Public Address | Cafe | Hard News: A better thing to believe in

Ian Dalziel

Thu, 29 Oct 2015 13:56:03 +1300

This pic cracks me up
our Hobbit PM
under the mountain...
source

The man has no class, he has no 'right' to be there.

linger

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:00:24 +1300

JK = inspiration for Mastercard’s “Tim”

Sacha

Tue, 27 Oct 2015 17:25:25 +1300

Katharine Moody

Tue, 27 Oct 2015 16:31:58 +1300

Great piece by Toby. I'm surpised however that he failed to mention that JK was the inspiration for Mastercard's "Tim"

Alfie

Tue, 27 Oct 2015 15:48:47 +1300

Cartoon by Tremain

I'm sure that by now everyone has seen that wide angle shot of Sam Whitelock towering over the PM, making him look like a dwarf amongst giants. Does Key really feel that he's one of the boys or does he just have an unnatural desire to be…

linger

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 17:05:43 +1200

Vocal cords. As in cords of rope, or muscle. Journos always get that wrong.

simon g

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 15:14:35 +1200

The alleged national obssession, as seen more honestly – from the outside:

"There may have been more All Black supporters in Wembley but for most of the first hour it appeared that every single one of them had their vocal chords ripped out." (Sean Ingle, Guardian).

For confirmation, watch this…

chris

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 13:30:27 +1200

Given the limited options presented by it being broadcast it on TV1, TV3, Maori TV, and Sky, accounting for all the stops pulled in terms of establishing Party Central and factoring in that it was a New Zealand ‘event’, I’d favour the latter appraisal.

Rich of Observationz

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 12:34:19 +1200

2,264,150 or 55.8 percent

A stadium of four million? Or two and a half million who don't give a fuck?

Russell Brown

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 09:49:29 +1200

I agree with your analysis Steve. The transnational corporations Adidas and AIG are prime examples of how these corporations have a great influence on the spread and flow of information to the masses.
If such dominant flows were not in place I don't believe that John Key and the media…

chris

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 09:20:44 +1200

I thought it was kind of beautiful, for the briefest few hours the prioritising of gender distinctions and stereotypes was disregarded and we became one ovulating mixed up mess.

Russell Brown

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 09:08:32 +1200

Quite. Smith had a private picture of himself published everywhere without her permission, including the New Zealand Herald.

That sentence has issues.

Heh. It did

chris

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 09:07:33 +1200

The purpose of a democratic society is where debate reaches a point where the best decision for the majority is chosen.

This made me curious as to exactly how popular Rugby is so I looked up the viewing figures for the 2011 RWC final:

Nielsen figures show 2,036,900 viewers watched…

Gould S

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 08:38:26 +1200

Russell Brown

Sun, 20 Sep 2015 22:04:51 +1200

i.e. Aaron Smith’s d**k pictures scandal.

I do wish you'd picked an example where the All Black in question had actually done something wrong, not one where he was the victim of others' arseholitude.

Quite. Smith had a private picture of himself published everywhere without his permission, including the New…

Emma Hart

Sun, 20 Sep 2015 20:33:58 +1200

i.e. Aaron Smith’s d**k pictures scandal.

I do wish you'd picked an example where the All Black in question had actually done something wrong, not one where he was the victim of others' arseholitude.

linger

Sun, 20 Sep 2015 20:02:13 +1200

Cult carries its negative connotation for several reasons:
the object of worship or devotion may be relatively unpopular; and/or the object of devotion may be regarded as strange or suspicious; and/or the devotees cannot exercise (or have been forced to abandon) critical appraisal.

Rugby in NZ sometimes seems to meet…

Callum McGillivray

Sun, 20 Sep 2015 16:41:01 +1200

It's definitely a strange way to celebrities for his politics. I can see why Key (and National) would distance themselves from those types of artists, sort of framing Nationals identity as heroes when Key surrounds himself with the All Blacks. Even if the All Blacks do digress or make mistakes,…

Steve Johnson

Sun, 20 Sep 2015 16:30:32 +1200

The purpose of a democratic society is where debate reaches a point where the best decision for the majority is chosen. It would not be a democratic society if everyone believed the same thing.

