another chance. Bizarre.

56 mins - Les Bleus go wide quickly and they've found some room to move. Thomas freed up along the sideline and guns for the corner, McKenzie is able to impact the dive just enough to force a foot into touch. All the momentum with the hosts right now as the All Blacks throw the defensive line-out, and they've lost it!

57 mins - Penalty advantage as France launch again, just metres out from the line..

59 mins - No advantage won and we're back for the penalty. SBW will take his place back on the field after a costly 10 minutes in the bin.

60 mins - Huge pressure now as France feed the scrum 5m out.

61 mins - Big defence from the visitors through nine phases, and Naholo wins an enormous turnover penalty for the All Blacks. Barrett relieves the pressure.

62 mins - Knock-on France and the All Blacks will pack down a scrum. It's been a while since they've had any quality possession, great opportunity to build here 15m inside French territory.

64 mins - Scattered back and forth ball in the wet ends in French hands, just shy of halfway. Barrett collects a loose ball from a bomb and dabs a kick down the touchline back inside France's half.

66 mins - Defensive penalty for the All Blacks on France's 10m line but the assistant wants a word. Penalty is reversed, Tu'ungafasi diving recklessly into the ruck.

67 mins - France maul from the line-out, knock on at the base of the ruck lets NZ off the hook. They'll scrum it on their own 22m as the subs roll.

68 mins - Smith clears but France return with profit. Belleau bombs away and it's untidily handled. Ioane goes to the sideline and finds support, Todd takes the ball near halfway but his pass lets him down. Mini dust-up after the ball's into touch, Gardner deals out the law to both captains.

70 mins - Ioane deals with the high ball in typically efficient manner and beats his man down the touch. Ball lost in the tackle however, more stilted play by the All Blacks. Both sides struggling to find their rhythm, it's certainly not much of a spectacle at the moment.

72 mins - France line-out inside the NZ 22m, a try here would definitely make things interesting. But alas, ball knocked on. NZ scrum.

74 mins - France earn a penalty on the All Blacks 22m. Time running out for them to make their move. To the line-out they go, 5m out...

75 mins - Advantage being played, penalty blown up. Right in front of the posts, they call for a scrum.

77 mins - That decision backfires as the All Blacks put in a monster shove and win themselves a penalty. That may be the game right there.

78 mins - Free kick from the line-out for NZ, they opt to scrumdown as the match stumbles to its conclusion.

79 mins - Perenara places a perfect kick deep into the French 22m. They'll hoist a boxkick into touch, one last chance from the line-out.

TRY ALL BLACKS - Simple numbers game to wrap this game up, Lienert-Brown throws a lovely wrap-around pass to free Naholo for a well deserved try. Barrett slots the conversion, and there's the fulltime whistle. (NZ 36-18)

FULLTIME - The All Blacks ultimately wrap up the win after a stilted second half effort. France were valiant in defeat, their youthful new contingent doing themselves proud.

All Blacks - 36 France - 18

And what do I think of that game? Well, it was astonishing as we dominated the 1st half because it was even a no contest until the French took over during the 2nd half. And what about that incredible performance by All Black right winger Waisake Naholo because he got a double by scoring both tries in both the 1st & 2nd half as well as he turned the ball over not once but twice (Slowly but surely). And you have to give credit to Sonny Bill Williams as he did a grubber kick to set up the try being scored by his midfield partner Ryan Crotty during the 1st half but he got yellow carded in the process for slapping the ball down (Rugby league style) so the Australian referee Angus Gardner (Although his refereeing performance wasn't too bad compared to South African Jaco Peyper but Welshman Nigel Owens is the best performed referee in the history of the game) had to award a penalty try to France during the 2nd half (And too bad that the All Blacks have taken our injury toll with Dane Coles (Who scored a brilliant opening try) expected to be out of action for half a year while captain Kieran Read is in doubt for the next test against Scotland with either Sam Cane or Sam Whitelock expected to captain the All Blacks should Read be ruled out by injury).

And in other international rugby news, the Wallabies stroll past Wales 29 - 21 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to extend their winning streak while Ireland (Who had a Kiwi born player Bundee Aki on test debut) thrash the poor old Springboks 38 - 3 at Aviva Stadium in Dublin to record their biggest winning margin in Sean O'Brien's 50th test while England (Who had rested key players such as lock Maro Itoje & star first & second five Owen Farrell for the clash against Australia) had an pretty average game in their 21 - 8 victory against Argentina at Twickenham in London (Although England coach Eddie Jones had a brain explosion because he was upset & frustrated about the penalty decision by copping plenty of abuse) then Scotland ease past Samoa at Murrayfield in Edinburgh & Italy gained revenge against Fiji to reverse that result in Suva this year over in Catania.

