Better Rugby Rules

Sonny Bill Williams (School Days)

This man with all the hair helped crush Ireland 3-0 in a test series. Seriously Ireland, blokes like this beat you 60-0

Sad day for Ireland..

King HenryII said out loud ..”Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?”

Upon hearing this two loyal nights murdered the priest Thomas Becket.

So what’s this got to do with the movie Invictus?

Invictus is a rugby movie about the Boks winning the 1995 rugby world cup. The ABs as we all now in NZ had timely food poisoning the day of the RWC final. Remember Jeff Wilson throwing up shortly after the game started. The only two ABs that didn’t get sick were those that went to MacDonald’s for dinner. Laurie Mains (ABs coach of the time) blamed a waitress named ‘Suzie’, and stated this this was a planned strategy of  an unknown South Africa party, this fact was supported by the ABs given dinnerl the night before the final in a separate dinning room away from the general population, whereas previously dinners had been in the main dining room with the general population.

Is there any merit to the allegation that ABs was slipped some tummy trouble!

Invictus gives me the idea that President Mandela was politically desperate to win the RWC 1995, and much pressure was placed upon Francois Pienaar to get a win. A fact the ABs rugby management could not have calculated.

I do not think that either Mandela or Pienaar gave the order to poison the ABs food/drink the night of the RWC final. However at the time the ABs were running over every team in the world, Jona Lomu was rampant, and the Boks new it would be a miracle if they won. But the Boks had to win to achieve a major step along the path of uniting the black and white population, they were desperate and failure was not an option.

So maybe Mandela said : ..”Will no one rid me of the All Blacks”..

No so much as giving the order, but over heard by enough Special Branch Officers (ex SA SAS) for one of them to go a little further than the law allows, and drop a vile of tummy trouble into the food/drink just to slow the ABs down so that the Boks could have a chance. After all loosing 50-nil in the RWC was not an option for the Boks, and that was in the tea leaves.

After all 3o years prior to the 1995 world cup, similar foke were giving orders to blow up buses!

YES all the above is fiction, but if you are a rugby crazy NZ’der this movie will make you think.

The movie is worth seeing, but it doesn’t cover the NZ version of events as those sort of facts get in the way of this ‘king making’ rugby story for Mandela and South Africa!

Clint Eastwood had is go, maybe Peter Jackson could tell the story in a more darker light, more of a terrorist come freedom fighter come president at all costs sort of way.

I did think Morgan Freeman did a great job of a ‘nice’ Mandela. Matt Damon did ok. Eastwood did a great ‘story tellling’ job as well, however unlike boxing movies that look very realistic the rugby action seams a little fake. Players weren’t puffed or sweating, you will notice this yourself.

   ABs Coach Smith….

I mean are you serious you plonker !

Source1: All Blacks: Ranger at Superman fitness, says Smith

Source2: Winning could be All Blacks’ worst enemy, warns Smith

This guy has so much computer charts and stats he cant see the forest for all the trees he looks at.

Older ABs coaches must be laughing so loud, after all the ABs have won games for 100 years before computers, and IT’S NOT DIFFERENT THIS TIME as rugby players are just lads to like to chase a pig skin ( ask Laurie Mains) .

Smith has been in charge of sputter of a ABs back line for 10 years, and he still has not go the ABs backs working like the Aussie back line some years back ( ie Gregan, Larkham, Giteau, Mortlock etc , thats the best backline in 10 years, yes shut it up, it is !)

Smith should bugger off to coach rugby in Alaska !

Why the harsh name you say ?

Well how can a WIN like the above be anything but bullshit !

So what has this guy done apart from take his shirt off !

Guess we will find out in the New Super 15 !

Haka, haka is every where you look !

It’s getting longer, and more theatrical.

It used to be only done on away games, know its done every game, what a bore !

The haka should be limited to 3 minutes, and only for away games.

The Maori vs England game, the haka went on and on and on, for about 7 minutes. Seriously this just over the top.

Lets tidy this up, and keep the show ponies in their box !

Call me !

Source: Conrad Smith will put the All Blacks first

Extract..

And as far as Smith considering a similar code switch, you get the feeling the chances are remote at best.

“League? I don’t know. I played a bit at school when the first XV used to transfer and play a bit. I don’t know, it’s not quite me. I love the physicality of it, but I think it’s a bit too simple.”

