Can Chelsea Turn their Season Around?

On Monday night, a team in blue won 2-1 to take the lead of the English Premier League.

Indeed, apart from the team colours, there were many uncanny links between this season’s darlings, Leicester City and last season’s champions, Chelsea. Foxes defender Robert Huth once played for Chelsea and his manager, Claudio Ranieri once managed Chelsea.

In fact, the Tinkerman was the last manager of the pre-Roman Abramovich era at Stamford Bridge – that season, he guided the Blues to 4^th place and the final Champions League spot, ousting Gerard Houllier’s Liverpool on the final day of the campaign and perhaps sealing Chelsea’s history forever.

Months later, Abramovich had bought out Chelsea’s debt and the West London side had become the richest club in the Premier League. Ranieri thought he had won the national lottery as 140 million pounds were spent on players.

Unfortunately, Russia’s oil tycoon had always wanted then Porto manager, Jose Mourinho at the helm particularly after guiding the Portuguese giants to the UEFA Cup and league success the previous season. He did eventually get his man and Ranieri would start a long journey around Europe that included Valencia, Athens and Monaco before returning to England to manage Leicester.

11 years on since Ranieri was deemed unwanted at Stamford Bridge and applauded off the field in 

Chelsea’s final home game against Leeds, the Tinkerman has finally tasted sweet revenge and the result is that 10 days before Christmas, Jamie Vardy, Christian Fuchs, Danny Drinkwater, Riyad Mahrez, Kasper Schmeichel et al. are leading the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Sergio Aguero and Wayne Rooney.  

Meanwhile, Mourinho, the so-called Special One, now has to start again and figure out how to motivate a side where communication is lacking along with that vital component of sport – team spirit.

Jamie Vardy’s goal against the champions epitomised Chelsea’s season – a lack of accountability on the part of the players allowed Vardy unmarked to score past Thibault Courtois with ease. The marking was worthy of the Blue Square Premier rather than the Premier League champions.

For all of Chelsea’s talent and the hype around summer signing, Pedro from Barcelona, the midfield isn’t able to create enough ball for him and Diego Costa to work with. Any side with their wits about them can contain Chelsea’s lack of imagination and spirit.

Chelsea’s season appears to be a vicious cycle with the faults oscillating between managers, coaching staff and players, and that has resulted in them being 2 points from the relegation zone and even in a season where no one seems to want to lead the league, it’s safe to say that Chelsea don’t even have a chance of finishing in the top 4.

The only way they’ll avoid ending their run in the Champions League which Ranieri started back in 2003 is by winning the whole competition in next May. In order to do that, first, they’re going to have to overcome imperious French champions and runaway leaders, Paris St Germain which includes a certain David Luiz, come February. If they lose, they can definitely kiss hearing the Meisters hymn next season.

All the experts including myself are expecting them not to be relegated, and most of us are still tipping them to sneak into the top 5 – but with each passing weekend and given the way this season has gone, the odds of that happening are reducing and it’s difficult to see any player that Mourinho can sign in the January transfer window who can turn things around.

Ultimately, it will come down to the players to turn it around and prevent the unprecedented from occurring – champions one season, relegation the next.

2015 Year of Sport in Review

2015 has been a brilliant year of sport.

Three teams closest to my heart, the All Blacks, Highlanders and New England Patriots achieved their greatest dreams in 2015.

It could oh so nearly have been four had the Blackcaps beat Australia at the MCG in the Cricket World Cup Final in March. Alas, making the Final is still a highly incredible achievement along with an 8 week campaign that will long be remembered by New Zealand sports fans where at one stage, cricket topped the rugby in terms of favourite sport by Kiwis.

The way 2015 has culminated will probably never be repeated in the future - it could very well be surpassed but that is difficult.

So without further ado, here are my Top 10 Sporting Moments of 2015 -

1. All Blacks winning the Rugby World Cup for the first time on foreign soil.

2. Blackcaps beating South Africa in the Cricket World Cup semifinal at Eden Park.

3. Highlanders spoiling the Hurricanes Grand Final party for their first ever Super Rugby title.

4. Malcolm Butler's key intercept grab for the Patriots in the Super Bowl against the Seahawks.

5. Japan beating South Africa in the upset of upsets.

6. All Blacks exorcising 40 years worth of demons from defeats to Les Bleus in Cardiff.

7. Martin Guptill's double ton against the West Indies - the first ever for a Kiwi in one day cricket.

8.  The Silver Ferns ending their long losing drought against Australia in the World Cup.

9. Tyson Fury's massive upset over Wladimir Klitschko.

10. North Queensland Cowboys winning a thrilling NRL Grand Final over the Brisbane Broncos.


And for good measure, my other lists -


Top 3 Duds of 2015 (Where Did It All Go Wrong) - 

1. England national teams (except football - for once) - World Cups and English teams don't mix

2. McLaren-Honda - all that money and manufacturer support and how many points did they get?

3. Liverpool - big disappointment after coming close to winning the title, now with new manager


Top 3 Surprises of 2015 (Wow) - 

1. The Brave Blossoms - see point 5 of top 10 list

2. Day/night test cricket - it's definitely here to say and could solve those problems with crowds and pitches in India

3. Leicester City - 2015 has definitely been their year.


Person of 2015 - Dan Carter. A year before this year's World Cup, I tipped Beauden Barrett to be running the cutter at first five in England because of Dan's age, form and injury run. After an average Super Rugby and Aaron Cruden's season ending injury, that prediction seemed certain. But Dan the man turned it around just in time for the World Cup and the rest is history. Now he can enjoy the fine red wines and baguettes of Paris as a double Rugby World Cup winner and having played in one Final.

#RIPJonah (1975-2015)

Jonah.

Jonah Lomu.

When I first heard Jonah's name 12 years ago as a migrant to New Zealand, all I could think was a Jewish prophet in a whale's belly who ran away from his mission to Nineveh.

Then, I saw the rugby reels and the highlights of that try in 1995 against England - who will ever forget that try and the iconic moment that Keith Quinn sounded like he just had an orgasm - "Lomu, oh, oh".

Then I saw many more of his wonderful tries from his illustrious but unexpectedly short rugby career from his debut as a teenager in 1994 against France to that last test against England at Twickenham in 2002.

Indeed, I knew Jonah more for his issues with his kidneys in his latter years. In fact, I have seen Jonah in the face, going with his ordinary life at Les Mills on Taranaki Street.

At the time, I thought he was just some big Pacific Island dude who was the size of Jonah Lomu - probably due to his age, I didn't actually put two in two together and realise that it was the man himself who I saw working out on the shoulder machine.

Funnily enough, I saw another All Black, his former teammate, the late Jerry Collins at the gym around the same time although I did recognise Jerry and talked to him.

Jonah Lomu was rugby's first superstar of the new professional age and without him, we wouldn't have the likes of Julian Savea, etc. who probably all grew up playing Jonah Lomu Rugby on their Playstations wanting to be the next big All Black winger.

In my opinion, Jonah Lomu wasn't the best winger of all time in terms of complete package of skills - Julian Savea and Bryan Habana have him there.

But in terms of impact and charisma on the field, he is the greatest of them all and no player will ever match the same way Jonah carried himself on the field.

Jonah Tali Lomu, you will be genuinely missed.

RIP Jonah 1975 - 2015.

2019 Rugby World Cup Winning All Blacks?

The All Blacks have finally achieved their goal and won the Rugby World Cup a record 3 times and in doing so, have emulated Brazil's achievements in the football World Cup and taking the title of the number one country in the sport.

The goal for 2019 will be to make it 3 titles in a row and a 4th World Cup win that would put the ABs well ahead of their rivals and cement New Zealand's place as undoubtedly the best rugby nation on the planet.

While it's too early to contemplate what the side would look like when the tournament rolls over to Japan, here's a bit of fun and games at tipping the All Blacks 23 for that Final in Yokohama.