And finally Sebastian Vettel in the Ferrari has claimed victory in Brazil (His 1st win since Hungary) after overtaking the pole sitter Valtteri Bottas (Who had to settle for 2nd behind Vettel) at turn 1 during the opening lap while 4 time world champion Lewis Hamilton (The man who regained his status as Formula 1's golden boy) narrowly missed out on the podium by finishing 4th (Although he had to start from the pitlane after crashing during qualifying in a tremendous fightback) behind Kimi Raikkonen then New Zealander Brendon Hartley in the Toro Rosso for the 2nd time retired from the race in just his 3rd start while Felipe Massa in the Williams had to finish 7th in his last home Grand Prix, holding off both McLaren's Fernando Alonso & Force India's Sergio Perez.

So that is my 164th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 84th this year (Only 36 blogs to go until I reach 200 blogs).

P.S. And here is the starting lineup for the All Blacks to play in a midweek game against France XV over in Lyon tomorrow morning:

FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Tim Perry (Tasman/Crusaders)
2 (Hooker): Nathan Harris (Bay Of Plenty/Chiefs)
3 (Tight head prop): Jeffery Toomaga-Allen (Wellington/Hurricanes)

SECOND ROW
4 (Lock): Patrick Tuipulotu (Auckland/Blues)
5 (Lock): Dominic Bird (Canterbury/Chiefs)

BACK ROW
6 (Blindside Flanker): Liam Squire (Tasman/Highlanders)
7 (Openside Flanker): Ardie Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes)
8 (Number 8): Luke Whitelock (Captain, Canterbury/Highlanders)

HALVES
9 (Half-back): Tawera Kerr-Barlow (Waikato/Chiefs)
10 (First five eighth): Lima Sopoaga (Southland/Highlanders)

MIDFIELD
12 (Second five eighth): Ngani Laumape (Manawatu/Hurricanes)
13 (Centre): Jack Goodhue (Northland/Crusaders)

OUTSIDE BACKS
11 (Left Wing): Seta Tamanivalu (Taranaki/Crusaders)
14 (Right Wing): Matt Duffie (North Harbour/Blues)
& 15 (Fullback): David Havili (Tasman/Crusaders)

And in the reserves are:

16. Asafo Aumua (Who replaces Codie Taylor for this clash)
17. Atu Moli (Who replaces Wyatt Crockett for that one)
18. Ofa Tu'ungafasi
19. Scott Barrett
20. Akira Ioane (Takes Matt Todd's place)
21. Dillon Hunt (Who has replaced TJ Perenara)
22. Mitchell Drummond (Who has replaced Lima Sopoaga (Who is elevated to the starting lineup) to cover at halfback)
& 23. Richie Mo'unga (Who has replaced Anton Lienert-Brown to cover at first five).

If You Could Only See: All Blacks starting lineup against France & Brazilian Grand Prix preview

Well, the All Blacks team has been named to play against France in a crucial clash at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis 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): Sam Whitelock (Canterbury/Crusaders)

BACK ROW
6 (Blindside Flanker): Vaea Fifita (Wellington/Hurricanes)
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): Waisake Naholo (Taranaki/Highlanders)
& 15 (Fullback): Damian McKenzie (Waikato/Chiefs)

And in the reserves are:

16. Codie Taylor (Who replaces Asafo Aumua for this clash)
17. Wyatt Crockett (Who replaces Tim Perry for that one)
18. Ofa Tu'ungafasi (Who has taken Jeffery Toomaga-Allen's place)
19. Scott Barrett (Who is dropped to the bench to replace Patrick Tuipulotu)
20. Matt Todd (Takes Sam Cane's place with Cane elevated to the starting lineup)
21. TJ Perenara (Who has replaced Tawera-Kerr Barlow to cover at halfback)
22. Lima Sopoaga
& 23. Anton Lienert-Brown (Who has replaced league convert Matt Duffie to cover at the midfield position).

And with the drivers & constructors titles have already been decided (Which went to both Lewis Hamilton (World champion in 2008 (Before Jenson Button took over when he won his 1st & only title way back in 2009 then Sebastian Vettel took over which lasted over a 4 year period between 2010-13), 2014-15 (Before Nico Rosberg took over when he won his 1st & only title last year in 2016) & this year in 2017) & Mercedes (Their never ending reign as constructors champions since the introduction of 1.6 litre hybrid turbocharged V6 engines (AKA the silent era) began in 2014 (The the 3.5 litre (It was cut down to 3.0 litres for 1995) V12 engines was known as the golden era (Which lasted from 1989 to 1995) while the 3.0 litre V10 engines was known as the Schumi era (From 1989 until 2006 (It was Scuderia Toro Rosso (Formerly Minardi) ran those rev limited engines) & finally (At long last), the 2.4 litre V8 engines was known as the modern era (From 2006 to 2013), the Formula 1 circus is heading to Brazil at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace over in Interlagos (Which is located in Sao Paulo (The largest city in Brazil) & it is Felipe Massa's home race because he is leaving both Williams & Formula 1 this season) so here is the circuit guide which will host the penultimate round (Which is round 19) of the 2017 FIA Formula 1 World Championship at the Brazilian Grand Prix before it heads straight through to the season finale at Abu Dhabi (And it's only 2 races left in the 2017 season) in the UAE (United Arab Emirates):

