Bob is the one on the… ! Destination?

January 1st, 2012 – Happy New Year – the wonders of technology, making us late, but on time – Not really!

While we consider this flow, it is true that 88 follows through on 87, just as 2012 now takes over from 2011.  Yes, that year that was, has been; leading us to consider what will now be?

Speaking of a previous year and that Tournament that shall remain nameless, one of my enduring memories of this time was the impact for me, the fan, of being able to watch much of what would unfold, live and at the ground.  The memories and images that transpired in a moment, live on and into the future, creating content for my rugby culture. Even now, when a certain song is played, I remember all that this time meant, even to our nation; the benefits of being in the flesh.

In this year of 2011, I would have witnessed my most live rugby ever.  2012 will likely prove different, but I have become practically convinced that you must do all you can to make this home for you, the rugby fan; there is nothing quite like it. I do “hope” to mark some special occasions in 2012 with my attendance, but sadly, 2011 felt very much like that once in a lifetime.

This leads me to consider the beginning of a new RugbyJourney in 2012.

SupeRugby is now just 5 weeks away, this very day, which should kickoff with one heck of a match, as the Blues attempt to usurp the Crusaders, at that Garden of Eden.  This will be an occasion about what happens next, but again I get stuck at the door of what went before.

The emotion and that match was made so memorable because I was locked and living the drama of the moment.  I experienced the journey to Eden. I was carried with the interaction of the people.  I was fitted to take in the many different sights and sounds. I was enabled to inhale the madness of the final whistle. I was punch drunk with the euphoric crystal clarity of that 5mins post the final whistle. I had to undertake the last march to finally, walk away.

There was so much to this RugbyJourney, even more than what happens in the 80 – into Life. Some 60,000 people experienced it live and will forever tell the tale of that night. It will never be repeated, no matter how many themes seem resonant or pertinent at a future time.

While that event has a context of its own, as we mark the beginning of another Super season, we want to mark this return to this phase of our rugby, with a celebration of the culture, of the time, and of the place.

We want to encourage  this culture, mark these special moments for all to experience in the rugby world, and prepare for a SupeRugby season by doing our best to get the storied accounts of the life that is watching your team live, and at their playing home.

Yes, we want to read you!

As SupeRugby is entering, front and centre, we would love to have fan accounts from all 15 SupeRugby sides.

Therefore, for those willing, in up to six thousand hundred words, describe the experience of watching your SupeRugby side live at their home venue.  Describe what takes places, the sights and sounds, the special insights of the occasion, special memories and occasions; anything that is idiosyncratic or eccentric, which will help to paint the picture for all other fans who, more than likely, will always be watching on, from afar.

You don’t have to be a scribe, a poet, or a wordsmith, but it must make some sense – he takes a read of his other posts. We want to read the passionate reality of what it means for you and your crew to watch your team live.

Don’t be shy.

If you are keen… Please leave a comment below and I will get back in contact with you about how you can get your words to me.

This is a open to any and all SupeRugby fans – well, those that can put letters into words and make a sentence or two.

iamjonnyking is also going to seek out some fans who already tend to express themselves, so that we can help to build the vibe toward Feburary 24th… the day after the 23rd… Oh, the memories!

Let’s build a compendium of memories of the past that will help to pull us into the future, and prepare us for the rollercoaster ride that will be, this year’s, SupeRugby.

Start typing!

What are you waiting for?

Shooting from the Lip… and awaiting for your response.

iamjonnyking

Image Source

The clock is ticking and we have only a matters of hours left in this year of 2011 in Nouvelle Zelande.

I did want to meet with you again before we close the book on the rugby year of 2011 that proved painful for some; joyful for others, but memorable for all.

While it was sevens heaven for Gordon and the boys in Black, we really started our year as we know it, with the many Red faces after a Super season was finalised by the Bryce is Right.  It was neither Bryceless in the scrum nor on the scoreboard in the Final from Brisbane, as the gallant Saders failed to surmount their last summit in a Super season we all should never forget.

This would transpire only a couple of months after I first heard a knock at my door, where brother Bob would invite me into his social media world, which still finds me as chief bloviator, at large.

Rugby proves only a portion in the fabric of the tapestry of life, with the weave broken very early on in the Super season, as a shaking Christchurch would remind all us all about the pain of loss, and the “Joie de Vivre.”  Words on this blog would be a vehicle for relief, as a heart-rending time hit us all, particularly those in the zone.

Before Bryce would become loathed in the Republic, he would be disliked, as the SupeRugby new conference season began to take effect.

