Hot Tattooed Rugga Alert

After sighting a rather nice looking tattoo on a Springbok player last night, this morning I decided to investigage further....  And oh, did I EVER reap the rewards.

Introducing, Francois Hougaard, in all his tattooed hawtness.

Need I say more??????

Bring Back Zac! & Quade (??!)

Don't worry Zac - I'm sad that you aren't
in the All Blacks squad as well...

Gone are the calls of 'Bring back Buck' - and here are the calls of 'Bring back Zac!'... because quite frankly, Hosea Gear is craptastic at what he does in the #11 jersey.  I can't count how many times he dropped the ball on Saturday night, how many times he was in the wrong place at the right time, how many wrong angles he ran, or the fact that he missed a try that he would have got had he been more awesome.  Y'know.  More like Zac.  Had Hosea actually been Zac on that night, he would have sidestepped and ran more infield, rather than allowing himself to be splattered by a Wallaby defender.

Bring.  Back.  Zac.

NOW.

SUTFM
- Squashed Up Toad Face Man

The inaugural Rugby Championship is underway - the All Blacks (as one would expect) beat the Wallabies on Saturday night.  It wasn't exactly an exciting game, there weren't exactly thousands of points scored - but you could see that although the All Blacks weren't playing at their peak, they were still miles ahead of the Wallabies as far as class, talent and ability goes.  It was almost embarrassing seeing how badly some of the Wallabies played - naturally one thinks of Kurtley Beale.. that squashed up toad face of a man had a horrendous game, and I would like to think that the Australian coaches will acknowledge that and kick his ass out of the team for this weekends match in Auckland.  He was the reason the All Blacks scored their two tries - and generally ran circles around their so called 'tough' opponents.

Squashed up toad face's shockingly poor effort obviously leads us to expect that New Zealand's favourite son will be called into the team.  That's right.  Quade Cooper.  We all know that the Kiwi crowds LOVE him... OH WAIT, that's right - they actually hate him.  I still remember very clearly all the booing throughout the All Blacks v Wallabies semi final match at the RWC last year...  Quade had a shocking performance that night - and literally from the kick off, where he kicked the ball out on the full.  It really set the tone for the evening.  Australia sucking.  Crowd hating on Quade.  All Blacks kicking some major ass.  One of my fondest moments of that game - and quite possibly every New Zealander's favourite part of that game was the infamous QUADE SMASH........

Lets...

See...

That...

AGAIN!!!!!

Best.  Game.  Ever.

Try celebrations, AB's style!

Izzy is very proud of his buddy, CJ!

Back on the subject of this past weekends game though... While most players had a pretty average game, Izzy Dagg had a great game and ran in his 9th try as an All Black (in, I believe, 15 tests)... He also made the quick, snappy, brilliant pass that allowed CJ to slot in for a 'very CJ' try.  Izzy was an obvious choice for man of the match - and he certainly deserved the honour...  In an article (one of many) about the game, he said "I just had to back myself. It's something I haven't been doing much [lately]."  He might not be backing himself, but I can guarantee that the whole of New Zealand is backing him - I have a feeling it's going to be an awesome series for Mr Dagg... he was certainly at his explosive best on Saturday, and surely that'll only get better the longer they're in camp & the more games they play!

As is always a nice thing to do, lets go out on a happy man lovey note

Yes Dan, we too are proud of Izzy!

Statisgasmic

My birthday is on September 22nd.  I am a Virgo.  By nature, Virgos are meant to be analytical (as well as organised, which as anyone who knows me knows - I am NOT)..  Every now and then, that little analytical streak in me comes out, and I have myself a statisgasm...  Similar to a nerdgasm, but more specific... more specialised.  Yes.  My brain 'gets off' to statistics.

As long as the statistics are interesting.
Sadly a lot aren't.

HOWEVER.  Rugby statistics.... they can cause multiple statisgasms.

(halfback) TJ Perenara scores a trie for the Hurricanes

For example... did you know that of the 559 tries scored (thus far) across all SuperXV teams, 360 were scored by backs, as opposed to only 199 scored by forwards - and that within the backs, 143 of their tries were scored by wings, with Center and Halfback scoring 84 and 74 respectively - with the fullback further back on 59.

'Snakey' scores at home, for the Hurricanes

As for WHEN tries are most often scored?  I can tell you they are most often scored at home, in the second half - most specifically between 41-60 minutes.  11 teams scored more tries at home, with 2 teams scoring the same amount of tries both at home and away.  NONE of the teams in the playoffs scored more tries away, than at home - so does this indicate that the teams playing at home for their quarter/semi/final have more of a likelihood of winning?  All teams in the playoffs have won a large majority of their home games.... (but then also a large majority of their away games also... so moot point?).

