Rugby World Cup

I have waited for the hoopla and the hype to settle before making a comment.

Congratulations to the Springboks and their coaching staff, especially Jake White. The team showed their ability and dominance, it might not have been pretty all the time, but like Tests of old, the final was ground out in the trenches.

John Smit lead from the front. He may not be the best hooker (wtf do hookers do nowdays that the ball is never put in straight) but he was part of a very succesful lineout.

Percy Montgomery has become a world class fullback. After a start to his career where he blew hot and cold, missed more kicks at poles than he converted, he showed what a dependable and solid FB he is.

JP Pietersen is a young man with a huge future. One tackle defined his commitment and his early jitters seem to have go away.

Bryan Habana, IRB player of the year, now equals Jono's record for number of tries scored in a RWC. He is still a young man with years ahead as a world class player.

Young Francios Steyn has played in many positions in the Springbok team, but showed that he is a natural No. 12. He has a precocious talent that will develop and make him one of the great players of all time.

Fourie du Preez is quite simply an all round No. 9, but biting at his heels is the multi-talented Ruan Pienaar.

Juan Smith, was to me the outstanding loose forward of the tournament. Quitely got the job done with consumate ease.

Matfield played a monster of a tournament and deserves to mentioned in the same sentence as Colin Meads, Martin Johnson, Frik du Preez and John Eales. Don't underestimate the contribution of Bakkies in the 2nd row and Juan Smith in the line out.

Os du Randt last won a RWC 12 years ago, but played like a demon. What a great player he has been. The front row might have struggled against the English and the Argies but they both have really good front rows and it is no shame to be shunted by them.

The rest of the team were more than capable - Jaques Fourie very competant, Burger an incredibly hard player with endless stamina, Roussow played above his ability, Wickus van Heerden very underrated, CJ and BJ above average tightheads.

It was a team that showed no weaknesses and never really seemed to be pushed to their limits.

They are deserving champions.

Now their greatest challenges face them. In a country where the politicians are more interested in putting the white man down than taking a long term view of developing what must be the greatest untapped pool of talent, where the high road leads to world domination in union and the low road to destruction of a top class rugby playing country. Initial reports are of a countrywide, interracial euphoria with the win. The top eschelon of the ANC seem to be saying the right things, but it is very dependant on what the lower eschelon - the minister of sport, the self-agrandised administrators of the game, the politicians who are trying to make their names by stirring up the poor by 'making' rugby 'the white game', do.

Great teams cannot be made by putting players in who are, quite simply, not good enough. Players need to be developed, developed in the grassroots clubs around SA, but no money has been allocated to the poorest areas by the current government. Instead there is the rhetoric of quotas - as if this can solve the problems.

2011 sees the soccer World Cup in SA. The chronically under-performing Bifana Bifana, the national soccer team could take a leaf out of the Springboks book and learn the value of commitment and discipline.

WELL DONE BOKKE, you have made us proud.

RWC

I'm sorry ladies but the Rugby World Cup comes once in every 4 years. It is self service for the next few weeks......

.....I'll get my own beer from the fridge.

WHAT A BUNCH OF WANKERS

The petulance of Trevor Mallard and Dick Hubbard reaches new heights. Mallard's sulking and not giving funding to Eden Park because it is not his choice of stadium and Hubbard because ARC have quite rightly told him to piss off.

For f#%&'s sake these guys are meant to be adults!

To get back to the funding; when the average Joe Soap wants to buy something or do alterations to his home, then he either checks that he has the money to do it or he goes and borrows it and makes sure that he can make the repayments. So why did the Bid Team not do just that? Why did they not check to see if they had the money first, or did why they not go too the government first to find out if they were going to be funded? Something here stinks! Did they get support from Mallard and Clark which has now been withdrawn?

NZRU, with backing by the government, put in the bid, now let them pay for it.

