Fool's Gold/Feels Like I'm Falling in Love: My 35th blog of the year 2024

Well, hey guys & girls (G'day), I am Whetu tuning in to my Kiwiavenger blog, but first of all (And foremost), the final of Euro 2024 is set, it'll be Spain squaring off against England at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany on July 14th, in the aftermath of Spain who became the first side to book a place in the final with victory against Kylian Mbappe's France after being a goal down in the 1st semi which was similar to the Portugal-Czechia & Netherlands-Turkiye games, then England did a similar thing to Spain (Who reach their first final of the European Football Championship since Euro 2012 which was held in both Ukraine & Poland in which they crushed Italy in the final to secure their record tying 3rd Euros championship to date, & have never won it since (They were eliminated by Italy (Who fell to Germany in the quarterfinal at the same tournament, 5 years before becoming champions & 3 years later, they were unable to defend their title this year in which the injury ravaged side were outfoxed against Switzerland (The one who caused the biggest boilover at Euro 2020 which was held in 2021 against tournament favourites France in the round of 16 before being fallen short against Spain on spot kicks in the quarters in which the Swiss have achieved their best result to date at the Euros) in the round of 16) at both Euro 2016 in France during the Round of 16 & at the delayed Euro 2020 in 2021 in the semifinal on penalties) as they crushed the Netherlands to a 2 - 1 win after becoming the 4th side to win a game after being a goal down at this years Euros tournament (And both the Spanish & English sides were down but not out for the count on that occasion).

So it's Spain to play England in the Euro 2024 final at Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany on Sunday local time which is Monday morning New Zealand time to decide who will become champion of Europe (Well, who is it going to be? Whether it's the Spanish Armada to party like it's 1964, 2008 & 2012 (Vamos Espanya) or will football finally come home for the English in order to break their 58 year drought of winning men's football tournaments where the English have never won since their home Football World Cup tournament in 1966 (C'mon England! (And they came so close in 2020 which was held in 2021 where they lost to the Italians on spot kicks (And the English should've won on that occasion) which resulted angry England fans who racially abused Bukayo Saka (Who scored the goal of the quarterfinal against Switzerland that tied things up before going into penalties) for missing a penalty during the shootout, meaning that the war on racial hate towards footballers who have African roots like Saka had been declared on social media, with suspensions likely to be handed out to the fans those who discriminate them (And abuse as well as hate & discrimination on social media, is like bullying, therefore that they are trying to prohibit them in the process, I mean oh no, that is terrible I have to say), but will it be Spain skipper Alvaro Morata (It was the late Ferran Olivella who did it in 1964 against the Soviet Union in the final then Iker Casillas not once but twice in 2008 against Germany in the final & 2012 against Italy also in the final) whose hopes of playing in the final had been dealt with injury after the semifinal win against France where a cameraman (Who got clobbered by a steward in pursuit of a fan who illegally charged onto the field to celebrate with the Spanish players) trodded onto Morata's lower leg, therefore injuring the former Chelsea player but if he's ruled out through injury, Dani Carvajal (Who is returning from a 1 game suspension alongside his Spanish teammate Robin le Normand where both Carvajal (One of Jude Bellingham's teammates coincedentally in club level who was part of the Real Madrid club that triumphed in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund in June this year) & le Normand sat out in Spain's win over France in the semi through a ban after being given another yellow card which resulted in a red card (Carvajal) while le Normand missed the next match for the accumulation of bookings during that controversial quarterfinal encounter against hosts Germany (Who had Toni Kroos who took Pedri out which resulted Kroos being shown a possible yellow card meaning that Pedri's tournament had been cruelly cut short with an injury like that, just like Malcolm Marx at last year's Rugby World Cup where his campaign was done with a serious injury which took him out of the tournament but didn't play in the final against the All Blacks (And the current best first five in the world of Handre Pollard had just called in to replace the unfortunate Marx which boosted South Africa's quest of retaining the RWC) just like All Black Dan Carter (It was Pollard who took over from DC as the best first five in world rugby, while Englishman Jonny Wilkinson was before Dan) did in 2011 where his tournament was over with a serious groin injury, but we did manage to pull it off with a winning penalty goal by Stephen Donald (Who was the fourth choice New Zealand first five in the aftermath of both Carter & Colin Slade getting injured during the tournament as well as Aaron Cruden) against the French in the final colloquially billed as 'The Kick' where it was immortalized by a TV movie, which came out in 2014 about New Zealand winning the Rugby World Cup after 24 long years) including Mikel Merino's goal during extra time that put them through to another semi) would lead the side, or England captain Harry Kane (Who currently plys his trade for Bayern Muenchen in the German Bundesliga competition) to become the European Football Championship winning captain to lift the Henri Delaunay trophy?.

And the AB's team has been named for our second & final test against England at the Garden of Eden at the City of Sails (Where New Zealand have never lost both at the ground & at the city since 1994 against France (Who sealed a dramatic test series victory after one of the French players had scored a winning try billed as 'The Try From the End of the World' which etched in French rugby folklore, then in 1995, a year after the French coup when a boat called Black Magic and a team called New Zealand became the first from outside the United States to win the America's Cup against Stars & Stripes aboard the Young America yacht led by Dennis Conner (And the famous words come from PJ Montgomery, the original voice of the America's Cup that was before Team New Zealand crossed the line to win race 5 "The America's Cup, is now New Zealand's Cup!" (And I remember the one-liner that has certainly repeated on air more often than any other in New Zealand's history according to the Back to back Black Magic book that I've still got in my bedroom somewhere) in San Diego (The city that hosted the America's Cup in 1995 & will play host to a historic first ever international rugby test match between the All Blacks & Fiji at Snapdragon Stadium), California, United States according to the previous blogs that I did), but the most recent test between the 2 countries was this year in the 1st test in Dunedin where the AB's managed to pull off a win against the English by a single point to kick off our international rugby year as well as the Razor era), so here is the starting lineup according to Scott 'Razor' Robertson:

STARTING XV

FORWARD PACK

FRONT ROW

1 (Loose head prop): Ethan de Groot (Highlanders/Southland)

2 (Hooker): Codie Taylor (Crusaders/Canterbury)

3 (Tight head prop): Tyrel Lomax (Hurricanes/Tasman)

SECOND ROW

4 (No.4 lock): Scott Barrett (Captain, Crusaders/Taranaki)

5 (No.5 lock): Patrick Tuipulotu (Blues/Auckland)

LOOSE FORWARDS

6 (Blind side flanker): Samipeni Finau (Chiefs/Waikato)

7 (Open side flanker): Dalton Papali'i (Blues/Counties Manukau)

8 (Number 8): Ardie Savea (Hurricanes/Wellington)

BACK LINE

HALVES

9 (Half-back): Finlay Christie (Blues/Tasman)

10 (First five-eighth): Damian McKenzie (Chiefs/Waikato)

MIDFIELD

12 (Second five-eighth): Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes/Taranaki)

13 (Centre): Rieko Ioane (Blues/Auckland)

OUTSIDE BACKS

11 (Left wing): Mark Telea (Blues/North Harbour)

14 (Right wing): Sevu Reece (Crusaders/Southland)

& 15 (Fullback): Stephen Perofeta (Blues/Taranaki)

& REPLACEMENT PLAYERS

16 (Reserve hooker): Asafo Aumua

17 (Reserve loose head prop): Ofa Tu'ungafasi

18 (Reserve tight head prop): Fletcher Newell

19 (Reserve lock): Tupou Vaa'i

20 (Reserve loose forward): Luke Jacobson

21 (Reserve half-back): Cortez Ratima (Who is in line to make his test debut off the pine with Finlay Christie promoted to the run-on XV following TJ Perenara's injury during the 1st test)

22 (Reserve midfielder): Anton Lienert-Brown

& 23 (Reserve back): Beauden Barrett

And the latest in the motor racing especially in F1 such as George Russell in the Mercedes-AMG, has taken victory in Austria which was marred by controversy involving the championship rivals of both Dutchman Max Verstappen (Who won in Spain & is currently the championship leader) & Britain's Lando Norris (Who was the polesitter in Spain, but Max had other ideas during the Grand Prix) taking out each other by going mad at them during the Grand Prix (In which Norris retired from the Grand Prix & Verstappen nursing the car home by finishing in 5th, although he got penalized 10 seconds for an avoidable contact on his championship rival during the race), then the following race in Britain where Russell's teammate, the Ferrari bound driver of 7 time world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton, has returned to the top step of the podium in Formula One for the first time since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021 in front of his adoring home fans in which he secured his 9th win at his home Grand Prix at Silverstone as well as his 104th of his career (He's 13 ahead of the legendary as well as the highly controversial figure of the sport, Michael Schumacher & currently leads the all-time wins list in F1), & then in Indycar where Pato O'Ward edged the 2 time defending series champion & current points leader of Alex Palou (The winner at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca) to take the win in the most recent Indycar race at Mid-Ohio (Which is the home track for the Rahal family, especially Bobby & his son Graham (Who is married to Courtney Force (Daughter of NHRA legend John who was recently hospitalized in a high speed wreck) in Lexington, Ohio even though with the series heading to Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa (Where the race was won by our very own Kiwi who drives for Team Penske of Scott McLaughlin who hasn't taken on the top step in Indycar since Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama), then it's the streets of Toronto, Ontario in the Great White North of Canada, the last before the Olympic break which is coming to suit American television schedules, meanwhile in the Supercars Championship where our own Kiwi Matt Payne went on to win one of the races on the streets of Townsville which is located in Queensland in Australia (Meanwhile Will Brown of Red Bull Ampol Racing is currently leading the championship, but standing in the way is Walkinshaw Andretti United's Chaz Mostert (The 2 time Bathurst 1000 winning driver in both 2014 with Paul 'The Dude' Morris (Dad of current Super2 racer Nash) & in 2021 with Lee Holdsworth) who is Brown's main challenger in terms of the championship when both are at a 2 man horse race at the moment (Compared to Aussie Indycar racer Will Power (The Chaz Mostert & Lando Norris of Indycar) who is Alex Palou's main challenger in terms of the Indycar Series championship (With Palou sharing a similar role to both Will Brown & Max Verstappen).