Talk about the length of this portion of the season and its impact on playing careers would surface, as the new home conference-focused set-up would help the Reds, nearly as much as did Dickinson – I’m almost over it – with the South African and New Zealand sides, feeling the cost of those long fought, historic divides.

While the SupeRugby officiating philosophy can be prone to plane away the sharp edges of the contest in Union, in near and future retrospect, the season was a success.

South African sides away from home continued to grow legs of belief, with away wins, more prominent than at any other time.  In New Zealand, we witnessed an early return of the southern men, the Highlanders, who put that early dent in the Bully boys of Pretoria, signalling a resurgence of sorts.  With a number of strong recruits – Hosea Gear, Tamati Ellison – in 2012, look for this to continue.

The Cheetahs would only go on a Crusade or two; the Lions would roar, but needed more; the Sharks would look likely until they tanked it; the Bulls would die another day very early, only to nearly breathe new life into their season. Therefore, it would be left to the Stormers to fight into the playoffs, again promising much before getting literally – moered – by the Saders in a semi, leaving the South African conference silent in the Final.

The New Zealand conference would be dominated by two teams, the Blues and the Saders.  The Chiefs mostly lacked their own identity, playing like they longed to be contestants in Masterchef; the Hurricanes blew cold and occasionally hammered hot; the Highlanders were losing their home and played like it at the business time, which means New Zealand had two.

While the Blues were able to keep their sail just in front of the southern city, the away side for the season, Saders, would give their most extreme example of rugby culture.  You know the story, but to play their season out, demands a movie and a book.  Even the Aussies could discern the significance, with “Marto” affirming if they won the semi, the deal should be done.  Fairy book it would not be, as the travel and the moment would slip through their grasp, just like Genia whose genius justified the result.  It was hard to feel vanquished after they turned on a potential season of woe.

The other New Zealand side would face the eventual champs, the Reds, in the semi.  Gifted like few other units, the franchise from the biggest city in New Zealand would add some starch to their serious skill out wide, proving in the battle of Timaru versus the Saders that they could step up to the mark.  The semi would be their final curtain call as the Reds were able to employ their game against a side that decided they thought replication was the best means to success, playing into the hosts hands.

It is fair to reflect on the strength of the Australian conference in the Reds charge to the SupeRugby title, however, they won the matches that mattered over the Blues and the Crusaders in successive weeks, and claimed the first significant crown in the Southern Hemisphere season.

The Reds – SupeRugby Champions 2011!

In other matter-of-fact realities, Bob and I would also have the opportunity, in this Super season, of fleshing out this relationship, as he would touch down in New Zealand, and a special occasion would ensue .

That would be as fleeting as the space in the rugby season of 2011, as what happens next, would begin.

The Tri-Nations.

Yawn. Like watching the other bands before your favourite hits the stage, the very last Tri-Nations seemed much about filling in time, and paying the dues.

South Africa made their 2007 intentions perfectly clear in 2011.  It worked for them then. It made sense. They had medical certificates this time, anyway.  The wisdom and sense of such a decision was near perfunctory, as Graham Henry would illuminate this perspective with his words about the dead rubber decider in Brisbane.  The All Blacks would come back from the brink heading into the break, but it was some more, Will Genia brilliance that would decide the encounter, handing the Tri-Nations to Roobie’s mates.

You got the sense that Australia, this young and enthusiastic breed blessed with overt athleticism, really did need this Tri-Nations tournament liked Henry needed a Quarter-Final win.  The problem for this Australian outfit was that a Tri-Nations victory and World Cup success has proved as elusive as a consistent scrum interpretation, meaning their desperate need for success and growth, would ultimately encourage their undoing.

Poisoned chalice!

Henry had nailed it in history this time.  Post the 2007 meltdown moment, he went back & built his campaign from the bottom up. Far from ignoring the past, he decided the All Blacks must look fear in the face and not flinch.  While it is painful to remember, the reality stays in the past, with some memories more painful to forget.

Then, Captain of the Bokke, John Smit, wjo also knows much about success, uttered words at the time about how unlikely it would be for a team to peak for a Tri-Nations, and a handful of weeks later in the big dance. This would affirm the skillfulness of living and learning that these two sides would show.  This would not automatically translate into success, with the feeling of what could have been for the Republic in New Zealand, a palpable post-World Cup reality.

The match in Port Elizabeth, a fitting memory to an International season, for the Springboks.

