Rugby - Hands Off White!

[finbar]

Originally posted by Caligastia
Hey guys, just thought I'd pop in to let you all know that I became a Dad on September 1st at 2:18am when my son Brendan was born.

Oh, and UP THE ALL BLACKS!!!

Well done. We all knew we had it in you, Cal.

I'll let Helen Clarke know she has another little voter.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
Big Congratulations Caligastia (and your good lady) - he looks like a centre to me.

He qualifies for the Eagles too of course.

Different note entirely - the bottled bronze and most over rated centre in the UK (Charlotte Churchs squeeze Gavin Henson) is to miss six months as he needs surgery on a long standing groin problem. It means he will miss the 6N. I already thought England would beat Wales at HQ this year (I also fancy France to do them in Cardiff - sorry CoT but i think the golden times are over) - this just helps make it even more likely.

Presumably the injury is, um, Charlotte-related?

[Havak]

It is suspicious isn’t it? What with Charlotte allegedly being such a wild girl and all.

He was fed up with England's stretching of the replacement rules

Steady now Finbar – something is either inside the rules or outside of them surely? And if the ICC were satisfied the rules were not broken then who cares if Ponting did not agree?

And he failed. I've always thought of him as one of those one-day specialists.

He did indeed fail. In fact I am not happy right now with how it is going – your openers finally seem to have remembered they can play a bit.

Time for plan B – the poisonous deep fired mars bar on Shane’s pillow tonight.

How was time sounded at these grounds before this?

You might find this hard to believe coming from a place where the hooter was essential to drown out the odd loud drongo in the crowd but the end of play was signalled by a combination of the referees whistle and his pointing to the tunnel. Traditional anachronistic stuff in the new cash cow Super-12 Premiership. Marketing men of course have always had the instinct to introduce more hooters to everything.

And I maintain that Flintoff has carried England. He saved them again yesterday, as he did in the last Test.

But almost everybody has contributed at some point – with the possible exception of Bell (who looks like a rabbit in Shane’s headlights to be honest). Freddie has been exceptional and I am grateful for it – in fact if he could just knock over Langer right this moment that would be good…

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
Steady now Finbar – something is either inside the rules or outside of them surely? And if the ICC were satisfied the rules were not broken then who cares if Ponting did not agree?

The ICC satisfied? They've just announced they're going to review the rule.

You might find this hard to believe coming from a place where the hooter was essential to drown out the odd loud drongo in the crowd but the end of play was signalled by a combination of the referees whistle and his pointing to the tunnel.

They obviously don't trust the refs (a) not to lose their watches; and (b) not to swallow their whistles.

But almost everybody has contributed at some point – with the possible exception of Bell (who looks like a rabbit in Shane’s headlights to be honest). Freddie has been exceptional and I am grateful for it – in fact if he could just knock over Langer right this moment that would be good…

And now it's raining. Good old England.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by child of Thor
and congratulations to the mum and dad

Still i hope you will teach him a sport that potentialy pays much better money and with much less risk than rugby [he says ruefully looking at his knee] which one can i mean

Nah, he will learn the ways of his forebears.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by ravagon
Don't listen to the Welshman Cali!
Get him started young.

One of these might be the way to go ...

http://www.bearinggifts.co.nz/prod.p...&c_id=00000073

My Mum is visiting next week, so I expect she'll be bringing something similar...if so I'll post a picture for you guys.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Havak
Big Congratulations Caligastia (and your good lady) - he looks like a centre to me.

He qualifies for the Eagles too of course.

Yes, they could do with a bit of New Zealand blood...

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by finbar


Well done. We all knew we had it in you, Cal.

I'll let Helen Clarke know she has another little voter.

Two problems with that:

1 - He is not a New Zealand citizen.

2 - Voting for brownshirts does not run in my family.

[LDiCesare]

Congrats Cali!

