Posts by Bart Janssen
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Hard News: Winning the RWC: it's complicated, in reply to Ian Dalziel,
Better take that one down to the metaphor shop”
I liked that one, too – and ya can imagine that as a full service station they are pumping with gas out on the metaphorcourt as well…
oooo that'll be one of 'em modern metaphors, all 'puters and software ... you'll need the special gnostic machine for that one you will ... if I try and fix it 'ere I'll bugger it up fer sure
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Hard News: Winning the RWC: it's complicated, in reply to 3410,
Never. Even. Said. That.
No you didn't and I got ridiculously preachy at you, for which I apologise.
That said, at a time when half the nation (or thereabouts) watched one game on TV you decided to mention that half didn't ... shrug.
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Hard News: Winning the RWC: it's complicated, in reply to Matthew Poole,
because a Kiwi didn’t win a Nobel Prize for which they’d been nominated
Or celebrated the folks who got Marsden Funding (equivalent to winning the NPC) or commiserated with those who didn’t … sniff.
Rugby is special to NZ, despite many other things being much more (objectively) important.
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Hard News: Winning the RWC: it's complicated, in reply to 3410,
Rather, that there are very large segments within NZ for whom it’s not important.
And my point is that if anything … absolutely anything, is important to half the people in this country then it important to the country as a whole. If you don’t care about Rugby then you ought to care about the other half of the people in NZ who do care about Rugby.
If 10% of people in NZ are passionate about something, anything, then it deserves the attention of the rest of us. Less than 10% of NZ will be directly affected by the oil spill in Tauranga, but that’s enough to make it important to all of us.
Part of “not being a dick about it” is understanding that others care and holding their emotional investment as an important thing … even if (especially if) you personally don’t give a rats arse.
Argh way way too preachy
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Yesterday the plumber at work and I were talking ... about Rugby.
He asked "if I was a Rugby man?" and I had to stop and think. Because I have played precisely two games of Rugby in my life (lunchtime at intermediate school, swore off when a friend broke his leg and the other players laughed) I can't say I'm a player at all.
And I've certainly had periods when watching Rugby has been unenjoyable.
The game is also a bit messed up by rules and "the IRB".
But at this time, yes, I am "a rugby man". We have watched most of the games, some with friends at our place or theirs, some just the two of us and bemused cats. We have shouted at the big screen and cringed at the injuries. And we've hung bunting and even flags (an NZ flag is on a pole at our house!). We have planned for our friends to come over on Sunday and we will enjoy ourselves.
Part of it is really the occasion. It really has captured the imagination of many many people ... we live in Mt Roskill and we have lots of Tongan and Samoan and Fijian flags being driven around our neighbourhood .. and those people are damn well enjoying the cup and it's infectious.
But for me part of it is seeing really talented athletes perform with skill and even grace. Yes it's a bit brutal at times but for the most part this All Black team seems to play with a coordination and precision that is inspiring to behold. I get the same pleasure watching almost any athlete.
But to be honest with this AB team there is something more involved something to do with those joyful Tongans, something to do with hearing a crowd of introverted kiwis scream at the top of their lungs, something to do with seeing Auckland try so very hard to entertain everyone.
It's a complicated feeling but it's a good one.
PS see that's a long post! :)
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Hard News: Winning the RWC: it's complicated, in reply to 3410,
that half the country didn’t even watch last night’s match
Your point of course being that half the country did
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Hard News: Winning the RWC: it's complicated, in reply to Emma Hart,
dubstep version
Really should learn what dubstep actually is
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Hard News: Winning the RWC: it's complicated, in reply to Samuel Scott,
Sorry, huge comment.
meh only medium sized, Ben and I do HUGE.
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Field Theory: All Blacks v Wallabies Tensionfest, in reply to BenWilson,
I’ve seen a few refs go to the TV ref over possible reasons not to award a try
They can go to the TMO for pretty much anything relating directly to the try. It might have been marginal to check whether Dagg was out but I've seen it done with no comment. But it has to be directly leading to the try. The law doesn't exclude checking things between the try lines specifically, that I think is a referees directive.
BUT the TMO cannot offer information that was not asked for. So in Brisbane the ref asked for grounding and the TMO offered something else, that was the problem.
That's why the ref is now asking specifically for any reason to not award the try, that gives the TMO the freedom to answer.
Essentially the problem is the language used has to be specific.
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Field Theory: All Blacks v Wallabies Tensionfest, in reply to Russell Brown,
That backline going nuts for the last 30 mins would be a nice way to finish
Tt does seem that defensive lines for all the top teams are very very good. So the days when our backline could just carve them up at will seem to be over, even if we dominate.