HEAVY DAYZ

Theses are some very large and powerful waves that a friend of ours rode over the winter. Seriously try and imagine being there, the sheer size of these beasts, the noise and the ability of these monsters to literally kill you. To hold you under and squash the life out of you.

I am really happy with 3-4 ft offshore at the moment. I doubt whether this would ever be my cuppa tea. Each to their own i guess.

Hats off to Chris, who by the way is an Old Boy and was the first surfer to paddle into Jaws.

Just doing it...

Livestrong

A good friend of mine recently broke his arm really badly playing rugby in Italy.
If you want to see the break and read the horrific story go to http://www.bismarkriva.blogspot.com/

Anyway I just wanted to let you know, hopefully he can take some strength from my old mate and training partner, although he doesn't know it yet, Lance Armstrong-

““Anything is possible. You can be told that you have a 90-percent chance or a 50-percent chance or a 1-percent chance, but you have to believe, and you have to fight.””

Fight brother fight.

In other news the Boks play Wales who are spoiling for a fight.
I am backing the boys to bring it home but not without some hijinks.

REGISTER TO VOTE

Epic Ticket

Well yesterday turned into quiet a day for me. Apart from the usual Wednesday stuff, I got a call from a good friend offering me an entry into next years Cape Epic. Trust me they are like gold at the moment so I feel really special, luck, privileged I could go on.

So that's it, after training for the Cederberg Escape a little half heartedly, mainly due to the weather and bouts of loneliness on the trail, I have my wish. My ticket.

Well now its down to the training, which if you don't know is pretty much harder than the Epic itself. There are alot of sacrifices made but hey its what I love doing so it's really not that hard.

I particularly enjoy watching and feeling my body adapt to the stress' of training. Our bodies are pretty much amazing, bend them and they can break but ease them into something and they will work for you. Its like nothing else, ok the mind plays a massive role in any sport but you have to put in the time so the body is able to withstand the challenge.

It will be my third Cape Epic and I am enthralled as ever. There can only be one first time but trust me this event grips you inside. If you work hard you can enjoy it, if not it obviously turns into a nightmare. A nightmare for 8 days, that can be pretty tough.

I will keep you updated with my progress.

PS: thanks for my ticket !!!

Oh the Poms are at it again

"As ever, the All Blacks will be about half as good as their followers think they are, though still hardly bad. The power and pride of their collective, the magnificence of their basic skills and ability to adapt to any circumstances cannot hide the fact that a large number of their individuals on this trip would not make a Guinness Premiership club roster.

These are the words of the world renowned Steven Jones, a British journalist of the highest order. I have seen some of his columns an they are generally really good. But this one comment just typifies what a bunch of bumbling fools the Poms are. There is a huge wave of optimism around the fact that they believe the Aussies and Kiwi's are clearly very beatable. Yes, any team are beatable fella's, but I will eat my hat if either of these teams loose a game on tour. The Aussies are far more susceptible to having a bad game ( Ellis Park ) but I don't see them losing unless their forwards go walkabout again. Deans is too shrewd to let them allow one area of the game to dominate the final result. Just for the record Jones' ire for the All Blacks is well documented and almost nauseating. He just wont give them any credit.

But lets get back to the perennial hopers, The Poms. Teams have barely arrived and they are slamming them in the bin pinning their hopes on a victory for the home team. I can hear them in the pubs and along the fields all over the Mud Island, " come on chaps, be brave, give them a good thrashing "

Oh its too much for me.

If the Boks can play a simple game and allow themselves to settle into a pattern they can win well, minded they must concentrate for the full 80 minutes. Something we have a real problem with on tours. Subduing the Welsh passion is crucial, don't let the cat out of the bag sort of thing. I feel Ruan Pienaar has huge potential but like Frans Steyn they are pone to brain fades and panic sets in. Pienaar must allow the pressure to be handled by the team, collectively. He is a bit individual at 10 and this poses his greatest problem. Watch Carter, he dictates the game, but seldom allows the pressure of situations to force him into taking contact. Rather kick or pass. Running on your own creates panic. I always say, let the situation present itself, don't go looking for the situation. Meaning, if there is a gap take it, the rest is self explanatory.

Enjoy the rugger, Come on the South...

What am I on ?

Lance Armstrong's comeback has received alot of press:

Here is some more, straight from the 7-time Champs mouth.

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cycling/columns/story?id=3672174&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab7pos1

Judge, and you will be Judged.

The Oracle speaks about Brother Luke...

Poweful stuff.


http://www.rugby365.com/opinion/oracle/1264260.htm

Leave Luke alone ?

Cederberg Results

As promised I said i would get back to you about the Cederberg Escape and how it went.

Well firstly let me tell you the Cederberg is awesome, I will definitely be experiencing more of it in the years to come. Get there, dont bother asking why, just get there.

More about the race, as I said before it was a three day stage race based at Sanddrif Campsite. Day 1 was pretty much the back breaker, I started with the intention of going along fairly gently and was intending to assess things at half way. But as we all know I have a small problem called the competitive edge. I know I'm not alone here. So after about 12km's of gentle riding on rolling hills. A beast reared it's ugly head and up we went, something tripped inside me and away I went too. From here the ride was awesome, technical jeep track with some climbs and some of the toughest rocky descending I've done in ages. Sore hands later we reached the bottom and made our way towards water point 1. Feeling on top of things I filled up and flew up the biggest climb of the day. Climbing is a state of mind and with the temp rising it became a real battle. It was after the climb with about 50 odd km's under the belt on the lonely flat upper plateau that I had the worst part of my race. Battling along on a bumpy and sandy jeep with lactic acid all over my legs I just pt my head down and battled through. I honestly felt like I was crawling along. But salvation was round the next corner in the form of a long descent and a recall of the road home. I was just beginning to fire the engines for the burst home when my chain broke and all feelings of elation went with it. It's at moments like this where you want to cry. But salvation in the form of another rider named Bobby ( thanks again ! ) who helped repair the problem and I was back on it and heading home.

I was pretty shattered riding into camp after what proved to be a hard 90km's in 4hrs 32 mins.

Day 2 was more to my liking with far more technical riding including bombing descents and some scary turns in sandy ground. I saw a few guys fly over the handle bars after the sand caught their front wheels. I really tried to make up for Day 1's problems with a smarter ride but again felt the pinch like we all do somewhere along the line. I came out of it much quicker this time and made up some good time on the way home. I ended the day by out sprinting two other guys for the line after I thought my legs had gone. A highlight of the day was climbing over Sugarloaf which is a peak there. The descent on the other side being a very steep drop which had most guys bailing out.

Day 3 proved to be my best, with the most single track it was easy to figure out why. I really seem to thrive in these conditions and my only problem is guys struggle to move over. Oh the male ego. But I really raced hard and continued to push myself thoughout the 47 km's. One lesson I learned is if you can settle into a fast group early on you will reap the rewards later in the ride when you settle into a pace. Although it never felt like we settled, it was just go go go.

Once again the finish proved to have the usual Epic tricks to it and getting the legs to go for another 3 km's proved a massive mental effort but knowing it was the last they would be doing they duely obliged.

