I like the Dropkicks headline re the League

Thanks

I like the Dropkicks headline re the League: Australia win another Rugby League World Cup...wait, what?!

Let's NOT talk about the cricket and those 2 late wickets on Saturday.

I (naively) thought that there would be a free-to-air replay of the League final sometime today. It doesn't look like there is, or am I wrong?

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In other countries, teams are named after the sponsoring organisation

Don't forget all the teams in every sport in Japan, like the Yomiyuri Giants. Or the old American Football franchises like the Eagles and the Packers

Or, in a roundabout way, Arsenal.

Just another reason to hate them.

So what are the Welsh trying to say with their shirts. Brains up this part, beer down here – is there doubt which way up?

Those are the old jerseys too. The new ones are made by Under Armor [sic]. And because of the no alcohol advertising in France, when…

I'm still stuck at why the teams aren't called just Auckland, Wellington, etc

It's so the teams can be relocated to other cities at will. Like the Sydney Swans, ne South Melbourne.

In other countries, teams are named after the sponsoring organisation:
PSV Eindhoven is named after the Philips electrical…

I love the Brains shirts. They're right up there with the team where everyone is called Mr Price.

I've just been teasing my young cousins (whose father is a similar age to me) about how their Facebook friends may have gone to school with me, "Are any of them called…

So what are the Welsh trying to say with their shirts. Brains up this part, beer down here – is there doubt which way up?

I love the Brains shirts. They're right up there with the team where everyone is called Mr Price.

I don't know if I'm just a…

Welsh

Good to see that our traditional top and middle order collapse isn't out of fashion.

I don't know if I'm just a pessimist, or if I've been a NZ cricket fan for too long, but when all the reporters were saying yesterday "NZ is on top" and "Australia is struggling"…

Good to see that our traditional top and middle order collapse isn't out of fashion.

You're assuming he hasn't got a hip flask in his whites.

I've always wondered what cricketers do during those conveniently placed ad breaks.

Look at Ryder's hungry little eyes, he can't wait to hit the piss in the dressing room at lunch.

It's the toilet door window that should be worried.

Look at Ryder's hungry little eyes, he can't wait to hit the piss in the dressing room at lunch.

You're assuming he hasn't got a hip flask in his whites.

I think the BLACKCAPS would be quite chuffed to be 22/3 at this stage.

34/1 as I write this!

At this point, they're thinking 'series? What series?'

Look at Ryder's hungry little eyes, he can't wait to hit the piss in the dressing room at lunch.

I think the BLACKCAPS would be quite chuffed to be 22/3 at this stage.

They were extremely chuffed to have Australia 23/3 (or should I say 3/23) after less than 80 minutes!

Yep, the Irish have done it for a long time. Always thought it showed class.

I hate it, it's obvious that our guys can't kick in total silence, they need a bit of verbal abuse to focus the mind.

My Da in his late 50s

Suddenly I reread this & feel really old....

How is this new to everyone now though? Presumably this happened every other time we played in Ireland. I can't recall it being discussed or noticing it during games.

yeah, I wondered too – but if they've been doing it for ages, this is the first two games I've really…

Still, three wickets, when Southee is on form, he bowls well.

While the All Blacks didn't exactly put up a cricket score

I think the BLACKCAPS would be quite chuffed to be 22/3 at this stage.

They are! And they are bowling!

BTW, I watched the Munster replay last night, and I really think we should adopt the use of silence during kicks – it's really powerful shit!

Yeah, I was impressed by that too.

How is this new to everyone now though? Presumably this happened every other time we played in…

Why would you need an expensive set to be a Monopoly champion?

You could say the same thing of chess, yet I bet most top chess players have a nice chess set or two.

Why would you need an expensive set to be a Monopoly champion?

If memory serves, it was a hand painted inlaid wood affair, with brass trim & playing pieces... it cost a few $k in 1990.

I think he had it because he was a geeky devotee (yes, he was an…

I can see that would apply to a lot of fringe sports like motor racing, golf etc..

Two of the top five most watched sports in the world there...

I can see that would apply to a lot of fringe sports like motor racing, golf etc..

But Monopoly?

The New Zealand Scrabble team

Will they be playing live on Sky? Years ago, I made one sodding joke aside to a colleague about a ridiculously expensive Monopoly set for sale in a magazine advertisement.

Turns out, not only did my colleague have a set just like that at home,…

The New Zealand Scrabble team is considering calling themselves 'The Allphabets'. No joke

What did they go with? The Black Tiles? The Silver Letter Word Scores?

