Well, hi everybody, & welcome back to another blog, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that the American cities of Los Angeles, then New York has turned into a war zone with protests everywhere left, right & centre as protesters clash with police that resulted multiple arrests in a civil unrest about illegal immigration being stamped out by that greedy leader.
And secondly in the Cricket as Lord's in London, England gears up for a surprise showdown of the World Test Championship final between defending champions Australia led by its inspirational skipper Pat Cummins, & first time finalists South Africa led by its first African captain Temba Bavuma in the ultimate test (And 6 cricket legends have been inducted into ICC's hall of fame such as both South Africans of Hashim Amla & Graeme Smith, an Aussie of Matthew Hayden, an Indian of MS Dhoni (Who was unable to be there due to security reasons), a female Pakistani cricketer Sana Mir & our own Black Cap Daniel Vettori who is the 4th New Zealand to be inducted after Debby Hockley, the late Martin Crowe & our most famous cricket specimen above them all, Sir Richard 'Paddles' Hadlee) at the most iconic cricket ground of Lord's (Along with the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia & Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India as the others that are most iconic) in London, England, but there has been an update as South Africa (Led by the first black captain of Temba Bavuma who battled through injury just to be there on that memorable occasion (He although missed the semifinal defeat against Australia (Who couldn't make the semifinals of the 2022 T20 World Cup when they unsuccessfully defended their title that they won in 2021, a year before they completed the treble such as the World Test Championship first against India who had to appear in another final at the Oval in London, then the Ashes in which they defended it against England in England despite the series ended in a draw, & last but not least, beating the hosts at the time when they took on India (Who had a redemption story that after they missed out on beating Australia in the men's ODI Cricket World Cup in 2023 that they won the men's T20 World Cup last year instead in the West Indies against the South Africans in the final at Bridgetown, Barbados ironically, in Virat Kohli's final ever T20 international match before retiring in that format), then 9 months later, they would add the Champions Trophy to their trophy cabinet this year when they would gone on to beat the Black Caps of New Zealand in the final in Dubai in the UAE) again to silence the 130,000 pro-Indian crowd just to pull off the Ahmedabad heist of winning their record extending 6th men's ODI CWC crown) during the 2023 men's ODI Cricket World Cup, a year before South Africa narrowly missed out against India in the T20 World Cup final in the West Indies last year in which they didn't get the result, & I mean, who loves redemption stories in cricket anyway? Somebody go & ask them by telling someone thinking about that one if anyone is a cricket fanatic) finally at long last, win the World Test Championship for the first time after 27 years of heartache behind them (Well, their rugby team of the Springboks had dominated the rugby field when they won the men's Rugby World Cup like 4 times (Including in 2019 where they won in Japan then they went back to back in France in 2023 under the leadership taken from the global sporting icon of 'The Bear', Siya Kolisi (Who is understandably, a good friend of the South African cricket captain Temba Bavuma), & now it's their cricket team's time to shine for the historic first ever ICC senior men's international tournament when they won the WTC this year. And in your life, have you ever seen anything like it? But it's over, it's over! It's a first World Test Championship for South Africa! And I've got to stop, because I've got a lump in my throat. South Africa, are the champions) as they went on to defeat the reigning champions Australia (It's their first defeat in the final for the Aussie pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood & captain Pat Cummins, while Temba Bavuma, maintains his unbeaten record as captain of South Africa in the test format) by 5 wickets, including that magnificent knock by opening South African batter Aiden Markram who top scored 136 during the 2nd innings that proved to be the winning knock where he got the player of the game honours, before he got dismissed with Travis Head taking the catch off the bowling of Hazlewood (Who was prioritizing the IPL over the WTC final, but there was muted celebrations behind the Aussie camp as every Aussie player congratulated Markram by appreciating them, just before Kyle Verreyne (Who thought he was out caught behind, but Australia had ran out of reviews to speak with because they used all 3 of them, but nothing had come down to that) had to score the winning runs as the whole of South Africa went berserk (Especially back home), sending the fans into a frenzy as the crowd erupt (And I was like, damn hell, they did it so, un-damn-believable, but it's so damn awesome if you're a South African, not so much if you're an Aussie (And the World Test Championship final this year to me, is the match that made Aiden Markram, mainly due to his performance in the 2nd innings that he got a ton or century I should say which was the game changer, as no one have backed Australia while everyone including Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka & the West Indies were rooting or I should say, supporting South Africa all the way throughout that entire final).