WHAT'S IT WITH THESE AUSSIES

SOCCER SA not happy with Aussies

Fri, 24 Nov 2006

South African World Cup organisers said on Thursday they had complained to Canberra over suggestions that preparations for the 2010 tournament are in trouble and Australia could fill the breach instead.
Danny Jordaan, head of the local organising committee, said that a letter had been sent to the Australian foreign ministry over recent remarks by several officials that what would be the first ever World Cup in Africa was in doubt.
"We find it totally unfair, especially if it is coming from a government official," Jordaan told AFP. "They have done it more than once."
Australia has already made clear it wants to host the 2018 tournament, but officials Down Under have also said they would be ready in four years' time.
Football Federation Australia chief John O'Neill said in September that "we've got to be ready to be absolutely opportunistic."
"There's all sorts of question marks about infrastructure or requirements in South Africa. Australia doesn't have those problems," he said.
The premier of New South Wales, Morris Iemma, has also infuriated officials in South Africa after stating that Australia has "the capacity to step into the breach at a moment's notice."
"If it can't come off with South Africa, and there are doubts that it can, then we are by far the best alternative," he was quoted as saying by Australia's Daily Telegraph newspaper.
The News South Wales capital Sydney was the venue for the 2000 Olympics.
A spokesman for the South African foreign ministry said such comments were "totally unacceptable."
"We have been concerned about the negative comments and articles about the country's capability to host the event," Ronnie Mamoepa told AFP.
"There is no question about it. The event will be held in South Africa."
South Africa's preparations were given a vote of confidence on Wednesday by a visiting FIFA delegation, with one senior official saying they were further down the road than previous hosts Germany at a similar stage.
"FIFA is very happy and satisfied with the progress made," said Horst Schmidt, who is to take up a new post as FIFA's coordinator in South Africa.

First of all they want to take the RWC from New Zealand and now the soccer World Cup from South Africa. Is there no end to their arrogance? They are rapidly taking over from America in believing that they are the only ones who can do anything properly. The WC might not be the same as others in the past, but it will be a celebration of Africa!

Just because a country does not do something the way they do, does not mean it is wrong. If SA, as an African country does something in an African way, it celebrates our differences. If not the whole world might become as unexiting as a German soccer team (my apologies to German soccer players).

WATERFRONT STADIUM NOT VIABLE

In an article from NZRugby world Eden Park’s Rob Fisher says a waterfront stadium is an expensive and high-risk proposition that cannot be completed in time for the Rugby World Cup.

http://www.nzrugbyworld.com/article.aspx?articleid=2140

Mr Fisher released a report prepared for Eden Park by quantity surveyors WT Partnership, which said a 60,000-seat waterfront stadium would cost between $612 million and $767 million, excluding land and relocation costs of up to $150 million.

“Our advisers believe that total costs for the waterfront will be more than double that for Eden Park. You’ve also got to factor in substantial additional costs to develop infrastructure such as Britomart and Quay Street, as well as sewerage, stormwater and drainage systems, to meet the demands of a 60,000 seat stadium. It looks like an open chequebook.”

Mr Fisher said a waterfront stadium would not provide any additional economic benefit for Auckland or New Zealand, compared to Eden Park.

A report by Eden Park’s economic consultants, Horwath Asia Pacific, says a waterfront stadium would not increase the estimated $240 million boost to the Auckland economy from the Rugby World Cup, and was "highly unlikely" to produce greater long-term economic benefits than a redeveloped Eden Park.

“The numbers just don’t stack up. Eden Park can achieve the same economic benefits for far less investment – and our business case, developed in conjunction with PricewaterhouseCoopers, demonstrates that we can continue to operate sustainably after the Rugby World Cup, without any need for ongoing ratepayer subsidisation.”

I feel strongly that a waterfront stadium will be a mistake. Save the extra money and develop an adequate transport system to get around Auckland and include a station at Eden Park. This will enable supporters to get to the city centre after the game to celebrate (or to drown their sorrows). Keep the iconic Eden Park and save our money!