tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107543002024-02-19T00:37:29.078-05:00THE RED TERROR<b>RUGBY UNION</b> blather. World Cup, Churchill Cup, Six Nations, Tri-Nations, Super 14, NPC, Ranfurly Shield, Heineken Cup, Currie Cup & more. Spewing rugby commentary from the sidelines since 1986.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.comBlogger669125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-89771357999330740492011-03-24T09:05:00.000-04:002011-03-24T09:06:25.361-04:00Grand Slam Fail<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="425" height="269" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zB5eu0EwK34" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-87215086179977589362010-12-28T14:39:00.005-05:002010-12-28T14:46:31.181-05:00The Greatest Cup Never RunInnerestin' "virtual" promotion commemorating the 150th edition of the world's greatest horse race.<br /><br />Here's the "race" footage:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="264"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cM5eV_KMp8Y?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cM5eV_KMp8Y?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="264"></embed></object><br /><br />Those Aussie experts know a "Go You Good Thing," with a pair of Kiwi immortals scooping the quinella.<br /><br />Earlier: Profiles of all 24 entrants:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="264"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/B2mTBB5aSG0?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/B2mTBB5aSG0?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="264"></embed></object>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-12285983522290684452010-12-02T07:43:00.007-05:002010-12-02T07:56:30.932-05:00It's a clean sweep<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmx7m2Iaphjt33dKfG6FScyr5G0R2FqXVrLdcs7Qrat-M1bSmc8HIsQaaDljieLgRXvBGschi3go1h4VuyrxO2A_7xWCod5Vtj6Omk-vs5IERPFKoh8p4k1P8sz9cYTwFdIvG/s1600/sweep.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 277px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmx7m2Iaphjt33dKfG6FScyr5G0R2FqXVrLdcs7Qrat-M1bSmc8HIsQaaDljieLgRXvBGschi3go1h4VuyrxO2A_7xWCod5Vtj6Omk-vs5IERPFKoh8p4k1P8sz9cYTwFdIvG/s400/sweep.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546067905352653426" /></a><br /><br />IRB.com<br /><br />New Zealand captain <strong>Richie McCaw</strong> has been named the <strong>International Rugby Board Player of the Year 2010</strong> in association with Emirates Airline. <br /><br />The 29-year-old flanker is the <strong>first player to receive the prestigious accolade three times</strong>, as well as in consecutive years, cementing his position as one of the greats of the Game. <br /><br />The accolade completes a hat-trick of IRB Awards for New Zealand announced today, with the <strong>All Blacks named IRB Team of the Year 2010 </strong>in association with Emirates Airline and <strong>Graham Henry unveiled as IRB Coach of the Year for a record fourth time</strong>. <br /><br />Henry has previously been named IRB Coach of the Year in 2005, 2006 and 2008 and New Zealand are named IRB Team of the Year for the fourth time in six years. [...]<br /><br />The IRB Player of the Year Award is selected by the IRB Awards independent panel of judges, comprising former internationals with over 500 Test caps between them. Will Greenwood, Gavin Hastings, Raphaël Ibanez, Francois Pienaar, Agustín Pichot, Scott Quinnell, Tana Umaga, Paul Wallace and convenor John Eales watched over 78 hours of action from 59 matches, awarding points to the three players they thought stood out in each match. <br /><br />“Rugby is fortunate to have a player and person of the calibre of Richie McCaw. He is an outstanding captain, a world class player and a role model for our sport. In winning the Award three times, <strong> Richie has truly cemented his place right up there amongst some of the greats,” </strong> said Eales. [...]<br /><br />The accolades cap a phenomenal year for New Zealand Rugby with <strong>Julian Savea winning the IRB Junior Player of the Year</strong> in June and <strong>Carla Hohepa named IRB Women’s Personality of the Year</strong> in September after a magnificent Women’s Rugby World Cup. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.irb.com/history/awards/newsid=2041119.html#new+zealand+honoured+trio+irb+awards">Source</a>.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-26991704479576891202010-11-25T13:19:00.002-05:002010-11-25T13:25:26.365-05:00Bernard-Henri Lévy with the All Blacks<img src="http://www.scumbagmillionaire.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/thinker1.jpg" /><br /><br />French philosopher and writer Bernard-Henri Lévy attends the All Blacks vs. Ireland test match last Saturday, and reports.<br /><br />An excerpt:<br /><br /><blockquote>The cohesion of the players and of the game. <br /><br />The religion of fellowship and fraternity.<br /><br />Not to selfishly pocket the credit for having scored a last goal when it can be more profitable to harass the adversary together until the very end. <br /><br />Inventive attacks and returns where everyone sticks together. <br /><br />Vehement openings and dummy moves that look like a well-rehearsed ballet. <br />An ace at tripping here, and there a champion of outflanking on the sides, and between the two a complicity that, one easily guesses, was there before the game and will be there afterwards. <br /><br />Who is the better attacker, the forward, the expert at half-turn contact, or the one from behind that no one (except the forward) saw coming? <br /><br />Should one force his way or break off and relay to another in a pass so smooth and straightforward one would think it the action of one player--with four legs? <br /><br />Should one change feet or change bodies outright, letting the next body play? <br /><br />When Carter passes to Donnelly, you'd swear he has eyes in the back of his head to see him take the ball. <br /><br />Nonu's last run, flying over the field before making that pass en cloche Carter would recover. <br /><br />They say it's an obscure sport with no rules. No! The rules are strict and diabolically complex, to the extent that part of the All Blacks' strength comes from the way they play the rules, borderline with an error, but <strong>never actually stepping over the line</strong>. <br /><br />They say it's a sport for brutes, all a question of power and attack. No! A combat sport, yes, one should call it a martial art, because it's composed of <strong>intelligence and strategy</strong>. And so it was that this Saturday, the fighting spirit of the Irish in the last fifteen minutes, when they had lost and they knew it, showed the very best of their gallantry. Thus in this manner, it was up to Carter, again, to size up the adversary and, like a judoka, cannibalize his weaknesses to transform them into power. <br /><br />It's a violent, savage sport, others insist, because there's naked violence in the scrum, in the plaquage, or in the way the attacked team opposes the attacker with a wall of heads and chests. But does anyone know that the Haka, this Maori warrior hymn the All Blacks chant before the match, is less a victory chant than an anticipated prayer for the vanquished? Does anyone know that Saturday, the field of Dublin Stadium was the only place on the planet where Northern Irish and fans from the Republic could confront the same adversary, share the same prayer? And what a lesson when, as New Zealander Boric concentrated before the kick to mark the goal before converting the try, and the crowd of supporters observed a long silence--downright religious and uncommonly respectful--for those who are familiar with the hysteria of football!<br /> <br />And then, the «third half-time».... <br /><br />This dinner after the match, when the players of the two nations gathered. <br /><br />The toast of the captain of the All Blacks, to the Irish and their "beautiful game". <br /><br />That of the Irish to the mysterious and persistant supremacy of the All Blacks. <br /><br />And these tables where the winners and the vanquished joyfully replayed the match. <br /><br />I watched O'Driscoll, the Irish captain, his arm injured, clinking glasses with his New Zealand counterpart. <br /><br />I listened the New Zealander Woodcock and the Irishman Wallace telling each other of their real lives, the ones they would resume again next week, at home, when it would all be over. <br /><br />And I thought to myself that Zidane's head-butt, his deep-rooted hatred for Materazzi, their overblown and even more dramatized reconciliation, would be almost impossible here. <br /><br />Football and rugby are like Corneille and Racine, or the Stones and the Beatles, or a Mac and a PC. They are two different parties. Two religions. And one must choose between the two. For my part, <strong>I have made my choice. Today as yesterday, the style, the beauty, the fair-play of rugby.