Well, it all comes down to this because this is the final part of my year in review so here's another of those best blogs with the most views of the month from the November - December period beginning with 2019 Rugby World Cup final review (The Rugby World Cup is South Africa's Cup):
And South Africa, are the champions of the World! South Africa have won the Rugby World Cup! They're on top of the World! It's all over! The William Webb Ellis trophy returns to South Africa!
Well, for the 1st time since 2007, South Africa (Although Dad was backing our old foe the Springboks in the final against England as well as Pops because the English have beaten us in our tragic semifinal flop therefore we missed out on a golden opportunity for a historic three peat) have done it, winning their 3rd Rugby World Cup title (And that is the 3rd time that they have won the Rugby World Cup along with the All Blacks (We 1st won it in 1987 then 24 years later in 2011 & successfully defended the World Cup in 2015) after previously winning the 1995 & 2007 tournaments) after comprehensively beating England (Who had to lose tight head prop Kyle Sinckler in the process after 3 minutes & copping his English teammate, Maro Itoje's elbow straight to Sinckler's head so Sinckler had to go off for an HIA (Head Injury Assesment) meaning that he won't be back on the field as he was being replaced by reserve tight head prop Dan Cole which proved to be the turning point of the final as South Africa began to really dominate despite shrugging off some injury problems caused by hooker Bongi Mbonambi (Head knock) & second rower Lood de Jager (Broken shoulder) but both Mbonambi & de Jager had to be replaced by Malcolm Marx & Franco Mostert respectively) in an epic Rugby World Cup final (South African first five Handre Pollard scored 22 points while both wingers Makazole Mapimpi & Cheslin Kolbe were the try scorers (Although at one point Makazole Mapimpi's try might have been ruled out because of an apparent forward pass that French referee Jerome Garces missed (And the English fans aren't happy at all about that forward pass which went unnoticed by the ref as well as the assistant referees & the TMO) & of course, man of the match went to number 8 Duane Vermeulen who had a superb game) at International Stadium Yokohama in Japan (They did an excellent job of hosting the tournament, they'll be really pleased despite the 3 cancelled games due to the effects of the typhoon but the next major sporting event is the summer Olympic Games in Tokyo next year), so here is the match commentary provided from Newshub (And that'll be the 1st time that I'll be providing match commentary not involving the All Blacks):
Kia ora, good evening and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the Rugby World Cup final from Yokohama Stadium.
South Africa: 1-Tendai Mtawarira, 2-Bongi Mbonambi, 3-Frans Malherbe, 4-Eben Etzebeth, 5-Lood de Jager, 6-Siya Kolisi (captain), 7-Pieter-Steph du Toit, 8-Duane Vermeulen, 9-Faf de Klerk, 10-Handre Pollard, 11-Makazole Mapimpi, 12-Damian de Allende, 13-Lukhanyo Am, 14-Cheslin Kolbe, 15-Willie le Roux.
Reserves: 16-Malcolm Marx, 17-Steven Kitshoff, 18-Vincent Koch, 19-RG Snyman, 20-Franco Mostert, 21-Francois Louw, 22-Herschel Jantjies, 23-Frans Steyn.
England: 1-Mako Vunipola, 2-Jamie George, 3-Kyle Sinckler, 4-Maro Itoje, 5-Courtney Lawes, 6-Tom Curry, 7-Sam Underhill, 8-Billy Vunipola, 9-Ben Youngs, 10-George Ford, 11-Jonny May, 12-Owen Farrell (capt), 13-Manu Tuilagi, 14-Anthony Watson, 15-Elliot Daly.
Reserves: 16-Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17-Joe Marler, 18-Dan Cole, 19-George Kruis, 20-Mark Wilson, 21-Ben Spencer, 22-Henry Slade, 23-Jonathan Joseph.
9:55 PM: Both sides are in the tunnel, preparing for the biggest games of their careers.
9:58 PM: Anthems now, wow, the crowd are loud, mostly English by the looks/sounds.
9:59 PM: The first time since 2007 we won't see the Haka in the final.
1ST MINUTE: Kickoff here for the final time in Japan.
PENALTY MISS: Swing low echos around the stadium as South Africa win a penalty at the breakdown, kick at field to come. It's wide.
3RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Sinckler is knocked out in the tackle and is laying on the ground - Garces blows the whistle, he wont be back by the looks. Massive loss for the English, massive loss. He goes for the tackle and cops an arm to the head from his teammate Itoje.
SUBSTITUTION: Sinckler is walking off the park on his own, great to see - but he wont be back.
4TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY: From the scrum and South Africa win the penalty after a massive push, South Africa play on.
5TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Advantage over, England gather and run it from their own goal line, they clear.
6TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), SCRUM: Really nice attack from South Africa, nice play from Pollard who chases and gathers his own kick, le Roux knocks the ball on, England scrum.
9TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY GOAL: Massive work from the South African forwards, England opt to run the ball in their own 22 - Vermeulen wins the penalty, England 0 - 3 South Africa.
10TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Box kick from de Klerk, like a broken record for South Africa.
11TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Youngs comes up with a big error, throws the pill over everyone and it's out.
12TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), SCRUM: A double knock on there, South Africa have the scrum feed.
14TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Another box kick from de Klerk and England play South Africa's game, but good defence gets England a lineout in a good position.
15TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Dusty lineout from George and England knock it on, they look a different team to the one which beat the All Blacks.
17TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY: Dominance from South Africa at scrum time, they win a penalty and kick for touch.
19TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY: Another box kick and Daly takes the catch and clears through Youngs, a block from South Africa and England will kick for touch.
21ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY: England attack and attack but can't find a way through, they do well at the breakdown and win the penalty - Farrell points to the posts.
SUBSTITUTION: Shocking from ref Garces who doesn't stop the play when Bongi Mbonambi is laying on the floor with a head knock, horrible. Marx is on.
Lood de Jager is down too, shoulder seems to have popped out.
23RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY GOAL: Farrell takes the shot at goal and it's good. England 3 - 3 South Africa.
24TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), SCRUM: England knock the ball on from the kick off, good chance for South Africa here.
25TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL: Dominant scrum again from South Africa, they win another penalty, they will kick for the three. England 3 - 6 South Africa.
27TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Another perfect kick from de Klerk, got the pill on a string now.
Mistake from Ford, they are guilty of trying to play South Africa's game a little, he kicks it out on the full.
28TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY: Knock on from South Africa, Am is the man and de Klerk gives away a penalty.
34TH MINUTE (6 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY GOAL: England under advantage throw absolutely everything at the South African's but they cant find a way through - this defence is well up for it here. England win a penalty and will kick for the points. It's good England 6 - 6 South Africa.
36TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY GOAL: South Africa look to start an attack, they shift left and win a penalty. Pollard will kick for the three. It's good. England 6 - 9 South Africa.
40TH MINUTE (4 MINUTES LATER), SCRUM: South Africa pick and choose their attack and Am makes a break, he puts in a kick and wins a scrum after a Daly knock on.
41ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL: From the scrum, South Africa win another penalty and will kick for three. It's good. England 6 - 12 South Africa.
HALF TIME.
41ST MINUTE: Back underway.
42ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Lots of kicking to start the second half, South Africa continue to look to play without the ball.
44TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): England look to force the ball there, South African defence is relentless, England throw the ball out, South Africa lineout.
SUBSTITUTION: The big substitution here from South Africa, the two props are off and replaced by Steven Kitshoff and Vincent Koch.
45TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL: Their first impact is a penalty at scrum time. Penalty won, kick to come. It's good. England 6 - 15 South Africa.
47TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY: Maul called, and the South African forwards just collapse the ball and win a scrum, which is basically a penalty.
48TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY: Much better at scrum time from England, but South Africa win their sixth penalty of the match at scrum time, they kick for touch.
49TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Turnover won by England at the lineout, Itoje is the man to do it.
50TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL: Massive scrum from England and they blow through South Africa there. Huge. They take the kick, it's good. England 9 - 15 South Africa.
53RD MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): South Africa go to the air again, Daly does well to take the kick.
PENALTY MISS: Pollard is tackled and absolutely swallowed, Curry makes the turnover, like he has all season. They will kick for three. It's wide.
56TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): Amazing from South Africa, they go blind, le Roux puts in a remarkable kick, Daly clears but it's only 20 metres.
57TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL: Wow, South Africa go left and there's the whole forward pack waiting, they win a penalty from the maul and Pollard will kick for three. It's good. England 9 - 18 South Africa.
58TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL: From the kickoff, England win a penalty, not too sure why - Marx is called for wrong entry. It's good. England 12 - 18 South Africa.
60TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Great kick from Youngs, Vermeulen catches the bomb and is tackled out. England lineout.
62ND MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A battle of kicks here, South Africa win the penalty after Watson obstructs Makazole Mapimpi. South Africa will kick for three. It's short from 53m.
64TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), SCRUM: Pollard puts up another bomb and once again, Mapimpi gets up over Daly to win a scrum.
66TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY SOUTH AFRICA & CONVERSION: Perfection from South Africa, they go blind side and Mapimpi puts a kick in for Am, he gets the bounce and finds Mapimpi on the outside for a try. Kick is good. England 12 - 25 South Africa.
68TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), SCRUM: Kolbe goes for the intercept try but he can't quite catch it, England win the scrum feed.
70TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), SCRUM: Knock on from England as they charge to the corner, heroic defence from South Africa once again, Watson knocks it on.
72ND MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Another massive kick from de Klerk, perfect boxy.
73RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Knock on from Daly and Steyn kicks, that is game over in my book.
74TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY SOUTH AFRICA & CONVERSION: What a way to finish off this game, Kolbe makes Farrell look like an absolute mug, he beats three defenders and the little man scores! Kick is good. England 12 - 32 South Africa.
77TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), SCRUM: England have the ball now, 80m from their line, knock on from Tuilagi, South Africa scrum 10m out.
78TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Pollard goes for a drop goal, it's wide, but it's all over - just two minutes left!
80TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): That's it, South Africa kick the ball out and the party has started for the Springboks! Flawless execution.
FULL TIME!
ENGLAND 12 - 32 SOUTH AFRICA
SOUTH AFRICA 32 (Cheslin Kolbe, Makazole Mapimpi tries Handre Pollard 2 cons 6 pens)
ENGLAND 12 (Owen Farrell 4 pens) AT INTERNATIONAL STADIUM YOKOHAMA
And now onto the awards ceremony as England receive their runner-up medals (Although some English players have refused to put the silver medals on their necks) and then it is the Springboks time to shine as they collect the prize winning medals (Well, South Africa have deserved it as the true winners of the 2019 Rugby World Cup) before His Imperial Highness The Crown Prince Of Japan is to present the trophy to Siya Kolisi as he is about to lift the William Webb Ellis Trophy, and THE WORLD CUP!! IS BACK IN SOUTH AFRICA'S HANDS!!! But so many players in the squad (All 31 of them including 2 injured players and the coach Rassie Erasmus) have the opportunity of a lifetime to touch the trophy, but now on behalf of all to you, as the Springboks will defend the cup in France 2023.
And my last thoughts after the 2019 Rugby World Cup? The Rugby World Cup is South Africa's Cup! ¡Viva la Bokke! (Long live the Bokke).
P.S. And we have just heard at the rugby awards that try of the year went to All Black halfback TJ Perenara for his sensational rugby league style acrobatic try against Namibia in the pool games while team of the year was indeed South Africa for completing the rare Rugby Championship & Rugby World Cup double (1st time ever since 2003 that England had won both the Six Nations & Rugby World Cup) in the same year & finally, player of the year went to South African blindside flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit who has now officially taken over from Jonathan Sexton as the best rugby player in the world (And don't forget that the coach of the year award goes to Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus because now that South Africa have literally owned 2019) while the breakthrough player of the year award goes to a Frenchman who is the son of French rugby great Emile, Romain Ntamack.
And finally the 2nd one is taken from The year in review (2019 edition, part 3):
P.S. And we have just heard that Ian Foster has replaced Steve Hansen to become the newly christened All Blacks coach (Just several weeks after former Chiefs coach Dave Rennie had been confirmed as the brand new Wallabies coach to replace the embattled Michael Chieka) but the AB's are now in a rebuilding phase after that tragic Rugby World Cup semifinal flop against England (Who had to lose to the Siya Kolisi led Springboks (Who had to win their 3rd RWC crown) in the final in Japan) which just happened nearly 2 months ago (But their next test is a Rugby World Cup 3rd & 4th place playoff rematch against Wales at Eden Park in Auckland in July next year just a month after the 2020 Super Rugby season is complete).
And news just come in as 3 time Olympic gold medalist Peter Snell has just passed away so RIP (Rest in peace) to New Zealand's true Olympic legend in the making (Well, all thoughts & condolences go to the family of Peter Snell) because Pops told me about it today.
