The football fiasco

Hear we go again, another hand of God incident. The referee is always right. Now that's rich and I include umpires in this as well. The truth is, sometimes they are and sometimes they're not. I'm a lifelong lover of sport and the incidents I have experienced of this are legendary. In a football (or is that soccer?) game, I'm a largely disinterested spectator. However, now and again I like a look see especially if my country is involved. So we had another farce.

The thing about refs and umpires, they are always right, because if one did not have this, then any game would resort to chaos. Even with them, they often still do.

In the old days and especially in amateur sport is where they are always right came from. All evidence and human nature and bias to the contrary notwithstanding. Moreover times change and technology changes. Rugby, cricket, tennis, at the professional level, are just a few examples. Here the referee is no longer always right and players have a referral system to question dubious decisions. They use modern technology and third umpires. Whatever happened to football (soccer?)

Done and Dusted

Apologies as have been away for a while with a lot of family things.

Returning to my last post about awesome Springboks. Well it is done and dusted and they are now the Tri-Nations champions having lost only one game in the tournament, and that was to Australia. Played New Zealand three times and won all three games.

Apart from being the current World Cup holders, they also beat the best of the Northern Hemisphere when they comprehensively beat the the British and Irish lions.

So let's just put this to bed. There is no better side in the World, and if you don't believe me, just look at the statistics.

Congratulations Springbok's, a pleasure to watch.

Awesome Springboks

I grew up in Zimbabwe which is the first country on the Northern South African border. Consequently I have always been a fan of South African sport, be this golf, tennis, cricket or rugby and many other sports besides.

It often amazes me that no matter how well they do, they are not quite considered as the best. The classic example is with the rugby team known as the Springboks. They have won the world cup twice and are the current holders, which should speak volumes. But no, the New Zealand, All Blacks are the better team, irrespective of whether they win the world cup or not. Well, well, well, in the current Tri-Nations series, the All Blacks have currently lost twice to the Springboks. Yet the perception still entails that they are the better side.

I can't make peace with this and am the first to say that All Black rugby teams are great sides. No question in my mind about that. However, fair is fair and this Springbok rugby side is in my opinion, in a class of it's own.

Next up they take on Australia and I cannot see them getting the upper hand and believe great things are yet to come from this Springbok side provided they do not have a spate of injuries. As I said earlier, fair is fair so let's put this to rest. The Springboks are the better side. Just look at the scores.

A celebration of life

Have been out of touch lately. The Lions rugby is done and dusted. However my wife's sister and her husband came to visit us from New Zealand ( another great family who were ousted from Zimbabwe ) and we hadn't seen them for 9 years. How time flies by. As it turns out the two sisters have always been very close and from the word go I always got on with her and her husband. What times we have had and what a pleasure it was to have them and their youngest daughter, now sweet little sixteen. We laughed from the moment I picked them up at Dublin airport until the moment they left. Unfortunately my favourite Uncle died two days before they left and I was heartbroken by this. Consequently I had to get them up to Dublin earlier than expected, so that we could attend the funeral and what a lovely service that was as well. My Uncles son is a world renown musician and he conducted an orchestra during the service and also had his youngest son play a solo piano piece flawlessly and heartrendingly beautiful. My Uncle would have loved it.

I also was trying to become a Giant at Squidoo and by some stroke of good fortune managed to achieve this status and also had the accolade of having one of my articles, awarded a purple star. The highest honour of all. I'm flattered.

Since, some great things are happening. Being a lifelong cricket lover there is nothing better than the Ashes cricket tests between England and Australia and the rivalry is intense. As it turns out the series is finely poised with the first test being drawn and England currently in the driving seat in the second test.

Then there is the start of the Tri-Nations rugby series between the giants of the Southern hemisphere, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. New Zealand won the first match against Australia this morning.

Not least the British Open golf with Tiger Woods missing the cut and a 59 year old man, Tom Watson still joint leader after day two. What a feast of great sport and what a celebration of life.