stuff and rugby

[Ken Gargett]

Greetings. Apols for the lack of contribution of late – Spitbucket and so on.

Rob has given me a push to contribute a bit more, although rather poorly, banned me from guns – though if others raise the topic, I can hardly be blamed for responding.

Anyway, with carte blanche to have a rant about anything else, I can live with that.

Have been away a heap. Just back from the Barossa looking at the new line of St Hugo wines – they have added to the Coonawarra Cabernet. The star is the Barossa Shiraz – a cracker. A bit less excited by the Barossa GSM.

I should have stayed on the plane. Home in time to watch the Broncos stuff their semi.

But first, arrive home and you know how you just know something is not right. Finally spotted a great deal of reptile in the garage disappearing behind some wine racks. Carpet python. Not sure how long as didn't see it all but I did see at least 6-8 feet still to leave.

Broncos. All over in 15 minutes. They did very well for the rest of the game, given Lockyer out and they are mostly a bunch of kids. This week will be very interesting and show whether the NRL is legit or the dodgy, integrity-free zone they seem determined to convince the world they really are. After the disgrace of the Taylor/Uate inequities re suspensions earlier this year, where Taylor gets five weeks and Uate let off for identical actions (one plays for Qld, one for NSW), be fascinating to see what happens with the two on report. Any other club, they could expect to be rubbed out of the final. As they are from Manly, be very surprised if both don't play. At which time, Gallop will have finally caved in to the dark side and can never expect a shred of respect again.

Then flicking across to the AFL final – what a great game, but Hawthorn manage to let the pies escape at the last minute. Soooo disappointing.

In the middle of all this, a god-almighty crash in the garage. Go back, and sure enough, the snake is back and has knocked several bottles of a shelf. I look for it but can't spot it but then wonder what the hell is this thing hanging from the edge of the door. Eye level. About a foot from me. Yep, one grumpy snake. Still no idea how long as the front part was already disappearing again.

And yes Rob, this does have a cigar nexus – smoked a lovely SLR DC during all this. Hardly had a smoke for ages (tho the Punch SS1'S Rob brought over the other day were superb). Too wrapped up in all the games to enjoy it properly. When things settled in the middle of all this, had about an inch left. Enjoyed that.

And then we have the Wallabies.

One more person tells me that we have the world's best coach and I will spit.

If the Irish debacle was not bad enough, last night we come against the USA. WHO RESTED 14 OF THEIR BEST TEAM. We played their seconds. Any other Aussie feel a bit insulted or shamed. The Americans rest players against us. How utterly demoralising.

But we needed a good win. And got it on the scoreboard, but, even without the heap of injuries, a shocker performance. Dismal. We could not beat the proverbial egg.

Notwithstanding the score, America had considerably better of the possession and the territory in percentage terms. Seriously? We could not dominate the Seppos' B team? No disrespect to our American friends but that makes me feel unclean.

Two of the major rants I had when I first saw the team were that we picked was that we only picked one openside flanker. For non-rugby fans, that is like an NFL team having only one single quarterback in their entire squad or, if you are an Aussie Rules fan, imagine that each side had to pick a squad for the entire season and you were allowed 36 players, as in two full teams – and that your coach picked just one single ruckman. That is how brain-dead Robbie Deans is.

And in the last two games, how many turnovers did we win at the breakdown? ZERO. Not one. Not a single one. We could not even get a single turnover at the breakdown against the Seppos' seconds. That is possibly the lowest ever moment in Aussie rugby.

The other rant – of our 30 selected players, around a third were underdone or still injured. What dimwitted, mentally challenged moron would come up with that? And hasn't it gone well. Of course, you'll get more injuries with blokes trying to come back too soon or still not fully fit. Deans could not coach a clock to tell time.

Surely, half way through the pool section, you would be fine-tuning the combinations. At most, you might have one position to decide on, but unlikely. And that is pretty much the state of play for every other team on the planet. Not us. We have had four years under Deans to get this right. Or get close. And clearly, we have not got a clue. Last night, was the 16^th centre combo he has tried.

There is not a single combo, and indeed most positions, that are not still up for grabs. We should sue Deans for impersonating a coach.

I know some injuries but last night, at various times, we had a 35 year old back rower on the wing; a hooker at number 8 and then 7; a number 8 at 7, from the start, expect when it finally dawned on the simpletons in the coaching box that perhaps it would be a better idea to put the hooker at 7 so McCalman could go back to 8 – the only time he looked remotely comfortable. We had number 4 at 6.

