Always/Down/Edging: My 24th & final blog of the year 2022

Well, Merry Christmas everyone (It's happening in 2 days time) to you all for the millions spending time at home here in New Zealand, & the billions from all around the world tuning into this Christmas blog special, but news straight out of America a few weeks ago as the former US president Donald Trump (Who is in the middle of a scandal about the raids had taken place that his documents had been seized) in his home at Mar-El-Lago in Florida has announced that he's going to run for president again to challenge the current US president Joe Biden in 2024, but let's hope he doesn't rebound from his 2020 US election defeat against him (And they passed a new law recently therefore stopping another January 6th in the aftermath of the events of early last year where the Capitol insurrection riots had taken place in a last ditch bid to overturn the result of the election in 2020).

And listening to those rock tunes reminds me of my youth days growing up from the 90s until today (And I'm 31 now because of me tuning in to my favourite radio station of Brian FM (But I listen to The Rock FM only on Saturday nights when it's ad free until I go to bed) that I listen every day) but seeing a Football World Cup game on television reminds me of watching a good rugby match on TV when I told Pops about it before & the Football World Cup final is like a title fight of a wrestling match (Which is sorta like a rock concert vibe) at a main event of Wrestlemania (The WWE's flagship premier event) in fact as well as a most important rock concert that a big name band like both the Red Hot Chili Peppers & the Foo Fighters is performing.

And in rugby news such as the Wallabies down Wales in one of the greatest comebacks in rugby history at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff while the current Rugby World Cup holders the Springboks, managed to overcome a red card to dispatch England at Twickenham in London in the last international rugby test of the year in Eddie Jones's last game as coach of the England rugby team.

And there's a cricket related fact as I mentioned in my previous blogs that the only time England (Whose plans of winning this years tournament began after a semifinal loss against New Zealand in last years T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi) had lost a 2022 T20 World Cup match before winning the tournament against Pakistan in the final at the MCG to become the 1st men's national cricket team to become the holders of both the 50 over & 20 over World Cups was against Ireland who had an upset win according to the Duckworth/Lewis/Stern system method but the latest on the cricket as Black Caps player Kane Williamson is moving on from the captaincy in the test format as he deals from an elbow injury which limited him from playing big shots, allowing experienced veteran Tim Southee to take the captaincy in the test format instead of Tom Latham as New Zealand go into both the test & ODI series against Pakistan on Pakistani soil including the Boxing Day test which is happening from the 26th to the 30th of December in Karachi.

And in COVID-19 related news such as there has been a setback in our country of New Zealand which has gone from bad to worse as 40,000 confirmed cases have been reported recently as well as a numerous number of persons passed away (And life is just a little messed up but when will we bring back the restrictions? If there is more than 100,000 (But we're still declaring war on the corona virus here in New Zealand), just like in China that there is a zero COVID-19 framework still in place as peaceful protests had occurred in the country about it still affected by the pandemic since it began in early November 2019 with the 1st confirmed case of the corona virus occurred at a Huanan fish market in Wuhan, 4 months before the world changed/altered (And that would've been that tragic event unfolded throughout my generation but we managed to survive in our country while the UK has sent out a Christmas roll out warning by the National Health Service about the corona virus due to 5,000 or 6,000 confirmed cases being reported with 10,000 likely to end up getting hospitalized by the end of the year if things continue to escalate by picking up the disease & something like India has a vaccination policy in place as well as bringing back the mask mandate rulings since China's opened their borders up with India due to the high amount of confirmed cases) just like the events of the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States of America in 2001 (A year before the establishment & foundation of the Department of Homeland Security in direct response to 9/11, but it's worse than the events of Pearl Harbor in 1941 during World War II when the Americans declared war on the Axis, V-Day in 1945 when World War II ended in Europe & the assassinations of both US President John F Kennedy in 1963 by a gunman named Lee Harvey Oswald who was gunned down by Jack Ruby which resulted security being stepped up at courts nationwide throughout America following that serious incident & American civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King Jr in 1968) as the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic where everything had to be stopped when it started to spread).

And finally here are the results of the 2022 Football World Cup games being played:

Wales 0 - 2 IR Iran (And it was the Iranians who came away with a win by scoring 2 late goals in the aftermath of a red card to Welsh goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey for a foul play incident in which he thought was going to get booked according to the video assistant referee)

Qatar 1 - 3 Senegal (And the Senegalese who are without their star talisman of Sadio Mane through a serious injury pushed the host nation to bits)

Netherlands 1 - 1 Ecuador (It was the Dutch who put themselves in front & on track to win the game until Ecuador equalized ending Holland's hopes for another victory before the match had ended in a draw)

England 0 - 0 USA (And I thought England were going to dominate the game but it didn't as the Americans were oh so competitive according to Pops when both sides were held out to a goal less draw meaning that the Americans continue the trend of having never been beaten by the English)

Tunisia 0 - 1 Australia (And it was the Socceroos 1st win at a Football World Cup since 2010 against Serbia in which they tore the Tunisians apart)

Poland 2 - 0 Saudi Arabia (It has all been Poland (Who recovered after that nail biting draw against Mexico) in which they won that contest against the giant killing Saudis who shocked the world which turned the football world upside down with a memorable as well as an historic upset win of the tournament against the Argy Bargies but to steal the game for Saudi Arabia in one of the most victories in the history of sport, not just in the game of football).

France 2 - 1 Denmark (And it was the defending world champions time to shine as they would finally beat Denmark at a Football World Cup for the first time since 1998 to secure a place in the round of 16 with star talisman Kylian Mbappe scoring 2 fantastic goals (Including the match winner from him after Denmark had to equalize) that won them the game)

& Argentina 2 - 0 Mexico (It was the Lionel Messi led Argentina's day as they rebounded from a landmark defeat against Saudi Arabia to down Mexico on that occasion with their aspirations of making the knockout stages, well in truly alive)

UPDATED

Japan 0 - 1 Costa Rica (It was the Costa Ricans day after being annhiliated by the Spanish by 7 goals in the previous game, as they manhandle the Japanese who unable to follow up from their upset win against Germany)

Belgium 0 - 2 Morocco (And another upset was on the cards as Morocco stun Belgium in which they turned the football world upside down compared to Japan pulling the grand daddy of them all, by knocking over Germany but the Saudis shock win over the Argentinians was better because it was the standout for me in the mother of all upsets)

Croatia 4 - 1 Canada (And it was Croatia who recovered after a draw against Morocco to secure a hiding over Canada (Who took the lead in the 1st half before the Croatians overturned a 1 goal deficit to score 4 unanswered goals) to comprehensively win the game)

Spain 1 - 1 Germany (And there was a drawn game between both sides after Spain scored first during the 2nd half with Alvaro Morata before the man who replaced the injured Timo Werner before the tournament of Niclas Fuellkrug who equalized, ending Spain's hopes of a victory (And it was during the 1st half that one of the German defenders of Antonio Ruediger who thought he scored a goal to put them in the lead, only to be denied as the offside line had been breached/broken) allowing Germany to keep hopes of making the knockouts alive)

Cameroon 3 - 3 Serbia (It was a draw at the end after 6 goals had been scored in the match so far (3 from both sides including the Cameroonians who had staged a tremendous fightback)