I left feeling refreshed and pretty stoked about the results. I know Day 1's technical dogged me the rest of the race but it's the Cederberg and you can consider yourself lucky to get out with just one technical problem. For anyone thinking about doing it next year, I guess I'll see you there. The place is insane and chilling out after a hard ride along a real mountain stream with a white sand beach is pretty hard to beat.

RESULTS :

313-Sub Veteran Stuart Mc Connachie

DAY.1-4hrs32.30 Position Overall 36

DAY2-3hrs08.33 Position 28 Overall 32
DAY.3-2hrs17.22 Position 21 Overall 30

Total Time 9hrs58.25

Now for the Epic 2009...

Batten Down the Hatches

What a sporting weekend.

I will tell you about mine later in the week. It was good, real good.

But hats must come off The Sharks, they finally won the Currie Cup again. Tony Watson ran in the corner, no sorry it was Francois " I cant kick a penalty if its in the other teams half " Steyn.

All I can say is thank heavens the Bulls did'nt win. Its more the mentality that bothers me. I pity the fool's outside that The Tank who ran out of Cream Soda, there must have been alot of pissing on each other. Things the buggers love to get up too. Anyway the Free State A team have won another Currie Cup, we are currently assembling the B team down here so dont laugh too loudly.

The other notable on this weekend was Liverpool going top of the Premiership with a hard fought win over Chelski. Along with the win they broke a very impressive home unbeaten streak spanning way into Jose Moaurinho's term as coach. Ah shame.

Now some of you will note an earlier article of mine when Earl Roses was playing some pretty good rugby amongst some pretty average teams. I said steady on when people were talking Bok cap and when the Currie Cup temperature was turned up, excuse me, but the Roses wilted under the pressure did'nt they. Coach Loffie was quick to point out that while Roses was a good player he still needed 12 months in the position. Cue our beloved Maestro, Peiter Div, who goes and selects him on the back of all this. Ring a ring rosie, we all fall down...

Finally those who know US sports will know the Phillies are on the brink of the World Series, they play tonight and if they can win they will be heroes. Philly has'nt won a major trophy in any of the big four sports since 1983. That's before Tony Watson scored for Natal.

I will keep you posted.

Have a great week

Less than a Week Away

Well what a weekend, hopefully you all got out there and did your thing. Unfortunately I was man down after having spent Thursday and Friday in the old Kingsbury Hospital having some tests done.

Lance and I have the same problem, nobody can believe our performances. So its tests, tests and more tests. All is well and I get my prognosis from the Doc on Tuesday.

The reason I am being cleared to ride is the Cederberg Escape, its a three day mountain bike ride happening there this weekend. I have been hard at wok training over the last few months hoping to do fairly well. After a 4th in last weekend's race in Grabouw everything was going according to plan. But as we all know life doesn't work like that, so when the spanner arrived from left field on Thursday morning, and I felt like I had been ridden over by a goods train, it was off to the good Doc for some tests. Hopefully the come back good tomorrow and I get the all clear to race. Please Doc please...

Anyway the Escape sounds pretty cool, as I said it's three days of riding in the Cederberg. What could be better and they have only allowed 400 of us to enter so its should be quiet mellow. As you can see I am quietly amped and if I get told no racing it would be a major let down. Basically I want to do well and hopefully put my name out there for next years Cape Epic. It would be my third in a row and mean alot to me, so doing well here is important in the grand scheme of things. Following that its the Odyssey with Quayle, Charts and Beef.

Anyone interested in looking at the race can go to http://www.cederberg-escape.com/

Have a good Monday

The Calm before the Storm

On a cool and blustery Monday afternoon the Tornadoes FC gathered at Hatleyvale for their first official fixture against an unbeaten and fiercely competitive unit, The Noordhoek Vikings.

The lads were all very excited and having put in two training matches against the youth, where we won both games, were expecting good things.

We lost the toss and started playing into a setting sun and blustery south easter which suited the Vikings game of long balls
and physicality down to the tee. With early game nerves and confusion about positions and tactics marring the opening minutes we were lucky to not concede a goal when Clean Sheets Quayle was left flailing at the ball only for Valderama Ibbotson to clear the ball off the line. After some harsh words were exchanged the lads settled into some better flowing football.

Unfortunately early in the first half Jaap Stam Charton pulled up with a very tight groin. He was duely subbed and hasn't left the physio table since. This rocked our defence but the lads were held together at the back by Jamie John Terry Boyes. It was during this period where the lads realised this was no ordinary football match. We had arrived in the big leagues and the big boys were not going to allow us to play our free flowing ball on the ground style of football.

Having said that we settled in quickly and it wasn't long before Giggs Liebrecht latched onto a loose ball in the area weaved past a few and drilled home a shot. Oh yeah, 1-0. Now if we thought that the game would settle down from here we were sorely mistaken. The intensity was just upped, with sliding tackles going around like Mandela dumpies at a Kaiser Chief game, the lads were under no illusions this was going to be tough. The Vikings soon equalised which shook the lads up and sparked us into play again.

Some cracking interplay down the right brought the ball to JJ Elley who looked up and saw Torres Roffie free in the centre. A tracer bullet pass to Torres' feet looked like a certain goal scoring chance only for Torres to be scythed down just outside the box by Big Bad Bob. Not his only foul on the night. Torres then while the wall was being formed slapped a beauty into the top left corner. Huge protests from the Vikings were met with deaf ears and we strode back to the half 2-1 the better. Once again this only fueled a fired up Vikings who stormed back into the game with a neat equaliser before the half time whistle. Clean Sheets record had turned sour and our defence was battling to clear the ball facing a strong wind.

The half time break brought about a much needed chat to re-align ourselves and get to grips with the physical nature of the game. Basically it was take no prisoners and lets try keep the ball on the ground and support the ball carrier. Sounds simple.

The second half turned into a titanic struggle between two sides determined not to give an inch and hell bent on victory. It was a case of Arsenal against Bolton on a cold North east day. Oil and water have never mixed, saying that these teams were more like fire and ice. Every player gave their all, none more so than Dave Beckham Loebie who stormed up and down the left flank in the second half marking Big Bad Bob and getting the better of him on most occasions. After a spell on the bench Giggs returned for the second half and duely sent us into the lead 3-2. Currently this man is without a par and is deadly with both feet in the area. Full fitness will be frightening sight for any opposition. Jasper " I'm still playing flank " Louw had to resort to some rather pitiful tactics to try keep him out of the game.

Unfortunately we once again relaxed and stopped working together which allowed the Vikings once again to equalise shortly after our goal which is very frustrating and something we must work on. This time Kean tried a miracle ball instead of passing early and giving away possession was punished for it via a very suspect cross or shot, we are still trying to figure that one out, which looped over Clean Sheets into the top right hand corner. By now our keeper was having a frothy about his once beautiful clean sheet.

With pressure on both teams to look after the ball and weary legs taking its toll a good period of play was once again enjoyed by the Tornadoes. The game became very strung out and this suited Giggs who made space for himself and with a cracking left foot sent the ball past a diving Viking goalie. A hat trick was well deserved for this little man/goat who with a little work can develop like the rest of us into an awesome footballer. With ten minutes on the clock, tackles flying in all over the place, Kean's temper being severely tested and Jamie Fabregas refusing to come off the bench the game swung into hyper drive. Glenda Best had a few scores to settle and was never from far the hot spots. He will be ruing a missed chance with five minutes to go when he cut inside beautifully and cracked a curling banana which just refused to bend inside the posts. Next time.