</strong></blockquote><br /><br />Read the whole thing, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bernardhenri-levy/with-the-all-blacks-in-du_b_787391.html">click here</a>.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-23604987792211472092010-11-20T15:51:00.004-05:002010-11-20T16:00:00.615-05:00Train Kept A Rollin'<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_zeza1xeWKM?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_zeza1xeWKM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />The Irish Times reports from Dublin:<br /><br /><blockquote><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>New Zealand remain a class apart</strong></span> with a hard-nosed focus that is occasionally camouflaged by the sheer exuberance of the way they play the game.<br /><br />They scored some cracking tries and didn’t give anything up cheaply. [...]<br /><br />Ireland were taught a rather painful lesson in the opening 40 minutes, ruthlessly punished for every error, whether unforced or induced by suffocating pressure. [...]<br /><br />The self belief that permeates this New Zealand side is tangible because at times they were stretched to breaking point but even when they did concede points, they marched straight back up the pitch and redressed the situation on the scoreboard. The facility they possess to recycle ad nauseam and the patience they display in probing for weaknesses, using the full expanse of the pitch illustrates a team that’s very comfortable in their patterns.<br /><br />They trust one another and the patterns of play. [...]<br /><br />In a 10-minute spell either side of half-time New Zealand scored three tries, a homily to using the full expanse of the pitch, offloading and being physically dominant in the collisions and running sumptuous trail lines.<br /><br />Demonstrating New Zealand’s total rugby patterns and the facility of backs and forwards to interchange positions, the three tries were scored by forwards: Anthony Boric, replacement Sam Whitelock and Kieran Read. Carter’s three conversions were a thing of beauty. [...]<br /><br />The All Blacks deserve credit for the manner in which they defended; the thundered into tackles. [...]<br /><br />The visitors had a final sting for their hosts, Read’s second try 33 seconds from full-time demonstrating the ruthlessness, precision, handling and lines of running that make them so easy on the eye and such a brilliant team.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />><a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/rugby/2010/1120/1224283816950.html">The rest</a>.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-70087824580365211572010-11-13T14:44:00.004-05:002010-11-13T14:57:19.086-05:00Cold eyed and clinical<img src="http://static2.stuff.co.nz/1289676204/088/4343088.jpg" /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/scotland/8129719/Scotland-3-New-Zealand-49-match-report.html">Brendan Gallagher</a> watches The Sonny Bill Show at Murrayfield:<br /><br /><blockquote>"New Zealand played rugby from another planet ... sensational ... extraordinary, unstoppable ... irresistible black wave ... there was more ... the All Blacks went straight for the jugular ... ruthlessly exploited ... carnage ... shell-shocked ...rampant ... hitting the turbo ... <span style="color:#ff0000;">It was magnificent to watch</span> and utterly cold eyed and clinical." </blockquote><br /><br />You get the idea.<br /><br />Touching tributes, too:<br /><br /><blockquote><strong>Mils Muliaina</strong> - A special moment for a special player who, along with New Zealand captain Richie McCaw, was equalling the legendary Sean Fitzpatrick’s All Blacks record of 92 Test appearances.<br /><br />An extraordinary character Muliaina, not just in his skills and pace but the fact that he seems to have earned those 92 caps with a complete absence of fuss and fanfare. No player is more highly rated by his peers in world rugby yet outside of New Zealand the most accomplished fullback of the modern era rarely makes the headlines.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/went%20straight%20for%20the%20jugular%20...%20ruthlessly%20exploited%20...%20carnage%20...%20shell-shocked%20...">Source</a>.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-29942281942281727612010-10-23T20:15:00.004-04:002010-10-23T20:21:43.834-04:00No Logo<img src="http://home.golden.net/~tekapo/redterror/edenpark2.jpg" /><br /><br />Pinch me. Thank you to the Board, and thank-you to the taxpayers of Auckland.<br /><br />You did the right thing.<br /><br />NZ Herald:<br /><br /><blockquote><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Board passes up name bid</span></strong><br /><br />Eden Park's bosses passed up an opportunity to sell naming rights to the home of rugby - a sponsorship deal that could have covered most of the park's $40 million redevelopment shortfall.<br /><br />They don't want to sell the name, saying <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">people would be aghast if Eden Park was renamed after a corporate</span></strong> - but the decision means ratepayers must plug the gap.<br /><br />The $256m park redevelopment has been funded by a number of partners, with the majority paid for by the Government. But the $40m shortfall has been picked up by Auckland City ratepayers. [...]<br /></blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10682693">Source</a>.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-83243467314638359992010-10-23T20:03:00.004-04:002010-10-23T20:14:11.398-04:00So You Think<p><object height="264" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/67v8rj58vCs?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/67v8rj58vCs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="264"></embed></object><br /><br />Magnificent!<br /><br />Back-to-back Cox Plate championships for the Kiwibred son of High Chaparral. As only a 4yo. In only his 10th race. Freak.</p><p>May his owners (Dato Tan Chin Nam & Tunku Ahmad Yahaya) be horse racing fans first-and-foremost. Forget about retirement to the stud farm for a few years yet, please. Let the public see a true champion. We beg you. </p><p>I'm seeing rumours about a possible run at the Melbourne Cup - and trainer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart_Cummings">Bart Cummings</a> would surely love another Cup added to his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotty_Bowman">Scotty Bowman</a>esque run - but stretching the pony out to two miles may be a couple bridges too far. Nevertheless, We the Horse-Racing Fans want to see him run a mile-and-a-quarter for a few more years, at least. And if you're thinking of taking him to Dubai or the Breeders Cup - by all means Do It! Show him off to the world.<br /></p>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-43993661495655980482010-10-17T13:25:00.002-04:002010-10-17T13:36:40.426-04:00Sandy Barbour: Ignorant wanker, or simply an asshole?<img src="http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/cal/graphics/300x75_thisis_rugby.jpg" /><br /><br />25 NCAA Championships.<br /><br />Let's type that again:<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>TWENTY-FIVE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS!!</strong></span> And a program that pays for itself.<br /><br />That's a program of athletic dominance that any varsity should be celebrating and shouting from their rooftops - and Ivory Towers.<br /><br />But sadly, California Golden Bears Athletic Director <strong>Sandy Barbour</strong> wants to cut the program.<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Cal rugby refuses to go quietly after termination of their program</strong><br /></span><br />One day after Cal cut five sports from its intercollegiate athletics menu, there was no surrender among those affected in rugby or baseball.<br /><br />... Rugby coach <strong>Jack Clark</strong> went on the offensive Wednesday.