El seleccionado australiano de Rugby quedo como líder del Tri Nations al derrotar, en Sidney, 34 a 19 a los All Blacks. Esto por la cuarta fecha del torneo que reune a las 3 potencias del hemisferio sur. Los Wallabies suman 2 victorias en 2 partidos jugados.

Los tantos de Australia, que había debutado venciendo a Sudáfrica (campeón mundial) por 16-19, se consumaron con tries de Ryna Cross, Peter Hynes, Rocky Elson y James Horwill, cuatro conversiones, un penal y un drop de Matt Giteau. Por su parte, Nueva Zelanda marcó por intermedio de Mils Muliaina, Andrew Horne y Andy Ellis (todos tries) y Daniel Carter (dos conversiones).

El sábado próximo se jugará la quinta fecha del torneo: Nueva Zelanda recibirá a Australia en el Eden Park de Auckland.

More on this phenomenal victory tomorrow...

Robbie Deans drew first blood in his battles against his land of birth when his Wallaby team scored a comprehensive 34-19 win over the All Blacks in the opening Bledisloe Cup fixture in Sydney on Saturday.

It was the first time since he took over as the coach of the Australian national team that Deans, the long-time successful coach of the Super 14 champion Crusaders and a former All Black coach, has pitted himself against New Zealand.

His battle with Graham Henry, who many felt should have made way for Deans as New Zealand coach, was always going to add spice to this match, but Deans won the battle hands down as the Australians led for all but a few minutes of a pulsating, fast paced contest that was a good advertisement for the ELVs.

The statistics will show that the Kiwis won the battle for possession, but it was with turn-over ball, an old strength of the Crusaders under Deans, that the Wallabies killed the All Blacks. It started happening from an early stage of the game, the All Blacks trying to run the ball out of defence, the ball being turned over, and the hosts nearly scoring as they cleverly ran the ball back.

The pressure told on the All Blacks as Brad Thorn was guilty of executing a high and dangerous tackle on Matt Giteau near his own line. Like he should have been when the Springboks were the opponents in Wellington a few weeks ago, Thorn was sent to the sin-bin, and it was during the 10 minutes that he was off that the Australians set the tone for the match.

There were a couple of turn-overs in the opening 10 minutes, but nothing was as significant to the Australian cause as the aimless kick that found its way to Lote Tuqiri, who does appear to be experiencing a new lease on life under the coaching of Deans.

Tuqiri seemed to surprise the All Blacks with his willingness to run the ball back, and a great run through the middle from the wing, coupled with quickly recycled ball from the ensuing loose-scrum near the Kiwi line, eventually resulted in centre Ryan Cross scoring the try that, with the conversion, took the Australians 10-0 up with barely that amount of time elapsed on the clock.

The All Blacks were too often guilty of trying to rush the Wallabies, something that doesn’t work against those opponents, and it was all the yellow jerseys for the first quarter of an hour. The return of Thorn did bring some stability to the All Blacks, however, and fullback Mils Muiliaina found himself in space from a line movement, and then gathered his own kick ahead before a series of passes saw him again in possession and over the Australian line.

Dan Carter was in magical form for the All Blacks with his allround game, and the New Zealanders might have lost by a massive score had it not been for his elusive running as well as the danger posed by Sitiveni Sivivatu and Muliaina from broken play.

It was the Wallabies who scored next, with Tuqiri again figuring strongly as he chased down an excellent kick ahead from Adam Ashley-Cooper, and his collision with a cover defender saw pacy wing Peter Hynes race through for the touch on the ball that made it 17-5 to Australia after 31 minutes.

New Zealand looked to be turning the tide when they struck back with a try to hooker Andrew Hore to cut the deficit to five points at the break, and then scrumhalf Andy Ellis rounded off from a loose scrum after that man Carter had scythed through almost the entire Aussie team to put the All Blacks ahead for the first time at 19-17 after 45 minutes.

That though was the last of it from the All Blacks, although South African referee Craig Joubert is sure to be criticised for not awarding the All Blacks a penalty try when Sivivatu was tackled from behind without the ball when there were no other defenders between himself and a rolling ball ingoal.

That might have made a difference to the Kiwis, but in reality they conspired against themselves with the decision to replace specialist openside flank Daniel Braid with Sione Lauaki, who made a succession of errors after he came on and the All Blacks hardly got their hands on the ball after that.

Replacement scrumhalf looked to have saved a certain try when the Aussies attained forward momentum in the 55th minute, but the All Blacks kept conceding possession to the Wallabies, and a succession of breaks eventually resulted in Rocky Elsom exploiting the pressure that had been created by going over for the try that regained the Australians the lead.

