Well, the Chiefs had a win to keep their season alive against the Reds at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton while the Crusaders continue their dominance against the Blues in emphatic fashion at Christchurch Stadium in Christchurch then the Highlanders were inconsistent for the 2nd week running in South Africa again, this time losing to the Stormers at Newlands in Cape Town & therefore, missing out on a win off the back of 2 straight losses in South Africa.
So that is my 286th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 26th of this year.
P.S. I had a great day today because me, Pops & Carole (I'll be seeing her tomorrow because we are having a big lunch over at her place) went to the Barracks restaurant we're I had ham steaks with vegetables for our big dinner (I had bread & butter pudding for dessert) before we went back home & watched the replay of the 2015 Cricket World Cup semifinal game between New Zealand & South Africa (Who are playing England tonight in the 2019 Cricket World Cup opener but the English aren't looking too good as the South Africans have taken control here) on Sky Sport (I even took Buck for an afternoon walk while I was watching the cricket on TV) then we had minestrone for our light dinner then watched the classic cricket match again & after that played my favourite Gran Turismo Sport game on the PS4.
And I've just heard that Chelsea has won the Europa League title against Arsenal (Well I thought Arsenal won the title but it went to Chelsea instead who had to secure a place in the Champions League for the 2019-2020 competition but they will play in the UEFA Super Cup against the winner of the Champions League between either Spurs (England's Harry Kane (Who could return from injury) is their main talisman) or Liverpool (Egyptian Mo Salah (Who would actually think that he should be back in time for the final after missing his club's comeback win against Barcelona in the semifinal through concussion in a Premier League match against Newcastle) is one of their star men along with Dutchman Virgil van Dijk) at Baku in Azerbajian (Well, that was a fitting farewell & a perfect send off for Chelsea star talisman Eden Hazard) but Pops told me that when Leon emailed Pops that I was going to watch the Champions League final between Spurs & Liverpool (An all English affair at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain) on Sunday morning but I'll be watching the Star Wars movie that I've got on record on Saturday any day.
Thursday, 30 May 2019
Wednesday, 22 May 2019
Super Rugby round 14 wrap (+ 2019 FA Cup final review & Niki Lauda's passing)
Well, the Hurricanes were struck down, losing against the spirited Jaguares side at Westpac Stadium in Wellington (Although they had to rest star talisman Beauden Barrett for the match due to All Black rest policy but in the end, they were inconsistent including a penalty try & a yellow card to Hurricanes fullback Jordie Barrett which proved to be a game changer which cost their ultimate chance of winning) but the Blues have finally beaten the Chiefs for the first time in 8 years with a bonus point victory at the garden of Eden which is Eden Park in Auckland (Although the Chiefs would be disappointed especially that Chiefs coach Colin Cooper was unhappy about the poor officiating that the referees have made because Pops told me about it a few days ago) then the Highlanders miss out on a win against the dominant Lions side at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg before the Crusaders had another draw against the Stormers at Newlands in Cape Town.
And in English soccer news, Manchester City (Fresh off from completing their successful Premier League title defence), have done the impossible, completing the domestic treble after thrashing Watford 6 - 0 in the FA Cup final (Raheem Sterling was the hat-trick hero when he scored 3 but the other goal scorers are former Spanish soccer international midfielder David Silva, Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus & Belgian midfielder who was named man of the match after coming on as a sub, Kevin de Bruyne) for 2019 (And don't forget that the 2019 UEFA Champions League final is an all English affair between both clubs, Tottenham Hotspur & Liverpool at the Estadio Metropolitano (Home of Atletico Madrid) in the Spanish capital of Madrid on June 2nd (NZ time).
And finally, the F1 world is in mourning as 3 time Formula 1 (Well I don't follow it now since last year except the F1 games that I play because of the halo but Formula 1 is not shown on Sky Sport here in New Zealand but it is now shown on Spark Sport (It was shown on TVNZ Duke once when they had coverage of the Australian Grand Prix this year) instead) world champion Niki Lauda (Who had manage to survive a big crash during a race in Germany in 1976 & has been immortalised in the 2013 movie Rush that I've seen before) has passed away aged 70 so all thoughts, prayers & condolences go to him & his family, RIP (Rest in peace/Requiescat en pace/Rest in pieces/Rest in paradise).
