Most of us are probably wary by now of the number of posts and articles that have been published lambasting David Moyes and Manchester United this season. Even the jokes and mock Facebook movies are starting to wear thin.
Unfortunately, Moyes' men have definitely provided fuel to the fire and certainly 21 years of hurt from non Manchester United fans is finally coming out - and how!
For those born after 21 April 1993, the day Steve Bruce scored that double against Sheffield Wednesday to seal Manchester United's first title in years and kick off an era of dominance that appears to be now at an end, this will be quite a new and unnerving experience seeing their side that was once a proud winning machine be so tame and puny.
The game against Olympiakos - probably Manchester United's worst ever performance in Europe - has been analysed, dissected to death and the bad points from that game have already been made clear - and they're pretty much the same as they have been before.
David Moyes must clear the team this summer of the dead wood and players like Tom Cleverley, Javier Hernandez, Jonny Evans and Ashley Young will probably be sent away to join the likes of Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra and possibly the effervescent Ryan Giggs who Moyes might entice to join Phil Neville as one of his assistants.
Tom Cleverley and Michael Carrick were horrifically exposed by an average Olympiakos side
This Manchester United team certainly has some world class players, i.e. Rooney, van Persie, Kagawa, Mata, Fellaini, along with some solid young players like Chris Smalling and Phil Jones but the rest of the team has either been very average - Cleverley, Hernandez, etc. - or is past their prime (Giggs, Carrick, Ferdinand, Evra) and that has been the big problem for Manchester United this season.
This is the team that Manchester United need to have to get back at least into the Champions League - forget more attacking signings as Manchester United do actually have enough of those. It's midfield and defence that Moyes and the Glazers will have to prioritize for now.
OUT - Javier Hernandez, Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs, Tom Cleverley, Nani, Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Ashley Young, Jonny Evans, Anderson
GOALKEEPERS -
David de Gea
Andreas Lindegaard
Ben Amos
Manchester United need to chase a new replacement for Patrice Evra - could Coentrao be the one?
DEFENDERS -
Alex Buttner Fabio Coentrao (from Real Madrid)
Chris Smalling
Phil Jones Jan Vertonghen (from Tottenham - he wants out of Spurs)
Rafael
Guillermo Varela
MIDFIELDERS -
Marouane Fellaini
Shinji Kagawa
Antonio Valencia Ander Herrera (from Athletic Bilbao)
Juan Mata
Nick Powell
Adnan Januzaj
Wilfred Zaha
FORWARDS -
Wayne Rooney
Robin van Persie
Danny Welbeck
Angelo Henriquez
Not long to go before the Warriors kick off the new NRL season. In order to get you excited, here's a look at some of the greatest Warriors games in history!
We have all heard about how good the Premier League is and how awesome the likes of Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Franck Ribery, etc. are.
But here's the team of players who aren't quite stars yet but could be in years to come.
Here's my best XI of non-EPL players you've never heard of.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Borussia Moenchengladbach (GK)
Filipe Luis, Atletico Madrid
Nicolas Kjaer, Lille
Diego Godin, Atletico Madrid
Carlos Martinez, Real Sociedad
Iker Muniain, Athletic Bilbao
Ivan Rakitic, Sevilla
Miralem Pjanic, AS Roma
Antoine Griezmann, Real Sociedad
Filip Djordjevic, Nantes
Vincent Aboubakar, Lorient
The most intriguing La Liga season in years took another twist over the weekend.
The chaser has suddenly become the leader of the pack; thanks to a determined, steely unbeaten run of 15 games stretching back to that loss at the Camp Nou against Barcelona in October - out of which only 2 were draws, Real Madrid now have their destiny in their own hands after such a slow start to the campaign as Messrs Bale and Illara got used to life at the Bernabeu.
In the meantime, Spain's fast starters, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid appear to have hit a wall - I emphasise 'a' and not 'the', as I think their impeccable home form should stand them in good stead in the title race even if their away form in recent times has been a bit dodgy.
Barcelona certainly appear not to be the side that they once were. The signs had been coming for some time now that this Barca team is perhaps a bit too dependent on Lionel Messi for creativity even with the acquisition of Neymar in the summer. Neymar has shone at times at home but away from home in the more physical Spanish league, he has struggled a bit.
Barcelona and Real Madrid are both in a bit of transition at the moment but it appears that Real Madrid have adapted far quicker for the long run. While Real Madrid's new signings appear to have gelled under new coach, Carlo Ancelotti, Martino's Barcelona is quaking a bit in the wake of the impending departure of veterans, Victor Valdes and Xavi at the end of the season; the later's departure will certainly fill a big hole that needs to be filled quickly by Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Busquets, or anyone that the coach whoever it may be, signs in the summer.