So that is my 340th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 80th of this year (Well, happy new year everyone to you all tomorrow (2020 is about to start tomorrow) because 2019 is almost coming to an end).
P.S. And what do I think of 2019? We had our great year but life's got to float on.
And finally I would like to say thanks to my whole friends & whanau such as Pops, my dog Buck, Dad, Jansen, Raewyn, Aunty Tania, Rejean, Uncle Bryan, Aunty Viv, Ashley, Charlotte, Leon Benbaruk, Sophia Ong, Kathryn, Ken Branch, Ben Blain, Ben's girlfriend Robina, Sherylle-Anne Collins, Carole Webb, Carole's son Andy, Andy's wife Kelsey, Carole's brother Martin, Martin's wife Leila, Martin & Leila's son Marat, Wai Lam, Wai Lam's wife Marie, Uncle Nigel, Uncle Nigel's adoptive son Isaac, Toa Waaka, Toa's girlfriend/partner Kelli, Toa's daughter Hiritoa, Narlea, Narlea's husband Stephen, Nufemmia, Matt Pine as well as Mum for all my support, thank you...As we will see you all in 2020.
And finally my personal highlights of the year for me was Dad & Raewyns wedding as well as the South Island trip & seeing the new Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker movie.
Monday, 30 December 2019
Tuesday, 24 December 2019
The year in review (2019 edition, part 5)
Well, this is part 4 of my year in review so here's another of those best blogs with the most views of the month from the September - October period beginning with Breaking Dawn 2: The 2019 Rugby World Cup preview.
Well, the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan is almost upon us tomorrow night at quarter to 11 so let's have a look at the pools, teams & the key men (Well this is the sequel to the highly successful blog that I did in 2015 called Breaking Dawn: The 2015 Rugby World Cup preview (And yes, the eyes of the rugby world will be in Japan as the country plays host to the Rugby World Cup):
Pool A:
Ireland (Jonathan Sexton)
Japan (Michael Leitch)
Russia (Vasily Artemyev)
Samoa (Chris Vui)
Scotland (Stuart Hogg)
Pool B:
Canada (Tyler Ardron)
Italy (Sergio Parisse)
Namibia (Eugene Jantjies)
New Zealand (Beauden Barrett)
South Africa (Malcolm Marx)
Pool C:
Argentina (Pablo Matera)
England (Maro Itoje)
France (Guilhem Guirado)
Tonga (Telusa Veainu)
United States (Joe Taufete'e)
Pool D:
Australia (David Pocock)
Fiji (Leone Nakarawa)
Georgia (Beka Gorgadze)
Uruguay (Agustin Ormaechea)
Wales (Alun Wyn Jones)
And who is going to win the tournament? We'll see (Well mine would be New Zealand at this stage because they won the last Rugby World Cup).
And here is some of the moments revisited as part of previous blogs that I did involving the Rugby World Cup but 1st it is Breaking Dawn: the 2015 Rugby World Cup preview:
And yes the game was indeed invented by William Webb Ellis the great who invented the game by picking up and ran the ball with it because it was against the rules in football/soccer so a new sport was created way back then.
The 1st World Cup was held back in 1987 with the All Blacks dominated the tournament in which they beat Italy (Including that all time great try from John Kirwan as well as Michael Jones scoring the 1st genuine try of the World Cup because the very 1st try of the World Cup was a penalty try), Fiji and Argentina in the pool games before taking on Scotland in the quarterfinals in which they won and Wales in the semifinals (Huw Richards got sent off for throwing that punch before Wayne 'Buck' Shelford threw a punch on Richards which went unpunished) before clashing with traditional rivals France (Who beat Australia with a desperate last minute try scored by Serge Blanco) in the final moments before New Zealand beat France 29 - 9 (With some great tries being scored by captain David Kirk as well as Kirwan) to win the very 1st ever Rugby World Cup title with Kirk lifting the World Cup title as seen on national television.
And then in 1991 (The year that I was born), the All Blacks world cup curse had begun, losing to eventual champions Australia in the semifinal who beat hosts England in the final...then in 1995, disaster struck as New Zealand (Which featured rugby's 1st global superstar, Jonah Lomu) failed to regain the crown (With several players fell victim to food poisoning with the exception of captain Sean Fitzpatrick and the Brooke brothers of Robin & Zinzan), losing to debutants and hosts South Africa in the final in which united the host country as well as their leader Nelson Mandela, but in 1999, the All Blacks took on rivals and eventual runners up France (Who lost to the eventual champions Australia) in the semifinal but nek minute, they were torn sky blast apart from the French who enjoyed an insane amount of rugby during the 2nd half and then in 2003, something went wrong for the All Blacks during the semifinals as Stirling Mortlock's intercept try for the Wallabies ended New Zealand's hopes of reaching the World Cup final, which was won by England and in 2007 during the quarterfinals, France terminated the All Blacks dream of winning the World Cup just like as it was repeating the heroics way back in '99 through a blatant forward pass not seen by English referee Wayne Barnes (Although South Africa won the tourney beating England in the final).
And so on in 2011, the All Blacks opened with a win over the kingdom of Tonga (Who hijacked us at the start) at Eden Park in Auckland (41 - 10) followed by Japan at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton 83 - 7 (The night before the mighty green throng of Ireland turned the tables on Australia, causing an upset), then France in Auckland (37 - 17) with captain Richie McCaw becoming the 1st All Black to reach 100 test caps followed by beating Canada at Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington 79 - 15 (The day after Tonga providing another upset victory over France as well as Dan Carter, who was ruled out of the tournament altogether with a groin injury), then it is quarter final time as we scraped Argentina 33 - 10 in Auckland (Although Colin Slade suffered an injury similar to Dan Carter's), then finally beating against our traditional Trans Tasman rivals Australia (Who defeated South Africa in the quarter final which was better off forgotten) in the semifinal 20 - 6 (It was the night after the French flair titans (Who gave England the chop in the quarterfinal) defeated the Welsh (Who had beaten the mighty green throng in the quarters) in the other semifinal in which Sam Warburton got sent off for that famous spear tackle) before we once again took on France in the final, just as it was back in 1987, with the weight of the nation above our shoulders (Although Stephen 'Beaver' Donald was called up in the last minute whilst he was white baiting, YA GOT THAT!! WHITEBAITING), we have won us the CUP!!! HAIL TO THE KING BABY!!! I'VE GOT BALLS OF STEEL!!! And yeah, not only that we have ended our Rugby World Cup curse after 24 years of agony and pain, as if, not ONLY we beat France 8 - 7, we have managed to lift the World Cup trophy, not only because it is the greatest moment of my life.
And finally this blog that I did in 2016 is about the 2015 tournament revisited which is My 50th Blog: The best of 2012 - 2016 (Greatest Hits + Another longest blog ever made)
And so we fast forward to last year such as Breaking Dawn: the 2015 Rugby World Cup preview but this one is about the preview of the 2015 Rugby World Cup (Won by the All Blacks who had a great but excellent campaign compared to the 1987 & 2011 ones by beating Argentina (Who advanced through to the quarterfinal after finishing runner up in Pool C with victories after losing to New Zealand against Georgia, Tonga & Namibia by beating Ireland (Who topped Pool D with wins against Canada in the opener, Romania, Italy & France (Who took on the AB's in the quarterfinal after losing to Ireland to finish runner up in Pool D after victories against Italy in the opener, Romania & Canada & lost) before losing both to the Wallabies (Who topped the pool of death in Pool A with wins against Fiji in the opener, Uruguay, hosts England (Who got knocked out of their own home turf) & Wales (Who took on South Africa in the quarterfinals after finishing the pool of death in Pool A with victories against Uruguay, hosts England (Who won the World Cup back in 2003) & Fiji before losing to Australia & lost) to advance through to the quarterfinal to take on Scotland (Who beat both Japan & Samoa & losing to the Springboks to finish runner up in Pool B) in which they won (In which the game should've & could've gone to the Scottish under controversial circumstances, they were livid) before beating Argentina in the semifinal & facing the All Blacks in the final in which they missed out by losing to them) in the semifinal & South Africa (Who famously lost to Japan in the opener in one of the greatest upsets & famous wins in the history of the World Cup before topping Pool B with victories against Samoa, Scotland & the United States before advancing through to the quarterfinal by beating Wales before losing to New Zealand in the semifinal & winning against Argentina to claim 3rd place) to determine who will claim 3rd place) in the opener then wins against Namibia, Georgia & Tonga by topping Pool C to advance through to the quarterfinal to take on France in which they won before beating the Boks (Winners in 1995 & 2007) in the semifinal & facing Australia (World Champions in 1991 & 99) in the final in which they won in a convincing fashion because they became the 1st team to go back to back, the 1st to win 3 titles & the 1st time that the All Blacks have won the Rugby World Cup on foreign soil because they have never achieved that before because they finally deserved it by earning our right) held in England (With some matches being played in Wales) which is called Breaking Dawn: the 2015 Rugby World Cup preview.
And finally, the 2nd one is taken from 2019 Rugby World Cup Japan report (Part 5):
Well, news just come in during the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan as 14 man Ireland advance to the quarterfinals after their immense win against Samoa before the match between Canada & Namibia had to be eventually cancelled due to typhoon Hagibis (That's the 3rd time that the tournament organisers had to call the match off along with England/France & New Zealand/Italy) then Wales top Pool D with a resounding victory against Uruguay while Japan topple Scotland (Dubbed as the best match of the 2019 Rugby World Cup) in the 3rd biggest boil over of the 2019 tournament to qualify for their 1st ever Rugby World Cup quarterfinal appearance.
And here is the confirmed list for quarterfinal matches being played (Well, not only these high octane quarterfinal matches are going to be epic indeed, so yeah definitely):
England Vs Australia (The last time both of these sides had met at a Rugby World Cup was during the pool stages in 2015 in which the Wallabies knocked previous hosts England (Who didn't get out of their pool (Well, that was their worst result ever at a Rugby World Cup) after losing to Wales & Australia as I mentioned before) out of the Rugby World Cup (Well I thought Wallaby first five Bernard Foley was the top performer of that game but it went to English lock/second rower Joe Launchbury)
New Zealand Vs Ireland (Their most recent meeting at a Rugby World Cup was a long time ago in 1995 during the pool stages in which the late All Black star winger Jonah Lomu (Who was just a young 20 year old (And what is his occupation? Well he was working as a bank officer at ASB Bank) way back then a year after making his test debut at 19 (He was the youngest AB ever) against France at the old Lancaster Park in Christchurch) who got a double by scoring his 1st 2 test tries)
Wales Vs France (Their only clash at a Rugby World Cup was at a semifinal in 2011 (The winner would face the All Blacks in the final in which we finally claimed victory against our trans Tasman rivals the Wallabies in the other semifinal) in which Welsh captain Sam Warburton who had been shown the red card by Irish referee Alain Rolland for that famous spear/tip tackle on French winger Vincent Clerc which will always be remembered therefore handing France the victory against a 14 man Wales by a single point (The final score was 9 - 8) & hadn't even scored a single try in the match (Mike Phillips scored a late try but the conversion had been missed by Welsh reserve first five Stephen Jones who had just come onto the field for James Hook who had a wretched night as a goal kicker)
And Japan Vs South Africa (And also their only meeting between the 2 sides at a Rugby World Cup was in 2015 during the pool stages in which New Zealand born Japanese player Karne Hesketh who went in for the kill & scored the match winning try (Well to start with after the full 80 minutes had been up (And the Springboks had their prop forward Coenie Oosthuizen in the sin bin & were down to 14 men), they opted for the scrum (After French referee Jerome Garces had given Japan a scrum penalty) to win the game rather than a penalty goal for the draw which was actually a good idea, & they liked it of course) to seal the deal & claim the biggest boil over in Rugby World Cup history (Well, I remember that game (And Pops told me that the Japanese men were getting emotional about the victory) because it was known as the miracle on Brighton)
P.S. And here are my top 5 Rugby World Cup moments:
5: Sam Warburton's red card against France during the semifinal in 2011
4: The late Jonah Lomu running over the top of Mike Catt also during the semifinal in 1995
3: Japan's glorious upset win against the Springboks in 2015
2: The All Blacks winning the 2011 Rugby World Cup against France in the final (Including Stephen 'Beaver' Donald's match winning penalty to win our 2nd Rugby World Cup title & our 1st in 24 years) on home soil
& 1: The AB's winning the 2015 Rugby World Cup against the Wallabies in the final (Including Beauden 'Beaudy' Barrett's try that sealed the deal to clinch our 2nd Rugby World Cup title in a row & our 1st to win 3 Rugby World Cups) on foreign soil
So that is my 339th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 79th of this year (Well, Christmas (AKA the real thing as I call it) is finally here today so merry Christmas to you all boys & girls).
