100th victory for coach Henry as All Blacks down Ireland
DUBLIN : New Zealand gave Graham Henry his 100th victory as a Test match coach with a 38-18 win over Ireland at Lansdowne Road here on Saturday that left star fly-half Dan Carter on the brink of a world record.
Carter landed seven goalkicks from eight, only missing with the final touch of the game, for a match haul of 18 points that left him just two shy of England star Jonny Wilkinson’s world record of 1,178 ahead of next week’s tour finale against Wales in Cardiff.
But a win that stretched New Zealand’s unbeaten record against Ireland to 23 victories in 24 Tests, with one draw, was anything but straightforward.
The All Blacks were 19-13 ahead at half-time but with Ireland still very much involved in an engrossing match.
But two converted tries early in the second period, from No 8 Kieran Read and replacement forward Samuel Whitelock, took New Zealand into a 20-point lead at 33-13.
That left Ireland with too much to do, despite a bold flourish in the final quarter and in the final minute Read’s second try set the seal on a remarkable achievement for Henry, who has now won 77 Tests with the All Blacks, 22 with Wales and one with the British and Irish Lions.
Carter, having succeeded with all seven of his previous goalkicks, was then narrowly off-target. It was a rare error in yet another masterful display.
This result also kept New Zealand on course for a third ‘grand slam’ in five years ahead of next week’s tour finale against Wales in Cardiff.
And it meant both captain Richie McCaw and Mils Muliaina could celebrate a 93rd Test appearance that saw them both become the most-capped All Blacks of all-time, breaking former New Zealand captain Sean Fitzpatrick’s record, with a hard-fought success.
Ireland, desperately uninspiring in a 20-10 win over Samoa last week, reverted to the bulk of the side that started in a 23-21 defeat by world champions South Africa at Lansdowne Road a fortnight ago.
Carter, kicked New Zealand into a seventh minute lead only for opposite number Jonathan Sexton to draw Ireland level from the halfway line.
Most of the game was being played in Ireland’s 22 but their midfield defence held firm, with centre Gordon D’Arcy putting in a thumping tackle on McCaw, who was breaking Fitzpatrick’s record on the ground where he made his Test debut back in 2001,
New Zealand’s pressure was rewarded by a second Carter penalty.
Ireland though stayed in the game and Sexton levelled the scores.
Minutes later Carter eased the All Blacks in front after Ireland wing Luke Fitzgerald, was penalised for not rolling away.
But Ireland won the ball from the restart and advanced into New Zealand’s 22. No 8 Jamie Heaslip, sent-off when the teams last met during the All Blacks’ record 66-28 win in New Plymouth in June, found Stephen Ferris.
The blindside flanker burst through a gap in the cover defence between Carter and McCaw for a well-worked try. Sexton converted and Ireland were 13-9 in front.
The remorseless Carter cut Ireland’s lead to a point after Ireland collapsed a scrum and New Zealand, having laid siege to the Ireland line, were rewarded when lock Anthony Boric burrowed over for a close range try.
New Zealand then caught Ireland cold, recalled centre Ma’a Nonu and flanker Jerome Kaino creating a try for Read.
Minutes later, McCaw sent in Whitelock for a try that stood despite a suspiciously forward pass from the captain.
But Ireland, undaunted, rallied through a brilliant break from Heaslip, who might have done better to carry on running rather than slowing down and waiting for support.
Ireland were at least in New Zealand’s 22 and from a scrum penalty – where the All Blacks were fortunate not to have a player yellow carded – captain Brian O’Driscoll’s superb one-handed pick-up saw the centre score a fine try.
However, Sexton’s touchline conversion hit the post.
Ireland battled hard and, with five minutes left, might have had a try from replacement back Keith Earls after working an overlap at the far corner.
But replay official Hugh Watkins ruled All Black wing Cory Jane had done enough to prevent Earls grounding the ball.
- AFP/fa
Rugby 100th victory for coach Henry as All Blacks down Ireland – Channel NewsAsia.
All Blacks | Rugby: Fruean Bolts Into All Blacks’ End Of Year Tour Contention
Richard Kahui’s season ending injury has opened the door forCanterbury centre Robert Fruean to make the All Blacks’ end of yeartour to Hong Kong, Britain and Ireland.
The hulking 105kg midfielder looms as a real bolter for the tournow that Kahui, who underwent shoulder surgery this week, is out ofcontention.
Other possibilities to back up the irrepressible Conrad Smithinclude Northland’s Rene Ranger, who has played three Tests alreadythis year, and the “chosen one”, Isaia Toeava, whose return forAuckland is imminent after a hip injury curtailed his internationalseason.
But Fruean has made a strong case in the ITM Cup this season. Heleads all try-scorers, with eight so far in just six matches, andhas line breaking ability that is second to maybe only Ma’a Nonu inthe New Zealand game.
The 22-year-old has no doubt that he is ready for his fullyfledged graduation.
“Yeah, I think I am [ready for the All Blacks], definitely, I amready to make that step up,” Fruean told ONE News.
His form is even more remarkable considering his much reportedheart problems, that forced him to sit out Canterbury’s first matchof the ITM Cup. He said that experience motivated him thisseason.
“There was a situation where my heart had palpitations. I sortof got a wake up call from the doctor with regards to the lifeexpectancy of my rugby career, so it’s now or never,” he said.
Former All Black midfielder Aaron Mauger, who was confirmed asthe Professional Development Manager for both Canterbury and theCrusaders this week, is taking a hands on role with the Canterburymidfield.
He is impressed with Fruean but thinks he needs to develop onepart of his game.
“I suppose distribution is problem, the big one for Robbie,”Mauger told ONE News.
“We know he can run the ball and score tries, but that’s onearea, we’d like to see improve. I know he can do it; we’d like tosee it on the field.”
It a criticism that current All Blacks second five-eighth Nonuhad to endure in the early part of his career. But now at28-years-of-age and 52 Tests behind him, Nonu has the vision andthe temperament to make the right play.
Fruean is six year his junior but the parallels between the twoplayers might work against him being selected for the end of yeartour.
The All Blacks, under Graham Henry, have shown a reluctance inthe past of pairing up two midfielders with similar skill sets.Nonu and Smith are peas and carrots – the former, the line breaker,the latter the distributor.
