Super Rugby round 9 & 2018 Commonwealth Games review

Well, round 8 of Super Rugby got underway as the Hurricanes defeat the Chiefs in Wellington to go on top of the New Zealand conference as well as the overall standings then the Blues buried their 2017 demons against the Sunwolves with their comfortable win in Tokyo before the Highlanders earn themselves a bonus point victory over the Brumbies in Dunedin to still continue our dominance against Australian opposition.

And New Zealand finish 5th on the medal table ahead of South Africa but behind Canada at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia with 15 gold medals (All Blacks sevens (Who kept the Fijians scoreless to regain the gold medal from South Africa), Black Ferns sevens (Kelly Brazier scored the match winning try during extra time against the hosts & after the try had scored, the Aussie crowd were in silence), Black Sticks women, Jo Edwards, Sam Gaze (Who had a mechanical issue, allowing him to come back & challenge Anton Cooper for the lead under controversial circumstances before crossing the line to bring home the gold), Joelle King (Both women's singles & doubles with Amanda Landers-Murphy) David Liti, David Nyika, New Zealand men's team sprint, Sophie Pascoe (Both women's SB9 100m breaststroke & women's SM10 200m individual medley), Julia Ratcliffe, Tom Walsh (Who went into the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games as heavy favourite) & Sam Webster), 16 silvers & 15 bronzes.

And finally with both the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang & the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast wrapped up, as the next sporting event taking place this year in 2018 is the FIFA World Cup in Russia which will happen in 2 months time starting on the 15th of June when the hosts take on Saudi Arabia for their opener at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow (Although Leon would be football/soccer mad because me & Pops are indeed rugby union mad because the Rugby World Cup doesn't take place until next year in Japan).

So that is my 195th blog of the year 2018 (MMXVIII) & my 15th of this year.

P.S. Lying to yourself again
Suicidal imbecile
Think about it
You're pounding on a fault line
What'll it take to get it through to you precious
Over this, why do you wanna throw it away like this
Such a mess, well I don't wanna watch you

Disconnect and self destruct one
Bullet at a time
What's your rush now, everyone will have his day to die

Medicated, drama queen,
picture perfect, numb belligerence
Narcissistic, drama queen, craving fame and all it's decadence

Lying to your teeth again
Suicidal imbecile
Think about it
You're pounding on a fault line
What'll it take to get it through to you precious
Over this, why do you wanna throw it away like this
Such a mess, well I don't wanna watch you

Disconnect and self destruct one
Bullet at a time
What's your rush now, everyone will have his day to die

And we went to the Wanganui club on Saturday for a quiz night & we won! (Yes! We did it because our team name was the vac blowers) + I've got the entire Lord Of The Rings trilogy on blu ray (I bought it on mighty ape with some assistance from Pops) to add it to my movie collection (Well, it's been 6 days since I got both the Star Wars prequel & original trilogies from The Warehouse to add it to both Star Wars: The Last Jedi (I bought it from mighty ape also) & my 1st blu ray movie that I own which is Star Wars: The Force Awakens).

And finally we bid you farewell to one of the greatest All Blacks in the form of William 'Fergie' McCormick (You know, the one who plays for Canterbury) who had to pass away a week & a day ago so rest in peace.

Fergie McCormick
1939 - 2018

Super Rugby round 8 review

Well, round 8 of Super Rugby got underway as the Hurricanes just won against a very good Sharks team (Who had to beat the disappointing Blues in the previous week) in Napier by 1 after Ngani Laumape scored a try in the dying minutes then Ihaia West got the match winning conversion by snatching it right to the death, then the Chiefs continue their dominance against the poor Blues outfit in Hamilton thanks to a match winning penalty try to put them up front & held on until the end before the Crusaders headed to Buenos Aires to take on the Jaguares but in the end, the Crusaders got the bonus point win by thrashing them (Although both Crusaders outside backs George Bridge & Manasa Mataele bagging doubles for the Crusaders).

So that is my 194th blog of the year 2018 (MMXVIII) & my 14th of this year.

