England: World Football's Biggest Underperformers?

Another draw in Montenegro has dented England's chances of qualifying direct for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. In a tight group featuring EURO 2012 hosts, Poland and Ukraine, England have so far failed to fire in qualification for the World Cup in Brazil and had reignited questions as to whether England's football team, the team playing the country's national sport are world sport's biggest underperformers.

England boast several of the world's most well known footballers - Joe Hart, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard & Wayne Rooney. Plus England has the best league in the world, the English Premier League and some of the best football academies in the world which have produced the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tom Cleverley, Danny Welbeck, etc. 

And this has generally been the case for English football over the years with the likes of Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Michael Owen, Paul Ince, Paul Gascoigne, Bryan Robson, Gary Lineker, etc. all world class players but when pitched together  they've just never performed.

Has gumption been a problem? The contrast could not be starker between England's football and cricket teams - both of course played away from home in the last 12 hours. One showed gumption, guts and courage to hold on amidst tremendous adversity and odds for a draw at the death. The other just melted and then gave up weakly at the death. 

Perhaps Matt Prior and Monty Panesar could show Steven Gerrard and co how to show some bottle at the death and not concede the winning moment or equalizing goal to the opposition .

Anyway more highlights from this round of World Cup qualifying -

How to Fix Scottish Football

Once again, Scotland's attempts to qualify for a major tournament have come to a predictably miserable end. Since 1997, the bravehearts from the North have never looked like featuring in a World Cup or European Championship finals and this latest effort to qualify for the World Cup was probably the most feeble in their proud history.

Scotland's rapid demise since the glory days of the 1980s is all clear to see. This current side is not fit for any international side, and certainly, one that bears no comparison to the great Scottish sides featuring Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, Alan Brazil and current coach, Gordon Strachan.

Back when Scottish football was a force to be reckoned with

It is a fair reflection of the decline of Scottish football in general with the standard of the Scottish top flight nowhere near where it was, now well behind the likes of the Russian, Romanian and Ukrainian leagues.

So is there any hope for Scotland to return to the glory days of the Tartan brigade? Here are two ways to fix Scottish football.

La Masia - the secret behind Spain's recent domination of world football

1.Establishment of a La Masia style academy
This academy which mimics the one successfully employed by Barcelona could be a joint venture between the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Premier League clubs who would find a pool of players with talent who would be nurtured on the heated, covered pitches of this academy so that they can develop all year. Young players close to league debuts are then sent to league clubs in or near their hometown to get experience.

This will be slightly different to the convention of British and European football but it is clear that the Scottish football nursery has failed and it is time for a radical approach to revive the football fortunes of this once proud nation.

The Old Firm derby

2.Celtic and Rangers to play in the Premier League
I have said this many a  time but the time has come for Celtic and Rangers to play their league football in England - or at least a European super league. They are clearly big fish in a small pond and this is stifling their competitiveness in world football. The success of Swansea and Cardiff playing their league football in England has been good for Welsh football and sadly the time has come for Scottish football to bury its hatchet and look towards the future.

Final Thoughts on the Cricket

It was a quite outstanding and fitting way to end a dramatic summer of New Zealand cricket. In the end, Father Time was on England's side and the Blackcaps ran out of time to get the last wicket to win the deciding test and their first test series against England since 1999.

When the emotion wears off along with the despair of not winning the test, the Blackcaps can be mighty proud of how far they've come this season. It was not too long ago that the Blackcaps were derided as the laughing stock of New Zealand sport. At the start of the season, new coach, Mike Hesson had been involved in controversy over the captaincy of the team and popular captain, Ross Taylor was forced out of the role despite leading the Blackcaps to a test victory in Sri Lanka. Brendon McCullum took over as captain to jeers and boos as they headed to South Africa to take on the number one side in world cricket.

After taking walloping after walloping in the test series, the Blackcaps rallied in the one-day series to take out their first ever series win in South Africa.

They came home with their tails up and pushed England in the Twenty20 and one day series. They lost both series - not surprising given England's stature over New Zealand in the world cricket rankings.

The test series was expected to be a one-sided affair to England, the number two side in the world and keen to get some momentum prior to the Ashes later in the year.

Alas, the 8th ranked Blackcaps were competitive for much of the series, having had the upper hand in the 1st and 3rd tests in Dunedin and Auckland respectively on quite benign pitches. They also had weather on their side with rain saving them in Wellington - ironic given that this was one of Wellington's driest summers ever on record.

The most encouraging sign is that the Blackcaps finally appear to have sorted their test team out - plus there is ample competition for spots in the side especially in the pace bowling stocks with Doug Bracewell certain to push current incumbents, Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner for a spot when the New Zealanders tour England in May. The returning Martin Guptill will hope to do the same with Hamish Rutherford and the in-form Peter Fulton, who has surely booked his seat for that same tour after a stellar summer with the bat.

What more can be said about the lumbering 2-metre Peter? Once one of the most derided players in New Zealand cricket, now two-ton Fulton appears to have finally figured out the secret to success at international level and in his early 30s has emerged as a very mature head at the top of the innings. His twin tons at Eden Park will live long in memory.

So here's my Test Series XI -

Peter Fulton
Hamish Rutherford
Jonathan Trott
Kane Williamson
Ian Bell
Brendon McCullum (captain)
Matt Prior (wk)

Bruce Martin
Steven Finn

Neil Wagner
Trent Boult

Michael Owen to Quit Football At the End of Season

Former Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester United (can't believe I said that in one breath) and England striker, Michael Owen has announced that he will retire from football at the end of the season. The announcement was made on twitter a few moments ago.