But Mauger has no doubt that both Fruean and Canterbury teammateSonny Bill Williams, who despite his tremendous off-loading abilityhas been caught out in terms of his positional play, can make thestep up.
“Those guys have got great attitudes, they’re looking to improveall parts of their game and I’m more than prepared to pass on whatI can.”
All Blacks | Rugby-Rokocoko Commits To All Blacks For World Cup
Winger Joe Rokocoko hascommitted to the All Blacks for next year’s World Cup on homesoil, the New Zealand Rugby Union said on Friday, putting anend to media speculation about his immediate playing future.
The 27-year-old, the All Blacks most capped winger with 66tests, had extended his national contract until the end of 2011and will play another season for the Auckland Blues in therevamped Super rugby season next year.
“I am really enjoying my rugby here at home and keen tocontinue playing throughout the rest of the year and into2011,” Rokocoko said. “It’s obviously going to be a massiveyear for New Zealand rugby next year and I want to be part ofit.”
Rokocoko started in six tests this year in aninjury-affected season and had been linked to a big-money moveto French club Toulon with a raft of fringe players vying forhis spot.
“Joe is the ultimate professional, a favourite with thefans and in his eighth year of professional rugby continues tobe an outstanding rugby player,” NZRU chief executive Steve Tewsaid.
“We are delighted that he has extended his contract throughuntil next year.”
All Blacks | RWC 2011: All Blacks To Play Day Game, Kick-off Times Revealed
Fans may have to up their coffee intake during next year’s Rugby World Cup after late kick-off times were officially confirmed today.
The opening match between the All Blacks and Tonga will start at 8.30pm while the semifinals and final will start half an hour later.
Rugby World Cup 2011 announced the kick-off times today which features ten afternoon matches, including the All Blacks’ final pool match against Canada in Wellington which will start at 3.30pm.
The later kick-off times for the semifinals and final are no surprise after they were announced early last year.
“We have achieved a good balance.” said Martin Snedden, CEO for Tournament Organisers Rugby New Zealand 2011.
“If New Zealand is to make the most of the platform RWC 2011 gives us to showcase our country to the world, then we need to ensure we maximise the global television audience for key matches.
“What has now been agreed with event-owner Rugby World Cup Ltd (RWCL) will help all hosting regions to promote themselves to the world and help fans, both domestic and international, to get on with planning their RWC 2011 experience with the start of the Tournament now less than a year away.
“The mix of match times should really contribute to the whole festival atmosphere of the Tournament. Ten of the 48 matches will be played in the afternoon including the New Zealand v Canada pool match. A further 12 matches will begin by 6pm and another seven at 7.30pm.”
Eden Park, the scene of the venue for the inaugural RWC Final in 1987, will host the Opening Ceremony an hour before the opening game on September 9.
“Today’s announcement represents another significant milestone for Tournament planning and preparation,” said RWCL Tournament Director Kit McConnell.
“With applications for individual match tickets having opened, this is a very exciting time for New Zealanders and the global Rugby family alike.
“RWC 2011 will be a special Tournament that global Rugby can be proud of. Those who go to New Zealand will see an irresistible mix of matches, live sites, festival activities and the best of Kiwi hospitality. We are all counting down the days to Rugby’s showcase event.”
- NZHERALD ONLINE
All Blacks | Clubs Consulted About All Blacks Rest Periods
All is operating smoothly with the formal announcement that some All Blacks will play ITM Cup rugby, while nine key players will play no rugby until likely selection for the end of year tour squad.
This varies to the Springboks, whose entire squad is on forced rest and conditioning with their respective provinces.
The Wallabies have effectively disbanded until mid-October.
The All Blacks coaching staff met individually with players before the test in Sydney last week, and a joint decision was made in regards to how much rugby each player would play before the squad is announced on October 17.
Wellington will be without four of their All Blacks, with Piri Weepu, Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith and Cory Jane all part of the small group who will play no provincial rugby.
Wellington boss Greg Peters said that the union was fully consulted before the final decisions were made.
“We were consulted and we understand the reasons fully,” Peters said to the Dominion Post.
“We respect the wishes of the players and the All Blacks to ensure these guys are in the best nick they need to be heading into a huge year for New Zealand rugby.”
“They’ve played all this rugby to date; then they’ve got a northern hemisphere tour, a short break over Christmas then back into an extended Super 15 next year, then straight into a World Cup at the end of next year.
“It’s a big workload, not only physically but being involved in rugby with three different teams throughout that period is quite challenging.”
Already All Blacks Liam Messam, Benson Stanley, Colin Slade, Anthony Boric and Rene Ranger have rejoined their clubs.
The only All Blacks who will not turn out for their domestic sides are Mils Muliaina, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Dan Carter, Piri Weepu, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw and Jerome Kaino.
John Afoa and Corey Flynn will return to Auckland and Canterbury respectively in week nine.
Aaron Cruden will be back in Manawatu colours in week ten, while Israel Dagg, Joe Rokocoko and Victor Vito back to their sides in week 11.
Brad Thorn (Canterbury), Jimmy Cowan (Southland), Tom Donnelly (Otago), Keven Mealamu (Auckland) Tony Woodcock (North Harbour) and the Franks brothers will all play one game for their province in week 12.
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All Blacks | All Blacks’ Kahui Out For Rest Of Year
WELLINGTON (AFP) – - All Blacks centre Richard Kahui will be out for the rest of the year after surgery on his injured right shoulder, team officials said Thursday.
Kahui suffered a setback while playing for Waikato this month, after being out since July with a small fracture to the shoulder socket, which he suffered in New Zealand’s opening Tri-Nations Test against South Africa.
“Its a real blow for Richard who had been recovering well from the earlier injury, but its in his best interests to get the shoulder fixed now,” said team doctor Deb Robinson.
Robinson added that the injury ruled Kahui out of the All Blacks’ end-of-year tour to Hong Kong and Europe.
All Blacks | Rugby: Kahui Ruled Out Of All Blacks End Of Year Tour
All Blacks and Waikato midfielder Richard Kahui has had surgery on his injured right shoulder ruling him out of rugby for the remainder of the year.