1.       Joe Moody

2.       Dane Coles

3.       Charlie Faumuina

4.       Brodie Retallick

5.       Sam Whitelock

6.       Ardie Savea

7.       Sam Cane (captain)

8.       Akira Ioane

9.       Aaron Smith

10.   Beauden Barrett

11.   Julian Savea

12.   Malakai Fekitoa

13.   Ben Smith

14.   Waisake Naholo

15.   Nehe Milner-Skudder

16. Codie Taylor

17. Nepo Laulala

18. Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen

19. Luke Romano

20. Brad Shields

21. TJ Perenara

22. Damian McKenzie

23. Anton Lienert-Brown

Notes -
- Ben Smith moves to centre to allow Milner-Skudder, Naholo and Savea to play in a move not dissimilar to that of Tana Umaga's.
- Steve Hansen and then Ian Foster will consider playing pace on both sides with Savea on one flank and Cane on the other.
- Anton Lienert-Brown plays centre and wing and would enable to Damian McKenzie to come onto the bench as first five/fullback cover (Barrett clone). 

Review of the 2015 Rugby World Cup

The 2015 Rugby World Cup will go down as the best ever edition; such was the quality of drama and rugby that the next edition in Japan will have much work to do to match.  

Here's a look back at the World Cup that has been, starting with the team of the tournament. 

Team of The Tournament - 

Fullback – Ben Smith (NZ) 

An outstanding tournament for the Otago and Highlanders fullback who only blotted in his copybook close to the end with a justified yellow card for a spear tackle that threatened to ruin his teammates' fairytale ending. From such unlikely beginnings, Ben from accounts should now be rightfully considered one of our best ever fullbacks. 

Honorable mention should go to Argentina's Santiago Cordero who lit up a previously unheralded backline. 

Right Winger – Nehe Milner-Skudder (NZ)

The most consistent winger of the tournament - outstanding from start to finish. Hard to believe that the Manawatu flyer who was born at a pit stop in Taihape on the way to his home in Palmerston North, only really emerged this year after a stellar Super Rugby campaign for the Hurricanes. No longer a star in the making; Milner-Skudder's star is already shining brightly. 

Honorable mention should go to South Africa's JP Pietersen who enjoyed an Indian summer of a tournament 

Left Winger - Julian Savea (NZ)

Questions were raised about Julian Savea's form going into this World Cup after a run of tryless games. Savea ended that drought against Namibia and continued to fire, peaking with a memorable hat-trick against France which included the individual try of the tournament. While the semifinal and Final were quiet for Savea on the try-scoring front, there was no disputing his industry as he caused havoc down the left flank. 

Honorable mention should go to Argentina's Juan Imhoff who showed that Pumas really can have wings.  

Centres – Ma’a Nonu (NZ), Sonny Bill Williams (NZ)

I decided to put both centres together given that Nonu shone playing both inside and outside centre, and SBW's impact off the bench was just too much to ignore. It's hard to believe that this is Nonu's 12th year in black - he could play another 12 with this form. This tournament marked him out ahead of his idol, Tana Umaga and his predecessors, as the best centre in All Blacks history. SBW brought league handling skills to a tournament already overflowing with sublime skills and shut down haters after a quiet Super Rugby campaign. 

Honorable mention should go to South Africa's Damian de Allende who might have sent Jean de Villiers into retirement and the other All Blacks centre, Conrad Smith who is solid and dependable as always - the other half of the greatest centre partnership in All Blacks history. 

First Five – Dan Carter (NZ)

Finally a World Cup to savour for the finest first five ever in history and boy did he deliver particularly in a World Cup Final that will be his signature game and not dissimilar to Pele's performance in the 1970 World Cup Final. Will leave the game as a true great of the game. 

Honorable mention should go to Argentina's Nicolas Sanchez who finished top points scorer of the tournament and was key to the arrival of Los Pumas as rugby superpower.

Halfback – Greig Laidlaw (SCO)

There were quite a few good halfbacks in this tournament including New Zealand's dynamic Aaron Smith and Australia's enigmatic Will Genia but Scotland's Greig Laidlaw takes my cap for leadership and charisma. His goalkicking kept Scotland in the contest against Argentina and it was his brave decision to go for the try rather than the posts against Samoa that sealed their place in the quarterfinals ahead of the Brave Blossoms. 

No. 8 – David Pocock (AU)

One of the stories of this remarkable Rugby World Cup - from career ending injury to heart and soul of the team, David Pocock's story is one of the great comeback stories in world sport and deserved a fairytale ending. Alas, Pocock's bloodied face will go down as one of the iconic images of this World Cup - souvenirs from his industry at the breakdowns. 

Openside Flanker – Richie McCaw (NZ)

Need I say more. Even in the last days of his rugby career, McCaw was an enigmatic as he was in his first test against Ireland in 2001. The All Blacks have had some fine openside flankers but McCaw is now surely the greatest of them all. On the night of nights, he outshone David Pocock, one of the most influential players of any tournament. 

Blindside Flanker – Jerome Kaino (NZ)

A close call between big Jerome and Australia's Scott Fardy, but Jerome just about takes it on the basis of his performance in the Final. Kaino showed his best from 2011 and was a menace with or without ball in hand. After two World Cups and a shoulder reconstruction, this might very well be his bow from All Blacks rugby too.

Locks – Brodie Retallick (NZ), Sam Whitelock (NZ)

The best locking partnership in All Blacks history. Retallick and Whitelock were immense in the lineouts, stealing lineout after lineout in the semifinals and Final. They were fearsome in the loose too. 

Honorable mention should go to South Africa's Lood de Jaager and Eben Etzebeth who in time could match Retallick and Whitelock and their predecessors Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha as a lineout partnership to fear.

Tighthead Prop – Ramiro Herrera (ARG)

Argentina's scrum was the best at this World Cup and Herrera was one of the reasons why. He caused the experienced Tony Woodcock plenty of problems when Los Pumas played the All Blacks first up at Wembley and only got better after that. 

Hooker – Dane Coles (NZ)

While this World Cup saw two hookers made for outstanding captains, i.e. Stephen Moore and Gus Creevy, my pick for hooker goes to Dane Coles who must surely be the fastest and most athletic hooker in world history. Most importantly, Coles never through a crooked lineout throw during this tournament and was solid in the scrums.   

Loosehead Prop – Marcos Ayerza (ARG)

The other pillar of a dominant Pumas scrum and gave his opposing tightheads nightmares in ensuing nights. 

Honorable mention should go to Joe Moody who transformed from NPC player to world champion in the space of two weeks. His form ensured that Wyatt Crockett's injury was a mere footnote. 

Individual Try of the Tournament - Julian Savea v France 

You could watch this try over and over again. It was very much like Jonah Lomu against England. Indeed you could say Savea's try was better as he took out two more players. The iconic All Blacks try of the tournament. 

Team Try of the Tournament - Fiji v Uruguay

Pure counterattacking brilliance. A shame that Fiji were put in such a tough pool - the only blot on a brilliant World Cup.

Moment of the Tournament - Karne Hesketh's try for Japan v South Africa

What more can you say. Winning try that sealed the greatest upset in World Cup history and the most important in Japanese rugby's history. Roll on 2019!

    

Post RWC Thoughts on the All Blacks

There’s so much to say about Steve Hansen’s band of marvellous All Blacks so I will just gather them in an essay that will lack structure and is just a gathering of random thoughts after a memorable Sunday morning.

Firstly, well done to Richie’s boys who in my opinion, had were under just as much pressure to win this World Cup as they did with the last when we were hosting the tournament.

In 2011, losing our home World Cup Final to France would have been a calamity on a level that Brazilian fans would be familiar with in the wake of their 7-1 drubbing to Germany in their World Cup semifinal in 2014.

In 2015, there were a multitude of pressures on Richie’s side to win this World Cup Final – last hoorah for the captain and 5 other players, underlining their status as the world number 1 side of the last 4 years; something that many ABs sides had failed to do since the World Cup started in 1987, breaking the hoodoo of not winning a World Cup outside NZ, etc.

