Aussie Rules: A game of gulls, small shorts and bouncing balls on a cricket pitch
October 4, 2008, 10:38 am
Filed under:
Aussie Rules | Tags:
Australia,
Aussie Rules,
AFL,
Hawthorn Hawks,
Geelong Cats,
MCG,
Melbourne,
Sport,
Grand finalBy Te Waha Nui’s weird Australian sports correspondents (Angela Beswick, Paul Harper and Wesley Monts)
Last Saturday our nation gathered around screens in pubs and living rooms across the country to see the Warriors fall to Manly in the NRL semifinal.
Hours earlier 100,012 fans of a different sort gathered in a stadium in Melbourne to watch a very different sport.
The ball was still oval, but then so was the field. The players wore singlets and the tiniest of shorts. The game was Aussie Rules and this was the AFL Grand Final. (more…)
Warriors advanced in the most complicated finals system ever!
September 19, 2008, 9:59 pm
Filed under:
Rugby League | Tags:
New Zealand,
Australia,
Warriors,
Rugby League,
NRL,
Roosters,
Storm,
Broncos,
Sharks,
Raiders,
Sea Eagles,
DragonsAlthough I’m not the hugest league fan, I am quickly becoming one. Watching the Warriors in the last few months striving their way to the finals has provided more excitement than the Air New Zealand Cup. The team’s exploits are the best advertisements a sport could have. One week on from taking down Melbourne, the Warriors topped that victory with a fantastic come from behind win against Sydney to win 30-13 and advance to the next round against Manly. The headlines have been priceless, “Warriors weather Storm” and “Warriors cook chooks”, so I cannot wait to see what we will be said if the Warriors beat the Sea Eagles.
So league is definitely looking good in my books (sexual assault allegations and defections aside). But what the hell is with the play off system? Does anyone understand it?
(more…)
Good week to be a Kiwi sports fan!
September 14, 2008, 11:23 pm
Filed under:
Motorsport,
Rugby,
Rugby League | Tags:
All Blacks,
Australia,
Bledisloe Cup,
Indycar,
League,
Melbourne Storm,
Michael Witt,
New Zealand,
Rugby,
Scott Dixon,
Tri Nations,
Wallabies,
WarriorsFirst New Zealander Scott Dixon wraps up the Indycar Championship on Monday, capping off an incredible season. Then the All Blacks retain the two most important trophies in Southern hemisphere rugby, with a brilliant 28-24 comeback win in Brisbane. Then the Warriors do the unthinkable and topple favourites Melbourne in the NRL 18-15, to go through to play the Roosters at home next weekend. Not a bad week of sports at all.
What was impressive about the Warriors and the All Blacks was how they won. The All Blacks fell behind with the Wallabies scoring on both sides of half time and the Australians could have run away with the game. But the New Zealanders just dug deeper and had more to offer than the Australians, who lost their momentum. The Australians looked like they had no answer, despite knowing what we were going to do! It looked edgy when the Wallabies scored late, but we held on for a deserved win. Despite early hiccups in the competition, the All Blacks were easily the best and most consistent team in the Tri Nations. With so many talented players playing overseas at the moment, the future of New Zealand rugby is looking bright, especially considering some of the skilled players coming up domestically. Just wait till our Europe based players come home!
Level on points at half time, the Warriors always were in with a chance of causing the upset, but the safe money would be with the in form Storm. To use the cliche - someone obviously did not show the Warriors the script. They were staunch on defense repelling wave after wave of Storm attack, whilst at the other end, the Warriors came so close to scoring on several occasions. A drop goal with quarter of an hour to go looked like it would be enough for Melbourne to be victorious until an awesome break saw Michael Witt score in the 78 minute. First time ever that eighth place has beaten first in the NRL finals. Bring on the Roosters!
Despite what some may say, New Zealanders don’t choke on the big occasions, in these cases they knuckled down. Sure we might fall at the last hurdle sometimes, but that’s sports, you can’t win them all. But when you play with the determination and passion that both teams showed this weekend, you give yourself a good chance of coming away on top.
Handball? WTF!
August 23, 2008, 10:29 pm
Filed under:
Handball,
Olympics | Tags:
New Zealand,
Australia,
Olympics,
Handball,
Te Waha Nui,
Frank Stoltenberg,
Germany,
ScandanaviaIt is only every four years New Zealanders see the sport of handball on their televisions, with viewers split over whether its a great skillful entertaining sport, or bastard-game suited solely for 5th form PE. I would say I’ve moved from the latter to the former, particularly after speaking to the Secretary General of the New Zealand Handball Federation Frank Stoltenberg. Here is the full version (it got cut for space. Damned subs!) of the story I wrote for Te Waha Nui, on the sport of handball in New Zealand. (more…)
Thank God it’s Saturday!
