Kiwiblog

For those who like picking the results, a nice new NZ site is NZ Virtual Sport.

A last minute survey for the rugby!

So the IRB has found Wayne Barnes made a series of mistaken calls against the All Blacks, but none of them were significant despite not noticing a forward pass they scored a try off!

Discuss this or anything else!

On the issue of the ban on the Fijian soccer player, I’m with Winston and the Government.
For sanctions to work, they have to be effective and wide ranging.

Furthermore, if comparing the NZ Government to FIFA, I have to say that even Helen is a babe in arms when it comes to corruption, compared to FIFA.  They are the true professionals!

Heard about the All Blacks new bra? All support but no cup.

What’s the difference between the All Blacks and an arsonist? An arsonist woouldn’t waste five matches.

What do you call 15 guys sitting around the T.V watching the Rugby World Cup final? The All Blacks

What’s the difference between Graham Henry and Viagra?
At least Viagra gives you a semi.

Graham Henry gets handed a mobile phone and is told “this is Wayne Barnes’s phone”, Henry says “how did you know”, the reply is “it had 15 missed calls”

What’s the difference between a tea-bag and the All Blacks?
A Tea Bag stays in the cup longer

Hat Tip: Red Confectionary

Add your own jokes in the comments.

The Dominion Post has joined the trend of press gallery bloggers and set up a group blog for their four gallery staff. It’s called Inside the Beltway.

Their latest entry reviews how John Key and Winston Peters did on Game of 2 Halves.  They did both do well, even though Winston at first looked uncomfortable, but he warmed up, doing best in the head to head. John’s team won by one point though so it was a good close game.

Ralston in the HoS quotes members of the Parliamentary Rugby Team from Labour and National, who seem to be upset by the PM’s unilateral decision to investigate the team.

Shane Jones says:

“I haven’t heard any allegations currently of impropriety. I reject it utterly,” he says, suddenly very serious and wary. “Once you get on this slippery slope it can get dangerous,”

Ralston comments:

It is the kind of loony political row that could only occur in New Zealand. In the UK they have glorious sex scandals and “cash for questions” corruption, in the US they have senators ensnared by Washington madams and big corporates kicking millions into congressional campaign funds. In New Zealand we squabble over who paid for whom to go to a footy match.

So why is the PM ordering an investigation.  Ralston has a theory:

The Prime Minister also distrusts the fraternisation that occurs because of the nature of the team. As Murray McCully says plaintively, “It’s the only non-partisan activity around Parliament where MPs treat each other like human beings”.

Most of all, the Prime Minister is a control freak. She hates things that she cannot exercise power over and the anarchic nature of the Parliamentary Rugby squad, with no formal structure or lines of accountability deeply offend her. It is also about the intensely male sport of rugby, something she has little feeling for. If it was a sponsored parliamentary theatre group or opera chorus she might have taken a different stance.

And finally Ralston asks:

Come to think of it, how ethical is it for the cultural sector to bombard the Minister of Culture with freebie tickets to plays and concerts?

Possible double standards indeed.

The NZ Herald editorial is unimpressed with the PM’s move to have the have the Speaker investigate the Parliamentary Rugby Team.

So ends, probably, a harmless and charming tradition. What could be more in tune with this country than the pleasure that a few of its male MPs derive from an occasional game of rugby? What could be the harm in accepting sponsorship for their recent trip to France?

 The sponsorship had been organised by a representative of Sky TV, as it has been for years. Sky TV has an obvious interest in rugby. So do some of the other sponsors: Air New Zealand, adidas, Lion Nathan, Visa, McDonald’s and AMP. The French Government provided internal travel and accommodation.

Lobbying is a long way from corruption. If this trip was unethical, we have become too sanctimonious for words, or play.

Hear hear.

A reasonable effort but still some way to go.  If Italy can score 14 points against us, how much will other teams score?

I’ve said this before, but hearing the National Anthem reminded me how much I love the Maori version of the National Anthem.  It sounds much better than the English version musically, and helps reflect better who we are, then merely the English version.

What I think should be a lesson to us all, is how the Maori version has become so popular. There has been no law passed making it official or even worse mandatory.  There has been no legion of bureaucrats promoting it.  There has been no Treaty claim insisting it be given equal status.  It has simply been picked up and adopted by more and more New Zealanders over the years.  Sure a lot of people don’t know all the words (despite John Campbell’s best efforts) but most support and enjoy its use.

Just watching a recording of the France vs Argentina game. What a great start to the World Cup – well except for the French who lost. 17-12.

It’s going to be a fun month or so.