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Clark, who has directed 21 of Cal's 25 national championship teams in the sport</span>, said there is no reason the university needed to cut rugby, saying it's largely financially self-sufficient thanks to private donations.<br /><br />He said he proposed to athletic director Sandy Barbour and the university administration adding a women's varsity rugby team, which would balance gender equity issues mandated by Title IX federal law.</blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/sports-headlines/ci_16211587?nclick_check=1&forced=true">More here</a>.<br /><br /><br />And Nina Sasso writes a <a href="http://www.dailycal.org/article/110571/an_open_letter_to_sandy_barbour">letter</a> to Barbour.<br /><br /><blockquote>Cal Rugby is paying the price for your incompetency and inability to comply with Title IX.<br /><br />With your salary of over $470,000, you honestly can't come up with a more imaginative solution to Title IX compliance? Instead of targeting rugby, why not distribute the cut and implement a department-wide squad size reduction across all men's sports? Your uninspiring decision to eliminate rugby is a discredit to this university that values innovation.<br /><br />This letter is a call for your accountability regarding the rationale behind cutting rugby. Terminating rugby under the guise of a budget cut is dishonest and deceitful.</blockquote>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-73341441333919294872010-09-27T11:46:00.005-04:002010-09-27T12:15:54.800-04:00Red Terror set to make triumphant return!<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vFIexFR3XEk?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vFIexFR3XEk?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />This blog has been dormant for, welll, quite a while. But it never intended to expire, nor has it!<br /><br />A pile of art exhibits and film documentaries over the past year have been my priorities, and I haven't had time to view much rugby, let alone blog on it. (I did however watch the All Blacks steamroll the Tri-Nations in style, with more amazement watching my main man, the indefatiguable Brad Thorn.) I've also read every issue of NZ's Rugby News, albeit a month late, and not exactly fresh for blogging, so let's just say it's been a case of catch-up for quite some time.<br /><br />Alas, I'm currently settling in to a new home, and re-organizing my life, and will be back at it momentarily. Expect blogging to be light at first, but will ramp up shortly thereafter.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6pmzUbeTs68?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6pmzUbeTs68?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Oh, and apologies to Mr. Brian Vizard at the USRFF and all the incredible work he is doing growing the sport in the United States. I have received regulat updates from him the past year and not found the time to post them here, but that too shall be rectified shortly. Keep at it, your hard work is not going unnoticed.<br /><br />Tags: Rush, Anthem, Geddy lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil PeartDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-58036753597157270222009-10-02T09:07:00.005-04:002009-10-02T09:33:31.178-04:00Quarantine the rot, before it's too late...<img src="http://raptor.golden.net/~tekapo/redterror/district9.jpg" /><br /><br />It's been <em>ages</em> since my last <em>rugby</em> update, but travel and work deadlines have meant rugby viewing has been tight, and mostly too tight to blog. In the past month the Pumas of Argentina received a preliminary green light into the Tri-Nations, and the Springboks kept their claws on all the major prizes by claiming that same tournaments' 2009 championship. Congrats to them. I'd say more, but thankfully, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/news-comment/peter-bills-rugby-retreats-into-tedium-1791313.html">Peter Bills at The Independent (U.K.)</a> said so much of what's on the minds of many rugby fans two weeks ago that his commentary is worth tip-toeing around copyright infringement and re-printing in full. Bold emphasis mine:<br /><br /><blockquote><p><span style="font-size:180%;">Rugby retreats into tedium</span><br /><br />By Peter Bills<br />The Independent<br />Tuesday, 22 September 2009<br /><br />Abe Lincoln, that well known sporting coach and occasional US President, knew a thing or two about how to draw a crowd and keep 'em coming back for more.<br /><br />How else to explain Lincoln's immortal line, "It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."<br /><br />How rugby football needs to digest carefully those words at a time when the supporter's currency is in so much demand from a variety of sports. For inexorably, before our weary eyes at the very time when supreme entertainment ought to be of paramount importance the world over especially for television, <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">rugby union is retreating</span></strong>, drawing back to the type of kicking fest that persuaded a whole cluster of international coaches, players and officials to ask the IRB to re-examine the laws back in 2002.<br /><br />That was seven years ago and, apart from the odd tinkering such as allowing players to take quick throw-ins and using touch judges as assistant referees, nothing much has changed. The ELVs have come and gone, killed off by the votes of the northern hemisphere countries who refused even to trial the most relevant of them. There's democracy at work for you, but already, some who rubbished the ELVs are now complaining at the nonsense being served up. Sorry boys, you should have thought of that before you closed your eyes and minds to a different approach.<br /><br />But if ever a weekend exemplified <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">rugby's growing problem of boring, penalty ridden matches and mindless kicking dictating and deciding games</span></strong>, it was this last one.<br /><br />Much of the 2009 Tri-Nations, which concluded this last weekend, has been <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">one long boring boot-in</span></strong>. The South Africans, undeniably the No 1 team in the world, used their formidable power chiefly to bludgeon the opposition into submission. Only in Perth, where they used the ball to attack a makeshift Australian back line, did they deign to expand their play. Otherwise, Morne Steyn, their fly half, kicked the bejaysus out of the ball and used their heavyweight pack to set up victories.<br /><br />In England this last weekend, they opened a sparkling new stand at Leicester and drew the corporates in by the thousands. Alas, those who are new to rugby tend to lose interest at incessant goal kicking. 15-6 to Leicester over Newcastle, five penalties to two, which meant the English champions have now not scored a single try in over four hours of serious play.<br /><br />This is not an exact science but in France, it was equally grim. Brive 12 Biarritz 15 (four penalties to four penalties and a drop goal), Castres 9 Racing Metro 6 (three penalties to two). In the modern game, defences reign, kicking decides.<br /><br />In Marseilles on Sunday, in perfect conditions of warm sunshine and inviting surface, Toulouse chose a back line potentially without peer in contemporary world rugby for its speed and innovation: M Medard; V Clerc, F Fritz, Y Jauzion, C Heymans; F Michalak, J-P Elissalde.<br /><br />Yet the biggest thrill for an alarming number of the 48,000 present was apparently to participate in the mindless Mexican wave. In one of the hospitality boxes, I noticed people's concentration steadily dissipating as Jonny Wilkinson lined up eight attempts at goal. He succeeded with six, three penalties and three drop goals, to win the game for his team, 18-13.<br /><br />The match was <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">virtually one long, grim act of trench warfare up front, most of it understood by only the specialists. What is this offering the so-called new audience the game is targetting?</span></strong><br /><br />The only decent rugby I saw the whole weekend was New Zealand's 15-man style which overwhelmed Australia in the last Tri-Nations game of the year. Forward power was used not as a means to an end but to expose physically overwhelmed opponents and service a back line freed up to attack hard, run straight and offer genuine entertainment.