Well, the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan is almost upon us tomorrow night at quarter to 11 so let's have a look at the pools, teams & the key men (Well this is the sequel to the highly successful blog that I did in 2015 called Breaking Dawn: The 2015 Rugby World Cup preview (And yes, the eyes of the rugby world will be in Japan as the country plays host to the Rugby World Cup):
Pool A:
Ireland (Jonathan Sexton)
Japan (Michael Leitch)
Russia (Vasily Artemyev)
Samoa (Chris Vui)
Scotland (Stuart Hogg)
Pool B:
Canada (Tyler Ardron)
Italy (Sergio Parisse)
Namibia (Eugene Jantjies)
New Zealand (Beauden Barrett)
South Africa (Malcolm Marx)
Pool C:
Argentina (Pablo Matera)
England (Maro Itoje)
France (Guilhem Guirado)
Tonga (Telusa Veainu)
United States (Joe Taufete'e)
Pool D:
Australia (David Pocock)
Fiji (Leone Nakarawa)
Georgia (Beka Gorgadze)
Uruguay (Agustin Ormaechea)
Wales (Alun Wyn Jones)
And who is going to win the tournament? We'll see (Well mine would be New Zealand at this stage because they won the last Rugby World Cup).
And here is some of the moments revisited as part of previous blogs that I did involving the Rugby World Cup but 1st it is Breaking Dawn: the 2015 Rugby World Cup preview:
And yes the game was indeed invented by William Webb Ellis the great who invented the game by picking up and ran the ball with it because it was against the rules in football/soccer so a new sport was created way back then.
The 1st World Cup was held back in 1987 with the All Blacks dominated the tournament in which they beat Italy (Including that all time great try from John Kirwan as well as Michael Jones scoring the 1st genuine try of the World Cup because the very 1st try of the World Cup was a penalty try), Fiji and Argentina in the pool games before taking on Scotland in the quarterfinals in which they won and Wales in the semifinals (Huw Richards got sent off for throwing that punch before Wayne 'Buck' Shelford threw a punch on Richards which went unpunished) before clashing with traditional rivals France (Who beat Australia with a desperate last minute try scored by Serge Blanco) in the final moments before New Zealand beat France 29 - 9 (With some great tries being scored by captain David Kirk as well as Kirwan) to win the very 1st ever Rugby World Cup title with Kirk lifting the World Cup title as seen on national television.
And then in 1991 (The year that I was born), the All Blacks world cup curse had begun, losing to eventual champions Australia in the semifinal who beat hosts England in the final...then in 1995, disaster struck as New Zealand (Which featured rugby's 1st global superstar, Jonah Lomu) failed to regain the crown (With several players fell victim to food poisoning with the exception of captain Sean Fitzpatrick and the Brooke brothers of Robin & Zinzan), losing to debutants and hosts South Africa in the final in which united the host country as well as their leader Nelson Mandela, but in 1999, the All Blacks took on rivals and eventual runners up France (Who lost to the eventual champions Australia) in the semifinal but nek minute, they were torn sky blast apart from the French who enjoyed an insane amount of rugby during the 2nd half and then in 2003, something went wrong for the All Blacks during the semifinals as Stirling Mortlock's intercept try for the Wallabies ended New Zealand's hopes of reaching the World Cup final, which was won by England and in 2007 during the quarterfinals, France terminated the All Blacks dream of winning the World Cup just like as it was repeating the heroics way back in '99 through a blatant forward pass not seen by English referee Wayne Barnes (Although South Africa won the tourney beating England in the final).
And so on in 2011, the All Blacks opened with a win over the kingdom of Tonga (Who hijacked us at the start) at Eden Park in Auckland (41 - 10) followed by Japan at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton 83 - 7 (The night before the mighty green throng of Ireland turned the tables on Australia, causing an upset), then France in Auckland (37 - 17) with captain Richie McCaw becoming the 1st All Black to reach 100 test caps followed by beating Canada at Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington 79 - 15 (The day after Tonga providing another upset victory over France as well as Dan Carter, who was ruled out of the tournament altogether with a groin injury), then it is quarter final time as we scraped Argentina 33 - 10 in Auckland (Although Colin Slade suffered an injury similar to Dan Carter's), then finally beating against our traditional Trans Tasman rivals Australia (Who defeated South Africa in the quarter final which was better off forgotten) in the semifinal 20 - 6 (It was the night after the French flair titans (Who gave England the chop in the quarterfinal) defeated the Welsh (Who had beaten the mighty green throng in the quarters) in the other semifinal in which Sam Warburton got sent off for that famous spear tackle) before we once again took on France in the final, just as it was back in 1987, with the weight of the nation above our shoulders (Although Stephen 'Beaver' Donald was called up in the last minute whilst he was white baiting, YA GOT THAT!! WHITEBAITING), we have won us the CUP!!! HAIL TO THE KING BABY!!! I'VE GOT BALLS OF STEEL!!! And yeah, not only that we have ended our Rugby World Cup curse after 24 years of agony and pain, as if, not ONLY we beat France 8 - 7, we have managed to lift the World Cup trophy, not only because it is the greatest moment of my life.
And finally this blog that I did in 2016 is about the 2015 tournament revisited which is My 50th Blog: The best of 2012 - 2016 (Greatest Hits + Another longest blog ever made)
And so we fast forward to last year such as Breaking Dawn: the 2015 Rugby World Cup preview but this one is about the preview of the 2015 Rugby World Cup (Won by the All Blacks who had a great but excellent campaign compared to the 1987 & 2011 ones by beating Argentina (Who advanced through to the quarterfinal after finishing runner up in Pool C with victories after losing to New Zealand against Georgia, Tonga & Namibia by beating Ireland (Who topped Pool D with wins against Canada in the opener, Romania, Italy & France (Who took on the AB's in the quarterfinal after losing to Ireland to finish runner up in Pool D after victories against Italy in the opener, Romania & Canada & lost) before losing both to the Wallabies (Who topped the pool of death in Pool A with wins against Fiji in the opener, Uruguay, hosts England (Who got knocked out of their own home turf) & Wales (Who took on South Africa in the quarterfinals after finishing the pool of death in Pool A with victories against Uruguay, hosts England (Who won the World Cup back in 2003) & Fiji before losing to Australia & lost) to advance through to the quarterfinal to take on Scotland (Who beat both Japan & Samoa & losing to the Springboks to finish runner up in Pool B) in which they won (In which the game should've & could've gone to the Scottish under controversial circumstances, they were livid) before beating Argentina in the semifinal & facing the All Blacks in the final in which they missed out by losing to them) in the semifinal & South Africa (Who famously lost to Japan in the opener in one of the greatest upsets & famous wins in the history of the World Cup before topping Pool B with victories against Samoa, Scotland & the United States before advancing through to the quarterfinal by beating Wales before losing to New Zealand in the semifinal & winning against Argentina to claim 3rd place) to determine who will claim 3rd place) in the opener then wins against Namibia, Georgia & Tonga by topping Pool C to advance through to the quarterfinal to take on France in which they won before beating the Boks (Winners in 1995 & 2007) in the semifinal & facing Australia (World Champions in 1991 & 99) in the final in which they won in a convincing fashion because they became the 1st team to go back to back, the 1st to win 3 titles & the 1st time that the All Blacks have won the Rugby World Cup on foreign soil because they have never achieved that before because they finally deserved it by earning our right) held in England (With some matches being played in Wales) which is called Breaking Dawn: the 2015 Rugby World Cup preview.
And finally, the 2nd one is taken from 2019 Rugby World Cup Japan report (Part 5):
Well, news just come in during the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan as 14 man Ireland advance to the quarterfinals after their immense win against Samoa before the match between Canada & Namibia had to be eventually cancelled due to typhoon Hagibis (That's the 3rd time that the tournament organisers had to call the match off along with England/France & New Zealand/Italy) then Wales top Pool D with a resounding victory against Uruguay while Japan topple Scotland (Dubbed as the best match of the 2019 Rugby World Cup) in the 3rd biggest boil over of the 2019 tournament to qualify for their 1st ever Rugby World Cup quarterfinal appearance.
And here is the confirmed list for quarterfinal matches being played (Well, not only these high octane quarterfinal matches are going to be epic indeed, so yeah definitely):
England Vs Australia (The last time both of these sides had met at a Rugby World Cup was during the pool stages in 2015 in which the Wallabies knocked previous hosts England (Who didn't get out of their pool (Well, that was their worst result ever at a Rugby World Cup) after losing to Wales & Australia as I mentioned before) out of the Rugby World Cup (Well I thought Wallaby first five Bernard Foley was the top performer of that game but it went to English lock/second rower Joe Launchbury)
New Zealand Vs Ireland (Their most recent meeting at a Rugby World Cup was a long time ago in 1995 during the pool stages in which the late All Black star winger Jonah Lomu (Who was just a young 20 year old (And what is his occupation? Well he was working as a bank officer at ASB Bank) way back then a year after making his test debut at 19 (He was the youngest AB ever) against France at the old Lancaster Park in Christchurch) who got a double by scoring his 1st 2 test tries)
Wales Vs France (Their only clash at a Rugby World Cup was at a semifinal in 2011 (The winner would face the All Blacks in the final in which we finally claimed victory against our trans Tasman rivals the Wallabies in the other semifinal) in which Welsh captain Sam Warburton who had been shown the red card by Irish referee Alain Rolland for that famous spear/tip tackle on French winger Vincent Clerc which will always be remembered therefore handing France the victory against a 14 man Wales by a single point (The final score was 9 - 8) & hadn't even scored a single try in the match (Mike Phillips scored a late try but the conversion had been missed by Welsh reserve first five Stephen Jones who had just come onto the field for James Hook who had a wretched night as a goal kicker)
And Japan Vs South Africa (And also their only meeting between the 2 sides at a Rugby World Cup was in 2015 during the pool stages in which New Zealand born Japanese player Karne Hesketh who went in for the kill & scored the match winning try (Well to start with after the full 80 minutes had been up (And the Springboks had their prop forward Coenie Oosthuizen in the sin bin & were down to 14 men), they opted for the scrum (After French referee Jerome Garces had given Japan a scrum penalty) to win the game rather than a penalty goal for the draw which was actually a good idea, & they liked it of course) to seal the deal & claim the biggest boil over in Rugby World Cup history (Well, I remember that game (And Pops told me that the Japanese men were getting emotional about the victory) because it was known as the miracle on Brighton)
P.S. And here are my top 5 Rugby World Cup moments:
5: Sam Warburton's red card against France during the semifinal in 2011
4: The late Jonah Lomu running over the top of Mike Catt also during the semifinal in 1995
3: Japan's glorious upset win against the Springboks in 2015
2: The All Blacks winning the 2011 Rugby World Cup against France in the final (Including Stephen 'Beaver' Donald's match winning penalty to win our 2nd Rugby World Cup title & our 1st in 24 years) on home soil
& 1: The AB's winning the 2015 Rugby World Cup against the Wallabies in the final (Including Beauden 'Beaudy' Barrett's try that sealed the deal to clinch our 2nd Rugby World Cup title in a row & our 1st to win 3 Rugby World Cups) on foreign soil
So that is my 339th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 79th of this year (Well, Christmas (AKA the real thing as I call it) is finally here today so merry Christmas to you all boys & girls).