COMMENTS:  That is exactly my point why Sonny ‘BullShit” Bill will be a very poor choice for the role of ABs Centre. He is used to a simple game, rugby is more complex and you need the sharpest rugby brains in the correct place at the right time, when the pressure is intense.

The above is exactly why the ABs have NOT been in a RWC final for two decades. Rugby Smarts is lacking.

I would target Sonny at 2nd five eight. He is the same mold as MacAlister, both would run great off Dan Carter.

This means: MacAlister, Sonny Bill, Ma Nonu are battling it out for 2nd five. Notice the common traits then !

However, what’s their kicking game like, well you dont get everything I guess !

       Winston Peter’s, had a little trouble with his signs !

Andy Hayden, had better put up the evidence or shut up !

You cant call some one a racist without the evidence ! Or maybe he has been in one too many scrums !

Check this out..

The NEW Dallas cowboys in stadia screen is 60 meters long…WOW !

Do you think the NZRU might wana play there, hell yeah !

LINK

Source: Sky cuts Mexted ‘for criticising NZRU’

Extract…

Rugby personality Murray Mexted has claimed he was suspended from the Sky commentary team after criticising plans to cull four teams from the Air New Zealand Cup.

Mexted made the revelation while speaking at a breakfast to Wairarapa businesspeople and his comments were picked up by the Wairarapa Times-Age.

The former All Black No 8 said that after criticising the New Zealand Rugby Union on air, he received a letter from Sky’s director of sport, Kevin Cameron, pointing out that the NZRU was a commercial partner of the network and that he should “refrain from being critical”.

Consider this: NZRU was a huge support of the  now failed ELVs, and as there partner is SKYTV, all the paid  TV commentators were required to tow the line and support the ELVs.

SKYTV is the spin machine of the NZRU. If the NZRU are not for it, and you are a free thinking TV commentator you had better change your attitude otherwise all those great paid rugby trips will end rather quickly.

SKYTV commentators: Fox, Nesbit, Smith, Johnstone, Robinson are all cheerleaders for the NZRU. If they personally dont like something and its against the NZRU, you wont here it.

The are no true opinions when there are dollars behind it.

Source: League experiment flops for ARU

Ever wonder why Rugby League has been associated with the blue collar of society and rugby an upper class sport. You don’t need to be too bright to understand that after you read this statement from ‘not to smart Rogers’.

It was a bitter Rogers, 33, who decried rugby for being too bogged down in technicalities, compared to rugby league where he now plays with Gold Coast Titans.

“I’m not surprised people struggle to follow it because I played it for five years and I still struggle to understand the rules,” Rogers said.

“The whole technical aspect of rugby is just too much. There’s the lineouts, the scrummaging and the breakdown laws you have to worry about. It’s just information overload. Rugby is not for me.”

COMMENT:  As I have said before Rugby is like CHESS and LEAGUE is like checkers, some folks just cant play both. Lucky for Rogers he uses his athletic ability to make a buck and not his brains.

The IRB (including SANZAR) are conducting a big meeting the Dublin this weekend, the direction of rugby is certain areas will become clear

1) What ELVs are in or out ?
2) SANZAR or SANZAR ?

Its going to be very interesting…What will the ‘old farts’ decide (ak Wil Carling)

Sir Keith Park – WW2 flying hero, one of the Kiwis that the poms really like !

Source : Statue of NZ airman set for Trafalgar Square

London authorities have approved the erection of a statue of New Zealand airman Keith Park in Trafalgar Square.

The statue will go on the square’s fourth plinth for six months from October, said English businessman Terry Smith, who has led the campaign to have the statue erected.

The City of Westminster Council approved the placement this morning, and Mr Smith told Radio New Zealand he “couldn’t be more delighted”.

After the Trafalgar Square stint the statue will go to a permanent site in Waterloo Place, close to New Zealand House, to coincide with next year’s 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Mr Smith said Sir Keith was a remarkable man and was modest about his achievements.

Sir Keith was born in New Zealand in 1892 and served at Gallipoli and the Somme in World War 1 before becoming a pilot and shooting down 20 enemy aircraft.

In World War 2, he commanded 11 Group Fighter Command, responsible for the defence of London and southeast England during the Battle of Britain.

COMMENTS : more here (Hey, Rugby is not everything !)

Source: Fourth Bledisloe Test switched from Denver to Tokyo – John Matheson

The NZRU banked about $NZ4 million ($3 million) from last year’s Bledisloe Cup Test in Hong Kong and can expect to pull in at least $NZ5 million from their Tokyo jaunt.