Kahui re-injured his shoulder playing for Waikato against North Harbour earlier this month. He had been out of rugby since suffering a small fracture of his right shoulder socket in the All Blacks’ opening Tri Nations Test against South Africa in July.
All Blacks Doctor Deb Robinson said Kahui underwent an arthroscopy in Auckland late yesterday which confirmed surgery was required.
She said the arthroscopic procedure had confirmed that the fracture was healing well, but Kahui had suffered a partial tear to his rotator cuff (the tendons that act to stabilise the shoulder) as well as minor cartilage damage, so had further surgery to repair those injuries.
“It’s a real blow for Richard who had been recovering well from the earlier injury, but it’s in his best interests to get the shoulder fixed now,” Dr Robinson said.
Dr Robinson said as a result, Kahui will be out of rugby for the remainder of the year, ruling him out of contention for the All Blacks end of year tour, but he will be available for next year’s Super 15 competition.
All Blacks | All Blacks Lose Kahui
Richard Kahui will miss the All Blacks’ season-ending northern hemisphere tour after a scan revealed he would need surgery on his right shoulder.
The 25-year-old centre suffered a small fracture in his shoulder socket in the All Blacks’ opening Tri-Nations test against South Africa in July and re-injured it when playing for provincial side Waikato earlier this month.
He had had an arthroscopy in Auckland on Wednesday which had confirmed surgery would be required to repair a torn tendon and minor cartilage damage.
“It’s a real blow for Richard who had been recovering well from the earlier injury, but it’s in his best interests to get the shoulder fixed now,” said All Blacks team doctor Deb Robinson.
He would not be expected to be fit until next year’s Super rugby season, she added.
The All Blacks will play Australia in Hong Kong on October 30 in their final Bledisloe Cup match before heading to Europe for November tests against England , Scotland , Ireland and Wales .
All Blacks | All Blacks Centre Kahui Out For Season
All Blacks centre Richard Kahui has been ruled out of rugby for the rest of the year due to a shoulder injury which requires surgery.
A shoulder injury means the All Blacks and Waikato centre will not play again until 2011, continuing an appalling run of bad luck with injuries.
Kahui re-injured his right shoulder playing for Waikato against North Harbour on September 4 after being sidelined for two months when he suffered a small fracture of his shoulder socket in the All Blacks’ opening Tri-Nations test against South Africa in Auckland.
Injury also sidelined him for a large portion of 2007 and last year he spent another six months on the sidelines due to a shoulder problem.
All Blacks doctor Deb Robinson said Kahui underwent an arthroscopy in Auckland on Wednesday which confirmed surgery was required.
She said the arthroscopic procedure confirmed that the fracture was healing well, but Kahui had suffered a partial tear to his rotator cuff (the tendons that act to stabilise the shoulder) as well as minor cartilage damage, so had further surgery to repair those injuries.
‘It’s a real blow for Richard who had been recovering well from the earlier injury, but it’s in his best interests to get the shoulder fixed now,’ she said.
Robinson said Kahui will be available for next year’s Super rugby competition.
All Blacks | All Blacks Centre Kahui Out For Season
Richard Kahui has been ruled out of rugby for the rest of the year.
A shoulder injury means the All Blacks and Waikato centre will not play again until 2011, continuing an appalling run of bad luck with injuries.
Kahui re-injured his right shoulder playing for Waikato against North Harbour on September 4 after being sidelined for two months when he suffered a small fracture of his shoulder socket in the All Blacks’ opening Tri-Nations test against South Africa in Auckland.
Injury also sidelined him for a large portion of 2007 and last year he spent another six months on the sidelines due to a shoulder problem.
All Blacks doctor Deb Robinson said Kahui underwent an arthroscopy in Auckland on Wednesday which confirmed surgery was required.
She said the arthroscopic procedure confirmed that the fracture was healing well, but Kahui had suffered a partial tear to his rotator cuff (the tendons that act to stabilise the shoulder) as well as minor cartilage damage, so had further surgery to repair those injuries.
“It’s a real blow for Richard who had been recovering well from the earlier injury, but it’s in his best interests to get the shoulder fixed now,” she said.
Robinson said Kahui will be available for next year’s Super rugby competition.
All Blacks | England Manager Martin Johnson Set For All Blacks Test
Johnson said: “The guys have tested the best I’ve seen since I’ve been here.
“The great thing in the summer was they saw it, they felt it, they played it. Now more of the guys understand what it takes to win at Test level.”
England lost the first Test of the tour 27-17 before fighting back to level the series with a 21-20 win in Sydney, their first victory in Australia since 2003.
Johnson added: “You have to demonstrate to yourself that you can do it. Teams will always get points on you because they are good teams, but it’s coming through that and finding ways to win.
“We had six players in Sydney who made their Test match debuts that season, so we have some very young guys who now have a good understanding of what it takes.
“You can talk to guys about it – until they go out there and experience it, even those midweek games on tour, they don’t really know what they’re getting into with Test match rugby.
“The guys who get it will be the ones who make it. If you don’t, you won’t.
“To be close is one thing, but to actually to get across the line is a big step. For us success is about lots of little steps, and winning that game in Australia was an important one.”
Under Johnson England have won just nine of 25 games; in the corresponding fixtures last autumn they lost 18-9 to Australia and 19-6 to the All Blacks. But Johnson insists he is not intimidated by history or the standard of rugby played by the southern hemisphere teams in this summer’s Tri Nations.
“Not every game has been 40-30. When we play them here in November the conditions will be different.
“What we’ve talked about as a side is that we have to be able to go into Test match intensity right from the start. The stuff we’ve seen in the first two weeks of the Premiership has been great – the ability to win the ball that much quicker at the breakdown – and the game has got faster, which is what you want to see as guys come into Test matches.
“We have to hit the field with full Test match intensity and execution – when you play guys who can score points that quickly, you have to be on the pace from the first whistle.
“New Zealand haven’t lost a game in Britain or Ireland for eight-odd years. It’s no bad thing that we play them first – we’ve played them last in the past two years and it’s been our best performance of the autumn.”