The term cult, is another term for religion, but the less popular religion, so in NZ's…

Briar Ingledew

Sun, 20 Sep 2015 16:15:38 +1200

Well Steve you do make some valid points

"so it is only natural that companies and organisation would want to align themselves with our national religion to make money off it. And the media are only feeding us what we have an appetite from, as they need to sell papers…

Steve Johnson

Sun, 20 Sep 2015 15:43:16 +1200

We (New Zealand) do give credit to other sports, such as the America's Cup, remember the parades down Queen St in Auckland when we won, and the Black Caps doing the unimaginable in the Cricket World Cup and beating South Africa to reach the final. We also praise the less…

izogi

Sun, 20 Sep 2015 10:29:03 +1200

Perhaps it was the timing – I was about the age to start rugby in 1981 and he was strongly anti-tour (although he sneakily watched every game in the delayed coverage, after coming back from demonstrations).

I have a maybe-skewed memory of mum telling me she didn't want me playing…

Ian Dalziel

Sun, 20 Sep 2015 09:39:13 +1200

Yet, would it be any different with any other teams?
National seem to have dropped their electoral dalliance with rowing – despite the NZ teams recent world class results and they are distancing themselves from 'bad boy' musicians too – the (oh so) 'pretty legal' Eminem clone music is gone and…

Callum McGillivray

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 23:03:03 +1200

Do you not think that Key uses the identity of the All Blacks as a celebrity politician? The All Blacks are seen as heroes or gods, so to speak, in NZ and their status as celebrities are a huge advantage for Key. Whether they win or not, they're status as…

Rich Lock

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 20:11:28 +1200

Some just hate team sports and will never enjoy them, and yet might have a lot to gain from physical training of a more individual kind.

Indeed, it can be quite subversive....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQJsE4dJmG0

Steve Barnes

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 19:35:01 +1200

I believe that Key’s alignment with the All Blacks is another result of transnational corporations (Adidas) and the concentrated media ownership of Rupert Murdoch.

Not only Adidas
On October 12, 2012, AIG announced a 5 ½ year agreement to sponsor six New Zealand-based rugby teams, including world champion All Blacks.…

Gould S

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 17:30:59 +1200

While it might not be obvious to those who complain that the importance of this sport is being blown completely out of proportion, there are deeper political objectives underlying NZ Rugby that other sports don’t hold to.

I don’t believe that John Key cashes in on the successful “identity” of…

chris

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 16:07:03 +1200

I do believe in pushing children to do things they’re reluctant to do, up to a point, if the thing is really worth doing, for them, in my opinion.

Definitely, it takes a hours with most pursuits to reach a point where you’re able to get the most out of…

Callum McGillivray

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 14:57:40 +1200

Hi there,

I don't believe that you're being over-sensitive. I believe that the All Blacks' presence in our media and political sphere is quite frustrating. Let me further explain:

Just wanted to acknowledge your last paragraph about how the "bloke-y, matey political trend with the national side makes [you] uncomfortable."…

BenWilson

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 14:15:38 +1200

I believe essentially the best approach is to expose them to as wide a range of activities as possible and be prepared within reason to follow their lead, without necessarily even limiting the options to sport

That's pretty much the strategy. "Within reason" being the devil beridden detail. I do…

chris

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 13:23:30 +1200

It’s something I put a lot of thought into, what direction to push my own children. I’m encouraging them to watch rugby, just because it is a nationally important sport, like cricket (which I actually mostly dislike). It’s news, something to talk about, social grease.

