I love sour grapes - Olympics, angry Ted and Italian conspiracies

Here is some food for thought - how much match fixing goes on in sport? Are we only aware of the trimmings that are revealed public? What if most fixing goes unnoticed or is not followed up on?

Ponder this - would it really be that impossible to believe that match fixing occurred at the 2007 Rugby World Cup? That Sir Graham Henry is correct in his assertions?

I know, the All Blacks could have taken a dropped-goal, and Ted could of organized his substitutions and selections better, but there is every possibility that this could be more than just sour grapes from the 2011 Rugby World Cup winning coach. Graham Henry is not stupid. Has he become deluded in his old age? Maybe.

It was revealed in the Sunday Star Times (29th July 2012), through an extract of Sir Graham Henry's book that he was astounded at the lop-sided penalty count against his All Blacks. The French were only penalized twice throughout the 80 minutes by referee Wayne Barnes and constantly offside. The forward pass was witnessed by everyone present at Cardiff that day apart from the three men that matter most. The sin binning of Luke McAllister was nothing short of ridiculous.

It is sad that the values that once dominated sport are becoming obsolete. In ancient Greek times the Olympics was about the natural body, harmony, an escape from the troubles of everyday life. There was no corruption, no capitalist ethic; amateur, ordinary people would compete for their people and cities.

Fast-forward to the present where money and power rules. People do too much in order to either gain a financial profit or adopt a "win at all costs" attitude by taking performance enhancing drugs or fixing a match.

If someone offers you some money to do something - whether it be to bowl a no-ball in cricket or remove impartiality from a whole sporting event - you would probably do it if the lure is that great.

In October 2011,Canterbury Bulldogs player Ryan Tandy was found to guilty of match-fixing. Tandy was fined $4000 for giving away a penalty in front of his goal line two minutes into a 2010 match against the North Queensland Cowboys. Before kick-off, large sums of money were put on the "first scoring play" option of a two-point penalty. The Cowboys, unfortunately for all those punters, decided to take a tap and work towards the tryline.

After only a few days, the London 2012 Olympics have already had their handful of suspensions. What happened to the three Olympic oaths (athletes, judges, coaches) that were read out during the opening ceremony?

These oaths, I unfortunately believe, are non-existent across many sports. Here is what the judges/referees are supposedly promising: "In the name of all the judges and officials, I promise that we shall officiate in these Olympic Games with complete impartiality, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them in the true spirit of sportsmanship."

So back to the Cardiff nightmare, did Wayne Barnes really referee that game completely without bias when you look at the stats and, as Henry did, the videotape?

These recent revelations from Henry has brought back very unfortunate memories for myself. They have haunted me every day I read, hear, or view anything to do with Italian football. I admit the Calciopoli scandal in 2006 was an embarrassment to Italian football, but this is not what I am talking about.

At Euro 2004, Italy had to beat Bulgaria and hope that Sweden and Denmark did not play out a 2-2 draw. Believe it or not, the Scandinavians did exactly that, exchanging goals, including an 89th minute equaliser to Sweden, to knock Italy out of the tournament. Italy were not at their best during this tournament, but still, another example of an unusual occurrence.

Italy and Spain were two of the favourites to win the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan, the first time the global showpiece was staged in Asia. Remember the money rules argument above? The further the hosts advanced in a tournament, the more the population will maintain interest and the more money that will presumably be made. Am I right in saying that France co-hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup? Coincidence anyone?

Italy or Spain had just as much right as any other team to win that tournament. They had no god-given right to do so, but this following discussion will sound like sour grapes. Like Sir Graham, I will analyse some videotapes.

When Italy played Croatia in the group stage, they were off their game defensively, so you could argue that they did not play well enough to win the game. Does that make it alright to forget about the controversial decisions just because you were not the best team on the day? Chrisitan Vieri had a goal disallowed for offside shortly after he had given Italy the lead. Replays show he was clearly onside. In injury time with Croatia up 2-1, Filipo Inzaghi was penalized for shirt pulling as a long ball by Marco Materazzi rolled over the goal line. It is blatantly obvious there was no shirt pulling on Inzaghi's part.

The two goals disallowed for offside against Mexico were very tight and I will accept that they were tough calls to make for the linesman.

The quarterfinal against South Korea was a perfect example of how sport is beyond the point of corruption. The Koreans were constantly fouling the Italians the whole game, yet Italy are far from innocent because of their strong history of diving among other teams. So at times it was hard to tell who was at fault when not counting the kicks to the head. Damiano Tomassi scored the golden goal but was, again, ruled offside. Shortly after, Totti was sent off for diving in the penalty box, another disputed call and Korea scored the golden goal. After Italy's elimination, coach Trapattoni cried out conspiracy.