Big day today. I have decided that this will be my last season as a professional footballer. Full statement here: michaelowen.com
— michael owen (@themichaelowen) March 19, 2013

There is no doubt that after a stirring start, Michael Owen's career hasn't quite lived up to expectations partly due to injury. It's a shame as in his prime, he was one of the best strikers in the world.

He will definitely be missed - although one wonders if Owen should have hung the boots a while ago given he is pretty much England's forgotten man.

But then you see goals like this -

Tiger and Lindsey

It appears that the Tiger Woods revival is well and truly underway. Following his win in the WGC-Cadillac Championship at El Doral earlier in the month as well as winning the Farmers Insurance Open in La Jolla in January, Woods is returning to the form he showed before his much publicized decline into marital hell in 2009.

And it appears he now even has a partner off the course to come home to. And not just anyone, but a fellow superstar athlete.

Yes, for winter sports fans, alpine skier, Lindsey Vonn is their answer to Tiger Woods. A current Olympic champion and three-times world champion in the downhill event, Lindsey Vonn is probably her sport's most recognisable and high-profile athlete. Yes she has some very good competition from the likes of German Maria Reisch and her own compatriot, Julia Mancuso, but most laymen would instantly associate the Vonn name with skiing.

Even after her recent divorce from husband and trainer, Thomas, Lindsey is still goes by her married name, having gained her recent reputation, sponsors and wealth by going as Vonn rather than her maiden name, Kildow.

However, with her new relationship being quite possibly more plutonic than any other in the world let alone her previous marriage, one wonders if the Woods name might end up being high profile in two completely different sports.

Once again, the master has gone out to outshow the young challenger

Let's face it, even in the worst of days, Tiger Woods was still easily the most recognisable name in golf, even his name was no longer associated with being a model athlete, father and husband. Woods-Vonn easily outshines anything in the world of sport; even Woods' fellow rival, Rory McIlroy's relationship with former tennis number one, Caroline Wozniacki doesn't quite match up to this.

In fact, you could say that Tiger and Lindsey is up there with Brad and Angelina. In a country which loves celebrities, this will get a lot of airtime on E!

But, I'm glad for Tiger and Lindsey. That saying once a cheater always a cheater is a white lie. Hope Tiger and Lindsey find true happiness together.

New Zealand Super Rugby Form XV - After Round 4

Inspired by the article in stuff.co.nz, here is my Super Rugby form XV after 4 rounds -

1.Wyatt Crockett, Crusaders
2.Dane Coles, Hurricanes
3.Charlie Faumuina, Blues
4.Dominic Bird, Crusaders
5.Brodie Retallick, Chiefs
6.Victor Vito, Hurricanes
7.Sam Cane, Chiefs
8.Kieran Read, Crusaders
9.TJ Perenara, Hurricanes
10.Aaron Cruden, Chiefs
11.Julian Savea, Hurricanes
12.Tim Nanai-Williams, Chiefs
13.Rene Ranger, Blues
14.Hosea Gear, Highlanders
15.Ben Smith, Highlanders

16.Hika Elliot, Chiefs
17.Owen Franks, Crusaders
18.Steven Luatua, Blues
19.Liam Messam, Chiefs
20.Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Chiefs
21.Beauden Barrett, Hurricanes
22.Conrad Smith, Hurricanes

New Zealand Journeymen XI

So the test match between England and New Zealand looks set to be heading for a washout and the inevitable draw. Time for us cricket followers to fill our time with trivial stuff like naming New Zealand's ultimate journeyman XI.

God help us if New Zealand cricket were forced to field this team in a test match against anyone....

Matthew Bell
Michael Papps
Peter Ingram
Richard Jones
David Sewell
Kerry Walmsley
Brooke Walker
Robbie Hart (wk)
Chris Kuggeleijn
Chris Drum
Michael Mason

Are the Brumbies the Real Deal?

The Brumbies have thrown down the gauntlet to the rest of Super Rugby after a highly impressive win in South Africa against last year's finalists, the Sharks.

Before the first game of their short South African tour, the Brumbies' credentials as title contenders were still questionable as they hadn't played a team from outside Australia at that point. The Sharks had beaten the Cheetahs and Stormers and had started the season well and were set to be the Brumbies' toughest challenge yet.

But the challenge was overcome - or was non-existent after all - with the Sharks only able to muster a late consolation try as the Brumbies got 4 tries and the resulting bonus point for a 29-10 victory.

The 2013 Brumbies bandwagon appears to be sailing at full steam even with inspirational David Pocock not available for selection and once again, Jake White's coaching abilities are evident to see with his young charges covering his absence nicely.

The Brumbies seem to be back to the form they exhibited in the glory days of Gregan, Larkham and Mortlock and this has the makings of being the year that the Super Rugby title returns to Canberra for the first time since 2004. After all, the fast exciting brand of rugby that they are playing right now is very similar to the rugby played during those halycon days.

The Stormers are next up and the challenge for the Brumbies now is to back up their impressive performance in Durban with a repeat in Cape Town -easier said then done although the Brumbies might be helped by the Stormers being possibly cold after having the bye this weekend.

Suddenly, it is the Brumbies who everyone wants to beat this year in Super Rugby.

England Rugby - Choke! Choke! Choke!

Once again, England have failed to bring home the Grand Slam after much hype and fanfare. It's the 6th time that the English have lost their Grand Slam decider in 15 years of 5/6 Nations rugby and this time there is no consolation prize of the Championship as Wales comfortably got the 8 points and more to snatch the title from their much-hated rivals at the death.