But what I will encourage…

BenWilson

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 11:49:51 +1200

Following up on that, I have to echo andin's point above a little bit, in that while sport is a good thing to encourage in children, I don't "believe in" it, and I certainly don't "believe in rugby". I know the title of a blog post shouldn't have too much…

BenWilson

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 11:21:49 +1200

watching Fiji beating the shit out of England :-)

OK, didn't happen. But there was a point about 3/4 time were it could have gone either way :-). I didn't really think at that point that Fiji had what it took, though – they were looking gassed. This is a…

andin

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 08:32:34 +1200

4 billion years
Wrong or can I put it down to hearing loss or memory malfunction, or does that come under the heading of decline of cognitive function. Ain't being alive grand.
the only B-team in its competition, we didn’t win a game all season – was an instructive early…

chris

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 02:05:55 +1200

Hastings

Which is where my uncles were born and where my grandparent had both been living when they met. Technically it was my grandmother and my step-grandfather at the game for the sake of accuracy, both very cool people, more interested in motor sport than rugby as far as I…

Russell Brown

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 19:15:20 +1200

I think it was a good call of his – by sport, he meant team sport. There are a lot of very positive aspects of team sports that I got a lot out of throughout my life.

I found schoolwork pretty easy and it was good for me to participate…

BenWilson

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 17:20:38 +1200

I think we’re still there

For sure. I carefully put "historically" in there so as not to deny the existence of the Black Ferns, who have dominated women's rugby completely, winning 4 world cups in a row, and thinking that in the future it's possible they could get the recognition…

andin

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 16:47:57 +1200

a historically male-oriented culture.
I think we're still there

nzlemming

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 16:20:04 +1200

All caveats above given, I’ll be up in the small hours tomorrow with both my boys, watching Fiji beating the shit out of England :-)

And why wouldn't you? (though I may record it and watch it a little later ;-) )

BenWilson

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 13:50:22 +1200

All caveats above given, I'll be up in the small hours tomorrow with both my boys, watching Fiji beating the shit out of England :-)

BenWilson

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 13:47:07 +1200

I like to watch but have never played, beyond backyard matches when I was very small. It's rough as heck. My Dad pretty much didn't recommend it, despite having (by his own confession) having only done 7th form so that he could play in the Kelston 1st 15, and being…

izogi

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 13:31:16 +1200

Heh. 5th Test at Durban, 3rd to 14th of March 1939. Match drawn (by agreement). That was 10 days of play in total, after subtracting rest days and another no-play day. England was 654/5 in the 4th innings at the point of stopping. They'd only needed 696 to win the…

chris

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 13:18:08 +1200

I can’t quite agree with this, because my grandfather was one of the finite praisers

I can understand and respect that. There was a generation who lived through world war(s) and the great depression, life was tough, at times a brave face was all that many had, it was in…

Rich of Observationz

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 13:10:20 +1200

An interesting fact: Test matches used to have no time limit, and so could continue indefinitely. The last such match was between England and South Africa in 1939, and had eventually to be abandoned due to imminent war in Europe.

BenWilson

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 12:55:49 +1200

I kid myself it might be groovy if two million yrs in the future our descendants are around to watch as this galaxy merges with the Andromeda galaxy.

I think that's pegged for more like 4 billion years, so if we're still in this hood we probably won't want to…

Alfie

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 12:54:44 +1200

Can we run a Turing Test on this unit...?
Seconded.

Katita

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 12:37:35 +1200

They are an extraordinary team not only because they win nearly all the time, but because of the way they play the game.
This seems to be true of our NZ Cricket Team of late (the way they play if not the winning).
Professional sport is business but I think…

David Hood

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 12:37:14 +1200

I can’t quite agree with this, because my grandfather was one of the finite praisers, always trying to avoid becoming a “skite”, and sure, that could be limiting in some ways, but that sort of low-key kindness is comforting, because it also means that reactions to “failures” are low-key.

This…

Danielle

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 12:30:11 +1200

If we have to have wars, could they be more like test cricket matches? Everyone stops for appropriate meal breaks, and for a decent percentage of battles neither side wins or loses.

Ian Dalziel

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 12:13:54 +1200

Chess thumping!
Rugby is a game
Rugby is just a game
Cricket, just a game
League & soccer
both just games,
games that imitate war...