Alas, if there is one thing the 2015 Rugby World Cup All Blacks will be remembered for, it’ll be for breaking hexes like never before – it was just apt that the Final had to be played on Halloween.

The day itself had not been kind to the ABs in the past having suffered their most infamous losses to Llanelli in 1972, Munster in 1978 and France in that semifinal in 1999.

But after exorcising the demons of defeats to Les Bleus with a thumping win over France two weeks ago, and then conquering the Springboks a week later in a clash that the ABs would have lost in the past, it felt like this was the time for all hexes to be vanquished for all time against a side that had the most hexes on the ABs.

The Wallabies had never lost at Twickenham in a World Cup, never lost a World Cup match in the United Kingdom and were 2-1 up on the All Blacks in World Cup matches. And then there’s the fact that the big brothers in the West Island had the edge in World Cups over their little brothers – remember the cricket and netball World Cup Finals earlier this year?

Just as the ABs did against the French in Cardiff, the All Blacks brushed aside past defeats and hoodoos with a dominant display against a very good and spirited Wallabies side. Indeed, the only way the Wallabies were ever going to match the All Blacks was when the ABs were a man down.

Kuridrani’s late try was eerily similar to Thierry Dusautoir’s barrels against the ABs and given history, many ABs fans were probably worried that history was about to repeat itself.

But the All Blacks were out to make history and Dan Carter, relishing the World Cup Final appearance that his career and talent deserved, set the record straight with his 2^nd drop goal in as many weeks and a massive penalty goal to take the game away from the Wallabies. Beauden Barrett’s solo try was the icing on a cake that the All Blacks deserved to have.

This is one of the great All Blacks sides – it is difficult to say if it is the greatest given the changes and evolution of the game, although certainly in the professional era, this All Blacks side would win the gong for greatest side ever.

Only Fred Allen’s All Blacks of the 1960s have captured the imagination of world rugby in the same way this side have done with their mixture of greats and youth.

It’ll be interesting to see how the ABs will now go without Carter, Nonu, Smith, Mealamu, Woodcock and as expected, McCaw. Winning the triple peat in Yokohama in 2019 without them would be probably a much bigger achievement than winning in 2011 and 2015 – such consistency at a high level has never been achieved in any sport, let alone in the Rugby World Cup.

Yet with the talent of Barrett, Fekitoa and Milner-Skudder coming through, along with plenty still to come through provincial rugby and the academy in the likes of Ardie Savea, Akira Ioane, etc., the future is just as bright as it is now, even if the new guys might not have the same calibre as McCaw and Carter.

But that’s another 4 years away. For now, let’s savour a very fine team and the end of the most glorious careers in New Zealand sport. 

End of the Dan and Richie Era

It’s official now following the announcement of the 2016 Super Rugby sides without Carter and McCaw in the list. 

Regardless of what the outcome will be, the Rugby World Cup Final on Sunday morning will mark the end of the Dan and Richie era.

Indeed it’s been a glorious 14 years which started back in November 2001 when a 20 year old Richard Hugh McCaw of Kurow, North Otago, became All Black number 1014 in his debut test match on a cold autumn night in Dublin. That night, McCaw played a big part in helping the All Blacks turn a 16-7 deficit into a 40-29 victory, earning the Man of the Match award.

Two and a half years later, a 21 year old Daniel William Carter from Southbridge, Canterbury, made his debut for the All Blacks against Wales in Hamilton. Carter, who was playing second five at the time, scored 20 points at John Mitchell’s men walloped Steve Hansen’s Wales 50-21.

In the time that these two Canterbury legends donned the black jersey, the Bledisloe Cup has never crossed the Tasman Sea and the All Blacks have been crowned Rugby World Cup champions, confirming their status as number one team in the world in the years between World Cups. And then there’s the bonus of the Crusaders winning Super Rugby 3 times.

My best memory of Richie will be that heroic performance he gave during the 2011 Rugby World Cup as he limped on one leg and carried the team without Dan Carter, while my best memory of Dan will always be that Lions test in 2005 in Wellington when he singlehandedly destroyed the British & Irish Lions in one of his earliest tests at first five. 

Sure, there have been other All Blacks who deserve as much recognition as Carter and McCaw who have played during the same era and will take their final bow at Twickenham on Sunday morning, e.g. Keven Mealamu, Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith, possibly Jerome Kaino, but Carter and McCaw will be the ones who define the All Blacks identity in the first two decades of the millennia.

Indeed, I am more than happy to say they’re up there with Jonah Lomu, Colin Meads, Sir Brian Lochore, George Nepia and Dave Gallaher as once-in-a-generation All Blacks, and in the top 5 of greatest ever All Blacks.

Their loss will be evident starting next year when there’ll be no McCaw or Carter running onto our rugby grounds in June for the first international of the season. Sam Cane, Ardie Savea, Beauden Barrett and Lima Sopoaga are all fine players but they have a long way to go to even come close to replicating the high standard that their predecessors have set.

As ever, the All Blacks will shut away the thoughts of farewelling Dan, Richie, Ma’a, Conrad and Kev and focus on winning the Final – perhaps even motivated to farewell in the best and only way they know how to.

But come the final whistle, there will be a long process of celebrating a truly remarkable era in All Blacks rugby.

5 Reasons To Be Positive about the All Blacks

After 6 weeks of exciting rugby action, the Rugby World Cup Final will be contested the two best sides in world rugby right now.

It is the dream result that World Rugby and many fans from either side of the Tasman hoped for while some All Blacks fans will be nervous of the prospect of facing their closest rivals from across the ditch.

After all, the Wallabies were the ones who inflicted the All Blacks’ only loss this season – and in fact, their first defeat to the ABs since 2011.

However, here are a couple of reasons why All Blacks fans should be feeling a bit upbeat about next Saturday’s blockbuster final –

1.       Experience in the Final

If all are passed fit, the All Blacks should be able to name 7 players who have played in a World Cup Final in their match 23 - Owen Franks, Keven Mealamu, Sam Whitelock, Jerome Kaino, Kieran Read, Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith and of course, Richie McCaw. Had Dan Carter not been hit by injury, he would definitely have been part of that illustrious group of players.

It is not often that a side can call on one or two players with World Cup Final experience, let alone 8 – only England and Australia have been afforded that luxury, but even then, apart from Wilkinson, Gregan and Larkham, many of their World Cup winning heroes were on the bench.

On the other hand, besides Mealamu, there is absolutely no reason not to start the 7 aforementioned players with only injury a valid reason for their exclusion. Even so, you would back Mealamu to do the job if given the unlikely chance to start ahead of in-form incumbent Dane Coles.

As those guys would know, playing in a Final is unlike any other international test match; the intensity and pressure will be much greater than a Bledisloe Cup test. Rest assured, the All Blacks can count on having half a team that knows how to win a Final and that will get them home ahead of a young but talented Wallabies side.

2.       Pocock (Non) Factor

David Pocock has been hyped up as the Wallabies’ breakdown machine and one that who will invoke fear in the All Blacks’ backrow.

However, having seen Pocock’s stats against the All Blacks, I can say that the hype around Pocock is just that – hype.

While there is no doubting his abilities in defence and attack, in 15 tests against the All Blacks, Pocock has only been on the winning side 3 times. Two of those games were deciders for the Rugby Championship/Tri Nations – Brisbane in 2011 and Sydney in 2015, while the other was a dead rubber Bledisloe Cup test in Hong Kong which the All Blacks should have won but for Beaver’s boot.

Indeed, since the All Blacks back row has featured at least two of Kieran Read, Richie McCaw and Jerome Kaino, David Pocock has never really looked like the player everyone hypes him up to be.

Moreover, the ABs will be familiar with the hype around a ball fetcher having had to face Schalk Burger last weekend.

While the double trouble of Hooper and Pocock cannot be ignored, it is not the cutting edge that we are led to believe by the media.  

3.       Game Fitness

Time and time again, the All Blacks have shown to be the fittest team in world rugby by a mile. 