And thirdly that it's official, I'm back on Facebook after over a decade since Dad set me up a private Facebook account since I've got my new phone recently, so I've got 29 friends now I guess (Including Pops (Who thought about getting a new car which is an MG in a couple of days to trade in with his old Ford Fiesta from 2005 for which repairs had cost $5,000, but that's unlikely), Dad, Carole, Raewyn, Aunty Tan, Kathryn & others) on that social media platform, but I'm trying to reconnect with my mates from the past (And both Cathey Middelplaats & Paige (Who I have not seen both gorgeous ladies since 2016 where I last saw both of them) have yet to accept my friend request because it might take a while to sort or suss it out (And believe me that it's unlikely that they both won't accept my friend request mainly due to the two of them who hardly use social media just because they have their jobs, as well as they're looking after their kids such as Cathey's son Nico & Paige's daughter Norah for example, but Paige (Who is friends with Pops, Raewyn & Kathryn) has blocked me on Facebook saying that we were never ever going to be friends with us on the social media platform anytime, ever (Unless I still want to meet her one day next time when I'm in Wellington) by adding friends (There was one person who liked me which is Ken's son Will that I've met back in 2016, so too is Ayesha (Who is Zaki's wife that I met her before in 2020 but I think she started to like me on Facebook because she was impressed that I added her as a friend, & Russell Karu (Friend of Nigel who lives in Hamilton in the Waikato province for which he is a Harvard University trained lawyer, but I was alluding to Pops on the 16th of June (Just right prior to Carole's 73rd birthday this year) that I must've uttered the famous words of "Somebody get me to Middlemore Hospital, I must've been involved in a wreck!" after we were involved in a minor collision from a musician who was speeding whilst on his way late to a gig) who liked me), but I am overcoming my social media fear a little bit since I returned to Facebook.
And finally news just in the rugby department as the AB's reclaim & clinch the Dave Gallaher Series for the first time since 2018 after a resounding win against France (Who had the son of an Irish player of Josh Brennan who got sin binned for a lifting tackle on All Black second five Jordie Barrett before he deliberately headbutted him with his head to the head of Jordie (Who had to be subbed off to get checked for a head knock which Timoci Tavatavanawai who'd been able to get his first taste in international rugby, then passed after being given the all clear) for which the TMO should have checked as well) at Sky Stadium in Wellington, so let's relive the last 40 minutes of the test:
8:06 PM: UNDERWAY IN THE SECOND HALF
Joris Segonds to kick off for the French
8:07 PM (1 MINUTE LATER): Good work by Attissogbe off the kick off and France swing onto attack...NO
Put his foot in touch and that's just as well for the All Blacks as France had a massive overlap back the other way
8:09 PM (2 MINUTES LATER): LINEOUT STOLEN
All Blacks attack, nice run by Rieko and they're into the French half...KNOCKED ON
That was promising but comes to naught, France with a scrum on their 10m line
PENALTY ALL BLACKS
Not sure what happened there but the ref changed his mind! Beauden boots the All Blacks into the 22 for a great chance early in the second half.
8:10 PM (1 MINUTE LATER): LINEOUT BOTCHED
France clear upfield...PENALTY FRANCE
Once again accidental offside off a kick and France march straight back down to the All Black 10m line
8:13 PM (3 MINUTES LATER), SUBSTITUTION: FRENCH BOMB SQUAD
They empty the bench in one go...NOW THEY FLY INTO THE 22, should be a try out wide, NO!
Great work by Rieko on defence!
Intercepts the pass but goes into touch, France with a 5m lineout though
8:15 PM (2 MINUTES LATER): TRY FRANCE!!!!
LEO BARRE OVER
8:18 PM (3 MINUTES LATER), CONVERSION FRANCE: WELL DESERVED
France hit the All Blacks with everything there, smashing into the edge of the defence before it went went wide sharply from Le Garrec and Barre came cruising in on an angle to dive over.
Le Garrec's kick is...GOOD
FRANCE LOOK TO COME BACK
8:20 PM (2 MINUTES LATER): PENALTY ALL BLACKS
Proctor did really well off another bomb, retained possession and the speed caught the French offside, ROIGARD TAPS AND GO'S, they move into the 22
8:21 PM (1 MINUTE LATER): PENALTY ALL BLACKS
This time they slow it down and Beauden kicks to the corner
8:22 PM (1 MINUTE LATER): TRY ALL BLACKS!!!