;- )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X8nRxsTgzA

Steve Barnes

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 11:33:05 +1200

Claire Robinson..
"It was beyond excessive, in my opinion," Robinson says. "The deference to the rugby god is just ridiculous. People have other forms of cultural or sporting outlet. Why privilege the All Blacks over every other thing we do? There's no reason for it."
I couldn't agree more. Rugby…

Russell Brown

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 11:30:01 +1200

It is, I’d never have guessed, I’ve been waiting for someone to ask what position he played.

Me? Hooker or loosehead prop. Although there was one glorious season at No.8 ...

Russell Brown

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 11:26:31 +1200

Aaaaaanyway, my grandfather died between the last Rugby World Cup and this one, and I always used to watch the big matches with him even though my knowledge is incredibly spotty, so I suppose I'll watch a few and have a gin in tribute to him.

Aw, nice.

Ian Dalziel

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 11:21:37 +1200

It’s almost impossible to have this kind of conversation without being caught up in mawkish sentimentality and jingoism as you so neatly have.
Can we run a Turing Test on this unit...?

Danielle

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 10:49:35 +1200

If you'll pardon what someone upthread called the "mawkish sentimentality" (because whoda thunk, people love their families and aren't cynical robots when they talk about them, which I'm afraid I consider a good thing):

This sense of finiteness and whatever conditions conspire to foment it are one of the saddest…

Grant McDougall

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 10:29:02 +1200

I really like rugby. But John Key's cynical exploitation of the All Blacks leaves me cold.

Also, there are some pretty annoying blanket statements above about what sort of people rugby fans allegedly are (macho, boorish, conservative, etc, etc). Well, that's a stereotype with all the flaws that stereotypes usually…

kiwicmc

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 10:12:35 +1200

League great Mal Maninga’s brief (very brief) entry into politics after retirement

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt--SGmIKIQ

izogi

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 10:04:25 +1200

Appointed in 2007 Steve Tew is a pragmatist you could love to hate, but he is not a fool.

You’d probably know better than I do and yet I’m still confused with the logic behind what seems to have been happening with the All Blacks’ brand and politics lately, regardless…

RaggedJoe

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 07:30:24 +1200

Never played the game, did soccer, basketball, surfed, skied, water skied all as part of growing up in NZ. My son never played rugby, did soccer and now accomplished sailor. I never had peer pressure to play, at school or otherwise. Dad died when I was 10, maybe I would…

Joe Wylie

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 06:10:08 +1200

The shock didn’t set in until my parents told me that my grandparents had commented that I ran like a girl, as if that’s a bad thing.
Someone once told me about how, while staying with relations in Hastings, they were subjected to a variety of "Whaddarya" heckling from across…

Tze Ming Mok

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 05:39:33 +1200

Both the Philip article and the Guardian piece were worth reading, and it was interesting to see the model of success outlined in the latter – it bears some resemblance to New Zealand’s approach to education. The ABs as a model for national identity though? Not a very new idea,…

chris

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 01:59:25 +1200

But thats just me

Trust me Andin it’s not just you. Like Russell and others here, sports played a significant role in my paternal bonding. I first played rugby for a season when I was 8, I had no idea what was going on, I knew I didn’t like it…

81stcolumn

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 01:05:15 +1200

If anything they probably see what’s been happening as nothing more than a harmless positive outcome for a favorite political party.

FTR. Appointed in 2007 Steve Tew is a pragmatist you could love to hate, but he is not a fool.

David MacGregor

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 00:38:42 +1200

It's almost impossible to have this kind of conversation without being caught up in mawkish sentimentality and jingoism as you so neatly have.
Bread, circuses, Steinlager.

izogi

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 00:00:55 +1200

But of late one can only wonder how All Blacks management have allowed this politicisation to get quite out-of-hand. It denigrates the team and the sport.