It was shortly after this that the Vikings broke away played a couple of long balls and with our defence failing to clear a great pass found the two left feet of Bob who cracked home a great shot past a diving Clean Sheets. No one said being a goalie was easy.

Extra time was three minutes and while we had the better chances a howler of a penalty being missed by the ref Frodo the Tornadoes first game ended at 4 all.

A rematch is already on the cards and both teams will be out to enjoy what proved to be a cracking game of high intensity football. The Tornadoes will know whats in store next time and having led for most of the game will feel confident that a positive result will be ours next time.

Ucha cha

Who's coming with me ?

I am not sure how many people out there have any knowledge of the Cape Odyssey, most of you know I am Cape Epic obsessed but I have a new dream. The Cape Odyssey.

The Odyssey is basically a trail run up and in and around the beautiful mountains which lie in the Western Cape. This years race began in Hermanus onto Kleinmond then Paul Cluver in Elgin onto Grabouw CC from there to Franschoek and finished in Boschendal. A total of 202km in 5 very tough days.

I was fortunate enough to watch some of the days and witnessed first hand what some of these people go through. The general day involves anything from freezing temperatures to around 30 degrees and the weather is only one part of it. Mental and physical fitness are musts and a pretty tough pair of legs and feet. I was personally a little freaked out by the state of people's feet but I suppose on the Epic no one runs around showing off their arses- Thank God.

I have made a pact with Quayle's Ale's and whoever else is keen. I know Beef has signed up and we need to chat to Chukka, another who has the potential. Anyone else is welcome.

The winners ran the race in 16hrs 47 min 51 seconds that's pretty fast. They did look like racing snakes who couldn't have weighed more than a Boomslang. But shit that's good going. Mark Fish was another who confounded critics and plodded home every day come. The vibe is very cool and its rad to see another sporting event take off in the Cape. Back markers were clocking around 30 hrs on the pins for your information.

On a final note if anyone out there knows of an Epic ticket going please tell me...please !!!

" I pity the fool " - B.A. BARACUS

Do yourself a favour and take the time out of your busy day to read this article where Prof Tim Noakes responds to the highly enlightened views and criticisms from Brendan Venter.

I have a few comments about Dr. Venter too but I will save those for another day.

http://sport.iafrica.com/news/1222500.htm

Really interesting stuff. Bit like educated rappers having a rap off with fancy words.

I can't wait for Dr Venter's response.

Red Bull Rampage

Just something me and the kids from the block got up to this weekend.

Nothing serious, some hits a couple of wheelies...

Aaaah whatever....!!!!

The New Stade Jersey

Oh my Sweet Tits,

Have a look at this, yes it's the latest in a not so long but becoming very famous line of rugby jerseys the Paris club have produced.

This year's design depicts the face of Parisienne 13th-century heroine Blanche de Castille, the wife of Louis VIII, in a multi-coloured design described by club publicists as "in the fashion of Andy Warhol".

As usual, the latest designs under the always colourful ownership of the eccentric Max Guazzini have created plenty of chatter.

Some critics have described it as the worst rugby jersey in the game's history? Others love it.

One thing you have to give the club credit for, though, is consistency. Having started the trend with a fluorescent pink jersey that has become their signature look, they have continued to defy critics and fashionistas alike.

Last season saw a light brown number with turquoise stripes and pink flowers and was described by one critic as "reminiscent of an Hawaiian shirt fashioned from some 1970s caravan curtains".

There was also a pink, green and blue effort with tie-dyed blurred lines that drew unflattering appraisals.

As much as I enjoy high art or high fashion my boundaries are being extended when it comes to rugby jerseys, but, If you look at half the players running around these day with Ronaldo like greasy hair-do's and arms pumped up maybe the owner is just giving into the ever increasing pooftah vibe rugby is creating for itself.

Where have all the old hard bastards gone ?

The Man with 9 Fingers

Is this guy for real ?


Slater, 36, who won his first ASP World Tour championship in 1992, when he was 20 and not long before he began to lose his hair, on Friday clinched a ninth championship.
No other surfer in the 32-year history of the Assn. of Surfing Professionals has won more than four. And despite a recent infusion of younger, new-age power surfers, nobody has come close to consistently matching a stylish master who is the second-oldest athlete on the 45-man tour roster.

Slater clinched the title after winning a third-round heat in four-foot waves against Eneko Acero during the Billabong Pro Mundaka in Spain.Emotionally drained, he was subsequently eliminated by Australia's Tom Whitaker in the fourth round of a contest scheduled to resume today."It's going to take a little while to sink in," Slater told reporters as he was mobbed at water's edge. "I'm probably going to have to call home and talk to family for it to really hit me."Slater, who resides in Cocoa Beach, Fla., is enjoying what could become his most prolific season in 14 years on the World Tour. He has won five of eight contests with two remaining.He had won seven times in 1996, but there were 13 contests that year."I think I'm a better surfer than I ever have been," said Slater, whose photo- and commentary-driven book, "Kelly Slater: For the Love" will be released later this month.

He's now the youngest and oldest world champion and a question that has lingered like mist on the seashore remains: When will Slater retire and allow parity onto the tour?Slater has said he'll compete as long as he remains competitive. But he has also acknowledged that finishing with 10 titles would round out his career nicely.It's a question he has wrestled with for 10 years. After winning five consecutive titles from 1994 to '98, Slater, citing burnout, went on hiatus. He didn't return to full-time competition until 2003.
He lost a close title race with Andy Irons that year and watched as Irons prevailed again in 2004. Inspired by the losses, Slater regained his form and has won titles in three of the last four years.

And luck has had nothing to do with it.

Roy Kean...PRICELESS

I think this oke is the shit...

( by the way thats me asking Quayle round for drinks later )

1) THE ONE THAT GOT ROY THROWN OUT OF WORLD CUP:Keane temporarily quits international football after a monumental slanging match with Republic of Ireland boss Mick McCarthy, in front of his team-mates in Saipan. Keane had expressed his frustrations with the side's preparations for the 2002 World Cup to the Irish Times, telling them: "You've seen the training pitch and I'm not being a prima donna. Training pitch, travel arrangements, getting through the bloody airport when we were leaving, it's the combination of things. I would never say 'that's the reason or this is the reason', but enough is enough."
That interview led to a furious row, during which Keane told McCarthy. "Mick, you're a liar... you're a fucking wanker. I didn't rate you as a player, I don't rate you as a manager, and I don't rate you as a person. You're a fucking wanker and you can stick your World Cup up your arse. The only reason I have any dealings with you is that somehow you are the manager of my country! You can stick it up your bollocks."



2) THE ONE THAT LED TO ROY LEAVING MANCHESTER UNITEDKeane leaves Manchester United after attacking seven of his team-mates on the club's TV channel, MUTV. Keane's most stinging vitriol was reserved for Ferguson's record signing, Rio Ferdinand. "Just because you are paid £120,000-a-week and play well for 20 minutes against Tottenham, you think you are a superstar," Keane said. "The younger players have been let down by some of the more experienced players. They are just not leading. There is a shortage of characters in this team. It seems to be in this club that you have to play badly to be rewarded. Maybe that is what I should do when I come back. Play badly." Not surprisingly the video, originally scheduled as part of the Roy Keane Plays the Pundit slot on MUTV, was pulled at the insistence of manager Sir Alex Ferguson.