And finally that I once told Pops that I was stressed out once, but I have revealed that I have rage fit (Except me taking those risperidone medication pills but I can't take off that medication, literally, not only that I'm big (I used to be skinny as a 12 year old when I saw the photo of me & Jans when he was a baby way back then, 21 years ago), then I once told Pops that I was attempting to lose much weight, but somehow I'm a real, massive failure), just like the US president of Joe Biden who is still in his 80's who has fears of getting both Alzheimer's disease as well as dementia when the president who frequently lost his temper & lashed out his White House aides, many of whom have grown fearful of meeting with Biden (Who fears that he might pull out of the presidental race because he may be getting too old if he wants to step down as his bid for re-election is in tatters) alone, especially him being victimized by phone scammers since taking office, though his public remarks suggest a tenuous grasp of reality that would make him especially vulnerable while reports indicate Biden (Who I fear that he might pull out of his re-election bid against the former president Donald Trump even if the US Vice President Kamala Harris wants to replace him by stepping in Biden's shoes, but I don't know why I'm sure she wanted it) is also susceptible to fits of rage, a common symptom of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

So that is my 559th blog of the year 2024 (MMXXIV) & my 35th of this year, viva Ukraine & Palestine.

Overcompensate/Next Semester/The Craving: My 34th blog of the year 2024

Well, g'day guys & girls, my name is Whetu here on my Kiwiavenger blog, but first, the AB's (Who are now entering their post Fozzy era) have done it, winning by just a single point against England in that epic 1st test at Forsyth Barr Stadium in 'Dunners/Edinburgh of the South' of Otepoti Dunedin to kick off the Razor era so let's relive the last 10 minutes of the test:

71ST MINUTE, PENALTY NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand 16-15 England, 71 minutes, A mighty shove! A proper scrum time lesson from the replacement All Blacks front row, destroying their English counterparts. The All Blacks boot up beyond halfway.

72ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), FREE KICK (SHORT ARM PENALTY) ENGLAND: New Zealand 16-15 England, 72 minutes, But that’s uncharacteristically loose from New Zealand. Asafo Aumua dummies his lineout throw and is free kicked. Fin Smith sends something skywards. Jordie Barrett hurries in to snatch it out of the hands of team mate Finlay Christie, who looked pretty uncertain under it.

73RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): New Zealand 16-15 England, 73 minutes, The crowd howls as Beauden Barrett runs into the back of a blowing Fin Baxter having chipped beyond the England prop. The officials are content that there is nothing illegal in Baxter’s challenge, the loosehead seemingly having just stood his ground, as he is entitled to.

74TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): New Zealand 16-15 England, 74 minutes, Pulverised! Sevu Reece absolutely vaporises George Furbank on the kick chase. A colossal hit, but somehow the England full-back holds on. Neither side is giving an inch in phase play. England kick up to halfway; Finlay Christie replies with a box kick that Furbank wisely marks before Reece can double his destructive dose.

76TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): New Zealand 16-15 England, 76 minutes, Ollie Sleightholme is on for his debut. Can he be England’s hero?

77TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand 16-15 England, 77 minutes, Penalty to New Zealand! Alex Coles’ no-arms tackle is pinged. It’s out on the right but eminently kickable, and Damian McKenzie’s point to the posts will waste another minute at least.

79TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), THE SHOT CLOCK EXPIRES! New Zealand 16-15 England, 79 minutes, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? Damian McKenzie has taken too long! The shot clock expires, Nika Amashukeli whistles and England have a scrum - and hope!

80TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ENGLAND: New Zealand 16-15 England, 80 minutes, Penalty to England! Finlay Christie looks to be pinpoint in his breakdown scavenging but Dalton Papali’i is penalised for obstructing one of England’s clearout men. Into the All Blacks half Steve Borthwick’s side go with chance of snatching victory!

80TH MINUTE + 1ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand 16-15 England, 81 minutes, Penalty to New Zealand! Tupou Vaa’i and Dalton Papali’i force a turtled Englishman to hold on! The All Blacks have clung on!

FULL TIME: New Zealand 16-15 England

FT: New Zealand 16-15 England, A brutal and brilliant first Test that the All Blacks have just about emerged on top of. So many positives for England, but full credit to New Zealand for shutting the game down in that final quarter, even if they never managed to move through the gears with the tourists’ scramble defence simply outstanding. The hosts take a 1-0 lead to Auckland next week.

All Blacks edge brutal first Test as England denied famous win. How much better will the All Blacks be next week? For a first effort under a new coaching staff, their set-piece and defence were very impressive, and you felt like they have more layers to add to their attacking shape. And now England have to go to Eden Park, where New Zealand haven’t been beaten since 1994.

England suffer agonising defeat as All Blacks snatch victory in first Test

England fell agonisingly short of registering a famous victory over New Zealand as a narrow second-half lead ebbed away in a 16-15 loss in Dunedin.

Steve Borthwick’s tourists were kept in the first half by their spirited defence as the All Blacks threatened to cut loose and although their blitz system was open to exploitation, they were able to hustle a 10-10 scoreline heading into half-time.

Fly-half Marcus Smith endured a poor day off the kicking tee but his running skills were at the heart of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s 47th-minute try that nudged them 15-10 ahead in a gripping series opener at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

England have triumphed on New Zealand soil on only two previous occasions and joining the heroes of 1973 and 2003 was the tantalising prospect before them as they pressed for another score.

But the All Blacks crept back in front through two penalties from Damian McKenzie to reward their superiority at the breakdown.

New Zealand 16-15 England: Two penalties from Damian McKenzie sunk England as the All Blacks fought back to win Scott Robertson’s first game in charge.

And what do I think of the test? Well, there were 7 players who were standouts for the AB's such as Stephen Perofeta, Sevu Reece, Ardie Savea, Patrick Tuipulotu, Tyrel Lomax, Ethan de Groot & Beauden Barrett, but the real standouts in the English team were both George Furbank (The pick of the English backs) & Maro Itoje (The pick of the English forwards) who made massive impacts into the game. But I widely criticise Damian McKenzie who should've nailed that penalty goal to extend that lead, but it was too late as the shot clock had been expired which nearly cost New Zealand the test when England (Who nearly had it when Dalton Papali'i secured the winning pilfer for NZ with the help of Tupou Vaa'i which was similar to Sam Whitelock did against Ireland in last year's Rugby World Cup quarterfinal who would've gone on to win the test by a single point (For which the test could've gone either way) had been awarded the scrum for taking too long just like Bernard Foley did in 2022 during the Bledisloe test against the AB's in Melbourne which resulted World Rugby adjusting its law amendments in a bid to speed the game up by introducing shot clocks for conversions, penalty goals, scrums & lineouts similar to basketball, gridiron, tennis & baseball (In which Robertson had demanding the stadium operators to install a shot clock system at the grounds such as Eden Park every time a kicker takes a conversion after the try had been scored or a penalty goal after the team is awarded a penalty), but what a way to start the Razor era with a 1 point victory against the English (And Scott Robertson's first game in charge against England this year which resulted in victory is similar to 20 years ago where Graham 'Ted' Henry began his AB's coaching tenure against England (Who were defending champions at the time) at a same city but with a different venue), but the AB's have lost TJ Perenara who was injured again with what looks like to be a knee injury (And Noah Hotham, from Tasman, has been called into the squad immediately as injury cover (But why would the AB's have gone with Hotham instead of Folau? Because of Folau who was having a disappointing Super Rugby Pacific season for the Highlanders even though with the AB's selectors had just chosen the young gun Hotham to replace Perenara for the time being), & is likely to be ruled out of the next test at 'the garden of Eden' at Eden Park in 'the City of Sails' of Tamaki Makaurau Auckland where New Zealand have never been defeated at the garden of Eden since 30 years ago way back in 1994 against France (Who had scored a game defining try dubbed as 'The try from the end of the world' by Jean-Luc Sadourny that won them the test for the French, but it would be the end of the damn world if England had won it from there! But let's hope not by extending our unbeaten run which stretched from 1995) with Finlay Christie promoted to starting halfback while Chiefs player Cortez Ratima is in line to make his test debut off the bench as the reserve halfback, but I don't fully understand about the Dupont law (Compared to Pops who never understands about the brake foot law which had been introduced in 2022) regarding to French rugby player Antoine Dupont where rules state that every time a kicker kicks the ball that the kicker's teammates must get back within the allocated 10 metres until they're put being all onside, or else they'll be penalized for being offside in front of the kicker which is an unacceptable form of cheating (AKA gross misconduct), & the refs are always policing that meaning that they don't want players getting offside by encouraging them to remain onside & be behind the kicker wherever they make a tackle regarding to the law amendments about kick tennis that have been made from the sport's governing body, World Rugby & the option of taking a scrum in both free kicks & marks which is known as the Willemse law, has been abolished meaning that you have only 2 options, whether they kick the ball straight away or to take a quick tap.