The Rugby World Cup

It is hard to encapsulate the full extent of the mass of this moment.  I have written on aspects, but have yet to conquer the great divide of that October 23rd, night.  I was nearly as emotionally traumatised and taxed, as thrilled, as we could see history rear ending its ugly head.  To be sure, being live and exclusive at the ground would provide an ecstatic moment that I will never forget; one that was celebrated with a sporting euphoria like the two becoming one.

I appreciate you giving me that personal moment.

It is tough to provide an outsider’s perspective when I was well and truly “fishbowled”.  The country was on rugby black alert, with all attention for 6 weeks focused on returning Eden to her former glory.

Nevertheless, it would all begin with an opening ceremony that would even surpass my preconceived perceptions, with the rugby following pretty good for a team admitting to the intensity of the country’s support.

While we waited for the big matches that mattered, we longed for the upset that is often used to gauge the gap between the have’s and the have not’s. It looked as if things could turn quickly, when Romania nearly Robert the Bruce’d over the Scottish on day two in Invercargill.  Day three seemed to follow from the same script, as the Welsh looked likely, until their historic ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against the Bokke, reared again, in Wellington.  Again, they would leek away from another win.

It would be just over a week later, at this same Eden as the opening night, where the mad-hattered Irish would mount the wind and rain, beating the Australians up close and on the scoreboard. Cian Healy looked like the Fonz after every scrummaging collison, as if to say, “Heeeeey,” after getting to his feet and witnessing  the Bryce is Right.  Scrum complaints on the night, but few were too concerned east [New Zealand] from west [Australia].

The golden run that many had predicted for Bling was looking very ring rusty in the rain. They seemed to have a golden run on paper to the Final, but now the Bokke and All Blacks loomed large – back-to-back – even before the golden trophy could be gained. Someone dial 99!

We could be here for the rest of this year recounting this six weeks, so let me seek to divide and conquer.

Other fixtures would capture the attention, but none would make their local mark like the match on September 24th.  The French have a habit in the Rugby World Cup, and Eden Park had also worked.  However, on this special night, the All Blacks would bend early, before they would break out and over Les Bleus, who looked lost and a little disinterested, once the result was gone to bed.

Speaking of the French, their narrative proved typical, as they would also finish the group stage with a taking to, by Tonga.  Talk about another mutiny in their bounty, as Coach Lievremont, would apply the off-field touch, nailing the pantomine to full effect.

I am sure you know what happens next in the knockout, so I will spare the details.  1987 would morph into 2011, as the same four sides would make in into the semis, into the final, winning it all… once again.

Much had been made of the inability of the All Blacks to win without Carter and Carter. Critics cried doom and gloom when Dan was done.  He would come very quickly, and then exit. Slade followed. Cruden was next.  He would ease nerves until and Finally, another redemption song would be sung, this time by the Donald.  It has been this scribe’s opinion that the All Blacks could win without Carter.

The opposition needed to get McCawesome. They failed!

All Blacks – World Champions 2011

This Final reality means that the Editor and his readers are dealing on two different continents.  Just as this life is a journey with many bends; where you are, I have been; where I am, you once were.  Empathy, humanity, and an appreciation for the absurd, is a gift given!

As I reflect on our two rugby destinies, I can’t help but see the parallels between then and now – 2007 and 2011 – and how time has lessened the intensity of that wound, even as a new rugby life cycle has encouraged time to move on.

Here we are.

Unfortunately and again, broken word counts do not encourage one to reflect on the other rugby moments in this year of 2011. However, congratulations to the once again, Golden Lions, and the Canterbury, ITM Cup side.  Both significant achievements.

We have a new year, a new rugby year, a new rugby journey, right on our doorstep.  More than that; we have a life that demands our living everyday.

It has been my pleasure to out-breathe these words on a page.  It has been my pleasure to connect, even commune with the star of the show, Skinner Bob Skinstad.  This RugbyJourney has the potential of our lifetimes, and although 2011 has not virtualised to the full effect of this extent; it is a beginning and we hope that you will come along.

In closing, even as we all reflect on these words, dwell on the following that rings as true for me, and as true for you. Without hesitation, the following will provide fodder as you think through the life, encouraged as always by the cultural qualifiers of a new season in life.

As a New Zealander speaking to mostly South Africans, I am happy to admit that I have strengthening affections through the many contacts that come my way, with many of you, in the Republic.  What this will mean for the future, only time will be able to tell, but it gives me great pleasure to have your company in this journey from the 80; into the life!

Happy New Year from Bob, the team, and yours truly, truly scrumptious!

Yes it is.

However, make it a day by day reality.  Please >

Enjoy!

And, stay tuned, as my first post coming in 2012 encapsulates a vision.

