The Dropkicks - 2007 - Episode 23

The Dropkicks review the penultimate game of the 2007 Tri-Nations (All Blacks v. South Africa at Christchurch), and discuss: a World Cup revamp; MLB's All-Stars game; F1 secret stealing; competitive eating (Kobayashi loses!); a javelin getting stuck in a long jumper; MLF v. MILF; and ... other stuff.


Download Episode 2007/23.

Media Scrum Replaces Actual Scrum

Jake White and John "Knuckles" Connelly have played the entire Tri-Nations so far in the press room firing salvos at the All Blacks (in what I believe is an attempt to have us on the backfoot come the World Cup).

Every day the sports news is just the latest Wallaby or Springbok press conference:

• Richie McCaw is a bad captain because he’s penalised too often
• Richie McCaw cheats too much and never gets penalised*
• The All Blacks worry too much about attacking and should concentrate on defence
• The All Blacks are too focussed on the winning the World Cup to win the World Cup
• The rotation policy is [insert adjective]

As you can see from my (grossly oversimplified and biased) list, the statements tend towards the ridiculous. The real problem seems to be that the press, both local and foreign, are running with these stories like they are fact. So much so that they have begun to predict the future.

Perhaps the worst thing is the local media running with these stories (like they are fact and not opinion) and putting unneeded and undeserved pressure on our team.

Before the Super 14 semi-finals the Crusaders were blasé about comments from the Bulls and were joking around confidently. The All Blacks have been the same before both the Wallaby and Springbok tests and have played very poorly.

Here is what I hope happens. We get angry.

We play the next few games (and all the World Cup games) like we did against England after the last Cup. We smash them. We play fast and angry. We hit them right up the middle and punch them in the lineout and ruck them and hurt them. But what we shouldn’t do is respond to them in the press room.

*Note: in the last test the penalty count was nine against NZ and nine against SA with McCaw being the cause of two of them.

Another Announcement from Africa

The Springbok’s plan for press conferences this year seems to be to just say whatever shit comes to the top of their heads.

The Springboks are now considering performing an old Zulu war dance to match the All Blacks' haka at the Rugby World Cup.

South African coach Jake White said, "The history books show that the 1926 Springboks performed a Zulu war dance in major matches on their tour.

"This is no gimmick, it is a part of our rugby history and tradition. I have heard old All Blacks sit in the grandstand and pick up the whole mood of the team just from the haka. All I am saying is that maybe it is time we revived a genuine tradition from the past of South African rugby."

White seems to be defending this a little too much. “No, no really, it’s genuine!”

But here is where White just starts making shit up. He claimed the Springboks were closer to tradition with their challenge than New Zealand was with the haka.

So the Springboks did this on one tour back in 1926 and the All Blacks have been performing Ka Mate continuously since the 1880s, but the Springboks are somehow closer to it? What about the new Kapa O Pango, a haka that was written especially for the team?

I look forward to seeing this war dance and hope it will bring some fiery responses from the likes of Tonga, Samoa and Fiji as well as New Zealand. The traditional nationalism of rugby is often what sets it apart in the sports world. England has its Sweet Chariots, Wales it’s Bread of Heaven, the Pacific nations have their various haka and siva tau, Australia has (for some reason) Waltzing Matilda. Other teams adopting their own national symbolism would be amazing and help the ailing international tests.

Perhaps the French could have a bottle of wine or the Irish could sip a Guinness, that would be great.

A response to David Moffett.

The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is "an absolute disgrace" and the Springboks should be kicked out of the Tri-Nations, says David Moffett, one of the chief architects of SANZAR.

[David Moffett] is a loud-mouth who gave us some “absolutely disgraceful” rugby tournaments and should be kicked, says Hadyn Green, one of the chief architects of The Dropkicks.

Moffett, the former head of New Zealand and Wales rugby unions, told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper New Zealand and Australia had to cut South Africa from the next television deal, and instead play more trans-Tasman matches. He claimed that it’s because “the players are just getting killed by all the travel”. But in his column for The Press he reveals his true reason.

“We are led to believe that all three SANZAR countries had agreed to field their strongest teams, and in fact NZ and Australia had sent their best available players to South Africa and filled the stadia and coffers of SARU.

What was the response of our supposed partner? They waited until after the second test and selected a B team.

Selfishness seems to be the order of the day in the professional rugby era and perhaps now is the time for Australia and NZ to play that game."

Wow, so instead of realising that there’s a problem brewing in international test rugby and sitting down with our closest neighbours to discuss what’s to be done, we should instead cut all ties with them. Yeah, let’s get them before they get us!

Instead, and I might just be crazy here, perhaps SANZAR should get together and exert some pressure on the IRB. Let’s see them turn a decent profit without the three southern giants. Moreover we should be embracing Argentina right now. The Argies are #6 at the moment giving us four southern hemisphere teams in the top 6. SAANZAR? SANZAAR? SAAAAR? (if New Zealand becomes Aotearoa)

I mean there is even the possibility that if we don’t throw a tantrum we could figure out a revenue sharing deal within SANZAR.

Finally, Moffett said the Super 14 tournament should be disbanded and replaced by a Super 10 competition with five New Zealand teams and five Australian teams. He told the Morning Herald that when expansion was required, national teams from the Pacific Islands (based in Australia and New Zealand) should be included.

If that doesn’t convince you that Moffett is high I don’t know what will. “When expansion is required”?! Pacific Island teams based in Aussie and New Zealand? The Super 14 needs a whalloping big kick in the bollocks but not like that.

Recent discussions have circulated on a global season. This would, most likely, require the Super 14 to change to being a winter tournament over lapping the Air NZ Cup with the international season being starting in late February.

