Kiwi Ingenuity - Getting There from Here...

Problem:

1. If your home stadium is off-limits for the whole season because of earthquakes so you have to play all your home games somewhere else; and,

2. A cloud of Chilean volcanic dust crosses the Pacific and closes air space to jet travel in your country,

How the heck do you get to your next away game as the competition heads to the finals? Throw in the towel, start a riot like those Canuck fans???

Answer:

Pull an airworthy DC 3 prop aircraft out of the air museum and load the team aboard. Takes a bit longer, a bit noisier but... link

Now, that is Kiwi ingenuity...

Go Crusaders!

Diversion Anyone?

And if you are sorely in need of diversion from worrying about loved ones, the damage to a beloved city, or how to put body and soul back together, then take a break, find a working tv and watch today's Australia v Springboks test. There's nothing at stake for Kiwis, watch it even if you can't stand rugby, because, well, it's just an exciting game of soaring success, reversal, digging yourself out of a hole, and playing down to the wire. For 80 minutes you'll at least be diverted, distracted, and maybe even enthused.

We now return to normal transmission - test pattern to be imagined  about here. (You have to be reasonably old to know what a test pattern was).

p.s. I've been scared to ask anyone, because it would seem crass, but what the heck, it's me after all, does anyone know if Lancaster Park, er AMI stadium held up ok? It should given all the new construction!

All Blacks Win Tri Nations, Aussies Hang Their Politicians Out to Dry

Weekend round-up

New Zealand's All Blacks won a thrilling cliff hanger of a rugby test in South Africa to take the Tri-Nations crown for 2010, adding it to the Bledisloe Cup won a fortnight ago against the Wallabies.

Meantime, over the ditch in Australia, voters hung their politicians of all persuasions out to dry. Nice one, Aussies! 

All in a weekend's work, as they say.

Why Can't Larry the Lamb & Other Air NZ Cup Rugby Sports Mascots Get Along?

Larry the Lamb, mascot for the Red & Blacks - Canterbury - forms a rolling maul with the competition until someone illegally drags it down. Full arm penalty, I think. Followed by a free-for- all, leading to a collective sin binning. Turbo Man seems to be, ah, winded. Larry looks, well, sheepish then decides to take it outside chasing Auckland's Seagull, presumably to pluck a few feathers out of that sorry bird's tail. A bit like how the real competition is going.

Just as well the pedantic rugby ref, Mr Lawrence, isn't on the scene or they'd all get red-carded.

Show us the love, indeed.

The song is "Why Does Love Do This To Me?" by The Exponents, a Christchurch band. The song is a favourite of rugby crowds, especially at Rugby Sevens competitions.

New Zealand Sports Roundup

In one of the greatest upsets in New Zealand sports history, the Kiwis did the improbable and trounced the Kangaroos in the World Cup rugby league final 34-20.

It was the Kiwis first ever World Cup win; they had never won a Cup game against Australia. Just a year ago the Kangaroos gave the Kiwis a 58-0 hiding and the Kiwis were swept 3-0 in a series against Great Britain.

It was fitting way to commemorate the centennial of the introduction of rugby league into Australia by a squad of Kiwis tagged the All Golds in 1908.

This was one weekend when rugby league didn't have to play second fiddle in New Zealand winter sports, with the Kiwis World Cup win overshadowing the All Blacks 29-9 win against the Welsh in the rugby test at Cardiff. The All Blacks are now one game short of a Grand Slam of their tour of the UK and Ireland, heading to London to take on England that got its face rubbed in the mud by South Africa's Springboks over the weekend, 6-42.

Incidentally, both the Kangaroos and the Welsh had the audacity to try to stare down the Kiwis and All Blacks during the haka in their respective games. For that act of challenging mana, both opponents got their clocks cleaned during the game. Here's the Welsh attempt at the stare down - unfortunately cut short clip. The ref had to speak to both captains to get the game started. Boys in short pants and all that...

