2012 Sporting year in review

As a sports nut, I feel obliged to give you my highs and lows of the 2012 year in sport. There were some exceptional instances and celebrations that sent chills down my spine, yet there were those moments that were embarrassing and shocking (sometimes personally). In no particular order, here they are - my top 10 best and top 5 worst moments in sport for 2012.

The Best

1. Balotelli double for Italy vs. Germany at Euro 2012 - I know I said I would not rank these, but this stands out for me more than any other because of my Italian blood. Italy were given no chance against the juggernaut Germans in this semifinal, who had already chalked up 9 goals in 4 matches. Italy had played some promising football in their first match against Spain but had struggled since, and after the penalty shootout win against England in the quarterfinals, you could excuse the team for being lethargic. The only confidence I brought into this match was the surprising fact that Germany had never beaten Italy in a competitive match (seven in total).

Who is the man? Mario is

Balotelli had been average at best in Euro 2012 so far, with only a last minute goal against Ireland in Italy's last group game to show for his efforts. In the semi final Balotelli, then 21 years old, had been presented with the perfect opportunity to set his first major mark on international football. He did it in sublime fashion. The first goal was not as memorable as the second but was just as well constructed. Antonio Cassano delivered a superb cross from the left flank, and Balotelli met the cross with a well-timed header to put the Azzurri 1-0 up after 20 minutes. On 36 minutes, and after a German attack, Riccardo Montolivo sent a high pass up to Balotelli, who found himself in open space. He thundered in a long-range shot to the top-right hand corner of the German goal. "Super Mario" was on top of the world after the 2nd goal and didn't he show it (see picture).


2. Double scullers' comeback - Joseph Sullivan and Nathan Cohen had a reputation of being slow starters and strong finishers in their races and this was fully illustrated in their double sculls final at Dorney Lake in the London Olympics. In the 2000 metre race, the Kiwi pair were last (out of 6) after 500 metres, 5th after 1000 metres, and 4th after 1500 metres. But then they slowly stared their charge towards the three crews currently ahead of them. The last 500 metres of this race showed the true grit and determination needed to succeed in such a tough, competitive sport like rowing. Sullivan and Cohen rapidly hurled in the Italian and Slovenian crews to win New Zealand's first gold medal of the London Olympics. It kick started a great night (Saturday NZ time) of rowing success for New Zealand, with men's pair Eric Murray and Hamish Bond also winning gold, and single sculler Mahe Drysdale triumphant in his event.

3. Lisa Carrington - More Olympic glory for New Zealand, this time it was in the water with 23 year old Lisa Carrington winning gold in kayaking's K-1 200 metres final. Lisa had previously set a new Olympic record time of 40.528 seconds in her semifinal.

4. Heartland Championship Meads Cup Final: East Coast 29-27 Wanganui - With 20 minutes to go in this match, East Coast were down 27-3 to a rampant Wanganui side who were looking to secure back-to-back titles. After being 20-3 up at halftime, Wanganui continued their dominance early on the second half but East Coast stormed home with four tries, including a last-minute try to Verdon Bartlet. The crowd at Ruatoria raced on to the field to embrace their team, before being ordered off as there was still time remaining. East Coast hung on for the win and the crowd, once again, went wild.

Hear me roar: Tiger Woods celebrates in style

5. Tiger Woods' chip-in on the 16th hole at Memorial - Tiger picked up his second win of the year at the Memorial Tournament in June, hosted by Jack Nicklaus. It will be remembered for Tiger's 3rd shot on the 16th hole. With his ball sitting down in the rough, and facing a green that sloped downhill towards the water, Tiger played an immaculate flop shot. With hardly any margin of error, the ball pitched on the green, and rolled into the bottom of the cup, sending Tiger on one of his trademark fist-pumping sprees. Nicklaus later made one of his boldest ever statements: "I don't think I've ever seen a better one. That was the most unbelievable, gutsy shot that I've ever seen."




6. Ian Poulter at the Ryder Cup - There were many moments that defined the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah, such as Martin Kaymer's winning putt, Justin Rose's come from behind victory against Phil Mickelson, or Bubba Watson's successful attempt to get the crowd cheering "USA USA" during his swing. But if I had to pick one moment that I thought won Ryder Cup for Europe, it would be Ian Poulter's remarkable performance late on Saturday evening (2nd to last day) where, partnered with Rory McIlroy, he finished with five straight birdies, including a 15 footer for birdie on the last, to beat the American duo of Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner 1up. If it was not for the Poluter-McIlroy win, Europe would of been 11-5 down before the final day singles, a daunting prospect. Europe went on to stage a remarkable comeback in the final day singles to win 14.5-13.5.