Spain also had their fair share of controversial calls go against them in their quarterfinal against South Korea. For example, a Spaniard crossed the ball into the goal box which was then converted, but the linesman had ruled that the ball had crossed the touchline before it was crossed.

Referee for the Italy-Korea match, Byron Moreno, was suspended for 20 matches later on in 2002 after some poor officiating in an Ecuadorian football match. Moreno signalled six minutes of injury time but did not blow the whistle until 13 minutes had passed. After coming back from suspension in 2003 Moreno was again suspended, then decided to retire from refereeing altogether. It seems that final justice was served when Moreno was caught smuggling heroin at JFK Airport at the end of 2010. He was later sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

FIFA, unlike the IRB with Barnes in 2007, launched an official investigation into Moreno during 2002 after his performances. Graham Henry has argued in his book that there should be some sort of investigation process in rugby.

Sport is full of corruption and it is very sad for a passionate sports nut like myself. In conclusion, I will not be surprised one bit if, in several years time, Wayne Barnes makes a confession. What if Dan Carter or Luke McAllister were paid to not take a drop-goal that same day? It sounds more ridiculous than being paid to give away a penalty but we might know one day. Bring back the days of amateurism in the good old times of ancient Greece.

Archery? Really?

Rugby union, cricket, football, golf, rugby league, throw in a bit of tennis, and you have the sports I follow with the most passion and excitement. I find it hard at times to get immersed into most other sports.

So it is a breath of fresh air when the Olympics come around every four years. The so called "minority" sports, from my perspective at least, get their chances to showcase their values.

Archery seems too simple to get excited about. There are only a few rules (stand behind the line, hit the target, release the arrow within a certain time frame). Not much action occurs either. But this is the great thing about it. You actually have nothing to complain about referee-wise. Just sit and enjoy people using a bow and arrow; concentrating on a target; watching their reaction as they hit or miss.

So it was with confusing unfamiliarity that I found myself sitting down watching the Men’s Teams Gold Medal today within the confines of Lord’s Cricket Ground. I'm sure the fact that the Italians were in the final had something to do with that, but nonetheless, I became amazed at what I was witnessing.

Italy came up against the top ranked USA team after upsetting the South Koreans in the semi-finals. The Italians took the lead early on after some excellent shooting from 36 year-old Michele Frangilli, who was part of the Italian team that won a bronze medal at Atlanta 1996 and silver in Sydney four years later.

The Americans slowly crept their way back into the race for gold and finished their 24 arrows with 218 points. Italy, with one arrow remaining, needed a 10 to take out the gold. Up stepped Frangilli, the veteran of the three man team also comprised of Marco Galiazzo and Mauro Nespoli. The concentration on his face is something that I can only compare to Tiger Woods needing to hole a last-hole putt for the win. Four years of preparation, almost two decades of Olympic participation, came down to one release of the arrow for gold.  It pierced the 9-10 line, therefore counting as a 10. Italy now had their first Archery gold medal.

Archery is similar to golf in many ways, none more so than the importance of a pre-routine. Frangilli touched the arrow to his lip; Marco Galiazzo touched it to his nose. Archery and golf are not exactly the most physically-demanding sports, but definitely two of the most mentally demanding sports around.  Both are a game of millimetres. Whether it is the lip of a hole in golf or the line between getting a 9 or 10 in archery – both will present their spectators with “so close” moments.

I now have a new appreciation for a sport, which is what the Olympics seem to do to me every four years. In Beijing 2008 it was cycling - particularly the velodrome races, in Athens 2004 it was the shot-put. London 2012 has given me the chance to respect the sport of archery.

long may they continue or may they long be forgotten?

Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson and Ernie Els. Not only are these three golfers winners of three out of the last four majors, they also use "long" putters and did so when capturing their respective majors: Bradley at the 2011 USPGA, Simpson at the 2012 US Open, and Els at the 2012 Open Championship which concluded this week.


However at the Open Championship, most of the talk surrounded Australian Adam Scott and his putter, due to the fact he led the tournament by four shots entering the final round. People on the Golf Wrx Forums were labelling him a "janitor", the guy who uses the "broomstick," and hoped that the "golfing gods" would take care of him on the last day. They did, but they still allowed another long putter user, Els, win their most prestigious tournament. How dare the gods do something like that. Shouldn't they crown a traditional putter, like Graeme McDowell or Tiger Woods, both near the top of the leaderboard as round four commenced, their "Champion golfer for 2012?"

