I am pleased that South Africa have made it to quarter-finals I have always enjoyed watching them play also the South African Cricket Team, it would be nice to see them play England in the Final but I think not? England for the cup Joe

Kia Ora Welcome - and beware. Leah is from South Africa as she indicated. I am from New Zealand. Tana Umaga is recovering well according to the media, and the All Blacks are hoping to put him in the starting XV for the quarters. He tore a cruciate in the first pool match the All Blacks played which was against Italy. There were fears that his World Cup campaign might be over, but it looks like starting to get back on track. Beware of Samoa, and be thankful that they did not field the most powerful assemblage of players that they can muster. Several players contracted by overseas clubs could not get to represent their country, and so what you so of Samoa was actually a compromise I think between their A-team (the team you should be thankful you never saw), and the B team which is what I think you got). Samoa played out of their tree against England and deserve due respect. Rob

Do you play rugby yourself, Rob?

South Africa still have to play and win against Samoa to get through to the quarter-finals. A daunting prospect if ever there was one.

Kia Ora No. I find rugby gets too much hype as a sport, and some of the games are pretty rough. I think the physical game is good but not the stomping, the eye gouging and so on that sometimes occurs. That is why I have shown more interest in the Silver Ferns, and the Black Caps. Those teams are well represented too, but not to the same at times numbing degree the All Blacks are. They are only human, but you would have thought some days that all of them and NZ rugby players are supermen. I support my country just like Leah does, but somedays a loss can restore the human aspect to the game and remind New Zealanders that that is precisely what it is: A GAME. You win some, you lose some. Losers deserve respect too, and sometimes some teams do not deserve to win, while other times they deserved the win. Rob

Kia Ora How was the RSA/Samoa game Leah? I saw the scoreline, which was impressive. Samoa have played really well at this world cup and I am sorry to see them go. They are a good team and the game that they played against England was a stunner. South Africa, and Scotland have made the quarters after winning their last pool games today against Samoa and Fiji respectively (anyone who is not a Quarter Final prospect is already out of the tournament although they may still have games to play - Japan, USA, Canada, Namibia, Romania, Uraguay). At the time of writing this Australia was playing Ireland - a game Australia will almost certainly win. New Zealand will play (and probably thrash)Wales tomorrow to join Oz, SA, and Scotland. France is already in (I think), and England is likely to follow suit. So, Terry. The battle lines are being drawn as I speak - by the time this weekend ends the final 8 to challenge for the 4 semi-final spots will be known. There are 5 big rugby playing nations in the world, and 4 semi final spots. Who will get them? Australia barring a shocker is guaranteed one, England will likely get another one. A third will go to NZ. Who will get the fourth? South Africa or France? Rob

Kia Ora I would say that Ireland has come of age... http://rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/02/1067597218375.html Rob

South Africa beat Samoa, because they played their best game a week before against England. Did you see the guy who tried to tackle one of South Africa's players, but got kicked by him instead? I didn't watch the game, but heard most of it. (it was played at 9:30am on a Saturday morning SA time)

Kia Ora If we lose this weekend, I would guess that John Mitchell's head will be on the block by Monday morning. The media and the rugby public will be circling like vultures overhead waiting to dive on him, the assistant coach Robbie Deans and the 30 men that they took to Oz with them. A loss against South Africa in the quarters would probably result in the next 3-4 weeks of media coverage being "Mitchell, NZ rugby, Mitchell, NZ rugby, Mitchell, NZ rugby..." (get a hint?). I wonder when the day will come when we as Kiwis can accept that they are just human and that all humans have screw ups every now and again. I certainly do not expect them to win all the time and sometimes when we did not deserve to win I find it quite refreshing that our expectations were brought back to Earth. With the Silver Ferns now holding the international netball bragging rights, I just hope we do not lose our heads over them. I hope that we continue to do well, but as I said we all screw up from time to time - tis a fact of life. If we win, then what are the prospects of Straueli's head rolling? Is he a popular coach in South Africa, and a man who can communicate with the people and the media? I wonder also what is going to happen in the media if we win. Will the mob go wild and pester the heck out of the All Blacks for the rest of the year demanding interviews and trying to everything out of proportion? There are still three games to go and our chances of losing any one of them is as good as 50-50%. Leah, I rate SA as highly as I rate NZ. Rob

Rob, Thanks that you even think South Africa has a chance against the All Blacks. The general opinion here is that South Africa won their last game of the 2003 RWC on Saturday. As for Straueli's head rolling? Before the team went to Australia, there was a HUGE blow up with a political situation (in the team), and Straueli was either fired, resigned or was told to quit, but that he had to see the team through the World Cup. Whether we win or lose, he is gone!