Friday, 20 December 2019
The year in review (2019 edition, part 4)
Well, this is part 4 of my year in review so here's another of those best blogs with the most views of the month from the July - August period beginning with All Blacks team naming against Argentina (2019 Rugby Championship):
Well (After our disappointing Cricket World Cup final for the Black Caps against England in a super over to decide the fate of the World Cup at Lord's in London but we are now focused on the rugby because it is time to move on from the cricket), the All Blacks have named their team against Argentina in our 1st test match of the year as well as the opening game of the 2019 Rugby Championship season (It's a shortened championship due to World Cup year) at Estadio Jose Amalfitani in Buenos Aires so here is the starting lineup in it's entirety:
PLAYING XV
FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Ofa Tu'ungafasi (Blues/Auckland)
2 (Hooker): Dane Coles (Hurricanes/Wellington)
3 (Tight head prop): Angus Ta'avao (Chiefs/Taranaki)
SECOND ROW
4 (Lock): Brodie Retallick (Chiefs/Hawke's Bay)
5 (Lock): Patrick Tuipulotu (Blues/Auckland)
BACK ROW
6 (Blind side flanker): Vaea Fifita (Hurricanes/Wellington)
7 (Open side flanker): Sam Cane (Captain, Chiefs/Bay Of Plenty)
8 (Number 8): Ardie Savea (Hurricanes/Wellington)
HALVES
9 (Half-back): Aaron Smith (Highlanders/Manawatu)
10 (First five-eighth): Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes/Taranaki)
MIDFIELD
12 (Second five-eighth): Ngani Laumape (Hurricanes/Manawatu)
13 (Centre): Anton Lienert-Brown (Chiefs/Waikato)
OUTSIDE BACKS
11 (Left wing): Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes/Taranaki)
14 (Right wing): Sevu Reece (Crusaders/Waikato)
& 15 (Fullback): Ben Smith (Highlanders/Otago)
And in the reserves are:
16. Liam Coltman (Who replaces Nathan Harris who is dropped from the 39 man All Blacks squad for the 2019 Rugby Championship)
17. Atu Moli (Who is in line to make his test debut off the bench)
18. Nepo Laulala (Who is dropped to the bench to make way for Angus Ta'avao who is elevated to the starting lineup)
19. Jackson Hemopo (Who comes into the side to replace Brodie Retallick who is also elevated to the starting lineup)
20. Luke Jacobson (Who is also in line to make his test debut off the bench)
21. Brad Weber (Who is back in the fold 4 years after playing his last test against Samoa)
22. Josh Ioane (Who'll make his test debut off the bench along with Atu Moli & Luke Jacobson)
& 23. Braydon Ennor (Who'll also make his test debut off the bench along with Moli, Jacobson & Josh Ioane)
And the 2nd one is taken from All Blacks team naming against the Wallabies for Bledisloe I (2019 Rugby Championship) + RIP Sir Brian Lochore, PNC round 2 review, Beauden Barrett joins Blues (My 1st blog of August 2019) & 2019 Ashes 1st test review:
Well, the All Blacks (Who missed out on a win against the Springboks (Who snatched it right at the death to seal a draw with a kick to come but they need a win against Argentina to win their 1st Rugby Championship (Well, they won the Tri Nations before 3 times (1998, 2004 & 2009) but never won a Rugby Championship but who will go into the Rugby World Cup as winners of the Rugby Championship? We'll see) should the AB's lose against Australia) in Wellington, setting the tone for the opening game of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Yokohama on the 21st of September) have named their team against the Wallabies in the 1st of 2 Bledisloe Cup tests as well as the last round of the Rugby Championship (Well, we need a win against the Aussies to retain our coveted Rugby Championship title should South Africa lose & not get a bonus point against Argentina) at the all new Optus Stadium in Perth so here is the starting lineup in it's entirety:
PLAYING XV
FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Joe Moody (Crusaders/Canterbury)
2 (Hooker): Dane Coles (Hurricanes/Wellington)
3 (Tight head prop): Owen Franks (Crusaders/Canterbury)
SECOND ROW
4 (Lock): Scott Barrett (Crusaders/Taranaki)
5 (Lock): Sam Whitelock (Crusaders/Canterbury)
BACK ROW
6 (Blind side flanker): Ardie Savea (Hurricanes/Wellington)
7 (Open side flanker): Sam Cane (Chiefs/Bay Of Plenty)
8 (Number 8): Kieran Read (Captain, Crusaders/Counties Manukau)
HALVES
9 (Half-back): Aaron Smith (Highlanders/Manawatu)
10 (First five-eighth): Richie Mo'unga (Crusaders/Canterbury)
MIDFIELD
12 (Second five-eighth): Anton Lienert-Brown (Chiefs/Waikato)
13 (Centre): Jack Goodhue (Crusaders/Northland)
OUTSIDE BACKS
11 (Left wing): Rieko Ioane (Blues/Auckland)
14 (Right wing): Ben Smith (Highlanders/Otago)
& 15 (Fullback): Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes/Taranaki)
And in the reserves are:
16. Codie Taylor (Who replaces Dane Coles with Coles elevated to the starting lineup)
17. Atu Moli (Who returns to replace Ofa Tu'ungafasi as reserve loose head prop)
18. Angus Ta'avao
19. Patrick Tuipulotu (Who is back & raring to go to replace Vaea Fifita)
20. Matt Todd (Who is dropped to the bench replacing Dalton Papali'i)
21. TJ Perenara (Who is dropped to the bench with Aaron Smith returning to start at halfback)
22. Ngani Laumape (Who also replaces Anton Lienert-Brown with Lienert-Brown elevated to the starting lineup)
& 23. George Bridge
And it has been 6 days since one of our All Black rugby legends, Sir Brian 'BJ' Lochore has passed away aged 79 so all thoughts, prayers & condolences to him, RIP (Rest in piece/Rest in pieces/Requiscat en pace/Rest in paradise).
While in the Pacific Nations Cup, Fiji, 2019 RWC hosts Japan, & the USA get their wins against Canada, Tonga & Samoa respectively.
And finally, it has been a month since the struggling Blues franchise have all but confirmed that they signed star All Black & twice World Rugby player of the year, Beauden Barrett on a 4 year deal which takes him right throughout the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France (Well that was a bit of a shock, just like the Hurricanes have signed the late Jonah Lomu from the Chiefs in late 1999 & would gone on to appear for the Canes 29 times from 2000 to the 2003 Super 12 season).
P.S. And Australia has drawn 1st blood in the 2019 Ashes series against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham after Steve Smith scored a century in both the 1st & 2nd (Along with Matthew Wade) innings then both Aussie bowlers Nathan Lyon & Pat Cummins shared all the 10 wickets aside in the 2nd innings.
So that is my 338th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 78th of this year (And the real thing is just around the corner but it is happening in 4 days time so I can't wait because I am most looking forward to Christmas).
P.S. And it has been a week since the Christmas parade took place in Whanganui (Me & Pops went) but my favourite part of the Christmas parade was the Star Wars stuff (There was Kylo Ren as well as Darth Vader, Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, Darth Vader & the Imperial storm troopers) but it's been 2 days since me, Pops & Pops partner Carole went to see the Star Wars movie which is Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker but the movie was fantastic! Absolutely spot on (And what an incredible way to end the Skywalker saga like this which lasted from 1977 when the 1st Star Wars movie came out until this year) because not only I'm Star Wars mad since I 1st watched my favourite Star Wars movie which is Return Of The Jedi + some glorious scenes including Chewie's survival (Well, I thought that he was dead to start with) as well as The Resistance winning the war against the sinister First Order & Rey (Who was briefly in love with Ben Solo after he embraced the light side (How did he toss his cross guard light saber into the sea? How would he?) but I can't believe he's gone along with Leia as well during Rey's battle with Kylo Ren) using Luke Skywalker's old X-Wing fighter after wrecking Kylo Ren's TIE fighter to confront the evil Emperor & revealing that she is a Skywalker when she famously visited Tatooine after The Resistance had claimed victory over the First Order during the war.
Well, the Skywalker saga of Star Wars in all of a sudden have come to a happy ending at last (Well it 1st came to life when it all began in 1977 when the 1st Star Wars movie came out (It was simply known as Star Wars but changed it to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) until this year when they released The Rise Of Skywalker (And what a thrilling conclusion of the Skywalker saga, what a movie for all our viewers around the world).
Well (After our disappointing Cricket World Cup final for the Black Caps against England in a super over to decide the fate of the World Cup at Lord's in London but we are now focused on the rugby because it is time to move on from the cricket), the All Blacks have named their team against Argentina in our 1st test match of the year as well as the opening game of the 2019 Rugby Championship season (It's a shortened championship due to World Cup year) at Estadio Jose Amalfitani in Buenos Aires so here is the starting lineup in it's entirety:
PLAYING XV
FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Ofa Tu'ungafasi (Blues/Auckland)
2 (Hooker): Dane Coles (Hurricanes/Wellington)
3 (Tight head prop): Angus Ta'avao (Chiefs/Taranaki)
SECOND ROW
4 (Lock): Brodie Retallick (Chiefs/Hawke's Bay)
5 (Lock): Patrick Tuipulotu (Blues/Auckland)
BACK ROW
6 (Blind side flanker): Vaea Fifita (Hurricanes/Wellington)
7 (Open side flanker): Sam Cane (Captain, Chiefs/Bay Of Plenty)
8 (Number 8): Ardie Savea (Hurricanes/Wellington)
HALVES
9 (Half-back): Aaron Smith (Highlanders/Manawatu)
10 (First five-eighth): Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes/Taranaki)
MIDFIELD
12 (Second five-eighth): Ngani Laumape (Hurricanes/Manawatu)
13 (Centre): Anton Lienert-Brown (Chiefs/Waikato)
OUTSIDE BACKS
11 (Left wing): Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes/Taranaki)
14 (Right wing): Sevu Reece (Crusaders/Waikato)
& 15 (Fullback): Ben Smith (Highlanders/Otago)
And in the reserves are:
16. Liam Coltman (Who replaces Nathan Harris who is dropped from the 39 man All Blacks squad for the 2019 Rugby Championship)
17. Atu Moli (Who is in line to make his test debut off the bench)
18. Nepo Laulala (Who is dropped to the bench to make way for Angus Ta'avao who is elevated to the starting lineup)
19. Jackson Hemopo (Who comes into the side to replace Brodie Retallick who is also elevated to the starting lineup)
20. Luke Jacobson (Who is also in line to make his test debut off the bench)
21. Brad Weber (Who is back in the fold 4 years after playing his last test against Samoa)
22. Josh Ioane (Who'll make his test debut off the bench along with Atu Moli & Luke Jacobson)
& 23. Braydon Ennor (Who'll also make his test debut off the bench along with Moli, Jacobson & Josh Ioane)
And the 2nd one is taken from All Blacks team naming against the Wallabies for Bledisloe I (2019 Rugby Championship) + RIP Sir Brian Lochore, PNC round 2 review, Beauden Barrett joins Blues (My 1st blog of August 2019) & 2019 Ashes 1st test review:
Well, the All Blacks (Who missed out on a win against the Springboks (Who snatched it right at the death to seal a draw with a kick to come but they need a win against Argentina to win their 1st Rugby Championship (Well, they won the Tri Nations before 3 times (1998, 2004 & 2009) but never won a Rugby Championship but who will go into the Rugby World Cup as winners of the Rugby Championship? We'll see) should the AB's lose against Australia) in Wellington, setting the tone for the opening game of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Yokohama on the 21st of September) have named their team against the Wallabies in the 1st of 2 Bledisloe Cup tests as well as the last round of the Rugby Championship (Well, we need a win against the Aussies to retain our coveted Rugby Championship title should South Africa lose & not get a bonus point against Argentina) at the all new Optus Stadium in Perth so here is the starting lineup in it's entirety:
PLAYING XV
FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Joe Moody (Crusaders/Canterbury)
2 (Hooker): Dane Coles (Hurricanes/Wellington)
3 (Tight head prop): Owen Franks (Crusaders/Canterbury)
SECOND ROW
4 (Lock): Scott Barrett (Crusaders/Taranaki)
5 (Lock): Sam Whitelock (Crusaders/Canterbury)
BACK ROW
6 (Blind side flanker): Ardie Savea (Hurricanes/Wellington)
7 (Open side flanker): Sam Cane (Chiefs/Bay Of Plenty)
8 (Number 8): Kieran Read (Captain, Crusaders/Counties Manukau)
HALVES
9 (Half-back): Aaron Smith (Highlanders/Manawatu)
10 (First five-eighth): Richie Mo'unga (Crusaders/Canterbury)
MIDFIELD
12 (Second five-eighth): Anton Lienert-Brown (Chiefs/Waikato)
13 (Centre): Jack Goodhue (Crusaders/Northland)
OUTSIDE BACKS
11 (Left wing): Rieko Ioane (Blues/Auckland)
14 (Right wing): Ben Smith (Highlanders/Otago)
& 15 (Fullback): Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes/Taranaki)
And in the reserves are:
16. Codie Taylor (Who replaces Dane Coles with Coles elevated to the starting lineup)
17. Atu Moli (Who returns to replace Ofa Tu'ungafasi as reserve loose head prop)
18. Angus Ta'avao
19. Patrick Tuipulotu (Who is back & raring to go to replace Vaea Fifita)
20. Matt Todd (Who is dropped to the bench replacing Dalton Papali'i)
21. TJ Perenara (Who is dropped to the bench with Aaron Smith returning to start at halfback)
22. Ngani Laumape (Who also replaces Anton Lienert-Brown with Lienert-Brown elevated to the starting lineup)
& 23. George Bridge
And it has been 6 days since one of our All Black rugby legends, Sir Brian 'BJ' Lochore has passed away aged 79 so all thoughts, prayers & condolences to him, RIP (Rest in piece/Rest in pieces/Requiscat en pace/Rest in paradise).
While in the Pacific Nations Cup, Fiji, 2019 RWC hosts Japan, & the USA get their wins against Canada, Tonga & Samoa respectively.
And finally, it has been a month since the struggling Blues franchise have all but confirmed that they signed star All Black & twice World Rugby player of the year, Beauden Barrett on a 4 year deal which takes him right throughout the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France (Well that was a bit of a shock, just like the Hurricanes have signed the late Jonah Lomu from the Chiefs in late 1999 & would gone on to appear for the Canes 29 times from 2000 to the 2003 Super 12 season).