Amidst this, a fairly settled Atletico Madrid have taken advantage of Barca and Real's slips this season and put themselves right in contention for the title. Their form until now has been brilliant but confidence seems to be lacking in red half of Madrid - confidence that the other Madrid club can be champions instead of their wealthier, star studded rivals across town and across the country.
Atletico Madrid are good enough as they've shown not just in the league for much of the season but in the Champions League but just lack the final touch that champions need - especially champions who haven't been champions for so long (look at Manchester City, Blackburn, Chelsea and Manchester United even). And it's a shame that their star talismen, Diego Costa and David Villa have hit a goal drought just when their side needs it.
The performance at Osasuna was easily the worst of the season - perhaps playing a major European Cup tie at Milan had drained Diego Simeone's relatively small but talented side, but even then it was still a shock to see Atletico Madrid so disorganized at the back and then so toothless up front against a side who may be tough at home but are struggling to survive in Liga Primera.
There's still some way to go in this most intriguing of title races and plenty of twists left too. But suddenly, Real Madrid look very much like the champions they believed they could be even after their wretched start to the season.
The 2014 NRL season kicks off in just over a week's time with the game at an all-time high on the back of a highly successful Rugby League World Cup and the NRL's own inaugural Auckland Nines which really wiped the New Zealand Rugby Union's bum especially in the wake of a Wellington Sevens event marred by drunken behaviour.
Then of course, there's the millions in the pockets of the ARL from their television deal with Fox which means more coverage of games than ever before - even those of slightly deluded mind, say that the NRL is very much up there with the English Premier League. It certainly is punching its weight with Aussie Rules and well ahead of Super Rugby in Australia.
There's no point really comparing team by team in what is essentially the world's most competitive regular season competition outside the USA as the salary cap means that teams who won the wooden spoon often end up in the NRL Grand Finals.
That's what Parramatta fans are hoping this season although that may very well stay as hope with coach Ricky Stuart walking out to join the Canberra Raiders.
Expect the likes of the reigning premiers, Sydney Roosters to be up there again - buoyed by the re-signing of Sonny Bill Williams in the off-season for another season before he returns to rugby union to try and play for the All Blacks in the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The Roosters thrilled in their run to lifting the Premiership last October and the next challenge for last year's rookie coach, Trent Robinson is to make it 2 in a row.
Their closest rivals should be their most bitter rivals from South Sydney with the Rabbitohs determined to make up for the disappointment of falling at the penultimate hurdle to the Manly Sea Eagles in last year's semifinals. The Bunnies definitely have one of the better packs in the comp and like the Roosters, will continue to thrill, but really do need to make good Russell Crowe's investment in the club - it's nearly 8 years since Crowe took over.
Beyond them, apart from the Melbourne Storm, it's difficult to say and will come down to momentum at the end of the season. I think Cronulla and Manly should be thereabouts and I tip the Cowboys and Newcastle to possibly squeak in.
What about the Warriors? Well you'll have to stay tuned here but in a nutshell, I think they might have a very good season and making the playoffs is a minimum - the signing of Sam Tomkins could be a great one if he stays healthy throughout the season and compliments Shaun Johnson.
My tip for the NRL Grand Final? South Sydney Rabbitohs to beat Sydney Roosters.
The Warriors appear to have signed an absolute beauty of a star in Englishman Sam Tomkins. Tomkins who played for Wigan in Super League has always been one of rugby league's brightest talents but his talents were really only known in the UK.
Here's a look at what Sam Tomkins can do! Excited, much?
The Warriors have downed the Broncos 48-4 in the Deep South in their final pre-season game. It was a highly impressive for the refreshed Warriors, with a standout performance from new import, Englishman Sam Tomkins.
Here are the highlights from the Warriors' only foray to the South Island this year.
After lots of hype in the build up to a season that transpired to be underwhelming and disappointing last time round, the Highlanders kept their pre-season rather quiet amidst doubts cast on the abilities of Jamie Joseph and his fellow coaches.
It clearly worked with the Highlanders opening their campaign with a deserved win over a Blues team who had been riding a bit of a marketing wave on the back of the arrival of rugby league convert, Benji Marshall.
The Highlanders scored 24 unanswered points in the first half and added another unconverted try in the 2nd half to put themselves just ahead of a spirited Blues comeback that will please John Kirwan somewhat - although JK will not be too happy about the missed shot at goal by the normally reliable Chris Noakes that could prove costly later in the season - the Blues would have gained a bonus point for finishing within 7 points had the goal gone through.