3) THE ONE WITH THE SNAPPED LIGAMENTAfter Keane suffered a season-ending knee injury while trying to trip up Alf Inge Halaand in September 1997, the Irishman stewed for three years before exacting his revenge in the Manchester derby. "I'd waited long enough. I fucking hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you cunt," he recalled in his autobiography in 2002. "And don't ever stand over me again sneering about fake injuries. And tell your pal [David] Wetherall there's some for him as well. I didn't wait for Mr Elleray to show the red card. I turned and walked to the dressing room."



4) THE ONE WITH THE PRAWN SANDWICH:Keane hits out at sections of United's support in the wake of what he felt was a dire atmosphere in the club's Champions League clash with Dynamo Kiev in 2000. "Sometimes you wonder, do they understand the game of football?" he splutters. "We're 1-0 up, then there are one or two stray passes and they're getting on players' backs. It's just not on. At the end of the day they need to get behind the team. Away from home our fans are fantastic, I'd call them the hardcore fans. But at home they have a few drinks and probably the prawn sandwiches, and they don't realise what's going on out on the pitch. I don't think some of the people who come to Old Trafford can spell 'football', never mind understand it."



5) THE ONE WITH THE RUN-IN WITH BIG JACK:Even as a teenager, Keane is not afraid to stand up to authority. Following a friendly against the United States in Boston in 1991, the Republic of Ireland team are allowed a night out. The next morning, with departure set for 7.30am, the team are kept waiting until 8am by Keane. A furious Jack Charlton says: "Nineteen years old, your first trip, do you have any idea how long we have been waiting?" Keane replies, without a hint of fear: "I didn't ask you to wait, did I?"



6) THE ONE WITH THE LETTER:In 2000, Manchester United write a letter to fans blaming Roy Keane's new £52,000-a-week contract for the hike in season ticket prices. Roy, unsurprisingly, isn't happy. "I'm not one for holding grudges but this was a stupid mistake, a bad public relations exercise and something that should never have happened," he thunders. "I'm still waiting for my apology but I could be waiting a long time. The board have tried to explain what they meant, that it was part of a wider picture of trying to keep the fans informed, telling them the club wanted to rebuild and strengthen, which is why prices were going up. The fact is nobody should be singled out in a letter. It wasn't right. I felt everything was being laid at my door."



7) THE ONE WHERE PLAYERS ARE "PIECES OF MEAT"It's 2002, and Jaap Stam's £16.5m departure to Lazio finds Roy unhappy. Again. "His transfer to Lazio illustrates how little power footballers have in the game. Contracts mean nothing," he fumes. "He has discovered that, to football clubs, players are just expensive pieces of meat. The harsh realities remain and when a club decide they want to sell there is little you can do once the wheels are in motion."



8) THE ONE WHERE ROY PROVES TO BE A FORTUNE TELLER:Just prior to United's make-or-break Premiership showdown with Arsenal in 2002, Keane questions the desire of some of his team-mates and warns - prophetically as it turns out - the Red Devils could end the season without a trophy. "There are a lot of cover-ups sometimes and players need to stand up and be counted," he admits. "I'm not sure that happens a lot at this club. That's the least we should do. We shouldn't have to demand it from the players - they should be proud to play and give 100%. We're not asking for miracles. We're asking them to do what they should be doing. When players don't do that it's bloody frustrating. We're going to find it hard to win the league and if we end up with no trophies there's something wrong."



9) THE ONE WHERE HE BLAMES THE YOUNGSTERSAs United lose their grip on their Premiership title in 2004, Keane rounds on unidentified younger players, accusing them of not pulling their weight. "We have one or two young players who have done very little in the game," he spits. "They need to remember that and not slack off. They need to remember just how lucky we all are to play for Manchester United and show that out on the pitch."



10) THE ONE WITH THE IRISH BLAZERS: In 2001, Keane hints he might quit the international stage if Republic of Ireland officials continue to treat the squad like second-class citizens. Fresh from a brilliant performance in a 4-0 thrashing of Cyprus, Keane blasts the FAI. "Where we trained last Monday, in Clonshaugh, was abysmal and it has been for as long as I've known it," he says. "I was fairly critical about our seating arrangements on the flight out here, when the officials were sitting in the first-class seats and the players were sitting behind. For me that's simply not right and it's not just because I'm playing for Manchester United. The priority has to be the team - and I don't think that has always been the case here."

-Compliments of The Guardian-

The Old Tornadoes Football Club

Yesterday saw the launch of something which I hope will carry on for years. Knowing the vibe and how much fun we had yesterday I have no fears.

The Old Tornadoes FC, without fanfare was launched and with pressure to perform on opening day the lads delivered with a thrilling come from behind victory.

The final score was 4-2, in some ways this game could have gone either way. But alas there can be only one winner, with stunning strikes in both halves a late signing in Justin Snaith proved the difference in front of goal. Giggs Liebrecht showed a touch of time and class on the ball to slot home the second goal and the fourth was a own goal from an incisive ball across the area from Roffie Torres.

The team evolved quickly as players soon understood positions and patterns the Manager had been explaining during a rigorous warm up. George Glen Best had a stormer on the right flank ably supported by Matti Valderama who seems to have an enormity of time on the ball. Our big Dutch centre back in Chukka Stam held the backline all day while making some purposeful runs up field. Composure was maintained by Roy Keane so we were all happy with that. The surprise of the day must have Cordie Grant who slipped off the Med straight into the Mid field. Not an easy man to stop on the run.

Welcome home boet.

I must take time out to comment on the work of our goalies. Cheese, Meerkat and Glen who all saved crucial strikes. Trust me I was in goal for 5 minutes and I leaked one. Its not easy.

The Meerkat was particularly good and even showed some movements I haven't seen since he was 21. Oh yeah Patch.

Our opening Champions League fixture is on the Monday the 13th of October against the much vaunted Noordhoek Vikings. The squad will be gathering for another game next Wednesday, details will be revealed nearer the time. For those squad members who missed this one not too worry but congratulations to the lads who won this classic thriller.

Ucha cha...

Sour Grapes

Whilst chatting to a few mates last night we came upon the subject of sour grapes or losing gracefully to put it bluntly.

The topic came about after they noticed on nadoes.com that nothing had been mentioned about the fact that we lost the final to The Cobra's. What they were basically saying was, where or who are you when you lose ? Its fine to put up things and celebrate winning but we must be magnanimous in defeat too. I cant agree more to their sentiments.

Losing has always been the hardest thing to deal with for me. Watching another team or player celebrate what you believed was yours. I am hard to deal with during the first half hour after a defeat but then it all seems to blur a bit, maybe its the beers, and I mellow enough to a level status. Probably not what normal people call a level status but hey who wants to be normal anyway.

The other grapes which has just come out and will no doubt be solved by the end of today or maybe tomorrow is the fact that WP have lodged a complaint about Hennie Danillier playing for two provinces on the same weekend. Province are checking the ruling which apparently it states a player can represent different provinces ( in different divisions ) but not on the same weekend.

Sounds like the Internal league final all over again, just checking who we actually played the Cobra's or the Rest of the League..?

Sour Grapes ?