So that is my 285th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 25th of this year.
And in English soccer news, Manchester City (Fresh off from completing their successful Premier League title defence), have done the impossible, completing the domestic treble after thrashing Watford 6 - 0 in the FA Cup final (Raheem Sterling was the hat-trick hero when he scored 3 but the other goal scorers are former Spanish soccer international midfielder David Silva, Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus & Belgian midfielder who was named man of the match after coming on as a sub, Kevin de Bruyne) for 2019 (And don't forget that the 2019 UEFA Champions League final is an all English affair between both clubs, Tottenham Hotspur & Liverpool at the Estadio Metropolitano (Home of Atletico Madrid) in the Spanish capital of Madrid on June 2nd (NZ time).
And finally, the F1 world is in mourning as 3 time Formula 1 (Well I don't follow it now since last year except the F1 games that I play because of the halo but Formula 1 is not shown on Sky Sport here in New Zealand but it is now shown on Spark Sport (It was shown on TVNZ Duke once when they had coverage of the Australian Grand Prix this year) instead) world champion Niki Lauda (Who had manage to survive a big crash during a race in Germany in 1976 & has been immortalised in the 2013 movie Rush that I've seen before) has passed away aged 70 so all thoughts, prayers & condolences go to him & his family, RIP (Rest in peace/Requiescat en pace/Rest in pieces/Rest in paradise).
So that is my 285th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 25th of this year.
Wednesday, 15 May 2019
Super Rugby round 13 wrap (+ My highly controversial thoughts on the Israel Folau situation)
Well, for the 4th week in a row, the Blues have been inconsistent, this time, against the Hurricanes in which they lost by 10 points at Eden Park (AKA The garden of Eden) in Auckland before the Crusaders have thrashed the Bulls in the republic at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria to remain on top of the Super Rugby standings (They have had a loss against the Waratahs (Who used to have Israel Folau because he's no longer a rugby player now & he had sent some nasty posts on social media like that (He did it last year (He had been warned once for some nasty posts on social media which I cannot comment now) but now he's done it again this year because he's finally been booted or kicked out of rugby (Well, his contract with Australia rugby had been let go & torn up after that highly controversial saga but I can't believe it right now that Folau doesn't play rugby anymore (He was a good player (He was once the king of the high ball (His main skill in the game) but now his social media posts felt like it was intimidating the spirit of the game (And I just can't believe that he had just done that but now he'll have to pay his own penalty of course (Although he won't be playing in the Rugby World Cup this year just because he is missing out) & a draw against the Sharks (Although both Crusaders captain Sam Whitelock & star first five Richie Mo'unga had to rest) then the Highlanders managed to hold on & beat the Jaguares in an entertaining contest at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin & finally, the Chiefs have defeated the Sharks 29 - 23 at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton after coming from behind to win that game (And the Crusaders of European rugby, Saracens have won the European Rugby Champions cup title, beating defending champions Leinster in the final at St James Park in Newcastle upon Tyne).
And finally here are the rest of the results from round 13 of the 2019 Super Rugby season:
Rebels 30 - 24 Reds
Lions 29 - 28 Waratahs
& Brumbies 33 - 0 Sunwolves
So that is my 284th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 24th of this year.