On another topic, I finally managed to but a new pair of boots. Had to go to a small shop in the northwest of Paris, where you had to go downstairs ("beware the head") in order to try the shoes. The three big shops I went to before and which are supposedly sports shops having nothign remotely looking like a stud. But you could buy lots of shirts if you wanted. Grrrr... But on the fourth try, I did get my shoes. First match on thursday if we've got enough players - manageing to get the doctor say you're apt to play rugby looks like a hard part for some of us - particularly the go and find a doctor part presumably, as I guess almost anyone would be able to pass their tests.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Caligastia

1 - He is not a New Zealand citizen.

Gee, born behind the eightball.

[finbar]

Originally posted by LDiCesare
Congrats Cali!

On another topic, I finally managed to but a new pair of boots. Had to go to a small shop in the northwest of Paris, where you had to go downstairs ("beware the head") in order to try the shoes. The three big shops I went to before and which are supposedly sports shops having nothign remotely looking like a stud.

Wouldn't it have been easier - less travel time, anyway - to wait till the season starts? Ask your opponents to give back the studs you left buried in their flesh last season?

[Havak]

The ICC satisfied? They've just announced they're going to review the rule.

If they review the rules every time the Aussies whine about something no two test matches will ever be played under the same ones!

It still amazes me that the Aussies of all people would have the front to make gamesmanship an issue – there’s just too much ‘pot calling kettle’ hypocrisy in that for my tastes.

The light rules are now under the Aussie whine-o’scope – conveniently ignoring the fact that the Aussies openers set the level where it would be offered when they stupidly went off and lost a whole session. Why on earth did they do that Finbar???

So I’m am watching the BBC news this morning and they have a camera in the ‘Foresters Arms’ in Sydney and the owner goes on camera saying he ‘doesn’t give a toss about sportsmanship – the Poms should not get to win the Ashes by default because of bad light’. This brings cheers from his regulars and reinforces the views I built through watching rugger down there – the majority of your countrymen are very bad sports and even worse losers. The only sport where this plagues us quite so badly is soccer (where our LCD thugs will physically kick off after losses sometimes) but it seems universal across all sports in Oz quite frankly.

But looking at it without such emotion the guy is missing a few things. The time lost to rain and bad light at Old Trafford most probably cost England that Test and kept the series alive until today. The Aussie openers were stupid to go of for bad light when they did in this test. The Aussies did not build a first innings lead because the lower order collapsed. Light has not thus far cost the Australians this test – not playing well enough after a very good start has had much more impact on that issue.

Basically I am saying if England keep their composure and close the deal they will thoroughly deserve to have won the series and no amount of whining will change that. I am not daft enough to think it will not continue unabated however.

If Warney works his magic and pulls a rabbit out hisn hat then he will deserve all the plaudits he gets too. He has been effectively carrying Australia this whole series after all.

They obviously don't trust the refs (a) not to lose their watches; and (b) not to swallow their whistles.

Well the game time clock was in evidence this week – but not the siren/hooter. Weird.

Tigers should have won of course – but a draw down there will do.

And now it's raining. Good old England.

It’s the middle of September. I’m amazed we have had as much play as we have!

[finbar]

Sorry, haven't had time to read any of the above, including the bit about Tigers deserving to win, so I'll just have to assume that it's twaddle. Been out all day, now I have to pack for a couple of days in Florence, one of the three great cities in the world. Gee, life's tough.

[Havak]

Enjoy

Perhaps I should not have let that bar owner get under my skin the way he did. I am afraid ungracious Aussies are one of the things that really push my buttons at times. Permanently marked by the 2001 experience perhaps.

Needless to say I was very happy with the result. Just a shame the return series is so soon as it cannot hope to match up to this one.

We are hoping to make Rome in February - if you hear of any tickets going Finbar please let me know.

Oh and Tigers DID deserve to win!

[ravagon]

Nuts. Pushed for time again so I'll have to leave any thoughts on the cricket till the morrow.

Just read the the Falcons coach is warning Monsieur Robinson against fielding Wilco come November.
Apparently the latest medical mishap to assail the boy wonder is an appendix problem.
The lad is cursed.