It remains to be seen how the Highlanders will go this season but on the back of this season, the prospects of a better season than last are promising.
It took just about 3 years but two minutes sport has hit 1000 posts!! Over that time, this blogger has seen the popularity slowly rise and gain following among devoted sports followers in NZ and around the world.
There have been ups and downs but all in all it has been a pretty good journey that started as a compliment to my weekly 2 Minutes Sport video updates. Those video updates are no longer as frequent as they were due to changes in relationship status but the blog has kept going and has kept going strong fuelled by the popularity of the unofficial player/fan pages on facebook.
It has been a pleasure sharing my passion for all types of sport including tiddlywinks and darts - something which wasn't in at first when the blog was all about real sport until people convinced me that darts was actually a real sport. It has also been highly enjoyable being able to put my views, thoughts and ideas about the big sports stories and games into a format that can be shared by others rather than leave it to simmer in my wee little self.
I hope to continue blogging even in married life - I think married life isn't an excuse to stop following what you're passionate about - and hope to bring up another 1000 blogs (and maybe google adsense will finally pay me enough to quit my job)
Anyway here's a look back at the first 1000 posts of this blog! Firstly, my 10 most memorable articles -
The day Jack Bauer fell off (his bike) - July 20, 2013 (not so many visits but this was the only page at the time updating on Kiwi cyclist and good mate of mine, Jack Bauer's fall on the penultimate stage of the Tour de France)
Could we see scenes like this in little old New Zealand?
The Winter Olympics is set to come to a close this weekend and it looks like it will pass by without a hitch - to the relief of the Russian officials after all the money spent, the preparation and media attention about gay rights, etc. in the buildup to the games.
It has been a pretty successful Olympics and has certainly given the Black Sea resort of Sochi and the new prosperous Russia the publicity they'd planned for.
Sochi's Olympic Village
However, the IOC have expressed concern at the rising cost of hosting the Olympics in recent times - the Sochi games are the most expensive games ever in history and if the current trend continues, the Olympics will be well out of the reach of even the likes of the USA and European nations who have just come out of a major recession.
The IOC is looking at trimming back the fat of the Olympics and bringing it back to its roots so that the Olympics don't end up becoming a toy for the ultra-rich. This could mean supporting more sustainable facilities in host cities, i.e. easily dismantled structures as in London for the summer games.
It means that the likes of New Zealand could once again be in a position to make a bid to host the Olympics without having to carry the debt for the next 50 years, i.e. Montreal.
Montreal's Olympic Stadium is still being waiting to be paid off today
Even so, the summer Olympics probably will still be out of reach of New Zealand's - unlike Sydney, Auckland probably won't quite be able to get away with hosting it in September as the weather may still be cold and wintry and the large portfolio of sports for the summer games means that it will very well be too expensive for Auckland to host the summer games sustainably.
However, the winter Olympics with its much smaller list of events - and its obvious requirement for some mountains with lots of snow - could be one that New Zealand could host.
Furthermore, no nation in the Southern Hemisphere has yet hosted the Winter Olympics and in this day of age where the football World Cup has been held at least once in every continent and sport has become so global, the time will surely come - possibly in the next 10 years - where the IOC will eventually want to decide to make history and select a Southern Hemisphere country to host the Winter Olympics.
Australia and New Zealand are the most likely candidates in that regard and it must be said that New Zealand surely hold the edge in that race with a booming winter sports industry in the South Island - many European athletes train in their off-season in Queenstown and Wanaka.
Could Queenstown host the Winter Olympics - Lake Placid in New York was much smaller..
However, it's quite unthinkable that Queenstown could host the Olympics on its own - it would be the smallest town to host the Olympics since Lake Placid in New York, but given the trend of the Olympics nowadays, some events could be held in venues all over New Zealand - ice hockey and figure skating could be held in Christchurch or even Auckland or Wellington.
Could Auckland's Vector Arena host the ice hockey final?
If New Zealand were to host an Olympics, it would most certainly have to be a country wide effort just as it was with the Rugby World Cup in 2011 - which it did to great effect. New Zealand's population would still be much smaller than the population of each of the summer Olympics' three most recent host cities. However, the compact nature of the country plus air travel means it is doable for athletes, media and spectators to travel around the country to follow the games - remember the mountains over Sochi are a bit further from the village, and Whistler was a two hour drive from Vancouver, so the flight time between Christchurch or Auckland and Queenstown is about par.
All fanciful thoughts perhaps but imagine if Queenstown were to host the Winter Olympics - this could be how it could look.
Queenstown Olympic Village –
Opening and closing ceremony, curling, speed
skating, luge, skeleton, bobsleigh
Super Rugby finally kicked off in New Zealand on Friday night and what a way to kick off things with a match between undoubtedly the best two sides from the Land of the Long White Cloud.
