Centerfold: My 69th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in rugby that Dylan Pietsch's chest tackle on a British & Irish Lions player during the 3rd Lions Series test in Sydney is about to become prohibited as World Rugby is announcing a legislation of the legality of the tackle height to the chest area beginning in junior right through to under 20 level this year, in an effort to stamp out on head contact due to rugby's continuous war on dangerous tackles for which had been strict since back in 2017 following a spate on high contact towards the players who tend to get concussed with head injuries also back in 2016.

And secondly continuing onto sport that we once had Wynton Rufer who played in the 1982 Football (Soccer) men's World Cup in Spain for the All Whites as our most successful New Zealand footballer/soccer player ever, compared to rugby when we once had Richie 'Rich' McCaw who is a former twice men's Rugby World Cup winning captain back for the All Blacks in both 2011 here in New Zealand, & 2015 in England as our most successful New Zealand rugby player, while in cricket that we also once had Sir Richard 'Paddles' Hadlee as one of our greatest but finest cricketers ever of our country, then league once had Mark 'Sharko' Graham as our greatest New Zealand league players ever, & in motor racing that we once had the late Denny Hulme who was the Formula One world champion in 1967 as New Zealand's greatest ever racing car driver.

And thirdly in Formula One that the 3.5 litre V8, V10 & V12 engines from that 1989-94 era rule along with the 3.0 litre V10s from 1995 until 2005 as well as 3.0 litre V12s from 1995 only before Ferrari switched to the fuel efficient V10s from the 1996 season until 2005, & 3.0 litre V8s which lasted from 1995 until 1997 before the 1998 season implemented those changes such as all constructors are powered by V10s until the 2005 season (In which former driver turned racing restorer & historian Jack Perkins praised about it along with most motor racing fans who thrived from the past before), compared to today where they currently have 1.6 litre V6 turbo hybrid engines since 2014 for that has always been sounding rubbish according to most fans (Especially 'Jacko/JP' who found out that today's F1 is boring due to the engine sounds not being loud enough to clearly hear through people's minds) throughout the Formula One fraternity (And there is mid season loophole changes, such as the practice session about to change that is due to increase from 60 minutes until 90 minutes due to a lack of racing, & practice throughout the 5 week, 35 day break that brought into play before the Miami Grand Prix takes place (Where A-listers will be there just like the ones who attend at a US Tennis Open event, unlike in Monaco where the glitz, & the glamour of riches have always turned up) since the cancellation of both the Bahrain, & Saudi Arabian GP's as a result of America's war on Iran that is still going, but it would never end while it looks like that the strait of Hormuz would remain shut down throughout permanently since there won't be any ceasefire deals happening all over the place, ah, you must be joking (Good lord).

And finally that Brian FM would have to be still by far, my fave radio station throughout the entire world because it's ad free, compared to the Rock FM radio station that I used to listen due to the fact that it has got ads in it, but I have never heard Channel X before, & it has not got a cult following exactly just like Brian (The station that plays rock, 80s exactly like the Sound, & adult contemporary just like More FM) for which is a gem at the moment due to the success of that tiny radio station that is broadcasting from a rubbishy little building.

So that is my 717th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 69th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Doctor! Doctor!: My 68th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in gaming that the Aussie sports games developer of Big Ant Studios seemed to fail because of their rugby, league & cricket gaming products has always been a flop in the gaming industry due to short development cycles that result in poor approval ratings like abysmal ones for example like Rugby 25 (That came out in February last year that has a 2 star rating on PlayStation Network, & once that game came out that they released another rugby game on the PS4 named Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge in which that one was better than Rugby 25, but every team is unlicensed besides one man, one myth & one legend of the late New Zealand rugby player who was widely regarded as the greatest of all time (The GOAT himself), Jonah Lomu), then Rugby League 26 (That was released in July also last year which has a 2 & a half star rating on PSN for which is better than Rugby 25), & Cricket 26 (Which was released in November last year in time for the previous Ashes series held in the 2025-26 season that currently has a 3 star rating also on the PlayStation Network when they praised the graphics, game mechanics, improved AI, & on-field gameplay of that game, saying that it is an iterative but significant improvement over Cricket 24, however, they noted the presence of frequent crashes and graphical bugs even after several patches in the first week post-release for that is way better than Rugby 25, & better than Rugby League 26 in fact).

And secondly in the rugby that that the Springboks bomb squad had remained intact when they won all but 2 games last year during the test season, including a 2 match test series win over Italy, then a one-off test victory against Georgia, as well as retaining the Rugby Championship despite dropping both games against the Wallabies in Joburg, then the AB's in Auckland, & completing another European Autumn tour series unbeaten against Japan at Wembley Stadium in London, then Italy, France, Ireland, & Wales therefore cementing their status as the early favourites to lift the William Webb Ellis cup for the 3rd time in a row next year according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs when the men's Rugby World Cup takes place down under in Australia (And can we stop the South African onslaught from happening (Especially from our All Black point of view as we are chasing our 1st men's RWC title since 2015 in England (We have a poor record but we rarely only won one tournament on foreign soil which is outside of New Zealand) that they always dominated when their reign began since 2019? We will find out in due course) in which the Boks are drawn in Pool B along with Italy, Georgia & Romania & even if they top their pool that they're on the same side of the draw as either the All Blacks, or the Wallabies with both sides willing to top Pool A (If we beat Australia, it will be South Africa in the quarterfinal in which we have never lost since 2007 against France in one of the biggest upsets of the history of the men's Rugby World Cup that was our worst performance ever (And we have made it to at least the semis at all the other tournaments), but if we lose to the Aussies, we must avoid the South Africans until the final, unlike that 2019 tournament that England produced arguably their finest performance in recent memory to beat New Zealand in the semifinal. A week later, they failed to turn up and were comprehensively beaten by South Africa in the final. As it turns out, England weren't the first team to play their final "early". Since the 1995 final, every side to have beaten the All Blacks at the World Cup has gone on to lose their next game.

1999 - Semi: New Zealand 31 - 43 France, then final: Australia 35 - 12 France

2003 - Semi: New Zealand 10 - 22 Australia, then final: Australia 17 - 20 England (During extra time)

2007 - Quarters: New Zealand 18 - 20 France, then Semi: England 14 - 9 France

& 2019 - Semi: England 19 - 7 New Zealand, then final: England 12 - 32 South Africa

In fact, since both the 1995 (AET) & 2023 losses against the Springboks was in the final (In which the South Africans had never ever lost due to the fact that they have a perfect 4 & 0 record every time they appear in a final, but just conceded the one try which was during the 2023 final), only one team has ever beaten New Zealand and gone on to win their next game at the same World Cup, namely the Wallabies way back in 1991.

And thirdly in football/soccer that the goal scored by France against the Republic of Ireland during the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup two legged qualifying play-off for the 2010 tournament in 2009 that resulted in a draw, should not have been stood due to an illegal handball by Thierry Henry who assisted the goal scored by William Gallas because there was no VAR back then (And they would have referred to it to a possible goal & red card should the video assistant referee have been available since it was introduced in 2018, mainly because it would have been a no goal meaning that the Irish would have gone through to the tournament instead on away goals loophole, & of course Henry would've been cautioned or sent off as well as he snuck a hand in there that cost the Republic of Ireland a place in the World Cup in South Africa).

And lastly that I have revealed the name of my Facebook friend Marisa Lopez's eldest daughter, & her name is McKenzie who goes by the nickname of 'Kenzie', is 12 or 13 years of age who lives in Florida in the United States who goes to junior high over there because of her being excited to be a part of the amazing OSHS Varsity Dance group recently according to the Facebook message that Marisa had posted, even though I never met her before along with Marisa (Marty's daughter from a previous relationship, & Andy's cousin) in person, but I've met her before on Facebook like I said before.

So that is my 716th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 68th of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And the entertainment world is in mourning as female American country singer, & actress of Dolly Parton (Otherwise known as the queen of country), has passed away due to a terminal illness about August last year (In which she kept it secret), but they already sent their thoughts, prayers, & heartfelt condolences go to her family, & loved ones, rest in pieces (RIP).

Dolly Parton

1946 - 2026

Hold Me Now: My 67th Blog of the year 2026 (AKA 25 years since the tragic 9/11 attacks)

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger (And it has been 25 years since the tragic, dreadful events of 9/11 had happened when at that moment which the American city of New York located in the state of New York (Otherwise known as the Empire state) in the United States was under attack from these damn terrorists, even though with al-Qaeda (The terrorist organisation) being responsible for the attacks that 4 planes were hijacked, both had been crashed into both the World Trade Centre towers, as well as one crashed into the Pentagon, & the other crashed into the wooded zone in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the world was stunned & shocked as both tragedy & disaster had been struck when the Bush administration waged their war on terror as they invaded both Afghanistan until 2021 (A year before that dreadful invasion since 2022 had started, in the midst of a backdrop between the COVID pandemic), & Iraq until 2011 (Same year that famous terrorist of Bin Laden got shot, & killed by these US Navy SEAL troops in Pakistan) also when those troops had to pull out at the last minute, but I do exactly remember a comment from the late Carole herself when September 11th had happened back in 2001 that she alluded to her son Andy who is still alive that they're both going to be alright, & yes that I was shock & awe when it happened when I was in school back then at Raetihi Primary (And Pops was at Aramoho School as the principal also then at the time), as the rest was history), but first in motor racing that Formula One's 5 week break is over, as Miami, Florida, gets set to host the highly anticipated Miami Grand Prix for which will be F1's first race since the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka near Nagoya last time out, which was won by world championship leader of young promising Italian driver Kimi Antonelli who is in charge where he took victory in China, while his Mercedes teammate, & the winner of the Australian Grand Prix, as well as title favourite of Britain's George Russell is trailing behind Antonelli in terms of the points fight (While Mercedes-AMG is leading the constructors championship ahead of Ferrari, but the defending constructors champions of McLaren is starting to find their competitive mood during their defence of the constructors crown, after they failed to impress in the first 2 rounds before making significant upgrades in the most recent Grand Prix in Japan, but like I said before that Mercedes are back to 2014-20 levels in terms of dominating the first 3 races of the new season) before the cancellations of both the Bahrain & Saudi Arabian GP's due to that certain U.S. led invasion of Iran that began after that late Iranian supreme leader got slain on the last day of February meaning that a war has begun, but there will be mid-season loophole changes to their constructor's cars since the 5 week break was in place, while all of the constructors with their drivers had been testing throughout at the Nürburgring circuit in Germany just to prepare for Miami which is due on the weekend of the 1st to the 3rd of May (And there has been an update as the young Italian competitor of Kimi Antonelli dominates the Miami Grand Prix with a win, his 3rd in a row after starting from pole as he maintains his world championship lead to 20 points behind his nearest rival of his Mercedes teammate George Russell in terms of the championship fight, but the defending world champion of Britain's Lando Norris (Who won the sprint race in that Antonelli got penalised for it) in the McLaren, has finished in a solid 2nd behind the race winner as he moves up to 4th in the standings during his title defence, while for Aussie driver Oscar Piastri (Lando's teammate) who rounded out the podium to finish in 3rd (And unfortunately for our own Kiwi of Liam Lawson (Who drives for RB Racing Bulls), as he had to retire from the race as he got a DNF for example earlier on in the race for which was damn unlucky for him).