P.S. The 2019 Cricket World Cup should begin in a fortnight when hosts England (Led by Irish born player Eoin Morgan) face South Africa (Featuring both wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock (Who plays for the Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians in the IPL in which they won the title for the 4th time in their history in the final against the MS Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings) & captain Faf du Plessis (Chennai Super Kings) as one of their players playing for South Africa who have never reached the final of the Cricket World Cup (They came so close against England (Featuring Ian 'Beefy' Botham) in 1992 but rain had ruined the South Africans day of reaching the final (They needed 22 runs off 13 balls before rain came then both teams entered on the pitch after the rain had stopped meaning that South Africa only needed 22 off 1 but that was bitterly disappointing stuff for South Africa) then in 1999 when legendary paceman Allan Donald got run out for the South Africans as the Australians (Led by the legendary Steve Waugh) marched on to the final despite the match had been tied then in 2007 when the Ricky Ponting led Australia fought South Africa again in the semifinal in which the Aussies dominated & finally in 2015 in a semifinal game in which South African born Black Caps player Grant Elliott hit the match winning six with 2 balls to spare which broke South African hearts (Including that the South African selectors got it all wrong when they chose the semi fit Vernon Philander instead of the in form bowler of Kyle Abbott who impressed them for South Africa during the 2015 tournament) & therefore missed out on the chance to advance through to the final) in the opener at The Oval located in London but New Zealand's 1st game of the Cricket World Cup is against Sri Lanka (Featuring Lasith Malinga (One of Quinton de Kock's teammates playing for the Mumbai Indians) on the very 1st day of June at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, Wales.
And it is only 4 months until the 2019 Rugby World Cup when hosts Japan (Who had won 4 matches at a Rugby World Cup including that famous upset win against South Africa at Brighton 4 years ago (And Pops told me in 2015 that the Japanese men in the crowd were getting emotional about the victory) take to the field to take on Russia (Who only made their 2nd appearance at a Rugby World Cup (They made their debut in 2011 in New Zealand) in the opener at Tokyo Stadium in the Chofu region in Tokyo but New Zealand's 1st game of the Rugby World Cup is against the Springboks (Who will try to snap the All Blacks 14 game winning streak at a Rugby World Cup (The AB's) but their 1st meeting at a Rugby World Cup was in 1995 in the final in which Springbok 1st five-eighth Joel Stransky scored that match winning drop goal that broke our hearts for the hosts to lift their 1st of their 2nd Rugby World Cup titles although both teams would play in the 3rd place playoff in 1999 in which the Boks won to claim 3rd then in 2003 in the quarterfinal in which New Zealand sent South Africa packing (Although their coach Rudolf Straeuli had to be sacked due to their highly controversial training boot camp prior to the 2003 tournament, dubbed as 'Kamp Staaldraad' (Afrikaans word for camp barbed wire) but their most recent meeting at a Rugby World Cup was way back in 2015 in a semifinal where the All Blacks had won by 2 points to go through to the final against Australia in which we triumphed for our 3rd Rugby World Cup title (Well, we finally managed to complete our successful Rugby World Cup title defence (Compared to Manchester City who have managed to successfully defend the Premier League title after taking victory away from home against Brighton & Hove Albion) on the 21st of September at International Stadium Yokohama in Yokohama.
And finally I have got both Super Rugby games to watch both tomorrow (Hurricanes Vs Jaguares) & Saturday (Part 2 of the battle of the Bombays between the Blues Vs Chiefs) & I've got that Star Wars movie to watch on Sunday morning which is Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (I read The Listener about it that the Star Wars movie that I'm watching on Sunday only has 2 stars because it is the worst Star Wars movie ever made (Compared to the 1st Star Wars film which is arguably the best) although the 2015 movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, only gave a 3 & half star rating but Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (I've only seen that movie once in 2016) is better than The Force Awakens because of the 4 star rating).
And finally here are the rest of the results from round 13 of the 2019 Super Rugby season:
Rebels 30 - 24 Reds
Lions 29 - 28 Waratahs
& Brumbies 33 - 0 Sunwolves
So that is my 284th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 24th of this year.