And in the other results in the rugby such as 2027 Rugby World Cup hosts Australia begin the Joe Schmidt era with a win against Wales at Allianz Stadium in Sydney in Schmidt's first game in charge as the Wallabies coach therefore the Aussies did successfully have a shot of redemption after losing to the Welsh last year during the World Cup pool phase (Including that incredible run all the way to the try line from Tom Wright who made a massive sidestep to a Welsh player before scoring that has surely won the game for Australia, while a try by the grandson of an English cricketing great Ian & son of former rugby player Liam (Who is Ian's son & James's Dad), James Botham, had been disallowed due to shepherding where one of Botham's Welsh teammates was exactly in front of the ball carrier in the leadup to the try which had been erased, but Liam Williams tried to celebrate him, then Botham accidentally headbutted Williams in the process & during the match that the ref had asked Williams to go off the field for an HIA), followed by the 4 time defending world champions South Africa who go 1 - 0 up in the series against the reigning Six Nations champs Ireland with a 7 point win in a rematch of the RWC pool game from last year at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria (And the Springboks are now 2 & 0 since they retained rugby's most treasured prize, the William Webb Ellis cup in France last year at the most recent Rugby World Cup).

And I've been going full political here about mentioning the Gaza situation on my blogs in which Aunty Tan once alluded to me on the phone during Pops 77th birthday on the 5th of July (And there has been protests everywhere about Israel's invasion of Hamas (And I recently heard that the displaced people of Gaza had been asked to evacuate by the Israeli forces, but that madness needs to stop! Because it not only the lust of aggression sickens me), especially in America such as Columbia recently about students protesting the war, but the only way to stop the protests is the use of highly trained jacked up cops who are usually counter-protesters because they don't want people to cause a whole mess for it), but when will I get rid of that stuff? Once the war is over but I'm not sure why though (But this could take forever of someone asking for an offer about the ceasefire), but it's been 25 years since the horrific events of the Columbine Shooting massacre in 1999 (Same year that the late John F Kennedy Jr (The son of a US President of the late great John F Kennedy who was born a fortnight after his father was elected president in 1960, 3 years before JFK was the last ever US president to be assassinated in 1963) had tragically passed away in a plane crash along with his wife & sister-in-law on the 16th of July near Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts) in which 13 innocent students lives had been taken away while injuring many more, but both deceased suspects had been Doom fans was to blame about the mass shooting stuff that had happened (And then it was Sandy Hook in 2012 which was the most tragic (In which the US President at the time of Barack Obama addressing to the media following the tragic event that the US needs to introduce gun control measures just like both Australia & the UK did in 1996 as well as possibly Norway in 2009/2010 & our country of New Zealand in 2019), before that it was Parkland High school in 2018 & then finally, the Uvalde, Texas tragedy in 2022 that they once had as the majority of the American people are calling for gun control reforms to be handed out) as every high school, college & university in the United States have introduced metal detectors to check prohibited weapons being carried out since the tragedy unfolded in Columbine to prevent that from being occurred such as copycat attacks (And now elementary & junior high schools are following suit in light of the Uvalde mass shootings that they had which killed 21).

And American sports news that I missed such as the Jayson 'Jay' Tatum (Formerly from Duke University in the US) led Boston Celtics win their 1st NBA Championship in 16 years after winning the NBA Finals series against the Dallas Mavericks led by Slovenian Luka Doncic as well as their unprecedented 18th overall to ease past the Los Angeles Lakers to become the most successful side in the NBA then in the NHL as the Florida Panthers claim their first Stanley Cup championship after dominating the 7th & deciding game against the Edmonton Oilers at their home ice, therefore the dominance & invincibility of American teams in the NHL continues in which they have always been on god mode since 1993-94 where the New York Rangers had become Stanley Cup winners for the last time while the Montreal Canadiens was the last Canadian side to date to win a Stanley Cup in 1992-93 (And I haven't mentioned the Patrick Mahomes led Kansas City Chiefs (Who overpowered the San Francisco 49ers led by Brock Purdy in Superbowl LVIII) retaining the Vince Lombardi Trophy earlier in the year, being the first side to do so since the New England Patriots in 2004-05).

And the eyes of the Olympic world will be in Paris, as the city plays host to the Olympics, meanwhile American gymnast Simone Biles (Who is an American & is one of the top American athletes alongside swimmer Katie Ledecky & young 20 year old female tennis player Coco Gauff) the world's leading Olympian going into the Paris Olympics, compared to Dame Lisa Carrington who is New Zealand's leading Olympian (Along with Lydia Ko, Hamish Kerr, Ellesse Andrews, Portia Woodman-Wickcliffe, Sarah Hirini, Michaela Blyde, Stacey Waaka & others, but standing in Carrington's way is her main opponent in the form of fellow Kiwi Aimee Fisher according to the previous blogs that I did, but both Charlotte Caslick & Ariarne Titmus are the leading Olympians from Australia heading into Paris 2024 compared to Antoine Dupont who is the leading Olympian for the hosts France, along with basketballers Victor Wembanyama & Rudy Gobert).

So that is my 558th blog of the year 2024 (MMXXIV) & my 34th of this year, viva Ukraine & Palestine.

Holding On to You/Car Radio/Stressed Out: My 33rd blog of the year 2024

Well, what's up guys & girls, it's me, Whetu on my Kiwiavenger blog, but first, the AB's team has been named for our highly anticipated first rugby test match of the year against England at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunners (And the most recent test between the 2 countries was in 2022 where England turned it around to seal a draw thanks to Marcus Smith after Beauden Barrett had easily been to the sin bin in which I thought was a penalty try), so here is the starting lineup according to Scott 'Razor' Robertson who is in his first test in charge:

STARTING XV

FORWARD PACK

FRONT ROW

1 (Loose head prop): Ethan de Groot (Highlanders/Southland)

2 (Hooker): Codie Taylor (Crusaders/Canterbury)

3 (Tight head prop): Tyrel Lomax (Hurricanes/Tasman)

SECOND ROW

4 (No.4 lock): Scott Barrett (Captain, Crusaders/Taranaki)

5 (No.5 lock): Patrick Tuipulotu (Blues/Auckland)

LOOSE FORWARDS

6 (Blind side flanker): Samipeni Finau (Chiefs/Waikato)

7 (Open side flanker): Dalton Papali'i (Blues/Counties Manukau)

8 (Number 8): Ardie Savea (Hurricanes/Wellington)

BACK LINE

HALVES

9 (Half-back): TJ Perenara (Hurricanes/Wellington)

10 (First five-eighth): Damian McKenzie (Chiefs/Waikato)

MIDFIELD

12 (Second five-eighth): Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes/Taranaki)

13 (Centre): Rieko Ioane (Blues/Auckland)

OUTSIDE BACKS

11 (Left wing): Mark Telea (Blues/North Harbour)

14 (Right wing): Sevu Reece (Crusaders/Southland)

& 15 (Fullback): Stephen Perofeta (Blues/Taranaki)

& REPLACEMENT PLAYERS

16 (Reserve hooker): Asafo Aumua

17 (Reserve loose head prop): Ofa Tu'ungafasi

18 (Reserve tight head prop): Fletcher Newell

19 (Reserve lock): Tupou Vaa'i

20 (Reserve loose forward): Luke Jacobson

21 (Reserve half-back): Finlay Christie

22 (Reserve midfielder): Anton Lienert-Brown

& 23 (Reserve back): Beauden Barrett

And the latest on the Euros that I haven't followed since the tournament began such as Spain (The tournament favourites now according to the bookmakers who are missing 3 players, dealt with both injury (Pedri) & suspension (Dani Carvajal & Robin Le Normand) cruising to a 2 - 1 win over hosts Germany in the quarterfinals which was marred by officiating errors (Including one of the German players kicked it into the Spanish player's hands of defender Marc Cucurella (Who plays for the struggling Chelsea side in the Premier League in England) who illegally handled the ball inside the penalty area first time around, but there was no call being made by the referee, the linespersons & the VAR (And it's unbelieveable that has been missed, but no doubt that there was an illegal handball!), then German player Jamal Musiala who was attempting to have a shot a goal, but it had been deflected into Cucurella for the second time in which the Germans who should've been awarded a penalty for an deliberate handball not once but twice (And Cucurella's hands were tied behind his back so that there was no penalty start with but they have made tweaks to the law amendements such as that if a player stops the ball with his or her hand, a penalty will be given (Or a free kick if it's outside the penalty area), & the German fans have been outraged about the decision that went unnoticed by the officials (And since that incident that Cucurella had been booed by the German fans every time he gets possession of the ball, but then after the game that the Germans were robbed of a place in the semi in which they were gutted about the defeat of course, while the Spanish were stoked about the outcome of the result in the quarters in which their bid of a record 4th Euros championship & their 1st since 2012 is still alive & kicking), then France (Who have star talisman Kylian Mbappe in their squad who squared off against his idol Cristiano Ronaldo in what was to be his final Euros tournament before retiring from international football) would able to prevail on penalties against Portugal in a rematch of the Euro 2016 final during quarterfinal 2, then the Netherlands (Who were 1 - 0 down at halftime) posted a 2 - 1 win over Turkiye (Formerly Turkey) in the 3rd quarterfinal before England had triumphed on spot kicks against Switzerland (Who knocked over the holders Italy out in the Round of 16) to advance to another semi of the European Championship during quarterfinal 4.