Last season Johnson found his first-choice XV decimated by injuries picked up in the early weeks of the Premiership season. But he says that unfortunate series of events has left his squad in far better shape a year on.
“We’ve got as better depth now. We want the same core of players available from series to series, because if you keep starting again it’s really tough – but the injuries last autumn brought guys into the fold.
“We know our squad far better, in terms of who we’ve got and where they are, but there are still places to be fought for this autumn and beyond to the World Cup. Who would have said this time last year that Dan Cole, Chris Ashton and Ben Youngs would be where they are today?
“The guys need to concentrate on their club form, but be mindful that they’re Test match players. Their standards have to be Test match standards whenever they train and compete.”
All Blacks | Rugby: Ten All Blacks Put In Cotton Wool
Ten All Blacks are off limits to their provinces before the end-of-year tour as the selectors begin their long-term World Cup preparations.
The rest of the squad involved in the Tri-Nations will be drip-fed into the ITM Cup if they are wanted by their provinces.
“Many of the players, especially those in the All Blacks’ starting XV, have had a big year with Super 14 rugby and the test season, while others haven’t played as much rugby,” coach Graham Henry said. “So we are taking a sensible approach in managing their workload as we prepare for the end-of-year tour as well as the new Super Rugby competition in 2011.”
Meanwhile midfield back Richard Kahui had an arthroscopy yesterday on his right shoulder, damaged in his return to the Waikato side. Surgery would inspect any damage on the interior of the joint and, if necessary, Kahui would have an operation.
Team doctor Deb Robinson said hooker Keven Mealamu would be out of rugby for several weeks with a strained calf muscle, while first five-eighths Aaron Cruden was recovering from a sprained left ankle.
The five-test end-of-year tour starts on October 30 in Hong Kong, leaving the All Blacks with an awkward interval before they leave. But it seems a few such as Andrew Hore and Isaia Toeava will resume playing then after recovering from serious injuries.
Once the tour is over and the players go on leave, they face a 2011 year of new challenges.
The retooled Super Rugby competition starts in mid-February and the champions might play 19 games before those who make the All Blacks advance to four Tri-Nations tests and then a potential seven World Cup internationals.
Henry has accepted there cannot be a blanket rule about rest for test candidates during the Super Rugby series but he suggested at least four weeks away from the game.
Similar sentiments have been delivered by South African sports scientist Professor Tim Noakes, who said players had to be managed through Super Rugby if they were to be at their best in the seventh World Cup.
He felt the ideal workload for top players next season should be about 17 games if they were to have the best shot at claiming the World Cup. He had a radical suggestion for the Springboks to stay at that level.
“Don’t play your best players against South African teams,” he said. “It makes a lot more sense to want to beat New Zealand and Australian teams. You have to beat your opponents if you want to be successful in the World Cup.”
That idea though runs against the marketing thrust of the new series with extra domestic pool matches.
Henry told the Herald recently the key to teams’ success in Super Rugby would be using and trusting their entire squad. That could be achieved by allowing potential All Blacks to miss games either side of the twin byes each team received.
“That is a logical way of looking at it and if players are out we think they should be out,” Henry said.
“They should go away, get out of the rugby environment, freshen up mentally and physically.”
PRESERVING THE PLAYERS
Exempt All Blacks:
Mils Muliaina, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Daniel Carter, Piri Weepu, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw, Jerome Kaino, Sam Whitelock.
All Blacks available for ITM Cup:
5 games: Colin Slade, Anthony Boric, Liam Messam, Benson Stanley, Rene Ranger. 4: Corey Flynn, John Afoa. 3: Aaron Cruden. 2: Victor Vito, Joe Rokocoko, Israel Dagg. 1: Keven Mealamu, Ben Franks, Tony Woodcock, Owen Franks, Tom Donnelly, Brad Thorn, Jimmy Cowan.
All Blacks | England V New Zealand Tickets: All Blacks Set To Be Huge Autumn International …
England take on New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 6th 2010, and Martin Johnson’s side will have to be at their best if they are to triumph.
England v New Zealand tickets – Buy Here
England won the Webb Ellis trophy in 2003 and were runners up in 2007, while New Zealand last made it to the final in 1995.
Recent form though does point to an All Blacks victory though, and England will do well not to be intimidated by the Haka prior to the match.
England v New Zealand tickets are on sale now – and tickets in the North Stand are currently the cheapest available at 100 from trusted vendor Seatwave. Lower Tier tickets meanwhile, will set rugby union fans back 200 – again from Seatwave.
Article originally published on Tixdaq.com
All Blacks | All Blacks’ Tonic For Victims
New Zealand steamed home to steal a 23-22 win over Australia and finish the Tri-Nations series unbeaten at the Sydney Olympic stadium on Saturday.
The All Blacks trailed 22-9 but late converted tries by skipper Richie McCaw and number eight Kieran Read secured their 10th consecutive victory over the Wallabies and their 15th straight win against all-comers.
It was the perfect tonic for the traumatised people of Christchurch, shaken by the September 4 quake which damaged an estimated 100,000 homes but killed no one.
‘It did mean a lot,’ said Flynn, one of eight Canterbury Crusaders players in the All Blacks squad in Sydney.
‘We talked about doing it for the people back in Canterbury and putting a smile back on their faces. It was a very special moment, especially for the guys from Christchurch. — AFP
All Blacks | RugbyU: All Blacks’ Tonic For Christchurch Quake Victims
SYDNEY, Sept 12, 2010 (AFP) – - The All Blacks were inspired to come from behind and down the Wallabies to lift the spirits of people affected by the powerful Christchurch earthquake, hooker Corey Flynn said on Sunday.
New Zealand steamed home to steal a 23-22 win over Australia and finish the Tri-Nations series unbeaten at the Sydney Olympic stadium on Saturday.
The All Blacks trailed 22-9 but late converted tries by skipper Richie McCaw and number eight Kieran Read secured their 10th consecutive victory over the Wallabies and their 15th straight win against allcomers.
It was the perfect tonic for the traumatised people of Christchurch, shaken by the September 4 quake which damaged an estimated 100,000 homes but killed no one.
“It did mean a lot,” said Flynn, one of eight Canterbury Crusaders players in the All Blacks squad in Sydney.