7. West Indies win Twenty/20 World Cup in Sri Lanka - I'm still not a fan of circus cricket and probably never will be, but the West Indies won their first international title since the ICC Champions Trophy in 2004 and second since the 1979 World Cup. After a bizarre group stage that saw the West Indies qualify for the next round without winning a game (a loss affected by rain and another no result due to rain), the Windies then beat England and New Zealand, the later opponent after a "super over." They smashed Australia in the semi-final, helped by 75 off 41 balls from Chris Gayle, and defeated hosts Sri Lanka in the final where Sunil Narine produced figures of 3 wickets for 9 runs off 3.4 overs. The Windies batting duo of Gayle and Marlon Samuels both featured in the top-5 run scorers of the tournament with a combined six half centuries between them.

The West Indies go "Gangnam style" after their victory

8. Usain Bolt - Another major athletics meet, more accolades for for Jamaican Usain Bolt. At the London Olympics Bolt won in his signature event, the 100 metres, setting a new Olympic record of 9.63 and defeated fellow Jamaican Johan Blake, who got silver, in the process. Bolt then defended his 200 metres gold medal from Beijing four years ago and in doing so became the first man ever to defend both the 100 and 200 metre Olympic sprint titles. To add more icing on his cake, Bolt then helped Jamaica win the men's 4x100 metre relay on the final day in record-breaking time.

9. All Blacks go undefeated in the inaugural Rugby Championship - The All Blacks were shaky at times, somewhat evident in their final match against Australia that finished in an 18-all draw, but still went through the campaign undefeated. The world champions completed an impressive double against South Africa, including winning 32-16 away in Johannesburg; held Australia scoreless at Eden Park and put 50 points on Argentina away in La Plata. Julian Savea and Aaron Smith unveiled themselves as young stars for the future.

Del Piero celebrates his goal in trademark fashion

10. Alessandro Del Piero for Juventus vs. Lazio - Del Piero (now 38) was 37 years old at the time, but still played a crucial role in Juventus' unbeaten campaign in winning the Serie A last season. "Ale" made 28 appearances and scored 5 goals. His goal from a vintage free kick against Lazio in April 2012, during his 700th appearance for Juventus, was crucial to say the least. Late in the season, it gave the Bianconeri a 2-1 victory and came in the 82nd minute against their fellow title challengers when the game was evenly poised at 1-1. Juventus were then able to consolidate their position at the top of the Serie A table and finish the season unbeaten.


Notable mentions: Hurricanes Super Rugby team and coach Mark Hammett defy the odds and don't end up with the wooden spoon; Any Murray finally wins his first tennis major; Rory McIlory becomes golf world number 1; Chiefs win their first Super Rugby title; and the Italian women's fencing team dominate at the London Olympics.

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The Worst - Does not contain all explicit moments on the sporting field, but more so shows how gloomy sports can play out off the field/pitch/track etc with regards to drugs and internal politics. I will only mention five bad moments, since it is important to remember the good things more than the bad. The New Zealand Warriors in the NRL do not make the list, since that would be too painful to write about, and long.

7 fingers = 7 Tour de France titles, or not.

1. Lance Armstrong. To be honest, as I think about what to write under this heading, I cannot be bothered. If you are reading this blog then you obviously like sports and would be aware of Armstrong fall from grace over the past several months. A 1000-plus page report from USADA contained excruciating evidence that resulted in Armstrong being stripped of all his Tour de France yellow jerseys and banned from competitive cycling for life. International Cycling Union (UCI) President Pat McQuaid concurred with this report, and later stated that Armstrong has "no place in cycling" and "deserves to be forgotten." His doctor Michele Ferrari still denies having ever seen Armstrong take drugs, yet several of his former teammates have sworn under oath that they witnessed him do so, including Tyler Hamilton.

2. Ostapchuk Ostracized  -  Belarusian Nadzeya Ostapchuk, long time rival of New Zealand's Valerie Adams, won the gold in women's shotput at the London Olympics. Valerie was completely off on the day and had to settle for silver, with Ostapchuk continuing her amazing run of form dating back to four months before the Olympics that involved remarkably long throws while training at her home in Belarus. Valerie's coach Jean-Pierre Edgar had long suspected that something was not quite right with Ostapchuk's legitimacy, and he was soon proven right. A day after the closing ceremony, Valerie got confirmation that Ostapchuk had been stripped of her gold medal for taking metenolone, a banned anabolic steroid. Valerie now had the gold, but was still robbed of her moment on top of the podium. Who do I feel sorry for more than Valerie? China's Lijao Gong who finished fourth on the night and did not even get to taker her deserved place on the poduim and watch her country's flag being raised.

