Posts by Tom Semmens
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Field Theory: Four Years Ago, in reply to BenWilson,
Ben - For all the marketing hype that surrounded it, it was clear at the last soccer world cup that that competition is more and more taking second place to the demands of European megaclubs and their billionaire owners. Teams like Italy, France and England put in sluggish performances with teams badly hit by 'injury" and full of players who either burnt out or who saw the tournament as a bit of a vacation from the demands of a 50 week season. It is only round one of the RWC, but looking at the performance of the teams from the Heineken cup countries, I couldn't help wondering to myself if the same baleful influence of to much money and greedy clubs isn't impacting team performances in the rugby world cup also.
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Oh yes and a Wayne Barnes blunder costing a team victory during the rugby world cup? Who would have thought it?
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Apart from the Welsh and a little bit the French, the northern hemisphere teams are simply awful. The only reason the first weekend of rugby was any good was because the minnows played with some enthusiasm and spirit, and the general ineptness of their big name northern hemisphere opponents meant they stayed in the games for much longer than they should have.
I will be surprised if Scotland make it out of pool play, and Ireland will only do so because they are in a weak pool. The British like to talk it up, but they are way off the pace this first weekend. England were abysmal. Arrogant, bad tempered and full of excuses – that much never changes. Apparently the English RFU has spent a fortune on this team’s preparation – all I can say is never on the field of human conflict has been so much been spent by so many in return for so little. They have to improve from here, they surely can’t get any worse. I loved the way the fine folk of Dunedin (and Buenos Aires) razzed the Poms in, as one British journo described it, “the house of Spain”. Serves England right for wearing that stupid (and budget) jersey. I have no idea what other sort of reception they thought such a calculated attempt to get up peoples noses would get! The northern teams are just so limited. It is easy to have a big pack. Lord knows, Italy, Argentina and Romania all have managed that. The French were just adequate – again, they struggled against a team that they should have beaten in their sleep. One British commentator took this of evidence the gap is closing in quality between the IRB board nations and the rest – but I am not so sure it is closing in the direction he had in mind.
Of the minnows, I liked Japan’s Légion étrangère best. None of the others will amount to much except perhaps Argentina, who are the best of an awfully limited bunch.
New Zealand is probably the best of the big three from the first weekend. The Aussies were OK, but you just know that if you put them under pressure they are very, very brittle. Quade Cooper may slowly being realising exactly what being public enemy number one means in New Zealand. That dirty little prick should just be grateful he doesn’t live in the era of tours against provincial teams – one doubts he would survive long if he was exposed to the hard men of the ’Naki or Northland on a wet afternoon with no TV cameras around. And the Boks – they are playing on reputation and memory. The Welsh played well, but they should never have got as close as they did. Matfield, Habana, a whole pile of the South African players look well past it.
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That is the problem with the internet - it is an entirely disposable medium that you treat like a piece of chewing gum, but somehow the chewing gum keeps ending up on your shoe - or worse, in your hair.
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Fun fact: If Australia or South Africa win the world cup they get to keep one of them. In perpetuity, by virtue of being the first nation to win it 3 times.
A typically dumb-arse pommie rule.
"I say old chap, where did we park that Supermarine S6?"
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You just know there are no Stanislav Petrov's in the US military.
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People (by which I mean a sample set made up of me) still like to send postcards.
Mind you, I like writing letters when I am on holiday as well. Half the fun is finding the local post office.
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*if people could find it*
Auckland City Council, meet the widely known phenomena of the “Kiosk”
http://www.prestigekiosks.com/information.php?info_id=5
they sell newspapers, ciggies, lollies, chippies, postcards and stamps – all that sort of stuff that the punters want, AND they can be moved if they don’t work out.
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I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.
This last sentence looks frighteningly like a last goodbye from someone close to the end. That is sad, but it would be even sadder if it wasn't for the sure knowledge that Steve Jobs won't die, he'll just get himself uploaded into a porn filter on every new Apple device made after his corporeal form ceases to exist.
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best not to mention rugby to random strangers though - for some it's a bit of a touchy subject
That is going to make explaining why we are talking in fake Irish accents and wearing silly bright green top hats with shamocks on them quite difficult.