<br /><br />Conversely, two examples from soccer are rather more than coincidental. At Marseilles on Saturday night, Olympique Marseille beat Montpellier 4-2 in a pulsating French League match. And in Manchester 24 hours later, United and City played out an English Premiership game that had entertainment dripping like rain from the rooftops.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Rugby union is approaching a crossroads here. It can either retreat into its specialist shell, as it appears to be doing, and say in effect to the floating punter, "If you don’t like our product, go elsewhere".</span></strong> Or it can continue to believe that those who currently fill so many of its grounds will always do so, no matter the fact that in reality, what they are being offered apart from the experience of the actual occasion, is a game of mind-numbing boredom. Either option is madness because a third factor will decide rugby's fate: television.<br /><br />In France, TV executives are said to be dismayed by most of the rugby offered up. Canal Plus cameras have visited Brive three times thus far this season without seeing the home team score a single try. Expect viewing figures to start reflecting this poor fare sooner rather than later.<br /><br />And when, not if, the great TV master begins to reduce his financial largesse, then predictably the professional game will hit most unpleasant turbulence.<br /><br />Right now, with grounds full of people, rugby is in vogue and getting away with it. But the game is living a lie. There are, of course, occasional exceptions but too often, it is offering poor value entertainment. <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"><em>Yet when played at its best</em>, with an attacking creed, pace and dynamism, it remains one of the best sports to watch.</span></strong><br /><br />You sense someone, somewhere in authority, had pretty soon better begin to start concerning themselves with this. Because the truth of Lincoln's words still hold good all these years later.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/news-comment/peter-bills-rugby-retreats-into-tedium-1791313.html">Source</a>.</p></blockquote>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-31500109828267635112009-09-08T12:57:00.006-04:002009-09-08T18:33:40.258-04:00John Peel in Dallas<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0aHDJy0R8nQ&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0aHDJy0R8nQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Peel">John Peel</a> died five years ago, much too young. He would have been 70 years old on August 30th. I've been away a couple weeks hiking in the wilderness of Nova Scotia, so missed the anniversary. Earlier me and my pal Sean cobbled together a short film tribute, inspired by a JFK conspiracy hobbyist who was tracking down a lead about Peel attending Lee Harvey Oswald's midnight press conference on that fateful day in 1963. I interviewed Peel back in 1996 and got him talking about the experience, and that audio narrative informs the film and the clips we co-opted, borrowed, stole. So in the spirit of guerilla-style pirate radio from Peel's early days, here 'tis, enjoy!<br /><br /><br />Thanks to S.E., S.S. and J.C.<br /><br />More <a href="http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2009/08/john_peels_dallas_sessions.php">here</a>.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-31378429458410669122009-08-22T07:08:00.002-04:002009-08-22T07:39:04.173-04:00State of the Union<img src="http://raptor.golden.net/~tekapo/redterror/kicking.jpg" /><br /><br />I've been ridiculously busy with assignments & deadlines the past few months, far too many commitments and not enough time to sleep, so the blog has been sadly neglected of late. Things won't get better soon, 'cos I am now going bush for the next couple weeks to get some well-earned R&R. Normal blogging should (hopefully) resume when I return. Luckily for me, the quality of the rugby I've been watching hasn't been worth spending time writing about. It's been mostly rubbish.<br /><br />Ex-Wallaby <a href="http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/news/bring-back-the-beauty/2009/08/21/1250362213438.html">Pete Fitzsimmons</a> is a straight-shooter.<br /><br /><blockquote>. . . What you may not know, however, inside the cocoon that teams go into before big matches, is the rising damp of disillusionment that is eating at our passion for elite rugby.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">We have had a gutful of watching marathon kick-fests</span>, of seeing captains toss the ball to goal-kickers when arcane penalties are awarded 53 metres out. <span style="color:#ff0000;">Of watching for two excruciating minutes the deadly dull vision of one bloke lining up and kicking the pig-skin while 29 blokes stand around, no doubt <span style="font-size:180%;">as bored as we are</span>. And doing it all game - again and again and again.</span><br /><br />In general play we no longer want to see two tactics - the "up" and the "under". We despair when teams take kicking tips from the Swans. This season there has been more wretched kicking than ever. It is getting to the point where even hard-core fans are turning their cauliflower ears and puffy eyes away in disgust.<br /><br />But, say what? You players are professionals who play as ruthlessly as possible to win - everything else can go to hell?<br /><br />That would be fine, 'cept we are the paying public who ultimately provide your wages. If the disillusionment continues, that is exactly where the game will go.<br /><br />Yes, we know the Springboks have made an art form of winning in this way. But that's the point. The Wallabies and All Blacks are better than that! In bursts this year, you've turned on scintillating running rugby that has thrilled us for minutes at a time. You're capable of playing a Match for the Ages, with stories we will tell and retell as the days grow cold and we grow old. Like it used to be …<br /><br />So here's the plea. In rugby's ancient history, which is to say before it turned professional in 1995, teams could sometimes enter into unofficial compacts, whereby it would be broadly agreed the game was the thing and running rugby was the most joyous way to play and exactly what the crowd wanted. The glory of the whole Barbarians tradition rests upon it.<br /><br />Can't you, just maybe, revive that compact tonight? For the good of the game?<br /><br />It can't work if only one team embraces it. But if you both engage to play the game the way it was meant to be played - to run it - you'll be knocked out by the reception. We'll know whether you're up for it the first time a penalty is awarded 50 metres out. I say 80,000 people, and millions at home, will cheer or jeer the decision. So run the ball as if the future of the game depends on it. Because it does.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/news/bring-back-the-beauty/2009/08/21/1250362213438.html">Source</a>.</blockquote>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-21757073623591941592009-07-19T21:10:00.002-04:002009-07-19T21:29:33.581-04:00Advantage: NZ<img src="http://raptor.golden.net/~tekapo/redterror/first_blood.jpg" /><br /><br />Tri Nations news . . .<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>All Blacks</strong> come from behind to beat the <strong>Wallabies</strong> </span><a href="http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_5439111,00.html"><span style="font-size:180%;">22-16</span></a><span style="font-size:180%;"> and keep one hand on the Bledisloe.</span>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-62139670574072551252009-07-15T17:14:00.005-04:002009-07-16T20:54:08.560-04:00IRB unveils new Americas tournament; October final in Toronto[Updated below.]<br /><br /><img src="http://raptor.golden.net/~tekapo/redterror/irb_americas.jpg" /><br /><br /><blockquote><strong><span style="font-size:150%;">IRB unveils new Americas tournament</span><br /></strong><br /><br />15th July 2009<br /><br />The ARC is a key component of the IRB's Strategic Investment Programme, which includes significant investment in USA, Canada and Argentina.<br /><br />The new tournament features six teams, including four provincial sides from Canada joined by the Argentina Jaguars and USA 'A'.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">The format unites Rugby in North and South America in a high performance sub-international structure for the first time.