Well, happy Easter to you all on Good Friday today, so let's start with a rugby related story beginning with the biggest upset by far in Rugby World Cup history, would have to be Japan slaying South Africa in the Miracle of Brighton in 2015 (Same year that the last time the All Blacks would win a Rugby World Cup title against the Wallabies in that memorable final of our lives as I mentioned in my previous blogs, but the Japanese men in the crowd were getting emotional about the win as I mentioned in my previous blog, according to a comment that Pops told me in 2015 & it was my 3rd favourite memorable RWC moment ahead of the late Lomu (A global icon who is rugby union's greatest ever GOAT (Greatest of all-time), but it's a shame that he wasn't a Rugby World Cup winning player (He was a finalist in 1995 in which the AB's came oh so close of regaining rugby's ultimate prize & a semifinalist in 1999) steamrolling Catt during the semi between New Zealand & England in one of the most iconic moments of the Rugby World Cup of all time in 1995, but behind the world famous All Blacks rugby team winning the tournament for the 1st time in 24 years when we 1st won it in 1987 (It would have to be Pops favourite memory of the tournament about the AB's winning the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 against France in that memorable final which was in fact the epic moment in NZ sports history, in front of a packed home crowd at Eden Park in Auckland when David Kirk lifted the William Webb Ellis cup aloft along with the injured Andy Dalton (Who was originally named as the skipper after Jock Hobbs pulled out as a result of a head injury, but had to withdraw after injuring his hamstring, allowing Kirk to take over where he left off, but had to retire after the 1987 tournament to take up a Rhodes scholar as I mentioned in my previous blogs along with the Samoan rugby player of Brian 'The Chiropractor' Lima (One of the hardest hitters in world rugby as I mentioned in my previous blogs along with the late Samoan born All Black Jerry 'JC/The Terminator' Collins who famously made that bone crunching hit on another one of the South African players of Thinus Delport in the quarterfinal of the 2003 tournament & of course on a Welshman named Colin Charvis who got knocked out in a big collision for what I thought was an hit that had been deemed to be prohibited these days that might've resulted in either a yellow or red card (And Tana Umaga helped Charvis out by getting to his aid to clear his breathing passage, & placed him in a recovery position in which Umaga had been awarded the Baron Pierre de Coubertin medal according to the International Committee of Fair Play that he had been for his outstanding act of bravery) during the test 5 months earlier in the same year) with that crunching tackle where he absolutely flattened South African Derick Hougaard (Who got knocked out after that perfectly timed legitimate hit) to bits (And that would've been a red card nowadays due to an illegal tackle) during the pool game at the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia), back in 2011 on home soil including that match winning penalty goal scored by none other than Beaver (Stephen Donald) which was Dad's favourite RWC memorable moment) but 1st, it was France who rattled us in the semi of the 1999 tournament (Including the late Jonah Lomu who bagged in a double for the AB's, but it wasn't good enough to over power the French as they successfully came from behind to pull off a famous victory for their 1st win against our country at a Rugby World Cup in the semi to advance through to the final) as I also mentioned in my previous blogs, which was the greatest upset of the RWC of all time before the Brighton Miracle.
And here is an interesting football related fact such as every time the Socceroos of Australia had been to a round of 16 game at the Football World Cup, they would lose to the eventual champion which was both Italy (The defending European champions who last appeared at a Football World Cup in 2014) captained by Fabio Cannavaro way back in 2006 & Argentina (The reigning champs of both the Copa America (Who the Argentinians won it in 2021) & the Football World Cup (It was their time & their moment when they dominated the tournament which led to a successful World Cup glory, despite beginning their tournament campaign with a loss against Saudi Arabia in one of the greatest upsets ever, of all time at the Football World Cup) led by the incomparable Lionel Messi (Who bowed out when he did bid farewell in international football as one of the sport's greatest of all time, with a Football World Cup title to add with an Olympic gold medal for the Argentina under 23's in Beijing in 2008, then the Copa America crown in 2021, just like Indian cricket great Sachin Tendulkar (Known affectually as 'The Little Master') did 12 years ago where India (Hosts of this years men's 50 over Cricket World Cup who haven't triumphed since 2011 (That was 4 years before Australia last won the Cricket World Cup in 2015 then England took over at the most recent tournament in 2019) triumphed in the CWC for the 1st time since 1983) 2 months ago which was last year on that occasion.
