Good on the Kiwi poofballers though, by all accounts (I refuse to get up at 4am to watch soccer), they did bloody well.  Two late goals blowing the score out a little.  Goalkeeper went great guns, but when you are going to have about a 90 shots at your goal, you are bound to pull out a few stunning saves.  Good to see the Football Kingz, or Knights, or whatever they are called this week recognised his skills, and cut him from their books...

Who to support in the World Cup though, buggered if I know.  I like the Germans, obviously like the Brazilians, the Poms even have a soft spot, so any of those three get the gold, than all good.  Are the Frogs there too, maybe a chair or tow for them also.  Covered all my bases, I hope so!

As for the Irish tests not going to be any chop because "history says" they won't beat us.  History also said we hadn't lost to Australia since Christ knows when, until they beat us there a season or two back.  History is just that, as anyone with half a brain in their swede knows.  This team of Paddies and their tame Amish Kiwi are not too bad a side, as we'll find out this weekend when they play the All Blacks.  The Cartel obviously don't agree, with Hansen putting these Paddies as a better team than the Lions from last season...

The tame Amish, Issac Boss should get some game time at least for the Oirish against the All Blacks, and at his old home patch, Hamilton.  Good on the little bugger, hope he enjoys his day, and gets a right royal belting, along with the rest of the Paddies!!

Jack has joined the Irish test squad - Williams got a bad ankle or some such, so they have swapped spots, so to speak.  Ali now heading to Argentina with the Jerry Collins led Expeditionary Force, while Jack will stay and battle on the home front.

Tennis jumps into the limelight this week too, for all the wrong reasons.  Nielson, the kiwi bloke, ranked about two zillionth, has been banned for two years for taking illegal substances, or whatever it is you call it.  Anyway, the substance is a masking agent, but also one of the main ingredients in a hair regrowth formula.  As he is a shite tennis player at any rate, one would expect it was not used as a masking agent, but because not only is he an average tennis player, he is also losing his mop!!

The Junior All Blacks - the name is here to stay, and just because of the bloody marketing.  Got to have the ALL BLACKS 'brand' in the name.  New Zealand A just doesn't cut it.  You can see the reasoning behind it all, lets rip the good will off the full All Black side and thrown it into the Junior name.  But already the public are calling them the Juniors, an not the Junior All Blacks.  So that is not working at any rate!

Speaking of the Juniors, they beat Fiji at the weekend in the heat of Suva.  Saw bits 'n' bobs of the game, and also some of the Tonga v Japan game.  Poor old Japan, I think they are going to be on the receiving end of some real hidings in this tournament.  The Juniors should be too good for all the other teams, but it is good grounding for them, and good for the islands boys to get some TV coverage.  Hmmm, really should I be saying the Junior ALL BLACKS, am I defiling the brand here...?

Colins Meads, 70 years old.  happy birthday you old bugger.  He doesn't like the Junior All Black name either.  Can't remember the exact words, but thought it was almost demeaning for Thorne to be asked to coach the 'Juniors'.

The Highlanders, lurch from joke to joke, in both performance and off field management.  After waffling on about only having 18 players protected by each franchise base to spread the talent around, they are now stating, sort of, that they will not use the draft at all next season.  But they qualify the whole statement by using the term, "where possible".  So obviously, they will find 17 instances, where it was NOT possible.  Also bitching about they have used 40 or so imports in the last 4 years, and, "and just six of those went on to transfer south".  Thank god for that, the Super rugby scheme working for a change.  Players are MEANT to return to their provinces after the Super season your dorks.  That was why Super rugby came about way back in the dark ages.  So Highlander fans, both of you, don't get your hopes up too high for next season either, with Muppets running the asylum, you can't really expect much.

Danny Vettori, another broken back - or rather, stress fractured back.  Poof.  Well, maybe not poof, but for heavans sake, he's a spin bowler, not a ferocious fast bowler pounding in and hurling thunderbolts at 90 miles an hour.  A SPIN bowler.  Ambles in off a few steps and turns the arm over.  As much impact as an Aussie front row on engage.  Nothing should get hurt with that.  Is he made of the finest bone china or something?