And secondly in rugby that Sky Sport are going to show an old Super Rugby match from the archives/vault back in 2010 that was during the Super 14 era when the Hurricanes took to the field when they squared off against the Crusaders in our nation's capital of Wellington in a thrilling tussle (And I did see a YouTube clip of it the day before April 29th, where the match had ended in a draw, before seeing it on Sky Sport a day later where I saw famous All Blacks playing for the 2 franchises such as Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Kieran Read, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, & Sam Whitelock for the Crusaders, while the Hurricanes had Piri Weepu, Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Cory Jane, Victor Vito, & Aaron Cruden because of the players that I remember watching it on TV back then), in anticipation of the match taking place on May 1st for which should be a classic between both NZ titans who clash between the two sides there on that night such as the table toppers, & the defending champions at Hnry Stadium to open round 12 of this year's Super Rugby Pacific competition (And there are other matches that I'm watching on the 2nd of May, such as the Fijian Drua playing the Highlanders at a stadium called Four R Stadium which hosted a Super Rugby Pacific match previously for that was against the Brumbies earlier on in Ba over in Fiji, followed by Moana Pasifika who lock horns with the Blues in Albany in what is to be the last ever Battle of the 09 as Moana is expected to be defunct following this season).

And thirdly in gaming that I started to play PS Remote Play again on the 27th of April since a while ago, but that time with the 8.5 version since the 9.0 version was unplayable meaning that it crashed just after a minute, & the game that I played was Gran Turismo 7 (I was racing a Honda powered Super Formula car from 2023, then both the fictional F3500-B & F3500-A cars that is inspired by early 90's Formula One (And today this morning that I was playing the F3500-B once first at Circuit Sainte-Croix layout B (F3500-B - One Make), then the F3500-A twice on both Tokyo Expressway South Counterclockwise (F3500-A - One Make), & Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Formula 90s) circuits respectively so I can get the daily workout reward, but I finally manage to get the Alfa Romeo 155 2.5 V6 TI Group 4 race car on April 26th that it is available at that time after months of waiting for it to buy, especially at the legends car dealership) on the PS5 for which I always play every day along with Grand Theft Auto IV (I played the vanilla GTA IV version on April 28th that I always engage in a police shootout that evokes memories of that dreadful invasion since 2022, then I played the Ballad of Gay Tony expansion pack a day later on the 29th for which I do a gang wars sub mission where I shoot towards the gangs, then the police that has drawn parallels to the Iran conflict that they're still having along with that shocking war since 2022 (And being a troop who is thrusted onto the battle on the front lines of an invasion, is like doing gaming stuff according to that dreadful American leader at a White House press conference) on the Xbox 360 via backwards compatibility on my Xbox Series X, but I skip the update, then I always pair the device every time I boot it up on my laptop.

And finally that the new 30,000 capacity Te Kaha Stadium in Christchurch (In which the Super Round that was a success story had completed without any further but major incident, but Auckland is in position to pinch it from Christchurch of hosting the Super Round next year (And there is a possibility of an ANZAC Day Bledisloe rugby test match between the Wallabies & the All Blacks being on the cards also next year after being originally convinced of not hosting one) that is World Cup year according to several sports news reports lately) that had opened already recently (Construction got underway in 2022, 4 years before completion), should be New Zealand's national stadium after all because of that ground could be better than the 50,000 capacity Eden Park (Which is New Zealand's unofficial national stadium that was redeveloped back in 2010 in time for the 2011 men's Rugby World Cup tournament) for which had been opened in 1900 as the main rugby ground as well as limited overs cricket now (Compared to Hnry Stadium that was opened back in 2000, 2 years before FMG Stadium Waikato opened its doors also back in 2002, 9 years before Forsyth Barr Stadium was completed in 2011 in time for the men's Rugby World Cup tournament, & now Te Kaha Stadium recently in March this year, a month before hosting its first official rugby match between the Crusaders & the New South Wales Waratahs), but it could be nominated for the stadium of the year award due to the fact that it is one hell of a stadium (And Pops was praising about it regardless of his reaction, oh my word), yes indeed, needless to say.

So that is my 715th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 67th of this year, viva Ukraine.

No More Mr. Nice Guy: My 66th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger (And happy father's day to all of the Dads tuning in here in New Zealand as well, especially my Dad because I want to give a shout out to him then), but first that Italy is now having a World Cup curse for failing to qualify for 3 consecutive tournaments from 2018 until this year where they lost to Sweden (They last appeared in 2018, but have made it to this year's tournament following their win against Poland in a UEFA qualification playoff final as they gained vengeance over them since losing to the Poles last time out in 2022) back in 2017 the year before the tournament began (It was Spain who topped the group in the UEFA World Cup qualifiers where they qualified for the tournament in Russia), then North Macedonia (Who lost to Portugal (Who have least made it on 7 consecutive occasions with their star player Cristiano Ronaldo (The Pedro Leal, as well as the Uva brothers of both Goncalo & Vasco (All rugby), Filipe Albuquerque, Antonio Felix da Costa, & Tiago Monteiro (All motor racing) of Portuguese football (Soccer) who is in his last dance along with his key Argentinian rival of the most recent World Cup winning captain of Lionel Messi (Who is Argentinian football/soccer's equivalent of the late Juan Manuel Fangio (A racing car driver who won the Formula One world championship 5 times), & Hugo Porta (Who is a former successful rugby player of his country) as the GOAT's who will hang up their boots after the tournament (Although Argentina (The current World Cup holders who are seeking to defend football/soccer's global showpiece event since Brazil in 1962 in which no side had ever done that afterwards, & are drawn in the most favourable group possible (Along with Spain who are drawn in Group H along with tournament debutants Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia & Uruguay (Compared to France who have drawn in a difficult but demanding group in Group I along with Senegal, Iraq, & Norway, then England in Group N along with Croatia, Ghana, & Panama respectively), in Group J along with Algeria, Austria, & tournament newbies Jordan) under Messi have never met the Portuguese also under Ronaldo at a World Cup before, but they'll at least meet in the quarters with both sides will have to require of topping their groups so that they can meet for the first & only time) in the UEFA qualification playoff final) in 2022 during the UEFA World Cup qualification playoff semifinal (Also it was Switzerland who topped the group during the qualifiers when the Italians failed to beat Northern Ireland where the Swiss instead made it to Qatar), & this year to Bosnia & Herzegovina in which Italy had a disaster when they were down to 10 players for the rest of the game which was just before halftime when they took the advantage by scoring a goal earlier on in the game, then conceded a goal that forced them to extra time then penalties, before losing it on spot kicks according to the previous stories on my blogs that I did where the curse continued (And it was the Norwegians who were group toppers to appear in football/soccer's global showpiece event since way back in 1998 in France along with both the Austrians, & Scotland) for which the Bosnians have struck their golden ticket to North America where they join Group C, along with co-hosts Canada (Who'll make their 3rd appearance after previously appearing in both the 1986 & 2022 tournaments before being given automatic qualification for this year's tournament as the co-hosts along with Mexico, & the United States), the Qataris (Who were the previous hosts of the tournament in 2022 making just their 2nd appearance in the World Cup) & the aforementioned Switzerland who last failed to qualify back in 2002.

And secondly that the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary of Once Brothers is about Serbian basketball player Vlade Divac who once played for the Los Angeles Lakers when he got drafted in the NBA to play along with Magic Johnson (He hardly spoke any English when he first arrived in the United States where he was accompanied by his partner who would gone on to marry him later on in Divac's life) before moving to the Sacramento Kings later on until his retirement, & was part of the under-19 World Cup success for FR Yugoslavia way back in 1988 that he always had a bond with the late Croatian basketballer Drazen Petrovic (Friends with Divac until the Yugoslavian wars had started also way back in 1991 (The most violent invasion since World War II, but now it is that dreadful invasion since 2022 was the first full scale conflict also since the Second World War) where the friendship had ended once Croatia became independent from FR Yugoslavia) who played for both the Portland Trail Blazers (Which once had Clyde 'The Glide' Drexler in the team), then the New Jersey Nets until a fatal car accident took the life of 3 people in Germany way back in 1993 meaning that Divac (Who played with the late Petrovic as well as Toni Kukoc & Dino Radja even before the conflict began) won't reconcile with his friend anymore as he meets the parents at the end in Croatia back in 2010.