Hemel en Aarde

Ahoy, most of my weekend was spent on the banks of this pristine piece of Africa. I was lucky enough to be schooled in the arts of estuary fishing by non other than Sticky Steenbras as he known in those parts.

Other than lying in the sometimes sunny days. I rode back and forth from here to Arniston a few times to keep the legs ticking over. Later on Saturday I received more lessons from some of the surfers we were staying with. The sea was the colour in this picture and two whales came out to see my display. They were far more graceful than I was. I ended up standing on a reef with a wave coming towards me and cutting my feet up. Not too serious as I escaped with only a few minor cuts.

Watching the rugby on Saturday proved to be the worst part of my day, why we bother ? Province once again showed their clear lack of depth and composure is not one of Schalk Burgers strengths, although he clearly has others. As it turned out the Lions helped us out and my good mate Earl Roses hopefully played his way out of tour contention. Lets hope he delivers another performance like that this weekend. Anyway on a positive, how good is Ryan Kankers. In a performance worth mentioning alongside Kankers was the ever improving Jean Deysel. I have a sneaky feeling the Sharks are getting organised again, the Currie Cup may yet be theirs but I think Coach Plumtree is a master and will be looking ahead as usual. Look out Super14.

Anyway I drove the Hemel en Aarde valley on Sunday and a more perfect day it could not have been. We rode it on this years Epic but it was not as much fun taking in the surrounds. Passing thru HermanusPeitersFontien on the way home to watch the Youth pick up another win in the Tornadoes CC Whale Match. Congrats to Thomas Vaughn. I finished off my sensory overload taking the coastal route home past Heuningklip and away.

Hemel en Aarde indeed...

Some wont understand

If I know I've mentioned this bloke before but sometimes you need to knock down the door before someone inside answers. I hope mt old teammate has a little listen to this guy and purchases some of his music. He has alot of goodness to give much like the bloke I am talking about. Some people just wont understand.

After a very heavy week which culminated in my beloved Tornadoes being pipped in the final. There were no fairytale endings or comebacks this year but knowing the strength of character which flows through not only this generation of players but the family as a whole we will be back to fight the good fight again.

How many vibes are going from Presidents Cup golf to the League Cup Final then onto Hermanus where 2 teams of youth and experience will compete for the Whale Trophy. Coming up later in the month is our well known and much sought after Tornadoes Formal Dinner. Its amazing what these guys continually seek and attain. Ucha cha...

Otherwise enjoy the weekend, hopefully the weather clears and we can get out there. I will be riding and fishing in Arniston with Stix. The old fisherman himself is probably baited up alongside the river already. Tight lines old boy...

Make the most of your times here, you never know when your fragile world may have to adapt to change. Make hay whilst the sun shines...

Faldo Falls Flat

Oh well the Euro's lost the Ryder Cup...

I suppose we can go on about how badly behaved the American fans were and how emboerissing Boo Weekly is. No seriously, the oke is going to cringe in a few years time at some of the stuff he was saying and doing.

But I want ot have a little harp at my old mate Mister " I did it my way " Faldo.
The oke is still one of sports beauts, never have we seen one so self involved off the course.
Take the Ryder Cup for instance, it was little more than Faldo's parade. Massive pity but how is an oke who never bothered to acknowledge any player in his own era supposed to rub shoulders with younger players he has criticised in the media. The bloke did his best and thankfully for the rest of us we wont have to hear any more from him about it. Hopefully.

It was all over bar the shouting pretty early on, from what I saw it never looked like the Euro's were together in it whereas the usually self important Yanks appeared to play for the team. Perhaps it was the fear of not letting each other down which provided the spark. Not having Tiger around would have helped guys chill and just get along. Greatness in certain players can bring about a feeling of inferiority in the rest of the team before they play.

But whatever it boils down to the team in red had it and the blues well, they are singing them.
Sport is special for a few days it turned these usually guarded nerds of the golfing world into Gladiators willing each other on in front of a crowd just as simple as some of those in Romans times...

Are you not entertained

Tornadoes

A subject very dear to my heart is The Tornadoes, most of you know them. You should.

Well its that time of the year again. The time of year the Tornadoes roll into the finals of the UCT Internal league. This will be our fifth appearance in the finals in a row and having won the last four titles they will be gunning for 5 titles in a row.

The opposition (The Cobra's) deserve credit as they reach their second finals after being soundly thrashed last in last years final. They are indeed playing good rugby and this final promises to be an enthralling affair. The Cobra's are the only team to have beaten The Tornadoes this year pipping us 10-7 in a tough one.

However mentally I'm not sure teams can rise up to such heights and beat the Tornadoes twice in a year. Especially in finals, as we know how the old saying goes, " Tornadoes dont lose finals. "

So make sure you pencil in this wednesday afternoon for Finals day up at the Green Mile, kick off is at 4:30pm so dont miss it.

Some history for you:

Tornadoes Est 1999, This is the tenth season, aiming for their 7th Title having won the Cup in 1999-2001-2004-2005-2006-2007.

No team comes near to this record.

Ucha cha

The Weekender

Well as another cold front lashes us here in the Cape of Storms, things appear gloomy. People are over the wind and the rain. We need some sunshine, some long summer days in board shorts to turn what has been a fairly tough winter into a distant memory.

Don't expect any favours from the gods this weekend, the forecast is not looking great. But such is life and if we sit inside watching TV come Monday its not going to be pretty.

So here are my suggestions, firstly have a few coolies on Friday. Take the edge off the week. Don't overdo it cause then you more useless than ever. Sunday is the big one, I know of some blokes who are planning on doing the Karoo2Coast. Its a 100km mountain bike race which is pretty good fun if you fit. Nothing is fun if you are unfit, so don't even bother trying, it will just set you back further. I cant get up there so I will be trying to avoid the showers and get in a ride or two, not looking too likely but hope springs eternal. Now for those of you have a surfboard Sunday at the Berg is set to be a classic. Now if you a big swell watcher like myself its looking more and more likely that Mother Nature will provide us with a great day out, look you wet anyway so whats a bit of rain. But there is a sweet 3 to 4 ft swell pushing through with a gentle off shore pushing it back.

So gather up your lips and get out there, the ELEMENTS are a part of life.

Enjoy them all

Currie Cup

Its about this time most years that local rugby fans switch back to the Currie Cup, mostly due to the fact that the Boks are finished with the Tri Nations but its also nearing Semi Final time.

I always reckon the Currie Cup brings false hopes to alot of players and commentators alike. Sure your rough diamonds seem to crop up time and time again but its when they start throwing names around for Springbok selection that my blood boils. Talk about the same players mauling he took in the Super14 not six months ago and they have the memory of Aunty Marge in frail care. Absolutely non existent. I have a certain pain the neck of a player, named Earl. Now this young chap probably doesn't deserve my full roasting quite yet so I will try take it easy in him and present my argument as calmly as possible.

He is a decent Currie Cup player, granted, at Vodacom level where he belongs he is at best a play maker. Now lets all cast our selective memories back to the Super14. Ok, we there. Young Earl who resembles a Mummy running around the field is being completely mauled by the Aussie commentators while playing for the Lions. Sure the rest of the Lions team aren't having the best day out there but Earl is having what we term a shocker. It's emboerrising.

