With regards the question “Will the All Blacks be the first team to defend a RWC title?” the obsessive-compulsive in me says no, the All Blacks will be the third team to defend a RWC title.
Australia defended its 1999 title in 2003, but lost to England, while England defended its 2003 title in 2007 but lost to South Africa. The other finals occasions have not included the winner from the previous tournament.
Will the All Blacks be the first team to ‘successfully’ defend a RWC title? – quite probably, but I’m not staying up to watch any awarding of cups, medals, or giving of dodgy three-way handshakes … there’s too high a risk of seeing more of the blossoming bro’mance between Key and McCaw
Heard today from some National supporters that there’s been a lot of work going in to convincing McCaw to run for office after he retires from the ABs.
-Probably still going to get up to watch the game though. I do enjoy my rugby.
Politicians are so narcissistic that they think everyone wants to be one. McCaw is bright enough and has the leadership skills to do whatever he wants in the world. Who knows, but I doubt prime minister of NZ is on his list. I suspect he regards Key’s affection the way the captain of the first XV regarded the admiration of the geeky kid in the 4th form – something he knows it would be rude to reject and which he just has to put up with.
After 14 years as an ab and probably the top paid one for at least half that he can probably do what ever takes his fancy. Coaching might be a on the list I would think.
“McCaw came to the attention of national selectors during a 5-all draw with Rotorua Boys’ High School in the 1998 New Zealand secondary schools rugby final in Christchurch. However, he failed to make the New Zealand Secondary Schools Team, losing out to Sam Harding, Angus McDonald and Hale T-Pole. With Sam Harding moving south to study at the University of Otago, McCaw headed to Christchurch’s Lincoln University to study agricultural science and pursue his rugby interests. He achieved all but two papers for his Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree before rugby became his life.“
Exactly Joe Bloggs. Key and McCaws’ antics have put me off New Zealand rugby for life. (although it’s probably not all McCaws’ fault and I hope I will recover once key has disappeared.)
Splitting infinitives was deemed an outrage by Victorian grammarians who wanted English to conform to Latin grammatical structure.
Personally, I split or don’t split infinitives on aesthetic/aural grounds.
McCaw’s scholastic history does not suggest that he is exceptionally intellectual though clearly he is no dullard. (He neither completed his undergraduate degree nor went on to postgraduate study.)
Rugby was obviously a greater allure than was exploration of the fields of knowledge and philosophical or scientific enquiry – which is not at all a criticism.
Being passionate about thinking and enquiring into the nature of the world is not everyone’s cup of tea.
That is a bit unfair — McCaw was proxime accessit (second to the dux) at high school, and gain consistently high marks at school. He only gave up on uni because of his rugby.
Yes a back to back win between 5 – 10 points. The ABs have so much to play for, they have never met Australia in a rugby cup final, both NZ and Australia have won twice and previously mentioned NZ are the current holders of the cup.
Last weekend I got up 2 minutes before the start of the second half when the score was 12 SA and & 7 NZ, what a second half it was; Carter’s drop goal gave the game to NZ.
I’m sorry, but can I frame it another way…
World number one in Domestic violence nation against number one gang rape nation , (at least that was true though out the twentieth century) .Not looking forward to the end result, but on a selfish level , out of our faces for awhile.
No, was I so post to be, played football, all sorts of sport, thats called participation, no supporter of this muck sucking up most of the sponsorship money about, and I think they are failing grassroots rugby I would add, like some other sports here an in Australia, they add a sort of twisted bullying nature to politics.
I enjoyed your wee rant. I expect there is going to be a bit of ranting if NZ lose, bulging eye balls, griting teeth etc. Any win against Aussie is always the best.
He wasn’t too far out, was he?
He predicted a 15 point margin and it was in fact 17.
I didn’t think it would have been that much and if I had been willing to bet on it I would have picked the ABs by about 5.
âŠ.part of me wants the All Blacks to lose,so I don’t have to watch Key dribble all the celebrationâŠ..with his sycophantic”me toâŠme to” lackeydom and his grovelling fourth form boys toadyismâŠâŠâŠ..oh godâŠ..go Australia!!!!!
Some cardiologist on TV yesterday reckons the rate of heart attacks double or triple within a few days of the ABs losing. Coleman won’t want extra hospital admissions.
Do you think key has had a path already cleared so he can scuttle down to the sheds after the game, before the AB’s can get there, so he can nab the seat next to Richie’s and be there waiting with his stubby in hand?
I don’t think SA liked the slippery ball last week. Could you imagine brylcreem on the ball, penalty after penalty and nothing going over the goal post.
What a dreadful thought.
It is probably lucky that we don’t have a Dennis Compton clone in the team.
I wonder if he rubbed his hands through his hair before polishing the ball when he was playing for England?
I actually hope the All Black’s put the game beyond doubt, with 10 minutes to go. Already found the semi-final stressful enough LOL. (Although I think the AB’s will win 20-10.) Also, with the Rugby League/Cricket/Netball world Cups, already across the ditch, I think the Aussies have enough silverware.
The AB’s to win — they seem to be unstoppable, and have come together as a unit. There were some concerns early on, but their performance against France (a thrashing), and SA (hanging on in a tight match) have led me to the conclusion that they are firing on all cylinders.
Whatever your opinion of McCaw, he is a legend of the game — he first played in 2001,and has racked up over 100 tests, over 14 years.
And there has been a lot of stuff said about Sonny Bill Williams, but playing in world cup finals for both union, and league (and even representing your nation both those codes) is a tremendous achievement.
Though, If we do lose, I hope we all remember that its not the end of the world, and the sun will still rise tomorrow.
I agree – Nonu’s try was just brilliant! This is an exceptional All Black team, with a few ready to bow out now. They have earned this moment of glory.
This is the same Pocock whom disagreed with coal-mining in a NSW forest-and chained himself to one of their diggers-and would refuse to marry his partner until same-sex marriage was legal in Australia
Can’t they ever give it a break over there in Perth, the reincarnation of the 1950s?
The season has been over for a month and they still haven’t anything else to talk about? Even in Melbourne they give the AFL a break from about a week after the Grand Final until the end of the Spring Racing Carnival in mid-November.
I guess in Perth there is nothing else that ever happens.
I just loved the piling on of points in the last quarter from 4 ahead, then 7, then 10, then 17.
McCaw has now played 148 tests, there are at least two more tests in him. Ma’a’s try was a blast.
Congratulations to the team on a historic win, first time for a team to make it 3 wins and both Australia and NZ entered the final as being unbeaten in the tournament.
Great game and congratulations on the team’s hard work. My only grouch is our rugby commentators over here, when I have watched games with Welsh, English, Scots etc commentators they are calm, measured, usually only one voice sparely giving an account of the game with an occasional comment by a second commentator. They just know when to shut up. A pleasure to listen to as it doesn’t grate and get in the way of concentrating on the game. Always here in NZ the two commentators keep up a running conversation on the game together and it grates on the nerves with them testing each other’s opinions – who cares – why can’t they just shut up occasionally. I end up with the sound turned off and can see and get everything from the game without their input quite nicely thank you. The All Black’s deserve better.
I’ve really enjoyed the ITV commentary and analysis which we received here in the Middle East – as you say calm, measured and non-intrusive to enjoying the spectacle. The biggest issue I have with the NZ commentary is Justin Marshall – sometimes he says things that make me wonder if he had even played the game at all – let alone at the highest level!
…As well as the first team to win three World Cups (the most by any other rugby nation). Also, it’s the first time that the All Blacks had won a World Cup away from home.
Is it called a hat trick if you win three in a row? (I realise the third win cannot happen until 2019). I know that I sound like a Nat on election night.
I assume that they don’t have the rule they used to have in the FIFA World Cup.
When Brazil won for the third time in 1970 they got to keep the trophy.
Congratulations ABs, who played strong and played well. A well deserved win đ
Commiserations Wallabies. Excellent work for getting up there into the finals to play off the ABs.
Also well done the other rugby teams whose contribution made this event possible.
Leave the politics aside for today and allow the boys to enjoy their glory, without hindrance. Hopefully a politician or two, or three will respectfully do the same.
John Key had to go down to the Police office at the stadium I understand.
Some balding little fellow in glasses tried to get on the pitch and take a selfie with McCaw. He got flattened by a tiny little policewoman though.
The pitch invader tried to claim he knew McCaw but Richie said he had no idea who he was. They asked Key to go down and identify the chap as being little Andie and to explain that, although he was delusional, he was actually harmless.
Superb stuff. Well played Australia but what a super All Black performance. I bet Ben Smith will cop a few fines though in the kangaroo court later on!
Watched the ITV coverage beamed through here in the Middle East – great commentary and after match analysis (Sean Fitzpatrick, Johnny Wilkinson & Michael Lynagh).
Nothing like an Otago pub to re-understand the religious force Rugby opens up. Great screaming and cheering. Pity the only dark beer was Guiness!
I would wish all the retirees well, but especially Richie great success in his future life. Huge and humble service to this country for a decade and more.
Unless he chooses politics. Then he’ll see what a contact sport looks like.
Back to back WC’s is a unique achievement so well done AB’s, Hansen etc.
I hope the NZRU has a good look at youth and grassroots (provinces) as we don’t seem to have the ritchies/dans/kevins coming through in enough numbers imo as not all make it to the very top.
Only 3% of all german youth academy attendees make it as a pro so you need the raw material and plenty of it to keep the top level supreme.
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Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) will support local plans to revitalise and stimulate economic development opportunities in Otago, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The four Regional Economic Development Ministers have approved an in-principle investment of $19.9 million towards the region’s ...
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First is pleased to have received the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) report on the Coalition Government’s Mycoplasma bovis eradication efforts, which shows significant progress in the fight against the disease. New Zealand First Spokesperson for Primary Industries, Mark Patterson, says the report’s findings ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development Hon David Parker, Minister for Trade and Export Growth The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing to support economic growth opportunities for Otago’s engineering and manufacturing sectors, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Trade and Export Minister David Parker announced today. Almost $20 million ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Minister Winston Peters and his South Korean counterpart, Kang Kyung-wha, discussed in Seoul today opportunities to work more closely in the Pacific and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Mr Peters and Minister Kang confirmed New Zealand and the ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development Hon Nanaia Mahuta, Minister for Māori Development The three marae in the historic Parihaka Pa complex in Taranaki have been upgraded to high speed broadband with the support of the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF), Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “Connecting the ...
Hon Ron Mark, Minister of Defence Minister of Defence Ron Mark will today launch the Advancing Pacific Partnerships 2019 Defence Assessment during a speech at Te Papa. The Assessment outlines how Defence will partner with our Pacific Island neighbours and invest in Pacific regional security architecture. The Plan aligns with the Coalition ...
A new Provincial Growth Fund investment could create about 80 new jobs in Gisborne over the next two years, turning a local small business into a “beacon of employment” in the process. Regional Economic Development Parliamentary Under-Secretary Fletcher Tabuteau said the PGF’s Te Ara Mahi funding stream would provide $1.6m ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters will travel to the Republic of Korea and Japan next week. “The Republic of Korea and Japan are two of New Zealand’s closest partners in the region with whom we share common values and ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced today that New Zealand is leading a police support mission in Bougainville as the region prepares to vote in a non-binding referendum on its political future. “New Zealand has accepted an invitation ...
The Government has confirmed its third major mental health facility upgrade since the Budget, this time at Palmerston North Hospital. The Prime Minister and Health Minister today visited MidCentral DHB to announce that $30 million has been allocated to upgrade its acute mental health facility. It follows earlier announcements in ...
The roll out of the National Bowel Screening Programme has reached the halfway mark, with 10 out of 20 District Health Boards now part of the programme. MidCentral DHB, which covers Palmerston North, Manawatu and surrounding districts, this week became the latest to DHB to offer free bowel screening to ...
The Government welcomes PHARMAC’s decision to fund a vaccine to protect young people from meningococcal disease from 1 December this year. “Meningococcal disease is a serious threat which people at higher risk should be protected from,” says Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter. “The combined pharmaceutical budget was increased by ...
Groups involved with innovative fisheries research projects are encouraged to apply for government support in the latest funding round from the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures programme. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash says the SFF Futures funding is designed to be flexible enough to support small or large projects across a ...
The Government has fixed an issue affecting how Immigration New Zealand has processed visa applications for culturally arranged marriages, which will now see a consistent process applied which ensures people with legitimate arranged marriages can visit New Zealand while also preventing any rorting of the system. Earlier this year Immigration ...
The Royal Commission into the Attacks on Christchurch Mosques will report back on 30 April 2020 to give it more time to hear submissions and consider information, Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin announced today. The Royal Commission was originally scheduled to report back to Government by 10 December 2019. “There has ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Washington DC today to attend a ministerial meeting focused on defeating ISIS, and to continue pursuing New Zealand’s trade opportunities. Mr Peters will participate in a meeting of Foreign and Defence Ministers from key countries contributing to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. ...
The recently crowned Bird of the Year, the hoiho/yellow eyed penguin, is getting a much needed helping hand alongside more than 168 other community conservation projects announced Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage today. 168 community conservation projects throughout New Zealand are benefiting from $8 million in government grants, including $500,000 ...
Controls on assault rifles and semi-automatic firearms are to be broadened to include some types of pistols, under changes to a bill currently making its way through Parliament. Police Minister Stuart Nash has tabled a Supplementary Order Paper to the Arms Legislation Bill, which is currently before a Select Committee ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark will travel to Singapore today to conduct a counterpart visit and to co-chair the third annual Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting with his counterpart, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen. “Singapore is one of our most important defence partners in the region, and our ...
Nelson’s Salisbury School is to be rebuilt, creating a modern and suitable learning environment for students at the residential special school, Education Minister Chris Hipkins and Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin announced today. The school for girls aged 8-15, in Richmond, was earmarked for closure by National until the process ...
The panel undertaking a comprehensive review of the Resource Management Act has identified the main issues to be addressed and options for reform and is calling for feedback to inform its final report. In July the Government announced the comprehensive review of the resource management system, including the RMA - ...
An important safety valve has been added to New Zealand’s criminal justice system with the third reading of the Criminal Cases Review Commission Bill today. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) will investigate claimed miscarriages of justice. “We’ve seen how our justice system can very occasionally get things spectacularly wrong, ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters welcomes the tabling of the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) 2019 Annual Report in Parliament today. He says the 2019 Annual Report marks the point when New Zealand’s racing industry’s decline was arrested and a turnaround started. RITA’s 2019 Annual Report recorded an industry net profit ...
The New Zealand Government is today sending 21 firefighters to help fight the ongoing catastrophic Australian bushfires. “The fires in Australia are in some of the toughest, most challenging conditions ever,” says Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin. “As of yesterday morning, there were 100 active bushfire-related incidents across Queensland and ...
More frontline support for schools through a new education agency, as part of a redesigned Ministry of Education More support for principals and school boards including through a new centre of leadership and local leadership advisor roles New independent disputes panels for parents and students Management of school property ...
The Government’s reform of the Tomorrow’s Schools system is a watershed moment in education and an opportunity to create meaningful change for ākonga Māori and their whānau, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis said today. “Last year through Kōrero Mātauranga | Education Conversation, Māori teachers, parents, ākonga, whānau, hapū and iwi ...
Infrastructure Minister is welcoming the first of many updated project pipelines from the newly established New Zealand Infrastructure Commission today. The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga, has released an expanded pipeline of major capital projects – another crucial step towards delivering better infrastructure outcomes. “The first iteration of the ...
Tougher gun laws designed to improve public safety through firearms prohibition orders are proposed in a new document released for public input. Police Minister Stuart Nash says firearms prohibition orders (FPOs) would give new powers to Police to ensure high-risk individuals come nowhere near firearms. “We have already prohibited the ...
Andy Coupe has been confirmed as TVNZ’s new Board Chair. “Mr Coupe has strong commercial and capital markets experience and TVNZ has benefited from his technical knowledge of business and finance, as well as his extensive governance experience,” the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Kris Faafoi said. Andy ...
Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter today officially opened a separated pathway, following the completion of the Kaiwharawhara Stream bridge, which will improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians along Hutt Road. The $6.8m Hutt Road project provides a separated path for cycling and pedestrians, the replacement of informal parking ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today announced the appointment of career diplomat Si’alei van Toor as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Russia. “I’m pleased to appoint Ms van Toor to this position. She brings a wealth of experience to the role having previously served as Senior Trade Adviser to the ...
The Treasury’s 2019 Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) will be released on Wednesday December 11, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Coalition Government will publish the 2020 Budget Policy Statement at the same time, outlining the priorities for Budget 2020. Further details on arrangements for the release will ...
A new initiative to better support small businesses through hands-on mentoring and advice has been launched by the Minister for Small Business. The first event in the Kiwi Business Boost series of regional workshops and online tools has been launched in Wairoa by Stuart Nash. “The Business Boost initiative combines ...
The latest Quarterly Connectivity Report shows that more and more New Zealanders are moving to Ultra-fast Broadband (UFB), with Rolleston having the highest uptake at 74 per cent, as at the end of September. “This means that nearly three quarters of Rolleston’s households and businesses have moved to ultra-fast services. ...
The passing of the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill will help ensure a safe planet for our kids and grandkids, the Minister for Climate Change James Shaw said today. The landmark legislation which provides a framework to support New Zealanders to prepare for, and adapt to, the effects ...
The review of Oranga Tamariki practice around the planned uplift of a Hastings baby in May shows significant failings by the Ministry and that the planned and funded changes to shift from a child crisis service to a proper care and protection service need to be accelerated, Children’s Minister Tracey ...
Education Minister Chris Hipkins has wished students the best of luck for this year’s NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship exams which start tomorrow. Around 140,000 students will have participated in 119 NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship exams by the end of the exam period on 3 December. “I want to ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today announced the appointment of Bede Corry as New Zealand’s next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. “The appointment of a senior diplomat to this important role underlines the significance New Zealand places on our relationship with the United Kingdom,” said Mr Peters. “The United ...
An innovative approach to boosting the number of frontline Police has seen 20 new officers graduate from one of the uncommon training wings in Auckland. Police Minister Stuart Nash says the graduation of 20 constables today means that 1,765 new Police officers have been deployed since the coalition government took ...
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says the 1.2 million hours of community work completed by offenders in the last financial year has helped local communities right across the country. “Community work sentences are a great way for people to pay something positive back to society. There is a massive benefit to ...
"A pathway for Police in leadership with Iwi Māori, to achieve the aspirations of Māori whānau." Police launch of Te Huringa o Te Tai, Pipitea Marae, Thorndon Quay, Wellington Nau mai, haere mai. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, ka nui te mihi, ki a koutou. Hello everyone, warm greetings to you all. ...
Working New Zealanders are getting more in their back pockets under the Coalition Government’s economic plan. Stats NZ data today shows average weekly ordinary time earnings are up by $83 since the Government took office. This shows that working New Zealanders are getting higher take-home pay, and that employers are ...
The Government is supporting schools to cut down their energy consumption and reduce environmental impacts, with a quarter of all schools having their lights replaced with LEDs, a sustainability contestable fund and a plan to improve the environmental sustainability of all schools in the future. Education Minister Chris Hipkins and ...
Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis heads to China on Friday to lead the New Zealand Government presence at the China-New Zealand Year of Tourism closing ceremony. The ceremony will take place at Canton Tower in Guangzhou on Sunday 10 November. “The Year of Tourism has been mutually beneficial for both New ...
Should we plan for drought or deluge and how is CO2 released from the ocean’s floor? Several climate change projects were given a boost in the latest Marsden Fund investment of $83.6 million, Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods said today. “Climate change is long-term challenge that requires out-of-the-box ...
Leaders of 16 countries negotiating the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) have announced the completion of negotiation on the text as well as agreement on virtually all market access issues between 15 countries. The leaders said they will work with India to resolve its outstanding concerns in a way that ...
Civil Defence Minister Hon Peeni Henare says World Tsunami Awareness Day today (5 November) is a chance for all New Zealanders to learn more about the tsunami risk in our regions and the right actions to take to stay safe. “All of New Zealand’s coastline is at risk of tsunami. ...
New Zealand’s more than 1000 paramedics are to have their role as key frontline health professionals formally recognised and regulated in the same way as doctors and nurses, Health Minister David Clark says. The Government has agreed to regulate paramedics under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003. “Paramedic leaders ...
Changes to insolvency law announced by the Government today will include requirements to honour up to 50 per cent of the value of gift cards or vouchers held by consumers, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi says. “When a business is insolvent, these consumers are often left out of ...
After Massey University in Wellington cancelled Feminism 2020 last month, the controversial event has found a new home in the parliament banquet hall. The controversial Feminism 2020 event cancelled last month by Massey University is scheduled to be held instead in the parliamentary banquet hall this Friday night. Billed as “the ...
The Migrant Workers Association says it is wrong to ask immigration officials to treat couples in culturally arranged marriages differently from other partnership cases. ...
A single public broadcaster would be too powerful and bad for democracy, National leader Simon Bridges says, after news of a proposal to replace RNZ and TVNZ. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ward, PhD candidate, University of Sydney The ABC has announced it will not provide live radio coverage of the Olympics for the first time in 67 years for budgetary reasons, and because Australians now have the “increased ability to access Olympics ...
For Amy Russell, ceasing deforestation of her lower limbs was a declaration of independence.When I wrote on The Spinoff recently about going barefoot everywhere, and then about being a fat runner, I got a lot more positive feedback than I expected, and a lot less criticism. So I thought clearly ...
Lecretia Seales would have been "incredibly proud" of last night's End of Life Choice vote, her husband says, while doctors continue to voice their opposition. ...
Dr Susan Wardell, a His Dark Materials fan who grew up to be a social anthropologist, reviews the much-anticipated sort-of sequel, The Secret Commonwealth.Is the world fundamentally dead, or alive? Philip Pullman asks in this new book, a thinly-veiled philosophical interrogation of “progressive thinking”. The book is rich in both human ...
The newly launched Sustainable New Zealand Party’s first and biggest challenge is to prove that it is in fact sustainable, and not just another flash in the new party pan. ...
The fate of RNZ and TVNZ may soon be in the hands of Cabinet ministers; and the chair of the Medical Association says it will be difficult to put safeguards in place to prevent people from being subtlety coerced into euthanasia. ...
New Zealanders now have the casting vote on whether to make euthanasia legal, after Parliament voted 69 votes to 51 in favour of the End of Life Choice Bill. ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.Euthanasia Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Euthanasia bill proves there’s power in a party-of-one Sam Sachdeva ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sally Wasef, Postdoctoral research fellow, Griffith University These days, not many Aussies consider the ibis a particularly admirable creature. But these birds, now colloquially referred to as “bin chickens” due to their notorious scavenging antics, have a grandiose and important place in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ward, PhD candidate, University of Sydney The ABC has announced it will not provide live radio coverage of the Olympics for the first time in 67 years for budgetary reasons, and because Australians now have the “increased ability to access Olympics ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Mosley, Research Fellow, Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting one in 350 Australians. It’s caused by the loss of cells deep within the brain that produce a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Degeneration ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael James Walsh, Assistant Professor Social Science, University of Canberra The concept of “home” refers to more than bricks and mortar. Just as cities are more than buildings and infrastructure, our homes carry all manner of emotional, aesthetic and socio-cultural significance. Our ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lin Crase, Professor of Economics and Head of School, University of South Australia The deal to crank up Adelaide’s desalination plant to make more water available to farmers in the drought-stricken Murray-Darling Basin makes no sense. It involves the federal government paying ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fiona Andreallo, Lecturer in digital culture, University of Sydney When thinking of sexbots, companionship might not be the first word that comes to mind. But sexbot advertising promises more than sex toys. It is also selling emotional intimacy: robots marketed as if ...
Ahead of the 50 Shades of Green march on parliament today, Jon Pemberton – chairman of the Ag Proud NZ Trust – urges members of the rural community to avoid confrontation and focus on rebuilding the relationship with our urban friends. “Ag Proud NZ understands ...
Paula Bennett and Anne Tolley are financially off the hook after Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters accepted they did not leak his private information. ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Another unexpected OCR move, NZ First Foundation donations under scrutiny, and End of Life Choice bill passes pending referendum.Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr seems intent on giving as many surprises as possible with the OCR. After slashing it in August when it was ...
The fate of RNZ and TVNZ may soon be in the hands of Cabinet ministers, with a proposal to disestablish both broadcasters and create an entirely new public media entity. ...
Electricity retailing is about to be changed by artificial intelligence and the move away from fossil fuels. Watch a video interview with Simply Energy's Murray Dyer. ...
Tomorrow the Australian minister for agriculture is in Christchurch to lobby for a ban on words like “milk” and “meat” from the labels of meat and dairy alternatives. Shama Sukul Lee, the founder of alternative meat startup Sunfed, says the campaign is not about the consumer: it’s driven by a ...
It’s setting up a high school and John Key is an investor, but leaked documents show the $380m education startup locks parents into tough contracts worth tens of thousands of dollars.A tutoring company with former prime minister John Key on its board is charging parents as much as $60,000 to ...
"It's highly concerning that Parliament has voted for the End of Life Choice Bill to become law, pending a referendum," says Renée Joubert, Executive Officer of Euthanasia-Free NZ . ...
The End-of-Life Choice Society is pleased MPs have recognised that the majority of voters across a wide spectrum of society want a law change to allow the terminally ill to die free of intolerable pain and suffering, its president Dr Mary Panko said ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brian Oliver, Research Leader in Respiratory cellular and molecular biology at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and Senior Lecturer, School of Medical & Molecular Biosciences, University of Technology Sydney New South Wales and Queensland are in the grip of a devastating ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Toni Noble, Adjunct Professor, Institute for Positive Psychology & Education, Australian Catholic University More than 600 schools have been closed, and some damaged, in recent days as bushfires rage across Queensland and New South Wales. Some students have been urgently evacuated while ...
Early on Thursday NZ time, the Trump impeachment inquiry kicks into high gear, as the previously closed-door proceedings are replaced with televised public hearings. Here’s the lowdown.What’s about to happen?Just over seven weeks since Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grace Moore, Senior lecturer in English, the University of Otago, New Zealand, University of Otago Bushfire writing has long been a part of Australian literature. Tales of heroic rescues and bush Christmases describe a time when the fire season was confined only ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tanya M Howard, Senior research fellow, University of New England It’s five years since government worker Glen Turner was murdered by a farmer in a confrontation over land clearing laws. Media reporting after his death frequently propagated the image of the “poor ...
The option of requesting assisted dying for people with terminal illness as provisioned by the proposed End of Life Choice Bill has all but divided the country. ...
The Deputy Prime Minister's case against two top civil servants, two former ministers, and a ministry has wrapped at the Auckland High Court, with the judge is reserving his decision. ...
The extension of the Royal Commission report to 30 April 2020 means all other government responses to the mosque attack should be equally delayed, according to the Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO). ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rick Sarre, Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia Australians woke to the news last weekend that a 19-year-old Warlpiri man had been shot and killed by a police officer in Yuendumu, 300km north-west of Alice Springs. A confrontation ...
Excessively stringent freshwater policies that won’t achieve significantly better water quality outcomes will cost New Zealanders more than $80 billion over the next thirty years, says DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle. “The water quality limits ...
Yesterday the government announced their reform of 1989’s Tomorrow’s Schools legislation. Claire Amos, a school principal in Auckland, reflects on what it all means. When the first draft of the Tomorrow’s School Report landed back in December 2018, I reflected that “the only real concern is that we are not brave enough ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University It has been called “the robbery of the century”. Martin Shields and Nicholas Diable, two British investment bankers, are on trial in Germany for helping structure a massive tax evasion scheme, known as cum-ex ...
A group of about a dozen MPs from Labour and National have addressed a last-minute protest at Parliament, on the day the End of Life Choice Bill is due to pass its final reading. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Mathews, Professor, School of Law, Queensland University of Technology Two judges in the High Court of Australia this morning referred Cardinal George Pell’s application for special leave to appeal his convictions to a full bench of the High Court. While not ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has opened for submissions on Supplementary Order Paper No 408 to the Arms Legislation Bill. Submissions can be made online and close on Friday 29 November 2019 at midnight. Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 408 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stanley Shanapinda, Research Fellow, La Trobe University Yesterday, New South Wales and Queensland issued fire warnings classified as either “catastrophic”, “severe” or “extreme” – and these conditions will remain in the coming days. The Bureau of Meteorology’s fire danger rating for Wednesday, ...
Newly launched carbon offsetting company Carbonclick want to make it easier for businesses and consumers to save the planet. CEO Dave Rouse and CPO Jan Czaplicki explain that while carbon offsetting isn’t the solution to global warming, it’s necessary.We have pumped our skies full of greenhouse gases for over 200 ...
Premiering tonight on TVNZ DUKE, Tara Ward explores the salty depths of Spiky Gold Hunters. Spiky Gold Hunter is Country Calendar for hard arses. DUKE’s new documentary series follows six Kiwis as they search the Foveaux Strait for kina, a job with great financial reward but huge risk. These divers work ...
The Reserve Bank announced on Wednesday that it hold the Official Cash Rate at 1 percent when bank economists had widely predicted and recommended a 25 basis point cut. ...
It’s time for our leaders to harness their power to take action on meaningful and sustained welfare policy changes, so that all children can have the opportunity to live good lives and to experience a happy, healthy childhood, says Child Poverty ...
Winston Peters' lawyer appears to have accepted in the High Court that two former National ministers he is suing for $450,000 for breaching his privacy were not the source of the leak or responsible for it. ...
Artist Lema Shamamba highlights the threads that connect cellphone use to violence and exploitation in the Democratic Republic of Congo in her first solo exhibition at Auckland’s Objectspace. Embroidered into a purple and yellow dress, a woman has one baby slung on her front and another on her back. Looking at ...
Gloria Steinem speaks to On the Rag about what she has learned from over 50 years of feminist activism. In this very special episode of On the Rag, we are joined by journalist, author, activist and feminist hero Gloria Steinem ahead of the launch of her new book The Truth Will ...
ABs vs Australia 
The End of Life Choice Bill passed its third reading last night, 69 - 51. Thanks to a compromise with NZ First - which looks to have been necessary on the final numbers - the commencement of the bill will be subject to a referendum. Given the ugliness of the ...18 mins ago
Recently more than 150 post-graduate students and young scientists presented an open letter to the Green Party via The Spinoff, encouraging them to reconsider their position on genetic modification. Their target is tackling climate change issues.[1] Can any party continue to be dismissive about genetic modification (GM) contributing to ...4 hours ago
by Deirdre O’Neill Under Thatcher and then Blair and continuing up until our contemporary moment, the working class has seen its culture slowly and progressively destroyed. The change from an industrial society to a service society produced a marked shift in focus from the working class as the backbone of ...18 hours ago
It seems fair to say that we currently live in a problematic political moment in world history. Democracies are in decline and dictatorships are on the rise. Primordial, sectarian and post-modern divisions have re-emerged, are on the rise or have been accentuated by political evolutions of the moment such as ...22 hours ago
by The Council of Disobedient Women In her excellent oral submission to the Abortion reform select committee on 31st October on behalf of Otago University’s Department of Public Health, historian and public health researcher Hera Cook stated: “We would ask that the committee not use the term ‘pregnant persons’ and ...2 days ago
Distract And Divert: The rise of what we have come to call “Identity Politics” represents the ideological manifestation of the ruling class’s objective need to destroy class politics, and of the middle-class’s subjective need to justify their participation in the process.THE RELIEF of the ruling class can only be imagined. ...2 days ago
2 days ago
If FFNZ really put their faith in “Top Medical Journals” they would now be amending their billboards to recognise new research results. Image from FFNZ but updated to agree with the latest research. ... 4 days ago
And to think he gave all the potential goodwill away with that moronic, cult-like statement (repeated ad nauseam by many National hardliners) that Key is quite simply “the greatest PM we ever had”…
Installation complete: this was nothing ... 1 week ago
Today, a worker contacted me asking if she could go to the police over her employer stealing thousands of dollars from her in unpaid wages. The employer also did not pay this worker’s taxes or student loan which amounts to tax fraud. As a workers rights activist, who founded the ...2 weeks ago
Image Credit: Increase Social Media Traffic & Website Traffic I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your ... 2 weeks ago
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First backs the public to decide on the End of Life Choice Bill via a referendum at the 2020 General Election. The Bill, with New Zealand First’s referendum provision incorporated, passed its final reading in Parliament this evening. New Zealand First Spokesperson for ...3 hours ago
"Today we have made a choice that will leave a legacy... I hope that means that future generations will see that we, in New Zealand, were on the right side of history." - Jacinda Ardern, Third Reading of the Zero Carbon Bill ...6 days ago
The Government has confirmed its third major mental health facility upgrade since the Budget, this time at Palmerston North Hospital. The Prime Minister and Health Minister today visited MidCentral DHB to announce that $30 million has been allocated to upgrade its acute mental health facility. It follows earlier announcements in ...32 mins ago
Carrot works better than stick when it comes to applying road safety regulations, says Road Transport Forum (RTF) chief executive Nick Leggett. ...14 mins ago
After Massey University in Wellington cancelled Feminism 2020 last month, the controversial event has found a new home in the parliament banquet hall. The controversial Feminism 2020 event cancelled last month by Massey University is scheduled to be held instead in the parliamentary banquet hall this Friday night. Billed as “the ...19 mins ago
The Migrant Workers Association says it is wrong to ask immigration officials to treat couples in culturally arranged marriages differently from other partnership cases. ...22 mins ago
Sanford's full year profit has failed to meet expectations as the company says climate change is the biggest risk it faces to its business. ...32 mins ago
The housing market's revival continues with the national median house price ticking over $600,000 for the first time. ...58 mins ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ward, PhD candidate, University of Sydney The ABC has announced it will not provide live radio coverage of the Olympics for the first time in 67 years for budgetary reasons, and because Australians now have the “increased ability to access Olympics ...1 hour ago
Mysterious foundation loaning New Zealand First money; and Auckland ports' move to Whangarei: explained ...3 hours ago
New Zealand’s MPs yesterday stepped towards history as they debated the bill, which would hand the final decision on assisted dying to the public. ...3 hours ago
The fate of RNZ and TVNZ may soon be in the hands of Cabinet ministers; and the chair of the Medical Association says it will be difficult to put safeguards in place to prevent people from being subtlety coerced into euthanasia. ...3 hours ago
New Zealand baggage handling equipment maker Glidepath has been sold to a French company. ...4 hours ago
Philip Matthews celebrates two remarkble - and remarkably different - portraits of the great Colin McCahon. ...6 hours ago
Electricity retailing is about to be changed by artificial intelligence and the move away from fossil fuels. Watch a video interview with Simply Energy's Murray Dyer. ...6 hours ago
Arranged marriages where partners had the freedom to say no may not be included under a new partnership visa fix. Dileepa Fonseka explains. ...6 hours ago
National's education plans has some good stuff, but the promises that will resonate most could have come from Labour. ...6 hours ago
Elite female sporting events will ultimately speak for themselves to fans who need convincing they are worthwhile watching. ...7 hours ago
David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill won over Parliament where other MPs had failed - but the real fight may just be beginning. ...7 hours ago
The University of Auckland's Dr Louise Humpage makes a plea to Jacinda Ardern to ban private fireworks once and for all. ...7 hours ago
A new Māori policing strategy, designed to get reoffending numbers down, has been met with skepticism. ...7 hours ago
Despite its best efforts to lower power prices, the Government might see a retail rate hike just six months before next year's election. ...17 hours ago
The price of avocados has been smashed to their lowest in almost three years, and the price of other fruit and veges are also falling. ...22 hours ago
The Reserve Bank announced on Wednesday that it hold the Official Cash Rate at 1 percent when bank economists had widely predicted and recommended a 25 basis point cut. ...22 hours ago
The Reserve Bank has held the Official Cash Rate steady at a record low 1 percent. ...22 hours ago
Winston Peters' lawyer appears to have accepted in the High Court that two former National ministers he is suing for $450,000 for breaching his privacy were not the source of the leak or responsible for it. ...22 hours ago
An undeclared conflict of interest has seen the initial Budget leak probe abandoned, an a new investigation launched. ...22 hours ago
With regards the question “Will the All Blacks be the first team to defend a RWC title?” the obsessive-compulsive in me says no, the All Blacks will be the third team to defend a RWC title.
Australia defended its 1999 title in 2003, but lost to England, while England defended its 2003 title in 2007 but lost to South Africa. The other finals occasions have not included the winner from the previous tournament.
Will the All Blacks be the first team to ‘successfully’ defend a RWC title? – quite probably, but I’m not staying up to watch any awarding of cups, medals, or giving of dodgy three-way handshakes … there’s too high a risk of seeing more of the blossoming bro’mance between Key and McCaw
Heard today from some National supporters that there’s been a lot of work going in to convincing McCaw to run for office after he retires from the ABs.
-Probably still going to get up to watch the game though. I do enjoy my rugby.
Might be why he is not keen on a knighthood.
A good way for him to destroy his popularity.
I would think that R McCaw has , as he always had, very high aspirations in whatever he does in life.
However, what makes Key think Politics would suit McCaw ?
Politicians are about as low in the scrap heap as anyone can go and is full of lying, cheating low life.
And I would think Ritchie well knows that.
J Key, do not bring a great man down to your level, you weasel.
Politicians are so narcissistic that they think everyone wants to be one. McCaw is bright enough and has the leadership skills to do whatever he wants in the world. Who knows, but I doubt prime minister of NZ is on his list. I suspect he regards Key’s affection the way the captain of the first XV regarded the admiration of the geeky kid in the 4th form – something he knows it would be rude to reject and which he just has to put up with.
Yes I think you are probably right Matthew – at least I would hope you are. I would be very disappointed if your assessment was not the case.
Nearly all attempts by high profile rugby players to stand for public office have ended in failure — Laidlaw, Thorne to name a few.
I am picking that that McCaw will probably find his home in the corporate word — which has seen ex-AB’s prosper.
After 14 years as an ab and probably the top paid one for at least half that he can probably do what ever takes his fancy. Coaching might be a on the list I would think.
Doesn’t McCaw have a law degree or something? He might want a break from the rugby world… hopefully he joins Greenpeace đ
Something to do with agriculture from Lincoln I think.
From Wikipedia:
“McCaw came to the attention of national selectors during a 5-all draw with Rotorua Boys’ High School in the 1998 New Zealand secondary schools rugby final in Christchurch. However, he failed to make the New Zealand Secondary Schools Team, losing out to Sam Harding, Angus McDonald and Hale T-Pole. With Sam Harding moving south to study at the University of Otago, McCaw headed to Christchurch’s Lincoln University to study agricultural science and pursue his rugby interests. He achieved all but two papers for his Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree before rugby became his life.“
MCCaw ended up working with soil.
Exactly Joe Bloggs. Key and McCaws’ antics have put me off New Zealand rugby for life. (although it’s probably not all McCaws’ fault and I hope I will recover once key has disappeared.)
Shouldn’t that be, “Will the All Blacks be the first team to defend a RWC title ‘successfully'”? đ
Yes. Good spotting. “To successfully defend” is a grammatical outrage that Richie would never commit (although Key would).
Splitting infinitives was deemed an outrage by Victorian grammarians who wanted English to conform to Latin grammatical structure.
Personally, I split or don’t split infinitives on aesthetic/aural grounds.
McCaw’s scholastic history does not suggest that he is exceptionally intellectual though clearly he is no dullard. (He neither completed his undergraduate degree nor went on to postgraduate study.)
Rugby was obviously a greater allure than was exploration of the fields of knowledge and philosophical or scientific enquiry – which is not at all a criticism.
Being passionate about thinking and enquiring into the nature of the world is not everyone’s cup of tea.
That is a bit unfair — McCaw was proxime accessit (second to the dux) at high school, and gain consistently high marks at school. He only gave up on uni because of his rugby.
Arts degree, waste of money,
I find cutting them quite funny.
We need Kiwis to be thicker!
Who needs thinkers when we have a kicker!
âJK love poetry, Twitter
Whatever your opinion of Victorian grammarians, pedants deserve to be held to a more annoying standard than the rest of the population.
Yes a back to back win between 5 – 10 points. The ABs have so much to play for, they have never met Australia in a rugby cup final, both NZ and Australia have won twice and previously mentioned NZ are the current holders of the cup.
Last weekend I got up 2 minutes before the start of the second half when the score was 12 SA and & 7 NZ, what a second half it was; Carter’s drop goal gave the game to NZ.
I’m sorry, but can I frame it another way…
World number one in Domestic violence nation against number one gang rape nation , (at least that was true though out the twentieth century) .Not looking forward to the end result, but on a selfish level , out of our faces for awhile.
So you’re not a rugby fan!
No, was I so post to be, played football, all sorts of sport, thats called participation, no supporter of this muck sucking up most of the sponsorship money about, and I think they are failing grassroots rugby I would add, like some other sports here an in Australia, they add a sort of twisted bullying nature to politics.
I don’t like the corruption of betting in cricket, no doubt some corruption of betting occurs in many other sports.
Rugby has changed over the years, big play pay packets and sponsorship deals.
Your view is as valid as anyone elses.
I should add that I wasn’t getting at you, just a wee rant. please enjoy.
I enjoyed your wee rant. I expect there is going to be a bit of ranting if NZ lose, bulging eye balls, griting teeth etc. Any win against Aussie is always the best.
This is an interesting outsider look at this game by American National Public Radio. It really is the biggest rugby match in history. Even people who aren’t sports or rugby fans might get something out of watching such a spectacle. You don’t have to be a football fan or know anything about it to enjoy watching a FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Italy.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/10/30/453287933/the-rugby-world-cup-final-is-saturday-and-its-going-to-be-a-doozy
Interesting link, and here’s the follow-up from NPR
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/10/31/453462384/new-zealand-wins-rugby-world-cup
Key has already been published as predicting a win to the ab’s 27-12 I believe. Key curse will guarantee a loss. Hope I’m wrong. But not really.
He wasn’t too far out, was he?
He predicted a 15 point margin and it was in fact 17.
I didn’t think it would have been that much and if I had been willing to bet on it I would have picked the ABs by about 5.
âŠ.part of me wants the All Blacks to lose,so I don’t have to watch Key dribble all the celebrationâŠ..with his sycophantic”me toâŠme to” lackeydom and his grovelling fourth form boys toadyismâŠâŠâŠ..oh godâŠ..go Australia!!!!!
Some cardiologist on TV yesterday reckons the rate of heart attacks double or triple within a few days of the ABs losing. Coleman won’t want extra hospital admissions.
Correction the increased rate of heart attacks is 50% – 100% when the ABs lose.
Do you think key has had a path already cleared so he can scuttle down to the sheds after the game, before the AB’s can get there, so he can nab the seat next to Richie’s and be there waiting with his stubby in hand?
His minders are setting up the cones and brightly coloured tapes as we speak.
I reckon Key has a plan to pinch the seat of the CEO of World Rugby and be centre stage at the cup presentation ceremony.
Key will also hand out a bunch of shiny medals with his face on both sides. (they will look good on TV but in reality they are cheap plastic)
AB’s by 13 and over….pile it on like brylcreem.
I don’t think SA liked the slippery ball last week. Could you imagine brylcreem on the ball, penalty after penalty and nothing going over the goal post.
What a dreadful thought.
It is probably lucky that we don’t have a Dennis Compton clone in the team.
I wonder if he rubbed his hands through his hair before polishing the ball when he was playing for England?
I actually hope the All Black’s put the game beyond doubt, with 10 minutes to go. Already found the semi-final stressful enough LOL. (Although I think the AB’s will win 20-10.) Also, with the Rugby League/Cricket/Netball world Cups, already across the ditch, I think the Aussies have enough silverware.
Its good of prime to put it on for us non sky customers.
Looking forward to good match
The AB’s to win — they seem to be unstoppable, and have come together as a unit. There were some concerns early on, but their performance against France (a thrashing), and SA (hanging on in a tight match) have led me to the conclusion that they are firing on all cylinders.
Whatever your opinion of McCaw, he is a legend of the game — he first played in 2001,and has racked up over 100 tests, over 14 years.
And there has been a lot of stuff said about Sonny Bill Williams, but playing in world cup finals for both union, and league (and even representing your nation both those codes) is a tremendous achievement.
Though, If we do lose, I hope we all remember that its not the end of the world, and the sun will still rise tomorrow.
I find your last sentence implausible in several ways đ
Lucky that it doesn’t need to be tested đ
Well done All Blacks and hard luck Australia – coach and team have moved mountains in the last 6 months, but not this one.
Player of the tournament for me – Nonu. Magnificent final try and sadly the end of a mid-field era with he and Smith moving on.
I agree – Nonu’s try was just brilliant! This is an exceptional All Black team, with a few ready to bow out now. They have earned this moment of glory.
Good to see David Pocock say global warming worries him more than the All Blacks. Sorry can’t post the link but its at The Mirror. Worth reading.
This is the same Pocock whom disagreed with coal-mining in a NSW forest-and chained himself to one of their diggers-and would refuse to marry his partner until same-sex marriage was legal in Australia
Yep, be good if we had an All Black one of those. It might be the best shot at getting good progressive change in this country.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/oct/30/australia-flanker-david-pocock-sport-politics
My favourite rugby player. Puts McCaw, Nonu and Dagg, the latter two who tweeted support for JK on election day to shame.
In my mind the true winner and hero of the world cup…………David Pocock.
The closest we had was possibly before your era.
Graham Mourie. A very good player. Pity he was a bloody awful coach for the Hurricanes later on.
GeezI hope the Wallabies win! Am in Perth tonight- so it’s its more Dockers v’s Eagles. Pocock could be the deciding factor.
Can’t they ever give it a break over there in Perth, the reincarnation of the 1950s?
The season has been over for a month and they still haven’t anything else to talk about? Even in Melbourne they give the AFL a break from about a week after the Grand Final until the end of the Spring Racing Carnival in mid-November.
I guess in Perth there is nothing else that ever happens.
Awesome try right on half time!
Bigger score than I expected.
Great finish!
Great game and well done All Blacks. I imagine that John Key is now sprinting towards the All Black dressing room with his camera ready to go …
FFS, let it go and enjoy the moment. Plenty of time over the ensuing weeks to critique every photo and comment made by Key & Co.
Best quote from the commentary team after the match when discussing Key arriving in the dressing room – “just as well Richie doesn’t have a ponytail”.
You are obsesseed
If there was an election this month then whoever the incumbent happened to be would win
That second half… nail biting there for a second
Yeah Aussie were looking good ’til they dropped the ball đ
thank god team Key got us over the line…again.Thanks John.
I just loved the piling on of points in the last quarter from 4 ahead, then 7, then 10, then 17.
McCaw has now played 148 tests, there are at least two more tests in him. Ma’a’s try was a blast.
Congratulations to the team on a historic win, first time for a team to make it 3 wins and both Australia and NZ entered the final as being unbeaten in the tournament.
First team to win two in a row.
Great game and congratulations on the team’s hard work. My only grouch is our rugby commentators over here, when I have watched games with Welsh, English, Scots etc commentators they are calm, measured, usually only one voice sparely giving an account of the game with an occasional comment by a second commentator. They just know when to shut up. A pleasure to listen to as it doesn’t grate and get in the way of concentrating on the game. Always here in NZ the two commentators keep up a running conversation on the game together and it grates on the nerves with them testing each other’s opinions – who cares – why can’t they just shut up occasionally. I end up with the sound turned off and can see and get everything from the game without their input quite nicely thank you. The All Black’s deserve better.
I’ve really enjoyed the ITV commentary and analysis which we received here in the Middle East – as you say calm, measured and non-intrusive to enjoying the spectacle. The biggest issue I have with the NZ commentary is Justin Marshall – sometimes he says things that make me wonder if he had even played the game at all – let alone at the highest level!
…As well as the first team to win three World Cups (the most by any other rugby nation). Also, it’s the first time that the All Blacks had won a World Cup away from home.
Is it called a hat trick if you win three in a row? (I realise the third win cannot happen until 2019). I know that I sound like a Nat on election night.
I assume that they don’t have the rule they used to have in the FIFA World Cup.
When Brazil won for the third time in 1970 they got to keep the trophy.
For all the grouching and bad history between progressives and the conservative rugby hierarchy – you have to acknowledge excellence when you see it.
This impressive team can teach us all something about contemporary leadership, and a commitment to mastery.
Congratulations ABs, who played strong and played well. A well deserved win đ
Commiserations Wallabies. Excellent work for getting up there into the finals to play off the ABs.
Also well done the other rugby teams whose contribution made this event possible.
Leave the politics aside for today and allow the boys to enjoy their glory, without hindrance. Hopefully a politician or two, or three will respectfully do the same.
Quite disappointed. Expected Key to be on the dais but he wasn’t. Left all looking bereft and flat. Really took the shine off the whole Cup. Sigh.
John Key had to go down to the Police office at the stadium I understand.
Some balding little fellow in glasses tried to get on the pitch and take a selfie with McCaw. He got flattened by a tiny little policewoman though.
The pitch invader tried to claim he knew McCaw but Richie said he had no idea who he was. They asked Key to go down and identify the chap as being little Andie and to explain that, although he was delusional, he was actually harmless.
Superb stuff. Well played Australia but what a super All Black performance. I bet Ben Smith will cop a few fines though in the kangaroo court later on!
Watched the ITV coverage beamed through here in the Middle East – great commentary and after match analysis (Sean Fitzpatrick, Johnny Wilkinson & Michael Lynagh).
There was certainly a gap in the backline defence when B Smith was yellow carded on the bench and he knew it.
Nothing like an Otago pub to re-understand the religious force Rugby opens up. Great screaming and cheering. Pity the only dark beer was Guiness!
I would wish all the retirees well, but especially Richie great success in his future life. Huge and humble service to this country for a decade and more.
Unless he chooses politics. Then he’ll see what a contact sport looks like.
Back to back WC’s is a unique achievement so well done AB’s, Hansen etc.
I hope the NZRU has a good look at youth and grassroots (provinces) as we don’t seem to have the ritchies/dans/kevins coming through in enough numbers imo as not all make it to the very top.
Only 3% of all german youth academy attendees make it as a pro so you need the raw material and plenty of it to keep the top level supreme.