And thirdly in music that Split Enz that features the likes Neil Finn (New Zealand's equivalent of the late Chris Cornell AKA that Audioslave & Soundgarden guy) of Crowded House known for their singles of 'Late Last Night', 'I See Red', 'I Got You', 'History Never Repeats' & 'One Step Ahead', are back together for reunion shows according to the front page of the Listener that I saw about the band (Which features Neil's elder bro Tim & Eddie Rayner, but I don't know the rest of the band members other than the Finns & Rayner) that gave New Zealand a cultural big bang & exported Kiwi weird to the world, as if history was never repeating by giving it a whirl.

And lastly in the rugby that New Zealand has finally cracked down on hip drop tackles that ended the careers of certain players, especially in club level since both the NRL & NFL have since outlawed it (And I saw it on the Classics v Classic Wallabies game that referee Conrad Smith who awarded a penalty to the Classic Wallabies for a dangerous hip drop against a Classics player when it was played at Taranaki Stadium in New Plymouth, in that the Classics went on to win by 14 points in a high scoring affair (And rolling subs were used so that the players who got older may be subbed off for some reason, but I haven't watched the Classics on TV since I watched it live at Cook's Gardens here in Whanganui last year when I was there at the ground with Pops until then where I had watched it).

So that is my 714th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 66th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Elected: My 65th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that in football (soccer) that there has been a FIFA/FC curse, just like the Madden NFL one such as Wayne Rooney who appeared in FIFA 06 alongside Ronaldinho with Rooney suffering recurring injuries & loss of form shortly after his cover appearances, famously injuring his metatarsal before the 2006 Football (Soccer) men's World Cup, then it was Theo Walcott who was left out of the English squad (FIFA 10), before Gonzalo Higuain missed crucial attempts in both the 2014 World Cup final & the Copa America final a year later back in 2015 (FIFA 15), meanwhile it was Marco Reus who dealt the damage when he suffered a severe ankle injury by missing Germany's Football (Soccer) men's World Cup win also back in 2014 (FIFA 17), & endured recurring injury issues following his cover debut, as well as Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Juventus from Real Madrid in a highly publicised & tumultuous but torrid transfer just months after his cover release (FIFA 19), & Kylian Mbappe who appeared 3 times in 21, 22 & the last one in 23 where though highly successful that his cover years coincided with unexpected Champions League collapses for Paris Saint Germain, & missed transfer switches to Real Madrid, while in recent years that the phenomenon has become an ongoing internet meme and talking point. In recent years, players like Erling Haaland (FC 24) and Jude Bellingham (FC 25 and 26) experienced highly publicized injury spells and underwhelming tournament performances during their respective cover years, but special/honourable mentions go to both Ronaldinho in FIFA 09 that he suffered injuries & a form slump, & Jack Wilshere in FIFA 12 that he missed the entire season with Arsenal, as a result of a serious injury.

And secondly that the 1989-94 era in Formula One was the greatest era of them all when they had 3.5 litre screaming V8's, V10's or V12's that thrived race fans including the drivers who dominated in that era such as the late Brazilian hero Ayrton Senna (Brazilian motor racing's equivalent of the late Pele who was once a famous football/soccer star) twice way back in 1990 & 1991 along with Frenchman Alain Prost (The Zinedine 'Zizou' Zidane (Football (soccer), Antoine Dupont (Rugby), & the late Puig Albert (League) of French motor racing) who did it twice in both also way back in 1989 & 1993, while both Briton Nigel Mansell & German Michael Schumacher (Who is German motor racing's equivalent of football/soccer's Thomas Mueller) who won the world championship once in 1992 & 1994 respectively according to the 2 fictional Formula One cars of both the F3500-A (Based off a combination of a Ferrari, McLaren & Williams cars) & the F3500-B (Which is inspired by the Benetton, Jordan & Tyrell F1 cars respectively) respectively on the Gran Turismo 7 game for that was then (And this is now where they have those Super Formula SF23 cars that they still have in that game via update along with the 2 fictional but fantasy Formula One cars with our own Kiwi of Liam Lawson who almost won the title (But he narrowly missed out on a chance instead for a golden opportunity of winning the championship) when it went to a disabled Japanese competitor who was the champion in 2023 that he can remember all the stuff that he's driven (The year that Lawson would end up making his F1 debut in the Netherlands for AlphaTauri (Now RB Racing Bulls) by subbing in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo who was ruled out for 4 races, including Italy, Singapore, Japan, & Qatar before Ricciardo returned to action in the United States).

And thirdly that June 17th, 1994 in the United States remembered for 4 things, such as the great American golfer of the late Arnold Palmer plays his final ever round at the U.S. Golf Open, then the Football/Soccer men's World Cup gets underway at the old Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois where World Cup holders at the time of Germany began their title defence with a 1 goal to nil win over Bolivia, & Spain having a 2 - 2 draw over Korea Republic, then the New York Rangers led by Canadian Mark Messier celebrate on Broadway at a parade after their Stanley Cup win, & O.J. Simpson leading the US on a slow speed police pursuit chase in a white Ford Bronco that resulted in an arrest for charges relating of killing his ex-wife & her partner (And honourable mentions go to Ken Griffey Jr ties most home runs prior to June 30th, then game 5 of the 1994 NBA Finals between the Rockets & the Knicks take place).

And finally in the rugby, here are the list of matches being played in round 12 of this year's Super Rugby Pacific competition:

Hurricanes Vs Crusaders (Their most recent meeting between the two was last year during Round 9 in which the Crusaders won by 7 points against the Canes at Sky Stadium (Now Hnry Stadium) in Wellington)

New South Wales Waratahs Vs Western Force (The last time both of these sides met was also last year in Round 15 where the Tahs had a 5 point victory over the Force at HBF Park in Perth)

Fijian Drua Vs Highlanders (Their last meeting between the 2 was in Round 9 last year where the Highlanders crushed the Fijian Drua into bits at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin)

Moana Pasifika Vs Blues (The last time they clashed in Super Rugby Pacific was Round 5 this year in which the Blues had an emphatic win over Moana who had a player being shown the send off offence after originally being given a sin bin & on report for a high contact by the referee & the TMO bunker as well on Blues halfback Sam Nock at Eden Park in Auckland during the penultimate meeting between the two during the battle of the 09)

& Queensland Reds Vs ACT Brumbies (And also their most recent meeting between the two was this year during Round 4 which was during Club Round where the Reds had to score the match winning try by Carter Gordon (Who is in his comeback season of rugby following a stint in league last year in that he played for the Gold Coast Titans competing in the NRL) at the buzzer to end the Brumbies chances of remaining unbeaten in the competition)

Bye: Chiefs

So that is my 713th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 65th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Working for the Weekend: My 64th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in the rugby that the Black Ferns win the game by 35 points against Australia in which our 100% winning record against them, remains intact as our women claim the Pacific Four Series championship again, & retain the Laurie O'Reilly Cup that we since been held for so long according to the newspaper report that I saw on Whanganui Chronicle on April 26th (That is during ANZAC observed holiday).

And secondly that there is an Egyptian footballer (Soccer player) playing for Man City (Who is trailing behind league leaders Arsenal who had a blinder of a game, after a 1 - 0 win over Newcastle United in the latest Premier League match to cement or I should say, solidify their chance of becoming the champions of English top flight league, since 2003/04 that was during the 'Invincibles' era under Arsene Wenger & Thierry Henry), & it is Omar Marmoush (A teammate of young Dutchman Tijjani Reijnders, & Norwegian player Erling Haaland who was a bench player during his club's 2 - 1 win over Southampton, & is a teammate of Martin Odegaard who is the Norweigan captain also in international level who plays for the top of the table Arsenal FC which features the likes of Frenchman William Saliba) who is a teammate of the most famous football (Soccer) player in international level of Liverpool's Mohamed Salah who plays against Marmoush (Who could feature for Egypt in this year's Football (Soccer) men's World Cup) in club level.

And thirdly in the gaming that I had a brilliant gaming session on the 28th of April (Same day that I had a medium rare Scotch fillet with mushroom sauce, fries & salad at the St John's Club Elms Restaurant along with duo of ice cream for dessert, while for drinks that I had both water & an alcohol free Steinlager beer) as I played Gran Turismo 7 twice on the PS5 via remote play where I used the 8.5 version since the 9.0 version wasn't working when it crashed/froze after a minute, then GTA IV on Xbox 360 via backwards compatibility on the Xbox Series X along with Star Wars Battlefront II (I played the Classic Collection version on the PS4 via PS5 Pro console), as well as Project Motor Racing also on the PS5, & V8 Supercars 3 on the PlayStation 2 to round out an incredible day that was.

And lastly in the league that the Warriors are on a 3 match winning streak (First the Storm in Melbourne, then the Titans in Auckland) following an incredible close win on ANZAC day against the Dolphins at Hnry Stadium in Wellington (And Dad as well as Raewyn went to that game to finally see them win after Dad attended the game between the Dragons, & the Warriors in Wollongong, Australia the year before for that really was a losing effort (While his only All Black test that he watched was back in 2018 (2 years after my one & only All Blacks live test was in 2016 against Wales in which we won that when I went with both Pops & John) in Wellington against South Africa in which we fell short, a year before the Springboks would gone on to win the men's Rugby World Cup in Japan also back in 2019) with both Warriors players who will be chasing their future legendary status such as Demetric Vaimauga & Leka Halasima (And there was an amazing try scored by Taine Tuaupiki, but there was a yellow card dished out against one of the Dolphins players of Thomas Flegler for a tackle off the ball on Ali Leiataua for which had been under review as Flegler is expected to face the judiciary), & our next game will be the Eels (That features key players including Aussie Mitchell Moses & Samoan Junior Paulo) at CommBank Stadium in Paramatta, even though we're still 2nd on the table behind Brian To'o & Nathan Cleary's Panthers who remain on top of the standings going into the next round.