P.S. The 2019 Cricket World Cup should begin in a fortnight when hosts England (Led by Irish born player Eoin Morgan) face South Africa (Featuring both wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock (Who plays for the Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians in the IPL in which they won the title for the 4th time in their history in the final against the MS Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings) & captain Faf du Plessis (Chennai Super Kings) as one of their players playing for South Africa who have never reached the final of the Cricket World Cup (They came so close against England (Featuring Ian 'Beefy' Botham) in 1992 but rain had ruined the South Africans day of reaching the final (They needed 22 runs off 13 balls before rain came then both teams entered on the pitch after the rain had stopped meaning that South Africa only needed 22 off 1 but that was bitterly disappointing stuff for South Africa) then in 1999 when legendary paceman Allan Donald got run out for the South Africans as the Australians (Led by the legendary Steve Waugh) marched on to the final despite the match had been tied then in 2007 when the Ricky Ponting led Australia fought South Africa again in the semifinal in which the Aussies dominated & finally in 2015 in a semifinal game in which South African born Black Caps player Grant Elliott hit the match winning six with 2 balls to spare which broke South African hearts (Including that the South African selectors got it all wrong when they chose the semi fit Vernon Philander instead of the in form bowler of Kyle Abbott who impressed them for South Africa during the 2015 tournament) & therefore missed out on the chance to advance through to the final) in the opener at The Oval located in London but New Zealand's 1st game of the Cricket World Cup is against Sri Lanka (Featuring Lasith Malinga (One of Quinton de Kock's teammates playing for the Mumbai Indians) on the very 1st day of June at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, Wales.
And it is only 4 months until the 2019 Rugby World Cup when hosts Japan (Who had won 4 matches at a Rugby World Cup including that famous upset win against South Africa at Brighton 4 years ago (And Pops told me in 2015 that the Japanese men in the crowd were getting emotional about the victory) take to the field to take on Russia (Who only made their 2nd appearance at a Rugby World Cup (They made their debut in 2011 in New Zealand) in the opener at Tokyo Stadium in the Chofu region in Tokyo but New Zealand's 1st game of the Rugby World Cup is against the Springboks (Who will try to snap the All Blacks 14 game winning streak at a Rugby World Cup (The AB's) but their 1st meeting at a Rugby World Cup was in 1995 in the final in which Springbok 1st five-eighth Joel Stransky scored that match winning drop goal that broke our hearts for the hosts to lift their 1st of their 2nd Rugby World Cup titles although both teams would play in the 3rd place playoff in 1999 in which the Boks won to claim 3rd then in 2003 in the quarterfinal in which New Zealand sent South Africa packing (Although their coach Rudolf Straeuli had to be sacked due to their highly controversial training boot camp prior to the 2003 tournament, dubbed as 'Kamp Staaldraad' (Afrikaans word for camp barbed wire) but their most recent meeting at a Rugby World Cup was way back in 2015 in a semifinal where the All Blacks had won by 2 points to go through to the final against Australia in which we triumphed for our 3rd Rugby World Cup title (Well, we finally managed to complete our successful Rugby World Cup title defence (Compared to Manchester City who have managed to successfully defend the Premier League title after taking victory away from home against Brighton & Hove Albion) on the 21st of September at International Stadium Yokohama in Yokohama.
And finally I have got both Super Rugby games to watch both tomorrow (Hurricanes Vs Jaguares) & Saturday (Part 2 of the battle of the Bombays between the Blues Vs Chiefs) & I've got that Star Wars movie to watch on Sunday morning which is Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (I read The Listener about it that the Star Wars movie that I'm watching on Sunday only has 2 stars because it is the worst Star Wars movie ever made (Compared to the 1st Star Wars film which is arguably the best) although the 2015 movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, only gave a 3 & half star rating but Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (I've only seen that movie once in 2016) is better than The Force Awakens because of the 4 star rating).
Thursday, 9 May 2019
Rules Of The Game Of Thrones 2019 edition (My 1st blog of May 2019)
Well, it has been 7 years since I 1st started blogging but both Pops & Carole have returned from their holiday in both Hawaii & San Diego but I was glad to see Pops again after I missed him so much (And Mum (Who still lives in Paraparaumu) took good care of me while Pops was away).
And in Super Rugby news the match between the Crusaders & the Sharks ended in a draw (Although the Crusaders almost lost that game because they were on the jaws of defeat) at Christchurch Stadium in Christchurch then the Hurricanes had a good win against the Rebels at Westpac Stadium in Wellington despite a tremendous fightback from the Rebels but another match was drawn between the Highlanders & the Chiefs at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin (The Highlanders were on the verge of victory until the Chiefs denied the Highlanders a certain win, saving themselves from the jaws of defeat just like the Crusaders (And even one of the Chiefs players made an impact in the form of former New Zealand under 20s captain, Luke Jacobson) & the Blues miss out on a victory against the Brumbies in Canberra.