And here are the confirmed matches being played in the quarterfinal stage in this years Football World Cup tournament:

Spain Vs France (Their most recent meeting at the Euros between both sides was in 2012 in the quarterfinal where the Spanish produced a bit of magic where they had to win against France to appear in another semi to set up a showdown against Iberian rivals Portugal)

& the Netherlands Vs England (Well, their most famous meeting between the two countries was in 1993 during the Football World Cup qualifiers in which Ronald Koeman (The current Dutch coach/manager), should've seen red for a clear & obvious professional foul on David Platt that cost England a huge chance of making the 1994 Football/Soccer World Cup in the United States)

And in the Men's T20 Cricket World Cup department as India (Who had beaten England in the semi which was payback of Adelaide in 2022, but former Aussie cricketer Callum Ferguson was right that the Indians had now become world champions in the T20 form of the game according to him successfully predicting the outcome of the result of the tournament just like me (And I was backing England all the way when they took on the Indians (And I didn't follow the tournament until I saw Australia got beaten by Afghanistan (Whose country's sporting future is uncertain whether they'll continue on or not of competing in the world stage), & with New Zealand already out of the picture of making the Super 8 following a pair of defeats against both Afghanistan & the hosts, the West Indies), but I changed my allegiances to India following England's elimination in the semi due to our country of New Zealand's sporting as well as geopolitical rivalry on South Africa (And Steve Tew was right in 2019 that after South Africa won the 2019 Rugby World Cup that Tew actually fears that the Springboks were going to become champions of the world again at the Rugby World Cup last year in France by successfully pulling it off, & they did when many people predicted before the tournament that last year would be South Africa's year) reign supreme for the second time in the tournament's history, & for the first time since 2007 (To add to their 2 men's Cricket World Cup championships in both 1983 & 2011) with a win against first time finalists South Africa (Who prevailed over Afghanistan who are in their historic first ever appearance in the semifinal of a major cricket tournament in the 1st semi) by 7 runs in the final at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies, with Suryakumar Yadav providing the game defining moment as he took a brilliant catch (For which I thought was questionable when the umpires had a look upstairs for a clear but obvious clean catch & whether Surya (SKY) was on the boundary rope when he caught it, but he wasn't when the all-important catch had to be taken with prolonged celebrations had been erupted across New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Jaipur & Mohali following India's success on the world stage in the T20 format of the game) to dismiss South African batter David Miller off the bowling of Hardik Pandya which was shades of Kapil Dev taking that running catch to dismiss Sir Vivian Richards off the bowling of Madan Lal that handed India their historic first ever men's Cricket World Cup title in the 1983 final.

And finally that the UK now has a new Prime Minister, in the form of Keir Starmer from the left wing liberal Labour Party UK who had been elected following his victory in the election which was a landslide, as he takes over from Rishi Sunak from the right wing Conserative Party UK who had been the British PM since 2022 where he took over from Liz Truss who resigned as she becomes the shortest serving UK Prime Minister in history (And Truss was the last person to meet the late her majesty the Queen of Queen Elizabeth II before her passing at her royal retreat at Balmoral in Scotland in 2022, allowing her son to take over as his majesty the King of King Charles III in which has held the role since (And there was a coronation of a new king that had taken place last year).

So that is my 557th blog of the year 2024 (MMXXIV) & my 33rd of this year, viva Ukraine & Palestine.

Cult of Personality/Wanted Dead or Alive: My 32nd blog of the year 2024 (AKA Super Rugby Pacific final 2024 review (Redemption 21 years in the making)

Well, what's up guys & girls, this is Whetu Ngapo here on my Kiwiavenger blog, but first, what an unbelievable Super Rugby Pacific final by the Blues (Led by that inspirational skipper of Patrick Tuipulotu who defied the odds of returning from injury to be awarded standout player of the game (Or the Super Rugby Pacific final MVP (Most valuable player) honours) who had a comprehensive blowout win which was a lop sided affair (It was a landslide as a matter of fact, but the celebrations are on especially in the provinces such as Auckland, North Harbour & Northland that have been part of the Blues country right through in which the final had turned a supposed contest into sheer humiliation compared to last year in which the Scott Robertson dynasty ends in triumph where it all began in 2017, but I think Razor would be a huge success compared to Sir Steve Hansen who was the last successful AB's coach (And unlike Ian Foster whose coaching career was at cross roads when his form had been dwindling last year of making the final), given the fact that it's a start of a new Rugby World Cup cycle) over their North Island rivals of the Chiefs by 41 points to 10 in front of a packed Eden Park crowd to become champions of Super Rugby Pacific for the first time since 2003, so let's relive the last 10 minutes of a great final that we just witnessed (The big moments of that final were Caleb Clarke who was the unsung hero when he scored a hat-trick of tries (And what a beauty it was for the entire 80 minutes that we just saw, although Clarke was the first to score a hat trick of tries in a full Super Rugby final since Mark Gerrard for the Brumbies 20 years ago way back in 2004), & Harry Plummer who had been kicking like a machine when he nailed 7 shots at goal out of 7 (And it was just a fantastic final in which the Blues were spot on at that moment of becoming the new champions in which this year's final was by far, the greatest Super Rugby Pacific game that I have ever watched of all time during my whole life (Well, frankly my dear, I don't give a damn, OH HELL YEAH! GO THE BLUES! God bless you all, oh my goodness), compared to the 2015 Rugby World Cup final in which the AB's last won the global showpiece rugby tournament):

71ST MINUTE: Clarke charges it up on the left edge, being taken just over the 10m line. Ioane followed in midfield, slipping through a couple of tacklers before looking to offload for Sotutu. Tupaea just got in the lane though, working it off to Nanai-Seturo. He set it on the 22m line, with Narawa screaming for it to the right. He bounced around one, before looking to Sanerivi, but he knocked on into touch! Blues lineout to follow.

72ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Akira Ioane bashes it up into the 22, with Lam then following back to the left edge. He took it 15m away, with Clarke next to go. The numbers rolled quickly, as Choat was stopped just a metre away!

73RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY BLUES (AJ LAM, 39 - 10), LAM GETS IN ON THE ACT!: Too big, too strong from close range with the low numbers looking for the score. Lam eventually stepped in, weaselling his way over down the left.

74TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION SUCCESSFUL BLUES (HARRY PLUMMER, 41 - 10): Plummer drives it over from the left edge.

75TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Perofeta clears long off the restart, with the Chiefs looking to run it back. A loose pass out back forced McKenzie into the 22, but he settled things, before working into Tupaea who took it 30m off his own line.

76TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), SCRUM FEED CHIEFS: McKenzie steps to the line, dinking a cross kick away out to Narawa. He stepped inside one, sliding over the 10m line. He looked to offload, but was blindsided by Rieko Ioane who forced him to knock on. Scrum just over halfway.

77TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY BLUES (DELIBERATE KNOCK DOWN): The Blues work it away over the 10m line, with a strong carry finding another penalty advantage. Heem steamed up on the short ball, punching straight through into the 22! They looked quickly to the right, but Narawa raced up and deliberately knocked it down. Plummer goes to the corner again.

79TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Thrown to the tail, and Darry can't quite hold on. Scrum Chiefs on the 5m line.

80TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY CHIEFS (TACKLER NOT ROLLING): The Chiefs crab hopelessly acrossfield, before McKenzie was wrapped right up. The visitors were going nowhere, but Ta'avao failed to roll, so the Chiefs get a march up over the 10m line.

80TH MINUTE + 1ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), IT IS OVER! 21 YEARS IN THE MAKING, THE BLUES FINALLY HAVE ANOTHER SUPER RUGBY TITLE!: The Chiefs tried a wee chip over the top, but it fell out back for Plummer who just smashed it away into touch. The music has started, the party has started, the Blues are the champions again! (But it's over! It's over! It's a 4th Super Rugby Championship for the Blues!)