Tom Taylor on his way to 31 points
in one Super XV game (v Stormers)

When you get down to top points scorers, of the top 5, 3 are from New Zealand franchises - not surprisingly they are Cruden, Barrett and Tom Taylor.  Cruden and Barrett had a very similar number of penalties and conversions, however Tom Taylor had a substantially larger number of penalties.  Tom Taylor successfully kicked 15/17 conversions and 37/45 penalties - a strike rate of 84%
Aaron Cruden successfully kicked 35/44 conversions and 43/52 penalties - a strike rate of 81%
Beauden Barrett successfully kicked 35/51 conversions and 39/48 penalties - a strike rate of 75%.

I would love to be a rugby statistician!  Maybe if they offered rugby statistics at high school, I would have paid a tiny little bit of attention to maths.. because while I have never used Pythagorus' theorum (something to do with triangles?) since having to use it for pointless maths sessions at school, I quite often refer to my rugby statistics....  Come think of it - had they incorporated rugby into ALL of my subjects at school, I would quite possibly have been a little happier to stick around, rather than being in a hell of a rush to get out of there....  Now.  A PhD in rugby.. THAT would be pretty fucking awesome.........

East Stand.. Least Stand!

The fog sucked, but Gab had a good time!

I officially strongly dislike the East Stand at Addington Stadium (or AMI Stadium, whatever you wanna call it).  Both times I've sat there it has been foggy, both times there has been sweet fuck all action down that end of the field - and I have to say, the fact you don't get a good view of the Crusaders waming up, that also sours the deal a lot! 

Hello there, Mr Guildford!

I didn't realise how much I rely on watching the boys warm up, to get me into the rugby mood... it just wasn't the same on Saturday night!  Gaby and I went and watched the final round robin match of the Super XV - Crusaders vs Force, the first half was pretty exciting - the Crusaders scored four tries (Izzy, Sean Maitland, Andy Ellis & Matt Todd), but the second half was very much a bore.  The only points were down the opposite end of the field (to the Force), and most of the action happened down there as well...  A few times the teams were down our end of the field, but for the most part we were left squinting into the distance to see what was happening.

OMG some action down our end!

There is a quarter final here this weekend - the Crusaders vs Bulls, and I would love to go, but if they aren't going to open the West Stand, I don't think I will bother, because I'm not spending another game away from all the action.  And yes, admittedly away from watching the boys warm up!  I know it shouldn't be about perving on the few sexy dudes in the team - but whether it's right or not, it's a part of the appeal of rugby for ME...

I did get a few okay glimpses of Zaccy on Saturday night, but nothing compared to the other games I've been to, and it was a bit of a let down...  Gaby had a great time and made friends with the kids sitting next to us, and enjoyed getting high 5's from the creepy 'WooHoo Moment' gimps... I think for the first time Gaby enjoyed a game more than me!

Oh yea.  And rugby sucks without Lauriel sitting beside me.... *pouts*

Sonny Bill Williams: Media Whore

In half an hour there is going to be a press conference.  The focus of the presser, is no other than the money hungry media whore, that we know as one Sonny Bill Williams.

It is expected that Mr Money Bill Williams, is going to announce that he is leaving New Zealand (haaaaalelujahhhhh) to play rugby in Japan until the end of 2012 (earning him a cool 1.7mil), before going back to Australia - where he belongs, to play in the NRL in 2013 - for the Sydney Roosters (earning $650,000 a season).

I'd prefer he was playing for a Queensland team.  I quite like Sydney.

I guess the attention has been waning over here, so it's time to jump ship, go and create a media storm somewhere else, before jumping ship again and creating another media storm.... playing for a year or two & then creating another media storm by jumping ship again - maybe to play professional tennis, join a Russian ballet troupe, or attempt to qualify for the 2016 Chinese Olympic Gymnastic team...  IF his head hasn't been knocked off in a boxing match by then.

We can only hope it has been.

Another Rugby Date-NIght

School holidays are awesome for one reason, and one reason alone - and it's certainly not child related.  No.  School holidays mean that Lauriel and I get to spend some much needed time together.  June 30th arrived and I picked Lauriel up from the airport, a few hours later we dumped (I mean, dropped off) Gaby at my parents house and went to the Palms to get the bus out to Addington... for the RUGBY!

Date night!!!!

Yeap.  Our first night together - we could have gone to a nice restaurant, for a nice meal - followed by a movie, or perhaps a lovely moonlit stroll along the beach... But that is so not us.  Instead we went with Lauren, to see the Crusaders vs Hurricanes match - both more than excited about our seats in the second row of the west stand.

In other words, two rows back from where the Crusaders would do their warm up.....  Which is another way of saying optimal perving position!!!!

The game was close, but sadly the Crusaders lost (yes, I said that and meant it...), but I don't think that really mattered to either of us, as we were able to do more than our fair share of perving...