Kia Ora Yeah, but do you know what the schedule is for the rest of the competition? The winner of Quarter Final 1 i.e NZ/SA meets the winner of QF 2 (Oz/Scotland)and the winner of QF 3 (France/?)meets the winner of QF 4 (England/?). The climax is drawing near - the teams are all calling up their most powerful players - Stirling Mortlock got the call up for Australia today. Tana Umaga might be a starter now in the ABs line up. England is doing their homework against Wales, the French are polishing their armour once more and the Irish are figuring out what they need to do to shock the World. D-Day is approaching Leah. Rob

Kia Ora With under 30 hours to go until the All Blacks take on South Africa, how do things look from the South African perspective Leah? Tana Umaga is out of the Quarters. Carlos Spencer is on the team and Jerry Collins is back. Joe Rokocoko and Doug Howlett are in as well. I still rate the South Africans as having as high as a 50-50% chance of winning, because we were a bit lame on defence last week and the Welsh punished us. I would expect the South Africans to exploit the weak spots and push us to the limits. Best of Luck against NZ (but that does not necessarily mean I want YOUR team to win). Rob

Hi Rob Best of luck to you too, (but that doesn't mean I want YOUR team to win.) What are our chances? Commentators and those in the know are saying that NZ has peaked too early, and that although its great to win the TriNations, they should have pulled back a little for their 'big' games in the World Cup. Time will tell. It's make or break for our teams.

By the way, the match is at 9:30 am on Saturday morning in South Africa. Our country will be at a standstill. A good time to go shopping I think ;-)

Kia Ora *Laughter* True. It is 7.30pm here and because of that it will be straight after or during dinner, which makes it a bit more difficult to ignore seeing as my parents and I eat in the lounge so we can watch the telly. I think I will retreat to the computer or conservatory and unwind, since I will have just finished exams. I have a geology exam tomorrow which I expect to pass fairly comfortably. I know Straeuli seems to be a goner, but perhaps he can depart with a bit more dignity if his team were to win this game. Or is he so far gone that no win regardless of who is playing against SA, will help him out of the quagmire? Rob

Kia Ora "IT" has begun... Someone HAS to lose. Goodluck. Rob

Kia Ora WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! Rob

Good game Leah. South Africa might be on it's way home now, but I am not going to rub it in, with due respect and in the spirit of fair play. I guess that is the end of Rudolf Straeuli and possibly Corne Krige is it? Had the Kiwi's been South Africans, this would be the end of the road for John Mitchell, his assistant Coach Robbie Deans and the captain Reuben Thorne. It is improbable that Kiwi's would have let them survive in their current capacities. With South Africa gone, next up is Australia vs Scotland. Tomorrow England plays Wales, while France takes on Ireland. God bless you Leah. Rob

Rob Congratulations. A game that was won by the better team.

Kia Ora South Africa may be out, but lets keep in touch shall we? I would be interested in hearing what life is like in post-Apartheid South Africa and their perspective on the world. It has a strong sporting culture that many I think have come to respect - South Africa is after all one of the stronger sides in Rugby, Cricket, and to a lesser extent netball. Best Rob

Kia Ora The Welsh dragon came close to roasting the English rose with its fire last night. At half time they were leading the English 10-3, and playing like they were going to win. It was an impressive display from the men of Steve Hansen's team, whcih reminded me why he and other Kiwi rugby coaches who have gone abroad, are so desired. But the boot of Johnny Wilkinson is deadly - he kicked 6 penalties and a drop goal against Wales which got them most of the 28 points England scored. The Aussies are in too, but they were hardly convincing against Scotland who held them in check at half time. They also had a scrap with one of the Scots after some row blew up. And today the Sydney Morning Herald was talking of the Aussies as "road kill in the headlights of a Kiwi juggernaut" - hardly encouraging to hear your leading paper call your rugby team road kill is it? Oz will be back - one can reasonably expect them to come out guns blazing at this semi-final and challenge the All Blacks every step of the way to the final. So are the French, who have been hardly challenged in pool play and are now finding themselves being challenged for sudden death positions. The dark horse of France will have to beat England if the Tricoleurs are going to challenge whoever wins the NZ/Aust showdown, and they have not yet had their armour checked out by the opposition for kinks. They will, and if Clive Woodward has anything to say, they will also investigate the possibility of being on the next flight to Paris if things screw up. But in Melbourne a black juggernaut gathers... Rob