What Say You?

Until Next Time

And

Shooting from the Lip

iamjonnyking

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Before we go too deep into this quest, let me avert any seasonally affected readers. Easy now; the plan is that this reading malarkey remains more of a good time than a long time.  I do have a couple of other posts ruminating within that I would like to get without before we hit, Merry.

The clock is ticking.

A Game the Whole Family Can Play

However, and more concerningly so, the context for this recent talk has come from the purported locus of love for the dark arts.  At the time when the scrum was said to be silenced-south, such was shouted down from on high, with the proof of this pudding, circa Rugby World Cup, 2003.  You may well remember that time, when the work in the scrum was often subjected to much jest from those in northern confinements as they exclaimed the focus had been removed by the pragmatists, wanting style over substance, so that it all appeared so super.

In a New Zealand context, that good King Henry admitted as much, as has sought over time to pull a Cron-job [Mike Cron - one time ABs scrum guru], with the All Blacks scrum world leading for some time.  The thought-piece in the scrum looks to be in safe hands down south, as with the addition of Argentina to make a rugby championship, this focus should be fostered.  At least three of these sides tend to get rather excited by this contest, with dominance divine.

On the other hand, this is still not always the case in SupeRugby, where it can get too easily silenced.  Case in point is the SupeRugby final in this year of 2011.  As one commentator after the fact would note; should a more technical Referee been involved, the only Reds reference on the night would have been the image of a crest-fallen Front-Row, which was allowed to get away with too much for the good of the game. No guesses who the man with the whistle was?!

Settle.

Speaking of substance, as I get to my point; what has brought this front and centre, has been remarks made this day after the just completed round in the Heineken Cup.  In a piece by the affable and one time man in the middle, Brian Moore; he would comment about what reads like a growing crisis come scrumtime, after the display in the Ospreys v Saracens match.

Take a read of these reflections.

Ospreys’ coach Sean Holley suggested that perhaps the set-piece should be scrapped saying: “I don’t know where we are going in the scrums. Maybe we would be better off without them.”

Frustration speaks, but you wouldn’t go there UNLESS the exception has become more like the rule.

This was not one coach merely blowing off steam, as the “other” would also offer some other refrains.

Saracens coach Mark McCall, similarly exasperated, said: “It was carnage. We don’t practise scrum moves anymore because there are so many penalties from them. It breaks down before you can do anything with the ball. It’s just a mess.”

Ramifications anyone!  What to do about something?

Serious discussion may prove for another time, but let us see if we can not offer a morsel or two.

No Scrum? No X-Factor!

1] The scrum is fundamental. We lose the contest in the scrum and we emasculate the stamina in our strength. The other “rugby” code has its own strengths, but one prosaic outworking in that code has been the removal of the scrum as a contest.  Yes; there was a day!  It is now merely another way of pushing play that looks a little different from the rest.

Our own, Bob, referenced in one of our interviews earlier in the year about the need to rid the tendency for teams to employ a bevvy of one-off runners.  The reason this has become routine is because that reality is effective; it works.  It should be noted that this is also Rugby League 101.  The complexion of the Union code is further influenced on the defensive side of the ball, as the integration of ex-League players becomes a staple of the professional game, particularly north.

Periodically there have been rumblings about the future nature and relationship of these two codes of rugby, and the potential in a future marriage.  While those reflecting on the frustration that has become the scrum may not steering this course; there are ramifications.  Union must learn from the past and not repeat it.

If our Scrum is bagged, our paradiso is lost.

“Now When I Count, 1, 2, 3, I want You To All Go, Crash, Like I’m Doing Now.”

2] Solution. Don’t look to the Referees as they are part of the problem.  To be fair, it can make the lottery look like a breeze, forcing the man to mount the wind into his whistle and blow us all away.  Speaking of this context, Bath Prop, David Flatman, would offer the following tweet:

Watching the rugby. These scrums are no longer funny. It’s sad when your job becomes a lottery.

Back in someone else’s day, the team putting the ball into the scrum was given the benefit to call for the engagement. Those wise heads will tell you that the shenanigans of today were not around when they were a boy.

The democracy of rugby must be returned to the people, and it should start in the scrums.

This piece is now starting to get out of hand – a metaphor – so we will leave it out loud for you to mull over, and finish with one from Brian, before I turn the lights out.

No elite referee has ever played in the front row at any level of note nor have their advisors, assessors or supremo Paddy O’Brien. Even so, this cabal of officialdom refuses to accept this as a significant handicap, insisting there is no problem or even if there is, it is wildly overstated.