''Apart from a break in the 1980's, regular host of the Brazilian Grand Prix since 1973. Located in the sprawling suburbs of Sao Paulo, the 5-mile (8-km) track, twisting & turning within itself, was shortened to 2.7 miles (4.3km) in 1990. Often a dramatic championship decider''

So that is my 163rd blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 83rd this year (Only 37 blogs remaining until I reach another milestone).

P.S. I clocked the game Gran Turismo Sport today because I have just completed campaign mode.

Open Your Eyes/The Sound Of Silence: Barbarians Vs All Blacks & 2017 end of year rugby internationals week 3 review

Well, the All Blacks have kicked off our Northern tour campaign with a win against the Barbarians at Twickenham Stadium in London with a news report taken from NZ Herald:

All Blacks 31
Barbarians 22

For a match of minimal relevance to test rugby at least, the Barbarians delivered exactly what these young All Blacks needed.

A romp in-front of 62,546 at Twickenham would have done no good, only to inflate expectations that this level is easier than it actually is.

This genuine test, however, will keep feet firmly on ground. The next tier of All Blacks will realise they have much work to do. There are certainly plenty of lessons to absorb.

For a long time it seemed the Baabaas could triumph. The All Blacks only drew level in the 54th minute, when they scored three tries in the blink of an eye to give an overdue, and brief, reminder of their class.

Before then, though, they were a hard watch.

It was fitting Canterbury fullback George Bridge had the final say. The Baabaas made this encounter what it was, scoring four tries. Robbie Deans' smile from the coaching box said it all.

Only once in control in the final quarter did the All Blacks introduce Matt Duffie, Asafo Aumua and Tim Perry on debut. It was also a difficult match for Barrett to make his captaincy debut.

These young, inexperienced All Blacks seriously struggled to gel, though that should be of no surprise. In their last match here - the 2015 World Cup final - the starting team had 1339 caps. This time they had 423. Jerome Kaino, with 82 appearances, and Beauden Barrett, in his 60th match, made up a fair chunk of that. Elsewhere this team was very, very green.

Contrasting attitudes were evident from the outset. One team arrived under a degree of pressure to perform and grab chances; the other had nothing to lose. Conditions proved difficult, with drizzly rain falling, but the All Blacks skills were poor. With ball in hand they were disjointed to the point of being ugly.

Erratic passing put players under pressure - Steven Luatua latched onto two costly intercepts. TJ Perenara's support lines were good but his delivery again struggled to hit the mark, and he was replaced just after half time with Tawera Kerr-Barlow bringing calmness to the base.

Decision-making left a lot to be desired in the first half especially. This can largely be attributed to a lack of patience - attempting to fling the ball wide too quickly with wild skip passes, and being sucked into the Baabaas' off-the-cuff style.

Inexperience was perhaps best illustrated by Vaea Fifita's first break. What a sight it is to see him in open field, galloping along with the ball in one hand. But instead of passing to a steaming Ngani Laumape, he opted to go on his own and the try was squandered. This was but one example.

On defence, the All Blacks were exposed on the edge and caught short with switches back to the blindside.

By the end of the first half the hands on hips spoke volumes of frustration levels.

It wasn't all bad. The All Blacks scrum was dominant; Waisake Naholo set up two tries through classy offloads; Ardie Savea grabbed one turnover, got his leg drive going and shone on defence too. And Seta Tamanivalu had some good moments on the left wing - going around Julian Savea once.

Credit must also be given to the Baabaas. They may have been on the turps for most of the week but come kickoff they fronted. With 10 Kiwis in the starting team, they were always going to challenge. Luatua was inspirational; receiving a huge ovation when he hobbled off in the final quarter.

Richie Mo'unga scored a try and had his moments with ball in hand but got steamrolled by Laumape. Julian Savea was involved off his right wing. But South African openside Kwagga Smith, with his pace and energy, was the Baabaas' standout.

Eventually the All Blacks found some composure in the second spell, changing tactics and finding success by going to the air often. The bench added spark, but on the whole this was very much a case of understudies learning along the way to a future exam.

Scorers:

Barbarians: Richie Mo'unga, Steven Luatua, Sam Carter, George Bridge tries, Mo'unga con
All Blacks: TJ Perenara, Vaea Fifita, Ngani Laumape, Sam Cane, Nathan Harris tries, Beauden Barrett con 3
HT: 17-10

And here's another news report about the match between the Barbarians & the All Blacks coming straight from BBC Sport:

World champions New Zealand rallied in the second half to beat an enterprising Barbarians side 31-22 at Twickenham.

