New Zealand-France, now that would have opened the Rugby World Cup with a bang
Just after dawn here on the opening day of RWC 2011. The sun is already bright down here in Dunedin. It's had a bad press has Dunedin as a cold, distant place. Couldn't be further from the truth. It's...
View ArticleEngland so lucky to escape Argentina battering
England were lucky, oh so lucky. The Otago stadium may well be hermetically sealed as an indoor venue but the collective sigh of relief from the thousands of England fans at the final whistle made a...
View ArticleRugby World Cup 2011: England show they are getting better with every game in...
This was little more than a training run for England, one in which they executed things slickly and with purpose. In that regard they can be satisfied with their evening’s work, 10 tries is a decent...
View ArticleFrance to Win The World Cup? Don't bet against it.
I know. I Know. Crazy isn't it. There's no logic to such a thought. But chatting with a few Kiwi mates last night and dissecting just how clinically excellent the All Blacks were in seeing off the...
View ArticleNew Zealand Threaten to Boycott RWC2015 – How to Dump in Your Own Backyard
What was NZRFU chief executive, Steve Tew, thinking when he revealed a veiled threat to boycott the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England? Talk about injecting a sour note into the party. Cross refer to...
View ArticleRugby World Cup 2011: abject England face big decisions on future of set-up...
When the end came it was wretched, rather than noble. An ignominious exit from the Rugby World Cup in contrast to the nobility shown earlier in the evening by Ireland. England, regrettably, saved one...
View ArticlePlate Contests, Neutral Refs, Overpriced Tickets and Openside Flankers
Week six here in New Zealand and it's a twiddling thumbs moment as we wind down from the quarter-finals and wait for the high-octane weekend ahead. So, a few thoughts: 1 ) Why isn't there a plate...
View ArticleRugby World Cup 2011: forget the Sam Warburton red card, Stephen Jones's...
The red card for Sam Warburton will dominate the post-match debates in living rooms and pubs tonight but it must not be forgotten that Stephen Jones should have taken on a drop-goal when Wales were all...
View ArticleA Dalek – quintessentially English?
Went to a presentation launch for RWC 2015 to be held in England ( and a bit in Wales ). Behind the dias on which there were various formalities, was a giant backdrop frieze of all things English, a...
View ArticleWhy Wimbledon will miss Ian Ritchie
It may be stating the simple, but tennis lost a stalwart figure on Wednesday in Ian Ritchie, the All England Club's hitherto chief executive. A thoughtful, good-humoured, clearly intelligent yet...
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