Rugby World Cup Final

THE FINAL MATCH FOR THE WEBB ELLIS CUP
Well, since I last posted, the remaining Pool play has occurred and the tournament progressed to the knockout stages. Last weekend had the Semi-Finals.

• Semifinal #1 was New Zealand vs Australia - won by New Zealand
• Semifinal #2 was France vs Wales - won by France after Wales captain was ejected from the match for a dangerous tackle and wales played the final 60 minutes shorthanded by 1 player. Wales still had a chance to win the game on the final play.

So this weekend is the final Weekend. Friday evening Australia and Wales played for the Bronze Medal. Australia edged Wales by 3 points and won the Bronze.

Tonight the Gold and Silver will be decided when New Zealand plays France. NZ beat France in pool play, but the last 2 times these teams have met in an elimination game, France has won. Should be an entertaining game. NBC here in the USA will be televising the match on Sunday at noon Pacific time (3pm Eastern).

Who do you think will win? To get you ready, I took some more video from my trip and made a preview to set the mood. Enjoy!

Sights and Sounds from The Game

The Match Experience
New Zealand vs France. Sights and Sounds from the stadium. I had great seats and good photos  of the crowd, pre-match warm ups and some action shots. It all started with the pregame hype and feel. From the crowd outside the stadium, the pregame hype, the infamous Haka and warm ups from the teams. Then the game was on

The Music
1) The Haka: The first piece is the infamous Haka performed by the All Blacks. The Haka is a Maori challenge dance and song. It is recognizable by rugby fans across the world. Various forms of the Haka are performed by the pacific island nations such as Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Hawaii. The most famous is the Haka of the All Blacks. The Haka originates with the various Polynesian peoples and can be a celebratory Haka or more of a war cry, or challenge. Its characteristics are as follows:

•  Stomping of the feet;
• Slapping of the chest, thighs or arms
• bulging of the eyes and facial contortions
• Sticking out out of the tongue

2) La Marseillaise is the second piece of music and was sung throughout by the French fans. Hope this slide show gives you a small sense of what it was like and the energy of the match.  Imagine the rallying cry of the French Anthem. The anthem written and was used to stir emotions of the people during the French Revolution in the 1700s. Today, French fans sing the anthem throughout sporting events to stir the emotions of their athletes on the field of play.

3) O Verona is the last piece of music and actually comes from the movie Romeo and Juliet. Sung in Italian it is often sung by rugby fans in various countries but especially Italy. It just seemed to be an appropriate tune to put on this slide show to convey the atmosphere of the  match and the stadium.


Hope you enjoy:

Hymns and Arias

Monday morning I departed Lake Taupo for the 3.5 hr drive back down to New Plymouth in the Taranaki region. The reason? Wales! The Welsh were taking on Namibia in pool play, and I had to catch at least one Welsh match. I am 1/4 welsh as my grandfather came to the USA as a kid. At the last World Cup in 2007, I was lucky enough to see the Welsh play Japan and the match was in Cardiff, the Welsh capital, no less.

Millennium Stadium in Cardiff is often referred to as “The Cathedral of Rugby”. The reason being is that the Welsh love to sing and they sing lots of hymnals and so a match in Cardiff resembles a day in church! It is part of their culture. It started in the times of Merlin the Magician and Dragons when tales were often told by song. It continued during the industrial revolution in the coal mines of Wales that provided coal to much of Europe. Out of that tradition, towns across Wales all sport Male Choirs that carry on that tradition of singing.

Go to a match in Cardiff, or any local pub for that matter, and you are likely to hear religious hymns sung like Bread of Heaven, with verses added such as ‘Wales Victorious’ instead of the normal chorus of Bread of Heaven. Other songs by Welsh singers such as Hymns and Arias, or Delilah are also popular. Yes, Tom Jones was Welsh! Oh, and did I mention that most times these songs are sung in Welsh? Even the National Anthem, called Land of My Fathers, is sung in Welsh and is amazing to witness 90,000 people singing it in 3 part harmony.