FULL-TIME: 41 - 10

SIMPLY TOO GOOD! The Blues have walloped the Chiefs in one of the most one-sided finals in Super Rugby history, to deservedly lift the Super Rugby Pacific title in front of a full house in Auckland. They dominated possession and territory, totally suffocating a Chiefs side who have shown plenty over the past couple of weeks. They couldn't make the step up tonight though, as they were dominated in every facet. Caleb Clarke had a night to remember, running in a hat-trick in a perfect wing performance. (And the Blues! Are the Super Rugby Pacific champions! For the 4th time!)

The Chiefs effort can't be questioned, but tonight was a bridge too far, as they were beaten in the big dance for a second year running. They were not even close this year, totally out-gunned in the tight five where Taukei'aho and Lord were clearly missed. That said, it wasn't just the pack who didn't turn up, with Damian McKenzie failing to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. Expect him to still be named come Monday, but that performance will certainly open the question as to whether he is the man to wear 10 for the All Blacks in a fortnight. The only man who truly played well for them, was Wallace Sititi who had several good carries in the losing effort. Another season of heartbreak for the mana men. (And it's going Blue, in 2024! For the 4th time ever, & the first since 2003, the Blues! Is Champion! Of Super Rugby Pacific!)

It's a deserved title for the Blues, who on balance were the best side in 2024. They had 74% territory, and 66% possession in an utterly dominant and controlling display. Patrick Tuipulotu led from the front, and earned the man of the match award for a brave 60 minutes. The likes of Akira Ioane and Hoskins Sotutu were not far behind in the pack, whilst AJ Lam was fantastic at second five. Caleb Clarke had his hat-trick, Stephen Perofeta was class, from a Blues perspective it was a joy to watch. Stern Vern Cotter has made the impact that was asked of him, delivering the title at the first time of asking. (The Blues, champions of Super Rugby Pacific! Again...at last...& a franchise will party all night long)

So that's that for Super Rugby in 2024. The competition has had its critics, but undoubtedly the 2024 season was the best we've had in some time. The Blues are presented the trophy and the party has started. They are the champions for 2024! That rounds off our coverage for the season. Thank you for being with us right through the season, there is plenty of action to come, with the All Blacks to kickoff in a fortnight, so do join us for that! (And I've got to stop, because I've got a lump in my throat)

And continuing on to the rugby stuff as the AB's announce their first squad during the Scott Robertson era for the test series against England & the one off test against Fiji in San Diego so here is the complete list of 32 players who are selected:

Hookers:

Asafo Aumua (Hurricanes / Wellington)

George Bell (Crusaders / Canterbury)

Codie Taylor (Crusaders / Canterbury)

Props:

Ethan de Groot (Highlanders / Southland)

Tyrel Lomax (Hurricanes / Tasman)

Fletcher Newell (Crusaders / Canterbury)

Pasilio Tosi (Hurricanes / Bay of Plenty)

Ofa Tu’ungafasi (Blues / Northland)

Tamaiti Williams (Crusaders / Canterbury)

Locks:

Scott Barrett (Captain, Crusaders / Taranaki)

Patrick Tuipulotu (Blues / Auckland)

Tupou Vaa’i (Chiefs / Taranaki)

Loose forwards:

Ethan Blackadder (Crusaders / Tasman)

Samipeni Finau (Chiefs / Waikato)

Luke Jacobson (Chiefs / Waikato)

Dalton Papali’i (Blues / Counties Manukau)

Ardie Savea (Hurricanes / Wellington)

Wallace Sititi (Chiefs / North Harbour)

Halfbacks:

Finlay Christie (Blues / Tasman)

TJ Perenara (Hurricanes / Wellington)

Cortez Ratima (Chiefs / Waikato)

First-five eighths:

Beauden Barrett (Blues / Taranaki)

Damian McKenzie (Chiefs / Waikato)

Midfielders:

Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes / Taranaki)

Rieko Ioane (Blues / Auckland)

Anton Lienert-Brown (Chiefs / Waikato)

Billy Proctor (Hurricanes / Wellington)

Outside backs:

Caleb Clarke (Blues / Auckland)

Emoni Narawa (Chiefs / Bay of Plenty)

Stephen Perofeta (Blues / Taranaki)

Sevu Reece (Crusaders / Southland)

Mark Telea (Blues / North Harbour)

Players unavailable through injury:

Sam Cane

Will Jordan

Cam Roigard

Samisoni Taukei'aho

And what do I think of the AB's squad selection so far? Well, no Hoskins Sotutu to start with as he is overlooked again (With 7 out of the 8 Blues players that were part of the winning campaign this year in Super Rugby Pacific, but they had to pick the best players in the country in terms of their Super Rugby Pacific form), so too is Harry Plummer, Ricky Riccitelli, as well as Brayden Iose, Peter Lakai, David Havili, Sam Darry, Quinn Tupaea, Shaun Stevenson, George Bower, Ruben Love & Folau, but there was a very interesting selection as only 3 locks were picked such as Scott Barrett (The Crusaders skipper who is the new All Blacks captain now according to Robertson (Who made him captain during his days coaching with the Crusaders) as Scott Barrett takes over from Sam Cane as the 74th different AB's skipper while both Savea & Scott's bro, Jordie Barrett had been appointed as vice captains for the AB's), Tuipulotu & Vaa'i, as well as they had to go for both first fives with McKenzie & Barrett are the specialists in the 10 jersey, & they had to go with only one specialist fullback, in the form of Perofeta, & the 5 new caps? Well, the biggest headline would have to go to Sititi who is now a Kiwi (His father Semo was a Samoan back in the day while Wallace won the shootout against Sotutu for a spot in the loose forward position following his impressive form for the Chiefs during Super Rugby Pacific this year according to the newspaper article that I remember on the 29th of June) & Proctor who follows in his brother's footsteps + Ratima who was chosen (The man who would be a Chief instead of either being a Hurricane or Crusader & was named after the famous Nike shoe), then Bell who is second fiddle & being an understudy to Taylor & Tosi who was once a Southlander & used to play number 8 before changing allegiances to Bay of Plenty where he switched to prop & has been there since (Although he is weighing a whopping 140 kilograms as Pops told me compared to me weighing about 122-123 kilos now).

And other rugby results over the weekend as the world champion Springboks (Led by Pieter-Steph du Toit for that test, although the highly successful Siya Kolisi remains as skipper while Rassie Erasmus is back in charge as coach again, replacing Jacques Nienaber who was coach after Erasmus left his post until after the events from last year which ended in triumph) get their Rugby World Cup cycle underway with a convincing win over Wales at Twickenham in South Africa's first test since their retention of the William Webb Ellis trophy at the Rugby World Cup in France last year (And the Ireland (Who went on to retain the Six Nations this year, but the England game at Twickenham in London was Ireland's only blemish in the 2024 Six Nations tournament where their quest of claiming another grand slam had been cruelly cut short due to a defeat against England, when Marcus Smith had gone in for the kill to secure that match winning drop goal whilst playing under a penalty advantage at the death) game during pool play was the Springboks only blemish of last years tournament, compared to 2019 that the South Africans had staged a dramatic recovery to win all 6 matches en route to World Cup glory after losing to rivals New Zealand who fell to England in the semi during the last hurdle), moments before the Barbarians who manhandled Fiji in the next game in 2 time Rugby World Cup winning player of New Zealander Sam Whitelock's swansong game along with Japan's Shota Horie, then England (Who had Charlie Ewels sent off for a dangerous cleanout to the limb area of a Japanese player & became the first English rugby player to be red carded for the 2nd time in his test career before being handed a fortnight's ban for his actions) ran away with a thrashing over Japan in Tokyo to prepare for the 2 match test series against the All Blacks on NZ soil.

And finally there is just the single rugby game on in the weekend with Japan XV have their match against the Maori All Blacks (Who have 10 new caps including Benet Kumeroa, Laghlan McWhannell, Tahlor Cahill, Nikora Broughton, Rivez Reihana, Taha Kemara, Corey Evans, Daniel Rona, Cole Forbes & Tana Tuhakaraina but they included former All Black Joe Moody in the squad as one of the big names in the Maori All Blacks squad) scheduled on Saturday, the 29th of June at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo in the 1st of a 2 game series a day after Matariki here in New Zealand, meanwhile in Australia that the Wallabies have announced their squad under their new coach Joe Schmidt with the inclusion of former All Black Alex Hodgman who is New Zealand born, but Australian qualified mainly because of his father being from there because of him having not played international rugby for 4 years due to World Rugby's eligibility criteria that a player who hasn't played international rugby must enforce a 3 year stand down period, while Australia used to produce great wingers in the late 1990's period such as Ben Tune (The Reds player at the time who was the main challenger in the ranks of the late great Jonah Lomu (The one individual above them all to have never scored a test try against South Africa throughout his international rugby career in which he appeared for the black jersey 63 times & was the one who scored 37 test tries for our country) & Joe Roff (The former Brumbies player who was Tune's old sparring partner on the wing for the Wallabies when he & Tune started on the wing (And the fullback was the ever reliable goal kicker of Matt Burke who was part of the outside backs trio for Australia the last time that they won a RWC) in the World Cup final against France in 1999) which helped them win their 2nd Rugby World Cup in 1999 (And now they've got Rob Valetini (The Brumbies player who is the brother of Fijian Drua & Fiji player Kemu) as Australia's premier loose forward since the good ol' days of Toutai 'Kef' Kefu).