And there was once an America's Cup story where in 1984 a Sydney based Belgian businessman named Marcel Fachler, lodged a challenge from the Royal Perth Yacht Club, on behalf of a New Zealand club - the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron of our intentions of competing in the then Louis Vuitton Cup in 1987, therefore New Zealand's involvement into the America's Cup began which opened the door after the success of Australia that they had who triumphed in the event in 1983, when they ended the longest winning streak in sports history, against the Americans (Who basically held the Auld Mug from 1851 but there was only one individual above them all who became the 1st man to lose the America's Cup (Twice the South Pacific's upstarts, 1st it was Australia in 1983, then New Zealand in 1995 according to the Back to Black: Black Magic book that I've got in my room), then to win it back & to lose it again which in fact the famous American sailor of Dennis Conner (Who was New Zealand's main rival back in the days before the famous Australian sailor of Jimmy Spithill took over as our main rival), but we are the current holders of the Auld Mug since 2017 in which Emirates Team New Zealand (4 time champions (Compared to the All Blacks which won the Rugby World Cup 3 times (1987, 2011 & 2015) along with South Africa (1995, 2007 & 2019) & the Black Caps winning just the 1 major international cricket title which is the World Test Championship (WTC) in 2021, after falling short in both the men's 50 over Cricket World Cup finals against Australia in 2015 & England in 2019 respectively) in 1995 (It was in San Diego, California against Stars & Stripes aboard the Young America yacht where we etched into New Zealand sporting history since the late Sir Edmund Hillary stood atop Mount Everest in 1953 when the Auld Mug headed to a different down under, New Zealand (It was Australia who claimed the America's Cup first in 1983 in which they brought it down under before the Americans won it back in 1987, & held it before losing it to New Zealand in 1995 (And instead of continuing with the one-stop designer of Bruce Farr in the aftermath of 1992, the Peter Blake-headed Team New Zealand bypassed Farr for a total design team concept in the lead up to the 1995 event as they brought into play instead, tapping into the wide-ranging talents of people such as Doug Peterson - the designer behind Bill Koch's 1992 triumph - plus New Zealanders Laurie Davidson, Tom Schnackenberg & others (And also that the boat was painted intimidately black), 2000 (It was against the Prada Challenge of Italy in Auckland in where retaining the Auld Mug was so damn special (And Peter Montgomery famously said it when we completed our successful defence "The Americas Cup! Is still, New Zealand's cup!"), in which the 1st time that a syndicate has defended it outside of the United States), 2017 (It was PJ this time on radio commentary who also famously said it when we broke a 17 year drought of winning the Auld Mug in Bermuda (4 years after the miracle of San Francisco where Oracle capitalized when they made a huge, successful comeback in the history of the America's Cup to down Emirates Team New Zealand (Led by Dean Barker before Peter Burling (Who was part of the back-up crew in 2013 when New Zealand's bid of bringing the America's Cup back home had been evaporated & fallen through) took over since the events of 2017 where he was one of the key signings for Team New Zealand along with his old sparring partner Blair Tuke according to my previous blogs) as they successfully retained the Auld Mug after they thought they were down & out after being 8 - 1 down, but Oracle Team USA had that never give up attitude as they were down but not out when they overturned the deficit as the Americans benefited all 8 races to win the best of nine series at 9 - 8) when we famously cashed in that in your face, get out of my way attitude moment as I mentioned in my blog from last year "Once again! The America's Cup is, New Zealand's Cup!) & at the most recent one in 2021 (Against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli also in Auckland in a replay of America's Cup 2000 which was my most memorable moment of the America's Cup event that I watched on TV since I was born in 1991, in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic where the original voice of yachting of Peter 'PJ' Montgomery infamously said it when Team New Zealand crossed the line to win race 