So that is my 712th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 64th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Turn Me Loose: My 63rd Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in food news such as me going to Thai Villa on Friday with Pops that I had a Pad Thai meal which is my fave Thai meal just before we watched day 1 of the Super Round on TV between the Crusaders & the New South Wales Waratahs at the new Te Kaha Stadium in Christchurch, then we went to Burger King a day later where I had a whopper with cheese just before we tuned in to watch day to of the Super Round when the Hurricanes played the ACT Brumbies, & on Sunday 26th of April where we went to Japanese Takeaway Momiji where I had a chicken katsu bento box, but with rice taken out by being replaced with extra salad before we watched the last minutes of the Chiefs-Fijian Drua match.

And secondly that Washington D.C. has been marred by a shooting at the White House correspondent's dinner therefore triggering a breach of security as a gunperson who illegally stormed into that building, is in legislation enforcement custody for charges including an attempted assassination in which the man who is a part-time teacher in which he received the teacher of the month award in California back in December the year before, & a gaming developer (He was checked in at a hotel in the capital city of the United States), is expected to face with (Even though he'll make his first court appearance, but he'll be sentenced for the crimes that he committed such as time behind bars) that terrified most people (Including journalists that worked in different news outlets, such as the pro-far left wing liberal news channel of CNN that I watched on the 27th of April), especially that dreadful American leader (And I mean, why would they target a certain individual like that in which he has been in the wars 3 times when he survived those assassination attempts? Similar to the one in September last year that I cannot mention on my blogs to avoid backlash of being offended by the people of the United States) & that terrible American vice leader who were both rushed to safety by the president's bodyguards as they rolled out of harm's way when SWAT teams arrived in response to the shooting for I label it as one of the most cowardly, unprovoked acts of the year (And they needed further adequate security to future events (And the President of the United States said to one of the reporters that his guards have done a decent job to apprehend the perp like that so that him, his family, the Vice President & the Vice President's family had been rushed to a secure location), like his Majesty the King's visit to America in which there will be fully increased security after that serious incident (But they told the US President that the meeting between him & King Charles III will be off-camera to avoid awkwardness, but the president's bodyguards regarding of keeping the leader safe of their main task of guarding the President of the United States at all times 24/7 is under review following that certain security breach in which the gun person had been detected by security, in which there will be a advanced rollout of security features such as identification must be shown at an event (In which miscellaneous events in the nation's capital other than the US President's correspondents dinner have security over there to stop would be troublemakers from crossing over to storm that event illegally just like exactly that suspect who had made an illegal entry over there) as well as being on the guest list in which that perpetrator (Who wasn't a lone wolf because he was certainly a lone actor which means that someone who acts alone) was an unwanted guest (And there was an authorised guest who calmly ate salad as cool as a cucumber when that particular incident happened in which security measures will change, even though the President of the United States felt like that he thought there was a war coming to start with thinking that they're like being invaded, as well as he said that they were under attack (And Pops told me that no enemy force like the Axis of Upheaval would attack Washington because of the Americans are well routinely equipped with ships & firearms, in case if anyone tries to start a war in that country (And if atomic bombs drop by an enemy plane killing that president & vice president that they're going to issue martial legislation, just like the Iran war had started when that their Ayatollah got assassinated by a joint American-Israeli effort, & the Archduke of Ferdinand & his wife got murdered in the hands of a Serbian nationalist in Bosnia therefore triggering World War I by setting a chain reaction of events similar to the one this year in February, as both assassinations are viewed as "black swan" events (Similar to the dissolution of the Soviet Union on Christmas day way back in 1991, then 9/11 back in 2001, the global financial economic crisis from also back in 2008-09, & COVID (Especially the pandemic that us & the world which we once had, & faced from 2020 until 2023 formally that there had been disruptions all over the place), killing norms and escalating tensions to the brink of (or into) widespread global conflict), & the US are into a war against Iran that the Strait of Hormuz will likely be closed permanently as a result for the duration of the invasion, because they are not going to have a ceasefire peace deal anytime soon just like that shocking conflict since 2022 in which that damn war will never end), just like exactly that most American people were outraged about ICE murdering those immigrants in which the immigration laws in the United States are strict, & you could even face the death penalty, or worse by risking someone's life of getting shot even if you kill that pesky Immigration Customs Enforcement agent, but we're probably safe here in New Zealand (And of course me being a Liberal type of person just like Pops & Dad (And there is a channel containing liberal politics stuff in America available on YouTube when Dad who once alluded to me before), but our country has been ruled by the conservatives of the National Party (The one political party that I hate since I prefer Labour as my fave political party just like Pops & Dad just because it is liberal that last ruled in 2023 until National took over where they have been there since with the New Zealand general election is due on November 7th this year to decide who will rule our government) who are a centre class type of government) because it is peaceful right up here, compared to America being a hostile country under that extreme far-right conservative type of thing, oh hell (This is dreadful).

And thirdly in the gaming that after I bought Tekken 4 on April 24th that my only Gran Turismo game that I never ever played was Gran Turismo 4 which came out in 2004-05 & the reason why is because of the Nürburgring 24 hour event being staged as the last race of the career mode campaign because I'll never do anything for 24 hours straight, & if I do purchase it meaning that I'll play it for 16 hours a day (I'll be having breakfast, then lunch & dinner), then have a sleep for 8 hours before completing the job for 8 hours straight even though I'm having both breakfast & lunch.

And finally that the Crusaders (Who had winger & midfielder Leicester Fainga'anuku shifted into the forwards at openside flanker in a hybrid role) begin the new era at Te Kaha Stadium during the Super Round on day 1 (Same day that the American rock band of the Foo Fighters had released their brand new album called Your Favourite Toy, is available in shelves now at record stores around the world) with a win against the New South Wales Waratahs by 15 points including the key highlights of that game including Dallas McLeod being the first try scorer of that new venue as clean as a whistle (Well that was short & sharp then) & getting a double (One of his tries had been waved off by the TMO for an obstruction before the NSW Waratahs would gone on to score the other end of the field, along with the David Havili one that had been rubbed out for foul play), then a day later on day 2 (Which was during ANZAC day), the Hurricanes demolish the ACT Brumbies with Fehi Fineanganofo (Who is signed on a 2 year deal with Gallagher Prem side Newcastle RB's, in which the one that the All Blacks could've got away, just like Waisake Naholo back in 2015 that he signed a lucrative deal with a French club after his impressive Super Rugby season for the Highlanders which they won, but cancelled out his contract as he opted to stay for New Zealand rugby in which he won a men's Rugby World Cup for the All Blacks in that year) providing the heroics as he scored 4 tries in a match (And what a turnaround for the Canes after losing to the Chiefs who is on top of the table following their victory during Super Point extra time in Hamilton against them, to end the Brumbies chances of completing a stunning clean sweep against New Zealand teams with the Stormers of South Africa who was the one & only Super Rugby side to do that back in 2010 which was during the Super 14 era back then), before the Blues snatched a win against the Reds (Who had reserve halfback Louis Werchon score with a kick to come before it was successfully converted by Jock Campbell to force it into Super Point when it was played under a penalty advantage for cynically collapsing the maul) via a match winning penalty goal by Beauden Barrett during Super Point extra time (In which the penalty had been awarded when Fraser McReight had tackled a Blues player who knocked the ball on that was deemed by the referee to be in an offside position in which McReight was gutted & robbed about both the decision & the game), then also a day later in day 3 that the Highlanders managed to win against Moana Pasifika by 10 points to move up to 7th on the table ahead of the Tahs (Including the game was held in hot conditions as the new stadium for that was like a greenhouse to start with was baking out there under the roof, especially Ethan de Groot who said that the stadium has got an air condition system that the heat which came from when the players were being exhausted), & lastly, the Chiefs rounded out Super Round with a emphatic thrashing against the Fijian Drua (But it's the Hurricanes who have retaken top spot after 11 rounds in terms of points difference), but what do I think of the new stadium that had just been built for $683 NZ million which was constructed in 2022 (And the final bill of that venue would gone up a notch to NZ 1 billion dollars once it had been completed), then opened 4 years later, on the 27th of March? Well, it looked astonishing, absolutely breathtaking (And it is a hell of a stadium indeed) that we not just got both covered venues here in New Zealand, all in the South Island such as Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, & recently, Te Kaha Stadium (It is mainly a rugby ground (For which will host our first test of the year between the All Blacks & the defending Six Nations champions, Les Bleus of France led by rugby's top stars during this decade of captain Antoine Dupont who plays for Stade Tolousain (Compared to rugby's main star during the 90s decade which is our own New Zealander of the late great Jonah Lomu) due in July in front of a sell-out crowd), but can host other rectangular sports matches such as league (There'll be hosting an NRL match between the New Zealand Warriors, & the North-Queensland Cowboys for that the game had been sold out already, as well as a league international between New Zealand & the Cook Islands during a League World Cup match this year also over there) & football/soccer (With both the Wellington Phoenix will host games along with the All Whites in an international friendly against international opposition, as well as our future Football/Soccer men's World Cup qualifiers) there in the largest city of the South Island, & the 2nd largest here in our country of New Zealand for that was really better than Lancaster Park (It was closed due to earthquake damage back in 2011, then demolished also back in 2019, but they once had Apollo Projects Stadium that had been lasted for 14 years as a temporary stadium) which had been the final phase as part of the city's post earthquake recovery phase.

So that is my 711th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 63rd of this year, viva Ukraine.

Happy Waste: My 62nd Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first on April 19th that rain has poured into Whanganui meaning that there were floods everywhere, left, right & center, when they issued a local state of emergency (A day before it was being lifted for the Whanganui district as people are urged to keep out of floodwaters) due to 8.1 metres of water on the river that meant heavy rain had caused flooding & slips overnight.