There may not have been many tries but there was certainly plenty of action and drama for the sold out crowd to be happy about even if the result wasn't quite what the Christchurch crowd came for.
So here is all the action again if you missed it last night while you had Friday night drinks.
It has been announced tonight that Australia and New Zealand will jointly host the Rugby League World Cup in 2017.
The Anzacs beat South Africa's bid to host the next edition of rugby league's international showpiece event - not surprising when you compare the popularity of rugby league in each nation.
Rugby league is on a bit of a high at the moment with last year's Rugby League World Cup a success on and off the field and money pouring into the game thanks to lucrative TV deals - certainly in this part of the world, the game has never been popular especially given the success of the recently completed Auckland Nines last weekend.
The last time New Zealand hosted the Cup...
Therefore, it was probably in the game's best interest to have the World Cup in established rugby league markets and with experience of hosting a successful tournament.
So what will the 2017 World Cup possibly look like? Here are my tips.
Opening game -
Eden Park, Auckland
Quarterfinals -
Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Eden Park, Auckland
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Semifinals -
Eden Park, Auckland
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Final -
ANZ Stadium, Sydney
Other grounds?
Newcastle
Parramatta
Canberra
Melbourne
Gold Coast
Hamilton
Christchurch
Dunedin
Just as with JFK when he was shot all those years ago, people will be talking about where they were when they saw Brendon McCullum hit that boundary to bring up his triple ton, the first for a New Zealander in test cricket, and the highest ever - and greatest ever - individual test innings by a Kiwi.
It was certainly a golden moment in New Zealand sport and definitely was pivotal in ensuring that the Blackcaps won their first test cricket series against a top 2 nation since the ICC Test Rankings came to force in the 21st century.
Yes the Blackcaps have beaten India in a test series before, back in 2001-02 but India weren't in the top 2 at the time and to be honest, the cricket in that series was utterly forgettable, having been played on green tops which were so one-sided towards the bowlers.
This achievement definitely ranks as one of the greatest in New Zealand cricket history particularly considering the position the Blackcaps were in the 3rd innings when they were 5 own and facing an innings defeat.
The 300-odd run partnership put by Brendon McCullum and BJ Watling must surely rank as one of the great rearguards in test cricket - one that the Barmy Army would be familiar with over the years and one that incredibly turned the game on its head. Even when BJ Watling were out, the game was still firmly in India's favour but at least that certainly tipped the balance of the match towards the Kiwis.
Neesham's partnership with McCullum definitely tipped the test, and series towards the Kiwis as the test debutant's aggressive batting against the new ball meant that the aging Zaheer Khan, et al had their heads down once again and had to contemplate the reality of a 2nd series defeat in the Antipodes and a tour of New Zealand which they ended winless.
The repercussions will be huge back home for cricket-mad India and big changes will be made ahead of the Asia Cup, Twenty20 World Cup and 5 test series in England that the Indians will undertake this year.
As for the Kiwis, they can look back at a truly memorable and successful summer of cricket and look forward to a bright future under Mike Hesson who has definitely made the Blackcaps a cricket side Kiwis can be proud of. There is plenty of depth particularly in the fast bowling ranks - Adam Milne, Hamish Bennett, Matt Henry, Mitch McClenaghan and even Doug Bracewell if he can get over his indiscipline, are pushing the likes of Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner. And there's always Martin Guptill to pick for the openers.
Bring on the West Indies, and the 2015 World Cup!
Test series XI -
Rohit Sharma
Shikhar Dhawan
Virat Kohli
Kane Williamson
Brendon McCullum (captain)
Corey Anderson
BJ Watling (wk)
Ravindra Jadeja
Tim Southee
Neil Wagner
Trent Boult
After a (short) summer break, rugby will be back on our screens!
Unfortunately, just like going back to school for the year, this means that the road to winter has started. Oh well, at least, there'll be footie to watch during those colder months of the year!
With talks going on in the background over the future format of Super Rugby from 2016, it's up to the 16 Super Rugby franchises to put on a good show over the next 2 years to show the already competitive and congested world of sport that Super Rugby is one of the very best in the world - I include the Southern Kings as they might very well be back next year at the earliest and certainly will be part of any expansion.
But for now, it's time to focus on the now, who will be contenders in each conference and which players will be the ones to watch.
Given the form of the last 2 seasons, expect the Chiefs to be right up there and be the best of a very tough and highly competitive New Zealand conference (not counting the Highlanders), and likely to be the best of Super Rugby again.
