The great number 9 debate of the All Blacks

SBW you ain't, Jimmy

New Zealand have three half backs. Piri Weepu. Andrew Ellis. Jimmy Cowan. Piri has a lion heart. He can kick goals and play first five if need be. Sure, he might not be the leanest man on the field, but he is one of the nicest afterwards, plus he knows how to play the big games. But is he up there with the Genia’s or Du Preez’s of the world. We all know, probably not.


Andrew Ellis is weaker that Piri and partial to a spot of river dancing before he passes the ball to his outsides, so he is not my favourite. He has coasted by having the incredible fortune of playing for the Crusaders for most of his professional days and it is easy to look quite good when you’re behind a pack of Richie McCaw’s and Brad Thorne’s and inside a player like Dan Carter.
   

But if I was Sophie, I would find it very hard to choose between him and Cowan (for the wrong reasons). Jimmy Cowan, once right up there, is now the great pretender. Right down to holding the ball in the palm of his hand as he dives over the tryline for an easy try against Canada the other day...sorry Chris Ashton, oops, I mean, Jimmy. There are only two rugby players in the world that deserve to hold the ball in the palm of their hands - SBW and pinetree. The rest of you are just showboating and pretending. Protect the ball and get your own brand of playing rugby (i.e., a better one than you're managing to pull out of the hat at the mo).

So, for me it's Piri first. Cowan and Ellis are both a very poor third equal. But I'm not Ted.
Who do you think should be the number one number nine for the All Blacks? Weepu, Ellis or Cowan?

Pool A: New Zealand 37 - France 17

A Statement of Intent

When Daniel Carter lined up for a drop goal into the second half, neatly slotting the ball through the posts, he told the world: "We've learned our lessons from 2007 - beware."

This game was highly emotional. I was blubbing like a baby during the national anthems (which incidentally are so beautiful with that gorgeous voiced RWC choir).  The stadium looked amazing. It was our stadium of four million to say: ‘our time is now’.

What were my highlights? The first half saw clinical, beautiful rugby played by the men in black.  Forward and backs alike tackled like men possessed, wrestled and won at the breakdown, and when they broke the line, they made it count in points.

As usual, the incredible centre pairing of Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu (who is rapidly becoming my player of the tournament) were at the heart of things, with Smith tackling everything that dared move and Nonu cutting apart a flappy French defence.

Israel Dagg showed why he was picked over Mils at 15.  The man makes magic from nothing. I hope his injury is nothing worse than a niggle, because we need him. In saying that, we have a more than worthy backup in Muliaina and I do hope that the veteran will be allowed at some point to finish his All Black career with two more caps.

France started so well and I really thought after the first half that if they had scored first we might have been in for shades of 1999 again. Alas for France, it wasn't to be this time, on a highly emotional night for an All Black team seeking revenge and celebration for their centurion captain.

And what of Richie McCaw?  Well any talk of him losing his form is complete cobblers. The man was everywhere tonight, and that is why we love you so Richie. You fight and graft until the death. You wear your rugby heart on your sleeve and it has been an honour to watch you over these years, and to have you in the team that we support. We are blessed and you are bloody magnificent. And was that a tear in his eye when he received his 100th cap from Jock Hobbs?  Our captain cries on cue too. Is there anything he can't do?

As for Lievremont and his team in white.  They showed some spirit to come back in that second half and will they be too worried about going into the northern hemisphere side of the draw? Still, maybe the French didn't really want to throw this one either.  An angry French fan had words with Lievremont after the test where the French coach, character to the end, gave it back.  In the end it was reported a security guard had to step in.

My honourable mentions tonight: Nonu, Weepu (how good was he tonight, I take it all back Piri), Dan the man, McCaw, Smith, Kaino, Whitelock and SBW. 

Blogging rugby

It's been nearly four years since I started blogging. I had just returned from a seven year stint in the UK and was frustrated at the level of sports reporting in NZ. Particularly the fact that women hardly get a look in on the sports pages when it comes to sports journalism. With the 2007 rugby world cup looming, I thought it would be a good idea to have a go myself on the sport that I am most ardent about and the team that I love - the All Blacks.

A few interesting things to note in that time since I've started this blog:

• I've endured yet ANOTHER world cup loss for my team, and lived to tell the tale
• I've sung the national anthem for an All Black test match
• I had a former All Black help put up the marquee for my wedding (Keiran Crowley). I decided this was a very good omen for my future married life.
• I have a loyal readership of three people on this blog and one of those people is my mother (and quite often even she doesn't read it)
• Most people that visit this blog do so accidentally. They mainly come from Ireland and have typed 'Doug Howlett' into a search engine. Although it frustrates me that people are not coming to read my rants on rugby I still appreciate them visiting so for some SOE: doug howlett, doug howlett, doug howlett
• The best insult I've had on this blog was from a random commenter who likened me to a sheep shagger because I had been mean to Irish captain Brian O'Driscoll
• I have often had to change my opinions about things and eat my words. Currently Piri Weepu is someone I am eating humble pie about. For a long time I didn't like him as a player but I've had a complete turnaround not just based on his last few performances for the ABs but also because I think he is becoming an inspirational role model for kids in this country through his conduct off the field.
• Several All Blacks have been arrested or gone to court since I started blogging and a large part of this blog for me is saying 'it's not ok' to hurt your girlfriend by assault or beat up a friend in a pub. This kind of thing has to stop. It's not good to have someone representing your country who is basically just a mindless thug off the field
• My longest serving reader and now friend is a fellow ruggerblogger called Nursedude. Please check his blog out here

