Long Over Due.

Ok, you got me; I’ve been a lazy b@5tard over the last couple of weeks and haven’t managed to cast an eye over the sporting world.  BUT, I’m back folks and some might even say badder than ever!

Where to begin after a couple of weeks of all sorts of different bits and pieces going on?  Unfortunately the first item on the agenda to be discussed is just how crap the Black Caps really are.  I’ve been thinking about this over the last couple of weeks as I try my best to stay awake during the small hours of the morning watching the cricket on some anonymous website.  The answer, well I’m pretty sure that it has two parts, yes the Black Caps are crap, even to the point where I am thinking I should try my best to find the old White Woolen Vest, warm the shoulder up and trundle a few down, I’m pretty sure I could have a crack, I mean they couldn’t get any worse could they?  Secondly the Proteas really are a damn good side.  Just in case there were any doubters, this bunch have proved all summer that they can beat anyone whenever they want, and generally by a bloody big margin.  I’d suggest they would be looking forward to the T20 World Cup later in the year with a lot more excitement than any other country in the world.  We all must take our hats off to these guys, a collection of the best bowlers in the world and a stack of the best batsmen too, no wonder NZ was made mince meat of, was there anything else we really expected?

Whilst we are on cricket we must save a few words for Chris Cairns.  The former NZ Cricketer has spent the last two and a bit weeks fighting against the man who used to be able to boast the tag, ‘The most powerful man in cricket’.  His libel case against Lalit Modi has just finished and Cairns won.  Clearing his name against unsubstantiated claims that he was involved in match fixing which Modi has posted on his Twitter account.  Cairns won not only a clear slate for his name and reputation but a tidy sum of £90 000 for his trouble.  The former boss of the IPL, before he was forced to stand down after a number of accounting irregularities, has suggested that he may appeal the decision, but let’s hope sanity prevails and he learns to keep his mouth shut rather that make accusations against players who have done nothing but serve the game to the highest level.

Aaaaaahhhhhh, the shortest men in sport with the biggest ego’s ever have started chasing each other around in circles in their crazy fast, not to mention loud, cars again in the circus that is known as Formula 1.  Now I can’t claim to be impartial at all here, so I won’t be.  What a glorious victory on the weekend for Fernando Alonso and more importantly team Ferrari.  What a delight it was to see the Prancing Horse back atop the podium.  Unfortunately it’s probably not going to be long lasting as their car is terribly slow compared to, well, everybody else’s basically.  Let everyone just cross your fingers and hope that it rains every second or third Sunday for the rest of the summer so that they stand a chance of gaining a few more victories.

Of course we have to touch on the rugby from the weekend, and there are more than a few interesting things that came from Super Rugby 2012 Edition 5.  The Hurricanes, against the odds, tipped up the Blues with the slightest of winning margins, only for the Rebels to do the same to the Force with a sneaky one point win also.  Something I definitely did not see coming, but hey, well done Rebels you have your first victory of the year and fourth ever so congrats.  The Crusaders, playing at home for the first time in 23 months managed to make it the perfect homecoming with a victory over the Cheetahs.  After having looked like the Crusaders were going to run away with it, the Cheetahs decided they had had enough of being bullied around and played some brilliant rugby to level the scores only for the Crusaders to do what they do so well and win the critical moments when they counted.  The Brumbies outmuscled and outplayed the Highlanders pretty much everywhere.  They played more accurately and with far greater intensity.  A special mention has to go out to Colin Slade who has to be the unluckiest player in professional sport at the moment.  7 games in two years, 2 broken jaws, a bung groin, a hernia operation and now a broken tib and fib to throw into the mix.  Thoughts have to with Slade at the moment as he faces the best part of 12 months of rehab before he can comeback from injury again.  All this just as he was starting to show some of the form and class that has led him to an All Blacks jumper too.  The Bulls pumped the Reds in a slightly unexpected result.  I thought the Bulls would win comfortably but not by 53 points!  Surely a game that the Reds will try their best to right off immediately as ‘one of those days’.  Yes they are down to their 4^th choice first five but that doesn’t mean you instantly play like a bunch of 12 year old girls against some of the biggest men in the game.  And finally the poor old Lions.  Again they hung in there and never let the Stormers get too far away but they just lacked the composure that allows you to win the tight ones and lack a true game breaker at the moment, particularly with Elton Jantjies out injured.  Another win or two will not be far away for the boys from altitude. 