<br /></span><br />"The Americas Rugby Championship is a huge step forward for elite Rugby in North and South America," said Mark Egan, IRB Head of Development and Performance.<br /><br />"Canada, USA and Argentina are priority Unions for our High Performance investment programme and their domestic based players and coaches require a tournament format that exposes them to high level cross border competition on a more regular basis."<br /><br />"The tournament is currently structured to primarily focus on our High Performance Unions in the Region, however, <span style="color:#ff0000;">it is hoped that it will expand over time to include other countries such as Uruguay, Chile, Mexico and Brazil."</span><br /><br />Canadian Regional teams Atlantic, Ontario, Prairies and British Columbia will re-ignite traditional rivalries in a round robin pool taking place in September. The top four will qualify for the semi-finals held on October 10, with <span style="color:#ff0000;">the finals taking place on October 17 in Toronto.</span><br /><br />"The ARC competition is key to developing the link between our domestic rugby structure and our national team program. The competition will provide our domestic based athletes with high performance structures and competition pathways that will be used to strengthen our domestic player base on a annualized basis," said Graham Brown, Rugby Canada Chief Executive Officer.<br /><br />Nigel Melville, USA Rugby Chief Executive, said: "The ARC will provide Eagles head coach Eddie O'Sullivan and his coaches with an opportunity to observe and work with domestically based potential Eagles players prior to the important November international window. The introduction of Argentina and possible expansion to include other teams in the future is an exciting expansion of our cross border aspirations for the event."</blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_5434888,00.html">Source</a>.<br /><br />I'm not sure how this impacts Argentina's long-rumoured foray into Sanzar competitions, but I've been urging the IRB to get North & South America into some sort of regular competition for the past decade.<br /><br />Kinda weird how it's four teams from Canada and only one from each of the USA and Argentina, however. I would have believed the Argies were well in advance of Canada, and USA at a similar level to Canada. Will have to wait and see how it transpires.<br /><br />I'm also puzzled about the calendar. A final in Toronto in the latter half of October is a nail biter. Snow typically doesn't come that way until late-November or December, but it's snowed in late October there before, and regardless will have a chill in the air. That's why Canada usually had it's international test program during the summer months of June to August.<br /><br />It will be cool to see it expand to additional South American nations, as outlined.<br /><br /><strong>Update:</strong><br /><br />The above report comes directly from the IRB, and it's piss-poor confusion. I've been seeking clarification, but none forthcoming so far. I am guessing that USA 'A" and Argie Jags get automatic berths into the final 4, and the four Canadian teams do a round-robin to determine their two qualifiers. I'm guessing the Americans and Jags contest one semi, to gurantee a Canadian finalist. If that's the case, then the Canadian finalist will have played four matches to qualify, and the other finalist possibly just a single game (?). I dunno, your guess is as good as mine.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-71437250301589768792009-07-15T17:00:00.002-04:002009-07-15T17:14:34.418-04:002009 Tri-Nations Championship countdown . . .<img src="http://raptor.golden.net/~tekapo/redterror/tri_chart.jpg" /><br /><br />This year's Tri-Nations tournament kicks off Saturday (wee hours of the morning up here) at Eden Park, where the upstart Australia <strong>Wallabies</strong> meet the defending champion hosts New Zealand <strong>All Blacks</strong>.<br /><br />Bartman at <a href="http://www.thesilverfern.com/index.php/news/all-blacks/1434-tri-nations-train-spotting">The Silver Fern</a> examines the history, and looks for portends:<br /><br /><blockquote><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Tri Nations train spotting</span><br /></strong><br /><br />Tri Nations time, and it's been around for a while now, since 1996 in fact, so lets have a look at t a few of the fact and figures since its inception last century.<br />AS we all know, the All Blacks have been dominant over the 13 series so far. And we'll dwell on this fact for a while, as this season could be an aberration, and the trophy might get carried off to foreign shores... But we won't dwell on that too long, the foreign shores thing. Lets instead look at the 9 series wins from 13 starts for the All Blacks!!<br /><br />[...]<br /><br />So what do all these facts and figures tell us leading into the 2009 series? Basically, Didly squat! It does tell us though that during the reign of King Henry the All Blacks have been pretty hard to beat at Tri Nations time, Australia are always the bridesmaids, the the Boers, it's all or nothing!!</blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.thesilverfern.com/index.php/news/all-blacks/1434-tri-nations-train-spotting">Read the whole thing!</a>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-38145271252693801052009-07-12T07:44:00.004-04:002009-07-12T08:13:30.038-04:00Canada into All Blacks pool RWC 2011<img src="http://raptor.golden.net/~tekapo/redterror/candefusa.jpg" /><br /><br />Last Saturday, July 4th Independence Day, <strong>Canada</strong> fell to <strong>USA</strong> in World Cup qualifying, played in 100 degree heat in the welter of a humid South Carolina summer, by a score of <a href="http://www.therugbyworldcup.co.uk/usa-secure-vital-home-win-usa-12-canada-6_616.html">12-6</a>.<br /><br />That test was carried on ESPN until half-time, when the murder of ex-Titans quarterback Steve McNair broke and became their main priority, and the test match got bumped to ESPN2. TSN in Canada, carrying the qualifier for free, televised the whole test, their first rugby broadcast on that network in probably a decade.<br /><br />The winner of the RWC Americas 1 qualifier would be comprised of a cumulative (or as the soccer folk say, "aggregate") score over a two-test home-and-away series.<br /><br />The rubber match was yesterday in Edmonton, and Canada not only had to win, they had to win by at least six points to cover their defecit.<br /><br />(Sadly, the ball got dropped, and neither ESPN or TSN, nor any other networks, picked up the return rubber-match played in Edmonton for broadcast. Some of us tried to view via a live stream of the match, but the audio-video quality was dodgy, to say the least.)<br /><br />The uptick is that Canada pulled off the comeback, and has now qualified for RWC 2011, and will be slotted into Pool A, along with powerhouse France and the superpower tournament host New Zealand All Blacks.<br /><br />Canadian coach <strong>Kieran Crowley</strong> will doubtlessly feel chuffed this morning. The former All Black played a test match for the <a href="http://www.rugbymuseum.co.nz/teamsheet.asp?level1=All_Blacks&Level2=ABC&MT_ID=1868">inaugural RWC in 1987</a>, also hosted in NZ,. and the All Blacks only RWC championship title. Crowley almost certainly wanted to bring his new team back home, and play against the host side. Hopefully it will also provide a Canadian media boost for the tournament.<br /><br />The <strong>United States</strong>, meanwhile, need to ice their bruises and get ready for another <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Rugby_World_Cup_20th_place_playoff">elimination qualifier to secure the Americas 2 slot</a>, and will face a torrid time from the improving <strong>Uruguay</strong>.<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;">Canada make the World Cup</span><br /><br />July 12, 2009<br /><br />Canada has become the first nation to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2011 through the qualifying rounds, <span style="color:#ff0000;">beating the USA 41-18 on Saturday</span>.<br /><br />The hosts had gone into the second leg in Edmonton needing to overturn a six-point deficit after losing the first encounter 12-6 in Charleston last weekend.<br /><br />Canada's emphatic win at Ellerslie Rugby Park gave them an <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">47-30 aggregate victory</span></strong> and a place in Pool A with New Zealand, France and Tonga as well as the Asia 1 qualifier - likely to be Japan.