Why all this sentimental revisiting the past you might ask? Well, it's a bit of an end of an era for me because I'm packing up my bags again and heading to live in London for the next year on Wednesday.

This means ruggerblogger will take a different turn. I'm going to start blogging with some friends (more to come about this so watch this space) and so we can give both northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere perspectives on this blog (but still at this address). Hopefully this will mean I can pull more readers in and this blog will have some more lighthearted postings.

So here's to thet build up for 2011. I'll be back in NZ in time for the tournament. Please keep with me and tell your friends about this blog if you think anyone might be interested in a stroppy girl with loud opinions about rugby. Here's to the next year together.

Israel Dagg = Yes. Rene Ranger = No

All Blacks 31 - Springboks 17. Cake Tin/Wellington. Tri Nations 2010

So another comprehensive win for the ABs against a Springbok side that is beginning to look decidedly creaky. However, I still have problems....

I have a huge respect for Graham Henry as a coach. I think he is unparalled in tactical nous. No matter the old fuddy duddies that think Robbie 'dingo' Deans should be taking over the team. It is proven that Henry has the goods being the most successful All Black coach on record. But why would he pick Rene Ranger who is yet another All Black that has been charged with assault? It's not a good look for the team. And the people that are borderline like this - never make it far (eg. Sitiveni Sivivatu, Sione Lauaki, Adam Thompson to name a few).

Ranger is young. He wasn't great this evening under the high ball and in the tackle. He was lucky in fact not to sent off for a shoulder charge. (He wasn't so hot against Wales either when he butchered a try with a three man overlap). He did finish a good try but I still don't think he should be representing the All Blacks or New Zealand in any sport in this period. Prove him innocent, and then he can prove himself on the field.

Now Israel Dagg really is the great white hope. He is a superstar in the making. Tonight, after only a few minutes, he managed to splice apart the defence of two of the best rugger players in the world (Spies and Berger). Which brings me to the person which is keeping Dagg from a starting berth:

Mils Muliaina- yes, he's playing fantastically at the moment, granted. But a niggling thing keeps creeping into my soul when I watch him play. The man is selfish. He would rather not pass or offload. He's always hoping for the try that wins another 80 minutes into the selectors hearts. I hope Dagg will be in the starting 15 that leads us into a sudden death play off in a world cup game. I think by this time next year he will have more to give than Mils.

The Springboks. They were again beaten soundly tonight. Yet again, another yellow was given in the opening ten for Roussow attempting to threaten McCaw with a slight eye gouge (although on replay it looked rather harmless). McCaw himself was lucky not to be yellow carded in the second half of the match, and I borrow Green and Gold rugby's saying that our great All Black captain should be renamed His Highness Field Marshall Richard McCaw, Order of the NTBYC (Never To Be Yellow Carded).

Even with another thrashing, the Boks were gracious and lighthearted in defeat. I wish we could be more like that. I respect them and I certainly am not writing them off for 2011. They'll be back but I really do believe they need some fresh blood and legs in there to get them going again. And maybe it's time for them to look at changing their gameplan. Freeflowing rugby is back on the menu. Pity it's between world cups.

The weird and wonderful rugby world of hair

There are a bevy of beauties on the rugger field, each with their own special trademark. Although I would hate to categorise any team by country, it has been noted that the Welsh, when not sporting the woolly Duncan Jones sheep look, seem to be attempting some kind of Guinness record when it comes to the amount of hair gel to apply to their locks. This does for old Gav what countless other beauties have found in their time – over use of the bryl cream gives ultimate lift of the hair follicle but ultimately, also an increased reputation that you can’t have hair and brains too.

In the All Blacks camp, apart from the obvious dreadlocks, there is a fond predisposition to dying the edges of the hair yellow. Jerry Collin’s cousin (also his hairdresser) looks to be doing a rip roaring trade for half the All Black team with Neemia Tialata, dropped Piri Weepu and Ma’a Nonu plus Chris Masoe all sporting their fairer edges.

Meanwhile, England and the Wallabies are content to wear their hair the way real rugby men do – with short backs and sides. That is of course unless you’re Dallaglio. The man who loves the media bite almost as much as the sound of his own voice could possibly be the only geezer in the world looking to inspire a revival of the comb over. Much like Lol’s rugby time on the rugby field – it sadly isn’t tipped to be around for much longer.