The Lions stumbled through the tour losing every game. We cant blame it on one player, yes and I never would but lets slow the f#%^k down about talking this guy into the Springbok team. God, he's half Dollie's size and yes Matt Giteau isn't much bigger but they ain't Matt Giteau...full stop !

So here is my point, don't rush to put players into the green and gold, let them play another Super14 and we will be able to judge their ability against quality players week in and week out. Not the early rounds of the Currie Cup the Super14 please...

So now that the Boks are back in the Currie Cup we get a better reflection on the ability of certain players. Suddenly the Free State who have looked amazing are stumbling and aren't so amazing. The Lions are now back to square one too, they have yet to play decent a decent Currie Cup team with their Boks in it. Sure they may surprise someone because they are not useless but lets wait and see. I reckon they will not beat either the Bulls, WP or the Sharks.

If Province fail to win with a bonus against them in the final week of the competition it will be fair enough. The squad is not yet big enough to carry the Springbok load whilst constantly losing players to the Pound and Euro so our early form could cost us.

But, if we do make the semi's watch out, we may just have the team to go all the way. I am not certain of a few of the forwards when the going gets tough but hey at least we are moving in the right direction after a poor start and years in the wilderness.

The future looks bright...

Whats the Hurry ?

For those of you not in the Mountain Biking loop the guy pictured here is our very own SA born and Natal North coast raised Burry Stander.

Burry, yes that's his name, has just won the U23 Mountain Bike World Title and placed 5th overall in the open category. That is massive folks especially as Burry is only 20. How it works is a bunch of the world's elite mountain bikers travel around the world riding in races competing for points similar to the F1.

Burry is one hell of a prospect and huge things are expected of this guy. So keep an eye or ear out for his name. Talk is he has just signed up with Specialized for next season and this would be a massive boost for him. Currently Specialized have another World Champ, Christoph Sauser in their team so you realise the potential being invested in this kid. Funnily enough these two raced in this years Cape Epic under the Team Songo banner and were leading going into Day 3 when Burry suffered knee problems and had to withdraw from the race. I'm sure we will see them next year as Team Specialized, Sauser loves the Epic which he hasn't won since 2005. Being a summer resident of Stellenbosch look out for these two training out there together come summer.

Well done Burry.

I am proud to say I stood on the start line alongside these guys at the SA Champs at the begining of the year, it was the last time I saw them but I'm sure they remember it as fondly as I do.

Red Sox Nation

This one is for the fans:

The Boston Red Sox faithful known at the Red Sox Nation has just set a record for the most consecutive sell outs. The streak, as the Yanks love to call it, has lasted 5 years and a total of 456 consecutive games. That is powerful.

During the streak a total of 16,336,192 fans rolled through the gates of their beloved Fenway Park. One of the oldest and most treasured grounds in all of baseball. That's not a bad taking at the gate for the owners either.

Wonder what is amounts to ?

The Red Sox finally won the World Series in 2004, a year I was living in the States, after 86 long and painful years. The failure to win the World series was blamed on the management for selling baseballs greatest ever, Babe Ruth, to the arch enemy of any Red Sox fan the NY Yankees. The Nation called it the " The Curse of the Great Bambino ". This is all deadly serious stuff, so if you ever in Boston mention some of this shit and it would be like telling a Bok die hard about the " Lions tour of 74 ".

One final note to remind us what real fans are, the first pitch at the 456th sell out game was thrown by one Dora Giglio who at 86 holds the oldest season ticket account dating back to 1935.

Sweet Jesus I have a few years yet in The Craven Stand.

Province...

What am I on ? I'm on my bike, busting my ass 6 hours a day. Thats what I'm on !

Lance's Comeback to Cycling in 2009. To join the fight and support the Lance Armstrong Foundation in their efforts to raise awareness and reduce the global cancer burden, please visit www.livestrong.org to donate....

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Check it out, it doesn't get clearer than this.

Le Tour is going to be massive, considering he will be going for Tour win No.8 and trust me the competition has only become stiffer in the two years he has been away.

What am I on ?

Livestrong

The Livestrong Man is back or is he ?

Talk of Lance Armstrong on the comeback are doing the rounds. Its seems all very speculative at the moment and in what form would he race. Not fitness, but where in the team would he slot in ? A domestique seems strange for him, maybe his experience is worth that much to a team.

Read the link below to understand more about it.

http://www.velonews.com/article/82892/sources-lance-armstrong-coming-back

Article from Velonews.com

IRON MIKE

For some reason I have been thinking about sportsman and woman who through some fault be it their own or managers, family etc etc have blown up on our screens.

There are alot of them, Herschelle may be falling into that category but he is almost past it. Anyway. No one sportsman story is more tragic than another perhaps due to the nature of life not everyone is cut out to handle the pressure's being in the limelight brings. Gazza clearly loved football and drink but perhaps if he had been better managed would still be contributing. Is life's plan set out for some to fail in order to allow others to see their failures as examples. Ryan Giggs was on a fast track to nowhere at one stage and thanks to his manager he was able to turn it all around.

But for me the King of Sporting Tragedies has to go to my Iron Mike Tyson, now I can hear woman all over the world clamouring on to soap boxes and shouting billy, but I am not talking about his record with woman rather his record in the ring.

Mike Tyson was frightening, watch the video, granted its ten minutes but trust me it brings back all the horrors he inflicted on his opponents. He was brutal bordering on psychotic at times. I truly believe the man was carrying some demons from a hectic past. No one is that angry. At stages in his career and perhaps I am no boxing guru but their were times people feared getting into the ring with him. Imagine the mentality of having to confront someone like that in a small ring. You are walking wounded. Good luck mate.

Well I could go on all day about the man, rather watch the clip and remember how much he entertained you.

I will be looking into Gazza soon...

A Thief in the Night

Oh my Pieter De Villiers !!!

If you thought you were having a tough Monday, spare a thought for this poor fellow who in the process of trying to escape from the East London Museum jumped from a tree and came a wee bit of a cropper on the fence.

Yes that spike has gone a long way up his crack and I can hear alot of us saying, serves you right !

But imagine being alone up there with the cold hard steel inside you, your farthest thoughts are a cold jail cell. Help and help quick.

Apparently a passing trucker heard his cries and stopped to help him. I don't see him getting much help in this shot and as usual there are alot of folks standing around " doing their jobs "

If anyone comes across the video of Sweet Little Peet caught in his sex capade please tell me. Seeing that funny little man dressed up as Spiderman would be enough make the thief smile and forget his predicament for a moment.

Thanks to Sarratoga for this beauty.

They all want to win the title, they all want to be in the Champions League and if they don't get it they'll be changing managers like we change socks

The European summer transfer window has finally closed and what season it has proved to be. Not sure how long it's going to be before they start producing a WWF style package such has this sideshow to the game become.


I take the idea for this post from a recent article which quoted my old mate and Master Gaffer Harry Redknapp. Harry was bemoaning the fact that these mega rich twats with sheets on their head and money in their hands had no idea how to run a football team. Take the Ronaldinho transfer with Man City, Harry reckons Marc Hughes the Manager of Man City had no idea he was getting the little Brazilian. Fair enough he is a smart footballer but what Harry was trying to say was, " who running this team mate, this isn't fuckin fantasy football " or something like that.

