Well well well.  A draw – which is just like kissing your brother a la Angelina Jolie.  Can’t believe the Wallabies got out of that one without a loss…or a win…or something. Well done!

But what a torrid and horrible affair.  It was stinking hot and humid. DUMB time of year to play a game in the subtropics. Stupid ARU – but that’s hopefully the last half-arsed decision John O’Neill gets to make.  An 8pm kickoff, which means it was 9pm for the Mexicans on daylight savings and 3 hours later (instead of 2) for our friends across the ditch.

The HAKA – the cut throat one, not the original

I wrote yesterday that you have to go far to find a Kiwi supporter that sticks the boot in for no reason. Not that far, as it turns out, section 730 is the distance.  There was a whole row of them, in fact. I don’t mind excitable commentary, the history lessons, the constant attempts to troll back inside their minds for a name that alludes them entirely (for the record, it was Frank Bunce you were trying to remember, you dipsticks), but I do mind being covered in your stinking beer before the anthems are sung and the affected accents that seemed to get stronger as the game progressed.  Oh, and if you could mind your effing language when you’re in a section with kids, that’d also be awesome!

As for the game – I have NEVER seen the All Blacks show their frustration like that before.  They were seriously pissed off. The Wallabies were up in their faces (with knees, foreheads and hands a-groping) and the Ref took care of the rest.  The number of errors and subsequent penalties took your attention away from the defence! defence! approach of the Aussies. Solid effort in scrambling tackles and the numbers at the ruck was the best in ages. But the stop/start of it all was farcical. I hope the Aussies take some heart from the effort, but for mine, I’d have loved an attacking game of running rugby – even if we lost it.

DEFENCE