Hi all Tis not been a great day in NZ rugby. Congrats to Australia for winning a game in which they were clearly the superior team and were clearly underestimated. Rob (P.S Leah, I know how you feel - ain't feeling that flash myself at the moment) ---- Wallabies dash All Black dreams 15 November 2003 By GUY MacGIBBON Australia 22 New Zealand 10 Superior defence, accurate goalkicking and a run-away try led the Wallabies to a 22-10 win over the All Blacks in their Rugby World Cup semifinal at Sydney's Telstra Stadium tonight. The All Blacks were rocked in the 10th minute when Wallabies centre Stirling Mortlock intercepted a Carlos Spencer pass to run away with an 80 metre try to put the first points on the board, which second five-eighth Elton Flatley converted to give the Wallabies the early 7-0 lead and a huge psychological boost. Mortlock's was the Wallabies' only try in the end, but it proved enough, as they doggedly held on to the lion's share of possession and regularly ratcheted up the pressure on the All Blacks with penalties, never surrendering the lead. The Wallabies seemed to have an answer for every question the All Blacks' move-it-wide-at-all-costs attack asked of them, while the Wallabies backline finally fired, with Mortlock penetrative, maligned league converts Lote Tiquiri and Mat Rogers dangerous and pivot Stephen Larkham elusive. All Blacks No 8 Jerry Collins was ruled to have made a dangerously high tackle on Wallapies lock Nathan Sharpe, who left the field dazed while Flatley nailed the penalty kick for the Wallabies to lead 10-0 with 23 minutes gone. Flatley made it 13-0 seven minutes from halftime with his second penalty goal. Staring at a doughnut at the break, the All Blacks put themselves back into the game in the 35th minute with a try to captain Reuben Thorne, who latched onto a nice pass from Spencer and crashed over. Leon McDonald nailed the conversion to give the All Blacks seven points. Elton Flatley gave the Wallabies the first second-half points in the 42nd minute with a straightforward penalty goal, awarded against Collins. The three made the score 16-7 to the Wallabies. Australian prop Ben Darwin was stretched off early in the second half after a Wallabies scrum was smashed by the All Blacks eight. The game was delayed for several minutes as the medical team attended to Darwin, with the shadow of a possible serious neck injury hanging over the pitch. Kees Meews had just come into the All Blacks front row before the scrum. Flatley's fourth penalty around the 50 minute mark gave the Wallabies a 19-7 advantage. MacDonald reduced the gap by three with an easy penalty in the 57th minute. In the 62nd minute Flatley pushed the lead out again with a penalty awarded against replacement All Blacks lock Brad Thorn to make the score 22-10, where it remained until the final whistle. Australia 22 (Stirling Mortlock try; Elton Flatley pens 5 con) bt New Zealand 10 (Reuben Thorne try; Leon MacDonald con pen)

Rob, Commiserations (sp?) You now have the great match to look forward to against France to see who comes third... We watched the match, and it was as if NZ thought that by just showing up at the stadium, they would win. A little bit of reality set in. The better team won on the day, but it could have easily gone the other way.

Kia Ora Thanks. How do you feel in the wake of the RSA/NZ game? Disappointed or not surprised? Tis a late hour, but later on this week I'll do an analysis of what went wrong so you can why we Kiwi's are not overly impressed. Rob