“We talked about doing it for the people back in Canterbury and putting a smile back on their faces. It was a very special moment, especially for the guys from Christchurch.
“Being away this week has been pretty tough so to go 3-0 against the Aussies is fantastic,” he said.
The All Blacks had already clinched the trans-Tasman Bledisloe Cup for an eighth straight year after winning 49-28 in Melbourne and 20-10 in Christchurch earlier in the season.
Flynn, who replaced Keven Mealamu after just 10 minutes when the first choice hooker succumbed to a calf injury, said the Canterbury-based playing contingent was looking forward to returning home.
They left for Sydney a day after the quake hit last weekend, before the full extent of the damage was apparent.
“We want to get back, make sure everything’s all right,” Flynn said.
All Blacks | RugbyU: All Blacks’ Tonic For Christchurch Quake Victims
SYDNEY, Sept 12, 2010 (AFP) – - The All Blacks were inspired to come from behind and down the Wallabies to lift the spirits of people affected by the powerful Christchurch earthquake, hooker Corey Flynn said on Sunday.
New Zealand steamed home to steal a 23-22 win over Australia and finish the Tri-Nations series unbeaten at the Sydney Olympic stadium on Saturday.
The All Blacks trailed 22-9 but late converted tries by skipper Richie McCaw and number eight Kieran Read secured their 10th consecutive victory over the Wallabies and their 15th straight win against allcomers.
It was the perfect tonic for the traumatised people of Christchurch, shaken by the September 4 quake which damaged an estimated 100,000 homes but killed no one.
“It did mean a lot,” said Flynn, one of eight Canterbury Crusaders players in the All Blacks squad in Sydney.
“We talked about doing it for the people back in Canterbury and putting a smile back on their faces. It was a very special moment, especially for the guys from Christchurch.
“Being away this week has been pretty tough so to go 3-0 against the Aussies is fantastic,” he said.
The All Blacks had already clinched the trans-Tasman Bledisloe Cup for an eighth straight year after winning 49-28 in Melbourne and 20-10 in Christchurch earlier in the season.
Flynn, who replaced Keven Mealamu after just 10 minutes when the first choice hooker succumbed to a calf injury, said the Canterbury-based playing contingent was looking forward to returning home.
They left for Sydney a day after the quake hit last weekend, before the full extent of the damage was apparent.
“We want to get back, make sure everything’s all right,” Flynn said.
All Blacks | RugbyU: All Blacks’ Tonic For Christchurch Quake Victims
SYDNEY, Sept 12, 2010 (AFP) – - The All Blacks were inspired to come from behind and down the Wallabies to lift the spirits of people affected by the powerful Christchurch earthquake, hooker Corey Flynn said on Sunday.
New Zealand steamed home to steal a 23-22 win over Australia and finish the Tri-Nations series unbeaten at the Sydney Olympic stadium on Saturday.
The All Blacks trailed 22-9 but late converted tries by skipper Richie McCaw and number eight Kieran Read secured their 10th consecutive victory over the Wallabies and their 15th straight win against allcomers.
It was the perfect tonic for the traumatised people of Christchurch, shaken by the September 4 quake which damaged an estimated 100,000 homes but killed no one.
“It did mean a lot,” said Flynn, one of eight Canterbury Crusaders players in the All Blacks squad in Sydney.
“We talked about doing it for the people back in Canterbury and putting a smile back on their faces. It was a very special moment, especially for the guys from Christchurch.
“Being away this week has been pretty tough so to go 3-0 against the Aussies is fantastic,” he said.
The All Blacks had already clinched the trans-Tasman Bledisloe Cup for an eighth straight year after winning 49-28 in Melbourne and 20-10 in Christchurch earlier in the season.
Flynn, who replaced Keven Mealamu after just 10 minutes when the first choice hooker succumbed to a calf injury, said the Canterbury-based playing contingent was looking forward to returning home.
They left for Sydney a day after the quake hit last weekend, before the full extent of the damage was apparent.
“We want to get back, make sure everything’s all right,” Flynn said.
All Blacks | It’s A Matter Of Respect: IRB Denies Overreacting
THE International Rugby Board has defended its hardline stance against teams responding to the All Blacks’ haka. The Australian Rugby Union was recently fined £1000 ($1677) after the women’s Wallaroos team advanced on the New Zealand Black Ferns’ haka before their World Cup clash last month.
The Wallaroos breached the IRB law that requires teams opposing a haka to stand 10 metres in their half and remain still. The fine created debate in Australia and many felt the IRB overreacted.
But IRB chief executive Mike Miller told the Herald it is disrespectful to respond to the haka – from the All Blacks or any of the Pacific Island teams – by stepping forward or openly reacting.
”It’s a traditional part of the game,” Miller said. ”If people want to develop something – not a response, not a war dance, but a traditional sporting or cultural way of engendering that team spirit for a match – great. They should be able to and we should create the space to do it.
”It would be a shame if people said: ‘Let’s do away with it’ or felt the need to do some response that took away from the dignity and power of it.”
Miller said teams that breached the IRB regulation cannot claim emotions got the better of them.
”There is the protocol that says let them have the space. We discuss it with everyone before. We say: ‘We are serious about this and that there is a fine’ if they do it,” he said. ”So they can’t say they didn’t know and most people respect that. These cultural parts of the game are important. We should respect them.”
Meanwhile, all obstacles stopping Argentina from joining South Africa, New Zealand and Australia in a Four Nations tournament for four years have been overcome, after a meeting in Sydney last week between the IRB, SANZAR and the Argentinian union. Miller said the task was to ”work when they will come in, what the governing structure is going to be, how are they going to split money and what will happen after the four years. Then they have to sign a contract. All the obstacles in the way have been cleared out.”
The IRB, Miller said, would contribute £1 million a year to Argentina to create academies and high-performance structures – ”everything you see here in Australia so they can bring along the players, so it’s not just one golden generation, and then the talent dries up”.
The IRB has also moved to ensure Argentina’s best players in Europe are released from their clubs to play in the allotted Four Nations window and pledged $US10m ($10.8m) over four years to SANZAR to cover the possible short-term financial losses from Argentina’s arrival.