I'm such a huge Munsters fan and such a hater of the Adams Family

Now there is a category of person I never knew existed…

Anyhow I've posted a wee thing on the Munster game now, sorry for the delay (fucking internet outages!)

Turn of the Millennium Ricer Dance craze was all about.

It was all about Jean Butler.

They should totally ensure someone called Herman is in the team at all times though.

Campbell Live promoted a story about "Munsters vs. All Blacks" the other day.

My Da in his late 50s does "Michael Fattley Lard of the Dance"
Tie around the head, unbuttoned business shit (possibly some beer stains) . A sight not easily forgotten.

And his sincere Irish brogue.... they all speak like that in Chicago, I'm sure.

I was waiting for that River Dance guy (Flattley?) who was there to come down and join in.

Me too. I always think of him as Michael Flathead. For no particular reason other than he looks like a twit.

And Wednesday was from the Addams family, oh the shame.

Interesting to see Howlett start the game with a Munster haka.

I thought the shark got jumped a bit there.

I was waiting for that River Dance guy (Flattley?) who was there to come down and join in.

I heard the last ten minutes of the game in a taxi en route to a Statistics NZ lock up on the producer prices index (they're up, in case you were wondering).

HUGE buzz. (the game, not the PPI)

I also caught the last ten minutes, on the bedroom radio.…

Holy shit, Munster 16, NZ 18. Last minute try to Rokocoko steals it.

I heard the last ten minutes of the game in a taxi en route to a Statistics NZ lock up on the producer prices index (they're up, in case you were wondering).

HUGE buzz. (the game, not…

They should totally ensure someone called Herman is in the team at all times though.

Should be a monument to the whole thing at the Viaduct.

http://www.hebig.org/blogs/archives/main/team_nz_mast.jpg

You bring the gimlet, I bring the wimble.

The tool, or the gin cocktail. (I'd prefer the later)

Can we anyway?

I'll meet you at the viaduct basin in fifteen minutes. You bring the gimlet, I bring the wimble.

Though that reminds me that we had Team New Zealand in the yachting.

If it turns out that it was that which gave the yanks the idea of calling their athletes in any number of olympics disciplines "Team USA", we should sink the bloody thing.

Can we anyway?

And isn’t there an Emirates in the name somewhere these days?

Though that reminds me that we had Team New Zealand in the yachting.

If it turns out that it was that which gave the yanks the idea of calling their athletes in any number of olympics disciplines "Team USA", we should sink the bloody thing.

In New Zealand it's really a formula isn't it?

Close, but I'm gonna have to mention Black Beauty and Team Kiwi Racing. :)

Well Team Kiwi Racing isn't really a national team and Black Beauty is the name of the car (like the boat Black Magic). Though that reminds me…

In New Zealand it's really a formula isn't it?

Close, but I'm gonna have to mention Black Beauty and Team Kiwi Racing. :)

And in this area, NZ Hockey takes the cake. Black Sticks for men, and then after an expensive branding exercise (~$50k from memory) they came up with a name for the women’s team.

The Black Sticks.

I thought the women were the Black Sticks first (in the Mandy Smith era).

…

And in this area, NZ Hockey takes the cake. Black Sticks for men, and then after an expensive branding exercise (~$50k from memory) they came up with a name for the women’s team.

The Black Sticks.

I thought the women were the Black Sticks first (in the Mandy Smith era).…

The organic ones are fine, but the ones dreamed up by some marketing department are fingernails down blackboard.

All Blacks is an organic name. It's just been taken over and pushed well down the line by the NZRFU.

I'm still stuck at why the teams aren't called just Auckland, Wellington, etc.

Because the natives in Northland, Palmerston North, Levin, Invercargill, Nelson, Blenheim etc. kicked up a fuss.

Here's an interesting bit of trivia...

Damn it, I actually rubbed my hands together with glee and was about to type…

Utah Jazz

That does have a kind of ironic hilariousness to it, though. I mean, could there be anywhere *less* jazzy than Utah?

The Memphis Grizzlies is also quite silly. Why didn't they rename them the... Presleys? Or the Staxes?

The Black Cocks wasn't it?

Can't remember if it was just what the players wanted, or what was actually proposed by some other highly paid marketing firm. It said it all, and it said it well.…

I like the non-official versions like Les Tricolors for the French.

Yup; that’s it.

The organic ones are fine, but the ones dreamed up by some marketing department are fingernails down blackboard.

And in this area, NZ Hockey takes the cake. Black Sticks for men, and then after an expensive…

Is here where I whine about teams being named after one singular thing? The Force, the Storm, the Jazz, the Inferiority Complex... it drives me batty. Let it end.