10 also during radio commentary: "The America's Cup, remains New Zealand's Cup!") won in Bermuda against Oracle Team USA but we used to have the late famous yachtsman of Sir Peter 'Blakey' Blake (In which he got knighted after the success of 1995 by being given a loftier reputation according to The Team New Zealand Story: 1995 - 2003 book that I've also got in my bedroom, as he led New Zealand to successive victories in the America's Cup (The oldest prize in international sport) involved on our 1st successful shot of the Auld Mug in 1995 before we infamously retained it in 2000 in which we completed the 1st successful defence of the Auld Mug outside America & then we had 'Dalts' of Grant Dalton whose 1st genuine win of the America's Cup came in 2017 against Spithill & Oracle Team USA in Bermuda as the CEO & syndicate head 4 years before we did it again for the 4th time to in Auckland in 2021 against the man known as 'Jimmy the Pitbull/Pitbull Jimmy' (Who teamed up with Francesco 'Checo' Bruni as one of the co-helmsmen) again, this time against the Italians of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in a replay of America's Cup 2000 to become the most successful non-American club in history for the RNZYS (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron).
And onto the quick sports news flash such as Britain's Cameron Norrie (The man who got beaten by Frenchman Richard Gasquet in Auckland, in which Norrie should've won) who defeated Carlos Alcaraz (Who recovered from a serious injury after missing the Australian Open which was won by Novak Djokovic) to win the Rio Open a week after losing to the Spaniard in Argentina then the All Blacks sevens team have done it again after gaining utu to Argentina in the cup final after losing to them in Hamilton to win the Los Angeles sevens event, to follow up to our great victory in Sydney & therefore, maintaining our lead in the current Sevens World Series season, but the big headline would have to be in the cricket where the unthinkable has happened at the Cello Basin Reserve in Wellington, as the Black Caps ended the 6 match winning streak in test matches of England (And that's the 2nd time the English have lost under current coach Brendon McCullum & captain Ben Stokes since the 1st test against South Africa last year, on English soil), where the test match had been won by 1 run in the end as the Tim Southee led New Zealand who held on for that famous victory to draw the test series at 1 all after losing to them in the 1st test, at Bay Oval in Tauranga.
And the latest on the Super Rugby Pacific competition as the results of the 1st round of the competition are in:
Crusaders 10 - 31 Chiefs (And the game was by far, the standout for me in round 1 as the Chiefs claim an unlikely win as they topple the defending champion Crusaders (And what is their strategy going into the next game dubbed as the great Southern derby against the Highlanders at AAMI Park in Melbourne during the Super Round? Well, they need to be consistent in winning that game because consistency is always the key to success after the Razor experiment had gone wrong when they lost to the Chiefs first up where the champs had scored 10 points, the least amount during the Robertson era) to claim the biggest boilover at Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch)
Waratahs 25 - 31 Brumbies (And it was the Brumbies who dominated in the match as they spoil the Waratahs homecoming at the new Allianz Stadium in Sydney)
Moana Pasifika 34 - 36 Fijian Drua (And it was the Fijian Drua's day as they end Moana's hopes for victory (Including the try scored by the Drua thought that it was a forward pass, & the referee missed it in a egregrious way (And Moana Pasifika should've won that game if the ref had a look at the TV referee & could've overturned it to no try, similar to the events in 2007 at the Rugby World Cup where France had scored a try but the referee missed a clear & obvious forward pass that cost New Zealand's hopes of winning the Rugby World Cup) with a try that surely won the game for the Fijian Drua billed as the battle of the Pacific which was the best game of the round (And I'm so sorry Crusaders-Chiefs, I'd would like to take that back), at the famous rugby league ground which was once known as Ericsson Stadium, at Mount Smart Stadium in South Auckland)