A very amusing article by NZPA on how partners of rugby supporters can survive the Rigby World Cup season.  Has ten survivial tips including:

2. Three minutes to fulltime, the score tied, with a drop-kick all that’s standing between the All Blacks winning … it’s not the time to ask whether you should go to his parents for Christmas or yours.

9. Accept you will attend social gatherings, which do not revolve around rugby, by yourself until the tournament is over. This includes anything involving births, deaths and marriages. And do not invite your rugby-hating friends around to the house while the games are on, especially if they have children.

What I find most amusing is that the author of the article is in fact a huge “rugby nut” herself.

Hat Tip: PM of NZ

Okay the time to play Virtual NPC is upon us.  I’ve set up again a NZ Bloggers challenge.  To take part, do the following.

Go to Virtual NPC and register as a user.  If you have participated in previous seasons it can transfer your details over.

Then go to the challenges page and click on join a challenge.

Type “NZ Bloggers” into the top search box. Then join it with the password “bloggers”.

Also my profile is “dpfdpf” for those who want to do direct comparisons.  I made the top 10% or so last time so I’m aiming for top 5% this time.

One effing second. Damn. Need more be said.

These rules invented tonight by DPF, Stoo, MikeE, Rasputin, Pamziewanzie and Molly May.

Drink one sip

* Penalty requested
* Mark rounded
* Error by crew
* Russell Coutts shuts the fuck up
* Lead changes

Finish your vessel

* Penalty awarded
* Mast snaps
* NZ wins race
* Peter Montgomery hits Russell Coutts

Finish the bottle (vodka)

* Boat sinks
* Peter Montgomery kills Russell Coutts

Let the race begin!

Amazing race. Things looking good considering they started off the pace and had a stuff up part way through.

Schools are complaining that some families are having their ski holidays, during term time.

Any smart family knows you delay taking the kids skiing until school resumes. Otherwise the slopes are too crowded!

Never before have so many people in so many countries been united. Regardless of race or religion, they all agree.

Everyone hates the 2012 London Olympics logo.

You would think that they would have heard of the concept of a focus group.

A 22 second victory and Emirates Team New Zealand are the challengers for the America’s Cup.

Great to read that despite being in Spain, there were more Kiwis than Italians in the audience cheering the boat on.

Bring on 23 June!

Yay.

As they did last year, the good folks at FitnessNZ (the association of health and fitness centres) is offering half price gym memberships if you sign up by the end of the month.

You can go to this page on their website and just click the region you live in. It will then show you a list of participating gyms for that area. You click on the gym you are interested in, and it shows you a range of prices for three, six and twelve months, along with the normal and discounted price. Some pretty significant savings there. For Bodyworks where I go that’s a $650 saving on a 12 month membership.

Each gym has a limited number of subsidised places left (they are displayed on the website), with only 1,000 places nationwide so it will pay to move quickly. You can also purchase membership for friends and family so long as they are not current (last 12 months) gym members also.

I’m starting to get more and more into the America’s Cup, now that Emirates Team New Zealand are 3 – 0 up in the Louis Vuitton Cup Final. It is the best out of nine.

The actual Cup racing will start on 23 June.

Well the Super 14 is all over. No NZ team in the final of course which was disappointing.

91 people were in the NZ Bloggers challenge. I was in 13th= place with 410 points. The top ten were:

1 dj_krysus Mark Montgomerie 444 610
2 graemet G T 435 1675
3 TheEdge Graeme Edgeler 427 3756
3 Whale-Oil Whale Oil 427 3756
5 click_here MATT Not telling 421 6462
6 Budgieboy Brian Burgess 420 7060
7 pandasport Andrew Thompson 419 7632
8 Span Span . 417 8878
9 otagomatt06 Matt Porteous 416 9569
10 nicgavstar Nick Gavey 413 11876

Well done those people.

Is anyone actually following the America’s Cup? I watched every race the last few Cups but couldn’t even tell you the points board this time. No one I know is talking about it much. Perhaps it will change if we make the Challenger Finals?

Anyway I see we won a race.

Okay the final round was not too bad. I got 31 points in a low scoring round and with thatI cracked the 400 mark, specifically 405. My global ranking is 9,223 (up 6,112) of 155,708 which has me in the 6th percentile.

I picked 5/7 games correctly, but only two margins correctly. I did not pick the Hurricanes losing (sigh) or the Chiefs beating the Crusaders.

Of the 91 people on the NZ bloggers challenge, I am in 6th place. Those above me in order are Mark Montgomerie (431), Graeme T (414), Brian Burgess (410), Graeme Edgeler (406) and Whale Oil (406).

The global champion at this stage is on 474 points.

Semis next weekend. I suppose I have to support the Blues and Crusaders.