And secondly in the cricket as the Black Caps fall to another defeat against Bangladesh who won the 3 match One Day International series with Majmul Hossain Shanto scoring a ton & Mustafizur Rahman picking up a fifer for 43 runs when Shanto posted 105 off 119 deliveries for his 4th ODI century to lift Bangladesh to 265 for 8 after being invited to bat first at Chattogram as Mustafizur who returned from injury after not playing the first 2 matches, then ripped through the New Zealand batting to help bowl out the opposition for 210 in 44.5 overs.

And thirdly that I saw Don Edmonds on ANZAC Day that he came here on his e-bike so he came to our place for lunch with me & Pops where we had chicken nuggets with salad & croutons, & Pops had a great yarn with him before he left as he followed Pops path to the Commercial Hotel pub where he spent time chatting to his friends from the past that he reminisced with, so too is Don, while at home that I was gaming that I played Tekken 4 on the PlayStation 2 that I bought at Cash Converters (I thought that disc was not going to work, until I found out that it works since I have still got a PS2 slim console) for the first time (Well, I never played that game before throughout my entire life, up until that point), & I played as Hwoarang the South Korean Taekwondo expert so I can unlock both his ending & Jin Kazama, then I had afternoon tea & shower, before Pops took me to Burger King (We were originally thought about going to Japanese Takeaway Momiji (For Pops found out that it is dear due to the high prices), but it is closed however due to ANZAC Day) so that I can have a whopper with cheese for dinner for which I literally enjoyed so he dropped me off home so I can play Tekken 4 again, this time as Jin who is the Karate expert who took off Hon-maru after defeating both his dad Kazuya Mishima first, then his grandad Heihachi last during his ending for which is considered to be canon in the lead up before the events of Tekken 5 took place where multiple JACK-4 robots managed to track Heihachi Mishima down for which he originally thought that he was killed from that explosion in which Kazuya escaped.

And lastly that Dad (Who is due to come here at 15A Kells Avenue (Our place AKA Ngapo Estate) on an ANZAC observed holiday (A day after him & Raewyn are due to leave Wellington on April 26th (And they have been there since the 24th of April) on the 27th of April with his Rugby 06 game that he will give it to me, but I found out that Rugby 06 one is better than Rugby 08, even though the latter one was the best rugby game that they ever made on the market) told me on April 19th about him predictably about that dreadful invasion since 2022 could end this year because of Ukraine taking advantage of it against the country who started it that are getting concerned & terrified, so fingers crossed for him wanting to end that shocking never ending conflict that has been grinding, & has always been going, but Dad said that he demanded himself of waiting to end that horrendous war like that, in exchange for a sustainable peace settlement (And at least we are safe here in our country of New Zealand just in case World War III breaks out along with 10 others, including Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Bhutan, Chile, Fiji, Iceland, South Africa, Switzerland, & Tuvalu as I told Pops before on the 4th of May this year).

So that is my 710th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 62nd of this year, viva Ukraine.

Celebrity Skin: My 61st Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first it was a great win by the Black Ferns over Canada in Kansas City, Missouri in the US during the Pac 4 comp to exact vengeance that we experienced last year in which the Canadians dominated against us in a women's Rugby World Cup semi over in Bristol, England last year, but our last game in the Pacific 4 for our women is against the Wallaroos of Australia who haven't exactly beaten us before in international women's rugby, especially the XVs as our wahine put our 100% winning record on the line against them at Sunshine Coast Stadium in Kawana Waters.

And secondly onto cricket such as Suzie Bates will call time on her cricket career after this year's women's T20 Cricket World Cup going into our defence of the crown who Bates is easily one of among the greatest cricketers to have ever represented New Zealand as the 38 year old made her debut for Otago aged 15, & her debut international appearance 3 years later back in 2006, with more than 20 years as a NZ representative, including her time as a Tall Fern at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, Bates has worn the silver fern for over half of her life as to date that Bates has represented New Zealand in cricket 362 times - 181 ODI's & 181 T20 internationals as those 362 matches make her the 2nd most capped lady in the history of the sport as only India's Harmanpreet Kaur, with 364 appearances, has more - albeit with the caveat of seven test matches, a format of the White Ferns haven't played during Bates's career.

And thirdly in league that the New Zealand Warriors coach Andrew Webster has insisted tighter NRL practice guidelines have not forced changes to how his team prepare for games during the week as the Aussie rugby league commission has just imposed limits on practice fields in an effort to cut injuries, especially head knocks as the restrictions apply to both NRL & NRLW sides through pre-season & in-season sessions as men's teams are required to be notified of the alteration prior to the start of the season, capping contact at 100 minutes through a 7 day turnaround, including wrestling, while the women's competition gets underway in July & they can train contact no more than 85 minutes over 7 days during their season, but both men & women see their allocation trimmed to 40-50 minutes for shorter turnarounds.

And finally in football (Soccer) that there is a must win situation for the Black Knights of Auckland FC that they need an away win against Sydney FC in order to lock in a top 2 spot in both the standings & a place in the semi as a draw or defeat by a goal or both would mean pursuing teams could catch Auckland & send last season's Premier Plate winners into 3rd place & requiring to play in an elimination final to get into a semi as they rued their mistakes after a costly 1 - 0 defeat against the Central Coast Mariners with Auckland's coach Steve Corica serving a 1 match suspension as a result of a red card for abusing the officials following a 2 - 2 draw against the Melbourne Victory as the Black Knights have just won one game out of the last 5 matches & have just missed out on retaining the Premier Plate.

So that is my 709th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 61st of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And the cricket world is in mourning as the great West Indian batter & one of the finest cricketers of a generation, of Sir Garfield 'Garry' Sobers (Who hit 6 sixes in an over during a domestic match in England between his team that he captains for, of Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan over in Saint Helens cricket ground in Swansea, Wales, UK, in 1968 for that really was a sobering effort) has passed away in the month of July aged 89 just 11 days short of his 90th birthday, so they already sent their thoughts, prayers, & heartfelt condolences who go to the Sobers family, & his loved ones, may you rest in paradise, thank you Sir Garfield.

Sir Garfield Sobers

1936 - 2026

Malibu: My 60th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that I was discussing Pops at the Cobb while we were having lunch about France being the most visited country in the world according to the 2006 FIFA World Cup PlayStation 2 game, along with Germany (Who was the host of the 2006 tournament, 4 years after Japan & Korea Republic co-hosted it back in 2002, & 4 years before South Africa hosted it also back in 2010) being having more websites than any other country (And back in 2003 that the nation has had most vehicle exports with 3.65 million passenger cars, compared to Japan which is 2nd best behind the Germans), & Italy being the largest consumers of bottled water as well.

And secondly that there is both concerning & terrifying news to all our All Whites fans, a few months out until the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup in North America that we're experiencing a star player injury crisis throughout the New Zealand camp as our skipper & all-time leading goal scorer for our country of Chris 'Woodsy' Wood is injured again since returning from knee surgery after a challenge from a Polish player of Jan Bednarek who had been shown the straight red for intentionally taking Wood out in a serious foul play incident during a Europa League game (In which the referee had referred it straight to the VAR for a probable send off offence, in which they made the decision to send Bednarek off meaning that Nottingham Forest's opponent were down to 10 players as a send off had left New Zealand captain in agony, while Wood (Who is another injury cloud following a tackle which resulted in a send off offence forced him off the field) carried on before being subbed off with a badly broken knee, even though Nottingham had the numerical advantage in that they won when they went through to the semi), but this could be big trouble for the All Whites, & our chances of a World Cup push (Our first game is either Iran (Who is still being invaded by the United States who decided to open the Strait of Hormuz when the fuel prices went down, until they closed it again meaning that it had been increased once more as I heard reports before from Dad on April 19th (And how hard is it to keep the Strait closed? Is it tough for them for petrol prices to remain expensive that way as long as the invasion keeps going (And they're not going to have a ceasefire to come up for a solution about it because that might take forever to end just like that dreadful invasion since 2022 will never be ending anytime, not even in 50 years, 100, or even the Reconquista war (For which the conflict was about the Christian kingdoms taking back from the totalitarian, oppressive rule from the Islamic kingdoms) that lasted from 722 AD, until 1492 according to the previous stories from my blogs (And I am on the same page right now) or the UAE (Even if the Iranians chose to pull out for US invading them, but they still have not confirmed it yet), at Los Angeles Stadium in Los Angeles, California) if Wood is ruled out of the tournament altogether which could be heartbreaking, but let's say that it isn't too serious meaning that he'll carefully manage his knee for the remainder of his life.

And thirdly that the Linkin Park song that is part of the alt rock & electronic rock genre, of 'Shadow of the Day' from back in 2007 (That single appeared on the Minutes to Midnight album that was released in the same year), exactly sounds like the highly successful 'With or Without You' song by Irish rockers U2 (Who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame back in 2005 (And it was a quarter of a century since their debut album came out way back in 1980 called Boy with the hit song, 'I Will Follow'), their first year of eligibility as they honoured their 20 year career as one of their top rock acts also from way back in 1987 (Taken from the Joshua Tree album), due to a very similar beat structure to it because of these songs are reminiscent to each other, & they're like ballads to start with.

And lastly in Super Rugby Pacific such as the Blues return to winning ways against the Highlanders in a high scoring affair at Eden Park in Auckland, before the New South Wales Waratahs dispatched Moana Pasifika (Who announced that this season will be their last since it is disbanding them due to having not enough money to keep operating (Their head coach of Fa'alogo Tana Umaga is expected to join the AB's as the assistant coach for which he'll be the defensive co-ordinator) just like the Melbourne Rebels who just left the year before hence the reason why that next year's competition will be down to 10 teams, because odd numbered teams where a side will take a bye just like in the NRL for that has 17 teams (Make it 18 next year when the Perth Bears join the competition, then 19 the year after as the PNG franchise who is set to begin competing), while even numbered teams, well, they hardly take any byes as Pops alluded to me before) at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, then the Chiefs go to the top of the table following their win at extra time when Damian McKenzie was attempting a field goal, but it was charged meaning that Wallace Sititi who was onside took the catch, then scored it under the posts to secure a victory at golden point extra time against the Hurricanes who lose top spot at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton, as well as the Fijian Drua score an unlikely monumental upset win over the Brumbies to register their first win in Canberra since they joined the competition in 2022, & the Western Force secure a boil over victory over the Crusaders who go into the Super Round in Christchurch against the Tahs at the new Te Kaha Stadium off the back of a defeat at HBF Park in Perth.

