This week in sport Mayweather kept winning, the Cowboys kept whinging, the Wallabies stopped losing and the Heineken Cup stopped existing (possibly).
Wallabies s(crap)
Well, the Wallabies won one. You beauty! It wasn’t pretty but to run the cliché into the ground, a win is a win.
We can’t underestimate that in Test rugby, any win is special. Argentina may not carry the ranking of the All Blacks or South Africa but they are their country’s best.
Have pride Wallabies fans. The game itself may prove to be a turning point for the Wallabies.
We have a poor track record in the wet against teams that scrap. Think Scotland twice and Ireland in the World Cup.
This was a win with character. It was wet, windy and played in a half empty stadium, however the Wallabies showed a solidarity not seen in a long time.
We scrapped and the dirty work was done tough.
Great to see Argentina and Bordeaux number 10 Nico Sanchez in good form as well.
Bring it back with you Nico, we need it.
Lucky number seven?
It’s always the comeback line any time a leaguie calls rugby boring – we rah-rahs say, “All your game is is one, two, three, four, five and kick.”
However this weekend in the NRL finals match between North Queensland Cowboys and Cronulla Sharks they decided that they would kill that argument once and for all.
“One, two, three, four, five, six and try!”
two refs, two touch judges and a video ref all miscounted and Cronulla scored on the seventh tackle.
Rightfully, the Cowboys faithful have been up in arms. As it stands though, Cronulla are through and the Cowboys are on holidays.
Go team…eam…am…m…m (echo)
There was somewhere in the vicinity of 18,000 in Perth for the Wallabies v Argentina. Just 32,000 at Allianz Stadium for a rugby league double header bonanza.
The weather in Perth may have been a factor but still 18,000 is a bit weak when they don’t see a lot of international rugby.
In Sydney, however, there is no excuse.
Four teams playing in one of the best stadiums to view live rugby league, it’s the finals, it’s the Roosters home ground and they sell beer there!
Is Foxtel coverage so good people don’t need to feel the live experience? Are tickets too expensive?
Something needs to be done.
60,000 glaringly blue empty seats at a game involving supposedly Australia’s best supported rugby league team, South Sydney, and the carry over champs, Melbourne, says there is a problem.
Is Mayweather money?
For those of you who’ve seen the cult classic movie ‘Swingers’, being ‘money’ meant you were pretty awesome (“and you don’t even know it”).
Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather is an amazing athlete. He can throw punches faster than anyone around.
Pity is, in 2011 he was convicted of throwing them at his ex-girlfriend with his children watching on. He is not money, he is scum. Only in Boxing can you do that and still be revered as a legend.
On Saturday he beat Saul Alvarez and banked $44 million in the process.
If Anthony Mundine does ever achieve his dream fight against Mayweather, I genuinely hope Mundine takes him to school, and then takes a good chunk of his money too.
Au revoir Heineken Cup?
At the time of writing this could be the last season of the European Rugby Cup, or the Heineken Cup as it is better known.
The English and French clubs are threatening to go it alone next season and have invited any other clubs that want to participate to put their hand up.
Under their newly proposed structure they want to make it harder to qualify, believing at the European level it should be about quality of matches, not quantity.
The current structure sees six teams from the French top 14, six from the English Premiership and 11 of the 12 teams involved in the Celtic league, which attracts teams from Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Italy.
It’s this disparity between the competitions and where the all the TV rights money goes that has led to English and French clubs wanting to breakaway.
Interesting times ahead.
Cameron Treloar
Guest
Hey nick... I think with a good season this season he will be a big chance. His defence is improving under Joe Worsely. He is 143kg but is very dynamic due to his athletics past in discus and shot - put. Big guys normally don't have that so he will be very close.
Statistic Skeptic
Guest
18,000 for a stadium that has averaged 29-35k per game for the last nine AFL games this year before that is decidedly average though. Echoing DJW above... Subiaco is a horrible ground for Union games. With only 18k there it would have been half-empty as well.
DJW
Guest
Did you go in 1985? There are 3 train stations within walking distance. Also at least 5 pubs I can think of within walking distance. The ground itself though is terrible for rugby watching.
Chan Wee
Guest
Is Mayweather money? For those of you who’ve seen the cult classic movie ‘Swingers’, being ‘money’ meant you were pretty awesome (“and you don’t even know it”). Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather is an amazing athlete. He can throw punches faster than anyone around. Pity is, in 2011 he was convicted of throwing them at his ex-girlfriend with his children watching on. He is not money, he is scum. Only in Boxing can you do that and still be revered as a legend. On Saturday he beat Saul Alvarez and banked $44 million in the process. If Anthony Mundine does ever achieve his dream fight against Mayweather, I genuinely hope Mundine takes him to school, and then takes a good chunk of his money too. well ... FMJr. is not the 1st and wont be the last to be accused of domestic violence. it is not only among boxers or martial artists; and not just among sportsmen alone. only reason such come to head is the media profile of certain sportsmen. dont know who Anthony Mundine is, but good luck trying to beat the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. he was so good Saturday night, now there are calls for the judge who scored it a draw to be banned !!!
