If ever you wanted an example of Kiwi tunnel vision in matters rugby there is no need to look further than Steve ‘One Eyes’ (yes, he has double one-eyedness) Hansen and his comments that Australia should ‘stop stealing’ Kiwi rugby players.
He seems to have been referring to Mike Harris, the man who could not even get a game at Super 15 in NZ; the same player who so effectively and wonderfully snotted Hansen’s All Blacks in Brisbane last weekend denying them a chance of taking the most-wins-on the trot record from Lithuania.
Hansen’s comments were sour grapes at best, poor sportsmanship at least. They also reveal an honours degree in arrant stupidity. Analyse his comments, drill right down on them, and they actually mean: “We did not want Harris, but you were not allowed to have him.”
Quintessential selfishness. In any sense, utterly perverse. Appallingly little.
In the face of that edict what could poor Mike Harris do? In the national rugby interest, obediently hang up his boots and retire to share milking on a God- forsaken, windswept dairy farm in the middle of nowhere and, over time, feel his lips become thin from bitterness – an angry man widely known in the district as The Dog Kicker.
In this, I applaud noble Lithuania for maintaining its rugby winning record; a record not even the mighty All Blacks – The Darkness – could break.
The what? Yes, The Darkness. It’s a recently coined Kiwi sobriquet. All Blacks equals The Darkness. Get it?
Even a fool like me ‘gets it’ of course but frankly it’s a disturbing turn of events perhaps indicating the possibility that New Zealand rugby fanatics have become even more delusional than ever; they have too much time on their hands.
I knew no good would come of them (just) winning RWC11.
The Darkness: a menacing force in the Devil’s keep, led by Darth Vader, musical score courtesy their Satanic Majesties. To be feared everywhere and every time; evil and invincible. Supernatural.
You can hear it now, All Blacks fans talking in pubs:
“May The Darkness be with you.”
I note with sadness that Sir Wilson Whineray, arguably one of the finest sportsmen to wear the silver fern and likely the greatest All Black captain, died earlier this week. No doubt he would have been appalled – ashamed – at the nonsense spouted at the weekend by Steve Hansen.
As a proud fellow New Zealander, I too am ashamed of Hansen’s miserable utterances. We are a far better race of sportspeople than that.
Finally, Scott Higginbotham. In any sense I do not condone dirty play. I have been on the receiving end of it and was always incensed by the unnecessariness and injustice of it. Higginbotham was stupid and has made his team pay the price for it.
Conversely, perhaps it also demonstrated – in an over-the-top way – how the current Wallaby forwards were finally able to mad dog up to and, at times, dominate the All Blacks.
Wow, how refreshing was that, maybe an omen, or portent for a golden future again?
Now there’s a though for a new sobriquet for the Wallabies: The Shining!
How does that sound?
richard
Guest
To equate nz cricket with aus rugby is a red herring. Aus rugby, under O'Neill has aggressively pursued a blatant policy of poaching nz talent. The difference, which you conveniently overlook, is nz doesn't go to sa looking for talent. btw, Australia is hardly lily white in cricket - players like Ashley Grommett, Kepler Wessels and recently Khawaja? come to mind. Add to that your olympic teams, football and ru sides (to name a few) and you will see that you are in no position to lecture us.
richard
Guest
Don't knock Darth Vader, as villains go, he was one of the best, he had style. Read somewhere that one Gareth Edwards described the ab's as the "DV's of world rugby" - best compliment I have ever heard.
richard
Guest
To Neuen, @11.08 pm ,if that is the case, then they can play and develop all their rugby in the islands. The trouble with you, is like many of your ilk, you think nz rugby is there to serve pi rugby. If it weren't for nz, pi rugby would be nowhere - you think your aus and pommie mates give a damn about you. No ,instead, they put the guilt trip on nz, burdening them with the responsibility of having to prop up island rugby. Supposedly, Australia and England are also accessing your talent, why don't you go to them, and ask them to do what we have done for your game, and see their response.Get a grip, its not nz's job to prop up your game. btw, I am a nzer, of pi descent, but unlike you, my loyalty is to the country in which I was born.If you, and those families don't like it here, your free to leave, but don't come across with the victim mentality.
richard
Guest
Frano was of Maori and Croatian descent, news to me that he had samoan blood
Peepers
Guest
I'm not telling you what Australians "would or wouldn't want", I'm telling what you need. The game is in jeopardy in your country and you are applying short term fixes to a long term problem. As for the definition of recently, those listed have played fo rthe Wallabie in the last three years, how much more recent do you want? Speak man, and do it clearly. Use a dictionary if you have to.
Jerry
Guest
Sheep jokes do seem to flow south, James. We in NZ tend to redirect them down to Canterbury way, who I assume redirect them to Otago. Poor Southlanders - all they can do is change them to Penguin jokes and try and take the piss out of Scott Base.
jameswm
Guest
The funny thing about sheep jokes is that when I lived in Europe for a year a while back, I found that Poms and Saffas (for example) told all their sheep jokes about Aussies! I gave up trying to explain that Kiwis were supposed to bear the brunt of them!
Bazza
Guest
Oh how the truth can dig in and HURT
Jerry
Guest
Frano Botica and Joe Stanley were both of Samoan origins too. In the 2003 RWC squad there were 9 players of PI ancestry which is a fair bit less than half. The increase is due to an increase in the PI population of NZ. To answer your last question - the vast majority. Which is also the case for many of the All Blacks born outside of NZ like Jerry Collins, Mils Muliaina, Joe Rokocoko and Rodney So'oialo.