Korea Republic 2 - 3 Ghana (And it was the Ghanaians night after they scored a match winning goal by staving of elimination in a thriller to put them in front & held on until the end (And one of the coaches of Korea Republic had been shockingly sent off by the referee for illegally saying something in front of the ref after the South Koreans had thought that they could take a corner in their hopes of drawing the game, but they ran out of time)

Brazil 1 - 0 Switzerland (And the Brazilians (Who were without their star talisman Neymar as he is ruled out of this game through injury) finally had a win against the Swiss after a draw had happened between both sides in 2018 to become the 2nd side after the reigning world champions France to reach the knockout stages (Casemiro was the lone goal scorer in the game while there was a goal scored by Vinicius Jr earlier in the 2nd half but the referee had overturned the decision according to the VAR to no goal as a result of an offside by Vinicius (And many thoughts are about the VAR policing the offside line if a goal is scored when the referee is able to check the matter due to the introduction of the automated offside law made by the video assistant referee)

& Portugal 2 - 0 Uruguay (And it was the Portuguese time to shine to become the 3rd team after both France & Brazil to reach the Round of 16 after their victory against Uruguay, exacting revenge from 4 years ago in the Round of 16 game in 2018 including a penalty (In which the referee had to go to the video assistant referee by checking for a possible handball by Uruguay (I thought it wasn't a handball to start with, which was deemed a bit controversial) in which the ref had successfully awarded a penalty which went in the way of Portugal) scored by Bruno Fernandes who got his second goal in the match)

So that is my 476th blog of the year 2022 (MMXXII) & my 24th of this year, stay safe & one love, viva Ukraine (And I just wanted to say happy holidays & also wishing you a happy new year so thank you for all of my support covering my blogs this year, bring on 2023! (And my final thoughts on my blog this year before I wrap it up? That's it man! Game over man, game over!).

P.S. And the rugby world is in mourning as former Scottish rugby union player Doddie Weir has passed away after a lengthy battle of MND at age 52 so all thoughts, prayers & condolences got to the family of Doddie Weir, rest in pieces/rest easy (And he joins the likes of numerous celebs who have passed away such as the Australian cricket trio of Rod Marsh, Shane Warne (Who as I mentioned in my previous blogs as the finest cricketer of that generation) & Andrew Symonds, a duo of American Hollywood film stars of Sidney Poitier & William Hurt, a pair of New Zealand rugby union players of Inga Tuigamala & Joeli Vidiri, American rock star drummer & Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Taylor Hawkins of the famous American rock band, the Foo Fighters (Who are now down to 5 survivors such as Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett & Rami Jaffee), the former Japanese Prime Minister of Shinzo Abe, the former Australian actress who starred with John Travolta in the 1976 movie Grease, Olivia Newton-John, the Tongan rugby player as well as reowned broadcaster Willie Lose, & last but not least, Her Majesty the Queen of Queen Elizabeth II (Who was the longest serving monarch which lasted for 70 years until her son, His Majesty King Charles III had taken over) & now the famous American boxing referee & court judge of Mills Lane who passed away most recently (And I hadn't mentioned that famous Hollywood actor of Italian American Ray Liotta passing away in May).

Doddie Weir

1970 - 2022

And last but not least, I'd like to give a shout-out to one of Pops friends from the Bretagne region in France of Wai Lam, Wai Lam's wife & Clement (Son of Wai Lam) whose staying here at our place from the 20th of December until Christmas eve (Which is the day before the big day known as the real thing which is Christmas (But my favourite part of Christmas is opening the presents just because I feel like a young kid eh, am I right?).

Capricorn (A Brand New Name)/Edge Of The Earth/Exhausted: My 23rd blog of the year 2022

Well, something has gone wrong from bad to worse as China (Whose nation had been affected by the pandemic since it began in 2019 at a Huanan fish market in Wuhan which has a zero COVID-19 framework in hand towards it as well as a travel ban to most countries around the world) records the 1st death caused by the corona virus in 6 months (And they have cancelled the Chinese Grand Prix next year due to the extended COVID-19 shutdown measures being in place) unlike the confirmed number of cases count has reached over 24,000 here in New Zealand but I'm not sure whether we'll bring back the restrictions related to the corona virus such as the mask mandate rulings if there's too many people who pick up the disease compared to Canada where they're about to bring back the mask mandate restrictions due to the high number of confirmed COVID-19 cases but there's over 27,000 now here in New Zealand since it reported as of the 28th of November because once again our country has declared war on the corona virus (And picking up COVID-19 is like getting shot from a gun).

And leading our sports news in this blog but 1st it's the rugby as the match between England & the AB's has ended in a draw at Twickenham in London after the All Blacks dominated the match until a yellow card by one of the New Zealand players of Beauden Barrett proved costly as England had staged a tremendous fight back to keep them back in the contest but one of the English players of Marcus Smith had decided to kick the ball out after the 80 minutes had been expired meaning that the fans weren't happy about the result (And I was gutted that our hopes for victory against the English had been derailed by a sin binning by easily one of our best players of Beauden Barrett resulting in the match being drawn after a dramatic comeback staged by England to end our year but at least we did not lose that test which is good but Sam Whitelock should never captain the All Blacks again (And I mean get over it, that is disgraceful) according to ex-rugby coach Jim Telfer when he spoke to Martin Devlin on the phone on the New Zealand talk show radio station Newstalk ZB) while Ireland have stunned the Wallabies (Who have only just one win in the tour which was against Scotland then 3 heartbreaking losses against France, Italy & now Ireland) in an dramatic but epic test at the Aviva Stadium (Which has opened in 2010 to replace the old Lansdowne Road) in Dublin then Georgia claim the upset of the weekend as they mow Wales down in Cardiff before Portugal (Who haven't been to a tournament since their debut at a Rugby World Cup in 2007) becoming the last side to qualify in next year's RWC after their win against the United States (The last time the Americans didn't make it to the Rugby World Cup was in 1995 after they appeared in the 1st 2 tournaments in both 1987 & 1991 & have appeared from 1999 until the most recent tournament in 2019) who miss out on a place in the RWC during the qualifying tournament of who'll make it to France 2023 (And next years Rugby World Cup tournament will be the 1st in history without a North American side involved (And for the 1st time in the tournament's 36 year history that a rugby playing nation from North America, won't be in the RWC).

And news straight out of the Rugby League World Cup as Australia claim their record extending 12th title, ending Samoa's hopes of a fairytale Rugby League World Cup glory finish in the final at Old Trafford in Manchester, England as the Kangaroos dominated the game from start to finish (And it's great that the Pacific island nation of Samoa are in the final after their historic upset victory over England in the 2nd semifinal in another one of the greatest games in the RLWC but it wasn't to be as they missed out on becoming world champions in the sport of rugby league (Which is the national sport in Papua New Guinea), for the very 1st time meaning that the Aussies dominance in the Rugby League World Cup continues) as they held off a Samoan challenge during the final (And it has been all Australia as they successfully complete a threepeat in which they have dominated the tournament since 2013) to succesfully defend the Rugby League World Cup.

