It has to be said

I was glad to see Jock Hobbs make an issue last night of the referee. Henry has only alluded to it very indirectly which is to his credit.

Look at it this way. Federer has a bad day at the office. Its 7-6, 6-7. 7-6, 6-7 and 6-6 in the final set. He has the serve but he's 30-40 down - he's on fault one - he goes for the ace and the umpire calls it out when its clearly in - has the umpire affected the outcome or not?

This fiction that teams lose games and not refs is not completely true. 4 observations:

1. The sin binning that wasn't - its a fact that this turned the game is it not?
2. The forward pass that led to the winning try - when you watch the reply you'll be surprised at how forward this was - its a fact that this was a forward pass right? Foward passes are how you get guys into gaps that otherwise they wouldn't make right?
3. The French hands in the ruck just before this try when we were hard on their line poised to score. Key moment that went unpenalised. Replays are pretty clear.

(See the clips @ Rugby Heaven http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4231575a10295.html)

4. How do the French go a whole half wthout conceding a penalty? From where I stood there were multiple offsides and infringements at the breakdown. A 10-2 penalty count against the AB's seems harsh. But thats opinion, not fact.

Here's the way I see it. If the AB's played better they would have taken the ref out of the equation. Its true they didn't play up to scatch. There are questions to be asked about why they didn't play better. The French did play well defensively and with plenty of intensity. But the match stats show that they weren't in it. The half time score shows they weren't in it. All this talk of being beaten by a better team may be great sportmanship but its simply not true. The French were fired up but ordinary.

If the ref had got it right. The AB's would have won. I don't know what happened to the ref's performance in the second half. I prefer to think it was the occasion that got to him. Here was a ref with only 11 tests officiating a game between the Tri Nationa and 6 Nations camps. But it has cost us dearly. Might this have been the tough preparatory match that would have propelled this team to World Cup glory. Sadly, we'll never know.

Top 10 Plusses from the AB's Quarter Final Loss

10. It will give players time to recondition before the Super 14
9. Dan Carter's calf will be ready for his next game
8. Less people will be gambling their grocery money at the TAB
7. NZ tourists in Europe will have some extra time to visit historic and cultural attractions
6. Only one person lost $5million betting on the AB's
5. Drop goals will get practised more
4. People will get played out of position less
3. The Silver Jersey will never be seen again
2. Not hearing much from the Australians
1. Wayne Barnes will never have such a bad game as a referee again

Add your contenders for the top 10 if you desire...

RWC Team

The RWC goes on and with it my promise to pick a dream team every Monday. SO here it is:

1. Andrew Sheridan - awesomely assertive game
2. Anton Oliver - his best game as an AB? Lineout 100% + strong with the ball in hand
3. Carl Hayman - still undefeated
4. Ali Williams - an outstanding lineout performance and willing around the park
5. Victor Matfield - still the king and great ball to set up try
6. Jerry Collins - no one better at this World Cup @ 6
7. Richie McCaw - perhaps a little below his best but still the world's best
8. Sisa Koyamaibole - massive game getting across the advantage line
9. Fourie Du Preez - the outstanding halfback although Pinochet played well also
10. Johnny Wilkinson - sticks in my craw but HE kicked his team to a win
11. Vilamoni Delasau - electric - a game breaker who's been doing it for a few games now
12. Francois Steyn - the mid field back of the tournament
13. Matthew Tait - his team won and there's no one else
14. Takudzwa Ngwenya - the outstanding try of the tournament one on one against Habana
15. Percy Montgomery - consistent in a field of also rans - Mils had no chance to challenge

Key selection feature: no Frenchies. After all, not a world beater among them.

On the Waugh-Path

For those of you with a Wesleyan flava, National Superintendent Richard Waugh has finally posted on his blog! Check it out here Make sure you comment!

The AB's Selection

Some surprises in the AB Quarterfinal selections...

Backs
Leon MacDonald
Joe Rokocoko
Mils Muliaina
Luke McAlister
Sitiveni Sivivatu
Daniel Carter
Byron Kelleher

Forwards
Rodney So'oialo
Richie McCaw (c)
Jerry Collins
Ali Williams
Keith Robinson
Carl Hayman
Anton Oliver
Tony Woodcock

Reserves
Keven Mealamu
Neemia Tialata
Chris Jack
Chris Masoe
Brendon Leonard
Nick Evans
Isaia Toeava

The big talking points are Muliaina at centre, no Doug Howlett, Oliver edging ahead of Mealamu and Robinson in at lock.