””There has been a huge change in [mentality in] Argentina, the last of the top-10 unions to make the transition from the amateur game to the professional,” Miller said.
All Blacks | All Blacks: Cruden’s Biggest Test Arrives
It is time to tinker, a chance to test some of the next echelon of All Blacks but no occasion to ruin an unblemished season record.
That balancing act faces the All Blacks in Sydney tonight as they seek to melt their Wallaby hosts in the last act of the Tri-Nations.
While the trophy is confirmed All Black property, tonight’s result is open-ended as the Wallabies come off a rare win in South Africa and the visitors shuffle their playing roster.
How that affects the All Blacks rhythm is one of the intrigues about this test as new men get their turn to state their credentials for the end of year touring party and beyond.
A few reserves like Anthony Boric and John Afoa may be borderline picks for those trips and extended chances from the pine tonight may settle those decisions.
In the spotlight, front and centre will be young five-eighths Aaron Cruden.
He looks a player of immense talent, the selectors believe he has the temperament and class to make it and this is his showcase time.
The pressure and expectation is enormous. It will be difficult to put away comparisons with the injured Daniel Carter but test rugby is a brutal sporting inquisition.
If teams or individuals are out of sync, underdone, over the hill or tactically troubled, the outcomes can be messy.
This is the zenith of rugby. Participants can expect to be judged far more intently.
So Cruden, Victor Vito and Israel Dagg step from their backup places into the football frontline while Piri Weepu and Owen Franks come off spells into the playing XV.
The All Black staff have given little away about their strategies, insisting the replacements will fit into a pattern the side has developed this season.
That may be so but Cruden will bring a different style to the game and invariably the shape of the All Blacks. His instincts are to attack. He likes to challenge the line himself from phase play, he will keep the inside defenders even more aware.
That in turn will open up different chances out wide where Conrad Smith and Ma’a Nonu have to direct their young teammate.
However the All Blacks have shown a reluctance to kick away possession this season and it may be a low-percentage play without someone of the technical clout of Carter.
In their solitary excursion to Australia last year, the All Blacks began their 14-test unbeaten streak and continued their hold against the Wallabies with a solitary point, 19-18, victory.
It was a struggle, Carter was back for his first test after injury and there was a lack of rhythm about the All Blacks.
They have welded more authority to a convincing pattern this year, they have looked sharp and fit and should soak up the roster changes.
Franks continues to get huge raps from those in charge of the scrum, he leads from tighthead and is also an immense defender around the track.
His colleagues have also been strong in that area, getting off the deck quickly to reform their line. Tonight they will be urging each other on, for one last effort, before they take their leave under the collective agreement.
Quade Cooper could be the rogue problem, a running five eighths with mesmeric offloads who makes his Bledisloe Cup baptism after signing a revamped contract yesterday to take him to next year’s World Cup.
Cue the scrum, captain Richie McCaw and his marauding loosies to squeeze the quality and time in possession for the Wallabies.
If they can get points early, they should get into the Wallabies psyche to make them feel every minute of this match after the longhaul back from South Africa.
Ten straight sounds far better than “take that mate”.
All Blacks | All Blacks, Leones Del Caracas And Leijonat: Their Nations’ Best Loved Sports …
By Nick Harris
14 September 2010
Football’s status as the most popular team game in the world by some margin is supported by all kinds of data from participation numbers to crowd levels to TV rights sales to the popularity of the World Cup, which is the biggest single-sport tournament in the calendar.
Many nations consider football to be the national sport, and a new piece of research by sportingintelligence published today considers which football teams are not only the most popular in terms of total followers, but also in relative terms within their own countries.
In order to calculate this, we used Facebook as an indicator.There can be no doubt that with one in nine of the world’s adults having a Facebook account (rising towards one in two in some major western nations), that it provides the largest pool of market research data ever known. The sports industry’s understanding of the power and importance of social networks in marketing terms is in its infancy.
There are more than 500m Facebook users in the world now, and what those users do with their time online is of no small interest to researchers.
Our study set out to find the most popular sports team in a selected group of countries, and to see what those findings told us about sport in those countries.
The methodology was simple enough: find the number of Facebook users in each country (we considered adults, aged 18-plus), then the number of fans on specific sports teams’ Facebook pages, and then calculate what percent of a nation’s (Facebook) population followed one team.
Our findings relating to nations where a football team is the most popular are published here .
But in countries where a non-football team is most popular, the All Blacks rugby side of New Zealand come out on top as the most passionately supported sports team. New Zealand’s population is 4.4m people, and it has 1.5m adult Facebook users. The All Blacks fan page on Facebook has, at the time of writing, 448,000 followers, meaning the equivalent of 29.9 per cent of New Zealand are actively following.
It goes without saying that many All Blacks followers will be outside New Zealand, but many, a majority, will be inside. So with this “passion rating” of 29.9 per cent, we can tentatively conclude that rugby union is New Zealand’s favourite sport, and the All Blacks the nation’s favourite team within that sport. A lot of anecdotal evidence (not to say a lot of Kiwis), would support that finding.
Using the same logic, baseball is huge is Venezuela, and Leones del Caracas the most popular sports team in that country, with 570,000 Facebook fans from a “Facebook population” of 5.7m, for a “passion rating” of 10 per cent.
Finland’s national ice hockey team is the most loved team in that country (9.4 per cent “passion rating” among the nation’s people).
As our table below suggests in some detail, the favourite sports and teams within other nations include rugby union / Springboks (South Africa), cricket / Mumbai Indians (India), ice hockey / Montreal Canadiens (Canada), basketball / Lakers (USA) and rugby league / Queensland Maroons (Australia).
Social networking on the internet remains a fledgling past-time. Facebook is young but relatively mature, Twitter is younger and yet to be “mainstream” in the same way (fewer older people), although it’s heading there.
This research is meant only to provide a snapshot of the situation. Looking at the Facebook users as a percentage of total populations also tells you something about a nation. India has only 12m adult account users in a population of 1.2bn people (one in a hundred people), while America, Australia and New Zealand have more than one in three.