And finally in Football World Cup news such as Ecuador have beaten hosts Qatar (Who became the 1st side to lose an opening match as the host nation of the Football World Cup in a record that had to stand for 92 years that a host nation would never lose an opening game of the World Cup (And they would always win or draw the Football World Cup opener stretching from 1930 until 2018) 2 - 0 to open proceedings after the Ecuadorian captain (Whose earlier goal had been denied as a result of the Ecuadorian skipper being adjudged to be in an offside position according to the VAR) scored an opening goal with a penalty then got another goal during the match before leaving the field with an injury just before they tasted victory over the Qataris but here are the results of the other World Cup games being played:

England 6 - 2 IR Iran (It was the English who ran away with a hammering over the Iranians to start their campaign)

Senegal 0 - 2 Netherlands (It's Holland's first World Cup match since their third placing against Brazil in 2014 where they got of to a promising start in which they scored 2 late goals to come away with the win)

USA 1 - 1 Wales (It was the United States (That was their 1st game at a World Cup since their Round of 16 defeat against Belgium in 2014) who took the lead during the game until a Gareth Bale penalty for the Welsh (Who also played their 1st game at a Football World Cup since their quarterfinal loss against the eventual champions Brazil in 1958), ended the Americans chances for victory)

Argentina 1 - 2 Saudi Arabia (And yes that game was by far, the biggest boil over in the history of the Football World Cup during modern times or should I say during the modern era (Compared to & better than Korea Republic's win over Germany in 2018 in the last group game where the defending champions at the time, were eliminated from the tournament) where Argentina led 1 - 0 but had their 3 goals disallowed due to offside then the Saudi Arabians took control of the 2nd half by scoring both unanswered goals & held on until the very end in which they shocked the football world by claiming the 1st upset of the 2022 tournament (And only once in Football World Cup history that a side went on to win the tournament in style after losing the opening group game & that honor belongs to Spain (Who lost to the Swiss in the opening match of the 2010 tournament (And it was during the game that the Spanish defence were unable to stop the speedy Swiss player Gelson Fernandes who was in to score) before winning all 6 to win the World Cup including the final against the Netherlands in which Andres Iniesta scored that infamous game winning goal during extra time) in 2010 (Just like South Africa did at the 2019 Rugby World Cup that they became the 1st side to successfully win the tournament after losing the opening game which was against New Zealand) who did it in 2010)

Denmark 0 - 0 Tunisia (It was the 1st goal less draw of the tournament at the end where no side had even scored a single goal)

Mexico 0 - 0 Poland (And also that no team has ever scored a goal in which the group game had ended in a goal less draw (And that's the 2nd in this years World Cup but Poland have been given the penalty during the match for a Mexican player who caused the foul on a Polish player, inside the penalty area moments before Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa denying Poland's captain, Robert Lewandowski a chance of scoring that penalty to put them in front during the contest)

& France 4 - 1 Australia (And it was Australia who took the lead before the defending world champions scored 4 unanswered goals to kick start their title defence that they won in 2018 in Russia)

UPDATED

Morocco 0 - 0 Croatia (It was a draw at the end between both sides in the 3rd goal less draw of this year's tournament)

Germany 1 - 2 Japan (And another superb upset compared to the Argentina-Saudi Arabia clash, this time by the Japanese over the Germans in an incredible contest for the ages in which a country from the Asian continent claimed another scalp over Germany)

Spain 7 - 0 Costa Rica (And it was the Spanish who thrash the poor old Costa Ricans in a blowout in which they did not see that one coming)

Belgium 1 - 0 Canada (And of course the Belgians who appeared to be down & out after they gave away a penalty until they made a save by their star goalie Thibaut Courtois before Belgium ran away with a win with a goal scored by Michy Batshuayi)

Switzerland 1 - 0 Cameroon (Well, it was the Swiss who dismantled the Cameroonians by the barest of margins)

Uruguay 0 - 0 Korea Republic (And it turns out to be a goalless draw between both sides in a rematch of the Round of 16 game in 2010)

Portugal 3 - 2 Ghana (It was the Portuguese time to shine as they win a Football World Cup match against Ghana in their 1st meeting between the 2 countries at a World Cup since 2014)

& Brazil 2 - 0 Serbia (And also that the Brazilians got off to a flyer as they produce magic by securing a 2 goal win against the Serbians in their 1st game between both nations at a World Cup since their last meeting in 2018 in their bid of chasing a record extending 6th Football World Cup championship for the Brazilians)

So that is my 475th blog of the year 2022 (MMXXII) & my 23rd of this year, stay safe & one love, viva Ukraine.

Lift Me Up/Restless Heart Syndrome/Wet Dream/Gimme Gimme: My 22nd blog of the year 2022

Well, in Football World Cup news as Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo (Who is the team captain in the Portuguese national side but he is due to leave Man United as a result of a breach of contract mainly because of him being unwanted by the club according to manager/coach Erik ten Haag that they want him out) has made the cut to be part of the Portugal squad for this year's Football World Cup in Qatar (And that'll be his 5th & possibly his final Football World Cup appearance (He joins the likes of both Mexicans of Antonio Carbajal & Rafael Marquez, a German of Lothar Matthaus & possibly, Paris-Saint Germain's Lionel Messi (A teammate of Neymar who plays for the proud footballing nation of the 5 time world champions Brazil (The tournament favourites & the number 1 ranked team in the world who had never tasted Football World Cup glory/success since 2002 & are gunning for a record extending 6th title) since he made his debut in 2006 when the tournament was held in Germany but he had scored 117 goals for his country & leading his side to both the Euro 2016 & 2019 UEFA Nations League titles (And as I mentioned before in my previous blogs that it'll be his last chance of Football World Cup glory along with his great rival from Argentina (Champions of the Finalissima this year after rolling the defending European Champions Italy (One of the biggest football playing nations who are not in the Football World Cup in Qatar this year as I mentioned in my previous blogs after that devastating defeat against North Macedonia in the UEFA World Cup qualifier semifinal which crashed back to earth after being feted as national heroes when they had a successful Euro 2020 campaign which ended in glory) in a match billed as the best of South America, taking on the best of Europe) led by its star captain, Lionel Messi (Who is having his last chance of Football World Cup glory along with Cristiano Ronaldo & is set to retire from international football after the tournament) with Portugal being drawn in Group H along with Ghana (Led out by Thomas Partey of English club Arsenal in which Portugal haven't fought against the Ghanaians since 2014), Uruguay (Who'll have Atletico Madrid's Luis Suarez & Real Madrid's Federico Valverde in company in which the Portuguese infamously lost the match against the Uruguayans last time out in 2018 in the Round of 16) & Korea Republic (With Spurs player Son Heung-min at the helm of the team in which the Portuguese haven't played against them since 20 years ago way back in 2002) & also Dani Alves (Who missed the last World Cup as a result of an injury) of Brazil (Who are drawn in Group G along with Serbia (In which Brazil had a win in 2018 with Dusan Tadic of Dutch club Ajax being Serbia's main talisman), Switzerland (Who failed to beat them after the group match in 2018 ended in a draw with Borussia Moenchengladbach's Yann Sommer being the main man for the Swiss) & Cameroon (Who last appeared at a Football World Cup back in 2014 along with Ecuador, Ghana, the Netherlands & the USA but the star man for the Cameroonians is Andre Onana of Italian club Inter Milan) has made it into the squad to prepare for the tournament but Liverpool's Roberto Firmino (Who was part of the Brazil squad in 2018) didn't make it after being overlooked by the national team selectors.