While games have turned on substitutions made in the 2^nd half, those fresh legs are a bonus to a starting XV that could play beyond the full 80 minutes even as the intensity of the World Cup has increased with each game before the Final.

The Wallabies have claimed to be the next fittest team behind the All Blacks but questions around that claim have surfaced in the last two games against Scotland and Argentina.

Indeed, the 2^nd half may be a problem area for the Wallabies who seem to stop playing between minutes 40 and 60 and let the likes of Scotland and Argentina back into games. 

On the other hand, All Blacks side have proven to be very good in the 2^nd half even with the odds stacked against them.

Another thing that might count against the Wallabies is that they have one less day to recover for the Final – and it seemed that after that semifinal against Argentina, they looked puffed and relieved unlike the All Blacks who could have played another 80 minutes.

4.       History

Ok, a strange one to put here if you’re only considering the All Blacks’ record against the Wallabies in Rugby World Cups – played 3, won 1, lost 2. But given the time lapsed between matches, this is really an invalid measure of history.

What is more valid is considering the All Blacks’ record in the last 12 years that they’ve held the Bledisloe Cup. The losses can be counted on one hand and the win:loss ratio does not make very good reading for Wallabies fans.

Indeed, put the microscope on the last 4 years since 2011 and the record is drawn 2, lost 1, and won the rest. Consider too that we have always played at least one extra test against the Wallabies in addition to the Rugby Championship.

So yes, we know how to beat the Wallabies when the mind is on it.

But what about the Tri Nations and Rugby Championship deciders that we lost to Australia in 2011 and 2015? Firstly, let me remind you that this year’s Rugby Championship was abbreviated and relegated to warm-up tournament for the World Cup and that the Wallabies had two home games to the All Blacks’ one home game.  

Finally, there’s still the fact that no one has won the Rugby Championship or Tri Nations, the most intense international rugby competition in the world, in the same year of the Rugby World Cup.

5.       Coaches

Steve Hansen might very well be the world’s best rugby coach, and one of the best coaches in world sport. Indeed, he could be one of New Zealand rugby’s greatest coaches ever and up there with the great late Sir Fred Allen.

Hansen is a true leader in every sense. His calmness and composure is a complete contrast to his contemporary, Michael Cheika, who is a volcano on the verge of a pyroclastic flow.

This calm and composed demeanour clearly rubs onto his charges and been effective in ushering the new generation of New Zealand’s rugby stars.

While Michael Cheika has done miracles with a Wallabies side that has been also-rans in world rugby, he is still a young coach albeit a very good one and is still learning the knack of winning crunch games.

So really, no reason to panic but the excitement may still be too much to contain.

The Rise of Los Pumas – Be Afraid

The 2015 Rugby World Cup has had plenty of memorable stories – Japan’s meteoric rise to giant killers and becoming the first nation in tournament history to win 3 games and miss the quarterfinals, England’s shock exit at the first hurdle, and the All Blacks completing the greatest exorcism in history on their great Gallic rivals.

But amidst all this, there has been one story which has been brewing quietly – the rise of Los Pumas as a real force in world rugby.

Indeed, it seems that the brave defeat to the All Blacks at Wembley Stadium in Argentina’s opener seems to have had a positive effect as they’ve gone from strength to strength and easily booked only their second ever semifinals spot in Rugby World Cup history.

Not only that, they took on Ireland, the reigning 6 Nations champions and the people’s choice for best side from the North and beat them comfortably. Indeed, their record against Ireland in World Cups is now in their favour – their last 2 encounters have been victories to the Latin American team.

As it has been since day 1, Los Pumas’ performance against Ireland was breathtaking to say the least. Their backs have scored some incredible tries and buried forever one of rugby’s clichés that Los Pumas are all just about burly rugged forwards and good scrums.

In Santiago Cordero, Juan Imhoff and Joaquin Tuculet, Los Pumas now have a world class outside backline and one to match the All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks. Having good front foot ball and space to work with definitely helps but in the past, Argentina’s backs have always been their problem.

It is yet another testament to the strength of the SANZAR competitions and Southern Hemisphere rugby in general that since joining in 2012, Argentina’s progress and improvement has been exponential – possibly the fastest we’ve seen since the Boks returned from their enforced exile due to apartheid in 1991.

It is also another indictment against the lack of skill and pace in Northern Hemisphere rugby too; Argentina’s progress pre-2012 was respectable but stymied by the soggy pitches of Britain and France where all their players spent much of their careers on and didn’t encourage their backs to develop.

With a Super Rugby franchise starting in 2016 featuring a side that is virtually the national team in another team name – think NZ Warriors - expect Los Pumas to improve even further in the near future.

They already have a win against the Wallabies and Springboks. Surely, it won’t be a matter of if, and when, Los Pumas finally get that win over the ABs – let’s hope it’s not in under two weeks time should they make it to Twickenham for the Final.

For now though, in the battle to be Argentina’s favourite no. 10 right now, Santiago Sanchez who looks like former All Black first five, Nick Evans after a week of only eating pies, is currently winning that over his injured compatriot, Lionel Messi. A win over Australia on Sunday – and Argentina’s stuttering start to their 2018 football World Cup qualifying campaign where they lost 2-0 at home to Ecuador and drew 0-0 in Paraguay – would make Los Pumas the peoples’ choice in Argentina this year.

A remarkable victory for the oval ball game then.

Is French Rugby & Dutch Football Beyond Salvation?

All Saints Day may still be less than a fortnight away but two countries clearly need redemption from the saints.

If events are anything to go by, it is safe to say that in the month of October in the year 2015, we have seen the death of flair in French rugby and Dutch football.

Growing up, we always talked about the excitement and thrills of the likes of Serge Blanco, Christophe Dominici, Dennis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars, etc.

Alas, it seems the days when the Tricolors and Oranje provided the entertainment in rugby and football are history as both France and the Netherlands limped out of the Rugby World Cup and Euro 2016.

To be fair, the Dutch’s exit from Euro 2016 was down to their attempts to rediscover the flair that the great Dutch sides of the 1970s and 1980s had but was extinguished by Bert van Maarjwik and Louis van Gaal’s ethos of winning at all costs. While the Dutch finished 2^nd and 3^rd in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, flair is not a word you would associate with those sides. Indeed, brutality would be pretty apt particularly if you recall the image of Nigel de Jong’s boot to Xabi Alonso’s chest in the Final.

Nevertheless, the current generation of Dutch footballers have been taught to play a more physical side of football and are no longer of capable of playing with the flair that their predecessors and neighbours, Belgium are capable of. The jury is still out on Manchester United’s Memphis Depay and even he alone can’t be expected to lift the Dutch from football mediocrity.

It seems that French rugby is in a similar predicament as Dutch football.

The reason why Les Bleus have matched the All Blacks and beaten them in the past has been that they have been able to match them for flair and passion. Structure has never been a part of the French game, hence the reason for the inconsistency of results, and obviously coaches since Bernard Laporte have been trying to instill the discipline and professionalism that has seen the Southern Hemisphere sides dominate rugby.

Alas, it seems in their quest for structure, French flair has been sacrificed and the 2015 Les Bleus side is a sad shadow of the great sides that have upset the All Blacks in the past with brilliant but aging stars littered amongst journeymen who couldn’t make their own national side – le Roux, Spedding, Kockott, etc.

The signs have been around for some time – the last 10 years in fact. The lack of a consistent, world-class first five since the retirement of Thierry Lacroix has always stymied French and followed by the retirements/non-selections of great backs like Yannick Jauzion, Aurelien Rougerie, Vincent Clerc, Maxine Medard etc. has left a very dull and laboured French side.

With those red jerseys, Les Bleus could easily have passed off as the English rugby team.

Against a highly skilled and motivated All Blacks team, the French under Phillippe Saint-Andre – a fine coach himself having guided Sale to the Premiership and Toulon to European finals – were clearly on a lower level, and the exercise of exorcising the demons of 1978, 1986, 1994, 1999, 2007 and 2009 when the ABs lost to France was harrowing and could have potentially sent French rugby 30 years back in time.