Jerome Kaino says Sayonara to New Zealand Rugby.

I’m not angry but damn I’m disappointed!  News was confirmed over the weekend that Jerome Kaino has played his last game in New Zealand.  He has signed a two year deal with Japanese club Toyota.  This is a shame, not only for Kaino but for NZ rugby fans.  Kaino, over the last couple of seasons in particular had made himself an automatic selection for the All Blacks.  He is obviously a World Cup winner, was unlucky to miss out on International Player of the Year last year but was still awarded the NZ Player of the Year, he has amassed 48 Test Caps, 86 Blues Caps and 49 Auckland Caps in a career that was beginning to have the mouldings of that of a legend.  Unfortunately, legend status will no longer be available to Kaino has he has decided to chase the cash a bit too soon.  It’s hard to be critical about chasing the money, after all I’d probably do it.  But I’m sure Kaino would’ve been on one of the biggest NZRU contracts and there would have been plenty of flexibility in his contract had it been extended.  But now he will just be remembered as a good All Black and not the “Great” he would’ve been seen as had he remained in NZ to build his legacy, look no further than ‘Captain Fantastic’ (Richie McCaw) to see how that can work out for you.  And talk of him returning to the All Blacks after two years in Japan, “Tell him he’s dreamin” to quote and Aussie classic.  How did that work out for one L McAllister, or C Jack?  It’s just not going to happen, New Zealand’s production line of quality players is too good to stand still for two years.  There are likely to be a number of senior All Blacks who come off contract over the next year or so and quite a few will no doubt head offshore, let’s hope none of them decide to do while still at the peak of their powers, like Jerome. 

Last but not least a massive congrats must go out to Canada, Spain and Portugal.  These three countries have just qualified to join the 12 core teams on the IRB World 7’s Series from next year.  They beat out 9 other competitors, including rugby stalwarts such as Tonga and Japan for the spots which will no doubt be a massive boost for Rugby in these countries, especially with 7’s now being in the Olympics from 2016.

I know it’s a bit longer than normal but I half to make up for a couple slack weeks, sorry people.

Signing Off………..

P.s, feel free to leave a comment, the more banter the better.

Oh yeah, and keep going balls to the wall.

Legend Much???

Valerie Adams en route to Gold at the World Indoor Champs in Turkey

This latest week in the world of sport belongs to only one person.  New Zealander Valerie Adams.  The 27 year old collected her second World Indoor Championship over the weekend and as a result has written herself into the history books as one of the biggest if not the biggest legend in her sport, EVER.  Adams threw herself a gold medal with 20.54m, 12 centimetres further than her nearest rival, her Belarusian arch-nemesis Nadzeya Ostapchuk.  In fact the New Zealander was so dominant even her 2^nd biggest throw would have won her the gold by six centimetres.  With the Olympic Games only a stones throw away, excuse the pun, this has surely laid a massive marker in the sand for Adams’ competitors and reinforced that she is in fact the one to beat and they are going to have a hell of a time attempting to overcome her. 

Adams has now, for the second time in her career held the ‘Shot Put Grand Slam’.  This includes being current Olympic Champion, current World Champion, current World Indoor Champion, current World Cup Champion and finally current Commonwealth Champion.  And all this at the age of just 27, in a sport where competitors can compete well into their mid to late thirties!  Let’s hope Adams can continue her dominance for another five years at least and crush the memory of any former Shot Putter before her.

We must of course touch on the rugby this weekend also.  Not only to say that Crusaders are looking unrecognisable.  7 time champions this lot are not, well not at the moment anyway.  They have a couple of weeks to think about their actions before the Cheetahs come to Christchurch for the first home game for the Crusaders in over a year.  A Cheetah I would not want to be, especially come a cold and miserable Saturday night, come on it’s Christchurch, of course it’s going to be cold, with 24 angry and frustrated Crusaders wanting redemption and a sold out home game in front of their adoring fans who have endured so much over the last year.

