Arrival in NZ greeted in the traditional way.
Author: telboy2
Lions-before the start
Plenty of commentary so far on both sides of the world:
Opening game of British and Irish Lions tour in Whangarei sold out
Saturday Jun 3, 2017
Scaffolders David Junior Makikiriti, left, and Sam Leohan installing a temporary grandstand recently at Toll Stadium, Whangarei, in preparation for tonight’s game. Photo/John Stone
Inclement weather has failed to put off footy fans in the North as the opening game of the British and Irish Lions rugby tour in Whangarei has been sold out.
Toll Stadium will be full with 20,000 fans for the game between the tourists and the NZ Provincial Barbarians tonight.
1 Te’o gets early chance to impress at No12
Warren Gatland’s team selection makes sense. Thirteen of the 14 who attended the first training camp start and considering all three fly-halves reported for duty the following week, he was always going to have a decision to make, opting for Johnny Sexton…..
2 All Provincial Barbarians eyes will be on Gatland junior
Spare a thought for Bryn Gatland, who will have Te’o charging at him throughout – he and his old man must have had a recent falling-out….
3 Decision needed over when and where Farrell plays
Gatland believes the Lions have a couple of advantages over the All Blacks for the Tests; goalkicking is one of them and their bench is another…….
4 Lions must adapt to five new laws already in place in NZ
The Lions are refusing to use jet lag as an excuse but such a recent, long-haul journey cannot help but have an impact. Consider too, the additional mental drain – this will be the first time they encounter the five new laws that come into effect in the northern hemisphere next season but are already on trial in the south……
5 Heavy rain may give a glimpse of Lions game plan
In New Zealand it is the Queen’s birthday weekend – and it is forecast to be tipping it down. There is a school of thought that says rain would suit the Lions but there is no better team in the world at showcasing their handling skills against the elements than New Zealand.
Lions Tour 2017
A good reason to get back to the keyboard after such a long lay-off.
The last time they were here in 2005 I kept a record through paper clippings and photos of the Lions’ tour. Well the world has truly moved on, so much of the reporting is far easier to find digitally and so the task of keeping a ‘scrapbook’ falls I think to the blog. This will make keeping the blog active all the more important.
Well the team arrived during the week and tonight in Whangarei they play their opener against a NZ Barbarians team. In the tradition of tours this team is weak and so a gentle introduction. However, unlike other tours this is the only straight forward match for the tourists. Aside of the Tests the Lions play all the Super Rugby teams and NZ Maori. A short but truly intense tour.
We have tickets for the First Test in Auckland and the Hurricanes game. Depending on the health of JC I may go to the 2nd Test in Wellington or to watch it on a big screen at the Embassy Cinema courtesy of MSP rugby club.
Fist game tonight will be watched with red shirts on and traditional curry meal.
Let’s go.
Brentford feature in the sports pages
It is a sunny Tuesday morning in west London and Robert Rowan, Brentford’s head of football operations, is watching Kevin O’Connor putting his B team squad through their paces. “Twenty-five press-ups for the strikers and then we go again,” commands the coach to his group of young players gathered from six European countries.
Out with the old
Today I handed over the credit card to pay for a new bike. It is only the second time that I have bought a new bike and how it hurts to hand over $2300!
It is a hybrid suitable for commuting- more robust than a classic road racing bike and able to go happily on tracks.
It is a replacement for the road bike that I have been using to commute for the last year. I only do so once a week, maximum twice, but sometimes not at all. The bike has always been too small and is old. I bought in on Trade Me about six years ago for EQ. I started to use it when the previous second-hand road bike finally bit the dust.
Slowly it has been making more noises and signs of wear. Three weeks ago the pedal arm came off. More money to repair of go the whole hog? It was time to go at this point and take the hit.
I have taken off the parts that I can use potentially in the future: the ‘newish’ front wheel; lights,; tyre and tubes. The rest is for the tip.
Let’s hope the new machine lives up to the hype.
Momentous time
Catholic school board fees- the final invoice.
As Catholic schools are partially outside the public schooling system they have to pay for the construction and upkeep of the school buildings. As such parents are expected to pay school board fees that pay back loans for these activities and cover the insurance. So we have been paying these for the last fourteen years. The final invoice arrived and has been paid. Isaac won a prize last year which cut the bill in half -so less than usual.
I am sure the money will disappear in some other way to support his studies in future.
The Three Brexiteers
Cabinet ministers David Davis, Liam Fox and Boris Johnson have been nicknamed ‘the three Brexiteers’ for their cavalier approach to the finer details of leaving the EU. The withdrawal process is ‘simple’ and at the same time ‘more complex than a game of chess’, they say, but definitely not as straightforward as a hard or soft boiled egg.
Brexit
Theresa May has told parliament that she accepts Brexit will carry consequences for the UK, as a letter delivered to Brussels began a two-year countdown to Britain’s departure from the EU.
The prime minister made a speech on triggering article 50 minutes after the European council president, Donald Tusk, confirmed he had received notification. He declared that “the UK has delivered Brexit” nine months after a bruising referendum campaign.
View from the Brexit Camp
We are off-triggered