Now Namibia is not exactly the bitter rival of the Welsh. That would be....THE ENGLISH.  There are more castles in Wales than most any other European country. Why? Because King Edward needed them to keep the Welsh obedient. Ever wonder why the English King is elevated from the title of The Prince of Wales? It’s because the Welsh refused to be governed by an Englishman, so the crown bestowed the title Prince of Wales to the heir to the crown so that forevermore the Welsh would be governed by a ‘Welsh King” if not in name only. 

Funny story, in town, before the match I stopped in a store to look around. A young man was there buying a Namibia Jersey to wear to the game. The clerk asked if he was from Namibia, he said “Oh god no! I'm from England, but I’ll be damned if I support the Welsh!” So I guess the feeling is mutual. One of the more popular songs a few years back in Wales, was a song called: “As long as we beat the English” referencing a particular rugby season in which the Welsh were struggling.

The match? Not so close. Blowout win by Wales over Namibia. Lots of singing! All of the above mentioned songs. Namibia is now out of the World Cup, as they failed to win a match and advance out of Pool Play Round.

Took photos of the beautiful drive down to Taranaki and New Plymouth. And yes, turns out, there is a volcano there!  The first week of my trip spent in this area was cloudy and rainy. The volcano never revealed itself. Today it was out in full glory. Here’s just some of the photos from today:

Ireland's Call and The Hunt for Red October

"C'mon Ireland!" That's Ireland's call. But Ireland's Call means something else as well.

Ireland is a great story at this World Cup. But first, you should remember that Ireland is 2 countries: The Protestant country of Northern Ireland which is part of the UK and under the rule of the crown and the Catholic Independent Republic of Ireland.

But in rugby, the 2 countries compete as one united Ireland. The team marches in with twpo flags: The Irish Republic flag and the flag of Northen Ireland. rather than have to play 2 anthems (God Save the Queen for the north, and Soldier’s Song for the Republic) the Irish team is the only team that does not play a national anthem. Instead they play a “TEAM ANTHEM” which is called IRELAND’S CALL. It talks about the 4 provinces of Ireland standing shoulder to shoulder to answer their country’s call. It’s always a moving experience to hear it sung by a stadium crowd. I have heard it sung 3 times now at this World Cup”

• against the USA
• against Australia
• and now against Russia

During the match, the the Irish fans sing the irish folksong of “Fields of Athenry” which is also something to witness. Ireland has upset Australia in their pool, and is likely to go undefeated in pool play, barring a surprise loss to Italy in their last match of this round.

The Russian national anthem is also very stirring. Think....The Hunt for Red October! Remember the sceneof that movie, near the beginning where the russian sub leaves port and the Russian sailors start singing, and Sean Connery states “Let them sing” to his first officer? Well that is the Russian national anthem. And once again, it is a very stirring song to hear sung in this atmosphere. There were a lot of Americans at this match, and many were cheering for the Russians. Surprise huh?

The match was the highlight of this day. The day was dreary, with lots of rain, but at kick-off, just before sundown the clouds broke, the sun shined, a little sun-shower made a tremendous rainbow over the stadium.The Irish fans took it as an omen, looking for their pot of gold. And sure enough, the Irish really did not need any of their famed luck, as they really dominated the Russians from the opening kick. This is the first time Russia has qualified for the World Cup, and in fact, rugby only began to be played in Russia in the 1990s. But like any sport, the Russians are putting a lot of money into training and coaching and will soon compete at a high level. The same is expected of the USA, and has been evident at this World Cup by the standard of their play.

I left the stadium headed to my last hotel of my trip. It is a Hilton property at Lake Taupo. When I walked in, well....it was awesome. It’s a luxury apartment Suite. Wish I had been here all 3 weeks. Its nicer than my apartment at home. Full kitchen, dishwasher, full fridge, stove, oven and microwave. Washer/Dryer. Incredible balcony with dining table outside with magnificent view of the lake and volcano. Huge dining table inside, 2 couches and TV, big bedroom and huge bathroom. Amazing.