Pretoria, Pretoria, Pretoria. C’mon lads lets learn how to behave can we please.  Now Bulls fans have never had the best reputation.  I remember myself sitting in Ellis Park watching the Lions Vs the Bulls in awe and amazement.  I ended up watching the crowd more than the game; these Saffa lads clad in their ‘baby blue’ (real intimidating by the way boys) are something else!  After the Bulls got pumped by a Blues side in the weekend that has looked more ‘Clueless’ than Alicia Silverstone in the aforementioned film, some clowns started to throw bottles on the field at the players and a couple even managed to get on the pitch.  A man in his mid 50’s by the look of him, started to argue with Kevin Mealamu, pointing his six fingers into his chest and reminding him that you’re in banjo country now boy!  Bjorn Basson ended up separating the two of them and sending the man packing back to the stands.  A, how did this even happen and b, starting an argument with professional front rower when you are a middle aged runt who looks like you need some company from outside the family isn’t really a great idea.  By the way, the Blues won and played quite well, Gareth Anscombe looks like he could have the skills to go along way and join the queue of First 5’s, ‘Flyhalves’ for everybody else, in NZ behind Dan Carter that seems to be getting longer and longer and better and better.

The Lions were so close dammit!  A howler of a decision by the TMO right on halftime meant the Sharks went into the break with a lead they didn’t really deserve and then right at the death they secured the win with a try during a scintillating piece of end-to-end rugby from both teams.  The Sharks still aren’t convincing at all and the Lions aren’t too far away.

The Brumbies, maybe distracted as their coach took a mid-week meeting in the UK, managed to scrape home against the Cheetahs with two penalties in the last 5 minutes to win by one point in a thriller in Canberra.  The Reds were awful against a plucky but predictably average Rebels team, the Chiefs out Crusadered the Crusaders, the Hurricanes blew away the Force, so many one liners come to mind but we must control ourselves.  And last but not least the Highlanders unbeaten march continued as they muscled up to finally break down an intimidating and very well organised defence to come out the victors 18-17.

The first Cricket Test between New Zealand and South Africa came to an end overnight and it finished up a rather surprising draw.  NZ were well placed going into the final day as were SA.  NZ needing 264 runs in a day and SA needing 8 wickets in a day.  However the big fellar upstairs put paid to that as the rain kept falling, and falling and falling and falling, and, well I’m sure you get the picture, it is the deep south after all and summer never got going let alone the idea of having a warm and dry autumn.  NZ cricket fans were hoping, there was positive talk if only quietly that the dream might finally come true and the BlackCaps would win a tight Test against good opposition again.  But off to Hamilton the series goes and now SA can’t claim the number one Test Ranking but they still stand a very good chance of taking the series 2-nil.  Or will they?  Didn’t we see enough hope….. maybe…... just a little?

Let’s see what next week throws up and as always,

Keep going balls to the wall.

Liquorice Allsorts for Everyone!!!

A Pick ‘N’ Mix Anyone?

After another busy week of sporting action, I’ve decided to go down a slightly different path this week.  There are a few things I need to get off my chest and a few points of interest that have come about, both in Europe and where the important stuff happens, down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Derek Chisora & David Haye acting like a pair of tw@s

But firstly, and it has taken me some time to get to, but Boxing!  I’m not sure about the future of this sport for a number of reasons, and I’m pretty sure that the fiasco that took place a week or two back between David Haye and Derek Chisora, two English Heavyweight Boxers, well former in David Haye’s case, hasn’t boosted it’s appeal in anyone’s eyes.  The brawl that these two clowns got into during Derek Chisora’s press conference, after he lost to Vitali Klitchko, was embarrassing to put it mildly.  The sport already has basically zero credibility (look no further than the SBW circus for confirmation of that) and this only adds to the shambles that is boxing.  The fact that Chisora has received an indefinite ban from the WBA is a start, but he has a hearing coming up and can actually overturn this sentence, something which I suspect will actually happen.  If that is the case the WBA are now endorsing Haye and Chisora’s thug like behaviour.  How many mum’s and dad’s are watching that and thinking, “You know what, I really want our son to get into boxing.”  With the sports fighting market becoming ever more popular and crowded I can’t see the future of boxing continuing to be the force that it has in the past.  Muay Thai, K1, UFC and the list goes on, the question is will boxing be on that list in another 20 years time? I’m not so sure.