There will be a new coach in charge of the French side from November onwards, but he will have a massive job to bring back the flair and passion that French rugby is all supposed to be about. Just like Danny Blind will be trying to bring back total football to the Dutch national team.

Can England Win Euro 2016?

England have finished their qualifying campaign for next year’s European Championships with a comfortable 3-0 win over a very average Lithuania side in Vilinus and a 100% record.

It is the first time that England have won all their matches in any qualifying campaign and it is a pretty impressive achievement even if you consider that they just had to beat Switzerland, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania and San Marino to qualify, and the expansion of the Euros to 24 teams means they were always less likely to miss out given top 2 go through to France automatically.

One must remember that about 15 months ago, England had just completed their worst ever performance in a World Cup after a 2-1 defeat to Luis Suarez and Uruguay saw them knocked out of the group stages and without a win.

The turnaround that Roy Hodgson has done with the Three Lions has been impressive particularly with the likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and John Terry all departing the scene after the disaster in Brazil.

Yes, England haven’t really played football that will rock the world and send shudders to the likes of Germany and Spain, but at least they are playing winning football – which can’t be said about World Cup finalists, the Netherlands right now who are on the verge of failing to qualify for a major championship since the 2002 World Cup – and their first failure to make the Euros.

England have strike power up front with Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane scoring aplenty in the qualifiers and have backup in Theo Walcott. James Milner, Jordan Henderson and a fit Jack Wilshere have taken over where Lampard and Gerard left of.

Everton’s John Stones is also developing a fine partnership with Chelsea’s Gary Cahill at the back and with two top quality keepers in Joe Hart and Jack Butland, the defence looks solid and it is no surprise that England have kept plenty of clean sheets during this qualifying campaign.

So can England win Euro 2016? It is hard to say given they haven’t played the likes of Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal and hosts, France who will likely be the teams to beat next year along with recent form teams like Belgium, Wales and Austria who have looked very impressive in qualifying.

Even if they get a tough pool, they have a good chance of making the knockouts so an improvement over the World Cup is expected.  Roy Hodgson is also a master when it comes to sudden death football and England’s more staid defensive style could be handy there – shame about the skill with the penalty shoout.

I reckon at least a semifinal spot if they’re lucky and then they go out on penalties again.

Can Jurgen Klopp Go Where No Manager Has Gone Before at Anfield?

The aftermath following the departure of a football manager is always one of great intrigue for the media and fans, especially for a club with a massive following and history like Liverpool's.

Football fantasy is now set to turn into reality with two of the game's great minds available at Liverpool's disposal.

Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti have been linked to Anfield since Sunday evening. While Ancelotti has plenty of experience and pedigree with the likes of AC Milan, Juventus, PSG, Chelsea and Real Madrid, he does carry some baggage from his recent stint at Real Madrid and of course, his stint at Chelsea which only ended 4 years ago.

Ancelotti has also tended to sign established stars rather than build from the academy - he is an Italian football manager of the very traditional sense and do not think he would fit the mould of manager that the Kop expect.

Which leaves us with Jurgen Klopp - an appointment which apparently is set in stone according to a Pravdabl, a Bosnian newspaper who claim to have the exclusive scoop on Klopp's appointment as Liverpool manager. Klopp's assistant, Zeljko Buvac, is of Bosnian descent which is where the link lies.

Whether or not the German becomes Liverpool's next manager as predicted by the media, there will be plenty of challenges to face for the new manager who will be taking on what is transpiring to be football's poisoned chalice.

1. History -
Even the most ignorant of football fans know how successful Liverpool were in the past. While their current form bellies it and much as the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City would like to disagree, Liverpool is still one of the top 3 biggest clubs in England up there with Manchester United and Arsenal, and one of the biggest names in football. Their global fan base is testament to that.

While Klopp knows about the impact of the crowd from his time at the massive Westfalenstadion, Liverpool is not just the 40,000 at Anfield every other weekend. It's about thousands of fans in Europe, Africa, Asia and North and South America. Liverpool's influence on world football dwarfs Borussia Dortmund's by a long way.

It is vital that Klopp has the emotional connection from the off - something which Roy Hodgson didn't quite understand.

2. Playing Style -
It's not just winning that matters at Anfield. It's the way the club play - a committed, free-flowing, quick passing game with lots of goals scored which epitomises the best of English football.

Rodgers delivered this type of football to Anfield and was a refreshing change to Houllier, Hodgson and Benitez, but defence was clearly sacrificed and without Suarez's goals, those frailties are now all clear to see.

Thankfully Klopp is familiar with that style of football having brought a version of total football to Borussia Dortmund which resulted in 2 league titles, and Bayern Munich signing Pep Guardiola to imitate them. On the other hand, Dortmund weren't specialists when it came to clean sheets particularly in Klopp's last season.

3. Players -
It has been a chronic problem at Liverpool since the departure of Kenny Dalglish as manager. Lots of great players but also lots of average players who don't deserve the jersey. Unfortunately, Rodgers just added to the list that includes Heggem, Cheyrou, Diouf with the likes of Markovic, Aspoas, Lambert, Balotelli all flops and the jury still out on Adam Lallana and Mamadou Sakho.

Rodgers faced the same dilemma after that Andre Villas-Boas faced in the aftermath of selling his best player for a world record price. Both managers couldn't quite strengthen the squad and fill the gap left by Bale and Suarez and both now find themselves no longer at their respective clubs.

However, Pochettino has managed to unite whatever new signings were left at Tottenham while getting rid of those who no longer have a future there and it is now up to Klopp to do the same at Liverpool.

Klopp also has the added bonus of not having to worry about the shadow of Steven Gerrard with the Liverpool great out of the picture, so should be able to start on a fresh template with these guys.

Could he turn Danny Ings into the goal machine that Robert Lewandowski and Patrick Aubemayang are now?

4. Ownership -
The current owners of Liverpool are definitely a vast improvement on the Gillett-Hicks show that nearly sent the club into ruin. Fenway Sports Group are disciples of the Moneyball indoctrination and this is evident in the way they've run their other big sports team, the Boston Red Sox.

The formula has yet to work in a league where money still pretty much rules along with tradition and there are questions over the structure and influence of certain members of the backroom staff, i.e. the staff who sign players.

A balance needs to be struck. On the one hand, Rafa Benitez was given far too much power and this turned out to be a negative for the club. On the other hand, having the backroom have too much say on players undermines a manager as it appeared to have done so with Brendan Rodgers.

Jurgen Klopp would be familiar with this scenario - his Dortmund club ended up selling their best three players, Mario Goetze, Shinji Kagawa and Robert Lewandowski to bigger clubs, but he still managed to rebuild the club - something Rodgers has clearly failed at.

September Report - European Football

With September drawing to a close, the European football season has started off on a rather interesting note.

Ok, French league title looks set to stay in the capital again with Paris Saint Germain off to their best start to a league campaign in recent times, and powerhouses Marseille and Lyon nowhere on the table, having lost a manager, Marco Bielsa and best player, Nabil Fekir at the start of the season respectively. At least, Angers are making waves with their flying start to their first season in the top flight in many years, while fellow newcomers, Gazalec Ajaccio could potentially be the worst team ever to play in any top European league.

Then there’s Bayern Munich who are running away with the German title as usual this time on the back of their tall Pole, Robert Lewandowski’s goals – he scored 6 in the last two games and notched his 100^th Bundesliga goal on the weekend. Mind you, Borussia Dortmund seem back to their best after an astonishing start to the season but have just went a little bit off the rails after two consecutive draws against Hoffenheim and newcomers Darmstadt.  

Of interest was the departure of respected coach, Lucien Favre, from Borussia Moenchengladbach after a horror start to the season which saw the Manchester City’s rivals in the Champions League at the bottom of the league table. The northerners won their first game following Favre’s resignation but have a long way to catch up with the likes of Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen.