With the Chiefs having now got a double in their bag, the three-peat is the next goal for the Hamilton-based franchise that now includes the Taranaki - a big coup to sign a former major partner union of the Hurricanes. Expectations are higher now especially given the signings the Chiefs have made in the off-season including former All Blacks Mils Muliaiina who will offer experience as well as talent in the autumn of his career.
Dave Rennie appears to be the coach everyone wants to play for - his testament is loud and clear having seen the likes of Aaron Cruden, Liam Messam, Sam Cane etc. develop into leaders and world class players. The likes of Robbie Fruean and Jamie Mackintosh will be hoping that Rennie could revive their stalled careers and catapault them back into the All Black reckoning.
Their former franchises in the South Island have two different aspirations this season - the Crusaders are desperate to win another Super Rugby title - Toddie will certainly be keen to win a championship after 5 years at the helm, and more doubts will surface if he can't bring a title back to Christchurch to a team that has done it all in the past - while the Highlanders will be keen to improve on a shocking 2013 season and will be hoping that Ben Smith stays injury free and continues his golden run of form that made him an All Black star last year.
However, the power of New Zealand rugby might very well now be in the North Island. It may not be with the Hurricanes who despite having Cory Jane and Julian Savea, are set for yet another close shave season (something the stadium officials won't be too happy with given the declining crowds to the Cake Tin).
However, John Kirwan's Blues appear to be building something very exciting. It remains to be seen how Benji Marshall will go in rugby union - it looks like JK is keen for the former Kiwi and Wests Tigers star to lead the action at first five having played him there in both pre-season games. However, the Blues do have plenty of exciting talent including last year's All Black star rookies, Charles Piutau, Frank Halai and Steven Luatua.
So that's New Zealand - Super Rugby's answer to the NFL's NFC East or Major League Baseball's American League East (the one with the Yankees and Red Sox).
What about the other countries?
The Australian conference looks to have improved but still appears to be the weakest conference. With Jake White gone, it'll be interesting to see how the Brumbies go this season without Jake White - they do have Stephen Larkham as coach, and one who knows the Brumbies culture to a tee. The Reds also have a new head coach in Richard Graham but still have Will Genia and Quade Cooper. The Waratahs should be contenders too but really need to improve their brand of rugby especially given the talent at their disposal. The Rebels and Force will be looking for improvement and some respectability too.
So it's South Africa who will provide the stiffest competition to the New Zealand conference - they do have an edge - or handicap depending how you see it - this season of starting a week earlier than the other teams due to their international calendar. Jake White is back at the Sharks meaning they could be the team to watch if he can revive their fortunes quickly while the Bulls should be thereabouts as usual. The Stormers will be looking to improve on a disappointing 2013 season while the Cheetahs will be looking to build on their success of last season although Heinrich Brussouw's health is a concern.
How will the Lions go in their first season of Super Rugby in 2 seasons?
Finally, the Lions are back in Super Rugby. Don't expect them to achieve much after a year away from the action - survival this season is their main aim although that might very well come in their 2 match playoff series against the Southern Kings later this season.
So bring on another long year of rugby and given the weather in many parts of New Zealand, it's time for a sport that we can play in the wind and rain!
The NRL Auckland Nines kick off another exciting rugby league season today with organizers hoping that this will become an annual fixture in the season - and show organizers of the Wellington Sevens how it should be done.
Here's a guide to the two-day competition -
Rules and schedule for the NRL Auckland Nines -
-Nine-minute halves with a two-minute half-time
-Nine players a side with six unlimited interchange players
-Five tackles in a set
-Five points for a try scored in the bonus zone under the posts, with two-point drop kick conversion
-Five-minute golden try period in qualifying rounds; unlimited golden try in finals
-No video referee, with one on-field referee
-Scrums will only form after a double knock on, with attacking teams to elect which side to feed
-The scoring team will have a drop kick off to restart play
-A tap restart will take place after a 40/20 kick
-Five-minute sin bins
Knights - Jarrod Mullen (c), Adam Cuthbertson, Jake Mamo, Dane Gagai, Joseph Leilua, Akuila Uate, Tyrone Roberts, Willie Mason, Adam Clydsdale, Chris Houston, Beau Scott, Robbie Rochow, Jeremy Smith, Michael Dobson, Alex McKinnon, Zane Tetevano.
Bulldogs - Sam Perrett, Mitch Brown, Chase Stanley, Tyrone Phillips, Ed Murphy, Moses Mbye, Drury Low, Tim Browne, Michael Ennis (c), Dale Finucane, Josh Jackson, Tony Williams, Pat O’Hanlon, Lachlan Burr, Corey Thompson, Lloyd Perrett.