Highlanders 20 - 60 Blues (And it was the Blues (Who missed the chance to become champions of Super Rugby Pacific last year against the dominant Crusaders side in front of their adoring home crowd at Eden Park in Auckland but will 2023 be their year? We will see) night as they hammered the Highlanders in style in a blowout at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, off the back of a super human like performance by Blues winger Mark Telea (The 2 test All Black last year) who dotted it down not once but twice)
Reds 13 - 47 Hurricanes (And it was the Hurricanes who gave it their all with a resounding win over the Reds (Who had the son of Wallabies legend of Michael (Better known as Noddy who is married to Isabella & has 3 sons including Louis & Tom) of Tom Lynagh making his Super Rugby Pacific debut for the Reds who used to have Quade Cooper back then) at QCB Stadium in Townsville)
& Force 34 - 27 Rebels (And finally, it was the Western Force's time to shine as Jeremy Thrush who thought he retired but decided to come out of retirement to play another season, had scored the try that has surely won the game for the Western Force)
And onto the Six Nations news as the results are also in:
Italy 20 - 34 Ireland (And it was the day that the Irish who crush the Italians at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome to keep their hopes of winning the Six Nations title as well as the Grand Slam alive as they remain undefeated this year by keeping their 100% winning record intact, but Ireland's next Six Nations match is against Scotland at Murrayfield in Edinburgh which is going to be a key matchup in round 4 of the competition)
Wales 10 - 20 England (It was the English who stepped up to that challenge as they dispatched Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to register another win under current head coach Steve Borthwick whose 1st test in charge started with defeat before winning 2 in a row against both Italy & Wales but their next game is against France which should be another interesting one)
France 32 - 21 Scotland (It was the hosts of this year's Rugby World Cup, France who overcame a red card to Mohamed Haouas (Who takes the suspended Uini Atonio's place as the starting tight head prop in the playing XV & is currently serving an 18 month suspended sentence on a burglary charge involving wilful violence where he was involved in an incident on New Year's Eve 2014 by committing a crime that he did) again just like in 2020, as they return to winning ways against a 14 man Scotland at the Stade de France (Which will host the opening game between the hosts the French & the All Blacks during the tournament as well as the final) in Saint-Denis)
And finally that Pops has just found his passport so it took a month after he originally lost it (And me, Pops & Carole (Who has rheumatoid athritis which is a problem throughout the Webb family along with Carole's son Andy who is currently dealing issues when he accidentally swallowed a toothpick (And I was telling Pops before that I'm attempting not to make the similar error as Andy did such as to avoid swallowing a tooth pick but the doctors are montoring him back in Auckland) went out to Rutland for a celebration meal on Tuesday, a day after Pops passport had been found because it was in a plastic container where I had fish & chips with mushy peas & for pudding was a vanilla mousse cake), but I have decided to listen to my favourite radio station again in the whole wide universe which is Brian FM (I stopped listening to it when Pops had lost his passport).
So that is my 489th blog of the year 2023 (MMXXIII) & my 13th of this year, viva Ukraine.
P.S. And a shoutout to my dear cuzzie of Paige (The beautiful daughter of Cathey Middelplaats & partner of Jarrod Ahearn (I never met him before in my entire life) who is now a mother since she gave birth to her daughter Norah a few months ago (First it was Sophia Ong who gave birth to her son Shaia in 2021) who celebrated her 29th birthday 2 days ago so best wishes & arohanui to you all, xoxo (And also, a shoutout to the partner of Aunty Tan (I used to call her Aunty Tania because of Tan being her nickname but I address her as Aunty Tan from now on) of Rejean Gatineau (Father of both boys Eric & Tom & a girl of Rachelle) for his 61st birthday last week back in Canada also) but I of course indeed, have the utmost respect to her (Along with my biological aunty Cathey) because she once wrote to me in an email message that I saw in 2016 that we're both cousins & friends as a matter of fact.
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