Super Rugby round 7 review (+ Joseph Parker's defeat against Anthony Joshua & my Easter Monday habituals)

Well, round 7 of Super Rugby got underway as the Chiefs get a resounding win against the Highlanders in Hamilton before the Hurricanes continue our New Zealand Super Rugby dominance against Australian opposition by thrashing the Rebels in Melbourne with Ben Lam scoring 4 unbelievable tries then the Crusaders win against the Lions in the 2017 Super Rugby final rematch in Johannesburg on Easter Sunday.

And now the bad news, Joseph Parker has lost both his fight against Anthony Joshua in Cardiff & his titles as well as Parker's undefeated record (Although me, Pops & Carole Webb had to watch it on Sky Arena yesterday on Easter Sunday (The same day that I watched a Star Wars movie which the The Last Jedi although I watched The Force Awakens on Good Friday (The day we went to Palmerston North where we looked at the mall before going to Habitual Fix for lunch before we headed back home where we had a awesome day & we went to the Brick House for dinner where we had a great night) before Bob & Rachael Hays arrived for lunch (We had barbecued lamb with salad & naan bread) that we had meaning that I had to watch it on pay per view for the 1st time in my whole life).

And finally I got up today on Easter Monday at 8am, had a shower, then I had breakfast before I took Buck for a morning walk, then listened to live versions of both the Foo Fighters & Queens Of The Stone Age on YouTube before I played my favourite Gran Turismo Sport game on the PS4 before I had leftover barbecue lamb with leftover salad & bruschetta for our dinner of the day, then played Gran Turismo again before I took Buck for an afternoon walk & I'm doing my blog now before we have a light meal.

So that is my 193rd blog of the year 2018 (MMXVIII) & my 13th of this year.

P.S. We get some rules to follow
That and this
These and those
No one knows

We get these pills to swallow
How they stick
In your throat
Tastes like gold

Oh, what you do to me
No one knows

And I realize you're mine
Indeed a fool am I
And I realize you're mine
Indeed a fool am I

And we say farewell to one of the most controversial All Blacks Keith Murdoch (You know, the one who punched a security guard at a bar which was closed in Cardiff at the time) who passed away (Although he had to be sent home for indiscipline but decided to go to exile in Australia) so rest in peace (And it has been a few weeks since former All Black & Samoan back rower Dylan Mika (1972 - 2018) passed away as well).

Keith Murdoch
1943 - 2018

Super Rugby round 6 review (+ Ball tampering shame & Joshua-Parker showdown)

Well, round 6 of Super Rugby got underway as the Crusaders pip the Bulls 33 - 14 in Christchurch with Jack Goodhue who had a wonderful game getting a double then the Chiefs demolish the Sunwolves 61 - 10 in Tokyo with Damian McKenzie also having a wonderful game by scoring both tries along with Solomon Alaimalo just like Jack Goodhue did then the Hurricanes were too strong against the Highlanders in TJ Perenara's 100th game (Some fabulous tries including Beauden Barrett, Ben Lam twice & Vince Aso for the Hurricanes & Waisake Naholo who was in not once but twice for the Highlanders).

And what about the ball tampering crisis during the 3rd test between South Africa & Australia in Cape Town that shocked the cricket world (Well it is just not cricket)...I mean come on, what on earth is going on with these culprits such as Australian captain Steve Smith, David Warner & Cameron Bancroft (All 3 were being replaced by Joe Burns, Glenn Maxwell & Matt Renshaw for the 4th & final test) because they were all caught in the act, honestly. At least coach Darren Lehmann kept his job (Well, he had to resign as head coach of the Australian cricket team after the 4th test) but all 3 offenders had to be sent home as a result, with Smith & Warner copping 1 year suspensions (But they are not allowed to captain for Australia again for 2 years (Although wicketkeeper Tim Paine has taken over the job of national team test captain) & Bancroft has been suspended for 9 months for playing their part on ball tampering, I mean, get real...get over it because not only that the ball tampering scandal is Australian cricket's darkest days since the underarm incident in 1981 which cost us the game (Trevor Chappell was instructed by his brother Greg Chappell to bowl underarm (Which is illegal as of today because it results in an automatic no ball being signaled by the umpire) before Trevor became Australia's most hated man in cricket).