Neuen
Guest
The biggest thing that immobilized the Windies was when they introduced the bouncer restrictions and the over rate penalties. Suddenly the intimidation tactics was taken away. With it the Windies pace attack followed by all sorts of administration issues.
Neuen
Guest
Aussies playing for Kiwi's, Kiwi's playing for Aussie. Fijians for the USA or whatever. We get to see them on the top stage. But the imports Henry did with Wales was plain ridiculous.
Johnno
Guest
Good point Neuen, the Pacific Islander term tries to join them all in 1 lump. But reality is cultures couldn't be more different, and so many tribal wars and tensions over world history, with various Polynisans vs Polynesian battles, and Melansian vs Polynesian battles too. Imagine a culture that tries to Lumps say French,Itlaian, and Spanish together and just assume they are all the same, or English and Irish. It couldn't be more different some similarities but big differences to. SO the Pacific islander term is not even about geography it is a loos term to string a whole group of people together, but in reality it marginalises cultures in NZ. Just look at some of there gangs in NZ the bike gangs, they have Maori,Samoan,Tongan gangs each without here own identity. A pacific island team would be a failure ,tried but failed. If I was Samoan I would not want to be playing for a nationalised PI team no way. ANd vice versa. Wets Indies circket ha survivied but It has been long established brand,a nd same with Britiish and irish Lions, but that under threat after the disastrous 2005 kiwi tour. Rgeained it back in 2009 bok tour, But i gaurentte you if the west indies tried to form a soccer team in 2012 it would never happen. It would be a failure, no way would Barbados want to play under the same banner as Jamaica or trinadad. ANd west indies cricket on a side note. One of the big reasons it has struggles the last 15 years has been the office politics. I have never ever known a sports organisation that has had so many board conflicts, and factional fighting. Heck aussy rugby is 1 country and the states barley can be in he same room together and like west indies cricket , aussy rugby is most of the time in a state of mess.
Neuen
Guest
The term ‘Pacific Islander’ is a blanket term used in metropolitan countries like New Zealand to identify people from a number of different Pacific Island countries (and their New Zealand-born descendants). Its use conceals the historical, political and cultural uniqueness of each Pacific Island society. The rapid increase in Pacific Islanders who have made the All Blacks from 1987 to today is probably a direct result of players like Jones and Lomu. In 1987 Jones was the only overtly Pacific Islander in the All Black World Cup Squad; in 2003 approximately half the All Black World Cup Squad were of Pacific Island descent. Jones and Lomu, thus, paved the way for Pacific Islanders to follow in their footsteps. So in short. Just like NZ lure Pacific Islanders to them with their schools, so is Australia. People must also try to distinguish the Moari from Pacific Islanders as NZ will throw the born in NZ card every time but forget the Pacific Islanders heart will always be at their heritage and family which is back in Samoa or Tonga etc etc. Yes those players were born in NZ but how many of their families live there?
Eljay
Guest
Hey Darth and zhenry - Spiro Zavos was my English teacher at St Patrick's College, Silverstream. Suggest you ask him to validate my nationality. And then apologise.
Jerry
Guest
Teens isn't adult, though Terry. Quade Cooper was a teenager when he went to Australia, but I don't think he's a poach. Also, David Smith was never an All Black.
winston
Guest
heard of split endz Bono?
Terry Tavita
Roar Pro
david smith. sosene anesi and casey laulala went to nz in their teens..both anesi and smith played sevens and age-group rugby for samoa..sosene still holds the samoa's 100m record..10.6 sec..
Darth Vadar
Guest
o oh - (deathly silence from Eljay - I am sure he will attempt to exonorate himself somehow no doubt - first he claims he is a NZlander - I wonder what next)
zhenry
Guest
I made comment about this subject when J Morton first presented it, and would not have made comment here, but for what I consider a disturbing article. Can’t help but think Eljay, in his attempt to describe Steve Hanson’s tunnel vision etc, has described himself. How Eljay integrates the above extreme and sometimes contradictory comments into one personality is a scary prospect. What’s more the editors on this site have used the derogatory headline: ‘The public shaming of Steve Hansen’. I have no special motivation to support the Hanson cause but in my opinion the headline should read: ‘The public shaming of Eljay and The Roar’. I wont go into ‘the player grandparent clause’ and country representation at junior levels; there are many good comments on this site about that subject. However back to the ‘claimed NZer, Eljay’: AUs often complain that NZ is not tolerant in allowing AU total access to their players and coaches. They would not say that, if AU spent the money, effort and competition to skill their own players, then to have NZ begin to poach them. In fact NZ have been very tolerant towards AU: Tew allowed O’Neill his ‘Argentinean Clause’ which increased access to all players, not just Argentinean. Tew then allowed O’Neill to have his extra franchises. How generous does AU want NZ to be? O’Neill then promptly allows AU franchises foreign player quotas. Then McQueen attempts NZ recruitment. Tew straight away complained to O’Neill about taking his players and coaches! NZ does it at the expense of their own provincial competition, which is played out in a ridiculously short time window (games every 4 days or so); destructive to player health. Why did Tew give O’Neill the rope to hang NZ Rugby? Tew may have abilities that the NZRU need, but not as CEO. The AU owned NZ media never complain about Tew. No wonder.
Darth Vadar
Guest
and the Wallabies did?????? Perspective Eljay!