South Africa has been quite nice to us recently I don’t see kicking them out of SANZAR as being a solution to anything. So please David, you’ve had your chance, now be quiet.

The Dropkicks - 2007 - Episode 21

Man, don't you hate it when you post the podcast after the weekend, thereby making your picks look all the more foolish. Yeah, me too.

Anyway, the Dropkicks look back at the South Africa v. All Blacks test match from the weekend before last, look forward to the Australia v. All Blacks game that has just happened (you'll never guess who we picked to win!), the Netball final between the Sting and Force, some player movements (phnarr!), and dick and athletes of the week.

Download Episode 2007/21.

Dom: Prediction Genius? You decide.

The following is an email (allegedly) from Dom about the All Blacks versus South Africa last weekend. Note that in gambling lingo putting in a forward slash (/) symbolizes halftime, (i.e. X/Y means team X leads at the half but team Y wins).

-----Original Message-----
From: Dom Gibbs
Sent: Friday, 22 June 2007 10:23 am
Subject: Tri-Nations

I had a dream the abs won 70-7. might venture a private bet.

In my opinion the boks 12 and under is the hedging bet. NZ have had the goods on SA over the last couple of years. Despite that 22-21 loss last year which was an anomaly. I mean we gave them a lesson in the other games. Apart from the locks its the same team.

We havent gotten any worse. We have played down at the level of France C and Canada so I think a top team will bring out a top performance.

But at home and full of confidence the boks will come out strong. Thats why I like the boks/blacks as the best bet.

They will be weaker without Smit and Dan can do dropgoals just as good as them.

The 'second-string' Boks

So, Jake White is taking the chance to do his own spot of reconditioning, and resting and recuperating his top 20 players from the Tri-Nations squad headed to Australia and New Zealand.

Now, of course, we all know Graham Henry was successful in getting 22 NZ players out of their respective Super 14 squads for the first half of that competition earlier this year for a spot of 'reconditioning'. Despite the wailing and gnashing of teeth, this still didn't stop the Crusaders and Blues from making the semis (where they lost, with their full contingent of All Blacks at hand), and Waikato likewise went close to to the top 4. In other words, the NZ teams were still competitive.

This South African side won't be. While they might push the Aussies, they are going to get thumped by the All Blacks.

One of the arguments for the move is that "the All Blacks have been doing it for years!" Witness this statement from Gerard O'Neill on the NZ Herald "Your Views" page...

This is all a bit rich isn't it? Didn't John Mitchell take a NZ C team to Britain a few seasons ago?

Did he? A "C" team? In the last overseas tour to Europe before the 2003 World Cup, the squad included the likes of Jonah Lomu, Christian Cullen, Andrew Mehrtens, Doug Howlett, Keith Robinson, Kees Meeuws and Ali Williams. We were, admittedly, a little lighter in the forwards than usual, but it was hardly 'C' squad - hardly even a 'B' squad really - and didn't stop the team from being competitive. We only lost by three points to the eventual World Cup champions England, drew with France (despite the ABs being shown three yellow cards), and thumped Wales. I don't think anyone really expects the South African team headed our way now to be a challenge to the All Blacks, who just beat the 'A' squad (minus several top players, admittedly), at Durban. Australia, maybe, but not the All Blacks. (We could, of course, be proven horribly wrong, which, if anything, would throw Jake White into more of a quandary - if his 'B' team can beat the ABs, why would he change a winning formula going into the World Cup?)

There is a difference between resting players but still sending a competitive squad (as per the 2002 All Blacks to Europe), and pulling your entire top squad and sending a 'B' team to the slaughter (as per the current SA squad headed to the Antipodes).

And it's probably going to be counter-productive anyway. The 'reconditioned' All Blacks only seem to be hitting their straps now, after half a season of Super 14 and a handful of test matches. How are the top South African players going to fare after no competitive games for a couple of months, the usual soft World Cup pool matches, and then the do-or-die intensity of the knock-out stages.

We shall see, I suppose. In the meantime, let's just enjoy watching the All Blacks dent some South African pride by giving the Bokke new boys and recalled old hands a rugby lesson on July 14.

South Africa v. All Blacks, Tri-Nations 2007: video highlights

Final Score: South Africa 21 - 26 New Zealand



Date: 23rd June, 2007
Location: Absa Stadium, Durban, South Africa
Crowd size: 51,861

SOUTH AFRICA: Montgomery; Willemse (Olivier 66), Fourie, De Villiers, Pietersen; James (Steyn 52), Pienaar; Du Randt (Van der Linde53), G Botha, BJ Botha (Muller 66), B Botha, Matfield (capt), Burger, Rossouw, Skinstad (Wannenburg 52)

Tries: Burger, James
Conversion: Montgomery
Penalties: Montgomery 2, Pienaar

NEW ZEALAND: Muliaina (MacDonald 70); Rokocoko, Toeava (McAlister 67), Mauger, Sivivatu; Carter, Kelleher (Weepu 69); Woodcock, Oliver (Mealamu 51), Hayman, Flavell, Rawlinson (Filipo 45), Collins, McCaw (capt), So'oialo

Tries: McCaw, Rokocoko
Converions: Carter 2
Penalties: Carter 3
Drop goal: Mauger

The Dropkicks - Episode 32

The latest podcast is now up!

This week's episode is bought to you by the letter O (for awesome) and the score line of 47-3. In their usual mix of low information content and possibly entertaining buffoonery, the Mallet, the Mouth of the South and Sideline Mike discuss international rugby results from around the world, including the big matches from Dublin, London and Lyons; the stadium controversy in Auckland; a bunch of other stuff that's probably completely meaningless; some reader mail; another new Dick of the Week; another new Athlete of the Week; before finishing up with yet another Last Word.

Episode 32 (right click, save target as...)