To the Black Caps we go and what a disaster they are proving to be.  Take out a few good players, expose the next level of players to quality opposition and tumble like a house of cards.  Not that anybody expected much more did they?  The only interesting part that remains of this series is to see just badly beaten they get in the Test matches.  If they can manage a draw I’ll be impressed based on what we have seen so far from them.  Enough said.

The 6 Nations has been an interesting tournament so far, especially given the England coaching setup at the moment, and add to that the fact that they have now extended their deadline as a way to entice Wayne Smith to apply.  Now I’ve never had much time for England, in anything really.  Let’s be honest no one wants to see them win anything.  Against Aussie a draw is perfect and that’s about as positive as we want to be for them isn’t it?  That being the case I couldn’t have been happier when Wales recorded just their third victory at Twickenham in the last 25 years.  Surely now Wales will go on to claim the 6 Nations as their game is so much more dynamic than that of any of their competitors.  Australia will have to be very careful come June when they play a two Test Series.  Wales will win at least one of those Test Matches and could well win both if they continue to grow and develop over the next three months or so.

Football, I must be honest I’m no expert when it comes to this sport, however I have on occasion enjoyed the odd game here and there.   Two games struck me during the mid-week ‘friendlies’ that took place last week.  England again, bless them, when down in a screaming heap in front of a packed Wembley Stadium.  The Dutch went up 2 nil after 60 minutes only for the ‘Poms’ to level it up just before the end.  However Robben had different ideas and right at the end of stoppage time send the English into stunned silence, their first loss in 10 matches.  Although it was an experimental line-up this is not the way they want to be heading into Euro 2012.  On that note, Italy will be fuming after their poor display against that football powerhouse the USA.  1-0 and Italy looked devoid of any strike power whatsoever.  Again with the Euro Championship coming up in just three months, there is a lot of polishing to be done to get these teams to where they need to be for what is effectively the 2^nd biggest stage that football has to offer.

Finally today we will finish back with rugby and a quick wrap of the weekends Super Rugby action.  The Hurricanes managed to get the business done, albeit thanks to some poor discipline from the Lions.  John Mitchell must be rueing the fact that his team gave away 6 kickable penalties which kept the Hurricanes scoreboard ticking over and eventually got them home in the 79^th minute.  Against better opposition I fear the Hurricanes will need more than a few penalties to help them out though.  The Blues crashed and burned against a Chiefs side that recovered well after being outmuscled by the Highlanders last week.  The Blues job only gets harder as they prepare to take on the Bulls this weekend, who just happened to pump a rather toothless Cheetahs side 51-19 over the weekend.  See what I did there again?  It seems there might just be an endless supply of punch lines when it comes to the Cheetahs.  After that they also take on the Stormers, also on the road in SA who happened to pip the Sharks by three in a match that was Test Match like at times.  The Blues could well be on the plane back to NZ without a win from their first four matches.  Not the start that a potential title contender wants to consider.  Pat Lam needs to turn things around quickly!  Last but not least the Highlanders and the Crusaders battled it out in the first Super Rugby match to be played indoors, in Dunedin’s new Forsyth Barr Stadium, and what a game it was!  The Highlanders getting out to an early lead, only for the Crusaders to fight their way back, then the Highlanders go ahead with a try that looks to have sealed them the match only for the ground clock to say that time was up when there was still three minutes to play.  The Highlanders, twice kicked backwards for touch to finish the game only to be told by the referee that in fact there was still time remaining.  The Crusaders then set themselves up for a droppie in good field position only for Tyler Bleyendaal to push it to the right.  If it had cost the Highlanders the game it would have been a tragedy, however atop the NZ Conference they now sit with two wins on the trot and a truckload of momentum and confidence, going into this weekends home clash with the Waratahs they must be favoured to win the biscuits.

There we have guys and gals, a bit of an assortment of this an that but let’s hope this week in sport throws up as much as the last.

Til then Balls to the wall as usual team.

Where Is The Love?

This is a Special Report!

Lets just get this off our chests now shall we, OTAGO OTAGO OTAGO ( said with a disappointed shaking of the head for effect.  How on earth did it come to this? I mean, really?

Let’s make it nice and simple for all of us who didn’t make above 7 year olds Math.  You can’t spend more than you earn!  Oh but you can I hear you say, and yes this is true, for a few months at least, or until what you have saved is gone.  Otherwise forget it, it’s not sustainable.  It doesn’t work.  You become broke.  You owe people, in this case a lot.  It’s doesn’t work, did I say that one already?  Is that clear enough for everyone, including those members and a lot of former members of the Otago Rugby Football Union Board?