It was soon after the hosting of the 2003 World Cup was chosen that I decided those heading the NZRU must be as thick…

andin

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 22:43:48 +1200

if we want something better to believe in, maybe we should dig a bit deeper than a transit fad like sport.Or the money mad society we are living in at present, with its cheerleaders leading us to certain doom.
As a species not just one of the divided populations of…

william blake

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 21:39:45 +1200

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=emJyEa4z2Ec

chris

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 20:57:07 +1200

It is, I’d never have guessed, I’ve been waiting for someone to ask what position he played.

Sacha

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 20:52:26 +1200

On a personal level, my feeling for the game is undoubtedly driven by the fact that I played it through my childhood. That my strongest bonds with my late father lie in the way he was there every Saturday, watching me play, driving me and the other kids to and…

chris

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 20:42:14 +1200

When you’re an All Black the whole country loves you; but when you’re an MP half the country hates you.

When you’re Richie McCaw, the whole country loves you, but when you’re Carlos Spencer, or Taine Randall or Sonny BIll Williams, or Stephen ‘Beaver’ Donald, or when you’re out of…

BenWilson

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 19:50:05 +1200

When you're an All Black the whole country loves you; but when you're an MP half the country hates you. Well said that man.

Yes (although it overstates support in both cases). Particularly the moment they open their mouth on policy. I don't think countless appearances before an adoring media…

81stcolumn

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 19:48:41 +1200

But of late one can only wonder how All Blacks management have allowed this politicisation to get quite out-of-hand.

As mentioned on these boards elsewhere, a characteristic of this most recent National govt has been a deep insidious politicisation throughout many areas of public service. Sport is not immune. A…

Alfie

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 19:02:05 +1200

I came to rugby later in life than most people. I played soccer as a kid and hated the stop/start nature of rugby games... let the action flow! Sometime in the early 90s I discovered the joy of watching good rugby. It's now the only sport I watch on a…

Briar Ingledew

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 18:16:10 +1200

I might be one of many, however I find the glorification of the All Blacks tiresome. Now I’m not from a family that was bought up idolizing them, and I do respect the players and the sport, however when will we give credit and recognition to other sporting teams that…

81stcolumn

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 17:29:49 +1200

It’s also the complete opposite of how many other sports do it, instead letting adults dead set on reliving the glory days of their youth run riot over the structure and organisation of kids and teens sport, leading to the exact kind of half-arsed results the All Blacks and NZ…

kris_b

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 16:52:03 +1200

There's something really remarkable about this. It's a consultation process that paid most attention to its least influential respondents. It's the opposite of top-down.

It's also the complete opposite of how many other sports do it, instead letting adults dead set on reliving the glory days of their youth run…

81stcolumn

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 15:57:17 +1200

Don't don't start me....

Given the expensive hours required to produce, edit and review research; it is staggering that academics are encouraged to give it to people who then charge inflated, rorted prices for it.

BenWilson

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 15:46:23 +1200

I’m not sure if this is paywalled or not.

It is. An unfortunate consequence of academic professionalism. One point for rugby – delayed broadcasts are usually free :-)

81stcolumn

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 15:27:50 +1200

"Winning sports records boost incumbents’ vote totals and likelihoods of reelection, exceeding in magnitude the effect of variation in unemployment. In contrast, sports records following elections display no such relationship."

A study found here.

I'm not sure if this is paywalled or not.

Alec Morgan

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 15:07:52 +1200

love that typo…?
“hoping the Irish (with the only Northlander at the cup, or some brilliant unknowns become the hetroes of the tournament”

Bruce Thorpe

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 14:57:03 +1200

Sad days for me when a prime minister who makes my skin crawl, takes over the All Blacks and captain Richie McCaw.

i love rugby played well, and in my time have cheered for Campese and Horan, and those wonderful French who wrecked the arrogant blacks that day when only…

Bruce Thorpe

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 14:54:37 +1200

Sad days for me when a prime minister who makes my skin crawl, takes over the All Blacks and captain Richie McCaw.

i love rugby played well, and in my time have cheered for Campese and Horan, and those wonderful French who wrecked the arrogant blacks that day when only…

James Littlewood*

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 13:53:39 +1200

I don't really do much sport stuff. But from what I can see, professionalism has completely fucked it up pretty much everywhere. cricket match-tossers; FIFA thieves; America's Cup litigators; and substance abusers everywhere ... you don't have to look far.

