What’s that Skip? Wendell’s stuck under the table?



 It seems like the whole country is suffering from a collective post – Lions hangover. You go to the pub – there’s no-one there. You go to watch the sports news – what’s the point? You can reach out and touch the listlessness with your hand. But hang on… there’s a Tri Nations to play, and while everyone’s trying hard to feign indifference, underneath it all, we can’t wait to see if that magic in Wellington (and Christchurch to a lesser extent) can be recreated against the old enemies.

We were too busy arguing about the flat back line last year to care, and it was one of the more mediocre tournaments in a competition that has more same-ness to it every year (can’t wait for that extra round). After a year together, we’ll get to see what this potentially ‘special’ All Black side is made of.

And it’s great to see the Wallabies responding to the threat of a resugent South Africa and ominous New Zealand by getting on the piss…

Poor show

With all due respect to the ICC, what a bunch of dickheads they are. It’s a disgrace that ANYONE is even CONTEMPLATING playing sport in Zimbabwe under its present regime, let alone forcing our young cricketers to play there as though nothing is happening. The ICC has been holding a broken gin bottle to Martin Sneddon’s throat during this whole business, and the repercussions for not touring really did seem like they’d set the game back several years in NZ through no fault of our own.

And the players are stuck in the middle. Would YOU want to go to Zimbabwe right now? As a high profile sportsman who may be a target for nutters, or tacitly approving of Mugabe by your presence there? No bloody thanks. In that environment, even a Josh – style personal protest could be dangerous for you and your team mates.

Good on Helen Clark and the NZ Government for getting involved – but the ICC’s policies have made it almost impossible to take action short of putting the players on house arrest. The ICC should be less concerned with getting their photos taken with Warney and Punter at Lords, and more concerned with joining the 21st century. Heads out of the sand, chaps. Good show.
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Lions tour – in cartoon form!

I sat down one day and made a ‘cartoon’ about Clive Woodward and what a goose he is. Then I sent it to Bart, who put it on his site. I was stoked, so I did a couple more. You can see them here, here and here on thesilverfern.co.nz, or click on the pics for my Flickr site below – there’s a few photos from the rugby there, too.


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Ahoy Captain

Richie McCaw is a legend. This interview on the eve of the Lions series see him, as always, being blunt, frank and honest, and contains one ‘shit’ and one ‘piss’ – it’s great to see the All Black tradition of foul language hasn’t been stamped out just yet. It’s also fantastic to hear no talk of ‘visions’, ‘facilitation’ or ‘implementation’. This guy is a breath of fresh air, and so vital, not just to this series, but for New Zealand rugby overall. I was happy to see during the recent trial match the cameraman picked out a group of three non-playing All Blacks watching the game – Tana, Anton, and Richie, the current, a former and the future All Black captains standing around talking shit. Richie is a smart guy, and he’s learning from the guys that have been there before. I hope that if we are to lift the World Cup in 2007 and 2011 that it’s our #7 and captain that gets to lift it first.
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Flem clears out

I’ll make a disclosure here – I think Stephen Fleming is bloody fantastic. He came into the team as a young batsman with an elegant style of timing the ball to the boundary that reminded me of David Gower, one of the most gifted batsmen to have played the game. Flem has blossomed into arguably the best test and one day captain playing the game today. He’s given us moments of genius such as the way he sussed out Graeme Smith in the recent series here against South Africa, and of course the way he played the series that may be his finest hour, the tour to Australia in 2002. Recently he has fulfilled his promise with the bat, turning into the run machine we hoped he’d become. Flem’s only trophy is the ICC cup from that year, and I’d bet he would love to win some more before he leaves the international stage. An Australian Tri-series would be fantastic, or a test series win against the Ockers (let’s face it, it’s all about the Aussies). Fleming’s records today (most test runs for NZ and passing RJ Hadlee’s record of 86 test matches) consolidate his position as one of our best ever. Long may he continue.

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Fergie’s fledglings – where are they now?

Living in London during the 1999 treble season for Manchester United with a rabid red and a sky decoder, I watched most of the games shown on the way to the treble. The team was built on Fergusson’s youth FA Cup winning team of Giggs, Beckham, Scholes, and the Nevilles, along with the awesome spine of Schmicheal, Staam and Keane, who made the journeymen Johnson, Cole and Yorke’s jobs a lot easier. There were some classic moments and matches, such as the comeback in Turin, Giggs’ goal against Arsenal, and of course the Nou Camp. This article looks at why the wonder boys seem almost all washed up, and why they only won one European crown (which has always been Fergie’s greatest ambition). Still, even the most ardent member of the anti – united brigade (and it’s a big brigade) have to admit the ’99 team was a bit special.

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All Blacks are back – in the bad books

What a disappointment. The good feeling created after the carisbrook test (or just the first half) has disappeared, and the NZ public is back in a familiar position – on the backs of the coach. The of the backline formation that put Carlos Spencer, the best player in space in the world in the middle of a traffic jam has to be questioned, and the forward power that promised so much has limply disappeared.

We were out-smarted in Sydney and out-muscled in Johannesburg, and we’re calling from changes, but who is going to replace the men we have? There are one or two who may be past their used by date (it really does look like curtains for poor old Justin Marshall), but remember that we have McCaw and Robinson to return, to bolster the pack, and we still have largely the same backline that ran riot through last year’s Tri Nations. The league style backline might have to go, and a long term option at first five found, but remember that now is the time to be experimenting – not in France in three year’s time.

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Tottenham’s brave new world

Vive le revolution. The new regime of Santini, Arnesen and Jol promises much, but Tottenham fans are all too used to fresh starts and false dawns. There were promising signs when the first signings were defensive midfielders, something the team has cried out for too many years, but then the transfers largely dried up. Arnesen is renowned as a talent spotter and a couple of youngsters have been added, but presumably they won’t go into the first team for some time. The side looks alarmingly similar to the underachiving model of last year, so the pressure will be on Santini right from the start. Missing out on Davids was a blow, a couple of big names in midfield and defence would have had us breathing a little easier.

It seems we have to be patient again, and put our faith in three men new to the premiership. Their credentials are impressive, but it seems there are a number of factors that need to gel for improvement to come about. Spurs fans just want for the team to rise above the midtable position we’ve been occupying for a number of years, show some fight and just maybe to show the style and flair we miss so much.

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