And in rugby news that there's rumours or should I say, reports of a pre-Rugby World Cup test match at Twickenham in London is all but being confirmed between the traditional rivals of the 3 time RWC champions the All Blacks & the defending 3 time world champions the Springboks of South Africa in a heavyweight clash which is a rematch of the 2015 Rugby World Cup semifinal (Which was won by New Zealand) at Twickenham which is the last test match before the Rugby World Cup, a fortnight out until next year's RWC in France where the host nation will play the AB's in the opening match of the tournament.

And continuing onto that football stuff that I have a heap of my favourite Football World Cup memories not involving New Zealand (But my favourite Football World Cup memory involving the All Whites was in 2010 in which we went through our campaign undefeated after all 3 group games against Slovakia, Italy & Paraguay, had ended in a draw but we didn't go through to the round of 16 in the knockout stages) was Germany's hammering over hosts at the time of Brazil (Who are without Neymar through injury & their captain at the time of Thiago Silva as a result of a suspension) in the semifinal in 2014 (That was before Germany went on to win their most recent Football World Cup after Mario Goetze's heroics by scoring a goal to put them in front in the final against Argentina (Their last appearance in a World Cup final & the last side from South America to reach the final) including that great assist by one of the German players of Andre Schurrle to create an amazing goal scored by Goetze & held on until the very end) & Korea Republic knocking the defending champions at the time of the Germans out of the Football World Cup which shocked the world in 2018 in Russia in which the people of Germany were stunned that they could not go through to the knockout stages (And also a special but honorable mention of the incident during the 2nd period of extra time involving Frenchman Zinedine Zidane who headbutted Italian Marco Materazzi during the World Cup final back in 2006 moments before the Fabio Cannavaro led Italy last triumphed in football's biggest prize on penalties) as well as France winning both Football World Cup titles in 1998 (Including Zidane's double which both came off headers from corner kicks & Emmanuel Petit finishing the Brazilians off in style with the last goal of the tournament) & 2018 (Including an own goal from Croatia which put the French in front during the 1st half in which was the 1st in history that there was an own goal involved in the World Cup final then Ivan Perisic tied things up to go all square before Antoine Griezmann scored a penalty after Croatia (Who had their skipper who currently plays for Real Madrid, Luka Modric being named best player of the tournament) got penalised for a handball in the penalty area, to put them back in front then Paul Pogba (Who is ruled out of this year's tournament with a serious injury & joins his French teammate N'Golo Kante, Germany's Timo Werner, Mexico's Jesus Corona & Portugal's Diogo Jota as part of the injured players list (And there's has been an update as France (Who have never lost a Football World Cup match since 2014 in the quarterfinal against Germany, 4 years before their successful World Cup glory in Russia back in 2018) have a star player injury crisis, ahead of their title defence against the Socceroos of Australia that one of the best footballers in the world of Karim Benzema joins the likes of Kante & Pogba (As well as Germany's Werner, Portugal's Diogo Jota, Mexico's Corona & others are part of the casualty ward along with Sadio Mane of Senegal most recently before the tournament began) to miss the entirety of the tournament with a serious injury sustained during training (And that's a massive blow for the French, who are trying hard to become the 1st side since Brazil in 1962 to defend the Football World Cup title but Kylian Mbappe has taken over the star player role following Benzema's injury that ends his tournament unlike in 2014 that Franck Ribery got injured before the Football World Cup had started) had scored a great goal to double to their advantage during the 2nd half, before a goal that Kylian Mbappe scored was better than Pogba's as he becomes the 2nd teenage goal scorer in the Football World Cup final after the great Brazilian player of Pele & then in all of a sudden, an error by French captain Hugo Lloris gifted the Croatians a goal before that memorable final ended when France triumphed for the 2nd time in the tournament's history & Spain winning in 2010 when a goal scored by Andres Iniesta during the 2nd period of extra time as they sealed the deal when they went on to win their 1st & only Football World Cup crown (Just like Germany did that Goetze did a similar thing to Iniesta did when the final in 2014 between Germany & Argentina was similar to the final in 2010 where a match winning goal had been scored during extra time).

And I'm looking forward to this weekend related to sport which is the big one in the sport of rugby union, as the All Blacks play our highly anticipated final test match of the year against England at Twickenham in London in our 1st test between the 2 teams since the semifinal at the most recent Rugby World Cup in 2019 where we got it all wrong as England (Who had never lost a test against New Zealand since 2018 in which Courtney Lawes's match winning try was denied by the TV referee as a result of him being adjudged to be in an offside position but the last time the English defeated the AB's on home soil was in 2012 were New Zealand had been affected by the novo bug virus which caused us to lose the test at Twickers) dominated the game to reach the final against the eventual champions South Africa as well as the Rugby League World Cup final in Manchester, England, contested between defending champions & tournament favourites the Kangaroos of Australia (Who have appeared in every Rugby League World Cup final since 1968 but the only time the Australians did not appear in the Rugby League World Cup final was at the inaugural tournament in 1954 (There were no finals in both 1957 & 1960 to start with) in which Great Britain won their 1st of 2 RLWC titles against France (Which will host the tournament in 2025 after both Canada & the USA pulled out as hosts after they found out that they ran out of money of hosting the next tournament) in the final) & Toa Samoa of Samoa (Who are in their very 1st final by becoming the 1st nation from the Pacific Islands to make the big dance after making history with an upset win over England in the 2nd semifinal which was decided via golden point, but the last meeting between the 2 teams at the tournament, was in 2017 in Darwin in the quarterfinal that the Aussies hammered the Samoans 46 - 0, with Valentine Holmes becoming the 1st player in Rugby League World Cup history to score 5 tries in a match) & of course, last but not least, the opening match of this year's Football World Cup between hosts Qatar (Who are in their 1st Football World Cup altogether, as the host nation who had been marred by controversy regarding to infringements about human rights (Caused by normal people who to tourists that they shouldn't belong there, especially the pride people that they should not be safe in a tournament owing to corruption that they should not host a Football World Cup like that, but the players playing for that country competing in the World Cup must stick to football & they must say positive things about it) & the implementation of the zero alcohol policy at around stadiums & grounds for the duration of the tournament to curb drunkeness caused by people as a result of the crack down on alcoholism in which Qatar (A nation associated with Islam) is the cleaniest country in the world (Similar to the zero corona virus loophole that they're currently having in China during the pandemic in that country which is the worst affected in the world) & Ecuador (Who last appeared in a tournament in 2014, 4 years before missing out on securing qualification at the last Football World Cup in 2018 in a nation affected by the protests about inflation which resulted in the increase of both food & fuel prices as I mentioned in my blogs) at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.

And finally in women's rugby news as the women's Rugby World Cup, remains, New Zealand's cup! (Or should I say the women's RWC trophy, is Aotearoa's again!) After the Black Ferns claim their record extending 6th women's Rugby World Cup championship after picking up a hard fought win over the tournament favourites England in the big dance in front of a sell out crowd of 40,000 packed at Eden Park in Auckland to set the women's tournament alight so here's the live updates according to Newshub (And it'll be the 1st time covering live updates involving women's rugby):

Kia ora, good evening and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the Rugby World Cup final between New Zealand and England at Auckland's Eden Park.

