Thursday, October 18, 2007

We're gonna party like it's 1995!!

Ok, fouks.....
This will be quick! I'm already kakking in my pantsh, and the final is still ages away..

First up, no matter how much we love to knock the English, you've got to congratulate them on reaching the final. I know it's a silly cliche, but it's game on now and "anything can happen in a final." They've played to their strenghts, even if it means boring half the world to death in the process... But, I'm sure Brian Ashton and co are not exactly having any sleepless nights about not entertaining people along the way..
A big chunk of his squad have also got experience from playing in the 2003 final. They've been there, done that already.
So, then, you might ask: What have the Boks got to offer?? All they have nowadays are distant memories of 1995, 'ol chap!!!"

But, hold your horses, my chaaina!! Maybe, just maybe 2007 is the "new" 1995 for the Boks. If you think about it, there are quite a few similarities...

1.) Os du Randt. Os-some... The big Ox... He was there in '95 for the Boks with the number 1 on his back, and will pack down again on the loosehead for a final time on Saturday.

2.) The Pienaar factor... In 1995 the Boks assistant coach was a man named Gysie Pienaar. His son, Ruan, will play off the bench for the Boks this weekend...

3.) The '95 team had a guy named Francois in the starting line up... Maybe Steyntjie will also be remembered as an icon in years to come?

4.) The darling in the '95 team was Chester. Funny how the talisman of the Boks 2007 World Cup campaign also plays in the number 11 shirt...

5.) Just like in '95, the Bok fullback is a Shark. If Andre Joubert is referred to as the Rolls Royce of fullbacks, Percy must surely then be like my very first car, a 1974 Datsun 120 Deluxe: Sure, they both look a bit dodgy at first glance... Both have copped a fair amount of abuse from my mates over the years... But, along the way, I luckily realised they're both awesome value for money!

6.) And lastly... In '95 the scrum half was a Blue Bull, and the flyhalf a Shark.. Go Fourie and Butchie!!

I know, I'm clutching at straws here....
Go Bokke! Make us proud!

Friday, October 12, 2007

Put a sock in it!

After making a fool of myself last weekend by getting the quarter final results so terribly wrong, I thought it would be best for all of us if I'd rather stay quiet this week.. If only these guys did the same:

"They looked like they didn't want to play. They were shocked. They were kicking too much and giving 50/50 passes. If the opposition kept the ball more in their hands and ran with it, I'm sure they could have scored a few more tries. They looked like they wanted to run into their cave, they didn't know what to do. I didn't see much talk from their senior players and in the end I guess they were just shocked with the pressure on them." mmmmmmm... You'll be surprised to know that these remarks do NOT refer to the All Blacks, but that these comments were indeed made by NZ's very own Joe Rokocoko, after his assessment of France's performance against Argentina in the opening game. (NZ Herald, 11.09.2007)

"This forward pack is infinitely better than the one he produced in terms of power, skill and confidence and if Eddie is in the Springbok camp it will give the Wallabies more incentive and determination in saying 'Eddie this is a big mistake' " Alec Evans, the skills coach and "scrum doctor" of the Wallabies, on the Aussie pack in the post-Eddie Moans era. (Super Sport Zone - 31.07.2007) Sjym, Alec....

"In the England test we were outmuscled, outweighed, outskilled and we just weren't good enough." Guess who?? None other than Donut Dunning.... The only problem is that he uttered these words in an interview on May 14, 2007, and surprisingly NOT after last weekend's humiliation in Marseille. Nope, Fat Matt was actually referring to the 26 - 16 defeat to England at Twickenham, on 12.11.2005!! One would've thought that nearly 2 years later, they would have tracked down two props in Aussie who knew how to scrum.... Guess not!! (and Matt: are you sure they outweighed you guys????)

"France pose absolutely no threat to the All Blacks" NZ Herald's regular big mouth, Chris Rattue on Wednesday, 03.10.2007

"So an apparal conspiracy and a delayed coin toss to decide who wears the alternate strip have stepped in to fill the build-up breach.
Not that it matters, because the All Blacks could play in sackcloths and they'd still stomp all over France.
One thing is for sure. With Laporte in charge, All Black supporters can already break out the wine, and those who have travelled to the tournament can even break out bottles of wine with Laporte's logo on them." Still Chris Rattue.... And then they still wonder why the rest of the world enjoyed their defeat to France??

"We do all hate England. All I'm doing is stating the bleeding obvious. No one likes England" Somebody forgot to tell Wallabies rugby boss, John O'Neill, that the world's also not that crazy about his lot... Any case, did Brian Ashton's team need any more motivation??

"It's been phenomenal. They believe they're the best young sporting team that ever stays in their hotels, the most open and friendly and easy to get along with" mmmmm... Someone forgot to tell Ted Henry about Dougie's antics at the Heathrow Hilton, upon their arrival in Christchurch.. DOH!!

"There was drink involved" You don't say, Dougie?? And there I was thinking you just jump on cars for the hell of it...

"For me personally, I don't think we should show them any respect" Jaques Fourie before the Springboks quarter final clash against Fiji.. I bet at 20-20 these guys had your undivided attention, Jaques'ie!!!

"All Blacks by 15 points" Big Pik on 04.11.2007....

"Wallabies to take this one with 7 - 12 points" The same useless, Big Pik......

So, then: Any predictions this weekend?? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!

Go Bokke!