<br /><br />The USA are not yet out of thr running; they face Uruguay over two matches to see who will join Australia, Ireland Italy and another European qualifier in Pool C.<br /><br />The Canadians, who have played at every Rugby World Cup to date, had moved ahead on aggregate by the 25th minute with James Pritchard, who had already kicked a penalty, crossing for the opening try after some good work by the impressive centre DTH van der Merwe.<br /><br />With Canada leading 10-0 after Pritchard added the conversion, things got worse for USA within a minute when centre Paul Emerick was sent off by referee Alan Lewis. The hosts made the most of their man advantage with Adam Kleeberger and Justin Mensah-Coker crossing for tries to make it 24-0 at half time.<br /><br />The Eagles needed to score first if they were to have any hopes of salvaging an unlikely victory against a Canadian outfit playing an attacking brand of rugby. Hercus did just that with a 51st minute penalty, but that was cancelled out by a try from the hosts' scrum-half Ed Fairhurst.<br /><br />Wing Kevin Swiryn crossed for the Eagles' first try just before the hour mark, a score converted by Hercus, and the fly-half then kicked a penalty to cut the deficit to 31-13 on the day - 37-25 on aggregate - but there was to be no comeback with Canada crossing for a fifth try within minutes.<br /><br />Van der Merwe had been exploiting the space created by Emerick's sending off and creating opportunities for Canada and was finally rewarded for his impressive display when the centre crossed for his side's fifth try of the afternoon in the 69th minute.<br /><br />Canada increased their advantage when wing Matt Evans touched down, before USA captain Todd Clever scored a consolation try five minutes from time. It was the Canadians and an excitable crowd of around 5,000 who were celebrating come the final whistle.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_5426535,00.html">Source</a>.</blockquote>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-2969091535958059652009-07-07T08:40:00.004-04:002009-07-07T08:55:54.172-04:00The Lone Gunman<img src=http://raptor.golden.net/~tekapo/redterror/ffr_sweep.jpg><br /><br />It defies belief, but the FFR is washing their hands and passing the buck on l'Affaire Bastareud with an obvious cover-up to protect conspirators and blame it on a single man.<br /><br />I am sure <strong>Laurent Bénézech</strong> will have more to say about this obvious smoke-screen (see previous posts).<br /><br /><a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.rugbyrama.fr/rugby/international/2009/la-mise-au-point-de-camou_sto1994410/story.shtml&prev=http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch%3Fclient%3Dnews%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26q%3Dbastareaud%26ie%3DUTF-8%26scoring%3Dd%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN">Google translation</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">The development of Pierre Camou</span><br /><br />In an interview published by <em>Midi Olympique</em>, the president of the Federation reaffirms its support for the staff of Blue and announced that the Disciplinary Committee should punish the player.<br /><br />As the father of <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Mathieu Bastareaud</span></strong> has proclaimed his anger in the press last week - including denying having cancer while the information was issued by the player himself to the doctor of the team of France - <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Pierre Camou</span></strong> is also emerged from his silence. Questioned about this at the conference of the Federation in Strasbourg last weekend, the president of the FFR, whose silence became heavy, has finally delivered his opinion on this matter in an interview published by <em>Midi Olympique</em> on Monday .<br /><br />Annoyed by some questions on this lie became an affair of state after the apologies of the Prime Ministers of New Zealand and french, the successor to Bernard Lapasset <span style="color:#ff0000;">strongly reaffirmed the continued <strong>Jo Maso</strong> at his post</span>. Some spoke of a possible dismissal of manager of the French team, but Pierre Camou said he <span style="color:#ff0000;">"was never in danger."</span> If it concedes the lack of relevance of a night out between two tests, it <span style="color:#ff0000;">vigorously defended his staff</span>: "I say, I repeat and I repeat: everyone has fulfilled its role, ensures there. I want to reiterate that the players are professionals (...) The players are adults. You can not put a guard in front of each room. It is their responsibility. "<br /><br /><strong>"There will obviously a sanction"</strong><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Mathieu Bastareaud should be the only one to pay the mess in this case</span>. "The Disciplinary Committee has received, it will be independent in its investigation and then, proposals for possible sanctions", said the president of the FFR, as that "there is obviously a penalty, if only in relation to the injury of a people, an entire nation, had to endure." There are still no date fixed for the consideration of case of player who, moreover, is always placed in a clinic in the Paris area to rest.<br /><br />"What worries me most is the health of the player," says Pierre Camou. A health condition which returned Max Guazzini in the Sunday issue Stage 2, providing further reassurance. But the president of the french stage once again threw the trouble on this matter very opaque in stating that "if (Bastareaud, NDLR) not telling the truth, perhaps because it protects people ... "The investigation requested by the President of the FFR is supposed to shed light on this matter." ...</blockquote><br /><br />Total farce.<br /><br />Continuing & complete coverage of L'Affaire Bastareaud, <a href="http://redterror.blogspot.com/2009/06/inglourious-bastareaud-pulp-fiction.html">click here</a>.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-47973124832535431152009-07-03T08:44:00.006-04:002009-07-07T08:57:28.244-04:00Bloodhound Bénézech tracks the conspiratorsEx-France international test prop <strong>Laurent Bénézech</strong> continues his <a href="http://tinyurl.com/lqt5cy">superlative sleuthing</a>, and advises the young <strong>Mathieu Basteaud</strong> to come clean, tell the whole truth, stop protecting the guilty and co-conspirators, for the good of French rugby and his own mental health.<br /><br />Excerpt (Google translation):<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:180%;">Mathieu Bastareaud: Why must now tell the truth!<br /></span><br />2 July 2009<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Mathieu Bastareaud is not only involved in the case Bastareaud!</span><br /><br />If one follows the course of the versions of events given to the press and that we proceed by elimination, one can conclude that the attack on the young French center stage took place within the hotel and can not come from a clash on the night table of his room since the New Zealand Police found no trace of blood on the furniture. It appears therefore more and more obvious that the player was struck that, as a former rugby player and without, of course, an expert with the courts, seems the most plausible. Taking into account the player's body, the size of the cuts and bruises on his face, it seems obvious that he was struck by someone stout and strong enough to reach such a result. In any case, anything that does not resemble the passivity of furniture, even solid oak! Indeed, evidence is emerging: Mathieu Bastareaud, its fanciful versions protects her abuser!<br /><br />And this is where things do not seem consistent. <span style="color:#ff0000;">What interest Mathieu Bastareaud lying?</span> He claimed to have done to protect his international career. But <span style="color:#ff0000;">why, then, Mathieu Bastareaud not telling the truth as it is not aggressive aggressor?</span> The only person to have committed a mistake at this point is that (or that, but it is unlikely given the result of impact) that hit the player in the face. Panicked because he claims Max Guazzini, uh ..., Mathieu Bastareaud pardon himself. But <span style="color:#ff0000;">panic over what?</span> <span style="color:#ff0000;">In fact he was injured?