Kia Ora Saturday November 15 was not New Zealand's night on the rugby field. The worst fears of every Kiwi was realised when Australia took out the Semifinal against the All Blacks, and fairly convincingly at that. In looking for the cause of the problem many people zeroed in on Reuben Thorne and John Mitchell seeking to lay the blame on a Captain the team knew as Mr Freeze, and a coach often targetted for his lack of accessibility regarding the media. So, why did New Zealand lose a match that most people thought we had in the bag? There are several reasons for the defeat, not least that the All Blacks had no Plan B. Others problems but not necessarily causes for defeat included media hype that predicted an All Black win by 20 points or more, the busting of a boiler early on in the campaign, media inaccessibility, player positions/roles and a lack of on field communication. These problems meant the team could not function with it's usual cohesion, chances were lost or wrongly interpreted and wrong decisions taken. But the most defining problem was you NEVER WRITE OFF THE AUSTRALIANS!!!! We did and paid the subsequent price - go figure. ---- The reasons for defeat are: I am very surprised that the most feared Rugby outfit in the WORLD had no Plan B, which made it almost shocking to hear John Mitchell say "we believe in a particular way". The most basic planning in all good teams includes a Plan B for when Plan A falls apart by failure to execute or by disintegration under pressure from the opposition. Most Plan B's have a Plan C (a "just in case" plan, incase B was too hastily conceived, was based on crap intelligence or poor logic). The lack of communication by Reuben Thorne has often been a problem during his tenure as Captain, which may explain his nickname "Mr Freeze" - when things go to custard as they did on Saturday night - he froze in place. Most teams have a communicator who can talk the talk and walk the walk - I think ours would have to be Tana Umaga who can often see the wider game for what it is and talk the team through the tough times (Australian defence being rock solid). Great things can be and are achieved when the team is on the same wave length. Did the team peak too soon? It is possible that the tide had turned before the World Cup started leaving us on a retreating tide of superiority by the time the World Cup started. This brings back memories of 1999 when the All Blacks were beaten by France (who we are playing as I type this for the 3rd/4th positions on the rankings ladder). Three months before we had been on song, but by the time the World Cup got going the tide had changed. Despite a frenetic first half, the All Blacks were soundly defeated by a French team that saw it's chance and grabbed it. The Media hype has only itself to blame for the implosion of our hopes and aspirations for World Cup glory. It fuelled grotesquely inaccurate hype about the prospects for victory against Australia. This lunacy wrote the Australians so badly that their victory came as a bucket of cold water over our heads, for which I am caught in two minds - I am grateful for the reality check. You NEVER write a team off, and it is because of this that the sweetest single thing Eddie Jones had in the World Cup was the Australian victory against the All Blacks. Short of victory in the final, the Australian team led by George Gregan has redeemed itself in every way. John Mitchell was very inaccessible to media. His self belief at times almost bordered on arrogance and their justification for leaving a number of players at home (Andrew Mehrtens, Anton Oliver, Christian Cullen among others)made us wonder what his agenda was. Mehrtens is a renown kicker and his boot ranks alongside Johnny Wilkinson for accuracy and points scored. Christian Cullen is one of the most prolific try scorers, and while his replacement has justified himself, having the experience never hurt. Losing Tana Umaga was a bad sign at the time and was a loss that I think most New Zealanders rued. So why did we bust a boiler in a game we would have won easily? Would it not have been wiser to save the effort for the games where busting a boiler might have been required to win (Australia...). Tana communicated with the whole team and talked them through questionable situations. He is also a sportsman of the first order and his rendering first aid when a Welshman was injured playing NZ last year earned him a prize from Wales at a private function. Why did New Zealand not save its best lineup until last? Why expend your A team against C grade teams when you know you still have A grade teams to meet later on? Learning to be resourceful is one thing all World Cup winners will have learned to be. To be fair it is wise to give them some play time, but you do not necessarily have to keep them on the whole duration of the game. But perhaps the most important is the will to win. You have to be prepared to play hard but fair, seize chances as they come and exploit them to the fullest. The team that won would win because they took risks when confronted with hard choices, and improvised when things fell apart. They had the hunger to win, equivalent to fuel in a car. ---- I wonder if it ever occurred to the All Blacks to take a leaf out of the Silver Ferns book on winning World Cups? Here is a national outfit that has learnt the harsh lessons against Australia in several World Cup finals, and successfully applied them. The Silver Ferns netball team had a Plan B for their 2003 World Cup campaign, and contingencies for every possible scenario - player send off, power failure (Kingston is notorious for power outages), injury among others. The only one that was actioned was player send off, when Temepara Clark was sin binned for reasons as no one ever figured out. The Silver Ferns were generous with their media access while not letting in on their game plan. I recalled seeing the interior of the gym that they worked out in during the days leading up to the competition, and them talking to the media about their game. The skipper, Anna Rowberry had an idea of what to do when Plan A fell to bits, and when Temepara Clark was sinbinned. They successfully put their back up plan into action and covered each others backs when Clark was off. The other plans were not needed, but it is indicative of the planning that went into the campaign before it started and what to do when they found themselves challenged. The media were realistic about the Ferns. Only on the day of the Final did any of them start seriously thinking about the prospects of international netball supremacy. The Ferns were realistic too - four of them were around for the 1999 shock loss to Australia in Christchurch, and most of the team were at the Commonwealth Games, when in double extra time they were beaten by Australia. They had the hunger - the prospect of another defeat was just too much to contemplate, and the will to play like they had never played before was there. This was the frame of mind that set the parameters of the 90 most electrifying moments of international netball ever seen on television. I tell you Leah, it was SPECTACULAR!!! Rob

Kia Ora Final scoreline NZ 40-France 13 Rob

Congrats. (but who will remember who came third?) It seems that as long as teams win, the 'behind the scenes' issues are overlooked, but as soon as teams lose, all the rubbish that can be found is dug up and thrown around. SA rugby is in a state of 'picking up the pieces' and the media here is having a field day, letting the players and officials know what is wrong with them and how those left behind could have done sooo much better!

Kia Ora I have an historic announcement to make: ENGLAND have won the Rugby World Cup for 2003 20-17 against AUSTRALIA in Sydney. THE FINAL STANDINGS FOR THE RUGBY WORLD CUP 2003 ARE: WORLD NO.1 ENGLAND World No.2 Australia World No.3 New Zealand World No.4 France The Webb Ellis trophy is bound for England, and shall be defended in FRANCE four years from now. Rob

Congratulations England! Isn't four years a long time between titles? I would think they would do this yearly.

Hi all "Isn't four years a long time between titles? I would think they would do this yearly." No. Anything less is too short a time frame to brag, to rebuild, to organise the host and find out who will qualify (World Cups are often the final competition for many players and are the absolute pinnacle of their careers - bit like a mountaineer climbing Mount Everest). The rivalry is fierce among rugby playing nations and there is a lot of national pride at stake. To understand how much, just spend a year in any of the following nations: New Zealand, Fiji, Australia, France, England, Samoa, South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Tonga, Italy or Japan. The following briefly describe rugby in the other nations: In England, well, yeah right... I shall let Martin Johnson and co speak for themselves. In France it is a rising sport and is almost a religion in the southern parts of the country. In South Africa, Australia and New Zealand (all former holders of the World Cup)it is THE GAME. Wales showed what the minnow nations can do if not checked - it was almost on course for a World Cup shock quarter final victory against England until the boot of Jonny Wilkinson destroyed their dreams. It was coached by a Kiwi. Ireland tested France too, but could not finish the job. The fiery Irish spirit will be back though. Scotland was let off the hook several times and it was no surprise that Australia sunk them in the quarters. Italy was coached by another Kiwi, but has yet to adjust to the rigours of quarter and semi final rugby. Japan is a big mover and with a few expat Kiwi's in it's is starting to rattle the the Rugby World Order. Maybe sometime it will make the quarter finals. No Pacific Island nation bar perhaps Fiji likes its rugby more than Samoa. The little nation rocked England so hard in the pool play that it would be runner up in any competition for the best World Cup match for the 2003 Rugby World Cup. If the big nations stopped poaching it's players Samoa may eventually become a dark horse. Fiji was a great lost chance. Their combative style let them down, and they subsequently paid the price. Tonga is still a minnow in many ways, albeit a bit more of a dark horse than many think. Rob

Excellent idea Rob! I would love to spend a year in New Zealand, Fiji, Australia, France, England, Samoa, South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Tonga, Italy or Japan. If you had your pick of these places, where would you spend the next year. Or better yet, pick four for the next four years and tell me what I would expect from the rugby scene in each of these places. This is your midterm exam, Rob ;-)

Hi all "I would love to spend a year in New Zealand, Fiji, Australia, France, England, Samoa, South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Tonga, Italy or Japan." I will leave New Zealand, and South Africa out of the running, because we have been talking about them here since July. Australia and England are out too because it is fairly self explanatory - England has the bragging rights of the next four years, and their challenge will be to prove that they can last four years at the top. In the case of Australia, they will be back - you can bet your money that Australia will learn from their mistakes. France is the odd one out, but I think they will have a look at their last two games and see what went wrong and hopefully learn from their mistakes. So Terry. Starting tomorrow I will tell you instead about the likes of the middle order of international rugby, about the countries that are two powerful in a rugby sense to be called minnows yet too small to be called one a "super power". By this definition I am thinking of Wales, Samoa, Fiji, Japan, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Tonga. All of these nations have potential to eventually become a force in their own rights, and which all the big boys on the block would do to watch out for. Rob

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's exposition, you're off to a good start on your rugby "exam"; heh!

Hi all Leah, the South African training video is turning out to be a national calamity wouldn't you say? Will heads roll or will SA rugby try to sweep it under the carpet and hope we all forget? Rob

Kia Ora A week ago there were huge protests in London to protest the visit of George Bush. They were of anger at his and Tony Blairs policies on terror and in particular the Iraq war. 100,000 people marched. Now one week later 100,000 people or more are expected to show for the English rugby world cup Victory parade. This is celebrating the first World Cup England has won in it major codes since 1966, the FIRST time a Northern Hemisphere team has won the Rugby World Cup and the arrival of the English teams as a force on the world stage of rugby. A New Rugby World Order has arrived whether you like it or not. I am impressed. ---- WHAT TO EXPECT FROM RUGBY IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTRIES FOR THE NEXT 4 YEARS. Japan: The Japanese have come a long way since they started playing serious rugby against other nations in the 1980s. Since the notorious 145-17 drubbing the All Blacks handed them, this the shortest of the teams at the 2003 World Cup have lured several New Zealanders to the country of the Rising Sun and are looking to advance to the Quarters at the next World Cup. In a nation dominated by baseball, the Japanese rugby team is a rising force both in Japanese sport and in international rugby. Wales: WHAT IF??? What if Wales had gone all the way against England in their Quarter Final? It would have been the upset of the Rugby World Cup by a mile. But they were exhausted and it took a superhuman effort on their part to get to where they did, so combined with that oh so deadly boot of Jonny Wilkinson it is perhaps not so surprising that England won. Yet this game showed that there is plenty of potential amongst the Welsh, who were at one stage on a par with the All Blacks. Unfortunately for Wales the coal mines shut down depriving the Welsh rugby team of their supply of burly hairy chested players whose rugby skills were among the most feared in the world. New Zealanders, Graham Henry (now a hot cookie for the All Black coaching job)and Steve Hansen (ex-Canterbury Crusaders - the Fifth Crusade of the Super 12 will hopefully be in 2004). But Wales will be back, and it is possible I guess that one day they just MIGHT score that stunning upset. However it may not be in 2007. Fiji: This combative side let itself down at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, and it is not so surprising that they did not make it out of pool play. A number of the high tackles and other penalty earning offences were shown to be quite delibrate, and the punishments the referee handed out as a result were wholly justifiable. But like Samoa and Tonga, Fijians LOVE their rugby and a number of players are supplied to the New Zealand and Australian Super 12 rugby teams. Their great talent and depth are indicative of the stranglehold rugby has as a sport in Fiji. Maybe in 2007 they might make amends for their poor discipline at the World Cup just ended. Scotland: "The French lifted the Scots kilts and found no balls" - NZ rugby commentator Keith Quinn on the drubbing handed to them by France in pool play. Scotland somehow bribed or stumbled their way through the World Cup pool play period remarkably intact despite the French drubbing. But they clearly showed when confronted by Australia that they were not a worthy semi-final opponent and the defending champions had no trouble putting them away. They have some chances to redeem themselves in the Six Nations, and other competitions while they wait the next 4 years until the 2007 Rugby World Cup, which France is hosting. Maybe by then they will have found their balls. Rob

Me again I goofed when writing the part for Scotland. I meant to say Quarter Final opponents and not Semi-final opponents. Scotland did NOT make it to the QF's. Rob

Kia Ora Rudolph Straeuli has resigned. In the wake of the training camp video how surprising is that? It, as the television reporter said, must have been a "national calamity". Was it? Rob

Yip. Big problems in our rugby. Heads are rolling, and today the new board members are elected. We need a new coach. Why is it surprising that no-one wants the job? There are racism issues and bootcamp issues that have shattered our rugby, there are many more issues to sort out. Our rugby team had to play so bad, because with the management that they had, do you think they could do much else?

Kia Ora John Mitchell and Robbie Deans similarly lost their heads. Mitchell can reapply for the coaching job if he wants but there will have to be an earthquake in his coaching style. No word has come about as to what will become of Deans who used to coach the Canterbury Crusaders. They will have challengers mounting attempts to take the jobs for themselves, from Graham Henry (expat Kiwi and former Wales coach)plus one other guy. Apartheid was dirty. It looks like it will be a long hard road out of hell for South African rugby and the Republic as a whole. New Zealand is only just beginning to confront the crazy days of 1981 when the country was effectively split into two camps over whether the Springboks should tour. There has never such civil unrest as was witnessed that year. Rob