Author: telboy2

Lions update

Tomorrow is the ‘fourth test’-that is how the game against the NZ Maori is usually described. And certainly the Lions came a cropper against them in 2005.

As ever the Lions needs a win, particularly having lost on Tuesday to the Highlanders by a point. It was a game that they were expected to win against a depleted Highlanders team that had players withdrawn as they were on All Blacks call-up and because of injuries.

The Highlanders game was a marked contrast to the Crusaders game- open and attacking. The lions played well in parts but worryingly continue to fail to finish off scoring chances. They also failed to control the game when in the lead mostly I think due to poor discipline and the giving away of penalties.Weaknesses exist and I do not know if they can be overcome.

Last Saturday the Lions beat the form  Super team with a power display with very effective defense. Maybe some things went their way that night.

The NZ Maori are full of some very good players. Of note, Matt Procter, currently playing for the Hurricanes and ex-St Pats Boy.

 

Carmen

Our annual trip to the Opera last night to see Carmen by the NZ Opera.

We have seen Carmen before, Sara at least twice and once for me. It is certainly a classic and so expectations were a little high. Unfortunately expectations were not met. The production seemed a little quiet and flat and the male lead did not seem to make the connection with us and possibly the rest of the audience. The applause at the end was polite rather than enthusiastic. A review in the Dom Post concurred overall.

So quite an expensive night out without reaching the heights. That is always the risk I suppose.

Let’s hope for greater success for the next cultural event.

 

Reality check

Theresa May needs to face reality after the general election result

Now, having suffered the almost unthinkable ignominy of losing the majority she seemed certain to extend, Ms May’s first response shifted from the inane to the delusional. Speaking in Downing Street, the catchphrase morphed this time into “safe and secure”, and she repeated the need for “certainty”. She spoke about an agenda “for the next five years”, as though her position in the role were guaranteed beyond the next five weeks. There was no humility, no good grace; the Prime Minister seemed frankly divorced from reality. Not until she appeared for a second time, apologising to the MPs who had lost their seats, and offering contrite assurance that she will “reflect on what happened”, did Ms May show any sign that she understands the startling reverses her party has suffered.

Let us hope that such reflection helps the Prime Minister understand the crushing changes that have come thick and fast since that exit poll stunned us all. There has been no sign so far of any reassessment of her approach to hard Brexit, yet surely even this leader will struggle to pass off such a humiliating result as a mandate for her confrontational, uncompromising attitude to Europe, or of her willingness to take the UK out of the single market.

The results are in….

So in the end it’s a Hung Parliament.

A surprise and welcome outcome.Theresa May’s historic gamble has failed. She brought on the election at a point in time of strength with a large lead in the polls. It is assumed her strategy was to destroy the Labour Party, possibly weaken the hand of the most rabid Brexiteers in her own party and move the inevitable fall out from the Brexit negotiations from the next expected General Election.

However, she has failed miserably because  an appalling campaign and possibly the unexpected well run campaign of Corbyn and the Labour Party.

She has been weakened but is it enough? She has not resigned and has negotiated an agreement with the Democratic Unionists- a true unsavory crew.

She talked of stability which is the opposite of the current context that her actions have brought about.

Where this all this goes who knows. The is a change in the political tide and this result has been helped with increased participation of younger voters who have been seriously affected by austerity policies in recent years and who are most concerned about the impact of Brexit on their futures. However, there is a real possibility that the status quo will be maintained, under stress, and the shift in the political perspective will come to nil.

Another election soon? Maybe, but that possibly requires greater turmoil in the Conservative ranks. May will hold on for now as the alternative to too dangerous for them?

 

Election-Looking good so far!

Heading for a hung parliament as May faces revolt in party over the results.election-jeremy-corbyn-8.jpg

From the Telegraph:

General Election results live: Shock hung parliament forecast by exit polls and early seats

Fear and politics

In the news is the latest attack in the UK, this time at London Bridge and Borough Market. Death and turmoil again.

Of course the campaign for the General Election is active though with suspension on Sunday it seems. The response so far is as would be expected: condemnations and encouragement for people to remains calm and continue with their lives.

When then attack in Manchester happened last week Corbyn was cricticised from the usual quarters for trying to give context of where these acts may be developed from, as if that is not important.

With this attack along with natural outrage May appears to moving to greater intolerance and attempts at greater control, there is “far too much tolerance of extremism” with further anti-terrorist actions including the old bug-bear of the internet. The Gaurdian interprets this as the move to punish thought-crime.

As ever we here from the top that ‘we will not let terrorists win” while at the same time responding within a narrow formula and restricting society and creating fear that does mean we are all affected and that to me terror does win.

Will it spillover to New Zealand?

Game 1: not as expected and not good

We watched the match with our red jerseys on( two anyway), bit oh how sorrowful.

It was certainly not the performance the or result that was expected. It could have been worse- a loss to a scratch team of players at best on the periphery of Super Rugby. The Lions were so slow, lacking composure, lacking basic skills and it seemed unable to tackle adequately. We ball in hand there seemed to be an individualistic rather team approach at crucial moments.

The schedule always looked hard but seems to have become more onerous overnight. Some players did not perform and may ahve already scuppered their chances of featuring in the test matches; Stuart Hogg made defensive errors and passing errors and Laidlaw looked detached. Sexton was very out of sorts while Farrell came on and brought sense of improved control.

A long way to go yet and plenty of scope for improvement.

New Zealand Provincial Barbarians 7 British and Irish Lions 13

: Error-ridden Lions labour to opening win

 
 

 

Anthony Watson dives over for the Lions

  • Mick Cleary, Rugby Union Correspondent, (match report) Toll Stadium, Whangarei

First the deluge, then the despair. The monsoon rains that afflicted Northland did ease but there was little blue sky thinking to be found among the few thousand Lions supporters who have made the long trek to New Zealand.