P.S. And Australia has drawn 1st blood in the 2019 Ashes series against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham after Steve Smith scored a century in both the 1st & 2nd (Along with Matthew Wade) innings then both Aussie bowlers Nathan Lyon & Pat Cummins shared all the 10 wickets aside in the 2nd innings.
So that is my 338th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 78th of this year (And the real thing is just around the corner but it is happening in 4 days time so I can't wait because I am most looking forward to Christmas).
P.S. And it has been a week since the Christmas parade took place in Whanganui (Me & Pops went) but my favourite part of the Christmas parade was the Star Wars stuff (There was Kylo Ren as well as Darth Vader, Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, Darth Vader & the Imperial storm troopers) but it's been 2 days since me, Pops & Pops partner Carole went to see the Star Wars movie which is Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker but the movie was fantastic! Absolutely spot on (And what an incredible way to end the Skywalker saga like this which lasted from 1977 when the 1st Star Wars movie came out until this year) because not only I'm Star Wars mad since I 1st watched my favourite Star Wars movie which is Return Of The Jedi + some glorious scenes including Chewie's survival (Well, I thought that he was dead to start with) as well as The Resistance winning the war against the sinister First Order & Rey (Who was briefly in love with Ben Solo after he embraced the light side (How did he toss his cross guard light saber into the sea? How would he?) but I can't believe he's gone along with Leia as well during Rey's battle with Kylo Ren) using Luke Skywalker's old X-Wing fighter after wrecking Kylo Ren's TIE fighter to confront the evil Emperor & revealing that she is a Skywalker when she famously visited Tatooine after The Resistance had claimed victory over the First Order during the war.
Well, the Skywalker saga of Star Wars in all of a sudden have come to a happy ending at last (Well it 1st came to life when it all began in 1977 when the 1st Star Wars movie came out (It was simply known as Star Wars but changed it to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) until this year when they released The Rise Of Skywalker (And what a thrilling conclusion of the Skywalker saga, what a movie for all our viewers around the world).
Friday, 13 December 2019
The year in review (2019 edition, part 3)
Well, this is part 3 of my year in review so here's another of those best blogs with the most views of the month from the May - June period beginning with 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 the 2nd one is taken from 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
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).
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 they triumphed for their 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 3rd one is taken from Super Rugby round 18 wrap & 2019 Cricket World Cup round up part 3:
Well, with the final round of Super Rugby played, the Highlanders completely thrashed the Waratahs at Rugby Park in Invercargill followed by the Chiefs who completely disintegrate & troll the Rebels by completely thrashing them at AAMI Park in Melbourne then the Hurricanes produce a comeback win against the Blues at Westpac Stadium in Wellington after trailing at halftime.
So here is the confirmed list for the quarterfinal games being played in the 2019 Super Rugby season (+ some of my predictions):
Crusaders Vs Highlanders (My money is on the Highlanders winning this one)
Jaguares Vs Chiefs (Well, the Chiefs should quite frankly win this one)
Hurricanes Vs Bulls (So too is my beloved Hurricanes franchise)
& Brumbies Vs Sharks (I don't know, I would probably go for the Sharks)
And finally in the 2019 Cricket World Cup news desk, the match between India & New Zealand at Trent Bridge has been abandoned without a single ball being bowled then an unbeaten century from Joe Root helped the hosts & tournament favourites England defeat the West Indies at Hampshire Bowl while a ton from Aaron Finch set Australia up for victory against Sri Lanka at The Oval in London then South Africa get their 1st win at the 2019 Cricket World Cup against Afghanistan after their dominant display of bowling came after the rain break at Cardiff Wales Stadium while India continue their dominance against Pakistan (They won 7 in a row against their greatest rivals) at the Cricket World Cup at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground with another century by Rohit Sharma then a unbeaten ton from Shakib Al Hasan has helped Bangladesh beat the West Indies at County Ground Taunton followed by England who tamed Afghanistan in a record breaking World Cup game especially for Irish born English captain Eoin Morgan who got a century for his adopted country & then something happened as a unbeaten Kane Williamson ton has secured New Zealand a certain victory (That's 5 consecutive victories against South Africa at a Cricket World Cup (Their 1st meeting was in 1992 in which New Zealand won before losing 2 straight in 1996 & 1999 then winning 5 in a row in 2003, 2007 in the super sixes, 2011 in the quarterfinals, 2015 in the semifinals & now in 2019) against the struggling South Africa at Edgbaston (And wow! What a great match).
And finally the 4th one is taken from Super Rugby quarterfinal wrap & 2019 Cricket World Cup round up part 4:
Well, the quarterfinals of the 2019 Super Rugby season is under starters orders as the Crusaders (Although star first-five eighth Richie Mo'unga was in fine form, scoring both tries as well as he nailed 5 conversions & a penalty) advanced through to the semifinal by continuing their dominance against the discipline ridden Highlanders (Including that yellow card by Liam Squire for a no arms tackle may have hurt the Highlanders chances of victory) at Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch then the Chiefs season has ended because they were inconsistent against the Jaguares at the Estadio Jose Amalfitani in Buenos Aires therefore missing out on a chance of a semifinal place before the Hurricanes (Who had welcomed back brothers Beauden & Jordie Barrett as well as Ngani Laumape but one of their players, Salesi Rayasi scored both tries on that occasion just like Mo'unga did against the Highlanders despite a yellow card for a deliberate knock down resulting in a penalty try) marched on after a good win against the Bulls (Although the Hurricanes held on until the end) to go through to the semifinals to take on the Crusaders while the Brumbies capitalized against the Sharks at GIO Stadium in Canberra to go through to the semifinals against the Jaguares.
So here is the confirmed list for the semifinal games being played in the 2019 Super Rugby season (+ some of my predictions):
Crusaders Vs Hurricanes (If I was John Plumtree & play for that team, I would say pedal to the metal at this point for my beloved Hurricanes to win)
& Jaguares Vs Brumbies (And no wonder the Brumbies will get thrashed against the Jaguares)
And finally in the 2019 Cricket World Cup news desk, a century from David Warner has helped Australia beat Bangladesh at Trent Bridge while Sri Lanka have knocked over hosts England (Their batting was terrible during their run chase) at Headingley before India had another win with a hat-trick from paceman Mohammed Shami against Afghanistan at Hampshire Bowl then another Kane Williamson ton has helped New Zealand to another win against the West Indies (Who were on the verge of victory with a century from big hitting Windies batsman Carlos Brathwaite until Trent Boult caught the ball off the bowling of Jimmy Neesham therefore missing out on a chance of a win) at Old Trafford then Pakistan defeat the struggling South Africa who are now out of the Cricket World Cup at Lord's in London (And it looks like Pakistan have sent a message to New Zealand) before Bangladesh beat minnows Afghanistan thanks to a 5 wicket haul from the best all rounder in the world, Shakib Al Hasan at Hampshire Bowl while hosts England (Well, where to from here for England because they need to win the next 2 games against both India & New Zealand to go through to the semifinals) lose another game against Australia (Who also may have sent a message to New Zealand as well) who had become the 1st team in the 2019 Cricket World Cup to advance through to the semifinals at a packed Lord's in London while Pakistan become the 1st team to beat New Zealand (Who were down & out but I was like when Pops told Carole yesterday morning ''Oh that cost New Zealand a great deal...It may have cost us the match'') at Edgbaston but this is like 1992 all over again (Pakistan dominated New Zealand in the semifinal at Eden Park) but our semifinal chances would have to wait because their next game is against Australia (It's a hard task) & if we win, we are through to the semis then India are still unbeaten in the tournament after they defeated the West Indies (Who were also out of the World Cup along with South Africa) last night by 125 runs at Old Trafford.
And it's been a few weeks passed since I printed off both the cricket & rugby commentary lines that I did on Microsoft word & a day after my birthday, Dad gave me something which is chromecast to plug it onto the TV so that me & Pops can watch Spark Sport during the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
And finally here are the English language commentators & co-drivers list of the games that I've got on the PS4:
Rugby Challenge 3: Grant Nisbett (Sky Sport rugby commentator) & Justin Marshall (Ex All Black, Crusaders & Canterbury rugby player)
F1 2016, F1 2017, F1 2018 & F1 2019: David Croft (Voice of Formula 1) & Anthony Davidson (Former F1 driver) + Alex Jacques (Voice of Formula 2) & Davide Valsecchi (Ex GP2 Champion) *1
Dirt 4: Nicky Grist (Former co driver of Juha Kankkunen & Colin McRae) or Jen Horsey (Rally & rallycross driver as well as a automotive journalist & television personality)
Rugby League Live 4: Andrew Voss (Fox Sports rugby league commentator) & Eddie Hemmings (Voice of Super League)
FIFA 18 & FIFA 19: Martin Tyler (English soccer commentator) & Alan Smith (Ex Arsenal player) + Clive Tyldesley & Andy Townsend *2, Derek Rae (Scottish soccer commentator) & Lee Dixon (Former England & Arsenal player) *3
Gran Turismo Sport: None
Ashes Cricket & Cricket 19: Michael Slater (Ex test & ODI player for Australia), Mel Jones (Former women's test & ODI player for Australia) & James Taylor (Ex test & ODI player for England)
AO Tennis: None
Dirt Rally 2.0: Phil Mills (Former co driver of Petter Solberg)
*1: F1 2019 Formula 2 commentary only
*2: Career mode only
*3: FIFA 19 UEFA Champions League mode commentary only
So that is my 337th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 77th of this year (And it is only at least 11 days til Christmas).
P.S. And we have just heard that Ian Foster has replaced Steve Hansen to become the newly christened All Blacks coach (Just several weeks after former Chiefs coach Dave Rennie had been confirmed as the brand new Wallabies coach to replace the embattled Michael Chieka) but the AB's are now in a rebuilding phase after that tragic Rugby World Cup semifinal flop against England (Who had to lose to the Siya Kolisi led Springboks (Who had to win their 3rd RWC crown) in the final in Japan) which just happened nearly 2 months ago (But their next test is a Rugby World Cup 3rd & 4th place playoff rematch against Wales at Eden Park in Auckland in July next year just a month after the 2020 Super Rugby season is complete).
And news just come in as 3 time Olympic gold medalist Peter Snell has just passed away so RIP (Rest in peace) to New Zealand's true Olympic legend in the making (Well, all thoughts & condolences go to the family of Peter Snell) because Pops told me about it today.
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 the 2nd one is taken from 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
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).
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 they triumphed for their 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 3rd one is taken from Super Rugby round 18 wrap & 2019 Cricket World Cup round up part 3:
Well, with the final round of Super Rugby played, the Highlanders completely thrashed the Waratahs at Rugby Park in Invercargill followed by the Chiefs who completely disintegrate & troll the Rebels by completely thrashing them at AAMI Park in Melbourne then the Hurricanes produce a comeback win against the Blues at Westpac Stadium in Wellington after trailing at halftime.
So here is the confirmed list for the quarterfinal games being played in the 2019 Super Rugby season (+ some of my predictions):
Crusaders Vs Highlanders (My money is on the Highlanders winning this one)
Jaguares Vs Chiefs (Well, the Chiefs should quite frankly win this one)
Hurricanes Vs Bulls (So too is my beloved Hurricanes franchise)
& Brumbies Vs Sharks (I don't know, I would probably go for the Sharks)
And finally in the 2019 Cricket World Cup news desk, the match between India & New Zealand at Trent Bridge has been abandoned without a single ball being bowled then an unbeaten century from Joe Root helped the hosts & tournament favourites England defeat the West Indies at Hampshire Bowl while a ton from Aaron Finch set Australia up for victory against Sri Lanka at The Oval in London then South Africa get their 1st win at the 2019 Cricket World Cup against Afghanistan after their dominant display of bowling came after the rain break at Cardiff Wales Stadium while India continue their dominance against Pakistan (They won 7 in a row against their greatest rivals) at the Cricket World Cup at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground with another century by Rohit Sharma then a unbeaten ton from Shakib Al Hasan has helped Bangladesh beat the West Indies at County Ground Taunton followed by England who tamed Afghanistan in a record breaking World Cup game especially for Irish born English captain Eoin Morgan who got a century for his adopted country & then something happened as a unbeaten Kane Williamson ton has secured New Zealand a certain victory (That's 5 consecutive victories against South Africa at a Cricket World Cup (Their 1st meeting was in 1992 in which New Zealand won before losing 2 straight in 1996 & 1999 then winning 5 in a row in 2003, 2007 in the super sixes, 2011 in the quarterfinals, 2015 in the semifinals & now in 2019) against the struggling South Africa at Edgbaston (And wow! What a great match).
