I think cricket fans are more attuned to this mindset.

Fans of the Black Caps, fans of the Warriors, fans of the Highlanders...

The highs are sweeter because of the lows we have been through.

Fans of Bay of Plenty and the New York Jets and Mets too

So if the ABs lose, there must have been skullduggery afoot.

And in every rcorded instance, this skullduggery was the work of FOREIGNERS!

Actually I'd say our media are fairly harsh on the All Blacks if they lose. It's more of a "how dare they play badly" than "someone done…

The highs are sweeter because of the lows we have been through.

Beaten on the day, but to be a real fan you have to stick with it during good times and bad.

I think cricket fans are more attuned to this mindset.

I was referring to times when a lack of natural justice was evident – that Dean's non-try being the trigger.

But I'm happy to admit that most AB losses are beaten up by the media into a national froth and not a few fans tend…

We've replaced war with a sport as a way for young men (cos it's always been about men) to prove themslves under pressure

Could be, or do young men like to put themselves under pressure?
That said, I think its an artificial pressure and has no relevance in day to…

See Im not sure that sport somehow didn't just hitch itself to this wagon called "The Higher Aspirations of the Human Animal" that was sitting idle at the roadside, where it has been left by some other fading organisation sometime early last century.

I wonder if this fading organisation is…

So if the ABs lose, there must have been skullduggery afoot.

And in every rcorded instance, this skullduggery was the work of FOREIGNERS!

So if the ABs lose, there must have…

And, IMO, it is not our attitude to defeat, but our attitude to injustice .

81st column beat me.... but as a non NZ-born resident, I was going to point out that when the subject is "All Black losses" many NZers seem to have difficulty distinguishing between the two...

And, IMO, it is not our attitude to defeat, but our attitude to injustice .

LOL and that would be about as subjective as a spear tackle viewed by an irishman....

on his assertion that professional sport is destroying the things we hold dear about sport itself.

He was very woolly in his assertions, maybe 'cause he is somewhat out of his depth when articulating those supposed "things we hold dear about sport".

See Im not sure that sport somehow didn't…

It would have been a perfect series.

There should be no nostalgia in cricket about a gentler game.

Come now, what could be more gentlemanly than this?.

If, however, no player comes to the wicket because all eligible players are unable to bat (e.g. through injury or illness) then they are not given out timed out; instead…

Deans went to his deathbed firm in his stance that he, and New Zealand, was robbed on that day.

Thus it would seem New Zealand's attitude to defeat has not changed in 100 years...heh heh

Said the Welshman ;-)

5 super division, home and away then internationals.
6 premiere division, home and away and a final.
6 division one, home and away and a final.
9 heartland rep, round robin for 8-team seeded knockout.…

the Highlabders have something others can't quite equally offer: a captive Otago University student crowd to buy product by the gallon.

Except that with an early February start, half the Super 15 will be over before they've even slept off the orientation hangover.

And cricket... I've always considered it to…

It's one of the new rules and it's been around since at least 1744. You've got to love cricket.

Cricket is more of an elaborate ceremony than a sport, particularly in test form. Although most sports are fairly ceremonial, now that I think about it.

Waikato has a cow. Taranaki has a bull.

And it's a real goddamn bull, not some out-of-work actor in a suit

Taranaki? They've got a stoopid cow as a mascot...

Waikato has a cow. Taranaki has a bull.

Currently there will be no swapping between the Heartland and Division Una, though that is still up for discussion.

Yes. Please. It almost ties back the sportsmanship Walsh believed he saw: Plucky local team makes good headline and some more Union support in the Heartland who've shown they're keen and…

It must have predated the 16 December 1905 All Blacks vs Wales match in Cardiff – where Bob Deans was robbed of his try in the…

You know what might work, (and I can't believe I'm saying this): another Super 14.

So you have a "Super 10" say with the best teams from the SANZAR nations. And then, run at the same time, a "Top 10" with the next best teams. that way you could have…

Quit it you with your communist inspired drivel!

Come Comrade, we play rugby for glory of Nation!

Oh and the "Top 10" could play during the daytime!

Quit it you with your communist inspired drivel!

So you have a "Super 10" say with the best teams from the SANZAR nations. And then, run at the same time, a "Top 10" with the next best teams. that way you could have…

You'd want to take a fairly long term view. For a long time the Chiefs were the…

And the Highlanders will be screwed if they can't import half the Hawkes Bay Air NZ cup team. Something has to give.

It should be the Higlanders who are dumped. Their Super 14 team is our poorest performer and their Otago Air NZ Cup team has consistantly performed poorly. They…

Having said that though, I don't support the bid. I think our player resources are stretched as it is and New Zealand cannot support six franchise teams.

Aye. I think any expansion team will struggle to get the level of player needed to be competitive.

And the Highlanders will be…

Having said that though, I don't support the bid. I think our player resources are stretched as it is and New Zealand cannot support six franchise teams.

The get rid of a non-performer like the Highlanders and give someone else a go.

It sorta looks like what you and your fellow amateurs do up and down the country every week, but the bodies look odd and no one is smiling much.

And when they are, it's creepy.

Also, what the devil – Hawke's Bay want their own Super rugby team!

And another…

From his bag he takes a phial. "That, that's cocaine for our eyes and chloroform for our gums..."
"Here," said Ville, tipping out the contents of his bag, "horse liniment to keep…

Also, what the devil – Hawke's Bay want their own Super rugby team!

This bid will be a good test of whether or not the NZRFU is open to different ideas and approaches. I am not hopeful since they…

Based on the criteria…

Summary of Assessable Criteria

· Population (10%);
· Community Rugby (25%) – based on official player, referee and coach registrations;
· Playing History (20%) – based on finishing position;
· Player Development (15%) – based on…

Walsh uses the example of eye-gouging; how much do you want to win that you are willing to damage another person's sight?

And yet in another way, it's not the best example, because eye gouging, and similarly violent incidents, are more frequently picked up and punished in the professional era.…

And they are putting motors on America's Cup boats.

And Alinghi are gonna have a real advantage if they are allowed to keep that helicopter