Sportingintelligence home page
More on Facebook trends in sport
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Do you watch Premier League football anywhere outside England? Join our unique research project
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
To measure the “real time” most popular sports teams in the world (by Facebook fans,
Algeria , Argentina , Australia , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Egypt , Finland , France , Germany , Greece , India , Indonesia , Italy , Mexico , New Zealand , Portugal , Serbia , South Africa , Spain , Turkey , United Kingdom , United States , Venezuela .
postedon : Tuesday, September 14th, 2010 at 10:38 am You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site.
All Blacks | RugbyU: All Blacks’ Tonic For Christchurch Quake Victims
SYDNEY, Sept 12, 2010 (AFP) – - The All Blacks were inspired to come from behind and down the Wallabies to lift the spirits of people affected by the powerful Christchurch earthquake, hooker Corey Flynn said on Sunday.
New Zealand steamed home to steal a 23-22 win over Australia and finish the Tri-Nations series unbeaten at the Sydney Olympic stadium on Saturday.
The All Blacks trailed 22-9 but late converted tries by skipper Richie McCaw and number eight Kieran Read secured their 10th consecutive victory over the Wallabies and their 15th straight win against allcomers.
It was the perfect tonic for the traumatised people of Christchurch, shaken by the September 4 quake which damaged an estimated 100,000 homes but killed no one.
“It did mean a lot,” said Flynn, one of eight Canterbury Crusaders players in the All Blacks squad in Sydney.
“We talked about doing it for the people back in Canterbury and putting a smile back on their faces. It was a very special moment, especially for the guys from Christchurch.
“Being away this week has been pretty tough so to go 3-0 against the Aussies is fantastic,” he said.
The All Blacks had already clinched the trans-Tasman Bledisloe Cup for an eighth straight year after winning 49-28 in Melbourne and 20-10 in Christchurch earlier in the season.
Flynn, who replaced Keven Mealamu after just 10 minutes when the first choice hooker succumbed to a calf injury, said the Canterbury-based playing contingent was looking forward to returning home.
They left for Sydney a day after the quake hit last weekend, before the full extent of the damage was apparent.
“We want to get back, make sure everything’s all right,” Flynn said.
All Blacks | All Blacks, Leones Del Caracas And Leijonat: Their Nations’ Best Loved Sports …
By Nick Harris
14 September 2010
Football’s status as the most popular team game in the world by some margin is supported by all kinds of data from participation numbers to crowd levels to TV rights sales to the popularity of the World Cup, which is the biggest single-sport tournament in the calendar.
Many nations consider football to be the national sport, and a new piece of research by sportingintelligence published today considers which football teams are not only the most popular in terms of total followers, but also in relative terms within their own countries.
In order to calculate this, we used Facebook as an indicator.There can be no doubt that with one in nine of the world’s adults having a Facebook account (rising towards one in two in some major western nations), that it provides the largest pool of market research data ever known. The sports industry’s understanding of the power and importance of social networks in marketing terms is in its infancy.
There are more than 500m Facebook users in the world now, and what those users do with their time online is of no small interest to researchers.
Our study set out to find the most popular sports team in a selected group of countries, and to see what those findings told us about sport in those countries.
The methodology was simple enough: find the number of Facebook users in each country (we considered adults, aged 18-plus), then the number of fans on specific sports teams’ Facebook pages, and then calculate what percent of a nation’s (Facebook) population followed one team.
Our findings relating to nations where a football team is the most popular are published here .
But in countries where a non-football team is most popular, the All Blacks rugby side of New Zealand come out on top as the most passionately supported sports team. New Zealand’s population is 4.4m people, and it has 1.5m adult Facebook users. The All Blacks fan page on Facebook has, at the time of writing, 448,000 followers, meaning the equivalent of 29.9 per cent of New Zealand are actively following.
It goes without saying that many All Blacks followers will be outside New Zealand, but many, a majority, will be inside. So with this “passion rating” of 29.9 per cent, we can tentatively conclude that rugby union is New Zealand’s favourite sport, and the All Blacks the nation’s favourite team within that sport. A lot of anecdotal evidence (not to say a lot of Kiwis), would support that finding.
Using the same logic, baseball is huge is Venezuela, and Leones del Caracas the most popular sports team in that country, with 570,000 Facebook fans from a “Facebook population” of 5.7m, for a “passion rating” of 10 per cent.
Finland’s national ice hockey team is the most loved team in that country (9.4 per cent “passion rating” among the nation’s people).
As our table below suggests in some detail, the favourite sports and teams within other nations include rugby union / Springboks (South Africa), cricket / Mumbai Indians (India), ice hockey / Montreal Canadiens (Canada), basketball / Lakers (USA) and rugby league / Queensland Maroons (Australia).
Social networking on the internet remains a fledgling past-time. Facebook is young but relatively mature, Twitter is younger and yet to be “mainstream” in the same way (fewer older people), although it’s heading there.
This research is meant only to provide a snapshot of the situation. Looking at the Facebook users as a percentage of total populations also tells you something about a nation. India has only 12m adult account users in a population of 1.2bn people (one in a hundred people), while America, Australia and New Zealand have more than one in three.
Sportingintelligence home page
More on Facebook trends in sport
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Do you watch Premier League football anywhere outside England? Join our unique research project
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
To measure the “real time” most popular sports teams in the world (by Facebook fans,
Algeria , Argentina , Australia , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Egypt , Finland , France , Germany , Greece , India , Indonesia , Italy , Mexico , New Zealand , Portugal , Serbia , South Africa , Spain , Turkey , United Kingdom , United States , Venezuela .
postedon : Tuesday, September 14th, 2010 at 10:38 am You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site.
All Blacks | RugbyU: All Blacks’ Tonic For Christchurch Quake Victims
SYDNEY, Sept 12, 2010 (AFP) – - The All Blacks were inspired to come from behind and down the Wallabies to lift the spirits of people affected by the powerful Christchurch earthquake, hooker Corey Flynn said on Sunday.
New Zealand steamed home to steal a 23-22 win over Australia and finish the Tri-Nations series unbeaten at the Sydney Olympic stadium on Saturday.
The All Blacks trailed 22-9 but late converted tries by skipper Richie McCaw and number eight Kieran Read secured their 10th consecutive victory over the Wallabies and their 15th straight win against allcomers.
