Field Theory: Four Years Ago
262 Responses
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BenWilson, in reply to
Last night was more angst inducing than I would have expected. Really really wanted Argentina to win.
Yes, they were fantastic. I loved how they were so excited that it looked like one of them almost fainted during their national anthem. They really wanted to win, and played like it.
But in the end it was a massive ask for them to beat England, and I think the most telling factor in the end was physical condition. The English played bruising rugby, and I don't grudge them their style. But Argentina taught them to run the ball. Playing a kicking game alone, relying on Wilkinson, very nearly lost them the match.
Japan had a great game too, possibly the best rugby I've ever seen them play. France wasn't awful, Japan just played a really smart game. Initially, I was just hoping they would score at least one try, so they blew my expectations out of the water. I would have loved to see them seize the lead in the middle of the second half, they came so close. But even then, I expected the final quarter to be telling, France are just too big, strong, and fast. They're still the team, aside from the All Blacks, that I'd most like to see win this tournament, really exciting with ball in hand.
Yesterday, it felt to me like Tonga had set the tone for this tournament, dealing out inspiration to all of the minor teams that it is within their power to give any of the top 5 teams something to be concerned about, if they set themselves reasonable targets. Being able to control the ball when they have it has led to very well earned penalties and tries.
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Sacha, in reply to
some train staff have been communicating extremely clearly with Veolia and their union reps about being harassed and abused by customers last night
Quite. The phrase 'meat in the sandwich' comes to mind. Management of the rail operator, contracting agency and cup organisers are responsible, as are politicians both national and local who set the regulations and resources they operate within.
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Sacha, in reply to
Those black jerseys were pathetic, and in the end bothered me greatly.
Got boos.
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Sacha, in reply to
Playing a kicking game alone, relying on Wilkinson, very nearly lost them the match
My fingers were crossed. I detest boring rugby.
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Sacha, in reply to
Japan had a great game too
+1
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BenWilson, in reply to
My fingers were crossed. I detest boring rugby.
Yes, although I think it was all about kicks because it was so tense. Several times Argentina got penalties that they could have kicked for territory, backing their chances of a try. But being only 6 in the lead makes going for any kick you can get compelling (on both sides), when it's a close game against a team that is higher seeded. I didn't really find it boring, there was a lot of running play. The only problem was that so many kickable opportunities came up from the running.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
But in the end it was a massive ask for them to beat England, and I think the most telling factor in the end was physical condition. The English played bruising rugby, and I don’t grudge them their style. But Argentina taught them to run the ball.
It was still only England who could score a try, though. Argentina deserved to win, but they couldn't put it away.
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Sacha, in reply to
I think it was all about kicks because it was so tense
Isn't a propensity for kicking England's standard game?
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Hands up who is glad the weather on Friday wasn't like this?
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BenWilson, in reply to
It was still only England who could score a try, though. Argentina deserved to win, but they couldn't put it away.
Yes, that was my point. England finally decided to kick for position, backing their runners, and pulled off the only try, a perfectly decent one. Good on Argentina for teaching them this lesson, that a kicking strategy against a weaker team is a stupid approach, and could easily cause an upset.
They can do better, and I hope they do better.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
Hands up who is glad the weather on Friday wasn’t like this?
Totally. This front has been forecast to hit Auckland on Sunday morning for days now, so everyone involved with Friday's events has been able to stare at the bullet they dodged,
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Those black jerseys were pathetic, and in the end bothered me greatly.
I had severe problems with those! I have this Pavlovian 'wanting the team in black to keep moving forward' response, which I had to keep pulling myself up for and mentally revising. And I was annoyed with myself because it was so clear that the whole point of this uniform thing was to, like, get into our heads, and they had done it! They WERE in my head! Waaarggghh!
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bmk, in reply to
My fingers were crossed. I detest boring rugby
While it wasn't running rugby, I actually found it by far the most enjoyable match of the cup so far. The intensity made up for all other shortcomings. Just a pity Argentina couldn't have won.