About 12 months ago, with the NZ women reeling from their disastrous northern hemisphere tour - including record defeats to England and France - very few would have put money on this match-up at the World Cup final.

The Black Ferns had lost two tests to the French by 25 and 22 points, after being dispatched by the 'Red Roses' to the tune of 31 and 41 points.

Over two years of COVID-19 isolation, the reigning world champions had slipped behind their closest rivals in terms of performance on the field and professionalism off it.

Arriving home, their team culture was also subjected to a thorough examination, with accusations of favouritism, ghosting and body-shaming levelled at team management, after veteran hooker Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate revealed she had suffered a mental health breakdown during the tour. 

Under pressure, World Cup-winning coach Glenn Moore stood down from his position, replaced by 'Professor' Wayne Smith, who had previously helped mastermind two World Cup triumphs for the All Blacks.

Team culture was restructured under Olympic champion Black Ferns Sevens coach Allan Bunting and first-five Ruahei Demant named captain, later joined by loose forward Kennedy Simon.

While all this took place, England were relentlessly building a formidable unbeaten run that now extends to 30 games, since their last loss to New Zealand at San Diego in 2019 - their only lapse since their World Cup defeat to the same opponents two years before at Belfast.

The English have looked formidable throughout this tournament, accounting for France in pool play and holding off a surprising challenge from Canada in last week's semis.

The Black Ferns have had some anxious moments along the way, trailling by 17 points early in their opener against Australia and exposed among the forwards by Wales the following week.

But they set the record straight against the Welsh in their quarter-final and have played an exciting brand of rugby that has drawn their home fans behind them, with a sold out crowd of more than 40,000 expected at Eden Park for the final.

The fixture will send veteran halfback Kendra Cocksedge into retirement, after a career that saw her named NZ Rugby Player of the Year - male or female - in 2018. This is her fourth World Cup and her third final, after guiding the Black Ferns to victory in 2010 and 2017.

Black Ferns: 1-Phillipa Love, 2-Georgia Ponsonby, 3-Amy Rule, 4-Maiakawanakaulani Roos, 5-Chelsea Bremner, 6-Alana Bremner, 7-Sarah Hirini, 8-Charmaine McMenamin, 9-Kendra Cocksedge, 10-Ruahei Demant (cc), 11-Portia Woodman, 12-Theresa Fitzpatrick, 13-Stacey Fluhler, 14-Ruby Tui, 15-Renee Holmes

Reserves: 16-Luka Connor, 17-Krystal Murray, 18-Santo Taumata, 19-Joanah Ngan-Woo, 20-Kennedy Simon (cc), 21-Ariana Bayler, 22-Hazel Tubic, 23-Ayesha Leti-I'iga

England: 1-Vickii Cornborough, 2-Amy Cokayne, 3-Sarah Bern, 4-Zoe Aldcroft, 5-Abbie Ward, 6-Alex Matthews, 7-Marlie Packer, 8-Sarah Hunter (captain), 9-Leanne Infante (Later replaced by Lucy Packer), 10-Zoe Harrison, 11-Abby Dow, 12-Holly Aitchison, 13-Emily Scarratt, 14-Lydia Thompson, 15-Ellie Kildunne

Reserves: 16-Lark Davies, 17-Maud Muir, 18-Shaunagh Brown, 19-Cath O'Donnell, 20-Poppy Cleall, 21-Sadia Kabeya, 22-Claudia MacDonald, 23-Tatyana Heard

7:01 PM: After some iffy weather on Friday and some dodgy forecasts, Auckland has turned on a brilliant night for rugby, with no rain on the horizon.

The French have shown their full ability with a comprehensive 36-0 victory over Canada for the bronze medal, with first-five Caroline Drouin - the villain of their semi-final defeat to New Zealand - to the fore.

7:24 PM: The teams are filing out onto Eden Park, with the stands packed. They face the national anthems... and then the Black Ferns haka.

The England team is lined out across the full width of the field to face the challenge, led by Stacey Fluhler.

The scene is set.

KICK OFF: Scotland's Hollie Davidson will referee the big game and Renee Holmes will kick off for NZ. Thompson secures the ball and set up the first ruck, with Harrison clearing their half.

England steal the ball of NZ and Harrison kicks to the goal-line, where Holmes gathers and runs clear.

2ND MINUTE: Ferns try to run from their own 22, but Fitzpatrick stumbles and eventually Demant has to kick to touch. England win the lineout and shift left.

3RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY ENGLAND: TRY to Kildunne

CONVERSION ENGLAND: England already showing they can run the ball and when they shift right, Kildunne is on the end of the line to open the scoring. Scarratt slots the sideline conversion, ENG 7-0

5TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Pinpoint kickoff from Holmes and Tui wins the ball for NZ. They claim a lineout and spin the ball to midfield.

6TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY BLACK FERNS: Hirini makes metres down the left and Ferns win a penalty on the England 10 at the breakdown. Holmes will take a kick at goal.

7TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL MISS BLACK FERNS: Holmes is kicking into a slight breeze and just leaves this left of the posts. Good early sighter, though.

8TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): England's dropout clears halfway and the Ferns try to run out of their half. Demant kicks on an angle for Tui, but the bounce eludes everyone and Fluhler eventually hacks into touch.

9TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): England win the lineout and kick into NZ half, but Woodman breaks deep into England territory. The Roses win the ball and kick back towards the NZ 22.

10TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Demant stabs ahead for Tui again, but England have it covered and kick towards the goal-line. They have NZ traped inside the 22, but Woodman bursts clear.

11TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ENGLAND: Woodman finds Hirini on halfway and McMenamin carries forward, but the Ferns are penalized at the ruck.

12TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ENGLAND: England find touch inside NZ half and win the lineout. Kildunne is stopped in midfield by Fluhler, but NZ are penalized again, as Ponsonby goes off her feet by diving through the breakdown.

England kick to the corner...

13TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY ENGLAND: TRY to Cokayne

CONVERSION ENGLAND: England win the lineout and their maul rolls towards the tryline. The hooker is at the back and simply falls over the line to score and Scarratt converts, ENG 14-0

15TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): NZ must be the next to score, as Holmes kicks off and the bounce eludes England. Fluhler charges down a clearing kick and the Ferns go on attack.

16TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), SCRUM FEED BLACK FERNS: NZ feed to the first scrum of the night. Big push from England, but Cocksedge finds Tui running off the scrum. The ball goes left and England deflect Demant's pass.

17TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): When the ball goes right, Tui tries to step through, McMenamin and Roos charge towards the line, but England win the ruck and clear towards halfway. Woodman is down injured.

18TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TMO REFERRAL, PENALTY BLACK FERNS & RED CARD ENGLAND Replays show Woodman is taken out by a head-on-head tackle and England could be in trouble here. Thompson is shown a red card for the high tackle on Woodman and her team will be down to 14 players for the rest of the contest.

