Well, kia ora guys & girls, as I always say welcome to all our audience here in New Zealand & around the world, it's Whetu here in this Kiwiavenger type of blog but first in the rugby as the AB's thumped Japan with authority by 64 points to 19 including test debutant Ruben Love bagging in a double as he scored both tries on his test debut by coming off the bench despite the All Blacks having a clunky 2nd half so let's dive into the last 11 minutes of the test according to NZ Herald website (And I haven't been doing the live updates to the rugby since the England test at Eden Park in Auckland back in July):
69TH MINUTE, TRY JAPAN: Opeti Helu
The reserve prop is in and Japan have a third try. He had some work to do. All Blacks 50 Japan 19
73RD MINUTE (4 MINUTES LATER): Seven minutes to go
All Blacks first half: 43
All Blacks second half: 7
75TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Japan back on attack
Can they get a fourth? Nope they spill the ball and the All Blacks get a chance to clear.
77TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): All Blacks chance to end with a try
PENALTY ALL BLACKS: McKenzie chips into the in goal for Samipeni Finau to chase but his tired legs say no and it goes out. Penalty advantage and the ABs kick to the corner.
90 seconds left.
SCRUM FEED JAPAN: Another break for the All Blacks. Sititi puts Perenara into space but it drops the ball.
80TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), TRY ALL BLACKS: 80th min - All Blacks try - Ruben Love
And Love finishes with a second right on fulltime.
FULL TIME: ALL BLACKS 64 JAPAN 19
Patrick Tuipulotu
"It was quite tough. We started quite rough, didn't get our set piece right and let them in with an early try. Managed to get some retention with the ball so as long we held the ball we were able to get good possession and end up with some tries.
"We probably just got a bit tighter, we let them in around our ruck. Once we shored that up we got to get some good tackles and they obviously carry low so we had to get lower than them. Managed some good drop tackles and our second guy coming in. Managed to slow it down and get our line set."
To work on for rest of tour
"Just consistency in our set piece. We left a lot of lineouts out there. Something we want to pride ourselves on is having top quality ball off out lineout especially so that our backs can get some go forward our scrum, that will be a work-on for us as well especially against the European teams who love set piece."
And what do I think of the test? Well, it was a comprehensive win by the All Blacks out there, to be honest after a shaky 2nd half against the Japanese in which our starting first five Damian McKenzie who continued to struggle through the entire game (And he needs work to improve on being spot on, that is for sure), & what about Ruben Love eh? What a way to score in for a double on test debut off the pine, but bring on England as we head to Allianz Stadium London to take on the English in which we haven't played against them since July last year in a 2 match test series.
And continuing on to the rugby news as Wellington who had to defy heavy hearts & a freak injury, win their 6th full NPC championship after their win in the final which was played during extra time in which the entire game lasted 100 minutes which was decided against Bay of Plenty at Sky Stadium in Wellington (Including a double to ex-AB Julian Savea just like Ruben Love on test debut for New Zealand during the Japan test while reserve first five Callum Harkin kicked the winning penalty goal that sealed the deal for Wellington to win an epic nail-biting final which was decided at extra time) in Jackson Garden-Bachop's 100th game meanwhile the former All Black of Hika Elliot (Who was playing South Canterbury in the Heartland Championship (Which was won by Thames Valley in the Meads Cup & King Country in the Lochore Cup respectively) had been called up to the Wellington squad via an SOS call following an injury to hooker Penieli Poasa.
And in the cricket department as the Black Caps led by Tom Latham who took over from Tim Southee, made history by clinching the series against India (Who would lose their first home test series since 2012 when England triumphed against the Indians) for the first time on Indian soil after our win in the 2nd test in Pune by 113 runs with the help of Mitchell Santner who took 13 wickets in the match after enduring 93.5 overs & 18 wickets that we took during the test.