The long putters fall into two main categories: bellys and broomsticks. Belly because the player anchors his putter to his belly button or surrounding area, and broomstick because they are ridiculously long. Adam likes to connect the tip of his putter to his chest while other simply hold it out in-front of them. It would be a fair contest height-wise if I stood beside this putter.

Long putters are not a new phenomenon. Johnny Miller is regarded as the first pro to use a long putter in a PGA Tour event, back in 1980. So is the reason they are causing such a big stir because players are using them to win at the pinnacle of golf?

Ernie made the switch to the belly putter earlier this year after some average form, especially with the putter, saw him miss the Masters for the first time since 1993 and his first major of any kind since 2005. It has worked wonders to his game and brought him back in side the world's top 50.

A lot of golf fans, most of them purists and traditionalists, want these long putters to be banned for good. This is not how golf was meant to be played, they say, with players anchoring their putters to their body giving them unfair advantages in terms of controlling the path of their stroke. Essentially, a passive-aggressive way of calling them cheats. Technically though, what the likes of Adam Scott and Ernie Els are using, and doing, is not cheating. The R&A's rules of golf state that putters must not exceed 48 inches (1.219 metres) in length.

But many are calling for a rule change, most notably Tom Watson and Greg Norman. Watson argues that  a swing with a long putter is not a "stroke of golf." Norman speaks along the same lines, "When you 
have something hinged to an 
anchor, it’s not a true swing."


Where do I fit into the picture? Would it be too extreme of me to say I want them gone completely? I agreed with the groove rule change 3 years ago, which was intended to place more importance on hitting the fairway while giving golfers less chance of generating spin from the rough. But the pros are that good that I'm sure they haven't noticed a huge difference. Bubba Watson still kills the ball off the tee and can hook a wedge 30 yards, as witnessed during the Masters playoff this year.

 If they are going to ban long putters completely, then why not do something about the drivers. Most golf courses - especially those on small land areas that are unable to keep lengthening the holes to compensate for golfers making a mockery of their short distances - cannot keep up with the driver technology. Manufactures are continuously finding a way to increase the MOI (moment of inertia), which reduces twisting at impact. I argue that long putters give just as much advantage as movable weight technology in driver heads. Surely the golfing gods hate the fact that we can just insert a screw, change the loft, and manipulate the lie angle. Whatever happened to just hitting a driver with head, shaft and grip? Why can we use drivers that are square? Although these have not lived up to the hype which surrounded them in their infancy. Should we get as picky as banning the white coloured heads, which some manufacturers believe provide greater contrast with the green grass for our eyes? No let's not go that far.

What I'm trying to say here is that distance is ruining golf. Pros should not be allowed to reach a 600 yard hole in 2 shots in neutral wind conditions. Gone are the days where 470 yard par 5's were challenging. Tiger even tees off with his 2 iron on holes this long, and not on par 5's, but on par 4's.

Back to the main discussion on putters, if their length and capability to anchor with the body is supposedly unfair, and if they help some golfers to overcome the "yips," then why are golfers allowed to install those chunky grips on their putters to quiet down their wrist movement?

A complete ban on long putters, I'm not talking about the anchoring component but the actual length, would mean the end of golf for seniors. People still like to see the old greats like 1985 and 1993 Masters winner Bernhard Langer and Australian Peter Senior, who at 50 years of age won the 2010 Australian PGA.

People have various physical hindrances that halt their ability in various ways. Some people just have problems with their wrists, like some people might have a problem with their foot. However when does a physical hindrance become a disability, and where do you draw the line for golfers to accept that they just cannot play golf anymore the way it was meant to be played? It is a complicated issue, but after coming across Greg Norman's assertion, I think I have finally made up my mind: "When you 
have something hinged to an 
anchor, it’s not a true swing" There it is, keep the long putters but throw out the anchoring-to-the-body component. It is almost impossible for golfers to not anchor the putter to their arms or wrists when putting and this is how it has always been, but no more anchoring to the body, chest, stomach, whatever. Hypocritically, if my man Sergio had of made his 8 foot putt to win the 2007 Open Championship, with his  putter touching his belly, I probably would love them nowadays!

Anyway, I think it is ridiculous that even if a change is made by the R&A, it will not be implemented until 2016. Yes, that's right, in four years time! So the purists will have to put up with the cheats for just a wee bit longer. The R&A seem to take their time when it comes to rules. Unless I miraculously become a nationally recognized amateur on international pro, I can keep my deep-grooved irons until 2024. The pros still get more backspin with their legal, more shallow-grooved irons than me. On the flip-side, I still have another 12 years to figure how to do it with mine.