August 16, 2008, 12:06 am
Filed under:
Athletics,
Cycling,
Olympics,
Rowing,
Rugby,
Sailing | Tags:
Alison Shanks,
All Blacks,
Australia,
Beatrice Faumuina,
Beijing,
Cape Town,
Evers-Swindell,
Hayden Roulston,
Mahe Drysdale,
New Zealand,
Nick Willis,
Olympics,
Rob Waddell,
South Africa,
Tri Nations,
Valerie Vili,
Wayne BarnesThe medal table’s looking bare and the trophy cabinet runs the risk of being cleared out. Tonight that could all change. New Zealand sportsmen and women in Beijing to Cape Town are carrying the weight of a nation. Hopes are high, but so are the stakes. New Zealand is currently engaged in the four yearly “where are the medals?” debate and only several successes tonight will ease the nation’s collective anxiety. So what are our chances? (more…)
Oh yeah, the Olympics are on!
August 15, 2008, 10:37 pm
Filed under:
Equestrian,
Football,
General Sports,
Hockey,
Olympics,
Swimming | Tags:
Beijing,
China,
Equestrian,
Football,
Hockey,
Kiwi,
Michael Phelps,
Moss Burmeister,
New Zealand,
Olympics,
Rowing,
SwimmingHow damn slack am I? I’ve gone and started a sports blog and I haven’t posted once during the Olympics. I have been busy, I assure you, so let me catch up. This is what I would’ve been posting. (more…)
Now that’s what I’m talking about!
August 3, 2008, 2:50 am
Filed under:
Rugby | Tags:
All Blacks,
Auckland,
Australia,
Dan Carter,
Eden Park,
Graham Henry,
Ma'a Nonu,
Mils Muliana,
New Zealand,
Ritchie McCaw,
Robbie Deans,
Rugby,
South Africa,
Springboks,
Tana Umanga,
Tony Woodcock,
Tri Nations,
WallabiesAfter the disappointment of two consecutive losses, All Black fans will have enjoyed last night’s 29-point thrashing of the Wallabies even more. This time it was the Aussies who looked impotent, with no answer to New Zealand’s domination in all areas of the game. The return of Ritchie McCaw was vital, but all the players showed an increased urgency, particularly around the tackle. Tactically New Zealand was superior, and when the Wallabies returned after halftime following a poor first half, they had no idea how to get back into the game. Graham Henry has had a hard time recently, but this performance reflects very well on him. As the game came to an end you could see what it meant to him. (more…)
Sonny Bill on the run… this time not on the field
July 28, 2008, 7:48 am
Filed under:
Rugby,
Rugby League | Tags:
All Blacks,
New Zealand,
France,
Rugby,
Wallabies,
Australia,
Sonny Bill Williams,
League,
Bulldogs,
Kiwis,
Laurie Daly,
Tana Umanga,
John Campbell,
ToulonSonny Bill Williams controversial departure from the Bulldogs for a $3million contract with Tana Umanga-coached French rugby side Toulon has provided the sport with yet another controversy. I am not by any means an expert on rugby league (but am keen to get someone who is to contribute to this blog), but his departure will leave a big hole in the sport and does nothing to improve the game’s appeal. The NRL have lost a crowd pleasing fan favourite and the New Zealand Kiwis have lost a future star. League followers must be now used to having the sports biggest stars leave the code for union, with the Wallabies the greatest benefactors of the switches. And as he is now a rugby player, he joins along list of New Zealand rugby players moving to Europe chasing the big dollars. So his move is nothing new in that respect. It is the way he is has left that really irritates those who love the game. (more…)
First back to back defeats since…
July 27, 2008, 3:59 am
Filed under:
Rugby | Tags:
All Blacks,
Australia,
Dan Carter,
Graham Henry,
Mils Muliana,
New Zealand,
Ritchie McCaw,
Robbie Deans,
Sitivini Sitivatu,
South Africa,
Sprinboks,
Sydney,
Tri Nations,
Wallabies2004 apparently. Seems like ages ago. All Blacks fans are used to their team winning, so following the defeat the the Boks in Dunedin, last nights 35-19 loss to Australia in Sydney is likely to cause fans to reevaluate the belief that the All Blacks are invincible. New Zealand showed glimpses of great rugby, against a solid Wallaby side, but could not keep it up for the full eighty minutes. The Wallabies started far stronger, up 17-5 at half time, and finished far stronger. In the last half an hour the All Blacks threw away a 19-17 lead, with handling errors and poor tackling gifting the Wallabies a confidence boosting win and some valuable competition points. (more…)
Finally it’s here! Deans v Henry!
July 23, 2008, 9:33 am
Filed under:
Rugby | Tags:
All Blacks,
South Africa,
Springboks,
Graham Henry,
Rugby,
Wallabies,
Australia,
Robbie Deans,
Ritchie McCaw,
Stirling Mortlock,
Ryan Cross,
Sydney,
Ali Williams,
Reuben Thorne,
Berrick Barnes,
Richard Kahui,
Conrad SmithTo be honest I don’t really care who coaches Australia. I will care if he turns them around and makes them competitive in 2011, but I think it takes more than a coach to make a team great. A coach can only work with what he’s got, and Deans only has so much to work with at the moment. There are a lot of gaps in the Aussie team, particularly up front and not as much depth as they would like. Historically New Zealand have had incredibly depth, but are also tested at the moment, with so many great players gone overseas. Thankfully this match we will have Williams and Thorne back as locking partners which, especially as McCaw looks as though he won’t be back, gives us some of the experience we missed against South Africa in Dunedin.
So with Australia seeing off the Boks last week, what can we expect in Sydney on Saturday? (more…)
underground