And here are a list of matches being played during the Super Round at the brand spanking new, state of the art Te Kaha Stadium (Which will host all matches being staged during Super Round that is making a comeback after a 1 year hiatus when Melbourne once hosted it between 2022, & the year before where the last time was held before the Melbourne Rebels departed from the comp) with all but one team set to play in a single venue:

Crusaders Vs New South Wales Waratahs

Hurricanes Vs ACT Brumbies

Blues Vs Queensland Reds

Highlanders Vs Moana Pasifika

& Chiefs Vs Fijian Drua

Bye: Western Force

So that is my 708th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 60th of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And a big shout-out to my half-bro of Jansi Jans who turns 23 today out here so I want to wish him all the best, & happy birthday to him as well so badly, cheers (And we are having a birthday lunch at Stellar restaurant here in Whanganui, goodness me, how about that!).

Don't Bring Me Down: My 59th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in the WNBA that Charlisse Leger-Walker who became the first New Zealand lady to win an NCAA basketball title with UCLA (Her teammate Gianna Kneepkens was the 15th overall pick earlier when she joined Leger-Walker to the Sun), joins the Connecticut Sun as the 18th pick of this year's draft so she's going to be rich right there, right now (And she is both of Maori & Pacific Island descent hence the reason why).

And secondly in gaming that the Rugby 06 PlayStation 2 game that I requested towards Dad to buy on Trade Me might not even make it meaning that he has to get another copy of the game, but all will be revealed on the 19th of April as he comes over to our place at 15A Kells Avenue for which has been Pops home since 1989 when he moved from Marton, but he would rather pass away here if he's too old (And this means that I would return to Dad's place at my old flat if he dies), especially his age (And he's health conscience because of Pops who hardly has any sugary foods or drinks regarding to his diet, while for me that I'm always being overweight due to the antidepressants that I also always take such as a risperidone for example) just like me.

And thirdly in food news over the past week such as on April 13th that me & Pops went to Rutland that I had nachos for example, before going to St John's Club to have chicken fillet there a day later on the 14th of April, while I had chicken fettuccine over at the Cobb 2 days later on April 16th, a day before I had a beef & egg burger but without the beetroot with fries at Pukeko's Nest on the 17th of April as of today (But it has been 105 days as of April 17th since the last time me & Pops saw both Aunty Tan & Rejean so I still miss both of them in fact, so too is the late Carole who passed away on November 17th (A month before Aunty Tan & Rejean had to arrive on December 8th last year in time for Christmas, right through until January 2nd this year where they left to go to New Caledonia, then back to Auckland before returning home to Canada such as arriving in Vancouver first, then Montreal later also before heading back to Mont-Saint Hilaire where they belong) that was 5 months ago for which has been passed, but the reason why she died is due to her refusing to go on holiday with Pops to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands for which has been called off immediately, but Carole did confirm that before her passing when she overdosed with drugs meaning that she was on life support at a hospital, then the bad news was delivered towards the Webb family that her heart had been stopped working for that was emphatically heartbreaking, needless to say (And she thought that my late close friend (Who was a loved member of our whanau meaning that she'll be greatly missed already as she is gone, but not forgotten (And I last saw the late Carole's son Andy, & his wife Kelsey either on February or March this year along with the 2 dogs of Millie & George when they were at our place visiting), according to Aunty Tan & Rejean's Christmas message that I saw late last year) was going to see both Aunty Tan & Rejean in which she was excited to see both of them, but she didn't because of her dying on that fateful day on the 17th of November in 2025 for that was a hell of a loss indeed, but that'll do (And recently that Huia's got breast cancer now when Pops told me the news about her, so she had been to a hospital lately (Well, I last saw her in 2022 when she was with her bro Benny (Who used to live here because he is currently in Vietnam) & her son Arlo (Who I saw him once along with Rosalie that I once saw her back in 2016 when me, Dad, Pops & Jansi Jans went to Waiheke Island to attend a tangi of the late Nana Minnie) that they were here to pop over for a visit during the heights of COVID omicron, especially the pandemic which lasted from 2020 until 2023).

And finally that I have revealed that I'm a fan of the late David Bowie just like Dad that I told him in light of me always listening to his music on Brian FM (And one of my fave songs from the man who passed away a decade ago back in 2016 is 'Fame', but I like 'Space Oddity', 'Let's Dance', 'Heroes', 'Suffragette City' & 'Ashes to Ashes'), so too is Neil Finn & his bands of both Split Enz (One of New Zealand's best bands ever, but my favourite Split Enz song will always be 'I Got You', but I like 'One Step Ahead' & 'I See Red') & Crowded House (For exactly is one of my fave Kiwi rock bands since Shihad had decided to move on last year (And my fave would have to be 'Don't Dream It's Over', but I like 'Something So Strong', 'Better Be Home Soon', 'It's Only Natural', 'Weather with You' & 'Locked Out'), but I like that New Zealand funk rock band of Supergroove as well, especially the song that used to be my favourites of 'Sitting Inside my Head', but 'Can't Get Enough' has taken over as my fave Supergroove song, but I like 'Scorpio Girls') for which I'm also a fanatic of due to them listening to my fave radio station so far.

So that is my 707th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 59th of this year, viva Ukraine.

I Want Your Love: My 58th Blog of the year 2026

Well, hi again, & welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger (And this is a double post, remember, a double post! Please acknowledge), but first the latest in the Supercars Championship in Taupo as DJR's Brodie Kostecki held off a late race drama to win race 8 therefore he asserts his dominance carried over from his form in Melbourne that he followed up on top that he remains as the championship leader, while Wellingtonian Ryan Wood (Who leads the JR Memorial Trophy heading into Christchurch) notched up Toyota's maiden win in Supercars since their debut in the championship this year during race 9 that sent the home fans into sheer delight before the cancellation of the planned 10th race of the championship meaning that it has been moved to the 17th of April in Ruapuna for the 2nd New Zealand event as part of the double header due to an unprecedented situation unfolding Cyclone Vaianu when they issued a local state of emergency over there in the Waikato/King Country region (And this is similar to Formula One where the 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix where it was called off due to the floods have struck the Emilia Romagna region so that the emergency workers were there responding of being able to rescue people trapped in the flooding just to save lives rather than being on the track at all times), & we had a power cut here in Whanganui on the same day (And I was having 3 money bags that is a popular appetizer & street food from Asia for afternoon tea that I cooked in my fave air fryer for which was one of the best air fryers I have ever had (Compared to the wok being the best frying pan that it ever had) that I had before the power had been cut) that I was without power for half an hour until it came back on so I could play the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup 2006 game on the PlayStation 2.

And secondly that I had an eventful day on the 12th of April (Well, the cyclone is happening with Cyclone Vaianu circulating around the North Island) such as listening to Brian FM as well as playing that 2006 FIFA World Cup game on the PlayStation 2 (That is by far, my fave football (Soccer) simulation amongst others (I have FIFA 10 also on the PS2 along with FIFA 23 & EA Sports FC 24 on the PS4 versions, also as well as EA Sports FC 26 PS4 & PS5 versions that I've got both digitally) & Gran Turismo 7 on the PS5 Pro, then having Burger King for lunch where I had a regular whopper with fries & water, & me chatting to Dad who cleaned our fridge up while Pops has always been to the pub for a drink or two & had a leftover stir fry dinner before writing my future blog posts then (I posted it on April 12th which is about 20 years since our family took us on a trip to Auckland back in 2006, then on the 11th of April that I also posted it which was about South Africa winning their first men's Rugby World Cup out of 4 way back in 1995, but I thought that the player of the tournament in the same year could've easily gone to the late great All Black, & one of the all-time greats of the sport of rugby which is the GOAT himself, Jonah Lomu (Who one of his teammates of Justin Marshall that he made a comment on the Raw Talent programme already shown on Sky Sport NZ that he would like to go out with him at a fast food restaurant, like Macca's for example (Well, I prefer Burger King as my fave burger joint, but I like Subway as well since it is a healthier option) instead of going to a cafe just before he had that kidney disease that he passed away so young at the age of 40 back in 2015, 2 years before the one that Marshy who admired the most of the opposition players was the late great South African halfback of Joost van der Westhuizen (The late Jonah's old rival) who passed away also back in 2017 as a result of MND).

And thirdly in sports news flash such as in the NRL that the New Zealand Warriors return to winning ways when they beat the Melbourne Storm on enemy territory at AAMI Park in Melbourne to snap a 2 game losing streak, & break the drought against them as well, meanwhile Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy has held off the challenge of American Scottie Scheffler to retain the Masters over in Augusta, Georgia in the United States, & Kiwi MMA fighter Carlos Ulberg finally defied the odds of manhandling Polish competitor Jiri Prochazka on one leg to become the new UFC champion in one of the most weirdest fights in the history of mixed martial arts at UFC 327 in Miami, Florida also in the US.