Pete
Guest
Come and watch the Brumbies. I pay $14 per game for my son and $35 for me for seats on the 22, 10 rows back. Just wear a jacket and a beanie.
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
I'd still go... and support the ref!
nickoldschool
Guest
One thing am pretty sure hardcore is that the English expat rugby lovers living in Perth may have boycotted the game 'en masse'!!! Aussies vs Argies that's a tough one for you guys!!! :)
Johnno
Guest
Hobart would be awsome or Launceston to Host a Pumas test. Right as far south as you can get. But Argentina is as far south as you can get too. Think Pategonia.
Johnno
Guest
Hosting Pumas at AAMI stadium would be an awsome atmosphere.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Agree F.U. I do feel for the Scots and Italians but in all honesty they cant have the best of both worlds, i.e. be part of a 'domestic' league with 2 other nations (get the money, exposure it brings to play Munster, Ulster and co rather than small Scot or Italian clubs) yet be assured they will qualify a couple of teams to the HC every year no matter what happens during the regular season.
Falco
Guest
Fabulous ( sigh)!!
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
Aaaaah - empty stadia, the fragile natural habitat of the wallaby. The ARU is now considering returning the once fascinating Qantas Harmless Wallaby to the wild. It has become more and more expensive to maintain them in their purpose designed comfortable five star urban showcase environment, especially when they have lost their appeal to paying customers. Look, to be fair, electricity costs are up, it's the AFL final series time, ARL too - that sort of thing - and families are finding money is short. These unforeseen external influences surely were unpredictable. Therefore all ARU board members and executives will keep their jobs. ARU cheerleader Rod Kafer helpfully pointed out that rain was forecast for Perth on Saturday too. Yes records were set against Argentina - they played before a record crowd, a couple of thousand less than the previous least best who turned up for Fiji six years ago; and just 50% of their average crowd in thirteen matches at Subiaco over fifteen years. (Struth – we pulled 4,000 more for Argentina here on the Gold Coast last year and Perth has five times our population!) The other record? Clearly the people would not have stayed away if they knew the Qantas Faded Wallabies were destined to equal their previous highest winning margin this season, against the British and Irish Lions, where they scored 16 to the Lion's mumble, static, line dropped out. The un-optimal attendance stunned and alarmed the ARU, as it should, then things got worse. After the fabulous triumph it contacted the IRB about restoration of its short half head second on the rankings to the All Blacks but the IRB rankings clerk pointed out the ARU's last credit card payment to his Swiss bank account was declined and he cannot help until the relationship is repaired. The National Parks and Wildlife Service are now prefabricating protective structures for the Qantas Releasable Wallabies. The specification calls for fully fenced paddocks that are wide rather than long because this species of wallaby doesn't often venture down to the other end.
Mike
Guest
Ah, yeah apologies I was thinking of the Fiji game.
Johnno
Guest
South Africa in Perth/Canberra- Oh and please the rubbish about Perth being a home game for Boks is nonsense. You want a sell out don't you, and your still at home Like in the Lions' series despite a sea of red. Argentina-Canberra/Cairns/Newcastle.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
There were little knots of Argentinian people - I think I saw four flags hanging from the boundary fences. We have Saffas and Kiwis in bulk lots though.
Football United
Guest
"They should have played the test at the Perth Oval which is setup for the rectangular games." This
Football United
Guest
You forgot the MCG as well, Docklands is not that much better either in oval format. The ARU need to get over the crappy AFL stadiums and instead look to grounds where the experience is actually much more intimate and will actually be full. Grounds like the SFS AAMI Park need to be used a lot more, if they're good enough for the Socceroos than it's certainly good enough for the wallabies
Football United
Guest
If the Celtic nations plus italy want a single league then they need to accept that only the top teams should be let in. The Scots and Italians need to be given a kick up the backside anyway when it comes to their "clubs". They can be gifted Challenge Cup entry if they are that upset.
Markus
Guest
Attendance of 22,468 for that Italy game, which was over 2,000 more than the crowd they got to Docklands in Melbourne the following week. I think the consensus (read: Jon O'Neill said so) came after the Fiji 'Test' in Canbera the following year, which still managed 16,000 despite being essentially a Fiji A team.
Football United
Guest
18,000 is not unaccepeptable. What is unnaceptable is that this number was around what would be expected to attend given the opposition and that most people buy there tickets online for tests rather than at the gate (taking out much "i'm not buying a ticket because of the rain" factor) and they still played it at Subiaco, which is one of the worst stadiums in the country. The ARU still think that they can play in these huge stadiums for their annual bailout when the demand for the National Team is at a low. NIB should have always been first choice for this game