What's in a swear?

Tiger Woods' recent outbursts at the Open Championship two weeks ago sparked another debate concerning Tiger's oncourse antics and, in general, swearing in golf. At times it looks very pathetic and childish. After a bad tee shot on the 11th during his 3rd round, Eldrick was heard saying "mother ******."

Spitting on a green, kicking a club 10 yards and muttering "f**kin bulls**t" to himself after missing a putt, are just some of the things Tiger has done this year that were captured on live television. I will never forget Tiger's faux pas back in 2006. In a post-round interview after failing to retain his green jacket, Tiger gave the media his reason for his poor play: "I putted like a spaz." Uh oh!!!

I think I understand the reason why Tiger does these things. He is angry. Maybe, on a subconscious level, he uses this technique to demonstrate to viewers that he has very high expectations and expects better of himself. Fair enough I guess.

Question time. If people do not understand your language, does that make it alright to swear? For example, there is a video on YouTube of Ernie Els after he as he reacts to a bad golf shot. "Ah pull it you doos. Get lucky please," he says. Apparently "doos" is as bad as saying a derogatory four letter English word. You fill in the blanks ... c_ _ t. Francesco Totti, speaking on Italian television after Italy won the 2006 World Cup, was wound up by captain Fabio Cannavaro. Totti called Cannavaro a "bucchin" which is a rude Italian slang word. However to the English speaking viewer we could just laugh at these instances and let them go. Does this make it okay? What if Tiger, at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (remember that Portuguese is the dominant language), called his golf ball a c _ _ t?

Personally, I would never swear in front of my team manager or spectators during an interclub match. But I would if I was playing by myself. You need to be careful. This does not just apply in sports but also in all aspects of life.

 How many of you do not swear in front of your parents but are inclined to when chatting with your mates over a beer? A lot of you I imagine. I guess it helps to be accepted by your peers, but swearing on television while a worldwide audience looks on who, importantly, can understand what you are saying, does not help your image.

I believe that there is a time and a place where you can show your true emotions without offending anyone. For Tiger, that means taking on a more passive approach when playing golf. Unfortunately the cameras are forever present.

141st Open Championship review

I feel so sorry for Adam Scott. 10 under par, leading by four shots with four holes to go, it looked like the championship was all done and dusted. Commentators were dwelling on what people down in Australia would be doing at 3am in the morning. There were close up camera shots of Scott's name already pencilled on the winner's medal, ready to be engraved. Finally, Adam Scott would fufill all his potential and capture his first major.

I do no know if it was a foolish decision or just an uncharacteristic error brought on by nerves, but Scott's second shot on 15 missed left of the green and slowly trickled into one of Royal Lytham's 200-plus pot bunkers. He failed to get up and down for par and this moment would mark the rapid decline of what should of been Scott's finest week of golf.

I was not thinking that at the time though. It was just a minor hiccup, surely he would not drop 3 shots over the next 3 holes, especially as he stepped onto the short par 4 16th. Scott hit a great tee shot and his second shot made the green, the wind taking it about 40 feet past the hole. Surely a 2-putt par then go to 17? His first putt was well judged distance wise but remained 4 feet left. In what could of only been caused by nerves, Scott pulled his putt and could only watch in despair as it cruelly lipped out of the hole.

Ernie, after leaving several putts short over his previous 17 holes, made a clutch birdie on the 18th and tossed his ball into the crowd. Little did he know that the next time he would step onto the 18th green, he would be on his victory walk.

Scott found some heavy rough on 17 and the resulting bogey now meant he was tied at 7 under with Ernie Els, a situation that seemed impossible 30 minutes ago. Scott's club choice, 3 wood, on 18 surprised me. He had been hitting his driver well and it probably would have carried all the bunkers around the 250-280 yard range. If he had hit a long iron, it would of come up short of danger. But a pulled 3 wood landed in a bunker, where all Scott could do was pitch out and hope to make his par putt. It slided by, and the look on Scott's face, coupled with a few expletives, was hard to take in - anger, sadness, denial, disbelief.

So did Scott "choke?" I believe in a way he did. Nerves got the better of him. It was not physical talent that let him down. His swing had worked for 68 holes over three and a half days. Matthew Syed, in his book 'Bounce' has a great chapter on "choking" in sport. Essentially, it occurs when the automatic (subconscious) comes into the conscious. For example,being a golfer myself, when you swing the club you don't think about every fundamental there is - shoulders, feet, posture, grip,hand position, knee flex, club position at top of swing, the list goes on. You might pick one or two of these things to work on in practice but when playing it is best to clear the mind of everything apart from your target. Once you start standing over the ball and think about these automatic things, your mind is not focused on the actual job. Did Scott do this? I'm not sure. In his after round interview he said he was calm over those last holes. But I have a feeling that his stomach must of been churning given the situation he was in. Could it of been as simple as controlling your breathing to relax?

