Field Theory: A moment of national significance
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Sacha, in reply to
with American commentators
they really play without pads?
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Ian Dalziel, in reply to
Brillo...
they really play without pads?
They must use pads!
'Cos I heard they have wings... -
Sacha, in reply to
And they do that hakka wardance thing.
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To quote The Duke of Wellington it"wasa dammed close thing"
Apparently he really said
"Its been a damned nice thing — the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life
Which does sum the night up rather well
I was introduced to TAB betting last evening when I turned $18 dollars into $212 with 4 correct choices on a mixture of dogs, trotters etc
Just a pub thing after a hard day in the sun after manning the gates at a local car racing event
Just before I doubled the winning and put them in my back pocket (and this is the important point) I was seriously tempted with a bet for the french to win and a under 12 point difference, not sure what we or rather the Collection for the Blind would have made on that -
The relief, the sheer relief.
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By the 70 minute mark I think I'd accepted the idea that we were going to lose, that there would be some heartbreaking moment that would take it away. Even after the whistle, it took a wee bit to come right.
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Sacha, in reply to
By the 70 minute mark I think I'd accepted the idea that we were going to lose
Whoever coached them to kick away possession deserves a slap. Heart pill hawkers probably happy though. :)
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Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
that there would be some heartbreaking moment that would take it away.
I think that was a collective consciousness for a number of us, of which I believe got the AB's wanting to prove us wrong. Didn't we do well then.;)The fire works exploding over the Harbour, The sky tower dressed in black and white made for a nice finale and man, did the pub go mad. The music boomed "We are the Champions" A pleasure to watch others get so excited.
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Ian couldn't bear it - he kept asking why they all tried to run down the middle at the beginning when the French had left their sides wide open. I know nothing of rugby, I don't know the rules, nor the whys nor wherefores. Even if it wasn't the trouncing that Kiwis seemed to expect (and I've been peripherally following rugby long enough to know that our glory days, the days of smashing through the opposition defence, appear to be over. As do the days of scoring try after try against other world beating teams.) we won. I knew the recriminations would start the day after, because that's what we do. Unless it's a huge score, we don't seem to like winning, much, do we? Was it a good game? I think it probably was, for all the missed kicks, and opportunities, I thought the French played astoundingly well, and all credit to them. I know they probably felt robbed. I'm sure the All Blacks, certainly, will be asking themselves questions. But that's for another day. For today, let's celebrate what a great party we put on. Let's celebrate a day off. And let's celebrate Spring, in all her glory. We have a lot of stuff to sort out, but that stuff will be there tomorrow.
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Nice way to spend a Labour Weekend.
First, tomato and capsicum planting. Bloody good exercise, gardening, the kids like it too.
Second, a couple of days away at Waiheke. Kayaking and swimming, and Ozzie beating Wales.
Third, the Final. At 3pm Quay St is chocka, as we weave our way from the ferry. The queue to get onto Queen's Wharf is all the way back to the Viaduct. People are in a very high state of excitement, even more than at the opening ceremony. Regardless of outcome, people are going to par-tay, that is clear.
Fourth, Victory! A steadily building dread is replaced by a wave of relief. France silences all suggestions that they should not be in the final, and their captain is gracious in defeat as a long awaited ceremony culminates in the money shot of McCaw holding the Cup aloft.
Fifth, Party. I cruise into the city, fighting off exhaustion (the late games are killers when I rise at 6am for the kids) to find the only traffic jam I've experienced in Auckland in years. K-Road is bumper to bumper and the streets are busier than I've ever seen them. Queen St is actually gridlocked, and closed off. The crowds are getting crazier and crazier, and 2 near misses with drunken pedestrians cause me my first regret for the entire nation wearing black. Some more beers, and I'm feeling shattered, and drift off to sleep to sound of continual honking and cheering from the streets.
Sixth, euphoric hangover. Today, I wonder how long the glow can last. My bet is that it might get past lunchtime today, as reality asserts itself. A bit more gardening, and then time to put a bunch of stuff on TradeMe, as I ponder how to feed my family, unemployed during a recession that appears to have no end. But there is a plan, and my post RWC resolution is to spend less time writing and more time working.
It could be time to turn thoughts to the election, but the rational voter paradox looms large, that at a time when discussion could be at its most valuable, I have the least time for it. It's a taste of how kids feel about politics, as the empowered voting blocs look likely to vote squarely for their interests, and the mad path of property overinvestment, agragrian specialization, finance industry bailouts, asset sales, tax cuts, neglect of disaster relief, and a total lack of any vision for the economy seems likely to shoo in, unless Labour and the Greens can take some inspiration from the French and show how there's really only one poll that counts.
It's been a horrendous year for NZ, with one bright spot, this Tournament that has now ended. From here, nothing is going to save us from steadily increasing hardship other than our own actions, simultaneously looking after ourselves and our dependents, and also the nation as a whole. I'm going to allow myself one half day of basking, taking the rest that this weekend is meant to be all about, before applying myself like I never have before. If you folk don't see me much, it's probably better that way for a while.
