Posts by Marcus Turner
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I liked the other idea though …
But it's rather onomatopoeic in it's more recent definition, isn't it?
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Just looked it up.....
Righto ...
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Hard News: Winning the RWC: it's complicated, in reply to Tom Beard,
I may be missing a euphamism here, but the idea of Wellingtonians saying hello by motorboating rather appeals.
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Hard News: The Sound of Music, in reply to Geoff Lealand,
Geoff: In our house it's "Australians all love ostriches ..."
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I’m hardly an aficionado but, with the help of other people here, I think I’ve learned enough about some of the murkier points of rugby to enhance my appreciation of the game.
As I watched the England/Rumania game in Dunedin’s new stadium, I had the distinct impression that most of the crowd didn’t understand much about the game, and weren’t really there to experience rugby as a sport displayed by some of its finest exponents; rather, they were there for the party. They showed their costumes, Mexicanised their waves, booed anything that seemed to disadvantage their team, roared approval whenever somebody made a run for the line, caught up with the recent activities of friends, and ate and drank.
I gained respect for the players, who somehow managed to concentrate on their game despite watery people running on and off, doctors tending to the fallen every few minutes, teammates making training and exercise runs around the field, security people and photographers, TV crews, Mexican waves, huge screens showing all sorts of colourful things – only some of which related to the game – and the music. Sitting not far from one of the speakers, I found the music uncomfortably loud. Couldn’t hear the radio commentary in my earphones at all, really.
It was an experience to see Jonny Wilkinson in the flesh, lining up a kick with his La Petomaine pose: but he looked really lonely. Both teams were having meetings at the other end of the field, and goodness only knows what the crowd were focused on. The referee seemed to be the only person in the stadium giving him any attention at all – until the ball actually got over the crossbar.
The music is part of something that’s more to do with the packaging of a show than the enhancement of a sport. From what I could tell, it seemed to be achieving that very well – like loud music at any party, I guess.
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It feels like Friday. I heard this guy on National Radio the other night, and went looking for him. Very impressive.
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Field Theory: Four Years Ago, in reply to Geoff Willmott,
Thanks Geoff. Some of those things I had a good grasp of; others, I'll watch out for later in the week.
I suppose a referee has to go through all your paragraphs in the blink of an eye, and it's not surprising that confusion occurs.
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Field Theory: Four Years Ago, in reply to st ephen,
Thanks. That consistency does seem to be a problem, and the extent to which there's room for interpretation.
I'm trying to answer questions from my offspring ....
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Tangental to the way the topic is running.
Can someone explain to me what the most common reasons are for getting penalised in a ruck or maul? Wikipedia is some help, but much of the time I can't work out what the referee sees to make him blow his whistle.
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Hard News: Everybody's News, in reply to Rich Lock,
Fair enough.
This has always appealed to me:
Always write angry letters to your enemies. Never mail them.
~ James Fallows