And finally don't forget that Samoan-Kiwi boxer Joseph Parker is fighting Britain/England's Anthony 'AJ' Joshua at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff...but everything is on the line such as unification titles & undefeated records (Well someone's 0 has got to go (That's according to the world famous American ring announcer Michael Buffer). And let's hope that Joe doesn't get knocked out just like 'Iron' Mike Tyson in which he lost against James 'Buster' Douglas or especially disqualified (Such as hitting on the break, low blows, headbutts, rabbit punches, elbows & hitting a man while he's down but he may lose his money if he gets disqualified).

So that is my 192nd blog of the year 2018 (MMXVIII) & my 12th of this year (And we hope you have a happy Easter tomorrow because I've got a Star Wars movie to watch which is The Force Awakens on Blu-ray tomorrow then The Last Jedi that I've bought at Mighty Ape on Blu-ray on Sunday).

P.S. And don't worry, Carole Webb is here until next Wednesday because she had just arrived last night from the airport (And I heard a familiar tune at the airport which is one of the Foo Fighters songs Learn To Fly) but we had cereal for breakfast before I took Buck for a morning walk then head over to the Splash Centre for a swim before we went to Countdown for some shopping (I had to stay in the car) then we went to Murray's emporium (Again I had to stay in the car) before we went back home although I had to watch that Batman & Joker parody video on YouTube which is hilarious before I heard the Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers & Incubus then we had an incredible Caesar salad for lunch then we had a fruit plate before I played Rugby League Live 4 on the PS4 then Rugby Challenge 3 & FIFA 18 before I took Buck for an afternoon walk & after that, watched that Australian rugby programme that I recorded which is Kick & Chase before we had chicken, pasta & salad for dinner before I dried the dishes with Carole washing it & so here I am, doing a blog for tonight.

Super Rugby & Six Nations round 5 review

Well, round 5 of Super Rugby got started as the Chiefs won against the John Mitchell coached Bulls in Hamilton after the Bulls dominated in the 1st half before the Chiefs came back strong in the 2nd half (Well, on second thought, Bulls prop Conrad van Vuuren copped a bit of flak when he struck Damian McKenzie's head with an illegal swinging arm (Well I thought it was a cheap shot but you call that a cheap shot? How?) but Japanese referee Shuhei Kubo thought that he might send van Vuuren off but the referee changed his mind to send the Bulls player to the sin bin, but now he's been suspended for 3 games after the SANZAAR judiciary panel fronted him) while the Highlanders (Still undefeated in the competition under new coach Aaron Mauger in charge) were too good against the Crusaders in Dunedin during their Southern derby clash (Including that TMO howler which cost the Crusaders a possible try (The ref originally awarded it before Highlanders captain Ben Smith demanded a TMO review, & now all 15 Super Rugby teams have been warned by SANZAAR referees boss Lyndon Bray that if someone messes with the ref, they will get penalized & possibly yellow carded if someone demands a TMO review just like Ben Smith did (Much more like in football/soccer that players get automatically booked for demanding a VAR (Video Assistant Referee) review meaning that the referee is the only one who is authorized to make a VAR decision) being scored by Jordan Taufua but did one of the Crusaders knock the ball on? I would say no because referee Nick Briant should have played that one on but he overturned the decision to no try).

And finally the 2018 Six Nations season ended as Scotland finish 3rd in the standings, beating Italy (At that point in which they were leading the match at the time) with a match winning penalty by former Scottish captain Greig Laidlaw, then Ireland successfully complete the Grand Slam for only the 3rd time (They 1st did it in 1948 & they did it again in 2009) as well as the Triple Crown after downing England (And that's their 4th defeat under current head coach Eddie Jones) at Twickenham in London including that memorable try scored by young gun Jacob Stockdale at the end of the in goal area which had to be adjusted but it appeared to be backfired at some sort (I was like I don't believe it, which you have just seen) before Wales finish runner-up to the Irish with a narrow win against France in Cardiff.

So that is my 191st blog of the year 2018 (MMXVIII) & my 11th of this year.

P.S. And we have had Kathryn & Ken (He definitely likes Buck just like that French Canadian visitor Antoine) here for the day to look at the house that she wants to live one day (We went out for lunch at the Brick House (Dinner of the day was a gourmet chicken burger that I had while dessert was apple crumble). And so too is one of Ngawini Keelan's sons Te Atau stayed here on Monday (I had to watch my favourite TV programme MacGyver during the night) until he left yesterday.