And finally the 4th one is taken from Super Rugby quarterfinal wrap & 2019 Cricket World Cup round up part 4:
Well, the quarterfinals of the 2019 Super Rugby season is under starters orders as the Crusaders (Although star first-five eighth Richie Mo'unga was in fine form, scoring both tries as well as he nailed 5 conversions & a penalty) advanced through to the semifinal by continuing their dominance against the discipline ridden Highlanders (Including that yellow card by Liam Squire for a no arms tackle may have hurt the Highlanders chances of victory) at Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch then the Chiefs season has ended because they were inconsistent against the Jaguares at the Estadio Jose Amalfitani in Buenos Aires therefore missing out on a chance of a semifinal place before the Hurricanes (Who had welcomed back brothers Beauden & Jordie Barrett as well as Ngani Laumape but one of their players, Salesi Rayasi scored both tries on that occasion just like Mo'unga did against the Highlanders despite a yellow card for a deliberate knock down resulting in a penalty try) marched on after a good win against the Bulls (Although the Hurricanes held on until the end) to go through to the semifinals to take on the Crusaders while the Brumbies capitalized against the Sharks at GIO Stadium in Canberra to go through to the semifinals against the Jaguares.
So here is the confirmed list for the semifinal games being played in the 2019 Super Rugby season (+ some of my predictions):
Crusaders Vs Hurricanes (If I was John Plumtree & play for that team, I would say pedal to the metal at this point for my beloved Hurricanes to win)
& Jaguares Vs Brumbies (And no wonder the Brumbies will get thrashed against the Jaguares)
And finally in the 2019 Cricket World Cup news desk, a century from David Warner has helped Australia beat Bangladesh at Trent Bridge while Sri Lanka have knocked over hosts England (Their batting was terrible during their run chase) at Headingley before India had another win with a hat-trick from paceman Mohammed Shami against Afghanistan at Hampshire Bowl then another Kane Williamson ton has helped New Zealand to another win against the West Indies (Who were on the verge of victory with a century from big hitting Windies batsman Carlos Brathwaite until Trent Boult caught the ball off the bowling of Jimmy Neesham therefore missing out on a chance of a win) at Old Trafford then Pakistan defeat the struggling South Africa who are now out of the Cricket World Cup at Lord's in London (And it looks like Pakistan have sent a message to New Zealand) before Bangladesh beat minnows Afghanistan thanks to a 5 wicket haul from the best all rounder in the world, Shakib Al Hasan at Hampshire Bowl while hosts England (Well, where to from here for England because they need to win the next 2 games against both India & New Zealand to go through to the semifinals) lose another game against Australia (Who also may have sent a message to New Zealand as well) who had become the 1st team in the 2019 Cricket World Cup to advance through to the semifinals at a packed Lord's in London while Pakistan become the 1st team to beat New Zealand (Who were down & out but I was like when Pops told Carole yesterday morning ''Oh that cost New Zealand a great deal...It may have cost us the match'') at Edgbaston but this is like 1992 all over again (Pakistan dominated New Zealand in the semifinal at Eden Park) but our semifinal chances would have to wait because their next game is against Australia (It's a hard task) & if we win, we are through to the semis then India are still unbeaten in the tournament after they defeated the West Indies (Who were also out of the World Cup along with South Africa) last night by 125 runs at Old Trafford.
And it's been a few weeks passed since I printed off both the cricket & rugby commentary lines that I did on Microsoft word & a day after my birthday, Dad gave me something which is chromecast to plug it onto the TV so that me & Pops can watch Spark Sport during the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
And finally here are the English language commentators & co-drivers list of the games that I've got on the PS4:
Rugby Challenge 3: Grant Nisbett (Sky Sport rugby commentator) & Justin Marshall (Ex All Black, Crusaders & Canterbury rugby player)
F1 2016, F1 2017, F1 2018 & F1 2019: David Croft (Voice of Formula 1) & Anthony Davidson (Former F1 driver) + Alex Jacques (Voice of Formula 2) & Davide Valsecchi (Ex GP2 Champion) *1
Dirt 4: Nicky Grist (Former co driver of Juha Kankkunen & Colin McRae) or Jen Horsey (Rally & rallycross driver as well as a automotive journalist & television personality)
Rugby League Live 4: Andrew Voss (Fox Sports rugby league commentator) & Eddie Hemmings (Voice of Super League)
FIFA 18 & FIFA 19: Martin Tyler (English soccer commentator) & Alan Smith (Ex Arsenal player) + Clive Tyldesley & Andy Townsend *2, Derek Rae (Scottish soccer commentator) & Lee Dixon (Former England & Arsenal player) *3
Gran Turismo Sport: None
Ashes Cricket & Cricket 19: Michael Slater (Ex test & ODI player for Australia), Mel Jones (Former women's test & ODI player for Australia) & James Taylor (Ex test & ODI player for England)
AO Tennis: None
Dirt Rally 2.0: Phil Mills (Former co driver of Petter Solberg)
*1: F1 2019 Formula 2 commentary only
*2: Career mode only
*3: FIFA 19 UEFA Champions League mode commentary only
So that is my 337th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 77th of this year (And it is only at least 11 days til Christmas).
P.S. And we have just heard that Ian Foster has replaced Steve Hansen to become the newly christened All Blacks coach (Just several weeks after former Chiefs coach Dave Rennie had been confirmed as the brand new Wallabies coach to replace the embattled Michael Chieka) but the AB's are now in a rebuilding phase after that tragic Rugby World Cup semifinal flop against England (Who had to lose to the Siya Kolisi led Springboks (Who had to win their 3rd RWC crown) in the final in Japan) which just happened nearly 2 months ago (But their next test is a Rugby World Cup 3rd & 4th place playoff rematch against Wales at Eden Park in Auckland in July next year just a month after the 2020 Super Rugby season is complete).
And news just come in as 3 time Olympic gold medalist Peter Snell has just passed away so RIP (Rest in peace) to New Zealand's true Olympic legend in the making (Well, all thoughts & condolences go to the family of Peter Snell) because Pops told me about it today.
Tuesday, 10 December 2019
The year in review (2019 edition, part 2)
Well, this is part 2 of my year in review so here's another of those best blogs with the most views of the month from the March - April period beginning with Super Rugby round 6 wrap but this topic is about Round 6 of the 2019 Super Rugby season:
Well, in Super Rugby news, round 6 got underway as the Blues (Who were without star second five Sonny Bill Williams who has gone to Christchurch to help out with the Muslim community after the tragic events unfolded in Christchurch on the 15th of March) end a 3 year drought against New Zealand opposition, beating the Highlanders in the process by 7 points at Eden Park in Auckland before the Hurricanes got back on track after a disappointing draw against the Chiefs 10 days ago, winning the match against the Stormers in a close quarters affair at Westpac Stadium in Wellington then the Crusaders (Well, they were thinking of a name change in wake of the Christchurch terror attacks (They could've been known as the Plainsmen in 1995 before the 1996 Super 12 season but they replaced it with Crusaders) due to its links to the medieval crusades that included wars between Christians & Muslims in the Mediterranean that cost somewhere between one & two million lives) suffer their 1st defeat against the Waratahs at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney (Well, the Crusaders were disappointing & inconsistent by losing the match (They had to rest star first five Richie Mo'unga due to the All Blacks rest requirements policy so Brett Cameron took Mo'unga's place) because they were regrouping after the tragedy had struck because they originally going to play against the Highlanders in a great southern derby game in Dunedin 9 days ago but it was eventually cancelled & both sides shared both points each) then finally on the other hand, the winless Chiefs finally get their 1st victory of the 2019 season, beating the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria (Effectively ending an 18 year drought when the Chiefs last beat the Bulls in Pretoria way back in 2001).
And finally here are the rest of the results from round 6 of the 2019 Super Rugby season:
Lions 37 - 24 Sunwolves
Sharks 28 - 14 Rebels
Reds 36 - 14 Brumbies
So that is my 277th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 17th of this year.
And finally the 2nd & final one is taken from Super Rugby round 8 wrap (+ Black Caps 2019 Cricket World Cup squad & my AB's 2019 Rugby World Cup squad predictions):
Well, in Super Rugby news, round 7 got started as the Hurricanes go 2 in a row this year against the Highlanders by 3 (Including that double from Hurricanes open side flanker Ardie Savea who had to shine) at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin while at Orangetheory Stadium, the Crusaders (Although they were without Israel Dagg (Who had to retire due ongoing issues with a chronic but serious & severe knee injury that made him quit playing rugby) took to the field against the Brumbies for their 1st home game since the shootings have happened in Christchurch last month & they won it by thumping them on the back of an electrifying 2nd half performance (It was 0 - 0 after 33 minutes when the Brumbies first-five Christian Leali'ifano dived over for the try after the Brumbies took advantage of the extra man & were on the power play mode after that yellow card by Crusaders tight head prop Owen Franks in the 27th minute (Well, he did not make an attempt to wrap his arms because that is the letter of the law) before the Blues have won 4 consecutive games by sealing the Waratahs off by 3 points at Eden Park in Auckland including that runaway try by Blues second five Ma'a Nonu (I thought he was going to make the All Blacks squad at 36 or 37 years of age but he is too old nonetheless unless an All Black call up beckons if someone gets injured) as well as a popular try by Blues blindside flanker known as 'Big Red' or 'Sauce', Tom Robinson (Son of All Black tourist Alastair who picked up his 1st try of the 2019 season).
And finally here are the rest of the results from round 8 of the 2019 Super Rugby season:
Reds 24 - 12 Stormers
Lions 5 - 40 Sharks
Rebels 45 - 15 Sunwolves
& Bulls 20 - 22 Jaguares
And finally the Black Caps (Who will try to follow up their success 4 years ago by reaching the final (It was the semifinal against South Africa at Eden Park when our South African born hero playing for New Zealand, Grant Elliott...Who hit the match winning six with only 2 balls remaining under the Duckworth-Lewis system) squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England (Well they are favourites because they are ranked the best one day international team in the world) had been named so here is the full 15 man squad:
Kane Williamson (Captain)
Tom Blundell (Wicket-keeper)
Trent Boult
Colin de Grandhomme
Lockie Ferguson
Martin Guptill
Matt Henry
Tom Latham (Wicket-keeper)
Colin Munro
Jimmy Neesham
Henry Nicholls
Mitchell Santner
Ish Sodhi
Tim Southee
& Ross Taylor
And here is my squad predictions for the All Blacks 31 man squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan:
Forwards
Hookers
Dane Coles
Liam Coltman
Codie Taylor
Props
Nepo Laulala
Atu Moli
Joe Moody
Angus Ta'avao
Ofa Tu'ungafasi
Locks
Scott Barrett
Brodie Retallick
Patrick Tuipulotu
Sam Whitelock
Back rowers
Sam Cane
Luke Jacobson
Kieran Read (Captain)
Ardie Savea
Matt Todd
Backs
Halfbacks
TJ Perenara
Aaron Smith
Brad Weber
First-fives
Beauden Barrett
Richie Mo'unga
Midfielders
Ryan Crotty
Jack Goodhue
Anton Lienert-Brown
Sonny Bill Williams
Outside Backs
Jordie Barrett
George Bridge
Rieko Ioane
Sevu Reece
Ben Smith
So that is my 336th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 76th of this year (And it is only a fortnight away until the real thing which is Christmas (My favourite time of the year along with my birthday on the 7th of June).
Well, in Super Rugby news, round 6 got underway as the Blues (Who were without star second five Sonny Bill Williams who has gone to Christchurch to help out with the Muslim community after the tragic events unfolded in Christchurch on the 15th of March) end a 3 year drought against New Zealand opposition, beating the Highlanders in the process by 7 points at Eden Park in Auckland before the Hurricanes got back on track after a disappointing draw against the Chiefs 10 days ago, winning the match against the Stormers in a close quarters affair at Westpac Stadium in Wellington then the Crusaders (Well, they were thinking of a name change in wake of the Christchurch terror attacks (They could've been known as the Plainsmen in 1995 before the 1996 Super 12 season but they replaced it with Crusaders) due to its links to the medieval crusades that included wars between Christians & Muslims in the Mediterranean that cost somewhere between one & two million lives) suffer their 1st defeat against the Waratahs at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney (Well, the Crusaders were disappointing & inconsistent by losing the match (They had to rest star first five Richie Mo'unga due to the All Blacks rest requirements policy so Brett Cameron took Mo'unga's place) because they were regrouping after the tragedy had struck because they originally going to play against the Highlanders in a great southern derby game in Dunedin 9 days ago but it was eventually cancelled & both sides shared both points each) then finally on the other hand, the winless Chiefs finally get their 1st victory of the 2019 season, beating the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria (Effectively ending an 18 year drought when the Chiefs last beat the Bulls in Pretoria way back in 2001).
