So it looks like there is a bit of controversy surrounding New Zealand’s pre-match ritual, the haka. Australian coach John Connolly doesn’t like the throat slashing gesture that is now being used in a variation of the war dance, but I say who cares? The haka doesn’t really instill fear into teams that see it on a regular basis like the Wallabies do. Also, it just doesn’t feel right when you see white players performing a Maori dance. If the Aussies really care about this issue, I propose they add a new line to the aussie haka. Maybe something along the lines of ‘four more years boys, four more years.’

When the Wallabies face the All Blacks in Brisbane on Saturday night (Australian time), they will be looking for redemption following an embarassing 32-12 loss in the first match of the tri-nations tournament played in Christchurch, New Zealand.

I expect the Australian crowd (including some of my boys back home) to really pull the Wallabies through this match. The All Blacks will be backing up from a 35-17 victory over South Africa last weekend and may find it hard to match the fresh legs of the Wallabies, who destroyed the South Africans 49-0 two weeks ago.

So much to watch, so little time! This is going to be a fantastic weekend of sport. In the World Cup, you have the third place match between Germany and Portugal, then there is the Final between France and Italy the following day. Germany should dispose of the Portuguese, and I believe that Oliver Kahn is going to have a great game in goals. I have previously spoken about the final, and I still believe that France is going to come away with the victory in what should be a great end to a fantastic World Cup. Look for Zidane to win the Golden Ball as the most outstanding player in the tournament.

Unfortunately, as luck would have it, both men’s and women’s finals at Wimbledon will be played during World Cup action - it would be nice to have picture-in-picture, but I don’t - so it will be a tough choice between watching the third place match and the women’s final tomorrow between Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin-Hardenne. This is a replay of this year’s controversial Australian Open final, when Henin-Hardenne retired when she was down 6-1 2-0, complaining of stomach pains - or as I like to call them ’sore loser symptoms.’ I know that is a bit harsh, but you should (short of a major injury) NEVER retire in the final of a grand slam, especially when you are getting beaten the way she was. It leaves a bad taste in supporters’ mouths, and it certainly did that for me. I’ll be hoping Mauresmo can come through for her second grand slam title, but this time it would be nice for Henin-Hardenne to take her much deserved beating with a bit of grace and let Mauresmo enjoy her time in the spotlight.

It was Mauresmo consolling Henin-Hardenne, instead of enjoying her victory

In the men’s final, it’s a rematch of the French Open final - Federer vs Nadal, the two top ranked players in the world. I read a great article at si.com yesterday about their rivalry in which Federer states that he would love to play Nadal on grass. Federer went on to say that “I’ve lost so many times against him on his favorite surface; I’ve gotten so, so close. Obviously I’d like to play him here four or five times, but grass is such a short season. I’m lucky enough my strength is also on clay, on hard court, indoor: That’s what he’s still working on. That’s also why I’m by far the No. 1 player in the world.” Although what Federer says it true, he has to be worried about facing Nadal on grass. Federer has lost 6 times to Nadal in 7 matches, and in the one match he did win, he had to came back from down 2 sets and 4-1 in the third to win. Nadal was not expected to make it to the final at Wimbledon - although he is quite capable on hard courts and is the world’s premier clay courter, he has never proven anything on grass. It’s for this reason that Federer has to be concerned. Wimbledon is Federer’s baby, rarely has he been challenged on the grass courts in the past 3 years since he made his climb to the top of the sport. If he loses to Nadal in the final of his favourite tournament, I don’t know how he will recover. I think this has all the ingredients to be one of the classic Wimbledon finals. I think Nadal is going to really trouble Federer in the final, especially if the young Spaniard can win the first set. With this being said, I still expect Federer to win, but it won’t be a dominating victory.

Defeat is something Federer has not been used to in recent years

Back in Australia, the Bledisloe Cup gets underway this weekend. New Zealand currently hold the cup, but the Aussies will be looking to win it back after losing it to the Kiwis 3 years ago. The Wallabies have been in pretty good form, but the All Blacks have been playing just as well. It should be a great game, and as soon as I see it I’ll write an update on it!

The Bledisloe Cup

Good to see that Sean Hampstead has been dropped as the referee of the second State of Origin game. What is also good is that he realises that his own performance on the field contributed to his demotion.

I wonder if Tappe Henning realises just how bad a referee he is. If not, I read this quote from an ex-South African player who described Henning’s performance in his final match with: “Tappe was awful. He ruined the game.”

Former Wallabies coach, Bob Dwyer, summed it up nicely with: “As it was his last game as a referee, we figured he had tears in his eyes and was suffering restricted vision.”

The article continues on by saying, “When a referee plays the central role in the outcome of a match, it’s never good news. Add on the fact that the side that scored the only two tries of the game lost and you have a clear illustration of the thoroughly unsatisfactory outcome.”

One team’s total points came through 10 penalty goals? Sounds thoroughly exciting. Thankfully, we will never have to sit through another match controlled by Tappe Henning. However, if anyone would like to share some memorable Tappe quotes in the comments section, it should be good for a laugh!

Farewell Tappe, you will not be missed.

Please make sure you watch the video in part 1 before watching the video in this post.

Now it’s time for the Australian Haka (thanks Graeme!)

Take that New Zealand!

(sorry for the two seperate posts, but it wouldn’t let me have both videos in one post)

The Haka is a Maori war dance that I got to know by watching sporting events between New Zealand and Australia while I was growing up. It was mainly used to psych the other team out - an example is below (keep the sound on for both videos).

I have been a fan of the A.C.T. Brumbies since they formed in 1996 for the Super 12 (now Super 14) provincial rugby competition. Thanks to the wonders of the internet and the help of some of my friends in Australia, friends in the U.S., and Mrs. BBQ, I was able to watch my first game of Rugby Union in over two years: the Brumbies versus the Cheetahs from South Africa.

The Brumbies won the match 53-20, moving into third place on the competition ladder. I noticed that the Brumbies still play the same style of attacking rugby that they have played since entering the competition. George Gregan and Stephen Larkham looked just as good during the match as they did when they led Australia to a win in the 1999 World Cup, and in 2001 and 2004, when the Brumbies won the Super 12 competition. Over the last few years, I have been reading in the news that Gregan is past his prime and should no longer be in the Wallabies squad, but from what I saw, he still deserves his spot. His playmaking skills haven’t gone, and his combination with Larkham couldn’t be reproduced by any other halfback Australia has to offer.

This was also the first time that I had seen Matt Giteau play, and he lived up to the hype that I had heard. Some of his attacking play was fantastic, and the cover tackle he made when it looked like a Cheetahs player was going to score had me cheering like I haven’t done in ages.

What happened to annoying refs? I thought Steve Walsh did a really good job officiating the game - he was very clear to the players and warned them before penalising them. What happened to the likes of Andre Watson and Tappe Henning who both officiate poorly and think they are bigger than the game?

Why were there so many empty seats at the game? I was expecting Canberra Stadium to be packed. Also, I think it was nice of the Brumbies to grant a make-a-wish dream for a special young man - that’s the only reason I can think that Adam Ashley-Cooper would be on that team. His attempted grounding of the ball was one of the worst blunders when scoring a try that I have seen.