You'll here no argument from me there, but if we'd left everyone with the juniors, who would you have put in place of Masaga, McAlister, Latimer, Messam, Ross, de Malmanche?

I wasn't saying they shouldn't be there. Someone had to take the field, you pick the best 22 you can.…

Just because it's not on TV, doesn't mean that they couldn't demonstrate their benefits (or lack of) with the Junior ABs, which is where they'd all have been playing.
That really is half the point of a Junior ABs team.

You'll here no argument from me there, but if we'd…

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And there's 'holy shit we're about to get 6 people back from injury and if they hadn't gotten injured we wouldn't have seen the benefits of Isaac Ross and Tanerau Latimer [and that I was right about Masaga]'.

Just because it's not on TV, doesn't mean that they couldn't demonstrate…

Face it, there is no way back for this lot

Deans was probably right to sling his hook rather than wait four more years, given he was entitled to think that an unsuccessful World Cup should have created a vacancy at the top.

Well, yeah. You miss out on a job you want, what do you do? Apply for another…

But I think coaches have to be patient. If there are no vacancies, then there are no vacancies. And remember we've chased a few messiahs in the past, including our current one.

Yes I agree, and Deans was probably right to sling his hook rather than wait four more years,…

Yeah. There's 'rust' and there's "this doesn't look anything like a world-beating team, three weeks out from playing two of the best teams in the world."

And there's 'holy shit we're about to get 6 people back from injury and if they hadn't gotten injured we wouldn't have seen the…

At what point should we begin the mass panic over how dire the All Blacks have been this year?

Yeah. There's 'rust' and there's "this doesn't look anything like a world-beating team, three weeks out from playing two of the best teams in the world."

On their current form, will we win a Tri-Nations game this year?

And will someone tell the Italian team that losing a test by 21 points is not cause for celebration?…

Except in that case it was a stupid thing to do, because we had been beating Australia throughout the series and losing to South Africa, and ended up losing the final by a pretty large margin.

Oh maybe. We might have got our butts kicked by Australia in the final…

"...the New Zealand Rugby Union had not asked the security to tell its staff to treat pitch invaders with kid…

Michael Jackson dead
Farrah Fawcett dies
Jeff Goldblum alive

Megan, you're right, there is little beyond the S14 coaching positions for these guys to go for. I don't have a solution really, beyond reinvigorating the NPC competition, and making it the bread & butter competition.

The Union is in a bind over someone…

In fact the big news, and really it's pretty big, is that the Phoenix Suns have traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers (for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, a 2nd round draft pick and a pile of cash).

It appears that Orlando have traded for Vince Carter from the Nets.…

Similar to Bastareud, there was an incident and Henry made up a story to cover it. I don't think he even knew or bothered to care about points differential.

I'm reminded of a tri-nations cricket series in Aussie in... 2001? NZ stopped trying to get close in a (already lost)…

I have a theory about the six points thing. Similar to Bastareud, there was an incident and Henry made up a story to cover it. I don't think he even knew or bothered to care about points differential.

Quite possibly.

And on 2 counts that would be even worse.

I see Hinton's Crusade has been a success.

Heaven forbid they use that time to practice not dropping the frackin ball (continually the All Blacks biggest weakness is handling errors).

I have a theory about the six points thing. Similar to Bastareud, there was an incident and Henry made up…

It would also be the kind of speculation that the more fetid corners of talkback and Kiwibog can spit up without our help. Just saying.

Which is why I didn't go there.

I have to ask, why can the coaches not fill the heads of their players with instructions to win by six points, but insist they fill their heads with the words to one of the worst national anthems in existance (way worse than…

One can conjecture a number of unflattering scenarios which would cause him to come up with the table story, but it'd be pure speculation.

It would also be the kind of speculation that the more fetid corners of talkback and Kiwibog can spit up without our help. Just saying.

The La Times is now reporting it, citing official sources:

Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told The Times

I can't find anything more conclusive than linkbacks to a TMZ gossip report – workmates report that friends from home have seen it on TV, although whether they've actually seen conclusive…

Thanks, Tom, I was timing the lag from twitter to the web to wikipedia to PAS.

And what did we come in at?

Michael Jackson is dead!

The Union is in a bind over someone like Colin Cooper...

He's coaching the Juniors with Ian Foster.

The Union is in a bind over someone like Colin Cooper, who has done his…

IMHO he is far too dazzled by the News Corp money,…

Apart from the international exposure aspect, I'd have thought the 2 cases have similarities.

"He had too much to drink, came back to his hotel and fell over the table in his room. He has now gone on holiday to the French West Indies."

The local hotels will have to child proof their rooms.

Bastareud is a complete "le coc sportif" all right.

I took the trouble to listen to Steve Tew's long interview on radio sport yesterday (or the day before?) it was quite illuminating. If anyone has a link to it, I would…

And is he still lying to cover up some other incident?

The way the police guy interviewed phrased the camera evidence seemed to strongly suggest the injury happened in the period between Bastareaud entering the hotel (accompanied by others) and entering his room. One can conjecture a number of unflattering…

@nzben:
Apologies, I didn't have a heart attack last night, it was just the awesome chilli. #bastareaud

@twelveplusone:
I didn't miss the last 83 and had to get a $40 taxi home because I was drunk last night, it was because the bus was…

He's building an unsustainable model that will bite us on the arse in the next few years – insufficient opportunities for coaches beyond Super 14...

While I don't entirely disagree with you, how would you like them to create more coaching opportunities beyond the Super 14?

The next level up…

It was a lushed out Natianal candidate who was beaten ( but not robbed ) by a unseen gang of dope fiends.

Those filthy dope/fiends attacked our happy drunk because he'd told them off for smoking the rancid dope around his doorstep before…

Some shots are cheap. Others are worthless.

Sure it's a tough job, that's why he's paid the big bucks.

I know that, but every decision he makes will cause some harm – either to grassroots rugby, to international rugby, or to the TV networks who pay for everything. Every way he turns he's f***ed.

I'm not suggesting…

Like it or not the ABs are a business. They bring in loads of cash to fund everything else. As a traditionalist I'm not completely happy with some of the recent changes, but if I were in Tew's shoes would I do anything differently? I'm not so sure.

He's building…

He caught himself referring to the All Blacks as a business twice, which really rankled with me. The man has no vision at all

I think Tew's got one of the hardest jobs in the country, so I have some sympathy for him. How do you keep NZ rugby strong…

One does have to wonder about why would you lie about falling on a table?

Well, this recovering alcoholic can only speak for himself but "deep denial" is a good start.

Just scanning Twitter and there seems to be a lot of people comparing Bastareaud lying to the Rainbow Warrior…

In fact the big news, and really it's pretty big, is that the Phoenix Suns have traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers (for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, a 2nd round draft pick and a pile of cash).

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

One does have to wonder about why would you lie about falling on a table?

And is he still lying to cover up some other incident?

Exactly.

Just scanning Twitter and there seems to be a lot of people comparing Bastareaud lying to the Rainbow Warrior bombing. That's probably a…

One does have to wonder about why would you lie about falling on a table?

And is he still lying to cover up some other incident?

Things just got a little out of hand .................

Max Guazzini, the owner of Stade Francais, also issued a statement saying it was a youthful misadventure.

"It was simply jolly japes by a youngster," said Guazzini in a…

Does every foreign rugby tour have to end with a police investigation into team antics in a hotel room?

So Tom hit the nail on the head.

Bastareaud walking into his hotel with two other players and two women, TV One reported.

Doesn't sound like an isolated incident to me…