The most interesting scenarios are definitely in the traditional big 3 leagues of England, Spain and Italy.

In Spain, there are signs that Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid could be joined at the top by several other contenders, with Villarreal a shock leader of La Liga at the moment, and Celta Vigo in 4^th – the Gallician club were of course managed by current Barca coach, Luis Enrique before the ex-Spanish midfielder headed to the Camp Nou. Deportivo la Coruna, Spanish champions in 2000, seemed to have brought back the good times of early in the last decade, sitting in 6^th on the table in their first season back in the top flight.

Across the Mediterranean, Juventus are nowhere to be seen after a stuttering start to the defence of their umpteenth Scudetto title. AS Roma, their usual challengers of the last few seasons, have also stuttered after a decent start, ceding top spot to Internazionale, who have not seen better times since Jose Mourinho led the Nerrazzurri to Champions League glory in 2010.

Former City boss, Roberto Mancini is back at the San Siro to guide the blue half of Milan back to the title winning ways he experienced pre-City days and after this start, who wouldn’t bet against him repeating history? The challengers are being led by Fiorentina, Torino and recent surprise packages, Sassuolo, one of three little Italian clubs from Italy’s industrious centre – the others are Carpi and Frosinone – playing in the top flight.

With Serie A climbing up the UEFA rankings and pushing the Premier League for 3^rd spot, it’s safe to say that Italian football is making a great recovery after some very lean years.

As for the Premier League, chaos and excitement sum it up. Mancini’s old club sparkled at the start but after two consecutive defeats to West Ham and Tottenham, question marks have again been raised of Manuel Pellegrini’s side especially with those defeats coming after the home defeat to out of form Juventus. At least they’re in a better position than Chelsea who are in the bottom half of the table and struggling for some consistency with Mourinho’s excuses for defeat making more headlines than the team itself.

All this has left Manchester United to lead the table. Amidst the arrival of experienced internationals, Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger, it’s a virtually unknown teenager called Martial who is creating huge waves at Old Trafford. Signed from Monaco, the French teenager wasn’t really expected to feature in van Gaal’s plans this season but with van Persie now in Turkey and Rooney a bit goal shy, it’s been Martial’s form that has really caught the eye and led the Red Devils back to familiar ground.

Behind Manchester, it’s West Ham United leading fellow Londoners Arsenal, Tottenham and surprise package, Crystal Palace, albeit no thanks to their home form which has been poor in what is their last season at Upton Park before moving to The Stadium. Slaven Bilic could take some inspiration from Namibia who recently took centre stage at their new home against the All Blacks.

Behind them, Leicester City have been providing all the thrills under the man known as the Tinkerman. Claudio Ranieri is still a long way from achieving the status Martin O’Neill had with the club in the 1990s but the Foxes certainly have never played this well since their move to the new stadium 12 years ago, and top ten is a realistic goal for a side that were bottom of the table 9 months ago and set for relegation.

There is one more round of games to go before the international break but one could say this is one of the best football seasons in a while.  

  

Will the Real RWC Please Stand Up?

The Rugby World Cup in England has now gone on for 2 weekends now and off the fhield, the tournament is set to be the most commercially successful in its brief history.

Taking the game to traditional football stadia like Wembley Stadium, Villa Park, Elland Road, etc. appears to have been a masterstroke by organisers, with close-to-capacity crowds for every game including new records set for World Cup attendances.

With rugby set to visit the homes of Newcastle United and Manchester City in the coming days, the dollar signs are set to hang around the organiser’s eyes for a while yet.

Certainly from a commercial point of view, the difference between this tournament and 1999, the last time England hosted the World Cup is like chalk and cheese.

The same can’t quite be said about the quality of the rugby though.

On a positive note, the minnows have definitely closed the gap to the giants and appear to have consigned century scores to the annals of Rugby World Cup history. Good preparation and coaching has ensured the likes of Namibia, USA, Canada and Romania can compete with the giants even if not for the whole game.

Obviously, the story of the tournament has been Japan following their unprecedented win over South Africa in Brighton, although their rise to this level isn’t really a surprise given they have had a professional league with plenty of input from the giants for a decade now, and have been preparing for their impending entry into Super Rugby – and possibly even the Rugby Championship along with the Pacific Islands.

On the other hand, the quality of rugby has been slightly anonymous and stodgy. We are yet to see a star really make a mark on this tournament like John Kirwan, David Campese, Jonah Lomu or Bryan Habana have in the past – Nehe Milner-Skudder has put up his hand a few times and Cory Allen could have made an impact had he not suffered that tournament ending injury after his hat-trick against Uruguay.

In a bid to ensure the correct calls are made in each game, more time has been added on to games as TMOs digest almost each and every play to see how forward that pass was or how much less of the hands were involved in that tackle.

I don’t dispute the TMOs being involved in checking on scoring plays that could ultimately influence the plot of the game – those complaining that they shouldn’t be there perhaps need reminding that had we had the TMO 8 years ago in Cardiff, the game against France might have turned out quite differently.

However, there seems to be a need for the TMO to be involved in rucks and mauls where the referees should have the most say. Along with the persistent scrum resets, this area threatens to dilute the entertainment value of this World Cup.

Indeed, World Rugby appears to have missed a trick by not emulating the cricket and rugby league World Cups, by being able to get the TMO on air for viewers to listen as he studied each inch of footage for a knock-on or forward pass. A missed opportunity perhaps to engage the viewers with the maligned officialdom.

Perhaps in the quest to bring parity to world rugby, the quality has had to suffer a bit with many sides now more adept and aware of the strengths of their opponents – Eddie Jones’ knowledge of the Boks surely was a key in helping the Blossoms upset their highly-rated rivals.

The football World Cup has suffered a bit – while the game has never been more open, the quality of football isn’t quite as exciting as it was.

Hopefully, there is more to come from this Rugby World Cup with the big sides keeping their cards to their chest before the knockout stages.

Could Waisake Naholo be the man to turn this World Cup around? He better be.

Can England or Austria Win Euro 2016?

Another round of qualifying for the European Championships in France in 2016 has been completed with only one more round robin to go and still many countries yet to confirm their spots.

England, Austria, Iceland and the Czech Republic confirmed their places in the expanded football extravaganza next year while the likes of Wales, Germany, Poland, Northern Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Russia edged closer towards automatic qualification.

Ok, how many of you bet that England and Austria would be amongst the first two nations to automatically qualify for EURO 2016?

I guess England were in a moderately tricky group with the highly rated Swiss and mercurial Slovenes and average Estonians and Lithuanians and almost irrelevant San Marino. The young talented Swiss led by Stoke City's Xherdan Shaqiri were tipped to cause the Lions the most problems after a pretty decent World Cup performance but proved to be a major disappointment at the start as England romped away with a 8-0 record.

The eternal question remains though - can England finally become real contenders at a major tournament? It is hard to say and it doesn't appear that much has changed. It will all come down to which group they get - this should be boosted by their performance in the qualifiers which was almost akin to the Dutch - funnily enough, the Dutch have performed like England over the last 2 years in these qualifiers and are almost certain to miss out completely.

It will be a fairly youthful England team that goes to France next year led by record goalscorer, Wayne Rooney - Luke Shaw, Nathaniel Clyne, John Stones, Adam Lallana, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are still young and just hitting the peak of their careers. Whether they can mimic the ethos applied by Spain and Germany remains to be seen.

One team guaranteed to mimic that ethos is Austria.

The team from Germany's little brother in the Alps have never really been considered one of the most exciting teams in world football apart from being the losing team in a 7-5 defeat to Hungary in the 1954 World Cup - indeed most of their history has been mired in controversy including that game against their neighbours West Germany in the 1982 World Cup where they settled for a 1-0 defeat so that both sides would qualify.

Since their last appearance at a major tournament in 1998, Austria have languished and been regarded as one of the minnows.

How many world class players from Austria could you count in the last 15 years?

How many Austrian Bundesliga sides made the Champions League group stages in the last 15 years?