But surely the most mindbogglingly stupidity of all was re Barnes. Granted I think the bloke has the integrity of, well any other footy player, but he is what we've needed at in-centre. Brings calm. Goal kicking, solid defender. Pat McCabe, who Deans has been trying to force into in-centre (talk about the square peg), had, according to Phil Kearns, passed the football on one single occasion in his six tests. That must send defenders into a tizz? What is he going to do? Will this be the week he makes his second pass? But Barnes makes his return. Now, is there really any possibility of Deans breaking up the Cooper-Genia combo? It is the one thing we have that might just help us win a game. Got the Reds across the line for the Super 15 trophy, though to be fair, Qld did have a bloke who had a basic idea of coaching, unlike the one kiwi that actually makes you nostalgic for that toxic hobbit, Jones. So Deans does not start Barnes – why give him as much game time as possible? And then brings him on late first half and moves him into fly half. NOT in-centre. What on earth?

Does anyone really believe that Deans will play Barnes there instead of Cooper (mind you, perhaps he is even dumber than it seems, though that hardly seems possible)? So instead of trying to build combination between Cooper and Barnes, he moves Cooper off to who knows where. And Barnes plays in a position where he will not play in any serious game.

And we sign Deans for a few more years BEFORE the Cup? For which O'Neill should be fed to fire ants, slowly and painfully. The reason? We don't want any other team getting him? Who'd want him and why? Namibia? Peru? The Faeroe Islands? To be honest, they would probably have better options already.

Oh yes, the wonder coach from the Crusaders. Seriously? A rabid barnacle could have coached the Crusaders. A provincial competition with a team which has the greatest fly half to ever play, arguably the greatest flanker, and then an entire team of Test players. These are not blokes who played one test for Romania against Scotland. These are the All Blacks. Who could not have coached them to success in a provincial comp? It is more surprising that they ever lost anything.

Coaching them would be like coaching the Chicago Bulls in Jordan's day. “Give the ball to Michael”. Brilliant. You are a genius. All you have to do. The Crusaders? “Get them to the ground”. All you have to do.

Needless to say, I am not a fan of Deans. And I, tragically and would be so happy to be wrong, think we have beyond bugger all chance of winning anything with this imbecile anywhere near the Wallabies.

The over-hyped, arrogant, dumb kids in gold jerseys who bizarrely seem to think they were born to win are another story.

[Ken Gargett]

i should have made clear for those not completely up to date, our one openside flanker went down injured after opne game. so we have no one. MORONS.

[Colt45]

No disrespect to our American friends but that makes me feel unclean.

The U.S. has a rugby team?

[cckandb24]

That's news to me too on the american rugby team. Are we that good to play our seconds???

[cckandb24]

That's news to me too on the american rugby team. Are we that good to play our seconds???

[mazolaman]

The U.S. has a rugby team?

yes,and not a bad one really.The Canadians aren't bad either,and they have better beards.....

That's news to me too on the american rugby team. Are we that good to play our seconds???

No,it's more to do with the way the tournament is set up.

Teams know that they probably won't beat,say Australia,but they could still qualify for the next round by beating their last,and more inferior,opponent,say Japan.So they save their better players for this match.

[Ken Gargett]

The U.S. has a rugby team?

they do. most, but not all, of their better players are born in australia or south africa or europe. one of the partners in the law firm i worked with in DC was a mad keen rugby player (and 100% american). you blokes ever took it seriously, we'd all be in strife.

[Colt45]

they do. most, but not all, of their better players are born in australia or south africa or europe.

Well, that makes all the sense in the world, doesn't it.....

[Ken Gargett]

Well, that makes all the sense in the world, doesn't it.....

you have no idea...

[Torontonian]

Rugby is becoming increasingly popular here in Canada. It's featured on sports channels and the like. Most schools have rugby teams. Anyway, quite an advance from a decade or so ago.

[mazolaman]

they do. most, but not all, of their better players are born in australia or south africa or europe.

Such is the way of modern sport.

It's something I'm not keen on,I would rather loose with 15 Englishmen....

We have several Kiwis and a couple of Safas in our team....and don't even talk about the cricket team....!

Many people don't seem bothered,as long as we are winning,but it slightly taints it for me.

Canada,the USA and Russia have a great potential for rugby,with a big pool to pick from,and maybe the money to back it.

It would be great if sufficient interest leads to the imports being replaced by homegrown talent.