For a respectful clash of hakas & a close game that followed see the Munster v All Blacks haka from last week's midweek game. The Munster side, a club team in Ireland winner of the European Cup, made up mainly of imports was led by 4 New Zealanders in the side laying down a challenge to the All Blacks. Seems to have stirred up a bit of controversy on YouTube with over 500 comments already...

And in other sports news - in the small print - the hapless New Zealand cricket team, the Black Caps, crumpled - or crumbled - due to a brittle batting line up that has been unable to support fine bowling spells by its bowlers who kept Australia to totals of 214 and 268 in the first test in Brisbane. To be fair, the Caps have a relatively inexperienced batting line up that is going to take some time to get battle-hardened enough to play well against the likes of Australia. Nonetheless, Australia was weakened by retirements and recent poor performances in India.

Munster tests All Blacks in Close 18-16 AB Win

Munster, the only Irish side to have beaten the All Blacks - 12-0 back in 1978, carried their mid-week game to a tight close with the ABs in a game that one sports journalist reported as "a nerve-wracking and precious". The All Blacks snatched a try in the last minutes to win the game as left wing Joe Rokocoko stepped inside his old team mate Doug Howlett, playing for Munster, and scored the winning try.

Reporting from Limerick for Fairfax Media, Duncan Johnstone declared:

"For sheer competitiveness, rivalry and intensity, this was the match of the tour so far.

It was retro rugby and it was wonderful - there were scuffles, words in the face of French referee Roman Poite, fallen bodies littering the field at times and a potent mix of passion and skills."

The All Blacks rested most of their top players in advance of the test with Ireland next weekend.

Canterbury Takes Air New Zealand Rugby Cup Final

In a cliff-hanger final, Canterbury kept a nose ahead of Wellington in the Air New Zealand Cup final to win 7-6 in wet and slippery conditions in Wellington that contributed to an error riddled game.

Resolute defence, a hallmark of this year's team, made all the difference in Canterbury's favour in a low scoring game played in poor weather conditions.

Canterbury now adds the Cup to the Super 14 trophy the Canterbury Crusaders won earlier in the season and can justifiably claim to be New Zealand's champion provincial side.

Canterbury Through to Air New Zealand Cup Rugby Final

Canterbury fought off Hawke's Bay, 31-21, in their Air NZ Cup semi-final to move through to the final next weekend against Wellington.

In a tightly contested game, the Magpies proved themselves worthy opponents with the score tied at 14-14 midway through the second half. But the Red n' Blacks' two tries within two minutes of each other sealed the game in Canterbury's favour.

Canterbury will have its work cut out to get the better of Wellington in the final, although the Lions had difficulty putting their stamp on their semi-final with Southland till the last ten minutes, pulling through 28-19.

The underdogs have youth, enthusiasm and determination with a fair amount of skill on their side and that might make all the difference in the final.

Meantime, the Silver Ferns netball team turned up the heat on England in the 3rd and decisive test with a scorching 61-22 win in Palmerston North. Having inexplicably crashed 38-40 against England in the 2nd test after a comprehensive 1st test win, the Silver Ferns pulled things around in time to head off to Australia where a much greater challenge awaits them in the form of the 2007 World Champions in a two test series starting next Sunday.

All Blacks Triumphant - ABs 28 - Wallabies 24

The All Blacks stared down the barrel of a gun in their final & decisive test with the Wallabies in Brisbane for the Bledisoe Cup & Tri-Nations trophy. In a close, hard fought game, the All Blacks ultimately triumphed with a 21 point run that the Wallabies could not answer in much of the second half, after the Australians had led 17-7 early in the second half.

The All Blacks carry away all the silverware of the Southern Hemisphere rugby championships for 2008, the Bledisoe Cup having been locked away for a fifth consecutive year. As for the Tri-Nations title, the ABs have 4 consecutive titles and have won 6 out of the last 7. Although the Springboks may be World Cup champions, there can be no doubt who is the Southern Hemisphere champ.