WILL JORDAN OVER
8:23 PM (1 MINUTE LATER): Pretty much what the French just did down the other end - targeted phase play around the edge of the defence and then Jordie popped a beautiful offload to almost send Proctor over, quick ball and Beauden found Jordan in a big bit of space, he walked it in.
Beauden's kick is...GOOD
ALL BLACKS RESTORE THE LEAD
8:26 PM (3 MINUTES LATER): TRY FRANCE...NO!
Held up over the line and that's a big let off for the All Blacks, came off a turnover from the kick-off, one area where the All Blacks haven't been very accurate
8:27 PM (1 MINUTE LATER): PENALTY ALL BLACKS
Now a good bit of breakdown work and they escape up to halfway
8:29 PM (2 MINUTES LATER): Nice backline move and kicked through, GREAT BOUNCE FOR RIEKO, he almost scores and the All Blacks set up shop in the French 22.
8:30 PM (1 MINUTE LATER): TRY ALL BLACKS!!!
RIEKO IOANE OVER
8:36 PM (6 MINUTES LATER): WHAT SLICK HANDS
Quick phase play again, this time it's Kirifi with the nice touch with a perfect flick to Jordie, one more pass and Rieko slides in...HE LOVES IT! Points to his own name on the screen!
Beauden's kick is...GOOD
MASSIVE LEAD NOW FOR THE ALL BLACKS
8:39 PM (3 MINUTES LATER): 12 mins to play and this one is playing out the way we thought this series would go.
8:42 PM (3 MINUTES LATER): Can really start to wrap this one now, obviously a very sharp performance by the All Blacks, most notably in the way they forced the pace on attack. The offloading has been very strong, as well as the tactical kicking battle against a French side that was committed to the boot from the start.
8:43 PM (1 MINUTE LATER): France with a bit of possession in the All Black half as we wind down towards the end.
8:44 PM (1 MINUTE LATER): France with one last attacking chance, they get a lineout in the All Black 22
8:46 PM (2 MINUTES LATER): TRY FRANCE...NO
Held up over the line once again and we come back for a penalty to France
8:47 PM (1 MINUTE LATER): TRY FRANCE
JOSH BRENNAN OVER
8:48 PM (1 MINUTE LATER): Nice bit of fight by the French but too little, too late. The big lock Brennan gets the final barge over after a series of pick and go's.
Antoine Hastoy's kick is...GOOD
8:51 PM: GAME OVER
ALL BLACKS WIN BIG AND TAKE THE SERIES
And in other rugby results such as the British & Irish Lions had a clean sheet win for the first time since 2013 against the Combined NSW/Queensland team in Newcastle over the AU/NZ Invitational XV team (Whose preparations had been lacking going into the game, but there was an serious injury by Luke Cowan-Dickie whose Lions tour is over, meanwhile Owen Farrell makes a return by appearing his 4th Lions tour as came out onto the field that the crowd were either happy or stunned according to the reaction after his last international appearance for England was against Argentina during the 3rd/4th place playoff at the previous men's Rugby World Cup, while the hero of that game went to Scotland's Duhan van der Merwe who got a hat trick during that game) at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, & then the Springboks go 2 & 0 this year when they defeated Italy again which was marred by the sending off of a Springbok player who played in the number 8 position for a headbutt on an Italian player (And there was a certain try scored by South Africa being cancelled out from the TMO due to an obstruction that I saw from the Sky rugby programme, the Breakdown, but there was 3 crazy plays such as South Africa started the match by doing a short kickoff which hadn't gone the 10 that allowed the Italians to be awarded the scrum in order to quicken play, & also not once, but twice that the Springboks utilized the lineout lifting in order to form a maul after a player passes the ball during general play, reminds me straight out of schoolboy rugby back in South Africa according to the viral video that they sent on social media) & England who would gone on to secure another win against Argentina (Who fell short again, but their last win came was against the B&I Lions in Dublin to secure one of the most famous victories in a game of rugby) in San Juan as they won the series 2 - 0.
So that is my 622nd blog of the year 2025 (MMXXV) & my 46th of this year, viva Ukraine & Palestine.
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