Ah, September. For an armchair sports tragic, it is really the month to revel in – NRL and AFL finals, European football, World Cup qualifiers, the Rugby World Cup. You could be excused for not leaving the house.
For the weekend just gone, sport proved itself to be as unpredictable as ever, and threw up some of the oddest moments in a long time.
Sally Pearson didn’t win:
Australia’s premiere track athlete actually crashed and burned. Now, how is this possible, when every hurdle is the same height and the same distance away from the other?
(For the record, I think Sally Pearson is a total gun and having tried it, I know just how athletic she needs to be to do what she does, so no hate mail, okay?)
The Wallabies didn’t win:
In a Rugby World Cup enlivened by the attacking joy of some of the ‘minnow’ nations, two of rugby’s top tier put on a turgid arm-wrestle.
As a result, the Wallabies have to do what no other nation has in Rugby World Cup history; win Bill after dropping a pool game.
(But I’ve been told by friends who were there live that the atmosphere was amazing, so maybe it’s a case of the TV lying. Surely not!)
The West Tigers didn’t win:
…and most viewers are trying to figure how.
Back in 1991, at the final of the Rugby World Cup, with the Wallabies holding a slender lead against England in the dying minutes, the Wallabies began throwing the ball around in their own half.
Legend has it that Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer, seated about two rows behing Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, bellowed, “Kick s**t out of it!”
With a few minutes to go in Friday night’s semi-final, the Tigers led the New Zealand Warriors 20-18. On the halfway line, on the last tackle, they decided to run the ball.
No doubt, Tigers coach Tim Sheens wishes Bob Dwyer was around to help relay instructions, because the Tigers died with the ball, and the Warriors scored the match-winning try in the next set of six, confining many observers’ premiership favourites to the off-season.
The Davis Cup got played on a local tennis court:
Just down the road from where I live, there’s a nice set of tennis courts.
I think my local club should have bid to stage the Davis Cup tie between Australia and Switzerland because the club has lights and would have been able to finish the epic fifth rubber between Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt and Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka.
Instead, the match spills over to another day because the local park courts at the Royal Sydney Golf Club don’t.
I guess that’s what happens when you decide to stage a tennis tournament at a golf club.
Floyd Mayweather boxed:
That’s a rarity these days, as it has been over a year since Mayweather has stepped into the ring.
What wasn’t surprising is that the fight ended in controversy, when Mayweather appeared to hit his opponent Victor Ortiz while Ortiz had dropped his gloves and was apologising to Mayweather for a head-butt.
What also wasn’t surprising was that Mayweather behaved like a tool post-fight.
Queensland medical system proven to be world’s best:
There’s no other explanation.
A couple of years ago, I had elective surgery on my ankle and had to book in about three months in advance. I should have been in Queensland.
Darren Lockyer got three titanium plates in his cheek, less than a day after being pole-axed by his own fullback in the thrilling Broncos-Dragons semi-final.
Now before you get upset with me, Broncos coach Anthony Griffin said in his media conference on Sunday that they ‘elected’ to have the surgery.
See, the Queenslanders have been right all along, it is the place to live (I sincerely hope Lockyer is okay to play in the Preliminary Final against Manly, without further risk to himself).
A wonderful weekend of sporting weirdness and drama. Bring on next weekend!
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