Wales away at the Millennium Stadium was always going to be the toughest challenge yet for the English this season, and the biggest hurdle to overcome for their first Grand Slam since 2003.

A team that thrives on momentum, Wales are a completely different side when they're on a winning run, unrecognizable from the rabble that took on the Samoans, All Blacks, Springboks & Wallabies last autumn, and it showed on the field as they snuffed out the English who I can't remember having a proper try-scoring opportunity in this game.

The resolute Welsh forward pack led by the inspirational Gethin Jenkins who had taken over the captaincy from a slightly out-of-sorts Sam Warburton, frustrated the English who kept conceding penalties - by the first half, they had given away more penalties than they had done in the entire game against Italy.

The breakdowns were a mess generally and there were times where you wondered if Kiwi turned Aussie ref, Steve Walsh had any control on this game - the English press will probably be after Walsh's blood after this latest loss although it will merely be trying to find an excuse for their loss besides their own team choking at the end. Indeed, the Welsh were able to control the game and win because they played to the referee better than the English did.

The Welsh flair in attack was back in full song and it was they who looked like the side chasing the Grand Slam rather than the English. Once they got their first try, there was only going to be one team to win the Six Nations Championship and it was the defending champions whose brave Dragons brought their A game at the right time with Lions selection on the horizon - something that will please Warren Gatland immeasurably.

As for England, after all the hype from their media that they were on the  verge of a new era of English domination, this will be a bitter pill to swallow. Perhaps Chris Robshaw was right after all - winning the Grand Slam now would be detrimental for English rugby in their long term plan towards the World Cup as it was a sign that they had peaked too early.

Alas, there should be no more concerns about that, and Stuart Lancaster must now look towards repeating the form they showed this season until that Italy game last week and show that this season was no fluke. After such a dominant display throughout their Six Nations campaign, this will be quite a bitter pill to swallow for Lancaster's young charges.

For the neutrals, it was one of the most unexpected finishes to the Six Nations ever. Italy beat Ireland to finish 4th in the standings behind a surprising Scotland. The brave Scots under Aussie caretaker coach, Scott Johnson, almost beat France in Paris and end Les Bleus' wretched campaign on the lowest note and secure their first wooden spoon since 1999. Alas, Tim Visser's late try for Scotland ensured that Les Bleus got the wooden spoon anyway as the 7-point winning margin by Les Bleus was not enough to supplant Ireland in the final standings.

All Blacks fans must be concerned now that their 3-test series against France may not live up to the hype as a World Cup Final rematch with turmoil appearing to engulf French rugby at the moment. On the other hand, All Blacks fans probably remember all too well what happened after the French finished last in the 6 Nations last time.

Champions League Quarterfinals Draw!

There may be no Premier League clubs left in the Champions League but that does not diminish this wonderful competition in the slightest bit. In fact, this could very well be one of the most open editions yet with some real contenders in with a real chance of winning this season.


FINAL DRAW -
Malaga v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid v Galatasaray
PSG v Barcelona
Bayern Munich v Juventus

Semifinal draw will be done later in April so we won't really be able to rate each club's route to the Final yet. Some very tasty matches there though - my pick is PSG v Barcelona, can Ancelotti's expensively assembled Parisian side tame the artisans from Catalonia?

Predictions -
Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich to all go through.

Glory Era Over for the Premier League?

For the first time since 1995/96, the Champions League will feature no clubs from the English Premier League in the quarterfinals. This comes following the exits of Manchester United and Arsenal from the recently concluded Round of 16 in heartbreaking circumstances - Manchester City and Chelsea of course had exited the competition before the new year after failing to make it out of the group stages.

The Champions League quarterfinals this year has a very Spanish and German feel to it with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga from La Liga and Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich from the Bundesliga taking on the likes of Juventus, Galatasaray and Paris St Germain.

It appears that a recession troubled Europe has struck back at the English with a vengeance after years of being shadowed by the very wealthy and televised Premier League.

But has the Premier League gone down in standard or have the clubs on the continent lifted their game?

While the standard of the leagues do have some correlation with the number of clubs each league has in the latter stages of the Champions League - the Spanish and German leagues are in a stronger position than the Italian league - the cup do-or-die nature of the Champions League - and the game of football itself - means the best sides often don't end up winning the competition.

Did Chelsea use up all of England's luck last season in winning the Champions League?

We saw that last season with a supposedly inferior Chelsea team beating the apparently superior Barcelona and Bayern Munich by just parking the bus and cancelling out the midfield. And we saw runaway champions, Manchester United lose to an apparently struggling 3rd placed Real Madrid who needed to play containing tactics at Old Trafford to stay in the game.

There's no doubt that the Premier League sides have had a truly golden era in Europe - a Premier League side has made every Champions League final since 2005 until last year except once in 2010. All four Premier League representatives made the quarterfinals in two consecutive years (2008 and 2009) - in those same seasons, 3 Premier League clubs made up the semifinals. This compares favourably with the previous golden era of English football in the early 1980s - let's bear in mind England could only have 2 maximum entries back then.

City will surely see less of these scenes in the future

One must bear in mind that most of that time, the Premier League's Champions League contestants were unchanged - Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, the so-called "big four", made the Champions League every season from 2004 to 2010. Tottenham was the first club to break that quartet and were eventually joined by Manchester City while Liverpool have somewhat fallen out of the running.