So that is my 556th blog of the year 2024 (MMXXIV) & my 32nd of this year, viva Ukraine & Palestine.

P.S. And there is sad but sombre news as the rugby world is in mourning in the aftermath of a New Zealand rugby player who plays for the Highlanders of Connor Garden-Bachop who has sadly passed away at the relatively young age of 25 (And our thoughts, hearts, prayers & condolences go to the Garden-Bachop family during this unfortunate & sad time that we have just witnessed, rest easy (But they already had former Northland (It was North Auckland way back then), Maori All Black & All Blacks rugby player of Sidney 'Super Sid' Going who also passed away at a relatively old age in May this year & is the one who played at halfback during his rugby playing days).

Sid Going

1943 - 2024

& Connor Garden-Bachop

1999 - 2024

Loving You/Mulder & Scully: My 31st blog of the year 2024

Well, what's up guys & girls, it's Whetu here on my Kiwiavenger blog but first, the Super Rugby Pacific final for this year is set, it is going to be the Blues who'll play the Chiefs at the garden of Eden, at Eden Park in the city of sails in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland for the decider which is the biggest rugby match of the year apart from the internationals as Pops told me on the 19th of June before the All Blacks squad is announced for the internationals in which this year's Super Rugby season especially in the final, concludes with the battle of the Bombays (And it is going to be another all New Zealand final just like in 2022 & last year (And that's the 8th time they have done that in Super Rugby history with 1998 being the first all Kiwi final between the Blues & the Crusaders (Who were champions the first time in that year as they ended the Blues 2 year dominance on top of the Super Rugby charts) followed by the Highlanders & the Crusaders in 1999 (In which the Crusaders had a successful defence of the Super 12 title), the Blues & the Crusaders in 2003 (It was the Blues who got revenge from the Crusaders by reversing their result from 1998), the Crusaders & the Hurricanes in 2006 (Where the Crusaders were champs of the inaugural Super 14 championship which was overshadowed by the fog that ruined the final) & the Hurricanes & the Highlanders in 2015 (In which the 1st & only time that the Highlanders emerged triumphant of winning the Super Rugby crown) with the most successful side in Super Rugby of the Crusaders, taming both the Blues (2022) & Chiefs (Last year) for the last 2 seasons, although with both the Blues & the Chiefs are seeking redemptions after missing out in the hands of the Crusaders in both 2022 (Blues) & last year (Chiefs), but the most recent meeting between the two was in the last round where the Blues had a win but miss out on leapfrogging the Hurricanes to the top of the table (And now they'll be hosting a home final after the Hurricanes fell to the Chiefs (Who have a star player injury crisis, ahead of this Saturday's final as both hookers Samisoni Taukei'aho & Bradley Slater (Who has been given the all clear to play by overcoming his injury woes, even though he is on the bench as reserve hooker (And there has been an update as Slater has failed his fitness test with Mills Sanerivi taking his place) compared to Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu making a shock return from injury after being ruled out in the semi against the Brumbies & potentially his season, & Chiefs outside back Shaun Stevenson who returns as the starting fullback after missing the semi against the Hurricanes through injury during the warmup) succumbed to injuries but the two of them will not take further part in the final with the Chiefs are down to one specialist hooker which is Tyrone Thompson & call upon a Waikato club rugby player who plays in the hooker position as the reserve hooker for the team prior to the big final) thanks to Wallace Sititi who had a blinder of a game) after speedy Josh Ioane had snuck in to score in the dying seconds) after the Blues got over Australia's best which is the Brumbies (For who I thought the Brumbies won but it's the Blues (Who haven't won a full Super Rugby championship in 21 years where they last did it in 2003 (And they last reached the Super Rugby Pacific final in 2022 where they fell against the eventual champion Crusaders side) compared to the Chiefs who last won a full Super Rugby championship for 11 years back in 2013) anyway) to make the big dance, meanwhile in the other semi as the Chiefs topple the top seeded Hurricanes (Who were having a great season until they had fallen flat by falling short in the semi against the dominant Chiefs who are hoping to rebound in this years final after their defeat in the final last year against the Crusaders (Who in the end were out of the playoff picture this year) in a payback best dish served cold with a Boston Celtics & Florida Panthers inspired peformance by one of the Chiefs loose forwards of Wallace Sititi (Son for former Samoa captain Semo) who made a massive impact (And the Hurricanes - Chiefs semifinal match in Super Rugby Pacific is the game that made Wallace Sititi), but I was chatting to Bryan at Rutland about me supporting 6 NPC teams such as Hawke's Bay where both Jansen Ngapo & Bernard Condon-Orr (For who I was trying to recognize him while I was at Caroline's with Pops back in 2019/2020 back then) are from now, then Northland where Kathryn Ngapo is from now, North Harbour where both Andy Webb & Kelsey Nicholls (My new bestie now as of today) come from (The one I forgot to tell Bryan but Carole was orginally from North Harbour), Auckland where Gemma, Huia, Rosalie (Gemma's daughter) & Arlo (Huia's son & Rosalie's cousin) come from not only because where Waiheke Island is (Although Gem & Rosie both live there) which is part of the Auckland province, as well as Wellington where Cathey Middelplaats, Paige Ahearn (Who I'm willing to meet her again one day next time I go to Welly according to the previous blogs that I did & also that I'm imaginary friends with her as well as being best friends/BFF's/besties now just like Kelsey) & Norah are always from (But I always pledge allegiance for Whanganui because of them competing in the Heartland Championship along with Pops & Bryan) & Otago because of Jona Nareki (Who I met him back in 2020 in which Nareki was the last famous person I have ever met) playing for them, but I reckon the final should be close in regards to the scoreline so I would have to say Chiefs by 12 or less because I expect the Blues to be competitive & not only I live near the Taranaki region which is Chiefs country now (And it used to be part of Hurricanes country from 1996 until 2013), but I should've gone for the Blues (Well, my heart is certainly on them at least) because of the Chiefs beating the Hurricanes in the semi & for both Northland (Kathryn & Ken's home province that I already been once in late December last year), North Harbour (Andy & Kelsey's home province as well as Carole's old province before moving to Whanganui in 2018, & has lived there since) & Auckland (Gemma, Huia, Rosalie & Arlo's home province) being part of Blues country, & the first time I remembered going to Auckland was a family trip in 2006 then visited again in 2007 after we had been to Waiheke Island but my last visit there was in 2016, just before I went to Waiheke Island with Dad, Pops & Jansi to attend a tangi of the late Nana Minnie, but there are calls for consistency around referees in the leadup to this year's Super Rugby Pacific final between the Blues & the Chiefs in front of a sell-out Eden Park crowd following union bound player of New South Welshman Joseph Sua'ali'i's sending off in Origin I for an illegal hit on a former Warriors player who is a Bronco playing for Queensland of Reece Walsh (An Aussie who has Kiwi roots), which resulted heartbreak for New South Wales who got comprehensively beaten in the end by the always dominant Queensland side in the opening State of Origin league match (And now Sua'ali'i has now been suspended for 4 matches in wake of his red card during game one of State of Origin for a dangerous tackle on Walsh which caused Sua'ali'i to miss the remainder of origin & take no further part in the series (And committing a high tackle in both codes of rugby is like someone consuming cocaine (Which is always an illegal drug), then embarking on a rampage fuelled with drugs).

So it's the Blues to play the Chiefs in the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific final at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday local time to decide who will become the new Super Rugby Pacific champions (Well, who is it going to be? Whether it's the Blues to party like it's both 1996-97 & 2003 or will it be Chiefs mana just like in 2012-13? We'll see but I don't think so), but will it be the Blues captain of Patrick 'Paddy Tups' Tuipulotu (Who is back after returning from injury which caused him to miss the semifinal & it was both the great Zinzan 'Zinny' Brooke who did it in 1996-97 then Xavier Rush in 2003 the last time the Blues had won a full Super Rugby championship) or Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson (Who so desperately wants to win a title, but the golden rule is that they cannot touch the Super Rugby Pacific trophy until they have earned it) to become the SRP winning captain to lift the Super Rugby Pacific trophy?.