And onto the America's Cup related stuff that I have been reading my main 5 America's Cup books such as Gulf Wars: How we kept the cup, Lone Wolf: How Emirates Team New Zealand stunned the World, The Team New Zealand story 1995 - 2003, Back to Back Black Magic & Black Magic: Team New Zealand's victorious challenge, as well as rewatching the 9th race of the Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup (Whether it's the ones that I've recorded such as the live race or highlights) in the aftermath of our instant success that the defender of Emirates Team New Zealand had on the water to retain the heavyweight crown of world sailing yet again for a successful America's Cup series hat-trick against the challenger of INEOS Britannia (Who will be our challenger of record again at the next America's Cup which could potentially be held in possibly 2028 (But it has been confirmed that the next one will take place in 2027 according to plan in terms of the protocol being set), but they'll be using the same AC75 foiling monohull boats that they're having just like in the last 2 editions of the Auld Mug in both Auckland 2021 & Barcelona last year) as we made history already in Barcelona, Spain, & my utter celebrations had been almost unabated by continuing on since, but I have been watching old clips of America's Cup races from 2000 that I downloaded it straight off the internet from the old ESPN America's Cup website meaning that I did get insight about the boats that we used to race back in the old days (In which was known as the IACC (Which stands for International America's Cup Class which it did not have foils in it) used from 1992 until 2007 (That was 3 years before the deed of the gift challenge took place in which Oracle won against Alinghi, & replaced them with AC72 foiling multihulls which was only used back in 2013, in an effort to make it more attractive to the sport, especially the America's Cup fan base before being replaced by the AC50's which they were used only in 2017) in which these boats were slow unlike the present day America's Cup racing boats in which they're quicker than the old IACC ones used for 15 years) compared to today's America's Cup boats that we're using now (We have used the AC75 foiling monohulls since 2021 in order to make it appealing towards the new generation of America's Cup followers), but now there is Stephen McIvor that I heard that he is a current day voice of yachting that appeals to our new or current generation of America's Cup fanatics, compared to Peter Montgomery who was the original voice of yachting who was many loved to the older generation of aficionados (And I like McIvor wherever he put his sailing commentary skills to the test in which he has been the voice of the America's Cup since 2021 (I didn't hear his voice back then when TVNZ had the broadcasting rights (And Scotty Stevenson was our commentator back then) until I watched a YouTube clip before finally hearing his actual commentary when Three (In which the New Zealand TV channel is currently owned by Warner Bros Discovery before shutting it down this year as it switches to internet only in a bid to reduce costs) had the broadcasting rights to the Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup last year) in which he took over from Aly Ekykyn (Who is a British rugby commentator) who only appeared also back in 2017 as a commentator, but I prefer Montgomery because he's always gets excited as Pops told me on Labour Day last year), & finally the reason why that our country of New Zealand first started competing in the America's Cup in 1986-87 beginning with the Louis Vuitton Cup is that we drew inspiration from the Aussies who won in 1983 from the Americans therefore the longest active winning streak which lasted for 132 years had brought to a halt, before failing to defend the America's Cup in 1987 to Dennis Conner (The only individual above them all as he is the only bloke in the world to have lost the Auld Mug (First Australia in 1983), then to regain it (In which he & the rest of his American crew managed to beat the Aussies in 1987) & to lose it yet again (Then New Zealand long ago in 1995) all the time in the world according to the previous blogs that I did) & co of Stars & Stripes unlike Team New Zealand was able to defend the oldest competition in international sport way back in 2000 against Prada of Italy in which we finally did what the Aussies failed to achieve something big, but the winning boat of Taihoro last year in Barcelona, my word that is the best boat that we have ever seen in the America's Cup (But first, it was NZL 32 (In which was the greatest America's Cup boat of all time by Black Magic that we used to have, producing the 2nd biggest upset in America's Cup history behind Australia winning in 1983, in which we were overwhemingly dominant against the Young America boat led by Dennis Conner & the rest of his Stars & Stripes crew according to the previous blogs that I did) in San Diego 1995 then NZL 60 (In which was another one of these great Black Magic boats along with NZL 32 in 1995) in Auckland 2000, Aotearoa in Bermuda 2017 & Te Rehutai in Auckland 2021, & now Taihoro in Barcelona last year which was superior than the other 4 as by far the most standout America's Cup winning boat ever that Emirates Team New Zealand (The current CEO of our defender is Grant Dalton because it used to be the late great Sir Peter Blake (1948 - 2001) who led the mercurial Team New Zealand which ushered a new era of Kiwi dominance in sailing's greatest prize) has had throughout our lifetime, not just in recent memory), during the AC75 era which began in 2021).
And finally in the motor racing department as the latest in Formula One as Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr (Who is due to head to Williams next year to team up with British-Thai driver Alex Albon) has won the latest Grand Prix in Mexico with McLaren's Lando Norris closing the gap on his championship rival Max Verstappen (Red Bull) in terms of the championship to keep Norris's quest of a maiden F1 world title alive, but Ferrari are steadily improving by making all the upgrades possible (Like the Jack of all trades & stuff) by taking over from Red Bull as the 2nd quickest team in Formula One behind McLaren, therefore forming an age old rivalry between Ferrari & McLaren (Who are powered by a Mercedes-AMG engine) in one of the rivalries between both of Formula One's oldest teams (Similar to the late 90s/early 2000s in which there was a rivalry between the Finn Mika Hakkinen & the German Michael Schumacher, both driving for the respective constructors such as McLaren & Ferrari just like both the late Ayrton Senna (McLaren) & Alain Prost (Ferrari) driving for their constructors respectively in the early 90s), but recently that the star of Point Break, Speed, the Matrix & John Wick movies of Lebanese born Canadian of Hawaiian roots of Keanu Reeves making his professional motor racing debut (He had past racing experience as he won the celeb race in 2009 at Long Beach, California during the 2009 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Indycar event) at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the tender age of 60 when he teamed up with Cody Jones of Dude Perfect YouTube sports fame in a Toyota GR Cup race as he spun out on the grass on the exit of turn 9 about halfway through the 45 minute race as he finished in 25th out of the 35 drivers competing (Although he started 31st on the grid during qualifying for the race).
So that is my 578th blog of the year 2025 (MMXXV) & my 2nd of this year, viva Ukraine & Palestine.
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