However, a revival has started taking place in this decade - like Germany, Belgium and Switzerland, Austria has started taking advantage of its new generation immigrant population and seems to be heading back to the (slightly) glorious days of the 1990s.

David Alaba is obviously the key person for the Austrians - the Bayern Munich utility player has become the talisman for his national side and has been key in Austria's incredible performance in this qualifying tournament. However, he has had help from the rise of his compatriots who are now gracing the Premier League, i.e. Leicester's Christian Fuchs, Stoke's Marko Arnautovic and experienced goalscorer, Basel's Marc Janko.

Austria's revival isn't quite like Belgium's where they've come from nowhere to provide a Premier League Star XI that includes Alderweireld, Kompany, Vertonghen, Chadli, Hazard, Mirrallas, Fellaini, de Bruyne, Lukaku and Benteke - could win the tournament but given their good coaching and team spirit, they could very well be a surprise in France next year.

A big mention to Northern Ireland and Wales too who have really stepped up to the place and are set for automatic qualification. Now it's really the case of praying that Gareth Bale and Kyle Lafferty don't get injured before the tournament.

Who said that this expanded 24 Euro 2016 was bad for football? It might be time to get tickets to France for next summer.

(Not) The All Blacks RWC Squad

So the 31 names going to England to win the Rugby World Cup for only the 3rd time for the All Blacks have been confirmed.

The focus really has now been on who hasn't made that list - and there have definitely been some high profile names and very unlucky players amongst that lot.

Israel Dagg and Cory Jane are the two from the last World Cup who have missed out while Charles Piutau and Lima Sopoaga can count themselves very unlucky not to have been named.

So what would the alternate ABs RWC squad without the 31 players named look like?

Here's my take -

Props - Nepo Laulala, Joe Moody, Brendon Edmonds, Josh Hohneck, Kane Hames
Hookers - James Parsons, Ash Dixon, Hika Elliot
Locks - Jeremy Thrush, James Broadhurst, Joe Wheeler
Loose Forwards - Matt Todd, Ardie Savea, Elliot Dixon, Akira Ioane, Blade Thomson, Nasi Manu
Halfbacks - Brad Weber, Andy Ellis, Mitchell Drummond
First Fives - Lima Sopoaga, Otere Black
Centres - Ryan Crotty, Charlie Ngatai, Richard Buckman, George Moala
Outside Backs - Charles Piutau, Cory Jane, Israel Dagg, James Lowe, Patrick Osborne

Is this the All Blacks Squad for RWC 2015?

There has been plenty of gossip and intrigue as the hours tick down towards the most highly anticipated All Blacks side in many years.

With a Rugby World Cup defence on the line, this is one All Blacks squad no one wants to miss out on and the heartbreak will be bigger than it normally has been.

After weeks of rehearsals, auditions and speculation, it will now all come down to what happens at Parliament at 6:30pm on Sunday evening.

Reading into the leaked reports and social media like a journo at the close of football's transfer window - helped by the fact that our biggest clue is that all 31 All Blacks will be unveiled after the naming of the squad tonight, having had their phone calls earlier today - we may very well have figured out the 31 men going to England next month.

Here it is -

Props - Tony Woodcock, Owen Franks, Ben Franks, Wyatt Crockett, Charlie Faumuina
Hookers - Keven Mealamu, Dane Coles, Codie Taylor
Locks - Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Luke Romano
Loose Forwards - Jerome Kaino, Richie McCaw, Kieran Read, Victor Vito, Sam Cane, Liam Messam
Halfbacks - Aaron Smith, TJ Perenara, Tawera Kerr-Barlow
First Fives - Dan Carter, Beauden Barrett, Colin Slade
Centres - Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Sonny Bill Williams, Malakai Fekitoa
Outside Backs - Ben Smith, Julian Savea, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Waisake Naholo

What Happened to Tottenham's All Star Team of 2013-14?

When Tottenham sold Gareth Bale for a world record fee of 85 million pounds to Real Madrid, they quickly embarked on a spending spree that seemed to grab some of the most in-demand players in world football.

Paulinho, Nacer Chadli, Roberto Soldado, Etienne Capoue, Vlad Chiriches, Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela were all brought in to White Hart Lane for 105 million pounds in total in the summer of 2013 - Spurs actually made a 10 million pound profit on players funnily enough that summer.

2 years on, only Chadli, Eriksen and Lamela have stayed on and really only Eriksen could be considered money well spent - he came at a price tag of 11.5 million pounds.

As for the two most expensive signings?

Paulinho at 17 million pounds started brightly but has now moved to the obscurity of Chinese Super League football - a move worth 9.9 million pounds. A loss of 7.1 million pounds.

Roberto Soldado at 26 million pounds, probably the biggest flop of them all given his value, has now returned to Spain - Villarreal buying him for 10 million pounds. A loss of 26 million pounds.

Etienne Capoue and Vlad Chiriches have all gone to Watford and Napoli respectively - both less than the value Spurs paid for them initially.

Funny to think that back then, Tottenham were hailed as the new all star team and the team to watch.

Fast forward a few months on, Andre Villas-Boas was no longer manager, with former Spurs legend, Tim Sherwood taking the helm for the last few months as Spurs limped to 6th place, a long way from Champions League football.

Sherwood himself is now gone, replaced by former Southampton manager, Mauricio Pochettino.

Tottenham's story just illustrates the perils of buying into stardom and how easily hype can turn into flop. Fortunately, unlike Leeds who bought big for the dream all those years ago, Tottenham are financially stable - although calling them a well-run club is a bit of a stretch.

My All Blacks Team for the 2015 Rugby World Cup

The All Blacks' thumping performance of the Wallabies at Eden Park on Saturday night was never really in doubt even after the loss in Sydney the weekend before.

Billed as captain Richie McCaw's farewell to New Zealand and his chance to become the most capped test captain in test history, along with a chance to say goodbye to the likes of Dan Carter, Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Tony Woodcock and Keven Mealamu, the ABs were never going to lose this game even if at times initially they looked a bit nervous.

Every player in the side stood up and while like Julian Savea may not quite be at the form we know they can be in, we have a clear idea of who will make the long flight to London next month.

So with all the auditions and warm-up tests over, here is my All Blacks squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Props -
Tony Woodcock, Owen Franks, Ben Franks, Wyatt Crockett, Nepo Laulala

Hookers -
Dane Coles, Keven Mealamu, Codie Taylor

Locks -
Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Luke Romano

Loose Forwards -
Victor Vito, Jerome Kaino, Liam Messam, Richie McCaw, Sam Cane, Kieran Read

Halfbacks -
Aaron Smith, TJ Perenara

First Fives -
Dan Carter, Lima Sopoaga

Centres -
Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Malakai Fekitoa

Wingers -
Julian Savea

Utility Backs -
Ben Smith, Israel Dagg, Colin Slade, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Charles Piutau, Beauden Barrett

Notes - 
- Nepo Laulala has really taken his chance since being named for the Samoa test and should be named the 5th prop.
- James Broadhurst and Jeremy Thrush haven't really taken their chances and the selectors will opt to use Kieran Read, Victor Vito and Jerome Kaino as emergency lock cover
- Two specialist halfbacks with Colin Slade to become the jack of all trades
- Sonny Bill Williams to miss out after a below par season and with questions re: focus - SBW is also pursuing a spot in the Olympics.
- Lima Sopoaga and Nehe Milner-Skudder are the two new backs after taking their chances and holding them onto them well.

Lift Off in Europe!

The English football season kicked off last weekend in blockbuster fashion and the continental European season kicked off on a cracking note with Tuesday's thrilling UEFA Super Cup between Barcelona and Sevilla in Tbilisi.

The Bundesliga kicks off this weekend with hopes that someone will rise to properly challenge Pep Guardiola's imperious Bayern Munich side. There is a bit of hope with long-time stalwart, Bastian Schweinsteiger now at Manchester United - although it has to be said that the pig hunter was seeking new adventures approaching the autumn of his career.