And lastly that on April 16th or 17th that they're going to show an old Super Rugby match from the archives on Sky Sport NZ that I'm recording on our My Sky decoder between the Hurricanes & the Chiefs from way back in 1999 at Stadium Taranaki in New Plymouth (Including the late great Jonah Lomu who would score a try during that game in the wet of which I didn't know of him playing for the Waikato Chiefs at the time, a year prior to his high profile switch to the Wellington Hurricanes for the 2000 season following his impressive performances that he had during the 1999 men's Rugby World Cup for the AB's), in anticipation of another top of the table showdown clash (The 2nd one this year) between both sides who are seeking to cement their positions on the ladder during round 10 of this year's Super Rugby Pacific competition (The Chiefs had another win by pounding Moana Pasifika to remain undefeated against them at the International Stadium in Rotorua to leapfrog into 2nd, while for the Hurricanes (Who had Fehi Fineanganofo sin binned for roughing on a Blues player that was uncalled in which he was sent to the sin bin, then on report where it should've been changed to a send off offence according to the Breakdown programme that I saw on the 16th of April, but he could be handed a ban for a foul play incident like that since World Rugby & New Zealand rugby had already issued a war on high contact when it was introduced at the start of 2017 for which is like gun control to start with even though our country's firearm legislations are strict when we once had the Christchurch mass mosque massacre back in 2019 (For which was Aramoana 2.0 to start with), just like with Australia following Port Arthur 30 years ago (And also the tragic terror attacks down under took place near Bondi Beach in Sydney last year), then Norway after Utoya back in 2011, & the UK in the aftermath of Dunblane in Scotland way back in 1996 (Same year as the Port Arthur mass shooting that they also once had, then the Bondi Beach terror attacks last year in December for that was the tragic sequel that was inspired by Port Arthur), but the United States has not since their gun control measures aren't strict also following the late Kennedy who got shot & killed in 1963 by an assassin, the last US President to do so), they remain on top of the table following their humiliation against the Blues (Who have dropped to 3rd behind the Chiefs (Who had Damian McKenzie who reached 1,500 points in Super Rugby Pacific, the 2nd time a New Zealand player has achieved that for one team in Super Rugby as he is closing the gap to within 200 of the great Dan Carter, in which D-Mac had his standout player of the game performance), but is expected to have both regular captain Patrick Tuipulotu & openside flanker Dalton Papali'i back for the clash against the Highlanders at Eden Park in Auckland to get the weekend underway) at Hnry Stadium in Wellington) at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton (And other results include the Brumbies have added the Highlanders as the list of Kiwi teams who would fall short against the men from Canberra who have their bid of becoming the first Aussie side to complete a stunning clean sweep against New Zealand sides this season that are still well & truly alive at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin (Their next match is against the Hurricanes at the new Te Kaha Stadium during Super Round in Christchurch for a chance to win against all 5 NZ teams for the first time this season in which they'll do that next time round (But no Australian team has ever done that in the history of Super Rugby), then the Fijian Drua had a narrow win against the Western Force who thought that they should've won at Churchill Park in Lautoka (And the Force were about to deliver the terrible news, such as Darby Lancaster is gone, for the whole season), & for the Reds, they have finally beaten the Crusaders (Who have their list of key players that are part of the growing casualty ward in which the red & blacks are currently dealing with, such as inspirational skipper David Havili) at Lang Park in Brisbane for the 1st time since the 2011 Super Rugby final).

So that is my 706th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 58th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Gives You Hell: My 57th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that I was doing my blog in 2022 about comparing to different eras in sport like the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors would prolly slay the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls in terms of their style of play according to Draymond Green who is one of the players playing for the Dubs in the National Basketball Association that he was rewatching game 6 between the Chicago Bulls & the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA finals, but nowadays this year that the 2015 men's Rugby World Cup winning All Blacks side would totally massacre the 2023 Springboks team in a game of rugby by 22 points compared to the 2023 Aussie Cricket team that won the men's ODI Cricket World Cup would annihilate the 2019 England Cricket team in an ODI cricket match, & the 2018 French national Football (Soccer) team (AKA les Bleus) who were champions of the football (Soccer) world, would outsmart the 2022 Argentinian national Football (Soccer) Team (Known as la Albiceleste) by the barest of margins of a single point in a game of football (Soccer) as well.

And secondly that there was a tragic story that I never mentioned before on my blogs involving the African American boxer James 'The Harlem Hammer' Butler who famously king hitted a Jamaican competitor of Richard 'The Alien' Grant after a 10 round charity boxing fight to raise awareness for the victims & their families lives who have lost in a tragic terror attack in New York on September 11th, back in 2001 in front of legislation enforcement, fire, & paramedic services during a post-fight attack which took place, before been given a 4 month incarceration sentence for the crime that he first committed, then he was sent back to the slammer behind bars for 29 years & 4 months for the killing of sportswriter Sam Kellerman also back in 2004 in which the man known as 'The Hammer' committed another crime for which was serious in which he was a repeat offender, & has been there since (And the late Sam told Butler several times as he asked him to leave that place then, even before the murder take place which did not impress one of the police inspectors who saw something that foul play must've been occurred).

And thirdly that La Roja of the Spain national football team in their bid of winning this year's Football (Soccer) men's World Cup after 16 years where they won their one, & only World Cup title back in 2010, were about to deliver the bad news that they had a major, Lamine Yamal is out, for the whole tournament (As a result of a torn adductor that he's currently dealing with which could be heartbreaking for the Spanish & their chances of winning the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup for the first time since 16 years ago (But they have not confirmed this since they have made it unofficial), just like New Zealand who have our injured stars such as captain Chris Wood who recently returned from knee surgery to play for his club of Nottingham Forest coached by an Aussie of Ange Postecoglou in the Premier League (Which is currently led by Arsenal, but Manchester City are chasing them down in order to regain the title that they last won in the 2023-24 season before Liverpool were the champions last season, in 2024-25), as well as stand in skipper Michael Boxall due to a groin problem, & others like vice-captain Liberato Cacace (An Italian Kiwi (Just like Sir John's son Niko the footballer (Soccer player), & his America's Cup sailor brother of Luca who sailed for the Italian syndicate of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in the 2024 edition of the Louis Vuitton Cup) who was 9 or 10 years of age when he attended school when New Zealand last appeared on a world football (Soccer) stage), Sarpreet Singh (Also an Indian Kiwi who is both the Rachin Ravindra, & Ish Sodhi of New Zealand football (Soccer) who plays for the Wellington Phoenix), Marko Stamenic (One of the New Zealander players who is of both Croatian (Just like Ivan Vicelich (His 18 year old son Luka plays for Auckland FC as part of the youth academy system) that we used to have), & Samoan descent (Also just like Tim Cahill who is a Samoan Aussie, but his English born son named Kyah (His famous dad Tim is from Australia) has opted to play for his ancestral homeland of the Samoans) & comes from a family of both people from Dalmatia, & the Pacific Islands), & Matt Garbett), just like that Argentinian World Cup winning defender Juan Foyth who will miss the tournament altogether with a serious injury, such as a ruptured Achilles that hampered Argentina's chances of becoming the first side since Brazil in 1962, to complete the successful defence of the World Cup.

And finally in the Pac 4 women's Rugby Championship such as the Black Ferns (Who had disciplinary issues such as Tanya Kalounivale who had been sent to the sin bin, then on report for a high contact on an American player, before the bunker decided that it has been changed to a send off offence, meaning that Kalounivale will be suspended for the next game according to the judiciary (But there has been an update as Kalounivale is cleared of any serious wrongdoing meaning that she is free to play against Canada), & we played with 13 players at one point after one of our Black Ferns players had been sent to the bin for an infraction) begin our women's Rugby World Cup cycle with a win against the United States at Sacramento, California, therefore beginning our tournament campaign by bouncing back after disappointment in the semi of the women's World Cup against Canada last year, then the Canadians overcame a weather delay with a flawless victory (Or a perfect, great or excellent win) over the Wallaroos of Australia (Who had Cecelia Smith sin binned for a dangerous tackle) with a 24 - 0 clean sheet score line, but set their sights on New Zealand (Who are seeking vengeance after our heartbreaking defeat in the semifinal against them of last year's women's RWC in Bristol, England in one of the biggest boil overs of the tournament in which the Black Ferns are winless in the last 3 meetings against the Canadian women (Both losses (Including the ones in Christchurch the year before, & in Bristol in the women's World Cup semi last year) & a draw (That was also last year at the Apollo Projects Stadium), but our last victory came in 2023 in which the last time New Zealand had defeated Canada in international women's rugby) as they continue their dominance against us when the next round is scheduled on Friday April 17th in Kansas City, Missouri.

So that is my 705th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 57th of this year, viva Ukraine.

The Reason: My 56th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that Cyclone Vaianu is approaching on the North Island in New Zealand as residents in the Whanganui-Manawatu region are being urged to get ready for several gales, & lengthy periods of heavy rain with a strong wind being in place for the region from 4am Sunday on the 12th of April until 1am on Monday, April 13th as the region braces cyclone Vaianu as officials warn of intense breezes, heavy rain & power outages, even though with the cyclone expected to come in at 6pm for which is expected from the north as the greater impact will be on those eastern districts, but Met Service urged people to keep an eye on for forecasts as watches, & warnings are going to be updated according to the Whanganui Chronicle newspaper headline article that I saw.

And secondly that Toyota hasn't wasted any time in establishing themselves in the Supercar scene because they are moving forward, & are in a big hurry as the new closed park regs have been introduced, while Chaz Mostert reveals that he's married to a Kiwi wife so there is plenty of New Zealand support there that is going to be marred by rain which is set to lash Taupo from the 12th of April in the evening, until April 13th, while for 'Woody' who is Toyota's highest placed driver in the championship, it is a return to an extremely happy hunting ground on the weekend of April 10th to 12th, with Taupo the scene of Ryan Wood's equal-best finish of the rookie season the year before, with a fine run to 4th in the season opener, but last year he scored his first podium at the venue, climbing up alongside his childhood friend Matt Payne & in summer that he claimed the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy with both wins in CTFROT as the 22 year old from Wellington is eager to put on a show in front of his home crowd, but is wary of tyre management on Taupo's ultra abrasive-surface, meanwhile the focus is on the weather comes as Cyclone Vaianu tracks south towards New Zealand, having passed to the west of Fiji (Who were without power recently, especially their homes when the cyclone had struck across the nation), with Taupo's only wet race to date was the first ever race also the year before, which was convincingly won by BJR's Andre Heimgartner, who will also be at the helm of a Supra for Brad Jones Racing that weekend as I saw it on the Whanganui Chronicle newspaper sports news section.