However, that constancy definitely helped those sides in their quest to conquer Europe with the certainty of competing in the Champions League through their league positions enabling them to spend a bit more time and energy on winning the Champions League itself. It is also a sign of how good the "big four" were during the first decade of the millennium.

While the race for the top 4 in the Premier League has become far more competitive and made the Premier League even better to watch, one wonders if the fatigue suffered by clubs in a race to stay in front has had a detrimental effect on their European involvements.

Will we see Bale in a Spurs top in the Champions League next season?

Nevertheless, like most things, the Champions League runs in cycles and while the cycle might have moved on from the Premier League, it is likely to come back given the Premier League's financial strength and the fact that the best players still want to go and play in that league. The likes of Manchester City and Tottenham will almost certainly become better in the Champions League with time.

That and a bit of luck would be nice too. Mind you, the Premier League clubs had plenty of that during their golden run so this was always going to be inevitable.

Season Over for the Highlanders?

I know my last post about the Highlanders was fairly recent but after tonight's game I thought it was time to share some thoughts on the Highlanders in what looks set to be a disappointing campaign after a third loss in the row.

The Friday night game against the Hurricanes was a superb one - yet another high paced, thrilling encounter between two New Zealand sides desperate to get their seasons back on track. Unfortunately, one team was always going  to suffer and unfortunately for the home fans, it was the Highlanders who were on the wrong end of the scoreline.

However, the Hurricanes got a much-deserved win and now sit with a record of played 4 and won 2 and lost 2. To be honest, the Canes would have been disappointed if they had lost tonight's game as they had utterly dominated territory and the breakdowns and were  far superior to the Highlanders in the scrums. Julian Savea and TJ Perenara were the standouts in a backline that looks very dangerous and could be a worthy playoff contender should they keep up this form.

The Highlanders clung on bravely but you felt they were always on the back foot and did well to stay with the physically superior Hurricanes. Their ball was slow - the result of their forwards being on the backfoot throughout the game and the backs really could not get it going. The Highlanders had opportunities to score in the clear but appear to miss Tamati Ellison's ability to put away a free support runner - Ben Smith has had to fill the void left by Ellison.

One wonders about the recruitment policy of the Highlanders going for experienced All Blacks. It is almost as if they picked out the 1998 Nissan Primera out of a car yard full of 2013 Ferraris. While Woodcock and Thorn are all great players, they can't really be expected to last for the full 80 minutes.

Whatever the policy, one thing that can easily be fixed is the tackling - the tries to Ben Franks and TJ Perenara were down to poor technique and positioning. Surely Jamie Joseph will be working with his team to sort this out during  the week or plenty of teams will fancy putting points on what has been a porous Highlanders defence.

Finally, give TJ Ioane a chance to claim the blindside position left vacant by Adam  Thomson. Joe Wheeler has been average so far and needs some time away to work on his game.

Is the season over for the Highlanders? Not yet but it looks like it'll be nigh on impossible to get into the playoffs with this start.

Has Luck Run Out for The Lucky Nation of Australia?

For so long, New Zealanders and Brits have long envied the success of their Aussie counterparts when it comes to sport. They've always been the team to beat in any sport be it the more traditional sports like rugby or cricket to slightly more individual sports like triathlon, cycling, etc.

But in recent times, the aura of invincibility long built by the athletes from the lucky nation appears to have eroded away especially at home in the cricket where they've even lost to New Zealand in a test for the first time in 25 years.

Beating Australia now isn't such a big deal for New Zealand or the UK who have other countries in their sights. Australia appears to have become just another opponent.

Then there's the recent doping controversy that has taken professional sport in Australia by storm. Essendon, Cronulla & Manly are amongst the highest profile Aussie sports teams involved in what appears to have been a deeply rooted and long existent problem in Australian sport. One wonders how influential the doping doctors were in the success that Australian athletes enjoyed at the start of the millennium.

It appears that Australia has become a victim of its own success on and off the field. Australia's long dominance on the field has possibly resulted in a generation of athletes who think they can just walk on the field and win, and aren't required to graft and work hard for their victories like many of their predecessors.

Case in point - the Australian swimming team at the London Olympics. An air of arrogance amongst the athletes resulted in a lack of preparation, discipline and team spirit which ultimately destroyed the team's chances of having as successful an Olympics as before. In fact, London saw the worst performance by Australian athletes at the Olympics since Seoul 1988.

Another case in point - the once mighty Australian cricket team. The former undisputed no. 1 team in the world finds itself 2-0 down against India and hopelessly outclassed. 4 of its players have been dropped including the experienced Shane Watson. There have been stories of partying and drinking beyond protocol and it appears even the captain, Michael Clarke has lost control of the team.

The likes of Allan Border and Ian Thorpe must be shaking their heads at the shambles of the teams they created through hard work and graft over many years. The legacy that they built appears to have been ignored by Australia's latest breed of athletes, spoilt possibly the massive wealth of one of the most prosperous and successful countries in the world.

Sports teams often tend to strive in adverse conditions - the All Blacks possibly achieved their greatest moment amidst one of the most turbulent periods in New Zealand history. Perhaps, Australia's recent prosperity along with its recent history of success on the field has resulted in a team far softer than its predecessors.

Perhaps, luck has just run out for the luckiest nation in the world.

Race for the Premier League - Can Billy Davies Lead Forest Back into the Promise Land?

The race for promotion to the Premier League is hotting up as the sun shines brighter in the UK.

While Cardiff City appear to have sealed at least automatic promotion to the Premier League barring a late, late collapse, the race behind is quite interesting.