</span> But then the story of the night table was, at that time, perfect to avoid any further criticism than the awkwardness and alcoholic especially since the staff of the French team had given permission to players out, so drink, to be clumsy in returning. This is where nothing I want and where more and more difficult to believe that Mathieu Bastareaud was not alone at the time to build a lie to explain his injury!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Mathieu Bastareaud has no choice now!</span><br /><br />If the young French center stage to avoid paying for others, he must now speak. It must give the true version of events. He must explain what happened before between 5:22 and 5:47, and secondly and more importantly, what happened from the time it was recousu by Dr. Hager. <span style="color:#ff0000;">What risk there more?</span> It is already condemned by the Federation and the Prime Minister of France. And if a few good friends advice him promise that his silence is the best way to avoid too heavy a sentence, Mathieu Bastareaud should know that this is wrong!<br /><br />The young French center stage is now designated as guilty only by what he is all alone to take the lie of the alleged assault outside the hotel by New Zealand nationals. But now it is proven to have been assaulted inside the hotel and clear as it was by a natural person and not a piece of furniture, Mathieu Bastareaud can no longer be accused of having been the only one lying. There are at least one other person who knows the truth, his assailant. Plus, maybe, if we are going to be assumed that the first version of the facts, which seems many arrange french camp, has been blown by Mathieu Bastareaud others.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Why do I pretend that the first version arrange many french camp?</span> Simply because if the player was attacked inside the hotel, he could not have been, or by someone outside the French delegation, either by someone who is gone. If we accept the first option, <span style="color:#ff0000;">why invent a version where the action took place outside the hotel when it happened in there?</span> As against, if we accept the second option, this was a much more logical Mathieu Bastareaud was assaulted by a member of the French delegation, which gives an explanation for the clear starting to lie about the reasons for the injury to the face of the young Parisian.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The supervision of the French team in the secrecy of lies?</span><br /><br />Obligatoirement, Mathieu Bastareaud and the assailant knew from the outset the facts! That is obvious. <span style="color:#ff0000;">Them only?</span> This is where I am taken to a huge doubt. I find it hard to believe that the aggressor, having placed his right (or left, once again I am not an expert with the courts) on the cheek of the player, has recouche as if nothing had happened . So I think it quickly sober by the consequences of his action, accompanied her partner to the room of Dr. Hager and thus, de facto, the now famous Dr. Jean-Philippe Hager knows the name of the abuser Mathieu Bastareaud And if Dr. Hager knows the name of the abuser from Mathieu Bastareaud, the same goes for the whole of the guidelines of the French team! <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">So, logically, Mathieu Bastareaud could use the version of the attack outside the hotel with the blessing of the overall supervision of the French team.</span></strong> And when I say a blessing, I am compelled to ask whether it, as it would have us believe, Mathieu Bastareaud who is from the version or if, as is now possible, this version it was strongly suggested by promising that it would bury the case was not yet one.<br /><br />When I say that I believe that the assailant with the victim, I have no certainty of course other than to think that whatever it is, the assailant had the presence of mind to worry the state of health of his partner to bring to the doctor's room. This is the normal behavior of a rugby player for one of our partners even if he is the cause of the injury. And that's what makes me think that Mathieu Bastareaud is only an instrument which has served a version of facts was to stifle what is supposed to be a case. The problem is that we came today to reverse the effect that the young French center stage must defend himself for not being the ideal sentenced to hide the huge gaps that this story reveals! <span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>MATHIEU, YOU MUST SAY THE TRUTH IS YOUR INTEREST ...</strong></span></blockquote><br /><br />Continuing & complete coverage of L'Affaire Bastareaud, <a href="http://redterror.blogspot.com/2009/06/inglourious-bastareaud-pulp-fiction.html">click here</a>.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-39034543790501258542009-07-01T11:23:00.006-04:002009-07-01T11:46:03.206-04:00Tragique Bastareaud jumped in a riverThe Times (UK) <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6613350.ece">reports</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>A France rugby international who sparked a diplomatic incident when he falsely claimed that he had been assaulted by New Zealand fans has been admitted to psychiatric care after reportedly <span style="font-size:180%;">throwing himself into the Seine</span>.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Mathieu Bastareaud</span>, 20, is said to have attempted suicide after telling friends he could not cope with the scandal that erupted when his lies were uncovered by police in New Zealand. The incident has become an embarrassment to French rugby authorities amid claims that they helped to cover up a hotel room fight between players and left Bastareaud to face the controversy on his own.<br /><br />Bastareaud is a rare representative of France’s troubled suburban estates in a sport dominated by players from a white provincial background. This, his friends say, has exacerbated his mental fragility. “He sent me a text saying he couldn’t stand this harassment,” said Mathieu Blin, a team-mate at the club Stade Français. “Now he’s completely gone off the rails.”<br /><br />French media reports said the rugby player told friends that he was suicidal after being sent home from France’s tour to New Zealand and Australia. LÉquipe, the sporting daily, said he jumped into the Seine at the weekend. </blockquote><br /><br />Complete coverage of L'Affaire Bastareaud, <a href="http://redterror.blogspot.com/2009/06/inglourious-bastareaud-pulp-fiction.html">click here</a>.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-48301477380143303032009-07-01T11:02:00.006-04:002009-07-01T11:47:00.856-04:00French PM writes letter of apologyTelegraph (UK) <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/france/5711119/Mathieu-Bastareaud-lie-over-assault-prompts-French-Prime-Minister-to-apologise.html">reports</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>01 Jul 2009<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Mathieu Bastareaud lie over assault prompts French Prime Minister to apologise</span><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has written a letter of apology to his New Zealand equivalent, John Key, after France centre Mathieu Bastareaud admitted to lying about an assault in Wellington last month.</span></strong><br /><br />[...]<br /><br />In his letter, Fillon told Key: "By his false statements, as a result of which you had to intervene publicly, he seriously tainted the image of your country and its people."<br /><br />Fillon said that he "regretted this incident" and added: "Our two countries share the culture of rugby.<br /><br />"This sport has always allowed us to meet and to share a mutual respect. I hope that these sentiments will continue after this regrettable affair."<br /><br />Bastareaud meanwhile has been admitted to hospital with what has been reported as serious psychological problems after the worldwide interest into the incident affected his mental state.<br /><br />The Stade Francais centre, who had been due to go on a family holiday to the Caribbean this week, is expected to stay in hospital for at least a fortnight under observation.<br /><br />The 20-year-old, who made his debut for France last year, has been backed by the French players' union, Provale, who issued a statement saying: "We solemnly demand that the media storm which nurtures doubts and fantasies ends immediately. We want above all that his privacy be respected and we hope that he makes a return to the pitch as quickly as possible."