Eels - Willie Tonga (c), Kenny Edwards, Bureta Faraimo, John Folau, Manu Ma’u, Fuifui Moimoi, Ryan Morgan, Corey Norman, Pauli Pauli, Joseph Paulo, Nathan Peats, Api Pewhairangi, Semi Radradra, Chris Sandow, Ken Sio, Peni Terepo, Vai Toutai.
Panthers - Matt Moylan, Wes Naiqama, Josh Mansour, Isaac John, Kevin Naiqama, Jamie Soward, Jeremy Latimore, Sam Mckendry, Kevin Kingston, Tyrone Peachey, Lewis Brown, Adam Docker, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Etonia Nabuli, George Jennings, Isaah Yeo.
Titans - William Zillman, Brad Tighe, David Mead, Kevin Gordon, Albert Kelly, Greg Bird, Ashley Harrison, Anthony Don, Paul Carter, Kalifa Faifai Loa, Brad Takairangi, Mark Minichiello, Maurice Blair, Luke Bailey, Siuatonga Likiliki, David Taylor.
Rabbitohs - Nathan Merritt, Beau Champion, Alex Johnston, Joel Reddy, Dylan Walker, Luke Keary, Apisai Koroisau, Dave Tyrrell, Irae Simone, Ben Lowe, Chris McQueen, Ben Te'o (c), John Sutton, Cameron McInnes, Kyle Turner, Lote Tuqiri.
Cowboys - Lachlan Coote, Zac Santo, Antonio Winterstein, Kane Linnett, Javid Bowen, Michael Morgan, Robert Lui, Jason Taumalolo, Ray Thompson, James Tamou, Gavin Cooper, Tariq Sims, Joel Riethmuller, Rory Kostjasyn, Kyle Feldt, Curtis Rona
Broncos - Ben Barba, Josh Hoffman, Dale Copley, Alex Glenn, Stewart Mills, Kodi Nikorima, Ben Hunt, Martin Kennedy, Andrew McCullough, Sam Thaiday, Matt Gillett, Jordan Drew, Corey Parker (c), David Stagg, Todd Lowrie, Zac Strasser, Joe Ofahengaue, Jake Granville
Sea Eagles - (In alphabetical order) Cheyse Blair, Jamie Buhrer, Michael Chee-Kam, Daly Cherry-Evans, Clinton Gutherson, James Hasson, Peta Hiku, Justin Horo, Jack Littlejohn, Steve Menzies, Ligi Sao, Tony Satini, Jesse Sene-Lefao, Tom Symonds, Jorge Taufua, David Williams.
Wests Tigers - James Tedesco, David Nofoaluma, Pat Richards, Bodene Thompson, Marika Koroibete, Mitchell Moses, Blake Austin, Aaron Woods, Robbie Farah (c), Martin Taupau, Cory Paterson, Curtis Sironen, Adam Blair, Manaia Cherrington, Kurtis Rowe, James Gavet (17th Man: Delouise Hoeter).
Dragons - Josh Dugan, Brett Morris (c), Dylan Farrell, Nathan Green, Jason Nightingale, Adam Quinlan, Sam Williams, Jack de Belin, Mitch Rein, Tyson Frizell, Leeson Ah Mau, Joel Thompson, Trent Merrin, Bronson Harrison, Michael Witt, Craig Garvey
Storm - Will Chambers, Sisa Waqa, Joel Romelo, Mahe Fonua, Matt Duffie, Young Tonumaipea, Mitch Garbutt, Justin O'Neill, Tohu Harris, Matthew Lodge, Kevin Proctor, Ryan Hoffman (c), Slade Griffin, Kurt Mann, Cameron Munster, Richie Kennar
Sharks - Nathan Gardner, Nathan Stapleton, Blake Ayshford, Jonathan Wright, Sosaia Feki, Todd Carney, Daniel Holdsworth, Andrew Fifita, Michael Lichaa, Sam Tagataese, Wade Graham, Matt Prior, Paul Gallen, Ricky Leutele, Tupou Sopoaga, Fa’amanu Brown
Raiders - Jarrod Croker (c), Reece Robinson, Mitch Cornish, Bill Tupou, Matt McIlwrick, Joel Edwards, Glen Buttriss, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, Jarrad Kennedy, Mark Nicholls, Jake Foster, Lagi Setu, Mitch Cronin, Luke Bateman, Jack Ahearn, Andrew Heffernan.