No Zac.. I don't mind at all, if you stand in front of me...

Mr McCaw.. do you realise you just made my fiancee explode?

Sure Zac.. pull your top up in front of me.. I don't care..

Mr McCaw!!  You just killed my fiancee!!!!!

What's good for the Captain, is good for the players...

Came. Soared. Kicked Ass.

Really - the picture says it all.

I don't really need to say more - but I will.  Putting it plainly, last night the All Blacks kicked Irelands ass, when they played the third & final test match in the Steinlager Series. 

The team celebrating their awesomeness
... but where the hell are DC and Zaccy????

I presumed the All Blacks would win - because, lets face it - the All Blacks always win, and very very very rarely is an All Blacks loss against a team other than South Africa or Australia.  However last weeks 22-19 scoreline did leave me a little concerned - but deep down I KNEW the AB's would win.  The game in Christchurch can be largely blamed on the weather I think - the cold, slippery ball, the cold, slippery ground, the cold, slippery players (hmmm...).  It came down to who kicked well, and who was in the right place at the right time.  Thank fuck the AB's had been in the right place at the right time (well, Dan Carter had been).   STILL.. the fact the AB's weren't putting forward their 1st string side did leave me a little worried - my guess was that there would be a 35-20 scoreline, in favour of the All Blacks.

Another sublime Smith offload

THAT pass from Cruden to SBW

I did not need to worry one tiny little bit, as it turned out.  From the beginning the All Blacks were the dominant team, particularly in the midfield, where Aaron Smith showed what a little pocket rocket he is - speedy passes, speedy running, an uncanny knack to find spaces...  The two Aaron's played extremely well together... and I do have to say that for the 30? minutes Aaron Cruden was on, he was ON FIRE, and looked as though he had been in the team for a matter of years and years and years - he wasn't quite Dan Carter, but shit.  That kid can play!!!  He had a particularly good connection with SBW - they linked up a lot, and one particular link up - a gorgeous little pass by Cruden, just before he hit the ground, led to SBW getting his first try of the 2012 AB's season.  That leads me to a despressing admission.  SBW also had a great game.  His offloads were sublime, and often led to tries or awesome little runs - infact I believe it was a chip kick by SBW that led to Izzy getting his try.

[try scoring] moves like Dagger

That leaves the perfect opening to talk about Izzy.  WHAT A GAME!  The man kicked and passed and ran like a pro - a mad feat, considering the fact he had a sore foot/ankle (not sure which).  Infact, literally seconds before he got his try, the commentators were saying that Izzy was in a bad way, and wouldn't be sticking around much longer.  NEK MINNIT he was running toward the tryline, then dived over for what was an awesome try.  When he stood up his did get up a little gingerly, but he stayed on for the rest of the game - much to the shock of everyone, I think. 

The only thing that could have made Izzy play any better, was having his right hand (well, right wing) man - Zaccy, on the field with him...

But don't get me started on that.

Ben Smith. *frowns*
That try should have been Zac's.  *frowns more*

Same Cane, try #1

Another player that did uberly well, was Sam Cane!!!!  Sam took the #7 position, whilst Richie moved to the #8 - and I have to say, it was a very good combination, and the way Mr McCaw played in #8, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was his natural position.  But Sam.  Two tries on his run-on debut, a lot of good running and passing...  I have a feeling that one Mr McCaw would have been very proud of how his protégé played... When Sam came off he got a rather loud ovation from the crowd, and rightly so.  He played his 20yo ass off.

Interesting to note as well, that three of the best players of the match were Chiefs boys, and that 5 of the 9 tries scored, were also by Chiefs players (two of them, Cane & SBW, each scoring twice).

Out with the old, in with the new.
Fuck off Piri.  Aaron Smith is here to stay.

Thinking about it, the only union that didn't really have any players making any impact on the game, was the Blues.  But that really isn't a surprise, is it?  Piri made fuck all impact on the game - I personally would have sooner seen Aaron Smith stay on.  Keven Mealamu and Tony Woodcock were pretty 'meh' as far as the hooking role went... they did their jobs, but were nothing spectacular.  I don't think there were even any other Blues in the team.  Ma'a Nonu was in the squad but was the ONLY player to miss out on a role in any of the games.  I'm wondering if there are some internal politics going on there...  is Ma'a on his way to announcing that he's leaving Aotearoa for Japan or a Euro club?  Part of me hopes not, but part of me - again, is 'meh'...  He hasn't made much of an impact this year.  The All Blacks certainly coped well without him.

I'm not even going to sum up the performance - okay, so admittedly by reviewing the game (in my own way), I have done that - but I think there is someone who can sum it up a lot better than me, without saying a single word...

You can judge how the nation felt about the game
by the demeanour of Captain Fantastic...
and he looks pretty fucking happy!

And hey...  Mr Dagg looks pretty happy too!