It was the perfect tonic for the traumatised people of Christchurch, shaken by the September 4 quake which damaged an estimated 100,000 homes but killed no one.
“It did mean a lot,” said Flynn, one of eight Canterbury Crusaders players in the All Blacks squad in Sydney.
“We talked about doing it for the people back in Canterbury and putting a smile back on their faces. It was a very special moment, especially for the guys from Christchurch.
“Being away this week has been pretty tough so to go 3-0 against the Aussies is fantastic,” he said.
The All Blacks had already clinched the trans-Tasman Bledisloe Cup for an eighth straight year after winning 49-28 in Melbourne and 20-10 in Christchurch earlier in the season.
Flynn, who replaced Keven Mealamu after just 10 minutes when the first choice hooker succumbed to a calf injury, said the Canterbury-based playing contingent was looking forward to returning home.
They left for Sydney a day after the quake hit last weekend, before the full extent of the damage was apparent.
“We want to get back, make sure everything’s all right,” Flynn said.
All Blacks | All Blacks Back Charity Campaign In New Zealand
September 14, 2010by Tim Saunders
Over 1,700 needy children in New Zealand came together last week for a special event with the national rugby team, the All Blacks .
All Black hero Ali Williams helped national charity KidsCan hand out its 50,000th raincoat to children from low income families in Auckland.
“Giving a child a raincoat is about so much more than just protecting them from the elements,” Williams said. “It’s about giving kids the resource and the confidence to go to school and enable them to stand tall, be proud and further their education, all of which will lead us towards a better New Zealand.
“I feel really strongly about supporting Kiwi Kids via KidsCan’s programs which really do help kids to realize their dreams and am honored to be here today to celebrate the 50,000th raincoat.”
KidsCan is a registered Charitable Trust which operates in New Zealand. They are dedicated to meeting the basic physical needs of financially disadvantaged children, leveling the playing field for them so they have the chance to reach their full potential. The organization’s StandTall program provides free Adidas raincoats to children in need around the country. New Zealanders can also directly sponsor Kiwi children living in poverty through the “In Our Backyard” program – a monthly $15 donation buys one child a raincoat, shoes, socks and food at school for one year.
“So far children in 172 low decile schools across the country have benefited from the Raincoats for Kids program and we are proud to have reached this milestone for Kiwi kids in our own backyard who are living in poverty,” said KidsCan StandTall CEO Julie Helson. “Every year in New Zealand hundreds of children are arriving at the school gates cold and wet or not at all and the raincoats we distribute have had a huge impact on children’s attendance levels at school.
“We are really happy to have the support of leaders such as Ali Williams, who are an inspiration to these children.”
Find out more about KidsCan here .
All Blacks | RugbyU: All Blacks’ Tonic For Christchurch Quake Victims
SYDNEY, Sept 12, 2010 (AFP) – - The All Blacks were inspired to come from behind and down the Wallabies to lift the spirits of people affected by the powerful Christchurch earthquake, hooker Corey Flynn said on Sunday.
New Zealand steamed home to steal a 23-22 win over Australia and finish the Tri-Nations series unbeaten at the Sydney Olympic stadium on Saturday.
The All Blacks trailed 22-9 but late converted tries by skipper Richie McCaw and number eight Kieran Read secured their 10th consecutive victory over the Wallabies and their 15th straight win against allcomers.
It was the perfect tonic for the traumatised people of Christchurch, shaken by the September 4 quake which damaged an estimated 100,000 homes but killed no one.
“It did mean a lot,” said Flynn, one of eight Canterbury Crusaders players in the All Blacks squad in Sydney.
“We talked about doing it for the people back in Canterbury and putting a smile back on their faces. It was a very special moment, especially for the guys from Christchurch.
“Being away this week has been pretty tough so to go 3-0 against the Aussies is fantastic,” he said.
The All Blacks had already clinched the trans-Tasman Bledisloe Cup for an eighth straight year after winning 49-28 in Melbourne and 20-10 in Christchurch earlier in the season.
Flynn, who replaced Keven Mealamu after just 10 minutes when the first choice hooker succumbed to a calf injury, said the Canterbury-based playing contingent was looking forward to returning home.
They left for Sydney a day after the quake hit last weekend, before the full extent of the damage was apparent.
“We want to get back, make sure everything’s all right,” Flynn said.
All Blacks | New Earswick All Blacks ARLC Lose Out Against Ackworth Jaguars
10:28am Tuesday 14th September 2010
New Earswick All Blacks ARLC suffered their first defeat of the Pennine League division one east season as they went down 20-14 at Ackworth Jaguars.
The All Blacks took an early lead as good work down the left-hand side put centre Max Brachen over for an unconverted try.
Ackworth hit back with a converted try, but All Blacks responded with Brachen crossing for his second try, which he also converted.
Ackworth edged 12-10 in front just before the break with a converted try.
The opening ten minutes of the second period was a stalemate before Ackworth kicked a penalty goal and then bagged a converted try.
All Blacks pressured the Ackworth line, but were unable to breakthrough until prop Brian Wright powered over for an unconverted try to narrow the gap with five minutes remaining.
The visitors thought they had scored on the last play of the game, but the referee disallowed the try.
All Blacks’ man of the match was full-back Joe Stearman, who was backed up by loose forward Carl Barrow and winger Dean Layton.
New Earswick ‘A’ were unable to field a side against Hoyland Vikings, handing their opponents a 30-0 victory.
Impressive Selby Warriors won 68-0 at home to Greetland All Rounders, but their second-string suffered the indignity of being nilled.
Selby Warriors ‘A’ went down 74-0 at Odsal Sedbergh ‘A’ in division seven.
Heworth ‘A’ were beaten 40-20 at Shaw Cross Sharks ‘A’ in CMS Yorkshire League division three.
The final score flattered the hosts as they only pulled clear in the final 15 minutes after a brave effort by a young Villagers team well led by Ben Potter, Tyler Craig and Tom Hirst.
The first half was very even with the scores tied at 10-10 and midway through the second half Heworth trailed 26-20.
Try scorers for Heworth were John Jackson, Craig, Gary Watkinson and Potter, who also added two goals.
York Acorn ‘A’ were 30-0 winners over Kettlethorpe.