Far as I can tell, Rugby is relatively clean next…

Paul Campbell

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 13:41:25 +1200

When you have pro-National, ex-media works head Brent Impey as head of the NZRFU then the temptation to use all that soft power was always going to be to much for Impey and Key.

People keep telling me not to call it the NZRFU, I suspect the reason they changed…

Alec Morgan

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 13:36:49 +1200

was bought up on rugby and detest it still, the excusing complexities skate over me;
let me count the ways…
–forced to play on pain of ridicule at primary school and punishment at int/secondary when athletics was my choice
–sitting next to Ron Don on a plane in ’81 and…

simon g

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 13:36:22 +1200

All political leaders embrace their country's sports teams when they win, it's on page one of the image-making handbook. Key does it more than others. Still, Helen hugging Reuben Wiki was a sight to behold!

But the really grating aspect is not that he does it, but that he so…

Deborah

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 12:57:26 +1200

Maybe I’m being over-sensitive, but this bloke-y, matey political trend with the national side just makes me uncomfortable.

Me too, Katharine.

BenWilson

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 12:56:00 +1200

But of late one can only wonder how All Blacks management have allowed this politicisation to get quite out-of-hand. It denigrates the team and the sport.

Yes, it seems to me that rugby has a lot less to gain out of the National Party than vice versa.

Kumara Republic

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 12:51:18 +1200

When you have pro-National, ex-media works head Brent Impey as head of the NZRFU then the temptation to use all that soft power was always going to be to much for Impey and Key.

The same Brent Impey who dismissed long-form current affairs as the sort of thing only the "chattering…

BenWilson

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 12:44:36 +1200

Up to this point in my life, I genuinely had no idea that people played rugby for pleasure.

Surely that's hyperbole? What ulterior motive were you ascribing to all the people who aren't professional that play it, which is 99.99% of them?

Kumara Republic

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 12:42:16 +1200

It is, let us be honest, a rosy view. Bull writes admiringly of the way Auckland Grammar requires its young rugby to stars to get their education and not only to win games and attract the talent scouts. But he says nothing of the player-poaching and rule-bending that has become…

Tom Semmens

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 12:40:12 +1200

The irony there, of course, is that the rationalisation inevitably brandished by those who favoured playing with apartheid South Africa was that sport and politics shouldn’t mix.

When you have pro-National, ex-media works head Brent Impey as head of the NZRFU then the temptation to use all that soft power…

81stcolumn

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 12:34:30 +1200

I await with interest any government response to a winning streak by the Ferns.

Katharine Moody

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 12:31:34 +1200

John Key has a history of politicisation of the All Blacks. It started out more subtle and one-sided (mainly Key using analogies and references to the ABs in comment/support of political/policy positions his government was taking). But of late one can only wonder how All Blacks management have allowed this…

81stcolumn

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 12:26:00 +1200

It is worth a hat-tip to the NZRU for their enlightened relationship with academia. They have funded research and PhD scholarships for at least ten years to my knowledge and possibly longer. Not only does this contribute to a world leading culture of sport research in NZ (which we do…

llew40

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 12:03:16 +1200

Good piece.

Also thought that the Andy Bull article was a genuine attempt to analyse why prolonged success with this particular sport and this particular country has occurred, and it was hard to disagree with his conclusions. It is certainly a much more sensitive piece than the daft hakarena, a…

Robyn Gallagher

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 11:59:33 +1200

This bit from the Guardian article really surprised me:

“If I said: ‘Right, we’re going to have a game at lunchtime, we need 30 boys,’ we’d get it done in 30 seconds,” Port says. “There would be volunteers coming from everywhere.”

Up to this point in my life, I genuinely…

Public Address

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 11:59:33 +1200

Discussion from blog post.