It would be easy to ask why in the world we'd head into our third world cup with a fullback at centre...but then Mils is widely regarded as the best centre in NZ - he's just also the best fullback in the world. The selectors do make sense on this one though - are Smith and Toeava at centre the equivalent of MacDonald at fullback? Answer: on current form , no. If MacDonald wasn't playing so well, this would be a risky selection. As it is, its probably for the best.

The absence of Doug Howlett is sad. This may be a horses for courses selection against a French side that is not exactly strong at wing. So the defensive qualities of Howlett are less needed. All 3 of the NZ wingers are in form, so its not something you can argue too strongly against. But my wingers would have been Joe and Dougie.

Oliver is clearly a horses for courses selection against a traditionally powerful French front row. I'd pick Mealmu to start against Aussie if we get that far (indeed if they get that far!)

Robinson makes sense. He needs the game time. He won't let anyone down. Jack is on the bench as cover. If they were all fully fit this would be my selection - I think Jack is below his best - still worthy of a spot, but it would have been interesting for him if Eaton and Ryan had been competing for world cup berths.

Overall a strong team and one that should deal to the French. The big question: will French desperation drive them to an above-expectation performance? Fortunately the game is in Cardiff, so the AB's might even go in as crowd favourites. Unthinkable that we lose this one - we have Argentina to thank for the opportunity! The French have not beaten the AB's in 7 years. While the '99 loss still hurts, it must be now true that the AB's are the French bogey team, rather than the other way round?

One can but hope.

The Prophet's Record

So a prophet should always be judged by his record which is why the Benny Hinn's of this world are fakes. But this prophet didn't quite get it right either - my May predictions for the quarter finals of the RWC were:

QF 1: Australia v England - OK so I got this right - too close to call - Aussie are not playing badly, but they underperformed against Canada - England are improving (the only way is up) and may just have too much firepower in the forwards

QF2: NZ v France - Argentina added some heat to the pool of death and Ireland wilted - we get our bogie team France instead - I say we just blow them off the park as a long overdue revenge for '99

QF 3: South Africa v Fiji - so the boys from the valleys went down in the final match to the Bula Boys - meaning SA will have a sterner test from Fiji than Wales would have given them

QF 4: Argentina v Scotland - by topping their pool the Argies get the easiest route to the semis...and the most likely ticket home after the semi against SA

So I picked 5 out of 8 teams which is another way of saying that I missed all 3 of the teams that were harder to pick given that NZ, SA, AUS, France and England were always going to go through.

Guess that means its time for me to start an international healing ministry...

World Cup - Pre Quarter Finals

A few changes in this week's World Cup dream XV. Some players keep their place simply because there were no commanding performances by players in equivalent positions. Its a new look midfield. First change on form is Matthew Tait who comes in for Stirling Mortlock. Tait was great on defence for England against Tonga and showed some nice touches on attack. I don't think we have seen any truly great centre play at this cup so far - even Mortlock who is in most people's estimation the best centre of display, is a journeyman compared to world cup greats of the past like Sella and Bunce. Francois Steyn also gets the nod ahead of Contemponi at second five (I know Contemponi only played one game at second five this tournament). I think Steyn and Giteau are now head to head for second five, unless McAlister can bring some consistency on defence and control on attack to his game. Lauaki edges out Leguizamon - again there are no amazing number 8's on display at this RWC - Lauaki impressed on attack and defence, although he needs to work on his scrum control. He edges out Soialo as well in my NZ team for the quarter finals this week.

And in the final surprise change - Brian Habana is out. Takudzwa Ngwenya is in (USA via Zimbabwe). In a head to head contest Ngwenya displayed an awesome in and out against Habana and then blitzed past him on the outside. He has all the skills and is clearly the quickest player in the tournament. In a losing side, he was a standout player.

1. Tony Woodcock
2. John Smit
3. Carl Hayman*
4. Ali Williams
5. Victor Matfield*
6. Jerry Collins
7. Richie McCaw*
8. Sione Lauaki
9. Fourie Du Preez*
10. Dan Carter*
11. Doug Howlett
12. Francois Steyn
13. Matthew Tait
14. Takudzwa Ngwenya
15. Chris Latham

Brainwashing

So, I've been enjoying the World Cup rugby feast and don't buy in at all to the argument that says the Rugby minnows don't belong. Ask Ireland how they feel about the minnows!

But in the process I've been educating my own minnow - Rhys! He already knows how to catch and pass a rugby ball and how to score a try. So I thought it was time to take it up a notch as he has got to watch a fair bit with me recently.