Well tomorrow, Monday, I will drive back to Taranaki region to watch Wales vs Namibia. I am really looking forward to seeing the Welsh.


For now, enjoy some of the sights from Ireland vs Russia:

Allez Les Bleus!

“Allez Les Bleus”! Its the rallying cry for the French rugby team. And the French are here in vast numbers, descending on Eden Park Stadium in Auckland to take on the home team, the All Blacks of New Zealand. Vive La France! But I am getting ahead of myself.

Saturday September 24th I awoke in Paihia in the Bay of Islands. My last day here in this beautiful bay. I walked into town and had a hearty breakfast: Bacon, Fried Egg, Beans on Toast and cappuccino. I walked back to the motel along the waterfront path. I said my goodbyes to the motel owners, checked out and headed south to Auckland. The 3 hour drive was a fun easy morning. The weather was brilliant and warm. I saw the countryside on the return trip, since on my drive north at the beginning of the week, the weather was poor, downpours and fog. The return trip, was the opposite.

I stopped in Whangarei for coffee and pulled over at the sports park and watched a little Cricket. It’s like baseball but different. At the highest levels of international play, the matches can literally last days. Don’t ask me to explain the rules, I have no idea. But after rugby, it is the number 2 sport here.

I made it to Auckland and found a convenient ‘Car Park’  (garage) next to the train station. The whole waterfront area of Auckland was turned into a festival zone. I spent the afternoon roaming the waterfront. It was already a busy place, despite the fact that the match was still almost 5 hours off. It was a carnival atmosphere. Eventually it was time to head to the stadium. The organizers had established multiple ways to get to the stadium:

• 3.5 mile walk (Auckland is very hilly, like San Francisco, but not as extreme)
• Shuttle bus
• Passenger Train

I opted to try the train, as the week before I did the 3.5 mile walk each way with fellow rugby coach Carlos (from San Diego) who is a friend of mine. Once the trained pulled out of the station for the short ride, the French burst put into song. They very proudly sing the “Marseillaise”

• “Aux Armes, Citoyens! Marchons, Marchons..” (translates: “To arms, citizens! We march, We march, citizens!)

The New Zealand fans, well they just aren’t use to that singing.  Kiwi fans are very proper and polite at the stadium. They sit, they enjoy the rugby, etc. But they are not use to the Irish, French, Argentine, Welsh and other fans who:stand during the match, singing throughout, etc. But the Kiwis are not to be outdone. Once the French finished, the Kiwis broke out in the New Zealand National Anthem. A rare thing for them indeed.

The stadium was very electric. I shared some photos of the crowd the other day. All Black fans could be seen dressed in black of course, silver ferns painted faces etc. The French, well they were more creative. A fair amount of berets, two French Chefs in all-whites, the three musketeers, lots of rooster hats (the national symbol of France) mimes, etc. It was very funny. Even a few Canadian fans showed up in hockey jerseys, with hockey helmets. I even saw a Samoan dressed up as Uncle Sam!

After rousing national anthems, the French team lines up and faces the All Blacks as the New Zealanders performed the ritual Haka! The challenge thrown down! What was great about this, was that it was not just the regular Haka. There is a rivalry between these teams in World Cup play, and so this was very emotional. The entire crowd of Kiwis participated. You really have not seen or heard the Haka until you see a stadium of 50,000+ slapping their chests, and yelling out the Maori challenge. It was amazing to witness. I wish I had my camcorder for this match for that alone. But I got some great photos with my SLR which I continue to share here.

In the end, the All Blacks won easily, but everyone knows, that they will have a strong chance to have to play the French again, in the elimination round in order to win the Webb Ellis Cup.

Tomorrow, on Sunday, I will attend Ireland vs. Russia!

For now, Enjoy the pictures of New Zealand vs France, including the pre-match Haka...