Yes, Watford, Hull City and Crystal Palace appear fairly settled in the playoff spots based on the current league table, the chase behind appears to be heating up.

On the one hand, you have sides like Leicester and Middlesbrough who are in poor form and seem to be heading out of the playoff spots having run out of steam after recent unbeaten runs. On the other hand, you have sides like Bolton, Leeds and Brighton in great form who have the potential to sneak up into one of the automatic promotion spots.

Another side like that is Nottingham Forest who are surely the hottest team in the Championship right now. Since the return of Billy Davies, Forest have gone on an incredible run which has seen them go from being out of the running for the playoffs to the possibility of snatching 2nd place come the end of April.

Billy Davies is back and better than ever.

To be fair, this is the sort of form we were expecting from Forest at the start of the season. They were bought by the al-Hasawi family and many had hailed them to be the Manchester City of the Championship. Alas, a managerial merry-go-round ensued at the City Ground which definitely stymied the club's progress early on. Sean O'Driscoll's sacking was a shock to everyone and certainly the team and Alex McLeish's appointment was baffling to say the least.

However, Billy Davies appears to have solved the problems left as a result of Forest's flirtation with managers and the charges from his previous reign are answering in kind.

I shan't predict how they will go in their next few games. However, their game at Cardiff on 13 April will be one to watch.

It seemed unlikely earlier in the season but Bolton might have timed their rise to formto perfection

As mentioned earlier, Bolton are also in great form and it appears Dougie Freedman has finally found the right formula at the club. They probably have the best squad in the Championship with plenty of Premier League quality players and might be the team best prepared for a tilt at promotion. Bar Cardiff City, they may also have the best run-in to the end of the season.

Bolton's poor start to the season might have cost them a chance of automatic promotion but their form at the end of the season may mean they're the side no one wants to face in the playoffs - which bodes well for a swift return to the Premier League.

My tip? Cardiff City and Nottingham Forest for automatic promotion, Bolton Wanderers to beat Watford for the final Premier League spot at Wembley.

Super Rugby Week 3 - Will Loss of Pocock and Habana Hurt?

Just to show you how attritional a game rugby has come, we're only into week 3 of Super Rugby and we have quite possibly lost two high profile players for the rest of the season.

It appears the Brumbies and Stormers may have lost David Pocock and Bryan Habana respectively following serious cruciate ligament injuries. The injury is probably most galling to the Brumbies who recruited David Pocock in the off-season to much aplomb.

However, both players are equally integral in the plans of both these title-chasing sides and now the coaches must dramatically readjust their game plans without two of their star players.

At least for the Brumbies, they do have a capable if perhaps slightly aging replacement in George Smith - although I think George Smith as a player retired from international rugby prematurely and I think he has plenty to offer yet (perhaps Robbie Deans should consider tempting him out from retirement for the Lions series).

And the Stormers, do have quite good depth out on the wings and should be able to cope fairly well in Habana's absence. Furthermore, it was set to be Habana's last season anyway for the Stormers, having agreed a move to France at the end of the season.

However, they will sorely miss Habana's experience and versatility - as well as his defence. And it's a sad way to end for one of the most electric players ever to play in Super Rugby. For rugby neutrals sake, let's hope it's not the last we've seen of Bryan Habana in Super Rugby.

On another note, something must have afflicted New Zealand's first fives this weekend. Apart from Baden Kerr and Beauden Barrett, all of them were quite off their game. Dan Carter was average with the kicking game but at least he didn't have as bad a day as Lima Sopoaga and to a certain extent, Aaron Cruden.

At least, Aaron Cruden had the chance to play the whole 80 minutes, the last of which should really have involved a drop goal which he has shown to be capable of - God knows, why he decided to run himself into several Stormers all alone with nothing on either side.

Spare a thought for Lima Sopoaga who had one of those games he'd really rather forget soon enough - and we fear could traumatize him for life. Two kickoffs out on the full and two big mistakes which led to tries to the Cheetahs.

Sopoaga and Cruden are young and very talented but this was one weekend where you'd hope they will learn much from.

What's Wrong with the Highlanders?

It hasn't been the greatest start to the long season of rugby for the Mainland. The Highlanders and Crusaders find themselves with no wins after 3 rounds.

While the Crusaders' situation as discussed previously is not so precarious given they haven't even played at home yet, the Highlanders' situation is a bit more of concern having played all their games so far at "home".

Ok, a first up loss to the champion Chiefs is not a disaster by any stretch of the imagination but a win against the Cheetahs in Invercargill a week after a bye was expected if the Highlanders are to challenge for the title as many had tipped after their extensive and high profile off-season recruitment campaign.

Ironically, it was the first game for two of the Highlanders most high-profile recruits of the last two seasons with Andrew Hore and Brad Thorn making their first starts for the season while the third, Ma'a Nonu, had to pull out last minute due to a knee injury.

Perhaps that was why the forwards seemed a bit cold throughout the game against a battle-hardened and ready Cheetahs side who had played 2 games on the trot against last season's finalists.

Give credit where its due - the Cheetahs have always been a solid, difficult side to beat - they take a while to wear down but just lack the consistency of the other South African sides to challenge  for the playoffs. However, they appear to have quite a bit of quality, e.g. Lappies Labuschagne, Sarel Pretorius, Johan Goosen, Rias Ebersohn, Heinlich Brussow.

