Danie Gerber suffered in sporting isolation, but was rugby's greatest centre
It would be easy to write that one of rugby’s biggest disappointments was the absence of Danie Gerber from international rugby during South Africa’s…
Roar Guru
Joined June 2017
184k
Views
119
Published
2k
Comments
Thank you to The Roar for enabling me to combine my great interests in sport and writing. Specialising in biographies. If you would like a biography written about a sportsman/woman or anyone for that matter let me know. Go to peterdarrowmedia.wordpress.com for all articles.
Published
Comments
It would be easy to write that one of rugby’s biggest disappointments was the absence of Danie Gerber from international rugby during South Africa’s…
You may not believe it but back in the 1970s athletics meetings attracted as many spectators as rugby matches in New Zealand. Big crowds…
Everything brilliant about French rugby is exemplified by its greatest centre, Philippe Sella. The incisive running lines, tough defence and athleticism were fundamental to…
If there was no Bjorn Borg would there have been a Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal? The tennis Gods back in the…
Gerald Davies was a gentleman off the rugby pitch, but on it he will be remembered for not being so generous towards the opposition.…
Reading some of the online comments about Kelly Slater you would either think he is the most awful person on the planet or there…
A recent sports article featured tennis champion Billie Jean King admitting she thought Australian Ash Barty should not have retired so soon. It set…
The evocative name of David Duckham brings back memories of a swashbuckling winger, making sublime runs that left would be tacklers groping at thin…
Christian McCaffrey, otherwise known as CMC, caught my attention on NFL highlights for the San Francisco 49ers and I thought 'this guy has got…
Sir Gareth Owen Edwards was voted in 2003 by Rugby World as the greatest player of all time. When the poll came around again…
If you had told anyone this time last year that Novak Djokovic would be returning to Australia in 2023, attempting to be the first…
Trent Boult has, according to recent reports, made himself unavailable for the Test series against England in New Zealand this February. What a devastating…
Is this an exceptional Australian men’s cricket team or have we just seen them compete with two bad teams, in the West Indies and…
Life is not all peaches and cream, we take the good with the bad, it’s what life is all about. Therefore, I have been…
Were the 1971 British and Irish Lions touring team to New Zealand a better side than the 2015 Rugby World Cup-winning All Blacks? And…
In their first Test against Pakistan, England were prepared to lose to win the match. They made a sporting declaration to give Pakistan a…
The 1995 All Blacks fell short in our competition with the 2015 team, many acknowledging the 2015ers as being the greatest All Black team…
The 2015 All Blacks were a magnificent squad who used the motivation of being the first team to go back-to-back in Rugby World Cups.…
Former All Blacks incomparable Zinzan Brooke was reported recently as saying his 1995 New Zealand side would beat the current team of Kiwis. I…
As we get older, we can admire the legendary rugby players from the past, who we can appreciate now for their status in the…
I’ll research it JD but I’m sure they have never been.
George Nepia made his New Zealand debut 100 years ago, but was he really an All Black at just 16 years of age?
Thanks m. Imagine the impact of a fully fledged NZ Maori team to SA, which I believe has never happened?
George Nepia made his New Zealand debut 100 years ago, but was he really an All Black at just 16 years of age?
How did the Tartaria guy go OM? What is the best place in Otago? I’ve heard Alexandra is nice.
George Nepia made his New Zealand debut 100 years ago, but was he really an All Black at just 16 years of age?
Thanks. Would be great to see more footage of him. Back in the 70s it didn’t feel that long ago he was playing , surprised when I realised it was now 100 years ago!
George Nepia made his New Zealand debut 100 years ago, but was he really an All Black at just 16 years of age?
My pleasure.
George Nepia made his New Zealand debut 100 years ago, but was he really an All Black at just 16 years of age?
Yes, I am distantly related to the Gage family. Have a good photo of a great, great (?) grandmother who looks fully Maori.
George Nepia made his New Zealand debut 100 years ago, but was he really an All Black at just 16 years of age?
So you are part Maori too OM?
I have enough Maori blood to have once qualified for a Maori housing loan and once voted on the Maori roll! Not sure why I did that but it was strange being the only pakeha looking person there!
George Nepia made his New Zealand debut 100 years ago, but was he really an All Black at just 16 years of age?
Just going by what I saw last night with the game between Broncos and Storm which was a great game with superb atmosphere and the game on now between St George and Knights which is a fantastic game played in horrendous conditions, rugby has some work to do.
It is possible to like both games.