Four Bledisloe cups games, are they freaken kidding, bumkins at the ARU and NZRU dont give a toss on how much they exploit the game for the buck, too much rugby with the same boring arrangements.

Have no doubt the way the CEOs are treating this great game is a dam disgrace, the NZRU are just as fat with expensive staff as those of the investment banks at Wall Street. Why dont they just cut costs, sack the ‘special hangers on’, you only need one All Black coach and not three. Notice all the new jerseys in the super 14, that is in the hope that you buy the new jersey so they can have your cash, no matter they look oh so ugly. Funny how Man United doesnt do the same, as you cant build a brand when you change the logo every new year.

A question for those that have seen more than 20 years of rugby, are you watching the ‘kick and hope, force back Super 14’, I get the feeling that many of you are not. NZ crowds are down, maybe its more than economics, maybe the fiddling of this great game of rugby union is slowly destroying the loyal fan base. We shall see!

UPDATE: Source – NZRU seeks to trim costs by $2.6m – Wynne Gray

The Rugby Union has slapped the handbrake on its spending to try to shave a further $2.6 million from its bills as the effects of the global economic meltdown are felt this season.

While the NZRU has reserves of $55 million, it remains anxious about the future and has worked through plans to trim nearly $1 million from its costs. The remaining $1.6 million savings will come from:

* A salary freeze on all NZRU staff salaries.
*Reduced spending on age-group camps, assembly costs and development programmes.
*A reduction in television match officials in the national championship.
*A cut in All Black costs.

The above is a step in the right direction….not enough, need more cost cutting: I mean what do you need Wayne Smith for, the ABs back line been crap for years ! [ Or is it that we need a forwards in the backs coach, instead of a backs coach only (ha)]

        Sir Brian Lochore

Source: Political correctness destroying New Zealand, says ex-All Black coach

Rugby legend Sir Brian Lochore says political correctness is destroying New Zealand.

Sir Brian, who coached the All Blacks to their 1987 Rugby World Cup victory, urged fathers to let their children take risks – but to lay down rules and impose “consequences” if rules are broken. He was speaking at a breakfast hosted by educators Parents Inc yesterday.

The group’s founder, Ian Grant, told more than 1000 fathers at the event that society was turning fathers into “male mothers” obsessed with safety instead of adventure.

“Our society is trying to turn fathers into male mothers. You ain’t,” he told them.

Sir Brian, who captained the All Blacks from 1966 to 1970, laid the blame on political correctness.

“We are living in a PC world which is destroying us, where you actually can’t put the hard word on people when they have digressed and committed bad blunders,” he said.

“One of the advantages of being a farmer is that I was able to work with my children. You can take them on the back of your motorbike, which you’re not supposed to do any more.

“You can take them on your horse, which you’re not supposed to do any more.He said his daughters went to a rugby game at three weeks old, and later played in the mud while their dad downed a jug in the bar after a game.

“In the evenings we went to the rugby parties with the kids, who slept in the back of the car. We can’t do that any more because we haven’t got rid of the perpetrators that actually destroy our society.”

He said he trusted his friends to discipline his children and they trusted him to discipline theirs.

“My friends were my children’s role models and I was my friends’ children’s role model,” he said.

“The one thing I believe is important in life is respect. They respected authority, they respected teachers, I respected the teachers. We lack a great deal of respect for authority nowadays, there’s always someone protesting.

“Respect and role models are very important in life. You as a father, with the aid of your partner – I can’t say ‘wife’ these days, PC. You are the one who sets the ground rules. And don’t ever tell me that the kids don’t want to know where the line is. They do.”

As a coach, he told the All Blacks they could do anything they liked off the field as long as they didn’t annoy anyone or break anything.

“All I had to say was, ‘Hey boy, I think you’re annoying me,”‘ he said.

“People have to make decisions, and people do make mistakes. But make sure that you take action – that there are consequences, and that you actually follow them through.

“Yes, I smacked my children, but I’ve never hit them. Yes, I smacked other people’s children, but I never hit them. But we are not allowed to do that any more in this PC world.”

My Comments: This blog is not political. But nanny laws have gone nuts. Where the 1% of society is the basis of laws for 99% of society. NZ kids need to experience risk and how to manage it. I would think mountain climbing Helen Clark would even understand that, but maybe not so much some of her nanny cabinet mates do not. (Disclosure: I voted National last election).