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Sacha, in reply to
it wasn't running rugby
I admit I'm biased towards that. Fiji much more my cup o tea.
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George Darroch, in reply to
This front has been forecast to hit Auckland on Sunday morning for days now, so everyone involved with Friday’s events has been able to stare at the bullet they dodged
I think it's the other way around, actually. Friday was extraordinary. Had it been a normal afternoon; cool, overcast, and slightly wet, many fewer people would have been inclined to head in and join festivities. Today, we show the visitors what Auckland is really like.
And also disliking the choice of black. It would be like our soccer team wearing orange, or the cricket team wearing yellow and green. It just doesn't make sense.
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Sacha, in reply to
Comment on AKT provides another view about the relationship between train operator Veolia and funder Auckland Transport, though it ignores the huge influence of govt policy settings.
My feelings are that Veolia is being blamed for the incompetence of Auckland Transport (Previously ARTA).
For a very long time it has been common knowledge that all the scheduling decisions are made by AT and Veolia are then asked to comment and ultimately implement them.
Veolia, being a contractor who wants to keep the contract, goes along with what AT say and everything goes downhill from there.
...Veolia has really been sold a pup since they started here. It seems strange to me though that they have stayed for more but I suppose that they can’t afford to pull out. They have no control over schedules, they have no real control over LEs hired from outside to drive trains. They have little or no control over maintenance because that contract is negotiated by AT and KR.
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Overall the govt is being quite successful in blaming Auckland's Council and agencies for Friday's failures - Key smoothly laid the responsiblity there in a soundbite on Radio NZ news. Completely unchallenged.
Meanwhile, Labour's Grant Robertson focuses on Key's speech during the opening ceremony.
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Veolia aren't here for Aucklands Transport, and the less resposibility they have for that the happier they are.
They want your Water!
In a truely perverse twist, it will be the Greens that give it to them.
The Greens are putting a price on water, with a view to Dairy.
Once this is accepted you'll pay for the delivery and product plus 8-20%.
http://www.flowthefilm.com/sites/default/files/press/flowpresskit.pdf
Beware of those waterboys.
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Sacha, in reply to
Blaming the Greens is a bit of a stretch. Water supply contracting already happened in the Auckland region in the 1990s under National govts, rolled back the following decade.
Rodney Hide's recent local govt act amendments extended the maximim term to 35 years so it's even more lucrative for foreign water operators. Some of the fuss about Maori seats on Auckland Council was not unrelated. Similarly, the govt overthrow of ECan.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
If AKL public transit is indeed being set up to fail, then it's by proxy an attempt to set up Mayor Brown himself to fail. If my suspicions are correct, it would effectively be GLC-isation by stealth. A fitting strategy for the C/T's of this world.
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Sacha, in reply to
If AKL public transit is indeed being set up to fail
Any details or links?
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It's not that Veolia haven't got great references overseas for f..g up public transport - see Connex South Eastern.
I'm not blaming the local staff, it's probably impossible to run a commuter metro for short term corporate profit in the way they've been tasked to and offer reasonable service.
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Just thinking, in reply to
Sacha, that's a specific payment from rates (priviously included) for the delivery of the product, water.
The big issue is the charge for the product itself, something the Greens are promoting, admitedly to another market. This then becomes proof of concept and is launched on the Domestic consumer of that same product. -
Russell Brown, in reply to
I think it’s the other way around, actually. Friday was extraordinary. Had it been a normal afternoon; cool, overcast, and slightly wet, many fewer people would have been inclined to head in and join festivities. Today, we show the visitors what Auckland is really like.
I beg to differ. It was actually typical of the bouts of early-Spring weather that every year make Aucklanders speculate that it's going to be a brilliant summer. So it's not actually atypical weather, just a bloody lottery.
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Meanwhile, aren't Wales making some dragon magic right now? Go the youth!
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