3. Ross Taylor sacked as captain of the New Zealand cricket team - It is not the decision itself that upsets me, but the manner in which it was done is reminiscent of a British soap opera television show: Conflicting evidence and reports; lies, accusations, divided loyalties, and secret meetings at unusual times and locations. The unwillingness of the New Zealand Cricket board to accept their mistakes straight away, accompanied with a coach and CEO who were in hiding when the public wanted answers, made it a pretty grim end to the year in sport for me. I just hope that the public will support new captain Brendon McCullum and not paint his as some kind of evil instigator of the whole fiasco.

Who said what? Black Caps coach Mike  Hesson will have a tough time getting back into everyone's good books

4. Italy humiliated 4-0. Spain remain the best team in international football. A tired and injury-stricken Italian side were no match for the classy Spaniards in the Euro 2012 final, who continue to dazzle all their opponents with their quick, short, and accurate passing, or "tika-taka" style football as it is known by close football followers.


5. All Blacks humiliated 38-21 at Twickenham. England moved away from their traditional defensive style and attacked the All Blacks at every opportunity, handing them their first and only loss of the year, first loss to England since 2003, and second worst loss in their proud history. The men in black looked slow, lethargic, and even Conrad Smith and Dan Carter made mistakes.The mid-week stomach virus cannot of helped, but full credit to England for proving that not only are the All Blacks beatable, but Steve Hansen and his troops still have plenty to work on.



In my last blog post of the year, which I will chalk up very soon, I will make some predictions for 2013. Not sure if they will be based on what I want to see happen (heart) or what will happen (head). Stay tuned.


Merry Christmas everybody,

Jonathan.

Gareth Morgan wants a change.

Phoenix owner Gareth Morgan has dished out a challenge to Ricki Herbert, coach of the Wellington Phoenix football team in the Hyundai A-League: play a more exciting and attacking style of football because this will result in larger crowd numbers. Gareth Morgan is a businessman and Phoenix fan. He is obviously concerned about how the Phoenix perform on the field but also concerned about the money making potentials of this franchise. In order to "break even," the Phoenix must attract crowds in excess of 10,000 for each home game. The Phoenix have fallen short of that mark for the majority of the A-League season so far. Members of the public put that down to the cost of tickets and food, and Phoenix striker Paul Ifill put it down to the weather. Both those arguments have some merit. However, Morgan seems to think that it is the style of football that is pushing fans away from the gates and the last two matches at Westpac Stadium help to reinforce his viewpoint.

December the 2nd produced a 1-0 win for the Phoenix over newcomers Western Sydney Wanderers, courtesy of a bizarre goal from Jeremy Brockie where the wind made a mockery of the Wanderers goalkeeper. I guess you could blame the weather for this one. Crowd was approximately 5,500.

The next game/week against Sydney FC presented a beautiful Wellington day (can't blame the weather); a team that currently sits at the bottom of the table without their marquee players of Alessandro Del Piero and Brett Emmerton; and a Phoenix team looking to consolidate a top four position - this should be a pretty easy one shouldn't it? No. Sydney, under the guidance of new coach Frank Farina, dominated the Phoenix for most of the game and the Phoenix had to resort to overhead long balls and crosses from the wings into the goal box. Passing was largely inaccurate, and they succumbed to a 2-1 loss to a struggling Sydney FC side. Only  7,500 attended this game and, quite frankly, it should have been more considering the weather.

Gareth Morgan has expressed his desire for the Phoenix to play  "Total Football," which will then lead to a more attractive, fast-paced brand of football. This is not entirely the case. Total Football refers to the versatility and adaptability of the players on the field, in other words, players can assume the role of a defender, midfielder or attacker if required. This style was used effectively by the Dutch national team and Dutch clubs throughout the 1970s.

Morgan stated that "You're not going to win the A-League by being the best defensive team." I'm sorry, but that is simply not true. Let us look at some recent international competitions in order to prove that defense does indeed win titles.

Italy won the 2006 FIFA World Cup and were the best defensive team, conceding only an own goal and a penalty in seven matches. Spain's defense has gone a step further since then. At Euro 2008 they did not concede a goal in the knockout stages; at the 2010 FIFA  World Cup they only conceded 2 goals in their 7 matches; and at Euro 2012 conceded only one goal in six matches. In total, Spain have not conceded a goal in their last 10 knockout matches at World Cups and Euros. You cannot compare these tournaments to the A-League, but it goes to show that defense works at the pinnacle of international football so there is every reason why it can work in this case.

