Well, apart from the All Blacks v Barbarians match this coming weekend, the northern tours are over for another year. But what do the results say about the current state of world rugby?
The Springboks have limped home to South Africa with an appalling gaggle of results that didn’t prevent them claiming the IRB team of the year award. Sure, they won the Lions series, narrowly, and won the Tri Nations, easily, but they will be bitterly disappointed at losing to Ireland, Saracens and Leicester. Can we read into these tour results too much? I would propose not to.
The gap in global rugby is indeed closing if this weekends results are any yardstick. The Poms squeaked home pathetically against the Argies, the Sweaty Jocks peeped home over the Fijians, the Welsh parped in against the Samoans, the Frogs croaked triumph over the Boks, the All Blacks beeped a dull win over the oily Itai’s, the Oyrish and Ockers agreed on a draw and the Mustangs nailed HKFC Select (with a bonus point). No real upsets but most games closer than you’d expect.
WARNING - this blog contains gutter language but more facts than usual. It doesn't represent the views of human beings or even Valley RFC.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I love the Northern Tours each November, when the All Blacks, Wallabies and Boks head to Europe to batter the Six Nations. Tri-Nations has the best rugby quality but it does get boring playing our Southern rivals three or four times in a year.
DISCLAIMER - this blog contains lies, bullshit and swearing and does not represent the otherwise sane views of the Valley RFC. If you must, read on.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WARNING , DISCLAIMER and DISOWNERSHIP - Boozers Blog may contain unsavoury language, completely made up facts and otherwise distorted and unhinged perspectives that may be considered offensive and prejudiced. His views do not necessarily represent the views of Valley RFC or human beings in general.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WARNING , DISCLAIMER and WHATEVER else we need to do to cover our asses. Boozers Blog may contain unsavoury language, completely made up facts and otherwise distorted and unhinged perspectives that may be considered offensive and prejudice. His views do not necessarily represent the views of Valley RFC or human beings in general. If you’re down with that, carry on.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AGENCIES in Hong Kong (2000)
A season is a long time in rugby politics, as Valley fossil Colin Olsen was once heard muttering from a toilet cubicle before a big final match against the Filth at Mong Kok stadium.
Perhaps he had a point as he pondered the season just about to end from the broken toilet seat that had trapped one of his hairy nads in a crack. The lofty, dizzying heights of levitation from Deano and Deaytons knuckles on many a Saturday afternoon seemed so distant.
What a month it has been. It's been rugby-tastic. Ball bouncingly, beer-swillingly, grandma-humpingly, yippee yi yo excellent. Unless you're a Kiwi.... then the last few weeks have been cod ordinary. As my mate and ex-Valley player (1997/8) Sean O'Hara told me when I stayed with him in Sydney last week, "It's gold. All-time. Top Ten." More awesome, he reckoned, than the fight he had with a US Navy boy in Japan when on tour there with the Hong Kong national team in 1998. "Sorted him out... real good", he told the Japanese police.