My plan was to have him try to get around me with the ball in hand. I'd let him do that and score a try say 50% of the time - the other 50% I'd tackle him. So far so good - he ran the ball with enthusiasm and scored his tries and took the tackle like a man.

Then it was his turn to tackle me. So I run at him with the ball yelling "tackle me, tackle me". He comes charging at me, arms extended and...

...tickles me!

Something got lost in the brainwashing process, I guess...

Life Imitating Art

Twins separated at birth? You be the judge!

Art Imitating Life

So last night was Monday, which means its Flight of the Conchords time. Overall, the episode was a bit average - although some good moments as usual. But one stuck out to me as a fellow "Bret(t)". I speak of course of the American inability to hear the word "Brett" as anything other than "Britt". As Dave Barry once put it:

“Americans who travel abroad for the first time are often shocked to discover that, despite all the progress that has been made in the last 30 years, many foreign people still speak in foreign languages”

Or at least they have accents closer to the mother tongue!

So Bret is sitting talking to the girl (she's so hot she's making me sexist) and he tries to introduce himself. "I'm Bret" "Brit?" "No Bret" "Brit" "No b-r-e-t"

This is my life in America (except with an extra "t".

World Cup Dream Team

Rhett gave me the idea of naming my World Cup team so far based on the form of teams at this early stage of the tournament. So I'm gonna lay it out with a further thought: I will update this team every Monday till the final...

1. Tony Woodcock
2. John Smit
3. Carl Hayman*
4. Ali Williams
5. Victor Matfield*
6. Jerry Collins
7. Richie McCaw*
8. Juan Manuel Leguizamon
9. Fourie Du Preez*
10. Dan Carter*
11. Doug Howlett
12. Felipe Contepomi
13. Stirling Mortlock
14. Brian Habana*
15. Chris Latham

I'm thinking there will be some changes next week! Asterixed players are already selected for my final team - another way of saying they are head and shoulders the best in their positions in the world.

Flight of the Conchords

Prime TV has a knack of getting the really good shows - The Office, Extras, Robin Hood...and now The Flight of the Conchords! I saw this awesome folk duo last night - may favourite musical moments from the song, I'm Not Crying. First there is the lyrical genius of:

I'm not crying, noooo-ho-ho-ho.
There's just a little bit of dust in my eye
Just from the path that you made when you said your goodbye.
I'm not weeping cause you won't be here to hold my hand,
For your information there's an inflammation in my tear-gland.
I'm not upset because you left me this way,
My eyes are just a little sweaty today.
They've been looking around a lot, searching for you,
They've been looking for you,
Even though I told them not to.

Awesome!

Then this moment of excellence unequalled since Alanis Morisette's misstatement of irony:

I'm sitting at this table called love
Staring down at the irony of life.
How come we've reached this fork in the road,
And yet it cuts like a knife.

Priceless.

Anyways it made me laugh.

Shame On You

So the Labour-led government has finally found a limit on its political correctness. Having savaged our social policy in recent years with legislation covering topics such as de facto property rights, civil unions, legalisation of prostitution and parental discipline, the end is now in sight.

NZ has failed to vote for the UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights citing an incompatibility with NZ law. Except for one small detail: its a non binding declaration. So NZ could have happily signed off on this and pointed to the Treaty of Waitangi as its defining governing "legislation".

Its a cynical political move. With a dwindling voter base, shocked at the radical social engineering of recent years, Labour finally has to count the cost, ironically where the injustice is the greatest. In the end, they figure the Maori party will get the Maori votes anyway, so they better not offend the middle ground any more with spectres of reverse land grabbing and usurping of settler sovereignty.

No comment from John Key yet! Probably best to stay quiet on this one John...

Romans Course

This week I'm doing a Romans course at Carey Baptist College. So far its been good value. The lecturer is an enthusiast and I respect greatly his ability to translate the Greek on the fly. I have not been in a class like this before where the lecturer is so capable within his subject. It's also interesting being in a class of considerable diversity. Such a wide range of opinion. I have done my best to suppress my own starting points and just allow the text of Romans to speak. This can be a frustrating process if one is simply there to test one's own preconceptions (or the lecturer)! But he has a positive conviction that we should learn how to approach a book like Romans, rather than simply give us the answers. He's also prepared to allow for a healthy dose of mystery. Anyways, so far Wesley was right! ;)

Worship Restructuring

We're changing some of our worship planning processes at cession so we can free up more creativity and involve the right people in the right tasks. Its cool. One of the things this should allow us to do is action new initiatives like this: