Dewi New Zealand unchanged and supremely confident. France? “le match de toute une vie” – Imanol Harinordoquy ain’t a bad player. Let’s face it – they’ve done it before.. I hope New Zealand stuff them and sink their ship on the way home. Any objective observations? DewiWelsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…
Watched the re-run on S4C on Saturday: Interviewer to Shane Williams: “Sut wyt ti’n teimlo Shane ?” (How do you feel Shane?) – “Gutted” To Jamie Roberts – “Beth oedd y teimlad yn yr ystafell newid?” (What was the feeling in the changing room?) – “Roedd y bechgyn yn “gutted”. (The boys were gutted) My sister phoned me after the game – we go halfway round the world, play like heroes and can’t even have a game against the All-Blacks. I’m …
OK – off to the Millenium Stadium – along with 60,000 others. Let me know how we are doing. In the meantime: Jonathan’s a fan again… Enjoy! DewiWelsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…
2 Fairly big games this weekend in Auckland. On Sunday New Zealand face Australia. Is McCaw fit? Will the all Blacks risk Cruden or play Weepu first five eighth? (Where on earth does “first five eighth” come from?) Here’s the NZ Herald – Graham Henry will be trying to stay awake…it’s a 9pm start in New Zealand – which is a bit different for the players. In Australia they are working on those Sonny Bill Williams voodoo dolls…might be working – …
Or as the Independent on Sunday puts it : Rydyn ni gyd yn Gymry nawr… There are three sheep for every human, and in winter it’s the wettest place in Britain. But today Wales, the most maligned member of the union, can hold its head up as the mightiest after becoming the only British country to secure a place in the semi-finals of the rugby World Cup. Wales Online captures the mood. DOES it get any better than this? Well, …
Many thanks to the good people at Gainline.ie – which is a wonderful mix of financial spread betting and Rugby, for a world exclusive opportunity for the observations of Kevin McLaughlin on the Rugby World Cup. Here’s the press release on the launch of the blog. We asked 5 questions: 1. The wonderful win against Australia was widely ascribed to that “Irish Passion” thing. I disagree– it was clinical and professional. Indeed is the reduction in“passion” a key element in Ireland’s recent …
Ok – I hope everyone’s awake for the biggest game in Irish and Welsh rugby history! Enjoy…. DewiWelsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…
Guess which Newspaper front page headline is “Two nations…one mission….COME ON WALES!” It promises to be tense, tight, titanic. So when the alarm goes off tomorrow morning, don’t switch it off and roll over. Even from 12,000 miles away, your country needs you. Because, make no mistake, there’s a piece of rugby history to be made. Two nations, one mission… come on Wales. And from the Irish Times – “One more box to tick” Yet in the crunch games against …
Wales 15 Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues) 14 George North (Scarlets) 13 Jonathan Davies (Scarlets) 12 Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues) 11 Shane Williams (Ospreys) 10 Rhys Priestland (Scarlets) 9 Mike Phillips (Bayonne) 6 Dan Lydiate (Dragons) 8 Toby Faletau (Dragons) 7 Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt) 5 Luke Charteris (Dragons) 4 Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), 1 Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues) 2 Huw Bennett (Ospreys) 3 Adam Jones (Ospreys) Replacements: Lloyd Burns (Dragons), Paul James (Ospreys), Bradley Davies (Cardiff Blues), Ryan Jones (Ospreys), Lloyd Williams (Cardiff Blues), James Hook (Perpignan), Scott …
First on Carter: Eddie Butler in the Guardian: For all the encouraging noises that the wounded player and the team that he leaves behind were obliged to make, there was no hiding a sense of foreboding at his farewell session. All those present knew what three sets of World Cup opponents know, that the All Blacks without Carter are not the same. When he went down, New Zealand went down and not many on this bleak day felt like bouncing …
Ok – let’s eliminate absurdites and look at the more realistic scenarios for the Six Nation Teams: 1. In Pool D – Barring losing to Fiji by 62 39 points or more Wales are through the Group of Death in second behind South Africa. 2. In Pool B – Scotland need to beat England by 8 points and restrict England to less than 4 tries to get through in second. If they do Argentina win the group, providing they secure …
Wonderful stuff this morning… All the tv bods said that NZ beat France physically – not true – they were wonderful in the backs… P.S . 3.30 am Fiji Samoa – this is hard work… DewiWelsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…
From the BBC Nick Clegg attacks the SNP’s delay on calling an independence referendum Clearly I am opposed to Alex Salmond’s ambition, which seems to be his sole ambition in Scottish government, to yank Scotland out of the United Kingdom. I think it is not good for Scotland. I believe passionately in a strong Scotland, with more powers, but in a strong United Kingdom. I think the more that the details are looked at and the less that Alex Salmond …
I hesitate before posting but I think it adds something: McKittrick in the Independent (Yesterday I know…)…. Another IRA victim who has been impressed with Mr McGuinness is Mark Eakin, a Protestant whose eight- year-old sister was one of nine people killed in IRA car-bomb attacks near Londonderry in 1972. Mr Eakin has spoken several times with Mr McGuinness and said yesterday he thought the Sinn Fein leader would make a good head of state. He added: “You have to …
15-6 v Australia in their half of the world. 2 words I think: Professional and fearless. If you were not going to face Wales in the quarters I think you’d win this…. DewiWelsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…
The Irish Times summarises the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland’s proposals for Westminster and thus Stormont costituencies. Based on recent elections, the two parties most likely to lose Westminster seats are the SDLP and DUP.This could result in a Westminster representation of: DUP, seven seats (down one); Sinn Féin, five seats; SDLP, two seats (down one), Independent unionist (Lady Hermon in North Down), one seat, Alliance, one seat.The SDLP is likely to be especially concerned about the proposed Westminster changes as …
Articles suggests these questions – I agree. So, answers by 9.30 am tomorrow please. The winners The runners up The remaining two semi finalists The highest points scorers The lowest points scorers Team with most Red cards Stage at which England go out Stage at which Ireland go out Player of the tournament To make my life easier could you please answer in this fashion: (My entry) Wales, New Zealand, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Namibia, France, Semi Final, …
Mick has sent me to New Zealand for the RWC (in my sweet and wonderful dreams…). Anyway a wonderful opinion piece in the New Zealand Herald (required reading for the next month or so): “While we are on the topic of RWC lunacy, how did Quade Cooper escape with no punishment after the obviously deliberate kneeing of McCaw last week? At the risk of sounding an All Black paranoid, if it had been McCaw’s knee on Cooper, the world would …
USA 7 Russia 4 Kenya 4 Wales 1 Germany 1 Jamiaca 1 China 1 Ethiopia 1 Botswana 1 Brazil 1 Grenada 1 Japan 1 New Zealand 1 Poland 1 Ukraine 1 England 0 Scotland 0 Ireland (South) 0 Ireland (North) 0 Ireland Combined 0 Just thought it worth a mention…. DewiWelsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/peter-ackroyd-rioting-has-been-a-london-tradition-for-centuries-2341673.html Ackroyd always wonderful – if you ain’t read his books start with Hawksmoor – an astonishing first novel. Buy it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hawksmoor-Peter-Ackroyd/dp/0140171134 From his Indie interview: “Rioting has always been a London tradition. It has been since the early Middle Ages. There’s hardly a spate of years that goes by without violent rioting of one kind or another. They happen so frequently that they are almost part of London’s texture. The difference is that in the past the …
