No Place Like Home; New Plymouth, Taranaki Region

During my trip to New Zealand I will be moving about the North Island, but will be establishing 3 primary lodging bases in three distinct regions of the North Island. My first primary base will be in the Taranaki Region and the city of New Plymouth.

Wait, New Plymouth? That sounds familiar. That’s because I grew up in Massachusetts and many members of my family lived or grew up in Plymouth Massachusetts in the shadows of Plymouth Plantation, The Mayflower, and Plymouth Rock. Plymouth MA was founded by the pilgrims that left Plymouth England in the 1600’s. More settlers from Plymouth England ventured across oceans and founded New Plymouth New Zealand in 1841.

The pilgrims in 1620 found Massachusetts to be inhabited by Native Americans (the Wampanoag Indians). The English settlers in 1841 arrived in the Taranaki region only to find it inhabited by the Maori people who had settled the area as far back as 800AD.

New Plymouth is situated on the west coast of the North Island and it lies about halfway between Auckland (to the north) and Wellington (to the south). To the west are the South Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea, which separates New Zealand and Australia by about 1200 miles. To the east the city is back dropped by Mount Taranaki, a volcano with the familiar cone shape. Its last major eruption was in the mid 1700s so hopefully it can wait a bit longer for the next one until after I leave.  If it looks familiar its because it was in the movie The Last Samurai. It was filmed here because Mt Taranaki bears a striking resemblance to Mt Fuji in Japan. The coastline in this part of New Zealand is a destination for surfers from all over the globe. Surf Highway 45 is the iconic coastal route in the Taranaki Region. I’ve posted a few pictures from this region down below. I hope you look forward to seeing many more of my own photos and videos once I get situated in New Zealand and the Taranaki region.

The USA Eagles will play 2 of their 4 pool matches here in New Plymouth. The first against Ireland on September 11 and the second against Russia on September 15th. I will be attending both games. 

• The Ireland match is scheduled to be broadcast on NBC so don't miss it and watch for me in the stands. 
• The Russia match will also be broadcast on Universal Sports (NBC broadcast partner) found on DirectTV and I'm sure on cable systems as well. 
• I’ve added a poll question regarding who you think will win the USA vs. Russia match so please feel free to answer it and the previously posted poll questions. 

The city of New Plymouth is ready to welcome the USA and its fans. When it was learned that the USA had clinched a spot in the Rugby World Cup in 2009 after defeating Uruguay in 2 qualifying matches, the Mayor of New Plymouth stated: “The USA has worked hard to gain a spot in the RWC tournament and the locals here in Taranaki will give them huge support when they run onto the ground at Stadium Taranaki. This is what Rugby World Cup is about: a rugby-mad public sharing the love of the game with players and fans around the world.”

Best in the World

With just about 19 days until the start of the Rugby World Cup (RWC) 2011, it might be a good idea to identify the current world rankings of the 20 clubs that qualified for the World Cup. So, here are the various pools for the Round-Robin stage with the current world ranking( as of Aug 15th) in parenthesis:

POOL A: Canada (14th), France (4th), Japan (13th), New Zealand (1st), Tonga (15th)

POOL B: Argentina (8th), England (5th), Georgia (16th), Romania (17th), Scotland (9th)

POOL C: Ireland (6th), USA (18th), Russia (19th), Australia (2nd), Italy (11th)

POOL D: Fiji (12th) Namibia (20th), Samoa (10th), South Africa (3rd), Wales (7th)

The world rankings could be affected in the next week or so leading into the Cup as teams are finishing up warm-up matches around the world. For example, USA v Japan today could allow a team to move up a notch in ranking. European clubs are also slated to play this weekend which could alter some of the top rankings, most notably Wales which may be able to climb a few spots.

Regardless of what happens in these tune-up matches, the World Cup Pools are solidified. I will be in New Zealand for 3 weeks and have tickets for as many as 13 matches, all occurring in pool play. Some of the more interesting matches I will be attending are:

POOL D:  Wales vs Namibia; Samoa vs Namibia  (No, not a fan of Namibia but wanted to catch a Wales match and a Samoa match)

POOL C:  USA vs Russia;   Australia vs Ireland;  USA vs Ireland   (U.S.A., U.S.A! Oh and even though I am 1/4 irish I cant help but love the Wallabies!)