On a side note, the Spaniards (national team and club teams like Barcelona) currently use a style of football known as "tiki-taka," which essentially involves short passing and maintaining ball possession. This is a far cry from the style the Phoenix use, which involves frequent high-balls and crosses into the box from the wings.


This is where my preexisting bias gets the better of me and I cannot resist mentioning it, as one-eyed as it may sound: Italian football. Not the greatest spectacle or advertisement for football, is it? Historically, Italian teams have used "Catenaccio," which places a heavy focus on defensive organization and tactics. These defensive tactics are accompanied with clever counter-attacking. Its popularity has declined over the last decade, especially since the 2006 World Cup, but was very effective throughout many time periods: Inter Milan in the 1960s, AC Milan in the 1990s and early 2000s with the likes of Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta, and as already mentioned the Italian national team.

My cultural background has taught me that winning is the most important thing in sport. It is not about how you play the game. Forget an exciting and attacking style of football, unfortunately for the average sports fan sometimes the dull and boring style will give the team the results they need to succeed. I would rather watch the teams I support play a defense-orientated 1-0 win than lose 3-2 in a fast-paced, drama-filled match.

But perhaps Gareth Morgan is looking to attract the average sporting fan and not exactly the passionate Phoenix supporter. In other words, Morgan wants the Phoenix to play a style of football that will boost crowd numbers. It might not win games, but the neutral supporter will be keen to attend and will leave the match more excited, and wanting more, if a match finished 3-2 as opposed to 1-0.

Ricki Herbert's defensive/conservative tactics have worked well. They have done enough to satisfy me as a Phoenix and All Whites fan (for those who don't know, Herbert coaches both teams). The All Whites refusal to expose their goal to Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia at the 2010 World Cup is a testament to how important defense is. However, the campaign produced three draws and no wins. The Phoenix have been coached by Herbert since their inception in 2007 and in five seasons their highest finish on the table was fourth. I, probably like Gareth Morgan, am not satisfied with a mid-table finish anymore.

Perhaps what Gareth Morgan was implying when he said the "best" defense will not win the A-League, was that you need to score goals to win games. In 10 games this season, the Phoenix have scored 13 goals, which is about average over all 10 teams. But remember, average will not win the A-League.

The Phoenix are pretty sound defensively, but what they need are some creative midfielders. An attacking central midfielder who can feed the strikers with crisp passing. This will lead to more opportunities for the strikers. The return of Dani Sanchez from injury for the next game against Adelaide United will help to solve this and Louis Fenton could also play this role. Additionally, a deep-lying playmaker with excellent vision who is not only able to complete short passes but accurately deliver those long overhead passes that the team currently uses. The current trio of Manny Muscat (excellent defensively), Vince Lia, and Alex Smith are doing well, but not enough to transform this team into title contenders.

Herbert has been very loyal over the years to wingers Leo Bertos and Tony Lochead. They have served him well in the past but perhaps some more pace and accuracy with the crossing is needed in this department. Since Brockie will likely miss the Adelaide match due to injury,  I would like to see Benjamin Totori be given a start. He has proven to be a live-wire off the bench so far this season and has installed some energy into the team whenever he comes on. Tyler Boyd is only 17 years old and has come off the bench in every game so far as a striker/left-winger. It wouldn't hurt to give him a start and see how he goes, but I'm not sure a tough trip to Adelaide is the right time just yet. Paul Ifill has not been at his best this season, which could be due to his groin injury before the season, but I expect him to find some form very soon.

To finish, here is the team I would like to see start against Adelaide this Sunday. Formation: 4-2-3-1.

Paston (GK);
Bertos, Durante, Sigmund, Lochead;
Muscat, Lia;
Totori, Sancez, Ifill;
Huysegems  

If Sanchez is fit, he should start. If he is ruled unfit or starts off the bench, then Fenton or Boyd should be given the nod. Fenton and Boyd might be given more gametime than expected if Sanchez and/or Ifill cannot play the 90 minutes.