'We have to keep the essence of what rugby is about': All Black legend's worrying words of warning
“Crowds are down, television audiences are down, the NPC, the provincial competition, draws tiny crowds … club rugby is struggling to stay alive especially in small towns. The game itself, I think, needs to have a good hard look and say to itself ‘How can we make this game more attractive a) to watch and b) to play’.”
Both experts list the same issues that are tripping rugby up. (Tony Johnson and Phil Gifford)
They include governance – where a review has said big changes need to be made, but provincial unions are pressing back against them – complicated rules, lack of money filtering down to the provinces, mystery over what’s happened to the money from the controversial Silver Lake deal, head injuries, the elitism ruining schoolboy rugby, other sports eating into rugby’s dominance, and the future of the women’s game.
'We have to keep the essence of what rugby is about': All Black legend's worrying words of warning
There are far too many opportunities in rugby to kick for goal which slows play, is exaggerated for the infringement, and is boring. A deliberate knock on/attempted intercept is just another chance to kick for goal. There are those from the kick and clap brigade who enjoy the sight of penalty after penalty. I don’t.
'We have to keep the essence of what rugby is about': All Black legend's worrying words of warning
Yes, rule changes in league are for the fans, rule changes in union are for…?
'We have to keep the essence of what rugby is about': All Black legend's worrying words of warning
Too true
'We have to keep the essence of what rugby is about': All Black legend's worrying words of warning
Just one point I will put up here, why does a player get sent to the bin in rugby for an attempted intercept/deliberate knock on and RTS gets praise for doing the same thing in the Warriors game and remains on the field unpenalised? Thoughts?
'We have to keep the essence of what rugby is about': All Black legend's worrying words of warning
The essence of rugby is what got me hooked, but lately I have become frustrated with it because of rules, TMO etc. If on a Saturday night I have a choice of watching a league game or a rugby game, do I sit there watching rugby because that is what I have always watched and I should be blindly loyal to it? When you have people like Umaga, Wayne Smith, Israel Dagg, Phil Gifford etc saying the same thing is it not time to make the necessary changes?
'We have to keep the essence of what rugby is about': All Black legend's worrying words of warning
Maybe the problem is that rugby is a more international game with more stakeholders with vested interests. Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t rucking outlawed by English rulemakers because the All Blacks were too proficient at it?
'We have to keep the essence of what rugby is about': All Black legend's worrying words of warning
Fixing a problem begins with taking ownership of the failures. But so far, no-one wants to accept responsibility, so finding the solutions may never happen.
That is the key issue sheek, after a loss there are many who blame the ref and do not accept the problems with Oz rugby, until they do everything will just be repeated.
'We have to keep the essence of what rugby is about': All Black legend's worrying words of warning
A major problem with “rugby” is the officiating, with the rules, TMO etc dominating matches and making it unbearable to watch.
'We have to keep the essence of what rugby is about': All Black legend's worrying words of warning
Yes, where the pursuit of the dollar becomes priority.
'We have to keep the essence of what rugby is about': All Black legend's worrying words of warning
Every point a good one BF. Your last point about Poland answers Ben’s question earlier.
'We have to keep the essence of what rugby is about': All Black legend's worrying words of warning
Thanks Olly. I wrote an article a while ago about not competing but rugby finding its own niche.
'We have to keep the essence of what rugby is about': All Black legend's worrying words of warning
Great question Ben. For me personally it was a dominant part of life that brought people together in the common goal of doing their best in a team environment in order for the team to endeavour to win. Lessons learned in rugby relate to other aspects in life including family and work. Leadership, helping a mate, persistence, confidence, using what skills you have…
“Rugby, as opposed to the NFL culture, traces back centuries, but the sport’s essence remains unchanged. Core values of integrity, solidarity, and respect still define rugby today. From the scrum to the full-time handshake, rugby’s rituals and traditions reveal an unwavering culture. Players compete with unbridled passion between the posts and uphold ideals of sportsmanship that transcend the pitch. Rugby has secured its place as a global sport while retaining a culture and spirit unmatched by any other athletic endeavor.”
Rugby is communal, you can travel the world and play for different clubs in different countries with the same traditions which I believe you don’t get with AFL, League etc.
'We have to keep the essence of what rugby is about': All Black legend's worrying words of warning
Exactly Leachy
'We have to keep the essence of what rugby is about': All Black legend's worrying words of warning
Thanks for the feedback Sheek.
Representing both sides of the Tasman: Why Des Connor is the greatest Australian halfback
Just a note that the title was changed by The Roar from Australia to International.
Representing both sides of the Tasman: Why Des Connor is the greatest Australian halfback
Yes, I was there in 94,its a great place. Especially Cape Town.
George Nepia made his New Zealand debut 100 years ago, but was he really an All Black at just 16 years of age?