After that there was a Matt Giteau drop-goal and a James Horwill try to leave the Wallabies as clear winners and the All Blacks, for the first time in five years, a beaten team for their second consecutive match.

By scoring four tries the Wallabies grabbed a crucial bonus point that will put them in a favoured position as the competition reaches its halfway mark.

Scorers:

Australia - Tries: Ryan Cross, Peter Hynes, Rocky Elsom, James Horwill. Conversions: Matt Giteau (4). Penalty: Giteau. Dropped goal: Giteau.

New Zealand - Tries: Mils Muliaina, Andrew Hore, Andrew Ellis. Conversiona: Dan Carter (2).

http://www.planet-rugby.com/Story/0,18259,3551_3868759,00.html

Siviatu is a disgrace and after the world cup should never have been picked again anyway. A esential component of rugby is the ability to catch and he can't. As for Lauki, he is a waste of space. Again, he can't catch. I think the chokers are in a lot of trouble as for Rodney's captainency, well the less said the better..

Have been on holiday thus the lack of blogging but back now with plenty to say.

Man in the Stand

You might want to look at this first, but then again you might just want to go here.

Aussie-Dean (X3) chant

ABs line break (yeah, it was the only one!)

You are hereby warned, this is a test match, not a real one.

Of course it helps that the weather is awful. Means I didn't feel so guilty that I didn't do the garden, or grown up things like that. The paper today predicted it would be the worst storm of the decade and while Auckland isn't quite that bad, other parts of the country haven't been as fortunate. Of course the demon masters of the house have decided that I was the sofa today and I had both of them on me. Cheers guys.

I'm looking forward to the game tonight. NZ versus Australia in Sydney shoudl be a cracker though as I mentioned yesterday I think the Wallabies are going to win. The sides are fairly evenly matched so homeground advantage will probably decide it. One big plus for me is Tuitavake playing though Wulf shouldn't have been dropped for him. The zombie that Sivivatu has become should have been the one making way. Still, it wouldn't surprise me if the All Blacks got up. In my mind the Aussies need it more than us - we just need to win 2 of the 4 tests to retain the Bledisloe and with the game in Auckland next week the Aussies have to win now. My prediction: Wallabies by 2.

And finally i present you with pretty pretty pictures. There's some truly amazing stuff there with plenty of fodder for the imagination. (found via the Beat)

Thomas Hughes established the Rugby colony in the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee in 1880. His vision of a utopian society included a cooperative, class-free society with a strong agricultural base and flavorings of English culture. He insisted on building a library which became the pride of the colony. So committed to libraries was Hughes that he helped found the Chicago Public Library in the 1870s after the great Chicago fire. CPL still has a Thomas Hughes Children's Library.

Hughes is the author of Tom Brown's School Days based on his experiences attending Rugby School in England. His earnings from the book largely underwrote his investment in the Rugby colony. The colony was only sustainable for about a decade and Hughes was hardly ever there to manage the day-to-day realities, but the utopian community building efforts live on.

An interesting tidbit: the first librarian, a German man, actually made house calls to collect overdue books.

The Wallabies will be using Saturday's much-anticipated Tri-Nations/Bledisloe Cup Test against New Zealand as a springboard to becoming the top nation in world rugby, coach Robbie Deans said Friday.

It is a match both sides have every reason to believe that they can win as they both try to regain prestige after a poor showing in last year's World Cup.
If the Wallabies were to register back-to-back Bledisloe Cup wins over the All Blacks in Sydney and Auckland over the next nine days, they would go to the top of the International Rugby Board (IRB) rankings for the first time in the system's five-year history.
However a victory for New Zealand over the Wallabies in Sydney will see Graham Henry's side displace South Africa at the top once more, potentially by as much as seven tenths depending on the winning margin at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney.

Both sets of loose forwards  have men who can fetch, run and tackle, both sides have backs who can kick and run - but the All Blacks may have the edge at centre and do have the edge at fullback.

The stage is set for lots and lots of drama.

Prediction: Australia are confident after Perth. New Zealand know that the Australian victory gives them a chance of winning the Tri-Nations. I predict a victory for New Zealand by more than five points.

So my eldest brother contacted the Keeper of Archives at the Cambridge University Library, who kindly dug out information on Alfred Octavius from their biographical register. This also included entries for his brother Augustus George and his son George Henry (see below). What was even more interesting was the entry also mentioned that his father was George Goldsmith (Kirby), of Little Marble Hill, Twickenham.

None of us had ever heard any mention of George Goldsmith Kirby before, and the Goldsmith connection was a complete mystery. We are still none the wiser, but at least now know, thanks to George H. Graham, that he was born around 1806 possibly in Holburn, Middlesex, and that he married Harriet Sarah (?) who was born about 1805, in Stratford, Essex. We also know that he at least 11 children, possibly 12, including our great great grandfather Alfred Octavius.