On a side note, it would be fair to say that learners in any activity cannot choke since they have not learned the fundamentals and have not had the chance, yet, to put them in their automatic/subconscious part of the brain. I think Syed mentions this in his book.

It was a great presentation speech by Ernie Els, giving his condolences to Scott and telling him he has "too much talent," then went on his way to thank his caddy, team around him, and Nelson Mandela who recently had a birthday. In other words, he was very humble in victory and I admire that. Scott handled himself well whereas I probably would of cried. I would also have snapped at the reporter who asked Scott "Did those bogeys hurt you?" Are you serious?!

At the end of it all, my pick Lee Westwood finsished well down the leaderboard, and still there has not been a multiple major winner since Padraig Harrington in 2008. New Zealander Steve Alker, ranked 789 in the world, finished in the top 20 which would have to be the biggest result of his career. Okay, a top 20 is nothing to gloat about, but for someone ranked so low and with so little experience playing in majors it was a great week for him. Let us hope he builds on this and creates more hope for Kiwi golf fans.

Last but not least, Tiger. Again so close. He could very easily have won this Open being 5 under entering the last day. There are two ways to sum up Tiger's tournament and, in particular, his last round. Firstly, hitting irons off the tee and giving youself 200-220 yards into some tricky holes with tricky pin position tucked near bunkers and slopes will not give you a lot of short putts for birdies. Tiger still has this fear of the driver and although avoiding the driver kept him out of trouble off the tee, it did not give him much chance to make up ground on the leaders. Having said that, the leaders came backwards and this leads on to the second way to sum up Tiger's performance. If it was not for the horrible triple bogey 6, which included a nasty bunker lie, he possibly would of won or made a playoff with a conservative game plan all week. He missed his fair share of putts and up-and-downs. Honestly, I don' think he is that far away from completely blitzing a field by several shots if he just tidys up a few loose ends.

British Open Preview

The 141st British Open (Open Championship) gets underway tomorrow night (NZ time) at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, a course with about 200 pot bunkers and rough near 6 inches deep. In other words, missing the fairway here can almost be compared to taking a penalty drop from a water hazard, and i'm sure we will see many players take unplayable lies from the rough of having to hit their bunker shots sideways or even backwards.

Therefore, it would be safe to predict that a composed driver of the golf ball, accompanied by a strong performance in hitting greens - in order to avoid the greenside bunkers - will find himself near the top of the leaderboard during the week. Remember that the difference between hitting the faiway and hitting the green and missing the fairway and hitting the green will be far greater than at other courses where the rough is not as punishing. PGATour Stats show that Graeme McDowell, Jim Fuyrk and Hunter Mahan, and Luke Donald all rank highly in 'percentage of fairways hit' around 68-70%. Francesco Molinari, Ernie Els and Justin Rose also hover around the 68% number on the European Tour.

I am liking the look of Molinari, the Italian who always keeps the same, calm, focused expression on his face no matter what the outcome of the shot is. He led the first three rounds of last week's Scottish Open only to finish second in a playoff to Jeev Milkha Singh, that after finshing stongly the week before that. However, the fact that Molinari did not take control of the Scottish Open on the last day, when conditions deteriorated, might rule him out. But being Italian myself, I hope that is not the case and he continues his efficiency with the driver.

My discussion turns to the "group of best players to have never won a major." Lee Westwood surprisingly is averaging only 58% on both the PGA and European Tours with his driver, but I would not mind seeing him finally capture his maiden major. He has 14 top-10 finishes in majors over a 17 year period, including 6 in his last 10 starts. Current world number 1 Luke Donald has only 6 top 10 finishes in majors over 13 years, which does not reflect his consistency over the past 2 years. Until he wins a major, he will always have his critics regarding holding the number 1 ranking without winning a major. Justin Rose also has 6 top-10s in majors over 14 years and has won a few times over the last two years, and i'm picking him to be up there come Sunday as well. Aussie Adam Scott has 7 top 10s over 12 years. Then there is my favorite golfer, Sergio Garcia. The luck-less (his words and mine) Spaniard has a staggering 17 top-10s in majors over 14 years. If he can finally bring the right mental and putting game, he will win, but has not played a lot recently.