Source: Fitzpatrick: Just why I quit New Zealand

All Black icon Sean Fitzpatrick has opened up on his reasons for his family’s shift to the UK, saying he wanted to bring up his two young daughters outside of a “tunnel-visioned” New Zealand society. 

Mate you quit NZ to earn 500,ooo pounds a year, ars*hole, sitting on your bum to repeat cliches like ‘full credit’,’you must win the forward battle’,’a game of two halves’, etc.

“As All Blacks we celebrate success, but we park it very quickly,” he said. Our fans celebrate and then they move on. We won the World Cup in 1987, but we’ve never had a reunion as a team, yet over here the English still talk about 1966.”..

1966 or 1066, who gives a shit! Why does one need constant patting on the back, Fitz obviously didn’t get enough attention from his mother when he was a child ! This guy obviously wants to walk down the corridors of NZRU and have all the office people come out and clap, and lay down rose petals.

“It’s been interesting. You sit in New Zealand looking at the Northern Hemisphere and think they’re different in the way they play and their competitions aren’t as good as ours,” he said.

“But then you actually come up here and realise the Six Nations is a tremendous competition.

Fitz, TV allows a person to watch a game 12,ooo miles away, that’s what TV does, one does not need to be there. So if a rugby fan can watch a couple of Northern games and then a couple of southern games, he or she can make judgements on the game as they wish.

Fitz continues to live the full fledged rugby donut ! Full credit to him. My guess he will argue next that NZ Sky TV rugby commentators should be selected from overseas as well, I wonder whose trumpet he would be blowing then !

These days Fitzy provides plenty of ‘foot in the mouth’ commentary to write about, Thanks for that.

 Source: If America gets serious about rugby, watch out world – Zolton

Indeed, out of the thousands who aspire to make the NFL each year, only 450 make the cut, and those who do have an average career length of just four years.

All of which suggests that there are a lot of young, naturally gifted athletes in America who enjoy body contact sports but can’t get a start in a professional, competitive league.

So what happens to them?

The majority give competitive sports away altogether. America doesn’t cater well to the second or third tier of athlete. There is the All American Football League, which pitches itself as a holding ground for those players who still consider themselves good enough to earn a start in the NFL.

But you won’t see much action below this level.

Chances are, if you don’t make the big time, you’ll probably never play American Football again.

So what would happen if more of these elite college players were recruited into rugby teams?

Kevin Roberts’ appointment back in November 2006 to the position of Chairman of the US Rugby Union was a step in the right direction.

Roberts, a New York-based Kiwi (originally from the North of England) has headed up Saatchi & Saatchi as its CEO Worldwide since 1997 and is well-positioned, and connected (he was the director of the New Zealand Rugby Union for four years) to oversee the continuing growth of rugby in America.

He professes to have come to his four year appointment with “a real passion to lift the game in the US and start maximizing its enormous potential” and considers America to “have probably the best governance structure in world rugby. A nine-man Board comprising six independents, two international rugby players and a congress representative.”

“The world of rugby awaits a vibrant US”, he said shortly before his appointment. “The IRB would like to see the US succeed, as would corporate sponsors, and as would all other rugby playing nations who I’m sure would find no problem in coming over to play us in California, Colorado or New York.”

Already there are more than 60,000 registered rugby players in America (compared to about 120,000 in Australia) and Roberts has signaled his intention to target the US colleges for the recruitment of new players.

“The centralised contracting of players is key to the US,” he said back in 2006. “Just imagine the athletic capability of all these college athletes who don’t make the NFL and suddenly at age eighteen find themselves with no competitive sports route to follow. These guys are fit, fast, powerful and love physical contact. With the right coaching and structure around them, they can be world beaters in Sevens and a top ten rugby nation within four years.”

Which gives Roberts two years to realise his vision.

If he’s as successful with his selling of rugby to college football stars as he has been in elevating the profiles of both Pepsi and Saatchi & Saatchi, then American rugby could well emerge as a genuine contender for a World Cup within the next decade.

Players like : Muhammad Abdulqaadir

My Comments: Can you imagine the massive donutting that would go on by ex All Blacks wanna be coaches if there was plenty of money for administrators in USA rugby. Watch out USA !

Also imagine a billionaire in France and also USA wanting NZ top rugby talent, talk about player drain then, that’s at story for another decade! 