[caption id="attachment_316" align="alignnone" width="216" caption="Alfred Octavius Kirby (1843-1919)"][/caption]
What's mystifying us is that George Goldsmith Kirby seems to have appeared out of nowhere. Suddenly he's managing director of the Albert Life Assurance Company, living in Little Marble Hall, Twickenham, and sending his children to schools likes Rugby at about the time that Thomas Hughes of Tom Brown’s Schooldays fame was there. At least two sons also go on to Trinity College, Cambridge, and most of his children that survived marry into what would then be considered to be respectable families.

Maybe his sudden appearance is just a part of the changing social landscape in Victorian Britain, not unlike our great great great grandfather Lloyd Baxendale (the father of Alfred Octavius' wife Alice), who bought his way into the landed gentry through a fortune made from the Pickfords removal firm (see more here). George Goldsmith Kirby would have been one of the first fund managers in a totally unregulated and emerging market selling to the rapidly growing middle classes. In fact, the principle behind the Assurance Companies Act of 1909 actually dates back to an Act passed in 1870, as a direct result of the spectacular failure of the Albert Life Assurance Company he ran.

George Goldsmith Kirby certainly lived in London's more salubrious areas (mostly ‘North of the River and South of the Park’ or is that they other way round?), including: Saint Clement Danes, Westminster; 5 Kensington Park Villas; 57 Queen's Gate; 7 Waterloo Place; 3. Kensington-park-gardens East; and Little Marble Hill, Twickenham (mentioned above), which is a little further west along the Thames.

However, we are completely clueless about his ancestry. There could be a connection with Kirby Turners from Lancashire. The marriage of our Alfred Octavius marriage to Alice Baxendale was assisted by the Rev J Kirby Turner. Her family were originally from Lancashire and her mother Ellen was a Turner (see more here).

There could also be a connection with the painter Joshua Kirby (1716-74). He’s buried alongside the artist Thomas Gainsborough (1727-88) at St Anne’s Church, which is close to Little Marble Hill in Twickenham where George Goldsmith Kirby lived among other places. Apparently, Joshua Kirby moved to Kew when he became drawing master to the royal family. Gainsborough, who was also favoured by George III, often visited his friend at Kew and stayed near the church (see more here).

These connections are tenuous at best, and I'm not sure how I would research them further. There's also so many other leads to follow-up and it's getting late, so I'll try and blog about some them soon.

Percival Colin Montgomery ♥, nacido 15 de marzo 1974 en Walvis Bay (Namibia‎), es un jugador de rugby sudafricano; su posición es de zaguero (fullback) y mira que lo hace bien [comentario personal de la redactora]. Mide 1’85, pesa 87 y su edad es de 33 años. [NO está viejo]

Percy ha jugado más de 90 partidos con la Selección de rugby de Sudáfrica y ha logrado 820 puntos con la selección nacional. Es el galán de Sudáfrica.

Fue contratado por el club francés USAP Perpignan hasta el 2008. Ha participado en la Copa Mundial de Rugby en 1999 y en la del 2007, dónde Sudáfrica quedó campeona, [yo lo supe desde el principio] gracias a su ayuda, por supuesto.

Nada que envidiarle a Josevata Rokocoko.

If you want o see some stats on the Tri-Nations go to

http://ism.zoomflex.com/rumrugby/analytics/tests/

Or for the Super 14

http://ism.zoomflex.com/rumrugby/analytics/s14

The apps are built using FLEX and are a nice example of some of the UI benefits of Rich Internet - The team are looking at integrating Video components in shortly as well so keep a watch out for the next release.

Former Wallabies captain John Eales has questioned New Zealand's decision to reappoint coach Graham Henry after the All Blacks' failure at last year's World Cup.

Eales said he was surprised New Zealand stuck with Henry instead of opting for Robbie Deans, who took on the job of coaching the Australians after missing out on the All Blacks' position.

The two coaches will confront each other at the Olympic stadium on Saturday in an intriguing twist to a test match that could play a decisive role in determining this year's Tri-Nations title.

Media criticism of Henry mounted in New Zealand after his team's 30-28 loss to South Africa in Dunedin two weeks ago and Eales said he was clearly under far more pressure than Deans, who is still in the honeymoon period with the Wallabies.

"I think Graham Henry's a wonderful coach... but it (last year's World Cup failure) would have been playing on people's minds," Eales told a luncheon in Sydney on Thursday.

"I think it adds a bit more pressure on him than it does on Robbie."