Richie Mo'unga, George Bridge and Sam Carter all crossed in the first half hour for the Baa Baas and although TJ Perenara and Vaea Fifita replied, the All Blacks trailed 17-10 at half-time.

But tries by Ngani Laumape, Sam Cane and Nathan Harris in seven minutes put Steve Hansen's side 31-17 ahead.

The invitational side scored the game's ninth and final try through Bridge.

Brothers Julian and Ardie Savea were on opposing sides in the Killik Cup match, which commemorated the 125th anniversary of the New Zealand Rugby Union.

It was the 11th meeting between the teams since their first match in 1954, with the All Blacks winning eight of them.

The All Blacks, beaten by Australia last month, play two matches against France on 11 and 14 November, Scotland at Murrayfield on 18 November and Wales in Cardiff a week later.

And the Maori All Blacks crush Canada 51 - 9 in Vancouver while the Wallabies scored an impressive win over Japan 63 - 30 over at the International Stadium Yokohama in Yokohama (Venue for the 2019 Rugby World Cup final).

So that is my 162nd blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 82nd this year (Only 38 blogs remaining until I reach 200 blogs).

Closing Time/Inside Out: All Blacks team naming against Barbarians (My 1st blog of November (AKA Movember) & my favourite Gran Turismo memory)

Well, the All Blacks team has been named to play against the Barbarians (Who have got plenty of New Zealand players such as Vince Aso, Dominic Bird, George Bridge, Richard Buckman, Mitchell Drummond, Andy Ellis, Ben Franks, Dillon Hunt, Steven Luatua, Richie Mo'unga, Atu Moli, Julian Savea & Luke Whitelock) in a uncapped match at Twickenham Stadium over in London so here is the starting lineup:

FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Kane Hames (Tasman/Chiefs)
2 (Hooker): Nathan Harris (Bay Of Plenty/Chiefs)
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): Ardie Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes)
8 (Number 8): Jerome Kaino (Auckland/Blues)

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

MIDFIELD
12 (Second five eighth): Ngani Laumape (Manawatu/Hurricanes)
13 (Centre): Anton Lienert-Brown (Waikato/Chiefs)

OUTSIDE BACKS
11 (Left Wing): Seta Tamanivalu (Taranaki/Crusaders)
14 (Right Wing): Waisake Naholo (Taranaki/Highlanders)
& 15 (Fullback): David Havili (Tasman/Crusaders)

And in the reserves are:

16. Asafo Aumua (Who will make his All Black debut off the bench replacing Codie Taylor after an impressive season with Wellington in the Mitre 10 Cup)
17. Tim Perry (Son of All Black Grant Perry who will also make his All Black debut off the bench replacing Wyatt Crockett)
18. Jeffery Toomaga-Allen (Who replaces Ofa Tu'ungafasi for this game)
19. Patrick Tuipulotu
20. Sam Cane (Who replaces Matt Todd for this game)
21. Tawera Kerr-Barlow (Takes TJ Perenara's place as reserve halfback with Perenara who has been elevated into the starting lineup replacing Aaron Smith)
22. Lima Sopoaga (Takes Anton Lienert-Brown's place as reserve first five-eighth with Lienert-Brown who has also been elevated into the starting lineup replacing Ryan Crotty)
& 23. Matt Duffie (A league convert who replaces David Havili (Who is elevated into the starting lineup replacing Damian McKenzie) to make his All Black debut off the bench).

So that is my 161st blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 81st this year (Only 39 blogs left until I reach the 200 mark).

P.S. And I've got Gran Turismo Sport on the PS4 now (Along with F1 2015 that I bought back as well as Rugby Challenge 3, F1 2016, F1 2017 & Project CARS 2 but the next PS4 game I'm getting is possibly the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia game then FIFA 18 once the FIFA World Cup in Russia next year ends) so I told both Aunty Tania & my Dad on the phone as well about me & my Dad used to play Gran Turismo on the old Playstation in Raetihi way back because not only it brings me back memories so I'm feeling a bit nostalgic now (Well I've played the 1st 3 Gran Turismo games (The 1st 2 (The original then the sequel) are from the original Playstation then Gran Turismo 3 on Playstation 2) but never played Gran Turismo 4 before I played the last 2 Gran Turismo games (Which are Gran Turismo 5 & the last one before I played Gran Turismo Sport, Gran Turismo 6) on both the PS3 (And it's been over a year since I got the PS4 for my 25th birthday because I managed to save some money for that).

And finally it is the 3rd day of the moustache month of Movember so I have been growing a mo like that (And the rules say that I must begin this month clean shaven but I've ignored that protocol) but it'll be tomorrow that Pops takes a picture of me with my moustache.