Let's not get too carried away just yet

Almost a year since Doug Bracewell's 6/40 against Australia in Hobart, the New Zealand cricket team (Black Caps) have picked up a test win on foreign soil - a 167 run win against Sri Lanka in Colombo. It ends a five test-match losing streak and gives the Black Caps their first test win in Sri Lanka in 14 years. If it was not for the heroics of Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath, the Black Caps would have won this match more convincingly, and a 1-1 drawn series is a fair reflection of how both these teams performed. Sri Lanka were sublime in the first match, and the same goes for New Zealand in the second match. I just wish that there was a third, final, and deciding match, even if it was only not to see the awkward sharing of the trophy between the two captains - Ross Taylor and Mahela Jayawardene - during the aftermatch duties.

A drawn series for Jayawardene (left) and Taylor (right)

I cannot help but use an annoying, over used sporting cliche: Have this team turned a corner? It is too early to tell. One win does not mean much in terms of the upcoming cricket season. The Black Caps will now enter the away tour to South Africa with some much needed confidence. It does not get anymore daunting than playing the current number one ranked test side in their own backyard. Out of the two test matches that will be played, another 1-0 series loss would not be that bad; a 1-1 drawn series would be a magnificent achievement and, who knows, perhaps a series win could be around the corner if the batsmen continue to match the quality of New Zealand's bowling attack.

Which is exactly why New Zealand won this test match: The bowlers had a score to bowl at. The Sri Lankan batsmen had a 300-plus score they needed to reach to gain a first innnings lead, which is something that has been all to easy for opposition batsmen over the past few years. The exploits of Kane Williamson and captain Ross Taylor in the first innings came at the back of another mini batting collapse where New Zealand found themselves 14/2 early on the first day. Both Williamson and Taylor made well-deserved, patient centuries in a 262 third-wicket partnership, and Daniel Flynn chipped in with 53 after another mini collapse. 

A promising duo: Boult and Southee

The bowling attack is a huge cause for optimism because in both Sri Lankan innings they ripped through the top order. Sri Lanka found themselves 12/3 early on in their first innings and 46/4 in their second innings at the end of day four - still needing a further 320-odd runs to win the match. The most pleasing aspect is that New Zealand's bowlers are still young and can swing the ball consistently. Both Trent Boult and Tim Southee are just 23 years old, and between them they took 15 of Sri Lanka's 20 wickets; Southee with 8 and Boult with 7. Doug Bracewell, 22, has also seemed to have cement himself in this team, in the short term at least, and his two early wickets of Jayawardene and Sangakara in the second innings, two of Sri Lanka's veteran batsmen, were crucial.

Then comes the old, but true, saying in cricket: Catches win matches. This was fully exemplified by the New Zealand team in both innings. Williamson pulled of an incredible one during the first innings and another almost equally as good in the second. Martin Guptil also took a great catch in the second innings to dismiss Suraj Randiv. The Black Caps have always been a quality side in the field and these recent instances reflect that and help to complement the bowlers very well.

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The statistics show that Ross Taylor has a better batting average as captain of the test team when compared to his average while he was not captain. I am not sure if this is because Taylor feels as though he needs to bat more responsibly as captain, or because he has matured as a batsman over the past few years, regardless of the captaincy. Anyway, I do not think that the team's string of bad performances this year has been due to his captaincy, but I do think that Taylor should not have to carry the burden of being captain of all three national teams (Tests, One Day Internationals, and Twenty20). Australia seem to have the right mix. Their Twenty20 team is made up of almost completely different players than their other two national teams.

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Ryder on his way to another century for Wellington

Veteran spinner Daniel Vettori should be fit for the upcoming tour to South Africa and his experience will be vital for the young bowling attack. I am also hopeful that polarising batsman Jesse Ryder is ready physically, but more importantly mentally, for next year's home series against England. Ryder's early form for the Wellington Firebirds has been outstanding, in both Twenty20 and the four-day matches. In the later form of the game he made back to back centuries against Central Districts in late October - 117 in the first innings and a match winning 174 off 136 balls in the second. However, I am under the impression that New Zealand Cricket will only give Jesse one more chance with regards to his behaviour. Therefore, it is important that his return to international cricket is not rushed and that Jesse is 100 percent ready.

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So back to the original discussion, a great all round performance, something that has been missing for too long. Again, I am satisfied with our bowling attack. All that is needed is some consistency and application from New Zealand's batsmen - in particular Taylor, Williamson, and Brendon McCullum - which will be paramount against the likes of Dayle Steyn, Vernon Philander and Jaques Kallis in the upcoming tour to South Africa.

 After this most recent win against Sri Lanka, my love for cricket has been restored momentarily and I am now looking forward to the upcoming tours. Let us hope that the Black Caps can deliver regularly and make it an enjoyable summer season of cricket.