The Man In The Stand

Wanted: One highly-competent first-five

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:38:32 -0800

It was one of those tests where the public reaction has proved far more interesting than the game itself.

That's why I have waited to file this blog.

Commenting on the match immediately afterwards would have been a case of stating the screamingly obvious. ...

Tew bluster is offensive

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:40:34 -0800

When it comes to matters sporting, it's not often I have sympathy for Canterbury's proud and vociferous fans.

And proud, they have every reason to be.

They have been the powerhouse in both premier rugby and cricket in this country for many a reason.

By powerhouse, I mean a dominant blend of performance, especially in rugby and an extraordinary provider of some world class athletes in our major winter and summer codes. ...

Better, but still not good enough

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:15:06 -0800

"Cardiff, Dunedin, Wellington."

So went the optimistic banner that some French fans held aloft throughout the test at the Cake Tin.

Thankfully, the banner is now redundant and its New Zealand version would surely read "Cardiff, Dunedin, Relief."

And what a relief it was when Piri Weepu kicked the ball out to end a test that certainly had a "lottery-type" dimension to it as Coach Henry made reference to after the game. ...

Deja Vu with the All Blacks

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:24:20 -0800

The daggers are drawn again. Inevitably, after such an embarrassing All Blacks loss to a lowly-rated French team, issues were bound to flare up between the Cheerleaders and the Cynics.

Embarrasing, it certainly was. When an All Black team is paying just $1.11 to win and their opposition is at $6.00, the men in black losing has to be a fairly humiliating experience. ...

Sporting treats... except the Warriors

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:58:08 -0800

Prepare to see a new billboard appear soon.

"There's not much top-quality sport on at the moment. Yeah right."

What an extraordinary feast we sports lovers have been served up in the last few weeks or so!

The Super 14 Finals. The All Blacks squad announced. The start of the Lions tour in South Africa. The Wallabies/Barbarians game. The French Tennis Open. Roger Federer. The State of Origin. The NRL. The pathetic Warriors. ...

All Blacks no longer world's best

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:38:22 -0800

Except for the odd worrying exception, we rugby fans in Godzone have substantial reasons to be optimistic about the chances of Richie McCaw lifting the William Webb Ellis trophy aloft on October 23rd, 2011.

First, and of real significance, I believe at this near half-way point between World Cups, the All Blacks cannot claim the “world’s best” mantle right now. ...

I had a dream

Fri, 29 May 2009 13:25:29 -0800

I had a dream last night. A dream so fanciful, I woke up in a cold sweat terrified that this time, I really had lost my marbles.

So that you can empathise with the acute fears I had for my sanity, I feel compelled to let you in on the rambling thoughts of my dream.

I first dreamt that every northern hemisphere team to visit New Zealand in future would be at full-strength. ...

O'Neill gets all the presents. Again.

Mon, 25 May 2009 10:26:55 -0800

I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if I discovered that when John O'Neill was a kid he got every last Christmas present he ever wished for.

Because as an adult, or more specifically a sports administrator, nothing's changed for this masterly Aussie manipulator.

In short, whatever John O'Neill wants, John O'Neill gets. Sooner or later. ...

Super 14 regular season review

Mon, 18 May 2009 08:34:20 -0800

The penultimate, Super 14, round-robin season is over, now that a new, soon-to-be-released Super 15 format will begin in 2011.

Here is my snapshot of how and why every franchise finished where they did in 2009.

1. Bulls
Finishing on top, the Bulls showed that the best of South African rugby is still deserving of the World Championship title. ...

Time for Hansen to go. . .

Mon, 11 May 2009 13:13:36 -0800

"All for one and one for all." So went the catch-cry of the The Three Musketeers, a catch-cry that could so easily have been applied to the tightness surrounding the All Blacks' coaching triumvirate, Messer's Henry, Hansen and Smith.

But wait. A split may well be on the cards. Apparently, the smart money says that Musketeer Hansen may well want out. ...