I can appreciate they lost money on the sale of Carisbrook (to the tune of $1.2 NZD), their former home ground for those of you who don’t know, and yes sometimes our spending can get away on us a little.  But really, $2.35m????  For example, how did the person who figured out that the floodlights that were being leased over a 30-year term and not actually used not manage to say anything so that some kind of an arrangement could be met?

Waikato, Southland, Tasman, Canterbury (predominantly due to the devastating earthquakes), have all found themselves in financial hot water over the last couple of years and had to borrow money from the NZRU in order to pay off their reckless expenditure, and Otago seems to be the latest, albeit to a much greater degree.  This is where it also gets a bit tricky as the NZRU has said that it will refuse to stump up the cash, a decision which I find staggering.  But more on that later.

How is it that smaller unions such as Manawatu, Taranaki, Hawkes Bay, even Northland and North Harbour have managed to keep their heads above water while everyone else goes on spending like everyday there is a Boxing day Sale? 

Now this little issue of the NZRU suggesting they aren’t in the mood to pay.  I am very confused about; I mean I can kind of see their point.  Yes they hand cash out to every union every year to help build, maintain and grow community rugby and part of this goes towards the local ITM Cup and Heartland Championship teams, and yes they have loaned the ORFU over $200 000 in the last two months which they don’t believe they will see back so they keep telling us.  Good on you NZRU I say.  But hang on; are you trying to tell me that the NZRU doesn’t have $2.5m NZD by which they could completely clear Otago’s debt with?  I mean they have loaned Waikato $1.5m over the last two years.  Once they have cleared Otago’s debt they could then appoint their own independent directors, CEO, CFO and appoint an entirely new board, one with some fiscal aptitude would be a start.  They could impose all sorts of rules about player expenditure, board salaries, what gets spent on community rugby, and have monthly reviews if that is what it takes to get the province back on track.  Now I am not suggesting a loan type situation such as the deal between the NZRU and the Waikato Rugby Union, as in this case I don’t believe Otago would be able to realistically pay it back in the anywhere near future.  But why doesn’t the NZRU put together a package to clear the debt.  The ORFU is under the guidance and guardianship of the NZRU is it not?  If nothing else by the fact that the NZRU represents the best governance of the game for all us who care about rugby in New Zealand.  I see the NZRU in this situation as the parent and the ORFU as the snot nosed little brat that has gone astray.  Now as the parent in this situation would you not want to make amends for your child, even if it does come at a financial cost if it was within your means to do so?  Then, send the little shit Military school for a kick up the arse to sort himself out, lets say in this case, appointing new management.  Tough love yes, but some love is better than no love.  C’mon NZRU, in the words of the Black Eyed Peas, Where is the Love??!!

I can’t understand the NZRU’s burying of their head in the sand on this one.  For the good of the game, rugby needs to have representation in the Otago region, and the NZRU is in a position to ensure that continues to be the case.  It’s time to pull finger and spend some of those precious dollars that have been earned by the All Blacks being the most commanding team in world rugby and then invested in offshore money market accounts.  After all isn’t this why we save?  So that when something goes wrong we have the means by which to cover ourselves?

I do have one more issue here, and that is with Laurie Mains.  This is a man that I have always held in very high regard and someone that I felt was very harshly treated by the NZRU, when, having built an incredible team had it taken away from him by his bosses and replaced by John Hart.  He seems to talk a great deal of sense normally on matters rugby does old mate Laurie.  However he resigned from the ORFU board two weeks ago.  Now I’m no rocket scientist but I’d be very surprised if the ORFU has gotten itself so heavily debt laden in the last two weeks.  Now dear old Laurie has offered his services to help raise the funds to ensure that Otago remains on the field, not only this year but in the future also.  This is a noble and commendable gesture indeed.  However if he was part of the board that has helped run the ORFU into liquidation during a tenure of God only knows how many years, how on earth does he now see himself as one of the right men to bring Otago back to the light?

You might be able to tell I’m a touch frustrated by this issue, lets wait and see what happens come Friday 4pm NZ Time to see if a resolution can be found.

Lets hope so and remember, Keep going balls to the wall!