Is that so? Do we protest too much when 11 out 12 scrums are not completed?

Is there little of note when senior coaches have started to think that the game may be better off without scrums? When they admit they no longer practice scrum moves because of penalties? When up to 25 per cent of a game is taken up with forming, re-forming and penalising scrums and still more time kicking for touch or goal – is there nothing for which elite referees and their superiors have to account?

Finally, in a day when the business is about entertainment that equals ratings, which makes it a success; if the solution can not be sought on the field, it is likely that ideas will come forth from an outside source, as the suits may say it ain’t so. While we are far from a post-mortem, we must not wait for a lifeless corpse to signal that the way forward means burial of this important body of rugby’s work – the scrum.

What Say You?

Shooting from the Lip

iamjonnyking

Quotes

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We’ll be brief.

When there’s Love…

“For an 18-month suspension, I feel I probably should have torn it off. Then at least I could say, ‘Look, I’ve returned to South Africa with the guy’s ear.’” – Johan le Roux

Johan reminds us at this seasonal time that when you give out of love, sometimes you do not receive any good fruit for this labour.  However, because it is some love from above, you do get plenty of rest – 18 months!

You know it makes good sense?!

If you are still unsure of the context, read here, which should illuminate for all.

Shooting from the Lip

iamjonnyking

Image Quote

However, this final note will not distort the overall notation on a career that has reached the dizzying heights at all levels of the game, with the 2007 Rugby World Cup near the extent of this range.

There are many avenues to take when reflecting on one blood of the brotherhood of the Blou Bulle, but in light of the 200cm frame that came to prominence and then dominance out of the Polokwane, let’s see if we can frame his height with my words.

Just before you start chortling; this scribe has not yet said… Go!

So it begins.

Beacon Toward Bokke Success!

It would be easy to nominate his aerial artistry that turned this art into his science, where he held the chair, but progressively made it into a bench with which to rest his lofty frame. Teams with Matfield knew his presence provided them with a possession changer where a gameplan could be constructed with which to supply and demand toward a profitable success.  Opposition sides knew they had to not only be devious, but deft, as in the heat of battle, one lost lineout could easily morph into a handful. He will be remembered as the premier lineout forward in his generation, and one who can handle the integration from any other inter-generational challengers in the battle of who was best.

That may turn out the lights for some, but the real worth of an individual is how he impacts on those he plays with, and while this does not eliminate the impact of his emphasis; in a South African context where his role took on coaching proportions, the Matfieldian ability to infuse a sense of confidence, control, and calm, from his sole into a twenty-two, undergirds all else that he offered

Like the Lion King, the mane became a staple of his physical demeanour, as he would strut his stuff, carrying about an air of arrogance that said come what may, we will overcome, as destiny was in the air, and so often he provided the lift off.

His partnership with the human battering ram, Bakkies, will be reminisced about and talked about as one of those combinations that defined an era, however, it would be in the final unsuccessful phase that the man’s legacy in my mind is encapsulated in a memory.

Although the Rugby World Cup campaign in New Zealand will be remembered for a number of different reasons, the leadership of Matfield was in its prime, even as Smit seemed acutely aware that the destroyer desperate for his position was shading his impact and the force of his personality.  Yes, Smit was still the Captain, but in my eyes it was Matfield leading from the front, on, but particularly off the field.

All reads right until the happy ending of what “should” have happened next catches the breeze of an ill Wellington wind, from the north.

Sending the Springbok dreams south.

No doubt like the rest of the Bokke nation, there will be perpetual contemplation’s about what could have been in those coming weeks. Nevertheless, Matfield seemed strangely warmed by the intensity of those final embers that were still burning on and in his career, axiomatic as that air up there.

We salute you, Victor Matfield, on a rugby journey that scaled the heights which knew your name as a definitive step in the process toward victory and success.

What Say You?

Shooting from the Lip

iamjonnyking

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There is also the extended “Super” competition to begin 2012 before we will consume some prime Argentinian beef, which means we are about to get rugby stuffed, post-Christmas!

Yes, more rugby to crack the whip on the playing stocks, but this is one addition that makes sense and should be celebrated – time to Salsa?  While there is many details to uncover, the first of many has been provided with a new name for this 3 plus 1, southern hemisphere rugby ritual.

Introducing…

Framed. Centred. Says Something. Does It Communicate Anything?

The Rugby Championship. Really? Is it possible to get any more generically non-descript about the exact context of this event, save that we get the idea rugby is involved?!  This is not to say that it therefore must stink.  But, it is to say that it reads and feels like a sporting event waiting for a home, or the punchline to ascend the throne.