But we are talking about the Highlanders, a side who on paper are loaded with quality, i.e. a side laden with past and current All Blacks like Tony Woodcock, Andrew Hore, Jamie Mackintosh, Brad Thorn, Aaron Smith, Colin Slade, Ma'a Nonu, Hosea Gear, Ben Smith. However, it's the loss of another recent All Black, Adam Thomson that may have affected what has always been a strong part of the Highlanders game.

Joe Wheeler, John Hardie and Jake Paringatai have a lot of catch-up work to do to cover what appears to be a big loss - Wheeler on the blindside was culpable for the missed tackle that resulted in the Cheetahs' first try. Wheeler has shown potential at ITM Cup level for Tasman but Super Rugby is a big step up and he'll need to learn fast or face being discarded rather quickly and harshly.

The other problem last night was at first five. Lima Sopoaga had one of those games that he'd hope to forget in a hurry - the omens were not good when he put the first kickoff out on the full. From that time on, it seemed that Sopoaga was too keen to make amends especially when he repeated his mistake later in the game. After giving away two tries, Sopoaga was carted off for Colin Slade to make his return. Slade didn't do too badly although his vulnerability to injury is still a bit of a worry.

In my opinion, the Highlanders still have issues at first-five even with the players they have. They haven't really got an established, dependable first-five like the Hurricanes, Crusaders and Chiefs have. That could really hurt them later if Slade, Sopoaga or Parker fail to put their hand up and take control.

On the plus side, the Highlanders have tended to make flying starts and fall away badly at the end. Maybe, two defeats to start the season may not be such a bad omen after all. However, the Highlanders now must beat the Hurricanes or probably face huge disappointment after a pre-season full of promise.

Is It Time for The Crusaders to Panic?

(couldn't find a more recent photo sorry)

After 3 rounds of Super Rugby, the Crusaders find themselves 9th with 2 losses but 6 points on the ladder courtesy of 4 points from their first round bye and 2 bonus points from last night's unsuccessful encounter against the Hurricanes.

Amazingly, thanks to bonus points which could still prove vital at the end of the season, the Crusaders are actually ahead of the Hurricanes on the table.

The Franks battle up front last night was fascinating

However, it's certainly a bit short of where the Crusaders might have expected to be at this stage of the season especially with a tough tour to South Africa shortly where they will have to play the Stormers and Sharks.

On the other hand, the Crusaders have yet to play at home in Christchurch and factoring in their first round bye - which is a short straw for any team in my book - this is an average start and not as bad as it could have been.

The Crusaders definitely played far better than they did in the first game in Auckland but they still have some issues with their ball-handling skills - they dropped plenty of balls which could have let to tries just as they were finding gaps in the Hurricanes defence.

Dagg is a few gears short of where he normally would be

Their kicking game is still a bit of a concern too - Dan Carter and Israel Dagg look a bit of out of form in that regard at this stage of the season. Their inability to find touch against the rapid backs of the Blues and Hurricanes has proven costly.

As a result of these basic flaws, they gave the Hurricanes chances to get back into the game when they were more than a converted try up - something uncharacteristic of the Crusaders - and put pressure on themselves resulting in the lost lineout for Julian Savea's try and that intercept try to Leiua.

It was a cracking game of footie with both sides desperate for a win and ultimately the Hurricanes probably needed that win more than the Crusaders having already lost their first two games. Their position on the table summed it up and the Hurricanes need to keep winning to get the fickle Wellington crowd back to the stadium.

As for the Crusaders, they've been in this situation before where they've started with no wins out of the first two games and then went on to play in the final. They'll know that they've got a few games in Christchurch to come and the draw is fairly kind to them so definitely far too early to panic.

And re: whether they miss McCaw, I don't think McCaw would have made much difference especially with Kieran Read and Dan Carter equally adept and capable of making decisions on the field.

So bring on the Bulls in what should be a cracker of a game on Saturday night.

Did Nani Red Turn The Tide for Madrid?

It is probably going to be the one thing that fans will remember from what was another epic encounter between Manchester United and Real Madrid - for United fans, the memories will probably linger even if the taste isn't exactly that sweet.

After all, the Red Devils had dominated for much of the game and deservedly took the lead and initiative in the tie thanks to an own goal by Sergio Ramos. Then, in what seemed an innocuous moment, Manchester United's European hopes were dented.

Alvaro Arbeloa and Nani laid on the ground hurt. It seemed like nothing had happened. Then the world saw replays of Nani and Arbeloa challenging for the ball. Nani was trying to pull out of a high tackle but having already committed to the tackle, couldn't and the result was inevitable just like a car wreck following the locking of brakes.

From what I saw, it definitely looked worthy of a card of some sort and brought back memories of Nigel de Jong's infamous tackle on Xabi Alonso in the 2010 World Cup Final.

To the shock and disbelief of the Old Trafford crowd, referee Cakir pulled out the red card and sent Nani to the stands.

Perhaps, Cakir had deemed - and probably fairly - Nani to have committed a violent conduct on the field and if so, rightfully brandished the red card. And for all purposes and intents, it was a pretty gruesome looking tackle even if it was not intentional.

Whatever your thoughts, the game certainly changed and United were clearly deflated by that moment. Real Madrid took the initiative against a tiring United and levelled things through former Spur, Luka Modric.

Then came the heartbreaker.

Credit to Ronaldo for keeping celebrations muted after scoring the winning goal for Real Madrid to rescue their season. My respect for him has gone up immeasurably.

Alas, probably United's best chance of European glory has ended a tad too early. And wonders if Cakir will ever set foot safely in Manchester after tonight even if in the end, most will think his decision to be right in the end in the eyes of the law.

Sayonnara Dan Carter?