Donutting Defined: The ability to get invited to swanky dos purely to shake hands and nod your head, and having no idea or talent on how to do anything. For example the ‘King of Donutting’ is the Queen of England husband, Prince Phillip, I mean what does he really do ???

Source: Paul Honiss hangs up his boots

In all, Honiss refereed in 211 first class matches, including 49 Super 14 fixtures and 71 Air New Zealand Cup games. He also refereed in three IRB Rugby World Cup tournaments in 1999, 2003 and 2007.

Some real slip ups, (funny how the media drags you down on your last day):

* World Cup, 2007.
Honiss’ shocker of a decision to disallow Samoan second-rower Joe Tekori’s try against the Springboks not only penalises the gallant Pacific Islanders, but leads directly to a South Africa try when the Boks take a quick tap while Samoa captain Semi Sititi and others are remonstrating with the ref about the call. The match, which was heading towards a potential thriller, now turns into a blowout to South Africa on the basis of that 14-point swing.

* World Cup, Sydney, 2003
Honiss was in charge of the World Cup opener between Argentina and Australia when his refusal to allow the Pumas to scrummage aggressively allowed the hosts a much more comfortable evening than their play merited. Australia wins 24-8.

My Comments: Ok a couple of clankers, but many games well done. Even Paddy O’Brien had his issues. So in all well done. Rugby referee is a damn tough job with millions watching on TV. Not many would take it on. So remember that next time you bag a ref !

Maybe a repeat of the ABs vs Ireland game, bad weather in Wellington for the Boks game. Here we go again ! Why cant they play these games at 4 or 5 pm !

 David Strettle and ‘Angel’ Lewis.

Source: Alice and the energetic bunny – Rosmary McCleod

“I was dancing and kissing with David when he said, ‘Have you ever stayed at a Hilton before?‘ He had all the lines and all the moves,” the ingenue revealed, without a trace of irony. And she did not spare the details.

“My England man put rampant rabbits to shame – even though he’d been drinking all night. We did it all night long before he got up at eight to go for physio.”

Yet there was delicacy, too. “[It] was just about the best sex I ever had. His body was pretty much a perfect 10. He was such an accomplished lover and we did it in every position imaginable.”

My Comments: All off to the Pony Club for a free tart !

More here: English accent pulls (Tart) down under !

Source: There’s more to life than rugby – Lord Winston

“New Zealand is a wonderful country, but it is also a country which I think has some very poor values as well,” Lord Winston said during an appearance on current events show Close Up last night.

“The fact is that you still rate things like the America’s Cup, the All Blacks and the cricket (as) being far too important when actually they don’t fundamentally improve human wellbeing.”

The internationally renowned scientist said it was tragic that many impressive New Zealand scientists were now working overseas.

“You do some fantastically good science and it’s really sad that at the moment your Kiwis are in my laboratory. You are exporting the wrong things, you’re exporting your talent, the very talent which might prop up your economy. But there’s no future for them in this country.”

My Comments: Dear Lord Winston the natural selection process of Darwin depicts who will be a scientist or an international rugby player for New Zealanders, there are not to many rugby players that know what photosynthesis is, and there even few scientists that can tackle Ma’a Nonu. So never the twain shall meet. True the money is not in this country for research and development in most scientific fields, hence talent does leave. Sad but true.

Source:  Sex-case England rugby players free to leave NZ – Jarrod Booker

The Sun said Ms Lewis had told a friend she had sex with one of four England players at the centre of sex-attack allegations under investigation by police.

My Comments: To the player with the itch, here is your next stop MensHealth.co.nz .  You may or may not find Angel (ak Ms Lewis) here at a local strip joint ShowGirls.co.nz (The rumor is !).

Yip, we have our little dens of naughty down-under as well, sigh !

The English player in question is most likely going to realise that this little event could cost him hundreds and thousands of pounds !

Ok, slightly sick sense of humour, but come on what are they doing !!!

A funny ha ha !

Source: Scrumhalf Gareth Jones dies after injuring neck in club match

A Neath rugby player has died in hospital after suffering an injury to his neck during a match on 20 April.

Scrum-half Gareth Jones, 28, was hurt at a ruck during a Premier Division game against Cardiff in the Arms Park, which Neath lost.

My Comments:  We love our rugby downunder, it is a sad day when a player looses his life playing this great game. Just a reminder to all who play, necks and heads must be given due care. Lets be careful out there !

All the best to the family.