I have to agree wholeheartedly with Harry, these big wig oli-gars aren't healthy for the fact that all they want to do is make a very successful team made up of bought at their prime footballers. Sure it may bring you immediate success but where does that leave you in two years time. Buying another team, sure go ahead. But what of the teams that cant keep bankrolling teams every few years. Only the strong will survive ? But my point doesn't lie here, what I am saying and I have to take another quote from Harry in that there can only be one winner of the Premier League and one Champions league winner. That's two teams with two managers who have achieved what these mega owners are looking for. What of the rest ? Its a tough world out there I know, but what has happened to the old style vibe, where your manager created his team out of players he chose, players he knew were willing and able to play and execute his playing style for the sake of the team, club and fans not the whims of some selfish twit sitting in his private box thinking he's playing PlayStation or Xbox.

I so have a massive soft spot for Sir Alex Ferguson, sure Man United are just as easy to ping on high profile signings but over his dead body would they sign someone the Glazers wanted to create a marketing buzz or because their grandson wanted to see someone playing in the famous red strip. Ol' Sir Alex has continuously and smartly been allowed to build teams, whilst contributing players-yes often expensive and world class players, from what he wants out of a player.

Job security for managers in football these days is at an all time low, in one day out the next. I take my hat off to Allan Curbishley from West Ham who just the other day quit over the fact that the club was selling players from under his nose whilst battling with injuries and the fact he wasn't signing players to replace those being sold. Fresh off the press: Kevin Keegan has now also quit as Manager of Newcastle citing the very same reason as stated above.

Who's next on the roundabout...

Storms bring Waves

The recent storm which lashed our coast has brought in some serious waves.

Here is the Kalk Bay harbour wall, yes that's a lighthouse which is about 3m tall.

Thanks to http://www.wavescape.co.za/ for the photos:

Check it out they have more.

Morreys Corner No 2

It seems Saturdays result in the rugby has sparked off some hot debates around the world. We get the next installment fresh from the great mans mind.

Enjoy Morreys Corner No: 2

Before you can play “wide” or “expansive” rugby, you must play direct rugby. Before you can go around a team, you must go through them.

At school boy level you can go around a side or create on overlap from first phase on a consistent basis without having to break tackles. At test level you need to beat a defence, get in behind them and then exploit the space. I feel bad for last week – now, retrospectively of course. I am never a negative person. In fact usually optimistic to a fault when it comes to the Boks… Before I had criticised the coach last week, I might have asked the question: How does PDV define “expansive” rugby. It is in his definition that the answer to the next and all important question lies. If he meant hit rucks at 100 miles an hour, produce quick ball on a platter, bust through defences with wave after wave of assault, including deft little off loads. And only then play to space, execute with incredible accuracy and finish almost every half chance presented. Perhaps had we understood that to be his doctrine of expansive rugby, we would have been less critical?

What happened on the weekend? How did we go from a confused bunch that couldn’t clear a ruck to save ourselves, to this clinical machine that thrashed the Wallabies into oblivion? Did we revert back to direct Bok rugby of old? Or is this the expansive game that PDV spoke of? Did the penny drop or did we go back to what we know?

Securing possession, kicking the corners, forcing line outs, chasing effectively, off loading to supporters in depth to create continuity, making very few errors (that the ref saw anyway), counter attacking with confidence, showing patience, out enthusing the opposition… That was all it took. Easy. So, is Pieter De Villiers a visionary? Did the senior players say bugger this new way, let’s do what we are good at? Does anyone know, I would love someone’s opinion? I’m at a loss. I heard a story via someone via Phil Kearns via via, that a senior Bok had told Kearns that the Boks had decided to take it into their own hands and ignore the coach. I don’t know what to think. What I do know is that after the RWC07 I remember thinking that this Bok side will peak in 2 years. That we hadn’t yet seen the best of this group of players. This year we beat NZ in NZ, thrashed Argentina and Australia by 60 and 50 respectively. We have also played 2 awful test matches and 2 average games. Where are we really? What is the prognosis for the next 2 seasons?

Were the Wallabies as woeful as they appeared to be or were we just so good that we blew them off the park?

Are you Crazy

For anyone out there who has been battling with the a mundane existence, a ground hog day sort of feeling to your days. Stop yourself, look at your life and be bold enough to challenge yourself into changing it.

A friend of mine always used this quote when confronted with a tough decision or a challenge : " I only regret the things I haven't done". I'm sure we've all heard similar lines but hey its what you take out of it. Take the storm the last few days. Sure it was comfy and warm at home watching DVDs, but had you earnt those DVDs ?

I did the first two legs of the Tale Mountain Challenge yesterday. Yes it was hailing at times but awesome, powerful, as one of the other blokes commented. It was way too much for me, I was hurting and I still am, but being out there again made me feel truly alive. I take my hat off to the lads who are doing the full marathon. I limped into Constantia Neck and was truly grateful to see the car waiting for me, but I will be back fitter an stronger next time. I aim to support those running this event in two weeks time. Check it out. There's another challenge waiting.

Are you crazy ?

Sweet Little Pete

Lets hope he can turn the tide, by the looks of this one I'm not convinced.

How do you know whether to give a coach time, to let his beliefs sink into his team so to speak.

We've all heard how badly Sir Alex Ferguson did starting off. What if Man United had sacked him then after the wheels came off the first time.

I am a true believer in aura, someone either posses' the leadership gene or not. I have seen countless teams being led or managed by people who don't have it. I'm not sure where or what to pin it as but, some guys have it, some don't. Unfortunately the moment PDV stepped into the limelight with that cracking pink tie that his nephew asked him to wear he was doomed in my eyes. I don't care if the Pope asked me to wear that tie, sorry boet it ain't happening. His voice mingled with those cute one liners only a child uses had me writhing in agony at what other nations perceived of us. Here we are the World Champs and we present to the world this cute dwarf like fellow wearing a pink tie. I'm sorry but if I was SA Rugby I would have pulled the tie from his neck. I don't think a Major Corporation would announce their new CEO wearing one of those guys. Imagine the shareholders thoughts-sell sell sell...

Well by the time Monday comes around you will know the result of Saturdays game-yes obviously. I am not too positive about things. Already I've heard about tired players.( What ? we've played three more games than New Zealand and we rested before the World Cup. So where does that shit come from. ) But at the end of the day what matters is that we put more points on the board than the other team. Don't give me stories about how we going to play. Win first, then you can start preaching.

While you preaching I'll be praying...

Administrators

It seems they are part and parcel of our and every sporting nation, these people or parasites as I prefer to call them, have become almost as famous as top sportsmen. Unfortunately its usually for the wrong reasons. Why would you want to hear about them anyway ?

I have heard stories about our administrators in Beijing. The group of absolutely useless no good bunch of ( OK I'll stop there ) booked themselves, a full group of 30, into the same hotel which our beloved George W Bush was staying in. Now according to the news source one administrators room cost the same as South Africa's entire Olympic team kit. Now I know our kit wasn't great, pretty much kuk with green crocs thrown in, but it must have cost something.
Now what did those admin people do the entire time they were inn Beijing, report on how shit we were doing. Compile lists of medal winners ?

I read on our mountain bikers blog, Burry Stander, about his Olympics and how he arrived late and had to organise himself. As an athlete he never received any help from the administrators leading up to the games either. He is lucky enough to train with his pro team who pay for him to do everything. What if he wasn't part of a team ? God help me, I'm going nuts here.