Originally, I intended to offer some reasoned thoughts stating something like the following:

The Four Nations? Unimaginative. The Southern Four? Bland. The Southern Hemisphere Rugby Championship? Try putting that on a T-shirt!  Take your pick and create your own, but there was much scope to create a vibe for an expanding competition with the world’s strongest International nations.

My initial perspective was to picture a golf tournament – The Open Championship – where you can almost taste the history it is so rich and storied. This title fits the tournament, underscored by the iconic and elevated, tradition, standing, and respect this maintains in the world of sport.

Like that real life game that frustrates the job seeker when presented with the “experience required” filter, what this expanded rugby competition does not have is the time needed to attain the status where the words – The Rugby Championship – flow naturally out of the impression the event imbibes.

However, like the previous conundrum, the name will not get an opportunity to attain, unless given the time to grow, mature, and procreate, in the most rugby of senses.  There always has to be a starting point.

We also live in a world where the rugby landscape is still currently under construction.  You get the sense that this name reflects a desired reality of what is pregnant with potential.

I know; why stop there?! However, as one began a search, an engine started to roar.

Check out the following examples. Is there a growing trend toward a common theme?! Maybe, bright minds have decided to think alike.  Or, it’s possible that rugby administration has the creativity of a brick outhouse?!

You can be the judge.

Aussies. Bright Sparks?

You will probably recognise a couple of the teams have taken another progression and Super sized in subsequent years.

The IRB have also trodden this path, even more well worn than initially considered.

Should this worry the creative types?

Hmm. There is a Theme Ruminating Within!

While the premier international and annual tournament north is popularly referenced as, The Six Nations; take a look at how it is offered up in this promo.

Is this a Brand within a Brand?

Just before you exclaim the, so what; it seems that the above is in close proximity to how it is referenced [save possibly the "rugby"].  However, for branding reasons we hear it on repeat as the, RBS Six Nations.

Therefore, have we been playing the fool, waiting for the new tournament name that was in reality another limped wrist with a wet fish to the face, as the IRB signal another link in its masterbrand?

Is it even worth the remarkable effort < Yes, the words of this piece?!

At the time of announcing, I noted one with authority to speak reference the name, The Rugby Championship, as a little shot at those further north.  Such fighting talk!  M consideration at the time was that there was some forward thinking and a master plan, but considering the creatively similar context, is Darth Vadar really the Father of this Luke to the future?

Of course, if the name, The Four Nations Rugby Championship, was the winner on the night; the comparison would have been even more striking.

Considering what has taken place with the “Six Nations” and other tournaments, it is possible that there will be another stage in the branding progression, where the title sponsor also becomes a conduit as a reference point, connected with the trophy – cue the Heineken Cup – but this will need another progression; time.

The Rugby Championship is certainly a little labourious off the tongue, and while it will be something else that will talk; stay tuned.

There is a reason why a choir has an identical song sheet.

What Say You?

Are you a fan of the name? Does it even matter? What should it entail?

Yours!

Shooting from the Lip

iamjonnyking

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Yes, you know the match; the one that ruined rugby for the Republic in 2011, when Pocock was given license to Kill, a little like another official’s verdict in double 0 and a 7. *Waves to Wayne*

Not another replay! Tackle-Collapsed Maul-Ruck? A coin only has two sides. Noooo!

Time may have hidden that wound, but with the recent World Cup only months from the start of another Super season, Bryce has opened up on what happened in Wellington when the Wallabies somehow beat the Bokke, with his opening words about watching his back. #BackingBryce – a one man club!

“I’m not totally concerned. I know a lot of other people like the New Zealand Rugby Union and SANZAR do have some serious concerns. In all honesty I’m not going to go over there if there’s any personal threat or I have concerns about my safety because in the end it’s a job, I know that, and also it’s just a sport so I’m not going to put myself at risk.”

I trust Bryce realises there are thousands of South African sleeper cells living in NZ.

If recent comments on a certain SA sporting site is anything to go by, when Lawrence was included with the officials list for SupeRugby, the name Piet Van Zyl, among other good ideas, was suggested as the smiling face to welcome Bryce should be return to SA.

Take Maarten’s warm offering.

Yes, LET Mr. Lawrence come to South Africa. Please Do……. Remember Piet van Zyl?

Apparently, only 56 people thought that comment was rather good, with 3 thinking otherwise.

Or, there is always the, Lawrence was the kiwis cunning plan to steal the Cup theory, insightfully offered by Izak.

Lawrence brought the cup home for them. Why should he not be rewarded?