And finally here are the rest of the results from round 6 of the 2019 Super Rugby season:
Lions 37 - 24 Sunwolves
Sharks 28 - 14 Rebels
Reds 36 - 14 Brumbies
So that is my 277th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 17th of this year.
And finally the 2nd & final one is taken from Super Rugby round 8 wrap (+ Black Caps 2019 Cricket World Cup squad & my AB's 2019 Rugby World Cup squad predictions):
Well, in Super Rugby news, round 7 got started as the Hurricanes go 2 in a row this year against the Highlanders by 3 (Including that double from Hurricanes open side flanker Ardie Savea who had to shine) at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin while at Orangetheory Stadium, the Crusaders (Although they were without Israel Dagg (Who had to retire due ongoing issues with a chronic but serious & severe knee injury that made him quit playing rugby) took to the field against the Brumbies for their 1st home game since the shootings have happened in Christchurch last month & they won it by thumping them on the back of an electrifying 2nd half performance (It was 0 - 0 after 33 minutes when the Brumbies first-five Christian Leali'ifano dived over for the try after the Brumbies took advantage of the extra man & were on the power play mode after that yellow card by Crusaders tight head prop Owen Franks in the 27th minute (Well, he did not make an attempt to wrap his arms because that is the letter of the law) before the Blues have won 4 consecutive games by sealing the Waratahs off by 3 points at Eden Park in Auckland including that runaway try by Blues second five Ma'a Nonu (I thought he was going to make the All Blacks squad at 36 or 37 years of age but he is too old nonetheless unless an All Black call up beckons if someone gets injured) as well as a popular try by Blues blindside flanker known as 'Big Red' or 'Sauce', Tom Robinson (Son of All Black tourist Alastair who picked up his 1st try of the 2019 season).
And finally here are the rest of the results from round 8 of the 2019 Super Rugby season:
Reds 24 - 12 Stormers
Lions 5 - 40 Sharks
Rebels 45 - 15 Sunwolves
& Bulls 20 - 22 Jaguares
And finally the Black Caps (Who will try to follow up their success 4 years ago by reaching the final (It was the semifinal against South Africa at Eden Park when our South African born hero playing for New Zealand, Grant Elliott...Who hit the match winning six with only 2 balls remaining under the Duckworth-Lewis system) squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England (Well they are favourites because they are ranked the best one day international team in the world) had been named so here is the full 15 man squad:
Kane Williamson (Captain)
Tom Blundell (Wicket-keeper)
Trent Boult
Colin de Grandhomme
Lockie Ferguson
Martin Guptill
Matt Henry
Tom Latham (Wicket-keeper)
Colin Munro
Jimmy Neesham
Henry Nicholls
Mitchell Santner
Ish Sodhi
Tim Southee
& Ross Taylor
And here is my squad predictions for the All Blacks 31 man squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan:
Forwards
Hookers
Dane Coles
Liam Coltman
Codie Taylor
Props
Nepo Laulala
Atu Moli
Joe Moody
Angus Ta'avao
Ofa Tu'ungafasi
Locks
Scott Barrett
Brodie Retallick
Patrick Tuipulotu
Sam Whitelock
Back rowers
Sam Cane
Luke Jacobson
Kieran Read (Captain)
Ardie Savea
Matt Todd
Backs
Halfbacks
TJ Perenara
Aaron Smith
Brad Weber
First-fives
Beauden Barrett
Richie Mo'unga
Midfielders
Ryan Crotty
Jack Goodhue
Anton Lienert-Brown
Sonny Bill Williams
Outside Backs
Jordie Barrett
George Bridge
Rieko Ioane
Sevu Reece
Ben Smith
So that is my 336th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 76th of this year (And it is only a fortnight away until the real thing which is Christmas (My favourite time of the year along with my birthday on the 7th of June).
Wednesday, 4 December 2019
The year in review (2019 edition, part 1)
Well, it has been an amazing year so far in 2019 so here is the 1st part of the year starting with the best blogs of January & February 2019 with the most views starting with The Team New Zealand Story 1995 - 2003: Chapter 9 (Boosting the economy):
Well, here is chapter 9 of The Team New Zealand story 1995 - 2003 book which is boosting the economy that I'm doing today on my blog:
It's no secret that holding the America's Cup is equally valuable for both sporting & economic reasons.
The difference is the sporting benefit isn't readily measurable. It's more a case of a feel-good rub-off but it's the sporting success - or at least the event itself - that drives the tangible by-products for the economy.
Team New Zealand's victory in San Diego in 1995 provided the opprtunity for the magic of the America's Cup to galvanise New Zealanders in a nationalistic sense but it also opened the door for huge financial benefits. Mounting a successful defence in 2000 then created the chance to at least double the value in 2003.
Various spin doctors insisted the cup would have an enormously positive effect on both the Auckland & national economies. Obviously the ultra rich syndicates coming to town would generate significant spending locally while the impact on tourism could never be under-estimated.
It turned out precisely that way during & even after the 2000 defence & now there's optimism the 2003 event may be potentially even more lucrative.
It's similar to the New Zealand film industry. Projects such as the Lord Of The Rings extravaganza advertise New Zealand in a special & spectacular manner; the expectation is that will have a flow-on boost for tourism numbers down the line.
So it is with the America's Cup. The exposure for New Zealand & Auckland particularly during the 2000 regatta could only be exceptionally positive. The television coverage of the racing itself enhanced Auckland's image & so did the contribution by a vast contingent of international media. The tangible rewards of such promotion are likely to manifest themselves in the 2003 regatta.
Such anticipation is based on the results of an America's Cup 2000 Economic Report which rolled out an array of numbers endorsing the event's influence.
It claims the America's Cup generated $640m of value added to the New Zealand economy & $473 to the Auckland region's economy. Government sources later pointed out the GST take alone from America's Cup revenue was in the region of $100m.
The breakdown of information was even more illuminating in the America's Cup report. Among other statistics it showed syndicates spent $149.2m, super yacht owners contributed $118m & international visitors $164m.
Among business areas to benefit from that significant spend were the marine sector ($126.7m), construction ($491.7m), accommodation ($64.2m), restaurants/hospitality ($51.3m), retail ($56.8m), entertainment & leisure ($33.2m) plus media & communications ($23.6m).
Many of the businesses to prosper can, of course, be found in & around the superb facility now known as the American Express Viaduct Harbour. The immediate vicinity with its restaurants, bars, super yacht facilities & various boat industry businesses is the natural magnet for the America's Cup regatta.
Massive development changed the face of the area for Team New Zealand's first defence. It was unrecognisable from the dilapidated facility it had been & the good news is that considerable improvements & extensions have been made since 2000. There's no question the American Express Viaduct Harbour sets Auckland apart from other venues that have staged America's Cup regattas.
Tourism New Zealand can also point to any number of ways in which the America's Cup benefits the country as a whole.
Once came when the Auld Mug was on display at the Genoa Boat Show in October 2000 (several months after Russell Coutts & others had left Team New Zealand). Dean Barker & Tom Schnackenberg were both present & helped to generate 25 spots on television networks across Italy (plus 29 newspaper articles).
Tourism New Zeland also says 39,000 international visitors were in New Zealand specifically for America's Cup 2000 but also travelled extensively to destinations such as Queenstown.
It points to the media's influence as well, highlighting the fact that of the 1600-strong media contingent covering the last regatta two thirds were from overseas. It was estimated that 400 million people saw 1500 hours of television coverage in 98 countries. As they say, that's publicity money can't buy & the benefits may only become apparent during the 2003 event.
The America's Cup is first & foremost a sporting contest but everyone knows it's also one of the most potent business tools in the sporting world.
Auckland & New Zealand have witnessed that once & are about to do so again. Many people have a vested interest in hoping there'll be more to come after 2003 as well.
And the 2nd one is taken from My 1st blog of February 2019 (Six Nations round 1, Superbowl LIII round-up):
Well, Waitangi day is almost upon us tomorrow but in Six Nations news, Wales began their Six Nations campaign with a win against France at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis after being 16 - 0 down at halftime while Scotland continue their dominance against Italy with a Blair Kinghorn hat-trick at Murrayfield in Edinburgh but England defeat defending Six Nations champions & All Black conquerors Ireland in an epic test match in Dublin thanks to England's assistant coach John Mitchell's innovative defence (But the resilient defence by Ireland had been broken by the English white wall).
And finally the Vince Lombardi Trophy is heading back to New England after the Patriots had a dominant display against the Los Angeles Rams in a low scoring affair at Superbowl LIII at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia a year after missing out on defending the Superbowl against the Philadelphia Eagles but what about star quarterback Tom Brady & super coach for the Patriots, Bill Belichick, they were back to its best.
And I did enjoy my time yesterday when me & Pops went to Caroline's for dinner last night where I had a Mediterranean lamb salad that I enjoyed so I had to pay with my meal before we went back home to watch the underarm incident documentary on TV on Prime last night (I had watched the Superbowl earlier in the day) but today I watched the F1 biopic movie Rush (I recorded it last night) that I haven't seen for over 5 years.
And the 3rd one is taken from Six Nations round 2 review, 2019 Super Rugby season preview & Black Caps Vs India 3rd T20 round up:
Well, my father & Raewyn's wedding is almost upon us on the 16th of February but in Six Nations news, Ireland get their 1st win of their campaign, beating Scotland 22 - 13 at Murrayfield in Edinburgh while Wales continue their dominance against Italy with a resounding 26 - 15 win at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome to equal their 100 year old record for most consecutive test wins (They played their best Welsh side in years) & England (Who has their best defence in the competition since John Mitchell took over as defence coach but they actually believe that they could win the Rugby World Cup with the All Blacks likely to be their opponent in the semifinal (Well, the last meeting between England & New Zealand at a Rugby World Cup was 20 years ago but England have never beaten us before (Their 1st meeting was in 1991) go 2 from 2 in the Six Nations (Who followed up their victory against grand slam champions Ireland), thrashing France (Who played their worst rugby in years) 44 to 8 with a hat-trick by star winger Jonny May at Twickenham in London.
And the Six Nations is taking their mandatory 1 week break but Super Rugby starts this Friday on the 15th of February (The day after Valentine's Day) with the Chiefs taking on the Highlanders at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton then on Saturday it's the Blues taking on the defending champion Crusaders side at Eden Park in Auckland before the Hurricanes head across the ditch for their quest of regaining the title to take on the Waratahs at Brookvale Oval (A rugby league ground which is home to the Manly Sea Eagles NRL team) in Sydney but other matches are Brumbies Vs Rebels at GIO Stadium in Canberra, Sunwolves Vs Sharks at National Stadium in Singapore, Bulls Vs Stormers at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria & Jaguares Vs Lions at the Jose Amalfitani Stadium in Buenos Aires.
And finally the Black Caps win the T20 series against India in the 3rd & deciding T20 at Hamilton with New Zealand opening batsman Colin Munro getting a half-century by scoring 72 runs but their next task for the Black Caps is against the giant killers of world cricket, Bangladesh, in a 3 match ODI series beginning tomorrow & the 3 match test series commencing on the last day of February 2019.
And the 4th one is taken from Super Rugby round 1 review, Black Caps 1st & 2nd ODI & my father & Raewyn's wedding round-up:
Well, the 2019 Super Rugby season officially got underway as the Highlanders produce a comeback win against the Chiefs at FMG Stadium Waikato in the Tron despite being a man down for the rest of the game (Highlanders reserve back Sio Tomkinson was the culprit who got red carded by New Zealand referee Glen Jackson for an illegal no arms tackle to the head on Chiefs captain Brodie Retallick who had to leave the field due to concussion so he was unable to continue) then the Blues were inconsistent against the defending champion Crusaders (Who were without hooker Codie Taylor, captain Sam Whitelock & All Blacks skipper Kieran Read), losing by 2 points at the garden of Eden in Auckland then the Hurricanes (Who had done it without the services of star first five Beauden Barrett) managed to win by just a single point against the Waratahs at Brookvale Oval in Sydney after Waratahs first five Bernard Foley had a chance to win the game with a penalty goal but he missed after that shot at goal attempt went wide at Brookvale Oval in Manly, Sydney & other results include the Rebels who had an upset victory against the Brumbies at GIO Stadium in Canberra upon Quade Cooper's celebrated return to Super Rugby (Cooper was unwanted by the Reds according to their coach Brad Thorn last year so he chose to be at the Rebels for this season) then Sharks who got the better of the struggling Sunwolves team in Singapore followed by the Bulls was the only home team to win a game by beating the Stormers at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria & of course, the Lions of South Africa, finally getting their 1st win against the Jaguares on Argentinean soil at the Jose Amalfitani Stadium in Buenos Aires.
And the Black Caps have won the 1st 2 ODIs in Napier & Christchurch to clinch the ODI series against Bangladesh after our disappointing ODI series against India with New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill scoring back to back tons.