Henry has been keeping a low-profile in the build-up to the match, opting to keep his team in New Zealand until Thursday rather than travel earlier to Australia to acclimatise.

New Zealand have had mixed results in Australia when they have stayed at home to train before but stand-in captain Rodney So'oialo said it would not be a factor in this weekend's match.

"I don't think it matters too much. It's the mental side of it that matters," he told the New Zealand Press Association.

"Travelling later in the week is a good thing. It's not a big trip."

CLOSING GAP

Despite the criticism, New Zealand will still go into the match as slight favourites after winning six of their last seven tests against the Wallabies and holding the Bledisloe Cup for the past five seasons.

The Australians believe they are slowly closing the gap on their Trans-Tasman rivals.

They ended a sequence of five defeats with a 20-15 win in Melbourne last year and have shown encouraging signs of improvement this season as Deans ushers in a new generation of players.

Both teams will go into the match without their regular captains but it remains to be seen who will miss their leader the most.

Wallabies skipper Stirling Mortlock was ruled out after being concussed during last weekend's 16-9 win over South Africa in Perth, while Richie McCaw's planned return from an ankle injury was delayed until the All Blacks' next match.

Openside flanker George Smith will take over the Australian captaincy while rugby league convert Ryan Cross replaces Mortlock at outside centre.

Timanu Tahu, another former rugby league player, comes onto the bench for the first time, while giant lock Dan Vickerman was added to the reserves for Hugh McMeniman after returning from injury.

Daniel Braid will start at openside flanker for McCaw, who has been out of action since injuring himself against England last month.

Braid's last test appearance for the All Blacks was against Tonga at the 2003 World Cup. He is among five changes to the starting team that lost to the Springboks two weeks ago.

Lock Brad Thorn returns from suspension while prop Greg Somerville, wing Anthony Tuitavake and outside centre Richard Kahui were also recalled.

Teams: 15-Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14-Peter Hynes, 13-Ryan Cross, 12-Berrick Barnes, 11-Lote Tuqiri, 10-Matt Giteau, 9-Luke Burgess, 8-Wycliff Palu, 7-George Smith (captain), 6-Rocky Elsom, 5-Nathan Sharpe, 4-James Horwill, 3-Al Baxter, 2-Stephen Moore, 1-Benn Robinson

Australia:

Replacements: 16-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17-Matt Dunning, 18-Dan Vickerman, 19-Phil Waugh, 20-Sam Cordingley, 21-Timana Tahu, 22-Drew Mitchell

New Zealand: 15-Mils Muliaina, 14-Anthony Tuitavake, 13-Richard Kahui, 12-Ma'a Nonu, 11-Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10-Dan Carter, 9-Andy Ellis, 8-Jerome Kaino, 7-Daniel Braid, 6-Rodney So'oialo (captain), 5-Ali Williams, 4-Brad Thorn, 3-Greg Somerville, 2-Andrew Hore, 1-Tony Woodcock

Replacements: 16-Keven Mealamu, 17-John Afoa, 18-Anthony Boric, 19-Sione Lauaki, 20-Jimmy Cowan, 21-Stephen Donald, 22-Conrad Smith

http://www.supersport.co.za/rugby/article.aspx?headline=Henry%20under%20pressure%20ahead%20of%20Aus%20clash&id=262888

Not only will both captains be missed for their leadership but also for the impact role they play. Richie Mccaw is often considered the best loose forward in the world and his work at the breakdown is invaluable for New Zealand. Likewise, Stirling Mortlock has the ability to change the game in Australias way with his bull-dozing runs often breaking the opposition's defensive line, as seen in last weeks game against the Springboks, where one such break resulted in a try for the outside centre. 

Saturday's game will be significant for the coaches of both teams. Wallaby coach Robbie Deans is coming up against his home country's team for the first time, as well as many of the players he coached for 6 seasons at the Canterbury Crusaders. He is also facing the man he was overlooked for as All Blacks coach and is no doubt hoping to prove that the New Zealand Rugby head honchos made a mistake in passing on his proven coaching success. Graham Henry on the other hand is hoping to show that he was worth retaining as the All Blacks coach, especially in the face of reports that the obsessive New Zealand rugby fans are still livid with the choice of Henry over fan favourite Deans.

There will be an even more interesting clash of talent on the field when New Zealand's Dan Carter faces Australia's Matt Giteau. These two are considered the premier flyhalves in the world at the moment and both will be out to prove their worth. Giteau especially will be interesting to watch, with this year being the first time he has consistently played in the pivotal position for Australia after years of playing outside Wallaby flyhalf stalwart Steve Larkham. Both are exciting players to watch and their clash will be a highlight of the Sydney match. 