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Great, Ben. But provide some shelter for your tomatoes for they will suffer if night-time temperatures fall below 10c.
We are about to have a bbq, to celebrate one of my Chinese students graduating with a PhD this week, the burst of spring and, of course, last night's victory--and the silencing of Stephen Donald critics! -
BenWilson, in reply to
For today, let's celebrate what a great party we put on. Let's celebrate a day off. And let's celebrate Spring, in all her glory. We have a lot of stuff to sort out, but that stuff will be there tomorrow.
Snap. The euphoria from sporting wins has been, in my experience, extremely brief. A little of it is good. I hope it kickstarts the nation along positive pathways of thought and mood. But I doubt the effect will be that profound.
For me the two big things that have come from this is the feeling that NZ is still good at something, and that we have an unexpected capacity for partying on the cheap, something I hope continues. It won't do the retail sector any good, but expecting an economy in recession to recover through retail is a foolish Ponzi scheme, one of the many that has done us harm for quite some time.
But provide some shelter for your tomatoes for they will suffer if night-time temperatures fall below 10c.
Mulching and cloches, today's jobs.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
By the 70 minute mark I think I’d accepted the idea that we were going to lose, that there would be some heartbreaking moment that would take it away. Even after the whistle, it took a wee bit to come right.
Nah, I’m actually pretty glad the Cocks made the ABs work for it. Yes, I’m sure it wasn’t the most elegant eighty minutes of rugby ever to grace Eden Park, but routs are boring. And it was pleasing to see the toxic smug clouds blown away by a cold blast. :)
ETA: But, yegads, there are some (and mercifully few, to be fair) sore winners out there. Yes, the ABs won by one point. Maybe they should have won by a margin of infinity billion, but they didn't. BABAGTFOIA.
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Congratulations Geoff. You must feel proud to watch the outcome of the fruits of your Labour. Happy Labour Day. Nekminnit :)
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I must unreservedly apologise to the entire country. 46 minutes into the game I had to take a leak, 'twas the beers you see.
Nek minnit.
When I returned I couldn't work out why the crowd was in shock.
One bloody point eh?
I feel the election will be just as close and the incumbent bunch of slime-balls will be sent packing. -
Dave Patrick, in reply to
Whoever coached them to kick away possession deserves a slap.
Absolutely - we stopped playing the way we'd been playing all tournament and started playing the way everyone else who we'd beaten had played We're the ones who are supposed to field aimless kicks and counter-attack with a vengeance. Damn near choked again, but who cares now - one point is enough.
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We caught the train back to town, and as icing on our cake our carriage was full of Argentinian rugby fans who turned the ride into a raucous demonstration of what a Boca Juniors game might be like.
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So, just got back from a trip to the supermarket, people seem to be quite "UP".
Noticed all the National billboards had "Congratulations All Blacks" plastered across them. I can see what's going to happen now "Labour didn't congratulate the All Blacks" says John...
:-[ -
Mike Graham, in reply to
For a party that not all that long ago had a mantra "Politics shouldn't interfere in sport", it seems to have changed somewhat, especially with the PM appearing at various inappropriate (imho) places - next to the ABs singing the anthem, the ABs changing room after the game...
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Ian Dalziel, in reply to
Manstream politics...
I feel the election will be just as close and the incumbent
bunch of slime-balls will be sent packing.We're counting on you,
on November 26th,
to take the piss,
at the right time!no pressure...
:- )
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merc,
Why does John Key keep referring to us as they?
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
Noticed all the National billboards had “Congratulations All Blacks” plastered across them. I can see what’s going to happen now “Labour didn’t congratulate the All Blacks” says John…
:-[Why does John Key keep referring to us as they?
Personally, I'd like someone to tell the media to stop talking in the majestic plural.
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Lucy Stewart, in reply to
By the 70 minute mark I think I'd accepted the idea that we were going to lose, that there would be some heartbreaking moment that would take it away. Even after the whistle, it took a wee bit to come right.
I work out tension via movement, so I was basically jumping up and down on the spot for most of the last half, when I wasn't blanket-rending. It was agonising.
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If National are truly planning to win an outright mandate by simply getting Key photographed with the All Blacks as much as possible and claiming they are not responsible for the economy then their complacency may get a rude shock. Key's reception by the crowd at the final was lacklustre at best - I don't think being photographed in the dressing room with the players after the match went down that well either, several comments I have read were to the effect he hadn't the right to be there celebrating in such an intimate environment.
He has over-egged that particular pudding, methinks.
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Steve Barnes, in reply to
Why does John Key keep referring to us as they?
Personally, I’d like someone to tell the media to stop talking in the majestic plural.He refers to us as "they" because he is not one of us.
Well Craig I can understand why that upsets you. We, is a bit inclusive eh, bit like Socialism.
;-)
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