Roosters - Mitchell Pearce (c), Jake Friend (c), Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Aidan Guerra, Kane Evans, Daniel Tupou, Samisoni Langi, Jackson Hastings, Dylan Napa, Isaac Liu, Nene Macdonald, Jonathon Rueben, Paul Rokolati, Rhyse Martin, Saulala Houma, Siosiua Taukeiaho, Brad Fittler
Warriors - Jayson Bukuya, Raymond Faitala-Mariner, Glen Fisiiahi, David Fusitua, Charlie Gubb, Konrad Hurrell, Sebastine Ikahihifo, Shaun Johnson, Solomone Kata, Ngani Laumape, Tuimoala Lolohea, Sione Lousi, Suaia Matagi, Dominique Peyroux, Sam Tomkins, Carlos Tuimavave.
It's raining throughout much of New Zealand today meaning we're stuck sat on our couches watching the thin box in front of us while our Saturday cricket is washed out.
Thankfully there's quite a bit of sport on with the 2nd day of the New Zealand Sevens and the 3rd day of a riveting test match between the Blackcaps and India at Eden Park.
While you watch, you might want to give your brain a bit of a workout.
So name your greatest ever New Zealand Sevens side now - 7 plus 5 on the bench.
It's that time in our lives again! Yes once again, it's time for another Winter Olympics and that time when every 4 years, we care about ice skating, skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey amongst other things.
While the Winter Olympics still remains in the shadow of its Summer brother, the Frozen version of the Olympiad has definitely become more popular in recent times with the IOC now starting to choose hosts from all over the world to host winter sport's premiere event, looking beyond Central Europe and North America at the emerging markets, e.g. Sochi, Pyeongchang.
However, this new era of expansion has come fraught with controversy, with the focus from the English speaking media around the location of this year's games - Black Sea resort of Sochi being so close to an active warzone, i.e. the area where the South Ossetia War between Russia and Georgia broke out in 2008 and the construction of many of the venues on sites once occupied by the Circassian people. There has also been much talk about Russia's human rights record and stance on homosexuals with the safety of many openly gay athletes in serious doubt.
And most people are still pissed off about the way they sent Pussy Riot to jail....
The worries will linger on but hopefully once the Games kick off on Friday, people can put those aside and focus on the high class sport on show.
Canada, the USA, Russia and the European nations should be thereabouts contesting for the top ten in the medal tally - the Russians will be keen to put on a good show in their first Olympics in the post-Soviet era and will hope to emulate the efforts of the Canadians in Vancouver 4 years ago where they finished top of the medal ladder after a slow start to the Games - of course that achievement was capped off by Canada's defeat of the USA in a thrilling ice hockey Final.
Speaking of ice hockey, Washington Capitals star, Alexander Ovechkin will be keen to follow Calgary Flames star, Sidney Crosby's achievement of winning gold at home - the Russian squad is full of talent based in the NHL and KHL and will be tough to beat. The ice hockey will probably be the sport I'll be most keen to follow at this games.
The other sport will be the free-style skiing with the Wells brothers from Wanaka, New Zealand competing this time - Jossi, the oldest, is a hot favourite to end New Zealand's medal drought at the Winter Olympics. Jossi is a star in his own right in the Winter X-Games so there will be immense pressure for him to shine as freestyle skiing makes it debut in the Olympics.
Another Winter X-Games star, Shaun White, will also feature although White has pulled out of the slopestyle after fears about the track following a massive crash that ended Norwegian Torstein Horgmo's Olympics. He will still contest the half pipe at this games - but naturally, the big star has attracted plenty of criticism from his competitors over his decision to pull out of the first ever slopestyle event at the Olympics.
One American who won't be at the Olympics is Lindsey Vonn. Vonn tore knee ligaments and broke a leg in the world championships in Austria so will not be defending her downhill gold medal - a blow for the sport who will be missing their biggest star.
Another sport I'd follow is Nordic biathlon - I quite enjoy seeing athletes cross country ski and then pick up a rifle and have a shot at the board.
So stay tuned for a lot more ice and snow over the next two weeks!
It has engrossed us, been the biggest time waster at school and work ever known to mankind. But most of all, it's so bloody addictive - more addictive than mySpace or Bebo could ever be.
Like many people in New Zealand, I joined the facebook in 2007 - reluctantly at first as I had stayed away from mySpace and bebo having been so faithful to MSN Messenger (that itself no longer exists after years of being the defining standard of chatting on the internet). However, after much convincing that it would be the best way to let people know that I was alright while I was travelling in Europe, I joined facebook and well, the rest is history.
It turns out it was a great way to store photos too.
Life has been very much shaped by facebook and it's not just the social side. To be honest, facebook works so much better than so many other things - a) no longer will anyone forget anyone's birthday, b) organizing and inviting people to events will never ever be the same, and c) saving time and money on texting people when you can just facebook message someone especially with smartphones dominating nowadays.