POOL B:  Argentina vs Scotland (Don't cry for me Argentina, just beat the bloody Scots!)

POOL A:  Canada vs Tonga;  New Zealand vs Japan;   France vs Canada;  New Zealand vs France;     Tonga vs Japan (really looking forward to New Zealand vs France, maybe its due to my french heritage, but I may just have to sing the Marseillaise! Well, plus I played rugby with a lot of french teammates in Houston)

In between these matches I will be driving all over the North Island of New Zealand taking in the sights and culture. I also will take a ferry over to the South Island for an overnight trip and do some whale watching. I'll leave New Zealand just before the conclusion of pool play.

As a result, I'll rejoin friends and teammates here in the US to watch on TV in the pub as the top 2 teams from each pool advance to the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and ultimately the Championship Final.  The winner will take home the Webb Ellis Cup (see below). Take my poll on the right-hand margin and vote for which club you think will win the Rugby World Cup. It's okay, if you know nothing about rugby, pick your favorite country, or be a front-runner and choose the Home Team and number one ranked All Blacks from New Zealand.

Also, I posted a poll asking who you think will win the USA's first Match: US or Ireland?

Bye for now.

Mike

The World in Union

The World in Union. That has been the anthem for the Rugby World Cup past and present. Every world cup has featured this song, this adopted anthem of the rugby world as a whole.

Yes it's true, just as in the Olympics, fans are very much nationalistic and the crowds at RWC matches show up at matches sporting their nation's colors, waving flags, emblems, folk traditions, etc. But, also true is that before each and every Rugby World Cup match, both teams enter the stadium from the locker room, through the stadium tunnel and out onto the grassy pitch to this anthem, "The World in Union". The stadium crowds often sing along, arm in arm.

Isn't this the true spirit of rugby? What sets this sport apart from all others? The brotherhood that exists between players, not just between teammates on the same team, but across teams, and across national borders. This is what makes rugby different then say....soccer. There are no hooligans in the crowd or on the pitch, no stadium brawls or police in riot gear at the ready in case the "wrong" team scores a goal. There are just brothers, brothers in rugby. All celebrating the sport, acknowledging the tenacity of the Samoans, the fleet-footed Flying Fijians and the sheer intimidation factor of the All Blacks' pre-match Haka.

And so, before each match, as both teams file onto the pitch, this song will ring out across the field, and symbolize what rugby is all about. Listen to the words. "We may face high mountains, must cross rough seas. We must take our place in history, and live with dignity. Just to be the best I can. Thats the goal of every man. If I win, lose or draw, its a victory for all."

I hope the guys on the Storm rugby team embrace this idea, because this is what makes a rugby team special. The ability to be WITH YOU even when the YOU is a player on another team, or bitter rival. Honestly, I know that the Storm has already embraced this, I've seen it, and is one reason I am proud to be there coach. It would be great if the Bingham Cup tournaments could adopt this anthem (barring any copyright issues)because I think overall, the Bingham Cup symbolizes this spirit of the world in union better than any other rugby tournament, except maybe the Rugby World Cup!

Enjoy this video as this is what it is all about....

Preparations Underway and Almost Completed

Well, preparations are underway for my trip to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup:

• Airfare Purchased - PHX - LAX - SYD - AKL
• Hotels booked and confirmed
• Rental Car, check!
• Match tickets, Check!
• International Cell Phone - pending

From September 8th through the 28th I will be touring the North Island of New Zealand. Camera and blog at the ready to chronicle the trip of a lifetime. I went to the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. Just four games during the first round, but I was hooked. I knew I had to go to the next one. For four years I've been planning, saving and plotting. Now it's here. 3 Weeks in New Zealand, 11 matches, what could be better.

I hope to be able to provide regular updates on this blog so that family back home in New England and Atlanta, as well as friends and teammates back in Arizona can get a feel for what a World Cup event is like. Hopefully, the guys on the Storm Rugby Club will be inspired to work on their fitness during this time, ready to propel themselves into a very aggressive rugby season at home which kicks off with a trip to Dallas in October and concludes with a trip to England in June of 2012 for an international tournament of their own.

For now, it's time to count the days....make sure the camera is ready, and invite all of you to follow my adventure to New Zealand! In the coming weeks I will provide a preview of some of the Tournament and preview some of the areas I will be visiting. For now, enjoy this preview of the Rugby World Cup 2011.

Mike