Tiger can take back his world number 1 ranking with a win this week, which would also be his fourth British Open success. I'm not sure if he will win this week, I hope he does, but historically he has struggled in wet 'n' windy conditions at British Open's, and given the length of Royal Lytham, might need to rely on his 3-wood and driver as opposed to his 2-iron like he did with his 2006 triumph at a dry Hoylake course. Tiger's performance at Congressional last month, especially with his driver, gives me confidence that he could win this. It would be great if he did and move within 3 of Jack's all time record.

Now for my game of knockout to find my final prediction:

Graeme McDowell, Jim Fuyrk, Hunter Mahan, Francesco Molinari, Ernie Els, Justin Rose, Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Tiger Woods.

Narrowed down to: Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose, Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Tiger Woods, Hunter Mahan

Narrowed down to: Francesco Molinari, Lee Westwood, Tiger Woods, Justin Rose

Narrowed down to: Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood

Winner: Lee Westwood

What could sport (viewing) do without?

Radio Sport are currently discussing things in sport that are "surplus to requirements." I might as well share some of my thoughts with you.

Timeouts in the NBA - I cannot watch a game of basketball on ESPN. I just cant, especially in the final quarter when every few seconds a time out is taken and there is a 3-4 minute commercial. Do the 20-second timeouts mean 20 seconds off the court then back on? I guess not.

Rugby commentators interviewing players at halftime - You have just played 40 minutes of gruelling rugby and as you are trundling off the pitch, huffing and puffing, wanting to catch your breath and meet your team mates in the sheds, a guy stick a microphone into your face and asks you questions such as: "Tough first half for the boys?" "What do you need to do to build momentum/get back into the game?" Just let the guy enjoy his 10 minute break for goodness sake!

Golf Rules - no wonder the players call a rules official over even for the slightest issue, one wrong move early on a Thursday could get you disqualified. No wonder rules officials are even needed to examine that book in and out. Specifically, if a player accidentally touches his ball with his club in the fairway, it is a 2 shot penalty. Why?! Just let the player replace the ball and play the shot. No harm done. One time my opponents ball landed on the fairway, but in someone else's divot. I let him place it and fair enough. Golfers should be encouraged to hit in on the fairway without having to suffer because someone was too lazy to fix their divot.

Tennis cameramen - This is the worst. The constant close-up camera shots of celebrities, politicians, and especially mens players' wags (wifes and girlfriends), when a point finishes. For example, the anguish on Andy Murray's girlfriend and mum's face when he lost points, the joy on Mirka's (Federer's wife) face when her hubby wins a point, in the 2012 Wimbledon final. Do not even get me started on the close-up shots on the Middleton's and the London Mayor. Just stop it already!

An apology to Mark Hammett

Dear Mr. Hammet,

I am writing to you to offer my apologies in doubting you before even giving you a chance to back you and your decision up. I had convinced myself that a Cantabrian had been wrongly appointed to destroy Hurricanes rugby for the near future. I hated you. How could you get rid of our favourite son Nonu, as well as be reponsible for Hore, Gear, Cruden, Weepu, wanting to part ways with a franchse they loved and you had wrecked? I wanted us to finish last and see you get the sack!

I told myself I wouldn't even get up for the games in South Africa to start the season, and I didn't, but was surprised to see that you managed to beat the Lions. I guess you surprised me when I heard that the Hurricanes had demolished the Western Force in Perth, but was then brought back down to earth when we lost to the Highlanders in our first home game of the season.

But after having seen some great performances and results, most notably the four try bonus point win against the Waratahs, the last minute win against the Higlanders, the close win against the Crusaders (all away from home) and the 84th minute win against the Chiefs, I have full confidence in you and how you have developed some sort of togetherness and determintation within this team. Hurricanes teams of the past have not been as good/consistent at closing out close games, whether that meant coming from behind or holding on to the end.

Ok, at the end of the day you helped this team to an 8th place finish in a 15 team competition, but I never thought it would come down to the last week to see if we would make the playoffs. You have helped grow talented players like Andre Taylor, TJ Perenara, Julian Savea and Beauden Barrett and I congratulate you in doing so. I thought we would be boring this year. How did you manage to get this team to score more points that any other team in the competition without powerful attackers such as Nonu and Gear? You are a genius.

I could not have been more wrong about you. Even though you are a Cantabrian, thanks for making this a very enjoyable season for a Hurricanes fan and I hope you stay on as coach for next year. If you ever get this team to their first Super Rugby title, a street should be named after you here in Wellington.

Regards,
Jonathan Basile

TMO (Too Much Outrage?)