If you think Piet was popular; this comment received 125 thumbs up and only 4 down.

While this all reads positive, we must dim the lights now as Bryce gets personal.

“My quarterfinal performance created a lot of negative reaction in South Africa, pretty hostile, very personal, very harsh. Also on the flipside of that I got a lot of really strong positive support from rugby people in New Zealand and around the world who probably know me a little bit more than the people in South Africa and were feeling for me during that time.

“It hasn’t been the greatest four or six weeks of my life…in all honesty there isn’t a day goes by even now that I don’t think about what I could have done better and how it’s affecting me and what it means for me going forward. It’s still very fresh and probably pretty raw really.”

“I was disappointed with some aspects in my own performance that day after referring four really pretty strong games in pool play. I’m not blaming anyone for the quarterfinal referring display apart from myself. I didn’t referee as well as I could.

“I was pretty relaxed going into that game, and Australia/South Africa I have refereed numerous times in the last few years at Tri-Nations level so the game didn’t scare me or concern me. I just think I went away from what I’m best at. I’m best when I’m pretty decisive and reasonably technical and tactical – and I just went too much down the tactical side of things where I was really trying to minimise making technical errors.

“I got criticised heavily and some of that I accept because I know I could have done better.”

What? It seems even “the Bryce” knows he isn’t always right.  I am sure you were near misty-eyed as Bryce referenced his trying time.

Could one describe this as a breakdown?  Play on!

This is likely to pick at the scab that is the memory of this match for most rugby fans out of Africa, and this is understandable. However, social media has played its part in allowing a reasoned response from the Bokke fans. Lawrence likely “was” on Facebook, but it has spoken.

“I was possibly silly enough a couple of months before the World Cup to get convinced by some of our younger referees to join Facebook because it’s a really good way to communicate with each of us. So some of those comments that were going onto that Facebook page were also coming onto my Facebook, I don’t understand how but I don’t really understand Facebook, so I was getting a lot of pretty nasty personal comments that were just appearing on my page. I’d be lying to say I wasn’t aware of it but what I saw gave me a pretty clear view of what people were feeling.”

Those young Referees.  Bet it was Joubert’s fault. One can only imagine if he was a Tweep!

Like a disciplined child, father Keith has spoken, and the Bryce knows that he is in fact, right.

“Look there has been some pretty clear consequences from my quarterfinal display. I’m not going to be refereeing Six Nations next year, they can say that means I’m rested but in reality I accept that one of the consequences of my performance is that I’m not going to be doing Six Nations.

“That’s disappointing from a personal level but also something that I probably support. Referees often get criticised and not held accountable – well I’m clearly being held accountable I’m not refereeing Six Nations.”

Think of the comments section as a couch.  Take a load off, lay it all down, and unload… Maybe don’t think out loud, though.

Although it is too late, it is good to read that there is some real-time accountability, even as Lawrence is acknowledging his own part in this real life play. Too often the fraternity has given the impression that all is well that starts and ends with their decision-making, even when the viewing public can see what is plainly staring them back in the face.

We still have to hear from Wayne.

What Say You?

Shooting from the Lip

iamjonnyking

Image Quotes

In this land, we have already had the announcement of the SupeRugby squads for 2012, which signals to everyone that the rugby predilection halts for no trophy.  While some of the players are taking some time to prepare for a season that begins in February - Seven is heaven… even in training gear *looks again at the SA kit* – sporting fans from both our passionate nations may even have some free time to catch some cricket – Yes Bob, and some fish!

There will be plenty of time to talk the playing personnel for this new year; in the following words, let us move to those that sit in the high and lofty locale of the coaches box, doing their best to retain sanity as the stress levels top out.

In the Republic, post P-Divvy talk has opened up a plethora of potential, with many wanting the new rugby fashion statement – a Kiwi coach.  In my social travels, those in the know repeat the name of Allister Coetzee, as the next likely leader of the pack. Opportunity for comment will also arise at a later date if this will prove so, even as you are free to offer your reasoned thoughts down below.

An apple for the Principal?

On this side of the pillow, King Henry has officially decided to step down from his throne. Peace has found his inner Kingdom, and there is no place like leaving, and so remaining, in that home.  It is sad to see him go!  Early on, Principal Henry, needed no second to incite the irascible toward an invitation, as his smiley-frown [he can do both and at once] broadened often after his words went forth.  I am not sure if it is the warmth of the wintering of his career, or a greater sense of the vivid ending that the Cup has illuminated on his All Blacks coaching career, but Henry has added multiple marshmallows to his straight black… milo.