The All Blacks have lost some of their aura as the team to beat after the disappointment of last years World Cup and the loss to the Springboks at their "House of Pain" two weeks ago. Australia on the other hand have proven many critics wrong with their forwards picking up the slack recently, especially in the scrum, and were able to keep world champions South Africa tryless last week in Perth. The Wallabies are hungry to regain the Bledisloe Cup this year, with them last claiming it back in 2002, and will be looking to assert themselves in the first of four Bledisloe matches to be played this year. They are riding high from last weeks win and playing in front of a Sydney home crowd should be enough to push them over the edge. 

Outside the Frame prediction: Australia by 5

Wallaby Squad:

Run on: Adam Ashley-Cooper, Peter Hynes, Ryan Cross, Berrick Barnes, Lote Tuqiri, Matt Giteau, Luke Burgess, Wycliff Palu, George Smith (c), Rocky Elsom, Nathan Sharpe, James Horwill, Al Baxter, Stephen Moore, Benn Robinson. Reserves: Tatafu Polota-Nau, Matt Dunning, Dan Vickerman, Phil Waugh, Sam Cordingley, Timana Tahu, Drew Mitchell.

All Black Squad:

Run on: Tony Woodcock, Andrew Hore, Greg Somerville, Brad Thorn, Ali Willliams, Rodney So'oialo, Daniel Braid, Jerome Kaino, Andy Ellis, Dan Carter, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Ma'a Nonu, Richard Kahui, Anthony Tuitavake, Mils Muliaina. Reserves: Keven Mealamu, John Afoa, Anthony Boric, Sione Lauaki, Jimmy Cowan, Stephen Donald, Conrad Smith.

... is no ordinary storm." MetService spokesman Brian Kreft said.

The pressure is expected to drop to 970 hPa. It's interesting to feel the calm before the storm. Actually, it was quite a nice morning. Himself commented how the hazy cloud cover has been gradually filling in this afternoon.  The media weather pundits have issued the expected weather warnings place and have noted the  destructive potential of the winds. We've battened down what we can and put away objects that might take flight. We sold our cattle last week so there's no worries if it floods. This is not the only stormy event gripping New Zealanders' attention this weekend.

There's another no ordinary trans-Tasman storm brewing. The clash between the All Blacks and the Wallabies this weekend. The perfect storm. Sporting rivalry will be thrashed out in Sydney. It's being billed as the show-down between two rugby coaches. Graham Henry is the national coach of the All Blacks. Robbie Deans - was a popular Kiwi regional rugby coach. The Aussies have made him their own and christened him 'Dingo' Deans. He now coaches the Aussie rugby team, the Wallabies. National opinion is heated and fills the air-waves. Rugby fans here continue to be divided about Henry's reappointment as coach to the All Blacks after the debacle at the World Cup in France when the All Blacks were unexpectedly trounced in the quarter-finals. Fans wanted heads to roll. Many wanted Deans to be our national coach in the lead up to the next Rugby World Cup in NZ in 2011. As things go, Deans flew across the Tasman and is now adulated by the Aussies. The deepening pressure before this rugby game is as intense as the tropical 'no ordinary storm'. Heaven help us if the 'no ordinary storm' takes out the national grid and disrupts the televised broadcast!

And we have a seven year old grandson's birthday party to attend on Saturday - at a time predicted to be the height of the weather bomb! It'll be interesting driving there. The back country road where our son lives with his family is prone to slips and floods. We may not get there. Have I mentioned my poor neglected vegetable garden? At least the drainage is still happening. At least plants are growing because the temperatures are relatively benign. Our weekend is shaping up to be quite eventful. 

I've been thinking about seeing the Dark Knight tomorrow. I'm really amped to see it but Ks got a script to work on and it'll seem weird seeing it without her. Of course I could see it myself then see it with her when she's free but I guess that seems kinda wrong.

I do have the All Blacks/Wallabies game to look forward to on Saturday night, or as its being portrayed Henry vs Deans. I actually wanted Deans to be appointed coach last year as I had a feeling we, as in NZ, would lose him if he wasn't but I'm not bitter that he wasn't appointed. I'm firmly behind the All Blacks though I do have a sneaking suspicion that we're going to lose this one tomorrow. I have a vision of a Giteau drop goal with seven minutes to go putting the Aussies ahead. Whatever the case, the game should be a cracker :)

Und zwar am morgigen Samstag! So zumindest schreibt die Presse. Diese Wochen gab es schon 7 Meter Wellen an der Westküste, nun kommt also der große Sturm über ganz Neuseeland! Angeblich gibts eine geschlossene Wolkendecke vom australischen Darwin bis nach Neuseeland, das dürfte um die 4000 km weit sein!