And finally it has been 3 days since the wedding of my father & Raewyn's wedding took place so I had a great time there plus some good guests (Including Pops, Aunty Tania (Who had to clean our house along with Rejean), Rejean, Carole Webb, Kathryn, Ken Branch, Ben Blain, Robina (Ben Blain's girlfriend who could be my best friend who is better than Sophia Ong), Uncle Nigel (Who was the celebrant), Uncle Nigel's adoptive son Isaac, Jansen, Toa Waaka, Toa's girlfriend/partner Kelli, Toa's daughter Hiritoa, Narlea, Narlea's husband Stephen, Nufemmia, Uncle Bryan, Aunty Viv, Aunty Viv's mother Donna, Uncle Bryan & Aunty Viv's son Ashley, Charlotte & the rest) including our whanau back there because the wedding was held at Uncle Bryan Christie's new place (I had a hangi there for dinner & had fruit salad for dessert) & I watched the rugby on TV because they have got Sky there.
So that is my 335th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 75th of this year.
P.S. And the 2nd test between New Zealand & England had ended in a draw (Although the test series is won 1 - 0 by New Zealand) after both New Zealand captain Kane Williamson & Ross Taylor both getting centuries in the 2nd innings (Although Joe Root was man of the match for his double ton in England's 1st innings & Tom Latham scored a century in New Zealand's 1st innings) before it was rained out but the turning point of the test match was Joe Denly's dropped catch because it was shades of Mike Gatting against India in 1993 (Well, the Mike Gatting one was worse than Denly's).
And in rugby news for the last time this year as Wales have beaten the Barbarians (They lost to Fiji at Twickenham before they bounced back when they defeated Brazil in Sao Paulo but Irish hooker Rory Best had to bid farewell to his long & decorated rugby career as well as World Cup winning 38 year old Springbok Schalk Brits) by 10 points with both star winger Josh Adams & hooker Ken Owens bagging 2 tries each but player of the game honors went to Welsh prop Wyn Jones who had a brilliant game.
Well, here is chapter 9 of The Team New Zealand story 1995 - 2003 book which is boosting the economy that I'm doing today on my blog:
It's no secret that holding the America's Cup is equally valuable for both sporting & economic reasons.
The difference is the sporting benefit isn't readily measurable. It's more a case of a feel-good rub-off but it's the sporting success - or at least the event itself - that drives the tangible by-products for the economy.
Team New Zealand's victory in San Diego in 1995 provided the opprtunity for the magic of the America's Cup to galvanise New Zealanders in a nationalistic sense but it also opened the door for huge financial benefits. Mounting a successful defence in 2000 then created the chance to at least double the value in 2003.
Various spin doctors insisted the cup would have an enormously positive effect on both the Auckland & national economies. Obviously the ultra rich syndicates coming to town would generate significant spending locally while the impact on tourism could never be under-estimated.
It turned out precisely that way during & even after the 2000 defence & now there's optimism the 2003 event may be potentially even more lucrative.
It's similar to the New Zealand film industry. Projects such as the Lord Of The Rings extravaganza advertise New Zealand in a special & spectacular manner; the expectation is that will have a flow-on boost for tourism numbers down the line.
So it is with the America's Cup. The exposure for New Zealand & Auckland particularly during the 2000 regatta could only be exceptionally positive. The television coverage of the racing itself enhanced Auckland's image & so did the contribution by a vast contingent of international media. The tangible rewards of such promotion are likely to manifest themselves in the 2003 regatta.
Such anticipation is based on the results of an America's Cup 2000 Economic Report which rolled out an array of numbers endorsing the event's influence.
It claims the America's Cup generated $640m of value added to the New Zealand economy & $473 to the Auckland region's economy. Government sources later pointed out the GST take alone from America's Cup revenue was in the region of $100m.
The breakdown of information was even more illuminating in the America's Cup report. Among other statistics it showed syndicates spent $149.2m, super yacht owners contributed $118m & international visitors $164m.
Among business areas to benefit from that significant spend were the marine sector ($126.7m), construction ($491.7m), accommodation ($64.2m), restaurants/hospitality ($51.3m), retail ($56.8m), entertainment & leisure ($33.2m) plus media & communications ($23.6m).
Many of the businesses to prosper can, of course, be found in & around the superb facility now known as the American Express Viaduct Harbour. The immediate vicinity with its restaurants, bars, super yacht facilities & various boat industry businesses is the natural magnet for the America's Cup regatta.
Massive development changed the face of the area for Team New Zealand's first defence. It was unrecognisable from the dilapidated facility it had been & the good news is that considerable improvements & extensions have been made since 2000. There's no question the American Express Viaduct Harbour sets Auckland apart from other venues that have staged America's Cup regattas.
Tourism New Zealand can also point to any number of ways in which the America's Cup benefits the country as a whole.
Once came when the Auld Mug was on display at the Genoa Boat Show in October 2000 (several months after Russell Coutts & others had left Team New Zealand). Dean Barker & Tom Schnackenberg were both present & helped to generate 25 spots on television networks across Italy (plus 29 newspaper articles).
Tourism New Zeland also says 39,000 international visitors were in New Zealand specifically for America's Cup 2000 but also travelled extensively to destinations such as Queenstown.
It points to the media's influence as well, highlighting the fact that of the 1600-strong media contingent covering the last regatta two thirds were from overseas. It was estimated that 400 million people saw 1500 hours of television coverage in 98 countries. As they say, that's publicity money can't buy & the benefits may only become apparent during the 2003 event.
The America's Cup is first & foremost a sporting contest but everyone knows it's also one of the most potent business tools in the sporting world.
Auckland & New Zealand have witnessed that once & are about to do so again. Many people have a vested interest in hoping there'll be more to come after 2003 as well.
And the 2nd one is taken from My 1st blog of February 2019 (Six Nations round 1, Superbowl LIII round-up):
Well, Waitangi day is almost upon us tomorrow but in Six Nations news, Wales began their Six Nations campaign with a win against France at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis after being 16 - 0 down at halftime while Scotland continue their dominance against Italy with a Blair Kinghorn hat-trick at Murrayfield in Edinburgh but England defeat defending Six Nations champions & All Black conquerors Ireland in an epic test match in Dublin thanks to England's assistant coach John Mitchell's innovative defence (But the resilient defence by Ireland had been broken by the English white wall).
And finally the Vince Lombardi Trophy is heading back to New England after the Patriots had a dominant display against the Los Angeles Rams in a low scoring affair at Superbowl LIII at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia a year after missing out on defending the Superbowl against the Philadelphia Eagles but what about star quarterback Tom Brady & super coach for the Patriots, Bill Belichick, they were back to its best.
And I did enjoy my time yesterday when me & Pops went to Caroline's for dinner last night where I had a Mediterranean lamb salad that I enjoyed so I had to pay with my meal before we went back home to watch the underarm incident documentary on TV on Prime last night (I had watched the Superbowl earlier in the day) but today I watched the F1 biopic movie Rush (I recorded it last night) that I haven't seen for over 5 years.
And the 3rd one is taken from Six Nations round 2 review, 2019 Super Rugby season preview & Black Caps Vs India 3rd T20 round up:
Well, my father & Raewyn's wedding is almost upon us on the 16th of February but in Six Nations news, Ireland get their 1st win of their campaign, beating Scotland 22 - 13 at Murrayfield in Edinburgh while Wales continue their dominance against Italy with a resounding 26 - 15 win at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome to equal their 100 year old record for most consecutive test wins (They played their best Welsh side in years) & England (Who has their best defence in the competition since John Mitchell took over as defence coach but they actually believe that they could win the Rugby World Cup with the All Blacks likely to be their opponent in the semifinal (Well, the last meeting between England & New Zealand at a Rugby World Cup was 20 years ago but England have never beaten us before (Their 1st meeting was in 1991) go 2 from 2 in the Six Nations (Who followed up their victory against grand slam champions Ireland), thrashing France (Who played their worst rugby in years) 44 to 8 with a hat-trick by star winger Jonny May at Twickenham in London.
And the Six Nations is taking their mandatory 1 week break but Super Rugby starts this Friday on the 15th of February (The day after Valentine's Day) with the Chiefs taking on the Highlanders at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton then on Saturday it's the Blues taking on the defending champion Crusaders side at Eden Park in Auckland before the Hurricanes head across the ditch for their quest of regaining the title to take on the Waratahs at Brookvale Oval (A rugby league ground which is home to the Manly Sea Eagles NRL team) in Sydney but other matches are Brumbies Vs Rebels at GIO Stadium in Canberra, Sunwolves Vs Sharks at National Stadium in Singapore, Bulls Vs Stormers at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria & Jaguares Vs Lions at the Jose Amalfitani Stadium in Buenos Aires.
And finally the Black Caps win the T20 series against India in the 3rd & deciding T20 at Hamilton with New Zealand opening batsman Colin Munro getting a half-century by scoring 72 runs but their next task for the Black Caps is against the giant killers of world cricket, Bangladesh, in a 3 match ODI series beginning tomorrow & the 3 match test series commencing on the last day of February 2019.
And the 4th one is taken from Super Rugby round 1 review, Black Caps 1st & 2nd ODI & my father & Raewyn's wedding round-up:
Well, the 2019 Super Rugby season officially got underway as the Highlanders produce a comeback win against the Chiefs at FMG Stadium Waikato in the Tron despite being a man down for the rest of the game (Highlanders reserve back Sio Tomkinson was the culprit who got red carded by New Zealand referee Glen Jackson for an illegal no arms tackle to the head on Chiefs captain Brodie Retallick who had to leave the field due to concussion so he was unable to continue) then the Blues were inconsistent against the defending champion Crusaders (Who were without hooker Codie Taylor, captain Sam Whitelock & All Blacks skipper Kieran Read), losing by 2 points at the garden of Eden in Auckland then the Hurricanes (Who had done it without the services of star first five Beauden Barrett) managed to win by just a single point against the Waratahs at Brookvale Oval in Sydney after Waratahs first five Bernard Foley had a chance to win the game with a penalty goal but he missed after that shot at goal attempt went wide at Brookvale Oval in Manly, Sydney & other results include the Rebels who had an upset victory against the Brumbies at GIO Stadium in Canberra upon Quade Cooper's celebrated return to Super Rugby (Cooper was unwanted by the Reds according to their coach Brad Thorn last year so he chose to be at the Rebels for this season) then Sharks who got the better of the struggling Sunwolves team in Singapore followed by the Bulls was the only home team to win a game by beating the Stormers at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria & of course, the Lions of South Africa, finally getting their 1st win against the Jaguares on Argentinean soil at the Jose Amalfitani Stadium in Buenos Aires.
And the Black Caps have won the 1st 2 ODIs in Napier & Christchurch to clinch the ODI series against Bangladesh after our disappointing ODI series against India with New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill scoring back to back tons.
And finally it has been 3 days since the wedding of my father & Raewyn's wedding took place so I had a great time there plus some good guests (Including Pops, Aunty Tania (Who had to clean our house along with Rejean), Rejean, Carole Webb, Kathryn, Ken Branch, Ben Blain, Robina (Ben Blain's girlfriend who could be my best friend who is better than Sophia Ong), Uncle Nigel (Who was the celebrant), Uncle Nigel's adoptive son Isaac, Jansen, Toa Waaka, Toa's girlfriend/partner Kelli, Toa's daughter Hiritoa, Narlea, Narlea's husband Stephen, Nufemmia, Uncle Bryan, Aunty Viv, Aunty Viv's mother Donna, Uncle Bryan & Aunty Viv's son Ashley, Charlotte & the rest) including our whanau back there because the wedding was held at Uncle Bryan Christie's new place (I had a hangi there for dinner & had fruit salad for dessert) & I watched the rugby on TV because they have got Sky there.
So that is my 335th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 75th of this year.
P.S. And the 2nd test between New Zealand & England had ended in a draw (Although the test series is won 1 - 0 by New Zealand) after both New Zealand captain Kane Williamson & Ross Taylor both getting centuries in the 2nd innings (Although Joe Root was man of the match for his double ton in England's 1st innings & Tom Latham scored a century in New Zealand's 1st innings) before it was rained out but the turning point of the test match was Joe Denly's dropped catch because it was shades of Mike Gatting against India in 1993 (Well, the Mike Gatting one was worse than Denly's).
And in rugby news for the last time this year as Wales have beaten the Barbarians (They lost to Fiji at Twickenham before they bounced back when they defeated Brazil in Sao Paulo but Irish hooker Rory Best had to bid farewell to his long & decorated rugby career as well as World Cup winning 38 year old Springbok Schalk Brits) by 10 points with both star winger Josh Adams & hooker Ken Owens bagging 2 tries each but player of the game honors went to Welsh prop Wyn Jones who had a brilliant game.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)