It'll be interesting to see how Borussia Dortmund perform in the post-Jurgen Klopp era. They had an appalling first half to the campaign but recovered to finished in the Europa League spots, but well below their best from the last 5 seasons. Much as the Westfalenstadion would like to think they are amongst Europe's elite, they still seem to lose a lot of their best players to the more "sexy" names in football - questions persist over star pivot, Marco Reus' future.

The other big story in Germany is Wolfsburg's Kevin de Bruyne. The Volkswagen owned club are struggling to hold onto their former Chelsea star with Man City as usual interested. de Bruyne was key to Wolfsburg's rise to 2nd place last season and with Champions League football this season, the team in green will be hoping that playing in Europe's premier competition will keep the Belgian in central Germany for one more season at least.

Down the table, Darmstadt (near Frankfurt) and Ingolstadt (halfway point on the ICE high speed line between Munich and Nuremberg, famous for being Audi's HQ) will be tussling to stay up in their first seasons in Germany's top flight.

They will be in a struggle that could very well involve once mighty Hamburger SV. The Red Shorts have had an awful last two seasons and one feels this season could be another long one as little has changed in management and in player personnel. It could very well be a case of them playing for a playoff spot where they would take on the easy fodder of the 3rd place team from the second division.

The French season kicked off last weekend with Paris St-Germain winning in week 1 for the first time in a long time, and Marcelo Bielsa resigning just minutes after Marseille's home defeat to Caen - another season of disappointment beckons for France's most supported club from the deep south. It looks like once again, the Qatari-backed capital club are the team to beat with the rest having to catch up.

Spain's La Liga and Italy's Serie A kick off next weekend. While Serie A's absence from the Champions League final ended last season, the strength of Italian football is still not what it was - a sign of the times being Xherdan Shaqiri leaving the San Siro for the Potteries, something that would not have been considered possible 5 years ago when Inter were European champions, let alone in the glorious 1990s. Juventus have also lost a few key players, inc. Arturo Vidal to Bayern Munich and Paul Pogba is still wanted by many clubs.

The situation is a little bit better in Spain if you're Barca, Real or Atletico. The title will probably be between Barca or Real with Barca favourites ahead of Real who will need to adapt quickly to Rafa Benitez's style. Benitez's selection of the popular Carlo Ancelotti was very controversial and it remains to be seen if Ronaldo, Bale, et al. will take kindly to the former Liverpool manager.

Down the table, Eibar will be hoping to stay up on merit after given a late reprieve after Elche were demoted for financial irregularities. Real Betis will be looking upwards and onwards after their last season in the top flight ended in abject failure, while Sporting Gijon and Las Palmas will be hoping to stay in La Liga this time around.

For Las Palmas, it will be the Canary Islands' first time in the top flight in 14 years and the holiday island would probably want to hope it doesn't just end in one season.

So another long season of football beckons with the European Championships at the end of the summer. Bring it on!

Tribute to Pup

On Saturday morning, England maintained their 10-year unbeaten series record against Australia at home with a thumping innings win at Trent Bridge, and regained the Ashes they lost 18 months ago down under.

Just after the much-abbreviated match, Australian captain, Michael Clarke, announced to former England captain and current Sky Sports pundit, Michael Atherton, his resignation as Australian captain and retirement from test cricket.

It brings to an end a colourful 11 year test career which actually has been statistically one of the best ever by any cricketer and definitely worthy of putting the cricketer affectionately known as Pup even in the autumn of his career, amongst the echelon of Australia's finest batsmen which includes names like Bradman, Border, Waugh and former captain, Ponting.

Until this tour of England, the last 5 years have been quite fruitful for Pup with the bat with the highlight being a memorable 329 against India at his home ground of the SCG at the start of 2012. That led to a run of 4 consecutive double tons in home tests against India and South Africa and then 7 more tons - 3 against England whilst being on the losing side.

Pup's test career had started with a bang - a century on debut in Bangalore against India in 2004 was followed shortly after with an incredible 6 for 9 as a part-time spinner in the same series in Mumbai. Then came the 2005 Ashes series where Pup had a poor series and was dropped to state cricket before being recalled to the side for the return Ashes series in 2006-07. He made 2 tons as Australia regained the Ashes and bade farewell to Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne later that summer.

Indeed, Pup's test career was probably complicated by being in a major transition for Australian cricket - after McGrath and Warne retired, Gilchrist, Hayden, Langer, Ponting, Hussey all followed in the years that ensued leaving Clarke the only current Australian test player to have played in a test with Warne and McGrath. This resulted in a significantly weakened middle order which showed its deficiencies in consecutive Ashes series in England in 2009, 2013 and 2015 as well as on the subcontinent - no fault of Pup really who was often holding up the fort while the rest of his batsmen walked back to the pavillion.

Pup did make up those deficiencies with some clever fielding tactics and bold bowling changes. These were evident in the 2013-14 Ashes series where the Aussies thumped England 5-0 with some brilliant young fast bowlers, as well as in the recent Cricket World Cup.

Perhaps, Pup's young, brash demeanour which passed off as arrogant at times made him less popular than his predecessors - his public profile never really recovered after his strange episode with Aussie model, Lara Bingle although he should be commended for the way he dealt with the shocking circumstances and sudden passing of his mate, Phil Hughes.

No international cricketer had ever dealt with those circumstances but Michael Clarke was honorable in highly emotional times - a ton in the first test after Hughes' death against India in Adelaide last year was the perfect response - and it would ultimately turn out to be his last ever ton, just one short of the great Don Bradman.

For many cricket fans, his threat to break James Anderson's arm - England's best ever fast bowler isn't exactly an archangel himself - in the 2013-14 Ashes cast a shadow on Clarke as a person but it should never take away from what has been a stunning career and Clarke will be a big loss to Australian cricket as they prepare for the Steve Smith era.

Cheers Pup. You may have been batting for the other side but you were a pretty good dog and deserve respect.  

Which All Blacks Rookies Will Make the RWC Squad?

The Rugby Championship may have ended in Australian hands for 2015, but everyone knows that the All Blacks have their eyes on a bigger prize - or two if you count the Bledisloe Cup.

Several rookies have impressed in the quest to finalise the 31 man squad to travel to England for the World Cup in September. 

How did they go and what are their chances of making the flight to London? Here's a look at each bolter's chances -

1.George Moala - did well against Samoa with a try on debut but was always warming the jersey for the Hurricanes and Highlanders in the side. Probable one-cap wonder.

2.Brad Weber - another fine game on debut against Samoa and offers like for like with Perenara and Smith but might lose out to his more experienced Chiefs teammate, Tawera Kerr-Barlow for the 3rd halfback spot. 

3.Nepo Laulala - the real bolter of the season so far. Younger brother of former ABs centre, Casey, Nepo offers a much more physical game to the ABs particularly in defence. Can play both sides of the front row which is very helpful. It will come down to the wire between him and the experienced Charlie Faumuina.

4.Waisake Naholo - solid start to his international career, curtailed by season ending injury. Offers a lot of promise for the future, though. 

5.James Broadhurst - deserved his call-up after a superb Super Rugby season but was found to be a bit lightweight against the most lightweight Boks pack in history. Unless there are major injuries, will struggle to break into the side with so much quality at lock at the moment. 

6.Lima Sopoaga - only Dan Carter had a better first game at the pivot position than Sopoaga who did his chances no harm with a sterling performance in the steamy cauldron of Ellis Park. Could beat Slade to sneak in as the 2nd first five option with Barrett able to cover fullback and first five.

7.Nehe Milner-Skudder - 2 tries in a debut where he just left off from his stunning season with the Hurricanes. His line breaking abilities and utility could be worth bringing along - could benefit from SBW's desire to play in the Olympics and take his place in the side.

8. Codie Taylor - dream debut with a try minutes after coming on. Backed that up with setting up the winning try for McCaw in Johannesburg. Again came off the bench against the Wallabies. Seems set to fill the troublesome 3rd hooker spot behind Mealamu and Coles. A star of the future.