And the holiday to Waiheke Island that Pops & Carole are possibly going next year is questionable but I decided not to go as I would be looking after the house while both of them are away & I chose not to attend Jansi's 21st birthday party in the Hawke's Bay province in August this year but I will be here when Jans is having his birthday dinner here in Whanganui & I have already planned for my next trip, & it's going to be Wellington because I wished to meet my cousin Paige (And Pops showed me & Carole a picture of her at a wedding getting ready to get married to her husband Jarrod last year on the 27th of June at Spice Guru compared to me seeing a picture of both Martin, then Kace (Zaki's grandson) on Carole's phone) again one day along with my biological aunty Cathey as well as Paige's daughter & Cathey's granddaughter Norah (Who was born on January 26th last year as Kathy (Whose birthday is on the 23rd of January, 3 days before Norah) alluded to me according to the email that she replied to me, but Northland to me was by far the best holiday that I experienced of all of the trips that I've been throughout my life because I saw Kathryn & Ken (The man originally from London who is a New Zealander now) there, as well as Andy (Son of Iraqi slash British Kiwi Carole (The one who watches the Al Jazeera TV news channel due to her Middle Eastern roots compared to both Aunty Tan & Rejean who are in fact, CNN watchers) & Kels (One my my honorary sisters along with my dear cuzzie Paige) which was last year when it was my first post-COVID era holiday (And my fave part of the holiday to Northland was in fact the food except that I almost had food poisoning where I had a mango kulfi which nearly made me throw up, but somehow I got over it & I was feeling fine just before I woke up on Christmas day when me, Carole & Pops stayed at Stay Kerikeri motel in Kerikeri) compared to 2019 in which we had our South Island trip where I went with Pops, Aunty Tan & Rejean which was in fact my last pre-COVID era trip) when I told Dad about it, but Paige Ahearn, Norah as well as Paige's husband & Norah's father Jarrod Ahearn are still in Welly, but they have moved recently to a new home to accomodate the family especially Norah according to the post from Paige on the social media platform Instagram (And I even saw online that she has 3,000 followers according to her IG account, compared to Cathey who has just got 30).

And something terrible has happened in Hawke's Bay as rival gangs clashed with a van belonging to the Young Maori Party rugby team was shot at after a game in Hastings with Ngati Kahungunu has stepped in to ease gang tensions as police investigated after a van had been shot during a rugby match, with the violence thought to be gang-related. Prior to the shots, cops were sent to the Hawke's Bay Rugby Club at Bill Mathewson Park in Hastings in which the match had been called off as a result of safety concerns when fans pulled out weapons in the aftermath of a rugby player who made an aggressive tackle being made before being assaulted by gang members which prompted police to call in to disperse the crowds (And both arrests have been made following a serious incident involving the shooting, but this is like during Euro 2024 in Germany where neighbouring countries fans of both Georgia & Turkiye clashed with strikes being thrown & projectiles thrown at each other before kick off, then riot cops had arrived & had been told fans of both sides to disperse & separate when the players came out onto the pitch according to the sports news report that I saw on CNN), but there was an incredible story to the Rugby World Cup winning player for the Springboks last year of Canan Moodie who was the one that escaped the clutches of gang violence back home which was easy (Although Canan had just tasted a brush of near death to get out of the violent situation from the gangs themselves) to become one of South Africa rugby's rising stars (I remember watching a match between the Boks & Australia during a Rugby Championship test in Sydney in 2022 where Moodie scored an incredible try after he successfully contested a high ball when he started on the right wing, filling in for the suspended Kurt-Lee Arendse (Who was one of Moodie's teammates at the Bulls (Moodie's club that he plays) who are playing in the URC (United Rugby Championship) which is a professional club rugby competition involving teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa & Wales) but Moodie is mainly a winger, but can play at centre (He played in that game as a midfielder against Romania last year during the World Cup) which was his old playing position during his schoolboy rugby days).

And finally that my fave radio station of the whole wide universe of Brian FM (The music that mainly plays both classic rock & adult contemporary) reminds me of both Radio X (Alt rock & grunge) & Liberty Rock Radio (Classic & alternative rock) being mixed altogether that I listen to because of me secretly playing both Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas definitive edition (In which Radio X makes an appearance) on the PS4 via PS5 console & GTA IV (In also which Liberty Rock Radio makes its appearance) & it's expansion pack which is The Ballad of Gay Tony (TBoGT) on the Xbox 360 via my Xbox Series X console (And I've always been a GTA fan because of my 2 favourite games that I got now (Such as GTA: SA (Where I first played it in 2008 on PC) & Grand Theft Auto IV TBoGT (Where I first played it in 2013 (A year after I first played GTA IV) on the PS3), but I prefer modern rock music from the year I was born in 1991 until now (And not only I was born in the 90's decade that I've always been a part of), but I have revealed my list of my fave musicians & bands as of today so here is the list in it's entirety (For which I've downloaded the mp3 music stuff online on the computer that I've got, but I've written both down a piece of paper (The one I've got to show it to Paige next time I go to Wellington & the one that I've got to give it to her, & I've got her new email address but I prefer to wait until I meet her of course), but I was once an AC/DC & Metallica follower way back in 2007, then both Faith No More & Korn back in 2014 for which I was a fan of these 2 bands, & I'm always still a Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Linkin Park, Incubus, A Perfect Circle, Shihad & Filter fanatic, but I've have revealed that I'm a aficionado of these girly rock bands & singers for which have been taken over this year such as Alanis Morissette (My fave female pop rock singer), Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branch & Evanescence (And of course my fave female fronted rock band):

Motorhead

INXS

Faith No More

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Blur

Foo Fighters

Blink-182

Filter

Creed

Linkin Park

Incubus

Nickelback

System of a Down

Joe Walsh

The Doobie Brothers

Genesis

Bon Jovi

Motley Crue

Guns N'Roses

Living Colour

Depeche Mode

The Stone Roses

Jane's Addiction

Soundgarden

The Black Crowes

Helmet

Alice In Chains

Stone Temple Pilots

Pearl Jam

Green Day

Weezer

Bush

The Smashing Pumpkins

Oasis

Tonic

The Verve

Matchbox Twenty

Goo Goo Dolls

Lenny Kravitz

Manic Street Preachers

Alanis Morissette

Placebo

Fatboy Slim

Vertical Horizon

Moby

Coldplay

Fuel

U2

Feeder

Limp Bizkit

Avril Lavigne

Queens of the Stone Age

Evanescence

Audioslave

Live

Michelle Branch

3 Doors Down

The Killers

Stereophonics

Muse

Nirvana

The Cranberries

Radiohead

No Doubt

Dishwalla

Duncan Sheik

Dave Matthews Band

Garbage

The Cardigans

Smash Mouth

Lifehouse

Kongos

Lorde

Cage the Elephant

John Newman

Fall Out Boy

Twenty One Pilots

KALEO

Greta Van Fleet

Imagine Dragons

Måneskin

The Black Keys

Royal Blood

Wet Leg

Papa Roach

The Warning

Kings of Leon

Creedence Clearwater Revival

America

Elton John

Kansas

Gerry Rafferty

Toto

Billy Idol

Def Leppard

ZZ Top

Queen

Simple Minds

Kenny Loggins

Alannah Myles

Stardust

Dirty Vegas

The Rolling Stones

Black Sabbath

Aerosmith

Pink Floyd

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Led Zeppelin

Blue Oyster Cult

Van Halen

AC/DC

Metallica

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

The Prodigy

Daft Punk

ATB

Sonique

Alice Deejay

Armand van Helden

Moloko

The Chemical Brothers

Apollo 440

Darude

The Supermen Lovers

Basement Jaxx

Milky

Empire of the Sun

& Franz Ferdinand

So that is my 555th blog of the year 2024 (MMXXIV) & my 31st of this year, viva Ukraine & Palestine.

P.S. Look in my eyes

What do you see?

The cult of personality

I know your anger, I know your dreams

I've been everything you want to be

Oh, I'm the cult of personality

Like Mussolini and Kennedy

I'm the cult of personality

The cult of personality

The cult of personality

Neon lights, a Nobel prize

When a mirror speaks, the reflection lies

You won't have to follow me

Only you can set me free

Take On Me/I Ran (So Far Away): My 30th blog of the year 2024

Well, what's up guys & girls, this is Whetu here in my Kiwiavenger blog, but first in the sporting department as all but one New Zealand sides such as the Blues, Chiefs & Hurricanes are through to the semis along with the Brumbies who are flying the flag for Australia in Super Rugby Pacific but let's hope that there is an all-NZ final just like the last 2 years (And Pops doesn't mind a Trans-Tasman final because the last time an Australian team had been to a full Super Rugby final, it was in 2014 where the Waratahs won who became the last Aussie side to win a full Super Rugby Championship when the final was held in Sydney, Australia (It's been 10 years since an Australian hosted full Super Rugby final took place (Last time it was in 2017 where Johannesburg in South Africa had hosted a full Super Rugby final outside of New Zealand where the 14 man Lions fell short to the Crusaders who won in the end under their new coach at the time of Scott Robertson (Who was the only the 2nd former All Black player in history to take charge of the world famous but ever popular All Blacks rugby team (Wayne Smith was the first in 2000 where he took over from John Hart following the 1999 Rugby World Cup before John Mitchell replaced him in 2001) from Ian Foster who had moved on already following the scars of '23 in light of Sam Cane's red card that cost New Zealand the story (Although we had a chance of a penalty goal to win the game & the World Cup, but it sailed wide according to the comment I remember now from Jeff Wilson on the Breakdown TV programme being shown on Sky Sport that I saw on the 17th of June on the same day as Carole's birthday) against South Africa who still remained champs in the rugby world according to the previous blogs that I did, & with Scott Barrett likely to take charge as the new skipper of the AB's, even though with Dalton Papali'i (Who is out of the race of becoming the new captain of New Zealand since Ardie Savea has taken over from him as one of the front runners alongside Scott Barrett) is among the candidates for the captaincy job), so here's the confirmed semifinal matchups that had been set, which is about to take place:

Blues Vs Brumbies: Eden Park, Auckland (Their most recent meeting in Super Rugby Pacific was in round 9 when the Blues ran out as winners against the Brumbies (Who haven't won at the garden of Eden against the Blues since 2013, but would later turn it around of becoming the first side to defeat the Hurricanes this year in Canberra during round 10 of the competition) at Eden Park in Auckland, but the most famous game that they had was in 2022 during the semi where Ofa Tu'ungafasi had charged down Noah Lolesio's attempt of a drop goal in which the famous rugby broadcaster/commentator Tony 'TJ' Johnson (AKA the other voice of New Zealand rugby compared to Grant 'Nisbo' Nisbett (The one who is referred to as the man with the golden tonsils) who is always the current voice of NZ rugby & is still my fave rugby broadcasters/commentators because it used to be the late Scotsman Bill McLaren back in the day (And I always say that Ward 4 line in a men's rugby match every time a player tackles an opponent hard) famously uttered when Tu'ungafasi made that game winning charge down "Ofa Tu'ungafasi! Where did you come from!")

& Hurricanes Vs Chiefs: Sky Stadium, Wellington (The last time both of these sides had met in Super Rugby Pacific was during the penultimate round of round 14 at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton where the Hurricanes had Brett Cameron who had slotted a match winning penalty goal against the Chiefs (Who had their captain Luke Jacobson getting penalized for a tackler not rolling when he was trapped at a ruck with reserve Hurricanes prop forward Tevita 'Vita' Mafileo pinning him in which I thought that it wasn't a penalty to start with according to the comment from ex-All Black Jeff 'Goldie' Wilson in sideline commentary working for broadcaster Sky, but the ref certainly thinks it is when he spotted it)

And the latest on the French Open tennis as Poland's Iga Swiatek & young 21 year old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz has taken victories in the women's & men's singles championships respectively at Roland Garros against Ghanian slash Polish Italian Jasmine Paolini (Who Swiatek beat) & German who has Eastern European roots of Alexander Zverev (Who Alcaraz beat), but the next Grand Slam tennis event takes place at Wimbeldon where Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic (Or known for its appropiate country name of Czechia now) & Alcaraz are expected to defend their ladies & gentleman's championships respectively.

And there has been a terrible situation in New Caledonia as a civil unrest had been occurred which turned into a war zone like in May this year with mainland France sending troops over to end it by dispersing the crowds, but I asked Pops on the 12th of June that is there going to be a war? And Pops asked me that there was bloodshed all over the place in New Caledonia, but there is both wars going on that are still going such as the one I'm not going to show you on my blogs because it is objectionable & sensitive to the country who started it & the Israeli invasion of Hamas which is still going since October 7th last year in which 34,000 innocent lives had been taken away, but there are fears that World War 3 could be on the horizon by starting sooner than expected with Europe fears that they are beginning to prepare or should I say, brace for war.

And finally, there is sad but sombre news as the world is in mourning & shock when Indian born UK TV presenter of Doctor Michael Mosley who is the founder of the 5/2 diet & the #1 best-selling author of several health related books, has passed away due to natural causes over in Greece where he was missing so all thoughts, prayers & condolences go to the family of Doctor Mosley who is gone, but not forgotten, may you RIP.

Doctor Michael Mosley

1957 - 2024

So that is my 554th blog of the year 2024 (MMXXIV) & my 30th of this year, viva Ukraine & Palestine.

P.S. And happy birthday to both 'Jansi Jans' of Jansen (Who currently lives in the Hawke's Bay region for which I last saw him in May) for his 21st yesterday & 'Benny' of Ben Blain (Who is still in the Philippines for work over there but I've last seen him last month in July) today so best wishes to you all (And a shout-out to both of them as well).

Only Happy When It Rains/We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome): My 29th blog of the year 2024

Well, what's up guys & girls, welcome to Kiwiavenger, but first we have revealed the name of Dame Lisa Carrington's main challenger seeking to end her reign at the Paris Olympics, which is in the form of fellow New Zealander Aimee Fisher who beat Carrington at the world trials in the last regatta prior to the events of the Olympics being taken place, although with Fisher who is gunning to cement one of the rising stars of New Zealand canoeing if she wins gold in Paris.

And the 1st phase of the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs is set, which is the quarterfinal stages first after the end of the regular season that they had (The Crusaders in the end didn't make it, meaning that they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015 after being so successful for the last 6 years from 2017 until last year but hey, a new Super Rugby champion will be crowned for the 1st time since 2016 in which the Hurricanes last won a full Super Rugby championship (And before that, it was the Blues in 2021 during the one-off Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition in which they became the last side to win a title other than the Crusaders who were so invincible since 2017) before the Crusaders dominance began by winning all but one championship that they won, but they had a dismal season this year which was considered the worst even though the die hard Crusaders faithful want their coach Rob Penney (The one who replaced All Blacks bound coach Scott Robertson from this year) out following another win against Moana Pasifika a week after beating the Blues (Who had their player Stephen Perofeta yellow carded for a intentional knock-on (For which attempted intercepts does count as foul play meaning that the player who illegally attempts an intercept should spend 10 minutes in the bin) which cost the Blues the game, similar to James Lowe of Leinster who got sin binned, therefore costing the Irish club's chance of Investec Champions Cup glory against the most successful European rugby club of France's Stade Tolousain (The Crusaders of European rugby according to the previous blogs that I did) led by the now best rugby player in the world during modern times of Antoine Dupont in which the trend of the roses in red have dominated the rugby show against the violets in blue (And last year during the NZ general elections that the violets in blue have stole the show against the roses in red when National (Which is the right wing Conservative political party here in NZ compared to Labour which is the left wing Liberal political party) had a successful campaign when Christopher Luxon was overwhemingly dominant against Labour's Chris Hipkins for the role of becoming the new Prime Minister of our country which is back under National rule for the first time since 2017 in which Bill English lost the election against Jacinda Ardern (Who resigned last year as she was not seeking re-election by allowing Hipkins to take over the top job in the country before suffering a defeat in the hands of Luxon during the election) for the leadership of our nation), so here's the confirmed matchups which is about to take place:

Chiefs Vs Reds: FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton (The last time both of these sides had met in Super Rugby Pacific was round 3 back in March with the Reds securing a 6 point win over the Chiefs at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane)

Hurricanes Vs Rebels: Sky Stadium, Wellington (Their most recent meeting in Super Rugby Pacific was in round 5 also back in March where the Hurricanes thrashed them at the Central Energy Trust Arena in Palmerston North in the Manawatu region that I've been with Dad & Raewyn in late September last year)

Blues Vs Fijian Drua: Eden Park, Auckland (The last time they clashed in Super Rugby Pacific was in the very opening round in round 1 where Zarn Sullivan had got a double to get their Super Rugby Pacific campaign off to a winning start as they secured a bonus point win at Semenoff Stadium in Whangarei in the Northland region that I've been late last year with Pops & Carole)

& Brumbies Vs Highlanders: GIO Stadium Canberra, Canberra (And their last meeting between the 2 sides in Super Rugby Pacific was in round 4 in which the Brumbies won the game in a close affair at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin)

And the latest on the former US President Donald Trump as he is guilty of multiple indictments (In which he was having his best day since he got COVID-19 which was during the pandemic), including the 26 serious felony crimes that he committed according from the comment from Carole on the 2nd of June at Cactus Creme Cafe but they're still awaiting a decision whether he should be sentenced for 26 charges that he had (And the war between Hamas & Israel might end if Trump (Who is in fact a bad role model that he's currently having, & I had no idea specifically what's going on with him at the moment) is elected by making a successful comeback of potentially returning to the White House, but the reason why Trump won the 2016 US general election was his supporters who were backing him to win the presidency, 4 years before losing the election to the current US President Joe Biden (Well, let's say that he's in according to the comment from Pops (Who is a Liberal & left wing type of person like me who I'm an anti-Trump as well as a pro-Biden type of person) 2 months ago in June if he is re-elected in 3 months time according to the news topic that we saw together on CNN) in 2020 which was marred by the global pandemic & the racially motivated murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin & now, Trump's quest of returning to the presidency have taken a hit if he gets sent behind bars for the senseless crimes that he committed, but he can still be president if he's incarcerated like that).

And finally me, Pops & Carole went to that incredible restaurant which is called the Villa Cafe for dinner on the last day of May where I had a pasta dish there along with the chocolate mousse cake for dessert, but 2 days later, us 3 turned up at Cactus Creme Cafe for brunch where I had a big breakfast with homemade baked beans then moccachino for a drink afterwards to end an incredible day it was (And I wish I had the French Toast next time I go to that cafe).

So that is my 553rd blog of the year 2024 (MMXXIV) & my 29th of this year, viva Ukraine & Palestine.