And finally Paige has sent me an email so she hasn't emailed me for like 3 months but here's her message anyway:

Hi Whetu,

Yes I just went and dropped some flowers off to her to say happy birthday.

I haven't actually seen all The Lord Of The Ring movies!

How have you been? Jarrod and I move to London in 3 weeks.. not long to go!

Hope all is well with you and the family.

Love Paige xx

Super Rugby & Six Nations round 4 review

Well, round 4 of Super Rugby kicked off as the Highlanders remain unbeaten after a comfortable win against the Stormers from South Africa in Dunedin (Although 1st choice All Black halfback Aaron Smith had a wonderful game along with winger Waisake Naholo, scoring a double where he got both tries (Aaron Smith began the year 2018 as the number 1 halfback for the All Blacks compared to last year where TJ Perenara began 2017 as the All Blacks premier halfback before Aaron Smith regained that position) to prepare their Southern derby showdown against the Crusaders on Saturday while the defending champion Crusaders outfit suffer their 1st defeat of the season, losing to the Hurricanes (Although both Hurricanes players such as prop Ben 'Bam' May (He once played for both the Crusaders & Chiefs before heading to the Hurricanes where he belongs now) & star All Black first five Beauden 'Beaudy' Barrett (He took over from Dan Carter (Carter's successor was Jonny Wilkinson I believe) as the best first-five eighth in the world) celebrated their 100th game for the Hurricanes respectively) in an epic game in Wellington while the Blues (Although Blues number 8 Akira Ioane (Rieko's older brother compared to Beauden Barrett who has got both younger brothers playing rugby such as Scott & Jordie) had a blinder of that game, picking up man of the match honors for his efforts on the field by also scoring a double where he got both tries just like Aaron Smith for the Highlanders against the Stormers) have snatched it right through to the death with an upset victory against the Lions in a difficult but hard game in Johannesburg.

And finally round 4 of the 2018 Six Nations season got started as Ireland clinch the 2018 Six Nations title with only 1 round remaining after claiming a bonus point win against Scotland in Dublin while France hand England their 2nd consecutive loss (And 3rd under England coach Eddie Jones) in the Six Nations in Paris & Wales ran out winners by continuing their dominance against Italy in Cardiff.

So that is my 190th blog of the year 2018 (MMXVIII) & my 10th of this year.

P.S. Pops left on Saturday so I had to look after Buck until Pops came back yesterday (And Dad & Jansen came here on Sunday to have lunch with me because we had curry that Jansen made on Saturday).

Super Rugby round 3 & 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics review (+ good times with Kathryn Ngapo)

Well, round 3 of Super Rugby kicked off as the Chiefs register their 1st win of the season against the winless Blues at Eden Park in Auckland then the Crusaders had a bonus point win against the Stormers in Christchurch then the Hurricanes get their 1st win of the season against the Jaguares in Buenos Aires a week after losing to the Bulls in disappointing fashion.

And veteran Crusader & world cup winning All Black prop Wyatt 'Crockzilla/Crocky'' Crockett has called time on his stellar international rugby career meaning that he has signed up with Mitre 10 Cup side Tasman on a 2 year deal.

And finally the Winter Olympic games in Pyeongchang, South Korea has ended with New Zealand picking up both bronze medals (In the form of young guns Zoi Sadowski-Synott & Nico Porteous), their 1st since Albertville in 1992 with Annelise Coberger picking up the silver.

So that is my 189th blog of the year 2018 (MMXVIII) & my 9th of this year.

P.S. And one of Pops sisters Kathryn (Although she is a self-proclaimed Star Wars fan) is here until Wednesday because she arrived here on Friday (The same night that we went to Caroline's for both a dinner (I had pasta) & dessert (I had cheesecake) & the day before we went to the market) but last night we went to an Indian Restaurant for dinner (It was chicken tikka masala with rice & gralic cheese naan bread but dessert was cheescake but the one at Caroline's is better) & I even managed her to go for a walk with me & Buck (He is a pet beagle mastiff cross dog that we got from the SPCA in June last year) not once but twice (One on Saturday & the other today).