And thirdly that next year's edition of the Auld Mug will have some American involvement after all as they announced that American Racing Challenger Team USA has submitted a late bid for that had been confirmed as a late entry & will represent the Sail Newport club, because I thought that the 2027 event held in the city of Napoli in Italy, would be the first time an America's Cup regatta would be contested without a representative of the United States involved in racing, while early in the cycle that twice Auld Mug challengers American Magic confirmed that they won't be returning, then appeared to be some chance that Riptide Racing announced their goal of being able to get into a position to enter a bid, but when the deadline for late entries arrived, the team opted out, but however, a different entry has come late to the party to the US, one will have a familiar look to it as its fronted by Karel Komarek & Chris Welch, & led by decorated American yachtsperson Ken Read as chief executive as the new American entry had obtained the AC75 Patriot, & both AC40s from American Magic in order to start their bid as the announcement came in the aftermath of ACP confirmed late challenges had entered when they deadline had been expired on the 3rd of April, while they hadn't been confirmed whether the exact number of late entries, & is expected that at least one more team is still to be confirmed, then for the American outfit that they haven't yet announced any members of their crew & is unclear exactly when they'll join the fleet, with the first preliminary regatta scheduled in Caligari, Italy in the month of May this year also according to the Whanganui Chronicle newspaper sports news article that I saw.

And lastly that New Zealand is set to abolish greyhound racing, as part of its clamp down due to a new legislation being accepted on April 3rd according to Parliament who passed an amendment act as they triggered a war on greyhound racing from August 1st with the crack down first signalled by racing minister Winston Peters, meanwhile that the landmark sports venue of Spriggens Park Hatrick Raceway here in Whanganui is up for sale ahead of greyhound racing being outlawed altogether with about 20 people would lose their jobs following the clamp down for it is about to be enforced, with all of the staff, including the members, participants, & trainers are really upset, & infuriated with Whanganui Greyhound Racing Club chief executive Vanessa Trass who said that the club would host races as scheduled on July 31st before the crack down begins starting from the 1st of August as they club first hosted races at Hatrick Raceway since the 1980's, but in August 2022, Greyhound Racing New Zealand voted to renovate Hatrick Raceway following a lack of maintenance which led to an increase in injuries, & deaths of racing dogs relating to animal cruelty also as I saw it on the Whanganui Chronicle newspaper article section.

So that is my 704th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 56th of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And the entertainment world, especially in our country of New Zealand as Jurassic Park, & Hunt for the Wilder People star Sam Neill has recently passed away as a result of a terminal illness recently, so all thoughts, prayers, & heartfelt condolences go to the Neill whanau for a journey of him throughout his beautiful life that he thrived the film & TV scene as I saw on a front page of the Listener as of July 26th.

Sam Neill

1948 - 2026

Ordinary World: My 55th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in the rugby as the former twice men's Rugby World Cup winning player for the AB's in both 2011 & 2015 of Ma'a Nonu has been given a 3 week ban for tackling Wandisile Simelane high that resulted in a sin bin by the referee who referred it to the TMO for dangerous contact infringement when Nonu's team of Toulon had a close shave when they won by 3 points against the Sharks in the European Rugby Champions Cup clash according to the Whanganui Chronicle sports newspaper article that I saw on April 9th this year.

And secondly in motor racing as the New Zealand Supercars Championship double header is coming, with Taupo first on the 10th to 12th of April at Taupo International Motorsport Park, then they head to their historic first ever South Island round at Ruapuna on the 17th through to the 19th at Euromarque Motorsport Park, but we have revealed the points leader of the championship, & it is former Supercars champion from 2023, & a winning driver of the Great Race that is the Bathurst 1000 from the year before alongside his fellow winning co-driver Todd Hazelwood, of Brodie Kostecki who currently drives for DJR as he dominated when he won all but one race at the Australian Grand Prix meeting last time out (The highest placed Kiwi is Matt Payne in the Ford who won the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy last year in Taupo, is 4th in the championship, while 'Woody' of Ryan Wood, is the highest placed Toyota driver in the championship at 7th going into the next event), meanwhile that James Warburton, the CEO of Supercars Championship, has announced his shock departure less than a year after his return due to the conflict between him & the board members such as the shareholders who asked him to step down that role, so the search of a new chief executive officer is on, & they have revealed that Barclay Nettefold will step in as the caretaker CEO who says that an influx of candidates have already come to the fore as the championship searches for its next chief executive officer according to Greg Murphy (The former 4 time winning driver of the Great Race that is the Bathurst 1000) who was chatting to Scott Pye on the Late Braking programme that I saw was shown on Sky Sport.

And thirdly that the 2006 Football (Soccer) men's World Cup final won by Italy about the Zinedine Zidane headbutt on Marco Materazzi that there was no VAR back then to refer it to a possible send off (It was introduced in 2018 to check for 4 things, whether it's a goal, a penalty, red card, &/or mistaken identity, & this is similar to the TMO in rugby where they always refer to both things, whether it's in the act of grounding a try, &/or foul play being involved according to the previous blogs that I did where the sport of football (Soccer) had turned into rugby), so the fourth official had seen something before the ref had shown Zidane the red card for assaulting the Italian defender (Moments before Florent Malouda, Zidane's teammate, got booked for a back chat) by using his head to knock Materazzi (Who got banned for abusing Zidane before the attack had occurred (And the fans attending the final were booing about that particular incident had occurred meaning that they were not happy by being livid with themselves because of the crowd who did not like it when they weren't appreciated about the reaction of the attack such as the French & Italian fans, as well as the neutrals including their locals such as the Germans in which that moment had shocked the football (Soccer) world following an heated exchange such as trash talking or more like the Aussie term of sledging, even though with the Italian defender as the French midfielder reacted with an assault following a verbal provocation that stunned the whole stadium which resulted in a send off offence (Which was the most notorious red cards of all time, compared to the 2023 men's Rugby World Cup where the All Black captain at the time of Sam Cane was the first man to be sent off in a men's RWC final for a dangerous tackle on Springbok centre Jesse Kriel (Cane had been shown the sin bin, & on report before it was being changed to a send off offence due to there was a high degree of force, but without mitigation in which the decision had been made by the English ref (Who got abused by our All Black fans who were upset & infuriated about the Aaron Smith try had been waved off as a result of a knock on in the scrum in the lead up to the try in which the war on ref abuse online (For which has become non-existent) had begun when Wayne Barnes got abused meaning that he is sick & tired of these abusers, & is out there to stamp out on hate therefore resulting in a crack down on abuse towards the rugby referees telling these people to back off by leaving them alone such as they asked to show respect at all times for that was dreadful & shocking according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs like from the year before) at the time was right) for one of the most notorious red cards in rugby of all time, even though we played with 14 players for the rest of the game because we fell short in the end) against the Frenchman in a moment of madness like that (And Materazzi never caught Zidane up again after that infamous headbutt during the 2006 World Cup final which went down in history when a headbutt after a brief exchange of words when the image of that moment will live forever in the memory of football (Soccer) fans, even though that the Football/Soccer men's World Cup winning goalkeeper of Italian Gigi Buffon who said that he was the VAR that he was convinced that Zidane should be sent from the field when the fourth official saw it, not the referee who did not see it because of a delay), therefore he missed a couple of matches for his club during the 2006-07 season) to the ground in vain as the French captain at the time had lost his cool, before being suspended for 3 matches, but since his retirement that he had to serve to work for the community for 300 hours as part of his sentence in exchange for that (And I'm discussing things about football (Soccer) at the moment on my blogs lately in anticipation of the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup in North America due in both June & July for which has been blighted by geopolitical tensions as well as the war in Iran (For which I was reminiscing with when I played GTA IV on the 16th of April with their best expansion pack to date that is the Ballad of Gay Tony where a stash or stick up when Luis Lopez & his amigos of Armando & Henrique, shoot towards the gangsters therefore triggering a gang war that I have not seen combat like that since Tehran, as well as the police until he & his cohorts head to their SUV to drive off before legislation enforcement reinforcements arrive by heading into the drop off point with their stash in order to complete the drug wars mission), especially the political side of it where fans around the world weren't able to travel by attending these matches (And ticket prices will be very dear needless to say) due to the boycott that most of them are avoiding the United States as I mentioned in my previous stories before, despite rugby being our unofficial national game here in New Zealand where it's a gem, & always been the king in our country (And I did a blog about it in 2022, but the sport was invented in 1823 in England (The birthplace of rugby (Along with cricket, football (Soccer), tennis & league as the other sports that the English had founded) by the late William Webb Ellis, so he picked the ball up & ran with it because it was against the loopholes in football (Soccer as I mentioned in my previous stories on my blogs), while cricket is our national summer game here (Compared to Australia where cricket is the national sport in the country, while their national winter game is Australian Rules Football).

And finally that I have revealed that my fave North American sport is out of the 4 along with baseball, gridiron & basketball, & it's ice hockey just like Rejean because of me owning 5 ice hockey games (I'll be getting the 2028 one that features the return of the World Cup of Hockey (Not due until 2028 where they had the last one which was in 2016), but I'll still be getting this & next year's edition of the NHL video games coming out) along with the 4 baseball games (And the reason why I wanted to get MLB the Show 26 is the World Baseball Classic was on & also I've got the 23, 24 & 25 ones as well) as well as the one gridiron game (Madden NFL 26) & both the basketball ones (NBA 2K22 & NBA 2K26) + the WWE 2K22, 2K23, 2K24, 2K25 & 2K26 wrestling game ones that I own at the moment.

So that is my 703rd blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 55th of this year, viva Ukraine.