It has been quite a fortnight for plane-spotters with more high profile rugby players announcing their imminent departures from the New Zealand rugby scene. 

However, if rumours are to be believed, they may not have seen it all yet with the news that New Zealand and the world's best player, Daniel William Carter of Southbridge, Canterbury, New Zealand is set to embark on his sabbatical in Japan later this year.

Ma'a Nonu relished his stint in Japan. Will Carter too?

Dan Carter will see out the current Super Rugby campaign and subsequent Rugby Championship before heading to Japan to take up a million dollar playing contract with a yet-unknown club - however, sources have led us to believe that more than one Japanese club is keen on forking out a million bucks to get Dan Carter playing for them.

Japanese rugby is likely to be a less physical but still competitive affair for Dan Carter which might suit the 31-year-old as he starts to wind down his highly successful rugby career. And after the trauma from his last sabbatical experience in France which lasted all but 2 games (?) for Perpignan due to injury, Carter will be keen to art least get a season overseas under his belt. 

I think right now, Carter needs to prolong his career and this is probably not a bad move for him after all especially if he still harbors hopes of playing in the 2015 World Cup.

Furthermore, first five stocks in this country are at an all time high and Carter's absence will shift the pressure onto the likes of Aaron Cruden, Beauden Barrett, Colin Slade and Tom Taylor. And who's to say that Dan the Man will slot in easily into the no. 10 jersey that he has made his own since that epic 2005 Lions series? 

Ronaldo or Bust? Manchester United v Real Madrid Preview

In a couple of hours, the world will stop for 90 minutes to watch the conclusion of one of the most hotly anticipated football match-ups in recent times.

Two of the world's most followed teams, Manchester United and Real Madrid will take each other on in the 2nd leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie at Old Trafford with the score currently 1-1 although Manchester United have the key edge of that 1 away goal thanks to Danny Welbeck's first half header at the Bernabeu.

On paper, Manchester United appear to have the advantage in this tie and Real Madrid are the ones who must chase down at the very least an away goal to get themselves level in the tie.

However, this is Real Madrid we're talking about - the same Real Madrid who are quite accustomed to taking early leads at Old Trafford, and the same Real Madrid who beat Barcelona twice in the space of a few days including at the Camp Nou where Barcelona had been unbeaten this season.

In fact, signs of what Real Madrid can do were evident in that game, with the Meringues playing the perfect counterattacking game against the hosts to take a shock 3-0 lead in their Copa Del Rey semifinal tie in the toughest arena they'd yet face this season. The funny thing is that Barcelona and Real Madrid had drawn 1-1 in the first leg of their Copa Del Rey semifinal tie at the Bernabeu.

However, there will be different factors that Real Madrid will have to overcome - and factors that Manchester United will have in their favour. The biggest of them all is Ronaldo coming home for the first time since his multi-million dollar move to Madrid in 2009.

Ronaldo's highlight in the United red

There is no doubt that Ronaldo was a huge hit at Old Trafford and his move to Real Madrid was only a natural progression for a player who wanted to achieve greater things in his career. When Ronaldo walks out of the tunnel at Old Trafford, he will be mostly cheered by the crowd but when the ball is kicked off in action, he will probably be greeted by jeers and his former teammates keen to show him what he has missed in the last 4 years.

How Ronaldo reacts to this will be vital to Real Madrid's chances of progressing in the Champions League and ensuring one more trophy besides the Copa del Rey. Ronaldo's pace and trickery in midfield will be key if Real Madrid are to successfully employ the same tactics they did against Barcelona. History isn't exactly kind to Ronaldo on the massive occasion although a EURO 2012 semifinal might have shown us that Ronaldo can perform in do-or-die situations.

Ronaldo celebrates his hat-trick at Old Trafford in 2003

Ronaldo will have to emulate his namesake's performance 10 years ago - then the great Brazilian striker scored a wonderful hat-trick to all but sink Manchester United's hopes in the Champions League that year. Only a few seasons before, the great Raul did the same.

So what's the final call on this tie? Too tough to call. It won't be goal-less though. I'd say a 3-2 win to Manchester United and the winner will be quite dramatic.

In the other games... 

Like Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund know that the Champions League is their last chance for glory this season - although Dortmund no longer have a domestic cup to console themselves like Madrid. They face a Shakhtar Donetsk side whose defence leaves much to be desired and will be severely tested at a jam-packed and noisy Westfalenstadion. Lewandowski to hand Dortmund to key edge in a 2-1 win.

Juventus are pretty much through and could make the aggregate score quite ugly for Celtic fans - 3-0 at home to make it 6-0 on aggregate.

PSG just to nick it ahead of Valencia at home.

Is Gareth Bale the Best Player in the World Right Now?

Gareth Bale is the hottest player in world football at the moment. Some could say he is hotter than Kate Upton, but we'll let you decide on that.

His goal-scoring record doesn't lie though. Since his hat-trick against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, Bale 10 goals in 11 games (7 in 9 Premier League games) - it's a strike rate of 90%, ahead of the likes of Manchester United's Robin van Persie (7 in 10 games).

In that same period, Barcelona's goal machine, Leo Messi, has scored 13 goals in 13 games (12 goals in 9 La Liga games) - a strike rate of 100%. One must remember that there is a winter break in Spain so Messi didn't play between 26 December 2012 and 6 January 2013.