Our sports are unfortunately going through one small crisis at the moment. Where are the administrators ? No where. The players bear the brunt, or in rugby's sake and quiet rightly so, our coach PDV. I have been thinking about this subject lately and wondering about a few things. Sure we cant hang onto everyone in the money talks world of sports, but the quota systems are gradually weathering away the foundations of our sports. Its a bit like being the best player in your small dorp school and then you go to University and you are suddenly exposed to a group of players who are just as good as you if not better than the dorpie. What I'm trying to say is, good players are made to look very good in our domestic leagues, but when they step into the big wide world of international sports they are ruthlessly exposed. Its heart breaking for the player and unfortunately the Nation shares the pain.

Finally lets get back to those admin twits, its been some time since we were awarded the World Cup. Bafana continues to be the laughing stock of the soccer world. Our domestic league, The PSL is without doubt a perfect example of administrators abusing a sport. How many times do Chiefs play Pirates a season ? Imagine if Manchester United and Chelsea played each other on half as many occasions, small riots. The PSL is crap football played week in and week out, why don't other quality players from Africa come to play here, because they see it as an inferior place to play football. No wonder we cant produce world class players. The World Cup saga has bumbled from million dollar contracts for coaches and players who are clearly not good enough. But why did we wake up so late, Administrators, once again the name pops up. One hopes heads will roll and all those fat cats who are more interested in making money out of the Cup than delivering a half decent team will be strung up, but I somehow doubt it. Whats happened to our Olympic administrators, nothing as yet.

Its not their problem is it, they're Administrators.

some proof: http://www.nataliedutoit.com/?q=blog/1

World Chumps

Firstly let me introduce our first contributor:

Tennis Ball is one of rugby's finest brains, schooled under the mountain and having taught a fair number of us the finer arts of touch on Sunday with our good friend Glen, he has branched off to far flung lands but continues his almost religious verve for his beloved Boks through his column. We are fortunate here to be able to spread his gospel and here folks is his first installment:

Take the St. Petersburg Prima Ballerina troop; bring in a new instructor who suddenly and out of the blue announces that from tomorrow, despite the fact that they are recognised as the best ballerinas in the world, they will be dancing modern or tap, in all major ballet contests.

Bugger your years of training in ballet, tap it is from now on! Oh, and on stage, you will no longer be led by Baryshnikov, the one legged mute will be calling the shots.

This is tantamount to what the Boks are battling with. Playing the wrong game for the personnel we have. Note, I avoided the word ‘pattern’. Pattern implies repetition and this side cant hold on to the ball for long enough to repeat anything. Panicked, impatient, naive and poorly led - these are our world champions, a bloody embarrassment.

We are great when we kick well offensively, force line outs, play rugby close to set pieces, show patience, set phases, ruck in numbers over the ball and play to our strengths. None of these concepts however are being executed by the Boks. Even when we get even numbers to rucks we are being out muscled – our technique has left us. The players are confused and it is clear for all to see. Our coach calls for calm, ‘we are in a transition’ he says – rubbish! He has inherited a settled team of world champs – and to his credit, he has he has kept them together in personnel.

Unluckily, he lost his captain and with John Smit, the voice of reason. We actually are a better team than both NZ and Australia (on paper). De Villiers needs to make one of two decisions. Either he goes back to a style and pattern that suites our players and our national psyche and has done for 100 years, and he continues to select the team that conquered the world playing that style. Or, he changes his lose trio combination and selects Hein Brussouw, Keagan Daniel and the like and sticks with his pattern that isn’t working. One thing he doesn’t have on his side is time however.

When he took the job he knew that a Bok coach will not last a season if his team loses. The end is in site for him now. The question is how flexible is he?

I have seen this confusion before. I was at Plettenberg Bay for Harry Viljoen’s two training camps in 2000 and 2001. Confidence erosion is what occurs when a bunch of people who have made it to the top by doing one thing are suddenly made to feel inadequate as a result of being asked to do something completely different. It is the only explanation as to why our line outs are falling apart. Bewilderment is the general vibe being emitted; it is etched on their faces. No body will allow this team the 2 or 3 seasons it will take to change and feel comfortable changing.

Give up now, we can still salvage our pride, but we must stop the madness now.

Morrey.

Some fine words indeed.

Woza Weekend

What a Sporting weekend...

Some of which we would obviously like to forget. Lets start with the winners...

Julien Absalon (FRA) who absolutely smoked the Mens Mountain Biking at the Olympics. Nobody had an answer to his powerful surge after the 1st lap and he continued to put time into his rivals until the last lap where he knew it was done and dusted. To comprehensively beat the best in the world when you are the favourite shows massive BMT.

Obviously we must mention Bolt and Phelps, if you haven't heard of them then I can honestly say the drugs you are taking must be some good shit, or you've just come back from Earthdance and you probably had them there anyway. I was listening to Roland Schoeman on the wireless the other day, he apart from coming up with the usual stuff about training his hardest etc etc said he knows Phelps from the States Varsity swimming circuit. He went on to say the guy is the biggest dork you have ever met, nice guy but a dork, seems that's what it may take to be the best swimmer ever. If we are being honest Roland, Tiger Woods is a Dork too. A multi million dollar dork with a piping hot Swedish wife. " How'd you like them apples "--- Baaaahhhhh

Liverpool coming back from a goal down with ten minutes to play and winning with a pearler from their beloved Stevie G. I had Goosebumps watching the Kop end going mental. I have always maintained that being a top pro footballer must be some of the most satisfying work around. Sure it has alot of stress, but when you score a goal like that the world must seem pretty sweet. Mannnenberg Central must have gone off its tits on Saturday night.

I will leave the Boks and the Proteas for another day, not cause I am bitter or twisted about the whole thing at all. They just sucked again and don't deserve my fury yet. I just hope the Proteas can wipe that smug grin off that twat Pietersens face by coming back and winning the series 4-1. Now that would make my summer. Not to mention the English press'

A final note:

I really enjoyed some of the Olympics, I reckon there alot of sports that can go. Just a waste of time really. Is synchronised swimming a sport ? OK the ladies are worth watching but again I ask you " is it a sport ? "

Stormers to sign Rupeni ?

Hot off the press: I wonder if its possible are we getting the real deal here ?
Rupeni Caucaunibuca is apparently in talk with the Stormers, he and old Sereli Knuckles must have had a few bats together while chilling on the Islands. Maybe he lost numbers to go get the next paycheck...

Well word on the streets is that he is in talks with Leicester, The Waratahs and The Stormers to see who coughs up the most, or who risk's the most! Rupeni's last stint in France was a big flop but I reckon he'd fit right back into the Super14. Like Knuckles I dont think they are interested in playing Currie Cup but we will have to wait and see how this one turns out. The Gentleman under the Craven stand at Newlands would have a new hero.

What would they call him ?

Requesting a Fly Bye

Not sure if I can ever remember seeing something that made my skin crawl with excitement. These fellas are pushing the limit, its a few years old so who knows what these Tik-koppe are doing now. Mavericks fly bye's were cool but these are run on slightly different jet engines.



How sic is that, can you imagine what that must feel like. I can only try and put myself in those guys heads. Unbelievable really. To think man would never fly