Ist etwas unpraktisch, da morgen ja auch Brittas nächstes Volleyballspiel ist, in Manukau City, im Süden Aucklands. Mal sehen wie das so wird, ob wir heil über die Brücke und wieder zurück kommen!

Auf jeden Fall werden wir heute abend noch Kerzen bereitlegen, man weiß ja nie, ein Stromausfall dürfte ja schon sehr wahrscheinlich sein. Dummerweise ist ja morgen abend das Rugbyspiel All Blacks vs. Wallabies, also Neuseeland gegen Australien, die Erzfeinde schlechthin! Das will ich freilich nicht verpassen, Sturm hin oder her! ;-)

Wer größeres Interesse am Wetter hat, der kann ja mal auf der neuseeländischen Wetterseite nachschauen, am besten so Freitag abend, da dürfte es losgehen. :-)

Sturmschäden haben wir nicht zu befürchten, momentan wohnen wir ja noch zur Miete, und die Abnahme unseres neuen Hauses ist erst nächste Woche, perfekt!

I got a great freebie the other day. Two silver tickets to the Bledisloe Cup this Saturday night!

A friend here at work one them in a raffle and couldn't make it. So I am the beneficiery of his double-booked diary.

Adri and I will be heading to ANZ stadium tomorrow night, and at least one of us are looking forward to the All Blacks getting smashed by the Wallabies!

(Then home in time to watch Cadel take out the TT in le Tour! It will be a great night to be Australian!)

Don't forget training on TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS 7.00pm up at Sunnyfields. New players especially welcome. For more information contact First XV Captain Rick Bartram on 07762749023.

Ufficializzato in queste ore il calendario del Groupama Super10 2008/09. L'ottimo quinto posto conquistato dalla truppa di Brunello e Brizzante non è valso un inizio di stagione morbido per i Bersaglieri, che nelle prime due giornate dovranno ricevere l'ospitalità petrarchina al "Plebiscito", quindi affrontare sul terreno di gioco di Viale Alfieri i Campioni d'Italia del Cammi Calvisano. In rapida successione i rossoblu saranno poi impegnati nel fondamentale dittico con le parimenti ambiziose Gran (a Parma) e Capitolina (in casa). Il primo stop di stagione vedrà quindi Rovigo prepararsi alla trasferta parmigiana contro il CariParma di Cavinato, prima del doppio impegno casalingo contro due delle semifinaliste della passata stagione, Viadana e Treviso. Previsto alla penultima di andata il derby tra ex-rossoblu Bordon vs Brunello e Brizzante in quel di Roma, prima dell'impegno al "Battaglini" contro il rinnovato Venezia-Mestre all'ultima giornata, il giorno dell'Epifania.

Anche quest'anno il massimo campionato italiano di rugby sarà disputato a singhiozzo, a causa degli impegni europei delle squadre di club e dei confronti novembrini (test-matches) e primaverili (6 Nazioni) della nazionale italiana.

A chiudere, una curiosità: per la seconda volta dopo 21 anni la finalissima del campionato italiano di rugby verrà disputata allo Stadio "Flaminio" di Roma. Una contingenza che non può non ricordare il felice esito rossoblu, nella prima finale scudetto disputata nella cornice del glorioso stadio romano...

GROUPAMA ASSICURAZIONI SUPER 10 2008/09:

1^ Giornata - 13-09-2008/11-01-2009:
Gran - Treviso
Calvisano - Roma
Petrarca - Rovigo
Capitolina - CariParma
VeneziaMestre - Viadana

2^ Giornata - 20-09-2008/28-03-2009:
Treviso - VeneziaMestre
Roma - Gran
Rovigo - Calvisano
Cariparma - Petrarca
Viadana - Capitolina

3^ Giornata - 27-09-2008/04-04-2009:
Viadana - Treviso
Gran - Rovigo
Petrarca - Roma
Capitolina - Calvisano
VeneziaMestre - CariParma

4^ Giornata - 04-10-2008/11-04-2009:
Treviso - Petrarca
Calvisano - Gran
Roma - VeneziaMestre
Rovigo - Capitolina
CariParma - Viadana

5^ Giornata - 25-10-2008/18-04-2009:
Capitolina - Treviso
Petrarca - Gran
Viadana - Roma
VeneziaMestre - Calvisano
CariParma - Rovigo

6^ Giornata - 01-11-2008/22-04-2009:
Treviso - CariParma
Gran - VeneziaMestre
Roma - Capitolina
Calvisano - Petrarca
Rovigo - Viadana

7^ Giornata - 29-11-2008/26-04-2009:
Rovigo - Treviso
Capitolina  - Gran
CariParma - Roma
Viadana - Calvisano
VeneziaMestre - Petrarca

8^ Giornata - 20-12-2008/02-05-2009:
Calvisano - Treviso
Gran - CariParma
Roma - Rovigo
Petrarca - Viadana
VeneziaMestre - Capitolina

9^ Giornata - 06-01-2008/09-05-2009:
Treviso - Roma
Viadana - Gran
CariParma - Calvisano
Rovigo - VeneziaMestre
Capitolina - Petrarca

Semifinali:
16 e 23 Maggio 2009

Finale, Stadio "Flaminio", Roma:
30 Maggio 2009

Nella foto:
una veduta dal satellite dello Stadio "Flaminio", sede della finale scudetto del Super10 2008/09.