There will come a time when facebook will fade into history but it would require something that will supersede it. Just like facebook superseded MSN Messenger, ICQ, Bebo, MySpace etc.
I can see us being on facebook for at least 5 more years. Probably even more.
It's that time of the year - well slightly a week late this year due to the reshuffling of the IRB World Series Sevens calendar.
Yes, it's that time of the year when Wellingtonians - and other Kiwis - dress up as bumblebees and Borat for two days and get sloshed while 14 guys try and beat each other in a game of rugby that only lasts for 7 minutes each way.
While organizers of the NZ Sevens are trying to emphasize the Sevens in the event and move away from the hugely popular booze brigade it has now become, the event still has a very festive air to it with the result taking less precedence over just being there.
Even better if New Zealand win the tournament - something they will need to do with close rivals, South Africa, now leading the series ladder after the last round in Las Vegas.
The Highlanders have started their pre-season with a 15-11 win in Queenstown on Saturday over last season's finalists, the Brumbies.
Jamie Joseph's men are looking to improve on their woeful 2013 with All Black utility back, Ben Smith, to assume the reigns at the Southern Super Rugby franchise.
Chelsea's win at Manchester City not only ended the home team's 100% record at home this season, but threw an already exciting English Premier League title race completely wide open and ensured that no one actually really knows who is going to be champion come May.
So here's a look at the remaining fixtures for the trio -
Saturday 8 February
Liverpool v Arsenal, 12:45pm
Norwich City v Manchester City, 3pm
Chelsea v Newcastle, 3pm
Tuesday, 12 February
West Brom v Chelsea, 8:45pm
Wednesday, 13 February
Manchester City v Sunderland, 7:45pm
Arsenal v Manchester United, 7:45pm
Saturday, 23 February
Chelsea v Everton, 12:45pm
Manchester City v Stoke City, 3pm
Arsenal v Sunderland, 3pm
Saturday, 1 March
Stoke City v Arsenal, 3pm
Fulham v Chelsea, 3pm
Saturday, 8 March
Manchester City v Aston Villa, 3pm
Arsenal v Swansea, 3pm
Chelsea v Tottenham, 5:30pm
Saturday, 15 March
Hull City v Manchester City, 12:45pm
Aston Villa v Chelsea, 5:30pm
Sunday, 16 March
Tottenham v Arsenal, 4:00pm
Saturday, 23 March
Chelsea v Arsenal, 12:45pm
Manchester City v Fulham, 3pm
Tuesday, 25 March
Manchester United v Manchester City, 7:45pm
Saturday, 30 March
Crystal Palace v Chelsea, 3pm
Arsenal v Manchester City, 5:30pm
Weekend of 5-6 April
Manchester City v Southampton
Chelsea v Stoke City
Everton v Arsenal
Weekend of 12-13 April
Arsenal v West Ham
Liverpool v Manchester City
Swansea v Chelsea
Weekend of 19-20 April
Hull v Arsenal
Manchester City v West Brom
Chelsea v Sunderland
Weekend of 26-28 April
Arsenal v Newcastle
Crystal Palace v Manchester City
Liverpool v Chelsea
Weekend of 3-4 May
Arsenal v West Brom
Chelsea v Norwich
Everton v Manchester City
Sunday, 11 May
Cardiff v Chelsea
Manchester City v West Ham
Norwich v Arsenal
There is no doubt that win for Chelsea was massive as they face a fairly straightforward February and early March - their toughest matches are against Everton and Tottenham but they are at home. Manchester City should recover with home games against Sunderland, Stoke and an away match at Norwich where they have a good record, but they do have the distraction of the Capital One Cup Final against Sunderland, which means their derby match against Manchester United has been postponed until later in March.
On the other hand, current leaders, Arsenal face a tough run with Liverpool this weekend and then Manchester United in midweek before their cup games against Liverpool and Bayern Munich before they host Sunderland and a visit to Stoke City.
February has always been the month that has broken Arsenal title challenges in recent years so this is a critical time for the Gunners if they are to remain genuine title contenders - shame that they'll be missing Aaron Ramsey and new signing Kim Kallstrom for much of that run.
If the Gunners fail, it looks like the Premier League's financial heavyweights, Manchester City and Chelsea could be fighting for the title - their stars, old and new are shining at the right time.
After the end of February, well we'll have to look and see. Given how this season has gone, this looks like one that will go down to the final day between this trio.
The Super Bowl is not really about the football. The commercial nature of the whole event nowadays means that things like the Halftime show and the ads get more attention than the actual game.
With that, here is a look at some of the best ads of Super Bowl XLVIII.