And finally in the European soccer news department, it's Liverpool who will face Spurs of Tottenham in the 2019 UEFA Champions League final at the Estadio Metropolitano (Home of Atletico Madrid) in Madrid, Spain after Liverpool (Who were without key men Mo Salah & Roberto Firmino) produced a comeback win against Lionel Messi & co of FC Barcelona at Anfield (Well they trashed them 4 - 0 to overturn a 0 - 3 deficit on aggregate) in Liverpool dubbed as the miracle on Merseyside then Spurs (Who were without injured star talisman Harry Kane) did the unthinkable (Although they did a Liverpool type of comeback) by beating the surprise package of the tournament, Ajax (Who had beaten the likes of Real Madrid in the round of 16 & Juventus in the quarterfinal) 3 - 2 at the Johan Cryuff Arena in Amsterdam but had to advance on away goals rule as a result to face Liverpool (Who are in the final yet again (Last year they lost to Real Madrid) & have won it 5 times (Their last win was in 2005 in which they won on penalties against AC Milan) in an all English final (Well, Chelsea was the last English club to win the Champions league way back in 2012).
So that is my 283rd blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 23rd of this year.
P.S. And here is the list of my movies that I have seen this year:
Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse (2018)
Spider-Man (2002)
Rush (2013)
Austin Powers In Goldmember (2002)
Richie McCaw: Chasing Great (2016)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Star Wars (1977)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Return Of The Jedi (1983)
& The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
UPDATED
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones (2002)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith (2005)
The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)
The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)
Dog's Best Friend (2017)
The Keeper (2019)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)
And in Super Rugby news the match between the Crusaders & the Sharks ended in a draw (Although the Crusaders almost lost that game because they were on the jaws of defeat) at Christchurch Stadium in Christchurch then the Hurricanes had a good win against the Rebels at Westpac Stadium in Wellington despite a tremendous fightback from the Rebels but another match was drawn between the Highlanders & the Chiefs at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin (The Highlanders were on the verge of victory until the Chiefs denied the Highlanders a certain win, saving themselves from the jaws of defeat just like the Crusaders (And even one of the Chiefs players made an impact in the form of former New Zealand under 20s captain, Luke Jacobson) & the Blues miss out on a victory against the Brumbies in Canberra.
And finally in the European soccer news department, it's Liverpool who will face Spurs of Tottenham in the 2019 UEFA Champions League final at the Estadio Metropolitano (Home of Atletico Madrid) in Madrid, Spain after Liverpool (Who were without key men Mo Salah & Roberto Firmino) produced a comeback win against Lionel Messi & co of FC Barcelona at Anfield (Well they trashed them 4 - 0 to overturn a 0 - 3 deficit on aggregate) in Liverpool dubbed as the miracle on Merseyside then Spurs (Who were without injured star talisman Harry Kane) did the unthinkable (Although they did a Liverpool type of comeback) by beating the surprise package of the tournament, Ajax (Who had beaten the likes of Real Madrid in the round of 16 & Juventus in the quarterfinal) 3 - 2 at the Johan Cryuff Arena in Amsterdam but had to advance on away goals rule as a result to face Liverpool (Who are in the final yet again (Last year they lost to Real Madrid) & have won it 5 times (Their last win was in 2005 in which they won on penalties against AC Milan) in an all English final (Well, Chelsea was the last English club to win the Champions league way back in 2012).
So that is my 283rd blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 23rd of this year.
P.S. And here is the list of my movies that I have seen this year:
Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse (2018)
Spider-Man (2002)
Rush (2013)
Austin Powers In Goldmember (2002)
Richie McCaw: Chasing Great (2016)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Star Wars (1977)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Return Of The Jedi (1983)
& The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
UPDATED
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones (2002)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith (2005)
The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)
The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)
Dog's Best Friend (2017)
The Keeper (2019)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)
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