Technology in sport was meant to make everything better. More of the right calls could now be made and teams could leave games feeling less and less hard done by from controversial refereeing decisions. After writing that I found myself rofl (rolling on floor laughing).


I am of course referring to the recent debacle surrounding the Television Match Officials in two Super Rugby games: Hurricanes - Chiefs and Crusaders - Force. I am a Hurricanes fan, but at no stage in the 3 minutes of TV replays did I see the ball grounded on or over the line, yet it was awarded a try. The on field referee has two options to ask his TMO. Firstly, he can ask  "give me a reason to not award the try." In other words, he thinks the try has been scored and the TMO needs to find evidence that proves a try has not been scored. However, Jonathan Kaplan asked his TMO "try or no try." I'd like to think that this means the referee has no idea if a try has been scored - which is why he went to the TMO in the first place -  and that the TMO, in order to rule a try, should have to find evidence that proves a try has been scored. There was no clear evidence that this was the case. We can only assume that momentum helped Dane Coles force the ball while under that pile of bodies, bearing in mind that Kerr-Barlow, the Chiefs' halfback, had his hand under the ball early on in the movement. Anyway, I like to think of this as justice for the yellow card given to Ben May for his tackle in SBW, which was not dangerous, and the missed head high tackle on Cory Jane by SBW, which was a few metres from the linesman.

The try awarded to Isreal Dagg to open the scoring for the Crusaders was even more ridiculous. Look at Dagg's expression afterwards. He was laughing. He knows that he didn't have control over the ball when he crossed the line, let alone forced it!

Spectators, instead of thinking that a fair decision has been made, become even more angry when they feel their team has been "robbed" because they belive that techhnology is meant to get rid of the "howlers." Spectators, some at least, myself included, can except that the referee in the middle, who had only one, real-time look at the incident, is inclined to make errors in judgement now and them. As long as they are not blatant, Mr Wayne Barnes! Spectators can't understand how a guy who has the luxury of reviewing the tapes in super slo-mo can possibly misjudge the situation. Wrong! I would like the TMO for the Hurricanes-Chiefs to come out on radio, tv, or newspaper, and say why he thought Coles scored. Then again, whatever he says will just create more controversy. What's the difference?

SBW - Circus act continue

So SBW is off to Japan to play about 12 games of rugby for 1.7 million NZ bucks, which works out to just over 100,000 dollars per hour or 1700 dollars per minute of rugby. Why anyone would want to go to Japan to excel in their rugby career is beyond me. Then again, SBW does not seem to concerned about doing that. He wants two things: money and attention. But isn’t that what everyone would love - to be the constant centre of attention whilst getting paid bucket loads of cash? So who can blame him.

I am a huge fan of loyalty in sport. A recent example involved Hosea Gear turning down a big money offer to play in Japan because the aura of the All Blacks jersey was still at the top of his desires. SBW has hopped from country to country, sport to sport, chasing those who will offer him the moolah. What a great life he leads. I only wish i could do that. Me personally, I would never even think of playing against Wellington in anything (if I ever get to that stage). I would want to establish myself and repay my love for my home town.
I cannot understand the big (ok make that ridiculusly huge) attention given to the press conference he held today. My gosh it just led the Prime News at 5.30 and the sports wrap at 5.45. They implicitly asked the question who will replace SBW and the big hole he leaves in the All Blacks. Um, hello? Remember Nonu?! There is also Fruean and Kahui so I am in no scared on the prospect of a SBW-less All Blacks.

He says he has loved NZ rugby, the Chiefs “brothers” as he said today. So if he loved it so much why has he left? Just when he was hitting his best form for the All Blacks in the Irish series last month, he leaves, and is now unable to establish some sort of legacy like current veteran All Blacks such as McCaw, Carter, Woodcock. I just hope that if he does decide to comeback in 2014 which I think seems likely, that the NZRU don’t bend over backwards for him and give him several clauses in his contract, and that he earns his place in the team. After being absent from rugby for two years, and while other youngsters hit their best rugby, that will be hard.

However, I do wish him well in rugby league. It is where he belongs. I will be cheering him on if he, as expected, makes the Kiwis squad for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. I just hope that one day this constant media obsession with him, most notably the large newspaper images of his arms and tattoos, stops.

Italy at Euro 2012 - Review

Before the tournament even began, I had given Italy zero chance of winning the whole thing. Getting out of the group would of been good enough for pessimistic me. Rossi (one of Italy’s best strikers) was injured with a torn ACL and Criscito (first choice right back) was sent home before the first game in order to clear his name from the new and current match fixing scandal. Barzagli, a key defender for Juventus in their unbeaten 2011-2012 Serie A triumph, was also injured for the first two games.