Personally i hate the teams that move but keep their name, when they really shouldn't. (ie. LA Lakers, Utah Jazz).

Although if you have two teams in one city it could get confusing. Hence the White Sox and the Cubs in Chicago, or the Lakers and the Clippers in LA. But if you're a one-team town, why bother?

Here's an interesting bit of trivia: American pro-football came about after baseball…

Nicknames for national sides leave me cold though. And that includes the New Zealand Men’s Rugby team; although I accept that tradition makes that one a bit different.

But I will not accept a name that…

I'm still stuck at why the teams aren't called just Auckland, Wellington, etc.

Good point. Although if you have two teams in one city it could get confusing. Hence the White Sox and the Cubs in Chicago, or the Lakers and the Clippers in LA. But if you're a one-team…

Is here where I whine about teams being named after one singular thing? The Force, the Storm, the Jazz, the Inferiority Complex... it drives me batty. Let it end.

I'm still stuck at why the teams aren't called just Auckland, Wellington, etc. but then I'm a notorious hater of fun.…

And possibly shot.

One good reason to celebrate the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea's come from behind victory, goalkeeper Hong (own goal – 2 min) is probably not going to be shot.

That's because it's how they're officially branded...

OK, that's dumb.

Word, that explanation has just made my life a little sadder.

OTAGO VOLTS vs NORTHERN KNIGHTS

Just settle down please.

I don’t like to be yelled at by a team name.

That's because it's how they're officially branded...

OK, that's dumb.

And, if they're going to write it that way, they should play that way, which they don't do that often.

Yes. I especially liked the CAPSLOCK in BLACKCAPS.

That's because it's how they're officially branded...
http://www.blackcaps.co.nz/international/

Quite funny though.

Yes. I especially liked the CAPSLOCK in BLACKCAPS.

And 22 after 80mins would be a very slow run-rate.

Oh I don’t know.

Ponting’s Australia would have probably got through about 10 overs in that time.

I think the BLACKCAPS would be quite chuffed to be 22/3 at this stage.

Whoa, dude, that was harsh.

Quite funny though.

lol

And 22 after 80mins would be a very slow run-rate.

I think the BLACKCAPS would be quite chuffed to be 22/3 at this stage.

Whoa, dude, that was harsh.

Quite funny though.

I think the BLACKCAPS would be quite chuffed to be 22/3 at this stage.

Whoa, dude, that was harsh.

Even when he's missing them from in front

http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=gpJ9AfAXoBo

I knew we shouldn't have let go of Jerry.

Ok so let's all adore McCaw for his work-rate... But I'm focusing on Carter.
13 tackles + 3 assists and 2 misses, presumably most on O'Gara... Not bad I think.

Yep. Even when he's missing them from in front, he's still pulling off loose-forward work that wouldn't embarrass an actual…

Tracey has just put up the stats.

Ta, I'm off to analyse them.

He topped that with "And the referee explains everything for all to understand – which I don't understand."

Yeah, the comedic timing of, with the little pause, made it perfect.

But I'm focusing on Carter.
13 tackles + 3 assists and 2 misses, presumably most on O'Gara... Not bad I think.

I'm not sure if O'Gara ran the ball... well at all really. I think he's from the Grant Fox mold of first-fiving.

Carter brought down a couple of big…

Tracey has just put up the stats.

Ok so let's all adore McCaw for his work-rate... But I'm focusing on Carter.
13 tackles + 3 assists and 2 misses, presumably most on O'Gara... Not bad I think.

... that would be the bomb. I would definitely read his next column.

Murray Mexted, in fine form, said at one point: "Listen to the silence".

He topped that with "And the referee explains everything for all to understand – which I don't understand."

This was not the case at the lineout where the crowd was drowning out the calls, causing me to wonder why they don't use hand signals.

I'm not sure if having the hooker looking like a baseball coach and fondling himself and adjusting his non-existent hat thrice would improve the…

While the All Blacks didn't exactly put up a cricket score

I think the BLACKCAPS would be quite chuffed to be 22/3 at this stage.

I did like the penalty against Jimmy Cowan for pushing his opposite number. Cowan looked like he was yelling "Fuck off! Fuck off!" Aren't you filled with pride?

You can take the boy out of Southland...

Murray Mexted, in fine form, said at one point: "Listen to the silence".

My favourite was when Tommy Bowe came back on, and Tony Woodcock was still off, and he said "But that actually gives the All Blacks the advantage."

So, wait, what? Having an extra player off gives the…