Statistically, Messi still has the better strike rate during this period but one must consider the facts -

a) Barcelona has a superior team to Tottenham Hotspur over a league campaign. Messi can call on World Cup winners, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets in midfield who are clearly on a level above Moussa Dembele, Scott Parker, Gylfi Siggurdson and Aaron Lennon (good as those players are), no disrespect meant to Spurs' fabulous midfield quartet.


b) The difference in quality of opposition in La Liga compared to Barcelona is bigger than the difference between Tottenham and most Premier League sides. While La Liga is still a top notch league to watch, it is clearly obvious that at this point, only Barcelona and Real Madrid realistically can win the title (even if Atletico Madrid are having a brilliant season to this point, they haven't really made a serious dent to Barcelona's runaway title train). And apart from defeats away to Real Sociedad (shock!) and Real Madrid (not so much a shock) in the league, Barcelona have been unstoppable in the league and imperious at home.

Yes this season it appears Manchester United is running away with the Premier League title, but behind it, the race for the Champions League spots is as close as ever, with even current champions Manchester City, not certain of finishing 2nd ahead of Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton. Liverpool, Swansea and West Brom are not out of the running either.

What must also be considered is that without Bale's goals in the Premier League, Tottenham would have dropped 12 points and be in 8th place in the league and possibly out of the Europa League.

It has been a while since a player's goals have been so important to a team but it is clear that without Bale, Tottenham would be struggling to make it into Europe next season, let alone the lucrative Champions League spots.

We've been seeing a lot more hearts from Gareth Bale than most boyfriends worldwide combined

Thus, this makes Bale's latest goal scoring streak all the more impressive compared to Messi's. And on form, he is the best player in the world right now.

One must remember that saying - form is temporary, class is permanent.

However, Bale appears to be in that raging hot form to compliment the class we've always known though.

Whether FIFA chooses to acknowledge Bale's efforts with a Ballon D'Or nomination later in the year remains to be seen but Bale surely will have that PFA Player of the Season title sown up now.

And if Ronaldo does leave Real Madrid, one wonders how long Gareth Bale will stay in North London and evade opportunities to enjoy the sunny climes of Castilla or Catalonia.

Leila Masaga Off to Japan?

It appears that the world has claimed another of New Zealand rugby's best players, with Leila Masaga set to join Chiefs teammate, Richard Kahui and now-former All Black teammate, Adam Thomson in Japan at the end of the Super Rugby season.

Masaga, Kahui, Thomson and Rene Ranger are the highest profile names of the player exodus that New Zealand rugby has experienced since God or whichever higher entity you believed in, placed New Zealand at the corner of the world yet left its people with the ability to be curious and yearn for greener pastures.

Once again, the same questions are being asked - why are our players going, should the New Zealand rugby union be doing something to stop our best players going overseas, how will this affect the All Blacks?

Former All Black and current Sky Sports commentator, Jeff Wilson wrote an opinion piece questioning if the All Blacks jersey had lost its pull in the Sunday Star Times - http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/8374290/Is-the-All-Blacks-jersey-losing-its-pull.

New Zealand Herald's rugby writer, Gregor Paul was a bit more positive - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10868794

Tamati Ellison came back from Japan in 2012 better than ever

I think the player exodus has been generalized into a crisis when clearly that is not the case, and I think for some players, going overseas has actually helped them tremendously, e.g. Tamati Ellison, Leon Macdonald appear to have benefited from playing in the less physical competition in Japan and came back to New Zealand rugby refreshed and wiser. Again I reiterate, this does not apply to everyone - as we saw with Luke McAlister who never got back to the form he showed in the black jersey prior to his
move to Sale.

Kahui's body needs a bit of a break from Super Rugby

However, I think we will see the former effect on Richard Kahui - a player whose development has long been dogged by injury. Going to Japan may enable him to finally develop into the player he always had the potential to be in an environment that is going to be less detrimental to his health. It appears that is his idea with a return due in time for the 2015 Super Rugby season and World Cup later in the year.

As for Leila Masaga and to a certain extent, Rene Ranger, both players have spent a long time out of the All Black limelight and are playing in positions where there is a lot of competition from younger and possibly better players along with the current incumbents, i.e. Masaga is competing with Hosea Gear, Julian Savea, Andre Taylor, Frank Halai, etc.

Savea's rise might have heralded Masaga's exit from NZ rugby

Masaga is an interesting case. He had plenty of plaudits early on in his career with Counties and the Chiefs but never really reached the heights expected. Perhaps he was unlucky to have started his career just as former teammate Sitiveni Sivivatu was at the peak of his powers and the game had shifted towards players strong under the high ball - something Masaga wasn't strong at.

Even so, he didn't really show what he could really do against top quality opposition when he got given the chances, and given the highly competitive nature of international rugby, especially when it comes to the All Blacks, it is very hard to come back and hope for another shot. And to be fair, Masaga's move to Bay of Plenty hasn't really been much of a success either.

So if he can't heck his way into Steve Hansen's team, Masaga might as well secure the retirement fund while his legs allow it. He'll still be one heck of a player wherever he goes.

Masaga is not the first player in this predicament. Nick Evans left New Zealand rugby when it was clear he was no longer wanted by the All Blacks after an average season in Super rugby in 2008 and has done very well with the Harlequins since.

The player exodus has become part and parcel of professional rugby that such moves aren't treated with the same horror and fear as they might have been 5 years ago. Perhaps, more drastic moves will be required in the future, but I don't think the All Black jersey has lost its lustre.

In fact, it has probably just got a bit tougher to earn than before and those who appear just short of the mark, are the ones who are forced to contemplate going overseas to earn their big bucks before being forced to hang up the boots.