<br /><br />But French Rugby Federation (FRF) president Pierre Camou, was less forgiving and condemned Bastareaud's behaviour.<br /><br />"To be an international carries with it responsibility as a representative of your country and your federation," a FRF statement read.<br /><br />"The FRF is shocked that one of the French XV has lied. The New Zealand nation and the world of rugby can legitimately feel wounded by the player's initial statements which have also tarnished the image of French rugby."</blockquote><br /><br />Full coverage of L'Affaire Bastareaud, <a href="http://redterror.blogspot.com/2009/06/inglourious-bastareaud-pulp-fiction.html">click here</a>.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-57738245403985747712009-06-30T16:48:00.005-04:002009-06-30T16:53:02.131-04:00Green Revolution<p><p><br /><span style="font-size:180%;color:#009900;">Did you know they play rugby in Iran?</span><br /><br /><img src="http://raptor.golden.net/~tekapo/redterror/iran.jpg" /><br /><br />Womens rugby, too!<br /><br />It's an <a href="http://www.tantak.ir/iranrugby/index.php">Iranian Fact</a>.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-26641464316270355472009-06-29T16:42:00.008-04:002009-07-01T11:47:54.307-04:00Suicide watch?<span style="font-size:130%;">Did Mathieu Bastareaud try to commit suicide??</span><br /><br />I haven't seen any confirmed news reports, and most of the English-language wire reports are not mentioning the words "attempted suicide."<br /><br />Nevertheless, there is a distressing rumour at a French-language rugby blog at <em><a href="http://tinyurl.com/loa9xm">Le Monde</a></em>. I don't know the accuracy of the post, and it seems unwise to speculate. Nevertheless, the worrisome rumours are coming out of France, and hard to dismiss.<br /><br />Babelfish translation:<br /><br /><blockquote>The spirit of the previous article dictated by the succession of true-false information about Mathieu Bastareaud and consequences of his third half-time after the Wellington test requires me to clarify that it was mailed to 12 pm today. At 17 hours, the announcement of the <span style="color:#ff0000;">attempted suicide</span> of the young man and casts a cold hospital on the case so far to say the least, bizarre. [...] </blockquote><br />Original text:<br /><br /><blockquote>L’esprit du précédent article dicté par la succession de vraies-fausses informations concernant Mathieu Bastareaud et les conséquences de sa troisième mi-temps après le test de Wellington m’oblige a préciser qu’il a été posté vers 12 heures ce jour. A 17 heures, l’annonce de la tentative de suicide du jeune homme et son hospitalisation jette un froid sur cette affaire jusque-là pour le moins rocambolesque. Il n’est plus question de mensonges, de défendre ou d’accabler un homme qui en arrive cette extrémité ni même d’ironiser sur ceux qui l’entourent en bien ou en mal. [...]<br /><br /><a href="http://tinyurl.com/loa9xm">Source</a>.</blockquote><br />The saga has gone from criminal travesty, to laughable farce, to pitiable sympathy for the player in a matter of a week. It's not over, we still don't know the whole truth, and we don't know who to believe.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">More French-language reports about an attempted suicide.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://tinyurl.com/l23qbn">L'Equipe</a> & <a href="http://tinyurl.com/ll8mnn">Actualité et News</a>.<br /><br />Let's hope the guy pulls himself together and has a full recovery.<br /><br />Full updated Bastareaud coverage, <a href="http://redterror.blogspot.com/2009/06/inglourious-bastareaud-pulp-fiction.html">click here</a>.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-72831847293263719872009-06-29T11:03:00.004-04:002009-06-29T11:17:42.465-04:00InstitutionalizedAdd another sad wrinkle to the on-going saga of <strong><a href="http://redterror.blogspot.com/2009/06/inglourious-bastareaud-pulp-fiction.html">Inglourious Bastareaud, Pulp Fiction</a></strong> (see thread & updates below).<br /><br />French Rugby Club <a href="http://frenchrugbyclub.com/International-Rugby/International-Bastareaud-Hospitalized-000520.html">reports</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:180%;">Bastareaud hospitalized after new allegations he was punched by team-mate</span><br /><br />29 June 2009<br /><br />Shamed France international <span style="color:#ff0000;">Mathieu Bastareaud has been admitted to hospital with "severe psychological problems"</span> in the latest twist of a tawdry affair that shows no signs of abating.<br /><br />His hospitalization follows earlier media reports that the 20-year-old Stade Francais player had sustained his now infamous facial injuries after being punched by a teammate.<br /><br />Max Guazzini, president of Bastareaud’s club Stade Francais, said the player had returned early from a Caribbean holiday and was <span style="color:#ff0000;">now under medical supervision in a "specialized institution"</span> in Paris. Guazzini said he was <span style="color:#ff0000;">likely to remain in hospital for a fortnight</span> and refused to give its exact location.<br /><br />Guazzani blamed what appears to be some sort of mental breakdown on the "relentlessness of the press against a boy of twenty years. Journalists have gone to his home and that of his parents. It is <span style="color:#ff0000;">completely destroyed</span>, we must leave him alone," he told AFP.<br /><br />The latest development is a further blow to both the player and to French rugby generally as a web of lies and half-truths slowly unravels.<br /><br /><a href="http://frenchrugbyclub.com/International-Rugby/International-Bastareaud-Hospitalized-000520.html">Source</a>.</blockquote>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10754300.post-31283523412885887822009-06-28T18:29:00.008-04:002009-06-29T19:19:24.410-04:00Le Parisien says Mathieu Bastareaud 'punched by teammate'L'affair Bastareaud keeps getting better - the gift that keeps on giving.<br /><br />See earlier background post "Inglourious Bastareaud, Pulp Fiction" <a href="http://redterror.blogspot.com/2009/06/inglourious-bastareaud-pulp-fiction.html">click here.</a><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;">Paper claims Bastareaud 'punched by teammate'</span><br /><br />French rugby international Mathieu Bastareaud was reportedly punched by one of his teammates, according to a Paris newspaper. ...<br /><br />The French press are now airing another scenario.<br /><br />How he sustained a cut cheek and facial bruising is the big question.<br /><br />Two fellow players - named as <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Louis Picamoles</span></strong> and <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Fulgence Ouedraogo</span></strong> - may have played a part in the bizarre episode, newspapers suggest.<br /><br />According to an internal investigation by the team, Picamoles and Ouedraogo came back to the Holiday Inn at 5.22am on June 21 in a taxi with two women, while Bastareaud arrived at the same time in a second taxi, news agency Agence France Presse reported.<br /><br />"Drunk and aggressive, Bastareaud was reportedly calmed down by a fist from one of his teammates," according to an account sketched by the daily Le Parisien. It also quoted Picamoles and Ouedraogo as denying this.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Picamoles</span>, <span style="color:#ff0000;">Bastareaud</span>, <span style="color:#ff0000;">Yannick Jauzion</span> and <span style="color:#ff0000;">Thomas Domingo</span>, on the injury list, flew back from the tour last Monday, while Ouedraogo stayed on to play against the Wallabies. ...<br /><br />Team bosses face tough questions about their handling of the scandal.<br /><br />One is why Pierre Camou, president of the French Rugby Federation, and Jo Maso, the Bleus' manager, leapt to defend Bastareaud.<br /><br />They insist they were duped by the player. <em>Le Parisien</em> said acidly: "Taking a bit of distance in handling this affair would have helped to avoid a diplomatic incident and prevented French rugby from looking ridiculous." <em>Le Monde</em> described the incident as a "torment" for les Bleus.<br /><br />And sports daily <em>L'Equipe</em> said: <span style="font-size:180%;">"The Bastareaud affair is far from over."</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10581335">Source</a>.</blockquote>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17587409530285588684noreply@blogger.com0