As indicated, Graham Henry thanked one and all for the honour and privilege afforded a man who understands what it means to have four more years.

In this press conference, there were certain words that stood out from the page, as he said his piece, which deserve a crescendo of their own.

Speaking of his family and the Rugby World Cup Final, he would describe their experience in the following manner:

“They went through hell last Sunday.”

Didn’t we all!  I would tweet at the time when there was approximately 20mins remaining that – This is Torment!

However, in this high octane world; it is too easy to forget the impact on one’s attachments.  In fact, it is probably those nearest and dearest who must wade through much of the talk, comment, conjecture, and filth, than the man under the pump.  They don’t live and breathe in the rarefied air that conditions the context as a cocoon.

If that reads too much; he would go on:

“There’s a very fine line between being the hero or the villain. I know that line very well, probably more than most, and that puts huge pressure on the people who have no control over that. I have a routine every week leading into test-match rugby and a routine every year to try to make sure we are prepare as best we can.

They have got no routine except hope and that’s a difficult situation.

They feel that pressure just walking around, the people they meet. They are not the reason I’m giving up but they are a very important part of what has happened over the last couple of years and I understand it.”

My respect for the man just increased after reading these words again. Empathetically insightful from one who knows!

Two things.

The chasm that separates three points.  I may write a post with that title, but the comparison between 2007 and 2011 is night and day.  One grasps to a greater degree the sudden death of knock out sport.  All the talking makes little difference once it is gone.  Analysis of the performance almost feels superfluous to what has taken place, as reality has taken a step beyond. We understood that in New Zealand in 2007, even as we continued to warm ourselves with the glow of what “should” have been.  However, it is even more so now, as our fortunes have reversed with the Republic’s.

Two. Hope means being still in the game to be a changer.  As long as Henry has his hands in the battle, he can play some part in winning the war.  All others can only watch, and that means family members who are vicariously included in the failure and the guilt of their kinsman.  Their bloodlines committed this crime, with the result a very public affair.

Hard and not even fair!

Finally from Henry; words about the impact of this job on the man, as he would describe events relating to his reality.

“I was up at 4.30 this morning, ridiculous I know, but I’m still winding down”

Affirming such is not cause to consider feeling sorry for the man and his context, as this is a dream job, but every opportunity has a cost.

Henry finishes his time as head coach of the All Blacks with an 85.4% winning record.  When one considers this translates to 88 wins from 103 Test Matches over an 8 season period, the record will stand the test of time.

All Blacks rugby is marked by a refusal to lose – period – that maybe for the first time was subsumed for a bigger cause in the year of 2011. Henry would speak before the final Tri-Nations Test in Brisbane about the deadness of the rubber.  He had his eyes on a bigger prize, and his vision was justified.

Henry’s career has been somewhat of a trailblazer in New Zealand rugby after winning another term when all else was lost in 2007.  This proved and paved the way for success in this year of 2011 with the winning of Big Will.

It would seem a fait accompli that the succession plan with Steve Hansen will be rubber stamped very soon, and while Henry will rest in peace in the land of the living; his impact should be chuckling well into the future.  For the sporting code of this country that should better understand about the right time to win and when to lose, Henry has provided a template for a mature view of success, particularly in World Cup years.

Thank you, Graham Henry and Family; the All Blacks nation embrace you!

What Say You?

Shooting from the Lip

iamjonnyking

Quotes

It has been a hectic handful of weeks in this part of the world, which has impacted on one’s ability to blog into yours. However, now that this time has ceased, we can begin talking again.

The Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand is now a cherished memory that will not only last four more years, but will be remembered in our Islands of escape, as a sporting times in one’s living lifetime.

8-7 didn’t look so good since it equaled 19!

The wait that has become a weight to this nation of New Zealand was lifted in a moment.

We plan to have more to say on this subject on multiple social media fronts for your reading pleasure – Butt, and it wasn’t ugly – Let us encapsulate this moment with the following video that vividly reflects these words.

Sunday, 23rd October, 2011, will be remembered as that day when 24 years of waiting and wandering in the sporting wilderness would finally find a water source.

Eureka!

Enjoy.

Special.

Shooting from the Lip

iamjonnyking

H/T

Rugby World Cup 2011 is flying by at break-neck, watching speed?

With the “fun” stuff about to cease, and knock-out rugby to separate those acting the part, from those really playing the part; here is a nice reminder of the 600 who started the show in New Zealand.

Special times. Special memories.

Enjoy!

Shooting from the Lip

iamjonnyking

H/T