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Quarter final predictions.... and possible contradictions

Now, it's not that I've been locked up by NZ Immigration for the last 4 weeks, or busy at work, or even that I (for once!) don't have an opinion about the World Cup so far. No, it was always my intension to stay underneath the radar until the start of the Quarter Finals. When we all knew the REAL World Cup would start.... (Plus, after the disappointment of 2003, I wanted to see how the Boks perform against England, before I REALLY started talking up their chances...)

In saying that, it's not that I haven't enjoyed watching Portugal (Eddie Andrews take note: THAT'S how you sing your National Anthem!!) or Georgia running the (useless) Irish close. But, I just couldn't sustain the excitement levels when I knew the All Blacks were scheduled to play Italy, Portugal and wait for it.... that power house of Eastern European rugby, Romania...
The most frustrating bit, I guess, was having to sit through the game against the Scots in Edinburgh. (I'm not talking about the quality of rugby, but there I was under the impression this year's World Cup was played in France!! Silly me....) Mmmmm... YAAAAAAWN... So, on the eve of the first quarter final, I can finally say: BRING IT ON!!

First up we have France vs All Blacks: Sorry, but I won't be caught with my pant-sssssh down this time, romanticizing about the possibility of an upset. This (unfortunately) is like predicting WP will smash the Bulls at Loftus. (or, it seems even at Newlands nowadays... eisssshh!!)
Bottom line is France haven't beaten the All Blacks since 2000, when they met in Marseille, and although you can argue "but, surely it's gotta change at some stage", I just can't see it be any different this weekend in Cardiff. It's just too much like the period between 2000 and 2004 for my liking. That was the period when the Springboks couldn't buy a victory at home against the All Blacks... The players just didn't have the belief or actual experience of winning against their opponents dressed in black. We had to wait 4 long years for a bunch of Springbok youngsters to run an established All Black outfit close in the opening game of the 2004 Tri Nations in Christchurch, before they realised their opponents weren't invincible. The rest is history... 40 -26 at Ellis Park two weeks later... Order restored, 'nuff said!
Now, I'll admit: I was hoping for an upset, but that hope was quickly chucked aside yesterday, when I saw the make up of the France team... Laporte just doesn't get it, hey!! He played a wing at fulback in the opening game against the Argies, and one would've thought he learned his lesson after that embarrassing defeat.... But noooooo!! This week he's opting for an inside centre at fullback.. Traille was disappointing at flyhalf against the All Blacks last year, and I just can't see him redeem himself, by playing out of position again...
Make no mistake, the Frogs will be up for this one, but I see the AB's run away with it in the last 15 minutes.. (again!)
All Blacks by 15 points

Then, we have England vs Wallabies. I must admit, I'm in a bit of a spin here... I don't really want either of them to reach the semi finals, to be brutally honest with you!! But, I just can't see England giving the AB's a decent work out in a semi final, so it's gotta be the Aussies then, I guess... (some more crying in the shower scheduled for me tonight!!)
To me it's quite ironic how everyone reflected on England's pi$$poor performance against the Boks, by simply saying "they're the worst England team ever", but now John Connolly and co wants to claim the underdog status for this weekend's fixture against the Poms... Aag sjym, John!! How stupid do you fink we are???
Yes, Johnny and Jason Robinson are playing.. and yes, Andy Farrell's injury can only be an advantage to the England backline, but's quite simple, really: England's not good enough to win this World Cup! They're exactly like the Boks of 2003: Second in their pool, looking ok at times against average opposition, but only to crash out in the quarters, when the heat's on.
Wallabies to take this one with 7 - 12 points.

Scotland vs Argentina: Argentina's undoubtedly been the stars of this World Cup. No real surprise, really... Their recent record against France speaks for itself. Hell, they even secured a victory against the World Champions at Twickenham before the Springboks managed to... It's a pity they haven't played that often against their Southern Hemisphere counterparts in recent years... Maybe we're a little bit scared of losing against these boys??
Scotland couldn't score a try against Italy.. Do I need to say more? Against the Argies it won't be any easier.. Sure, Chris Patterson will kick the points when they're on offer, but oportunities might be limited. To win this one, they're gonna have to create tries, and I just can't see that quite happening against the Argenitian defence.
Argies by 15

Then, the Boks vs Fiji: All I have to say about this one, is to add a quote from Jake White: "if the Springboks can't beat Fiji and possibly Argentina to reach a World Cup final, they don't deserve to be here".
They won't be complacent, they won't underestimate the Fijians. Don't try to win the crowd over by playing a loose, sevens type game. Play it structured, strangle the life out of them the first 50 - 60 minutes, and then things might start opening up...
Boks by 20...

I'll sign off this week, by commenting on the following. I've been copping a fair amount of abuse from my Kiwi mates (surprise, surprise... yes, I do actually have friends... I have to pay most of them, but still..) this week, about my sudden love for the French. They're saying "you just want France to beat the AB's, because you're jealous and scared".. My reply to that: Spot on, I couldn't agree more with you, mate!!!
Why did the whole of South Africa enjoy the result of the 2005 Currie Cup final, when the Cheetahs came from behind to upset the Bulls??
Why did we enjoy it when Zimbabwe beat the Aussies in the recent 20/20 Cricket World Cup?
Or, why did the locals here in NZ start jumping up and down when Tonga was only one bounce away from upsetting the Boks?? Not because "it would've been great for world rugby had they won the game"... Kak man!! No, my chaainas - You know that would've put a serious dent in the Boks' title aspirations if they lost that one! And that's the truth, and that's all that matter!
At the end of the day, we're not all that different, it seems...