The first up 1-1 draw against Spain surprised me a great deal. The 1-1 draw against Croatia was, on the contrary, dissapointing. It meant that Italy had to beat Ireland and hope that the match between Spain and Croatia went their way. It would take too long to explain all the permutations. If you want an idea, just google “Euro 2004 Denmark Sweden conspiracy.” Italy did beat Ireland 2-0 but it was far from convincing.

Italy managed to qualify from the group and would go on to meet England in the quarterfinals. Having a lot of English friends made me realise this game would either be a dream come true or my worst nightmare. What a gut-wrenching match it was, with Italy dominating virtually the entire match, but not able to get past a great English defence and eventually prevailing in the penalty shootout 4-2.

Now the semifinal: Germany. The Germans were the form team of the tournament and had 3 extra days rest. The only thing on Italy’s side was history, with Italy never losing a competitive match against the Germans – 3 wins and 4 draws. What a shock it was to see Italy take the lead in the 20th minute through their polarizing striker Mario Balotelli. The second goal on 36th minutes also scored by Balotelli can not be described in words (youtube it). Italy were leading the highly fancied Germans 2-0 before halftime. I could not beleive it. They won the match 2-1 and marched on to the final against Spain with huge belief and a strong team spirit.

A 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Spain in the final? Well I didnt expect that! Now let me get the excuses out of the way first. Chiellini left the field injured after 20 minutes. When you do not have your best defender against Spain, you are going to suffer, and Italy did with Spain scoring their second goal just minutes before half time. If being 2-0 down was not hard enough, Cassano was subbed off for the second half which I only guess was due to fatigue (remembering he had heart sugery late last year and clearly is still not 100% fit). Motta came on at 55 minutes but another bolt of lightning struck Italy when he pulled up with a hamstring injury on the 60th minute mark and he had to leave the field as well. Because Italy had already made 3 subs, thay could make no more, meaning Italy had to play with ten men, against Spain, 2-0 down, with still 30 minutes to play. Game over.

Although it would be easy to say that all of Italy’s hard work was for nothing, I am very proud of what my beloved Azzurri did over the past 3 weeks considering some of the circumstances mentioned above. Prandelli, in just two years, has done a fantastic job bringing this team together and restoring some pride after the embarassing showing at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

 Cassano and Balotelli are proving a very effective combination upfront. Pirlo and De Rossi orchestrate the team’s midfield, and Buffon remains a world class goalie at 34 years old. If you have watched Italian teams of the past, you will almost laugh when I point out that Italy had more shots on goal than any other team in the tournament.

On the flipside, in Italy’s first group match against Spain, Prandelli used a 3-5-2 formation, partly due to a few injuries in the defence. It worked pretty well I must say, and Italy dominated that game for the best part of 60 minutes, even taking the lead, before eventually drawing 1-1. However in the final Prandelli employed a 4-3-1-2 formation. Even though this proved efficient against England and Germany in the quarterfinal and semi-final, my point is why not use the 3-5-2 formation that worked so well against Spain earlier in the tournament, bearing in mind that Italy were the only team to score a goal against Spain at Euro 2012?

Injuries, fatigue, etc aside, Italy lost the final 4-0. An Italian team of the past, with the catenaccio/defensive style of football, would never lose 4-0. Remember Italy also lost a friendly 3-0 to Russia a week before the Euros. Even though Prandelli has worked wonders by making Italy a more attacking force, their defence seems to be weaker than previous Italian teams. It is true that attacking football is more exciting to watch, but a simple fact is if you do not concede goals, you will not lose matches. Italy only conceded two goals during their triumphant 2006 World Cup campaign – an own goal and a penalty. In these Euros, Spain only conceded one goal.

I am a sore loser so i wont say much about Spain’s success. Their domination of international and European football draws few comparisons. The Italians won the 1934 and 1938 world cups along with an Olympic gold medal at the 1936 Berlin games. The Brazilians played sublime football during the 1960s and 1970s, but apart from these instances, there isnt much that matches Spain’s 2008-2012 success.

In reality, Italy played five games at Euro 2012, drew three (the win against England counts as a draw because it was 0-0 after 120 minutes) and won two. Not exactly a great perfromance but nonetheless enough to get them through to the final. In doing so, they qualified for the 2013 Connfederations Cup as Europe’s representatives, because Spain had already qualified as “World” representatives.

For Italy, the qualification campaign for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which begins later this year, will be very intersting indeed with fellow Euro 2012 teams Denmark (conquerors of the Dutch in group play) and quarterfinalists Czech Republic also in Italy’s qualifying group.