SUBSTITUTION BLACK FERNS: Leti-I'iga comes on for Woodman, who is being carted off. Demant kicks to the corner...

19TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY BLACK FERNS: TRY to Ponsonby

CONVERSION BLACK FERNS: Bremner wins the lineout and the NZ maul is unstoppable, with the hooker scoring her first try for the Ferns. Holmes' conversion sneaks inside the right upright, ENG 14-7

20TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Roos spills the kickoff into touch and England have an attacking lineout inside the NZ 22.

21ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY ENGLAND: TRY to Packer

England win the lineout and maul to the tryline, where Packer falls over to score. There's a clear warning you can't concede a lineout near the 22 and expect to stop this English pack.

CONVERSION MISS ENGLAND: Scarratt hits the right upright with her conversion, ENG 19-7

24TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), TRY BLACK FERNS: TRY to Leti-I'iga

PENALTY BLACK FERNS: England knock on the kickoff and then regather from an offside position, so penalty to the Ferns and Demant kicks to the corner.

Bremner wins the lineout and rumble towards the tryline. They're told to use it and a long pass from Demant frees Leti-I'iga, who stands up her marker to dive across.

CONVERSION BLACK FERNS: Holmes slots her sideline conversion, ENG 19-14

27TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): Leti-I'iga secures the kickoff and Roos drives over the 22, but NZ spill a pass and England have another attacking lineout. NZ slow the maul initially, but it accelerates forward and Burn peels off.

28TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), SCRUM FEED BLACK FERNS: The ball spills out the side of the ruck and McMenamin charges away, but they're called back. Double knock on, England first, so NZ have a defensive scrum.

SUBSTITUTION ENGLAND: Time off for an England injury... Zoe Aldcroft walks off for a head assessment.

29TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Scrum collapses, but McMenamin clears from the base and NZ run out of their 22. Holmes' kick finds touch, but England are still on attack.

30TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): England maul forward and have penalty advantage, but they're still going.

PENALTY ENGLAND: England shift right and a long pass is plucked out of the air by Holmes, who sprints the length of the field... totally unaware that the ref has called them back for the penalty.

31ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): England kick to the corner and here comes another try.

32ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY ENGLAND: TRY to Cokayne

CONVERSION ENGLAND: Ward wins the line out and the maul reaches the tryline. Cokayne has her second try and Scarratt converts from just left of the posts, ENG 26-14

34TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), SCRUM FEED ENGLAND: Packer secures the kickoff and England kick deep to Leti-I'iga, who fumbles the ball forward, giving away field position.

35TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), FREE KICK (SHORT ARM PENALTY) ENGLAND & PENALTY NEW ZEALAND: England have a free-kick from the scrum and they tap. Packer takes the ball forward, but NZ have a penalty in midfield from the breakdown.

36TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Ferns take a tap, but Fitzpatrick spills the ball in a tackle and England kick to the corner. Not their throw-in, but still danger...

37TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Bremner wins the defensive lineout and NZ try to run from their goal-line. The ball goes lose in midfield, but they recover it and eventually run out of the 22.

38TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Demant is hit hard in a tackle, but Ferns retain the ball and Fluhler dashes over halfway. NZ keeping the ball in hand and Leti-I'iga has a run down the left.

PENALTY BLACK FERNS: Penalty to NZ on the England 22, they look to the corner...

39TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY BLACK FERNS: TRY to Rule

CONVERSION MISS BLACK FERNS: Bremner wins the lineout and they rumble towards the tryline. Rule peels off the back to score and Holmes' conversion stays right, ENG 26-19

And that's halftime. Phew, time to catch our breathe.

HALF TIME

41ST MINUTE, SUBSTITUTION ENGLAND: Captain Sarah Hunter is replaced by Poppy Cleall for England and they kick off for the second half.

TRY BLACK FERNS: TRY to Fluhler

CONVERSION MISS BLACK FERNS: Ferns secure the kickoff and spread the ball left, where Fluhler maekes the initial break, finds Holmes in support and then stays available for the final pass to score. Holmes can level the scores here, but leaves her conversion left, ENG 26-24

43RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), SCRUM FEED ENGLAND: England kick off again and McMenamin brings the ball over the 22. Ferns keep the ball in hand, as they charge to halfway, where Roos is wrapped up and can't release the ball.

45TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): England feed a scrum on halfway and free the ball to their backs, but Harrison knocks on. Cocksedge kicks into England half and the ball bounces into touch outside the 22.

46TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): England win the lineout and Harrison is trapped with the ball. England take the ball into second phase and Scarratt kicks deep.

SUBSTITUTION BLACK FERNS: Ferns shift left, but Fluhler can't gather a long pass on halfway. Connor and Murray replaced Love and Ponsonby in the Ferns front row.

47TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The new front-rowers are straight into a scrum on halfway, England feed, and they push England back. The Roses rumble over halfway.

48TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): England put a little kick over the defence, but Fluhler gathers and Cocksedge rolls a kick into touch for a 50-22. NZ throw to the attacking lineout.

49TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY BLACK FERNS: TRY to Murray

Roos wins the lineout, but the maul goes to ground. Ferns forwards go one-off for a couple of phases, before the ball goes to the backs and then back to the corner, where Murray plunges over in the corner.

CONVERSION MISS BLACK FERNS: New Zealand have the lead and Simon replaces McMenamin. Holmes has another wide conversion and just hooks it left again, NZ 29-26

51ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): England kick off and Simon brings the ball outside the NZ 22, but Bremner drops a pass in midfield. Big opportunity for England at the scrum.

52ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), FREE KICK (SHORT ARM PENALTY) ENGLAND: England get a free-kick at the scrum, but they want another scrum.

53RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ENGLAND: Murray collapses and England get a penalty. They kick to the corner and here comes that maul again...

54TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY ENGLAND: TRY to Cokayne

CONVERSION ENGLAND: England win the lineout and rumble to the line, where the hooker has her hattrick - that simple. Scarratt puts her conversion in front of the posts, ENG 31-29

56TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Holmes kicks off and Tui taps it back for the Ferns. They charge to the England 22.

57TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The ball comes loose, but Ferns have it back and Tui tries to find a way through. The ball shifts left, where Alana Bremner crosses the 22.

58TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), SCRUM FEED ENGLAND: England win a loose ball and clear, Holmes tries to run it back, but the ball spills forwards again. The Roses have a scrum feed just outside their 22.

59TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ENGLAND: Big push from England and they win a penalty. They'll just work the sideline here.

Roos contests this lineout, but England win it and maul over halfway. The Ferns forwards have them wrapped up and win the turnover.

60TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Good scrum from NZ and Cocksedge kicks along the ground. Kildunne gathers the rolling ball, but the Ferns hold her up and drive her back into the 22.

61ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), SCRUM BLACK FERNS: Harrison kicks for touch, but the ball has been taken back into the 22 and the Ferns will have the attacking lineout. Throw goes long and England knock on at the back.

62ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Another good Ferns scrum, Demant challenges the midfield defence and Rule rumbles off her towards the posts.

63RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ENGLAND: Connor drives towards the line, but England are over the breakdown and win a penalty for holding on (Not releasing ball) just metres from her goal-line. Connor stays down.