Sempre online la petizione promossa da RugbyRovigo.blog per dire NO allo spostamento del monumento di Cesare Zancanaro dedicato a Mario ‘Maci’ Battaglini nella rotatoria di Viale Porta Adige a Rovigo, deliberato dal Comune di Rovigo.

Troverete la petizione da leggere e firmare cliccando qui:
http://www.petitiononline.com/maci/petition.html

In anticipation of the worst, I'd psyched myself up for an operation as I figured some wobbling wasn't right, right?  Apparently not!  Consultant man did a few tests, including one test where the upper and lower leg are moved in opposition.  The gammy knee was pretty bad on this but then the Prof moved to my (apparently) non gammy knee and found that although minor, this knee also slid around a bit on the test.  Conclusion? I have freaky knees.

The other thing that the consultation revealed is that my physio is a grass. I'd confided to him that I'd twatted my knee whilst moshing to 'Baggy Trousers' wearing high heels on rugby tour.  Physio man, lovely though he is, had actually written this (pretty much word for word) into his report so my Consultant read it out, put the letter down, sighed, raised his eyebrows...but then admitted Baggy Trousers was indeed a top tune. Whatta guy!

The upshot anyway, of all the prodding and testing, is that Consultant man wants me to keep on with physio and get back into rugby training. Good to have no op, but mixed feelings about this.

One part of me = Slightly scared by the thought of bundling, as I've not done any rugger since November 2007.  Gulp.

The other part of me = Ecstatic that I can go and KICK SOME ASS again.  Can't wait to pile in.

So, I guess time will tell and come August, when we start contact training, the knee will be properly tested.  The Prof says I have to contact him again in September to let him know how I get on.  Here's seriously hoping that the knee stands up to it - otherwise, it's deffo operation time and that just freaks me OUT!

The last time the ABs lost two in a row was during the Tri-Nations series of 2004. In August of that year New Zealand were beaten by Australia in Sydney and then thumped by the Boks, five tries to two, in Jo’burg the following week. (Those were the days when the Springboks knew how to score tries.)

An All Black losing streak is about as common as a leap year and they don’t last long. After their last pair of losses the ABs bounced back winning their next 7 games in emphatic fashion, scoring 44 tries while conceding just 6. And three of those wins came against the British Lions.

Incidentally, the last time the Wallabies lost two in a row was in 2006. Like this season, that was a nine game Tri-Nations series. Australia lost all three of their matches to New Zealand but managed to beat South Africa twice. However, they came off the rails towards the end of the series losing to the ABs in Auckland on 19 August then losing their next match against the Boks in Jo’burg on 9 September. Unlike the ABs, they didn’t bounce back well. Their next few games included a draw to Wales, a slight win over Italy, and then a thumping from Ireland.

And what of South Africa? How far to we have to go back to find a losing streak for the current "World Champions"? We need only look back to last year’s Tri-Nations where the Boks managed to lose not two but three matches in a row, a feat unmatched by their SANZAR rivals in the current century.

You may recall that the 2007 Tri-Nations was a disastrous tournament for South Africa. Questions were raised as to their style and standard of play. Then, just as the knives were being plunged into Jake White’s back, the sun broke through the clouds of doubt and South Africa scraped wins over a host of other B-teams to win the Rugby World Cup in November. It was a brilliant end to a mediocre season.

Lately a few of our readers have made the audacious claim that the Boks have a legitimate claim to being the world’s number one team. This claim is made in spite of the farcical methods currently used to determine this ranking.

But one way to assess championship qualities is to consider losing streaks – how frequently do they occur and how long do they run. Most would agree that the mark of a true champion is the avoidance of losing streaks. Champions lose only occasionally but losers lose regularly. If we apply the "losing streak test" to the Springboks, then the evidence suggests that they perhaps more lucky than deserving.

Since 2000 the Boks have had no fewer than 10 losing streaks. In contrast, the Wallabies, even with their annus horribilis of 2005, have had just six while the All Blacks – you can probably guess what I’m going to say next – have had just one.

And all this makes Saturday’s game particularly historic.