SUBSTITUTION BLACK FERNS: Taumata replaces Rule in the Ferns front row. Connor is back on her feet.

64TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), SUBSTITUTION & SCRUM FEED BLACK FERNS: England win the lineout and maul to halfway, but a pass is spilled and Ferns will have the scrum. Roos leaves, Ngan-Woo arrives.

65TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Off the scrum, Cocksedge finds Leti-I'iga cutting infield. Demant kicks into the 22, Dow threatens to break out of her 22, but she's brought down by Simon with head contact.

TMO REFERRAL & YELLOW CARD BLACK FERNS: The tackle is reviewed... Simon sees yellow, so NZ are down to 14 for the next 10 minutes. Dow looks groggy, but she stays.

66TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): England win the lineout and the maul advances. Ferns push back and England must release the ball.

PENALTY BLACK FERNS: NZ win a penalty in midfield...

67TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Demant finds touch for a lineout on halfway.

68TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Ngan-Woo wins the lineout and Cocksedge kicks into the 22. Kildunne tries to run it out and Harrison kicks to halfway, but Holmes runs it back.

69TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Ferns have retreated back into their half and Holmes kicks ahead for Leti-I'iga. The ball dribbles into touch inside the England half.

70TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): England win their lineout, but Harrison kicks out on the full. Demant has a touch on the kick, so England have the throw inside NZ half.

71ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY BLACK FERNS: TRY to Leti-I'iga

TMO reverses the call, NZ throw to the attacking lineout and charge towards the 22. Fitzpatrick puts a kick to the corner, Fluher gathers and finds Leti-I'iga to dive over in the corner.

SUBSTITUTION BLACK FERNS: New Zealand have the lead with fulltime now in sight... Fluhler stays down and limps off to a standing ovation. Hazel Tubic comes on, as Holmes lines up the sideline conversion.

CONVERSION MISS BLACK FERNS: Her kick stays left again, NZ 34-31

74TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): England kick off and Demant makes a halfbreak, finding Bremner in support. Tubic clears towards halfway.

75TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Ferns contest the lineout and steal the throw. They have the ball and penalty advantage, but stream towards halfway. Tubic kicks, Kildunne gathers and Tui smashes her in a tackle.

76TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY BLACK FERNS: England have penalty advantage on halfway, but drive forwards. They lose the advantage and Ferns win a penalty in midfield.

77TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ENGLAND: Simon has returned to the field. Demant taps and tries to take England by surprise, but the Roses win a penalty on halfway.

England kick to the 22 and here comes that lineout.

78TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ENGLAND: Lineout maul collapses and England have another penalty advantage. They play on and rumble towards the 22, but they come back for the penalty.

79TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Scarratt kicks to the corner and Ferns must produce a stop here with 90 seconds left...

80TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ENGLAND: Maul collapses and England have another penalty advantage. Forwards keep the ball and they go back for the penalty and another lineout.

Ferns contest the throw and win the ball. Time is up and they win the scrum... that's the game and the Black Ferns have won!

Second half

NEW ZEALAND: Ponsonby, Rule, Fluhler, Murray & Leti-I'iga 2 tries; Holmes 2 conversions

ENGLAND: Kildunne, Packer & Cokayne 3 tries; Scarratt 3 conversions

NEW ZEALAND 34 ENGLAND 31

And what do I think of that memorable final of our lives? It was superb, absolutely amazing out there but what a win from the Black Ferns eh? World champs baby! (That was my 1st thoughts after the win in the women's Rugby World Cup by the Black Ferns but what a disappointing end for England (Especially that one of the English wingers of Lydia Thompson who recieved the red card for illegally taking out Portia Woodman with a blow to the head which ended Woodman's night (And she had been give a 3 week ban for her actions), but enter Ayesha Leti-I'iga as she bagged in for a double after coming from the bench as a concussion sub after Woodman went off with a head injury caused by foul play), what a match for our viewers right around the world (And the headlines would probably say: BLACK FERNS TROUNCE ENGLAND TO RETAIN COVETED WRWC TITLE or more like: ENGLAND FALL SHORT OF WOMEN'S RWC CROWN) But I must appreciate the Black Ferns of retaining women's rugby's most treasured prize, the women's Rugby World Cup by setting the tournament alight for ourselves after our close victory against England in another one of the best women's rugby matches by far that I've watched for a long time (Compared to our opening women's Rugby World Cup match against the Wallaroos of Australia at Eden Park in Auckland in which we trailed when the Aussies were leading until we came from behind to snatch a win) & and how appropriate to one of the Black Ferns players of Kendra Cocksedge, who bids farewell to international rugby as she plays her final ever test match & finishes it off in style throughout her decorated rugby career but Joanah Ngan-Woo's lineout steal in the dying seconds of the final proved to be the game winner that the Black Ferns successfully retained the women's Rugby World Cup that followed up to our success in 2017 to add to our titles won from 1998 to 2010, not only because it was shades of 'Beaver' Donald & that match winning penalty goal in 2011 which helped New Zealand win the Rugby World Cup for the 1st time since 1987 & the 2nd of our 3 RWC championships).

So that is my 474th blog of the year 2022 (MMXXII) & my 22nd of this year, stay safe & one love, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And we've got visitors coming here to stay starting from the 20th of December until possibly the 23rd or Christmas day such as one of Pops friends of Wai Lam (A person born in Hong Kong living in the Bretagne region in France that Aunty Tan knows as she told me during our phone conversation whom I met him before back in 2018 but his English his good), his French wife (I've met her before in the same year but her English may be poor) & his son Clement (Whom I've never met him before because I might be finding a new friend but I don't know whether he's fluent in English because he's mainly a French speaker).

Next Year/Walking After You/Morning Glory: My 21st blog of the year 2022

Well, news have just come in from the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup as the Wayne Smith coached Black Ferns came out on top against Wales in a replay of the pool game earlier in the tournament at Northland Events Centre in Whangarei to set up a semifinal showdown with rivals France, at Eden Park, & then in all of a sudden, the Sarah Hunter led England were too good against the Wallaroos to head into the final four at Waitakere Stadium in Waitakere in Auckland but there has been an update as England become the 1st side to reach the final as they were no match against Canada before the Black Ferns had a great escape against France who had the chance to win the game via penalty goal from Caroline Drouin after the French had been given the penalty for a dangerous tackle by Santo Taumata which resulted in a yellow card, but it sailed wide as New Zealand clinged on to the end to set up a final showdown against England (So it's the tournament favourites England (Who are looking for their 1st title since 2014) to play the hosts & defending champions of the Black Ferns (Who are hoping to go back to back & win a record extending 6th Women's Rugby World Cup) in the final of the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup to decide who'll become world champion in front of a sell out crowd at Eden Park in Auckland).

And something has gone wrong for the Golden State Warriors in their NBA title defence as Draymond Green floored his teammate Jordan Poole with a punch to the face but he got fined for causing an incident & was lucky not to get suspended (Unlike the Suns owner recieving a ban for racism then Ime Udoka (Who thought who was going to be the next Brooklyn Nets coach after former NBA player Steve Nash had been given the sack but he didn't take the job in wake of the Kyrie Irving suspension for posting anti-semitic stuff on Twitter & it was one of the assistant coaches of Jacque Vaughn took over instead) the Boston Celtics coach had been banned for a year for illegally having an affair with a Celtics staff member & now Kyrie Irving getting suspended for 5 games as a result of a tweet involving anti semitism (Which is the hatred among Jewish people) in which the entire NBA & Jewish communities were outraged about it) but the Warriors has had many losses during the season in which they lost 6 games now on the trot.

And in cricket that the Black Caps take to the field to play Pakistan (One of both sides along with England to have beaten New Zealand in this years tournament) in the 1st semifinal in this year's T20 World Cup at the Sydney Cricket Ground on November the 9th (And are the Pakistanis thinking vibes of both 1992 & 1999 in which they famously beat New Zealand in both Cricket World Cup semifinals in those years but what are New Zealand's chances of reaching another final? Well, they have got to contain both their best batters in the team of captain Babar Azam & wicket-keeper Muhammad Rizwan (And one of the Pakistani bowlers of Haris Rauf might be the danger man among the Pakistani team), in a rematch of last year's super 12 match which was won by Pakistan followed by India locking horns with England (Who famously beat New Zealand in a Super 12 game for their 1st win against the Black Caps at a T20 World Cup since the semifinal in 2016 after losing to them last year, also in a semi in which their bowling attack was considered to be the best but the only time England lost a T20 World Cup match this year was against Ireland at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during a rain affected match in which they shocked the cricket world) in the other semifinal at the Adelaide Oval on the 10th of November 3 days prior to the final being held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne but the teams competing in the final of the T20 World Cup had been confirmed as Pakistan (The last time the Pakistanis reached the final was in 2009 in which they beat Sri Lanka at Lord's in London in England) take on England (Who last been to a final since 2016 in which they infamously lost to the West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India with Carlos Brathwaite's providing the heroics when he scored 4 sixes in a row to become the 1st 2 time champions of the T20 World Cup), in a repeat of the 1992 men's 50 over Cricket World Cup final at the MCG in Melbourne, Australia, in which both sides had their semifinal wins respectively against New Zealand & India but there has been an update as England win the T20 World Cup after their epic final against Pakistan at the G (One of the English bowlers of Sam Curran (Who didn't play in last years tournament) was the standout in which he performed with the ball but it was Ben Stokes (Who wasn't part of the English squad at the T20 World Cup last year along with Sam Curran) who hit the winning runs to achieve immortality in the T20 format in the world) but they're now 2 time champions along with the West Indies (Who didn't make the Super 12 in this years tournament) & become the 1st men's cricket playing nation in history to achieve both the 50 over men's Cricket World Cup in which they did it in their home country in 2019 & now, the men's T20 World Cup meaning that the English are now undisputed kings of white ball cricket but there's prolonged celebrations in English cities such as London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Leicester, Bristol & Newcastle upon Tyne in honor of their great win in the final.

And in rugby league (Although Pops isn't a rugby league follower because the game is always stop start along with American football/gridiron but I haven't followed the Rugby League World Cup since the tournament began) news coming from the 2021 Rugby League World Cup as the world number 1 ranked New Zealand (Who outmuscled Fiji in the quarterfinal, exacting revenge from 5 years ago in which the Fijians toppled them in a historic upset) play the defending champions of Australia (Who outplayed Lebanon in the other quarterfinal) in the 1st semifinal at Elland Road in Leeds followed by hosts England (Who were too good against Papua New Guinea in the quarters) who are locking horns with Samoa (Who infamously put Tonga to bed in the other quarterfinal in one of the best matches in the history of the Rugby League World Cup to reach their 1st semifinal in the tournament) in the other semi at Emirates Stadium in London but the finalists of the Rugby League World Cup final had been confirmed as the defending champions & tournament favourites the Kangaroos (Who have never lost a Rugby League Cup final since 2008 in which New Zealand stunned them to win their one & only RLWC crown in an historic upset for the ages at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane then 5 years later that the Kangaroos recovered from their 2008 final defeat against the Kiwis to win in 2013 in the final against the same opponent at Old Trafford (Home of the famous Manchester United football club competing in the Premier League which had some great players including David Beckham, Eric Cantona (Who is not going to Qatar as a spectator for this year's Football World Cup regarding of his controversial beliefs regarding to the country hosting the tournament as Leon told me in late September), Wayne Rooney & Cristiano Ronaldo) in Manchester, before they successfully defended it in 2017 on home soil in the final in Brisbane against England who had a close shave in the 2nd semifinal at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland against the ever improving Tonga (Who shocked the rugby league world in 2017 with a win against New Zealand during the group stages) are gunning for their record extending 12th title after their narrow win to knock the Kiwis out of the tournament by 2 points in the 1st semifinal (Including that incredible try from star Kangaroos player Josh Addo-Carr which was was the turning point, resulting in heartbreak from the Kiwis (And I was gutted about the result after all) when they play against Toa Samoa who set the tournament alight with an upset win against the tournament hosts England in the other semifinal which turned the rugby league world upside down in another one of the best Rugby League World Cup matches of all time, at Old Trafford in Manchester.

And the All Blacks have put Scotland (Who were so competitive compared to Japan when the Scottish had been given a penalty try as a result of Anton Lienert-Brown (Who made his comeback test a year after getting injured in the game against Ireland) being shown the yellow card for an infraction to Stuart Hogg on the goal line during the game along with one of the Scottish players of Australian born Jack Dempsey for a deliberate knockdown during the 2nd half but the standout player went to All Black openside flanker Dalton Papali'i (Who is filling in for the injured skipper Sam Cane with All Black lock forward & veteran Sam Whitelock assuming the All Blacks captaincy duties after Cane got injured in the game against Japan) for his outstanding contribution to his performance) to the sword at Murrayfield in Edinburgh with Blues & North Harbour player of Mark Telea successfully making his dream debut in the black jersey by scoring 2 tries (And onto the other results as Wales who recovered after losing to the AB's to beat Argentina in Cardiff followed by Italy having their 1st win against the Wallabies (Who had to chance to win the game with a conversion by Ben Donaldson who just come on for Noah Lolesio who I thought the Wallabies made the wrong decision to send Donaldson on but it sailed wide as the Italians get their 1st victory against Australia (Who are now on a 2 match losing streak since their last victory against Scotland in Edinburgh) in international rugby) in Florence (Firenze) then England were too good against Japan after bouncing back from defeat against the Argentinians in London & the hosts of next year's Rugby World Cup France, knocking over the reigning world champion Springboks in a thriller in Marseille in which South African loose forward Pieter-Steph du Toit got red carded during the match for a foul play incident regarding to head contact along with French captain Antoine Dupont for dangerously taking out Cheslin Kolbe in mid-air but there was real controversy as France had been given the try despite one of the French players of Sipili Falatea adjudged to have had a double movement in the leadup to the try according to Rugby World Cup winning coach for South Africa who is now the director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus on Twitter blowing up about the officiating for the 2nd week in a row & the Barbarians were no match against the All Blacks XV when the match was played in North London).

So that is my 473rd blog of the year 2022 (MMXXII) & my 21st of this year, stay safe & one love, viva Ukraine.

P.S. He's got a brand new car

Looks like a Jaguar

It's got leather seats

It's got a CD player