Not only do we have the much-hyped rivalry between the world’s top two rugby coaches, not only do we have Trans-Tasman bragging rights up for grabs, but we have the possibility of a rare losing streak for the world’s best team.

That was in 1998 when Singapore won the Asian Rugby Championships Plate competition, also known as the Second Division title of the biennial event, by beating Sri Lanka 25-13 in the final at the National Stadium.

If you are a rugby fan, you would understand why that triumph was so precious to Singapore rugby.

It was the first time the Republic had ever won a piece of Asian rugby silverware, and it also came a year after Singapore recorded its first international win, a 21-10 win over Malaysia, in more than a decade (I kid you not).

Before all that, the 1980s right up to the the mid-1990s was a pretty bleak period for the sport, which in turn were a huge contrast to the golden years from 1978 to 1982. 

The Republic had finished third in the 1978 Asian Championships, a triumph that subsequently landed national coach Natahar Bava the Singapore National Olympic Council's  Coach of the Year Award and skipper Song Koon Poh - arguably Singapore's best player ever - the Sportsman of the Year Award.

That year also saw Singapore winning the Malaysian Rugby Union (MRU) Cup. Bava and Song then repeated that MRU triumph in 1982. (Note: the MRU Cup was rugby's equivalent of the Malaysia Cup. It featured the Malaysian state sides, Singapore and a team from the New Zealand Armed Forces based in Singapore in the 1970s).

But it all went to pieces after that as Singapore slumped into a decade-long losing streak on the international stage.

Singapore rugby then hit an all-time low at the 1994 Asian Championships in Kuala Lumpur. That was where the Republic crashed to a world record 13-164 loss to Hong Kong. ( I am not able to confirm if the score has been surpassed since. Can anyone help?)

But things started to pick up when the Singapore Rugby Union (SRU) hired Australian Peter Randall as its chief executive and tasked him to turn the sport around. 

Randall took three years to do that.

By 1998, the cash-strapped NSA had been transformed into a 20-strong corporation operating on a $2.5 million annual budget. More than 4,000 people and 140 schools were also playing the game by 1998, the result of the SRU's tireless efforts to promote the non-contact versions of the game to non-playing schools and to the public.

But regardless of all this, Singapore rugby still needed that major triumph on the international level to show that it had finally arrived. 

That triumph finally came in the 1998 Asian Rugby Championships.

So, as a rugby fan who grew up on stories of the exploits of Natahar Bava's men, it was really a moment to savour when national skipper Terence Khoo walked up the National Stadium steps, received the Asian Championships plate and then held it up in front of 7,000 supporters. 

Singapore rugby has lost some momentum and shine in recent years.

Although it successfully defended the Division Two title two years later, Singapore's ambitions of being one of Asia's top-four rugby-playing nations in the past eight years has been checked by the emergence of the Arabian Gulf, Kazakhstan (both of whom joined the Asian Rugby Football Union family in 2000) and China.

(Piece of rugby trivia: Incidentally, China made its international debut in 1997 against Singapore. That historic match was held at the National Stadium, by the way, and beamed live worldwide. Singapore easily won 33-3.)

In fact, Singapore was not part of the inaugural HSBC Asian Five Nations competition held in April. The competing countries were Japan, South Korea, the Arabian Gulf, Kazakhstan and Hong Kong. Instead, Singapore is in Division One with Taiwan, Sri Lanka and China.

Singapore rugby is also still undergoing a period of rebuilding after being rocked by that financial scandal in 2005 which saw former SRU employee Sean Lee absconding after siphoning $1.2 million from its coffers. Lee's whereabouts are still unknown today.

I am certain though that the SRU will find soon itself on steady ground once again under the stewardship of Low Teo Ping, who took over the SRU presidency from Dr Chan Peng Mun in the aftermath of that financial crisis.

But even so, I don't think Singapore rugby is ever going to match those heady days of the late 90s which culminated in that 1998 win at the National Stadium.

The fact that I got to witness that moment is why that moment is on my list of top five memories of the National Stadium.

Yours in sport

Singapore Sports Fan

P.S: You can read about the history of Singapore rugby here. However, I have to say that I am surprised that the Singapore Rugby Union is only using 1995 as its starting point. Whatever happened to the rich history of the previous decades before that? Why no mention of the 1978 Asian Championships, of Natahar Bava and Song Koon Poh winning the SNOC awards, of Singapore winning the MRU Cup etc? No mention of how Song Koon Poh generated a maelstorm of controversy by joining an international group of rebels to tour South Africa, then actively practising its aprthied polices and ostracised by the rest of the world?  Tsk, tsk.

Related links:

23 July: Remembering the Grand Old Dame of Kallang?