so much for our happy ending
I couldn’t resist invoking a Canadian artist (I use that term loosely) lyrics here; considering her large fanbase and all. No, not really.
It was billed as The Biggest Sporting Weekend for Britain; so in the grand tradition of looking dejected and woebegone on the Monday after, let’s just take stock, shall we?
1. Pre weekend teaser. Russia vs England, Euro 2008 qualifier. Result: England lost 2 - 1. Because looking good (or somewhat decent at least) on paper doesn’t really mean jack when you draw at home to Macedonia. For my next party trick, ask how Spain have been doing in recent football World Cups.
2. South Africa vs England, RWC. Result: England lost 6 - 15. Both teams executed their gameplan to a greater or lesser degree. The vaunted England pack didn’t really make a massive impact (guess that makes the Aussie forwards look even sillier, eh?), the Saffers won incredible amounts of lineout ball, England conceded too many penalties and … crucially, England had Jonny’s boot. The Saffers had Percy “lookit ma hair” Montgomery and the fricking fantastic Francois Steyn to do their kicking. Fair result, I’d reckon. For my money, I thought the Cueto disallowed try was legit, though the replays later indicated otherwise.
3. Lewis got pipped to the title. That lil crybaby Alonso got pipped too, but that’s a separate matter. After all the hype, the championship lead of several months - well, he didn’t make it. I suppose I could rumble on about the endless soap opera of “Why did he three stop? Why didn’t the team call him in sooner in the Shanghai Grand Prix? How did his engine cut out? Was it sabotage?”. I really like the Anthony Hamilton response about no one being unhappy in the Hamilton camp though. It is his rookie year, after all. And the commentator speculation about Alonso possibly stepping aside and retiring from the race if Hamilton had muscled his way into 6th place was all sorts of fun. (“Considering he’s going to leave the team as soon as this race is finished, you think he’ll listen? I think he’ll have some radio trouble if the team boss tells him to retire”).
4. Ronnie O’Sullivan loses to Marco Fu in the Snooker Grand Prix. O’Sullivan? An English name? Well, I never. But anyway. What it said. Perhaps one of the lesser known sporting calamities of the weekend, but there we are.
So, that’s umm.. 0 for 3 then. And on a somewhat related note, I got a new monster TV handmedown last night from my landlord. It’s so fricking large (ok, just 30 or so inches) that it dwarfs even my generously proportioned room. Thus, I am now forever scarred by seeing Graham Norton’s head at roughly double the size that makes for safe viewing. And capping off a thoroughly marvellous sporting weekend, Les Bleus lost, again, to the Argies. Yeah, the Argies play a bit fast and loose with the rules at times, they slow the ball down, prevent teams from running (which I personally hate to see in Union games) - but it’s not really like the French had anyone else to blame but themselves. Not that they will, of course - if the linked article is any indicator. The Argies had the French number from day one. End of story.
On 22-Oct-07 at 12:09 pm,
tinylittlefascist wrote:
’twas a try, methinks. Overly harsh not to award it. That said, his toe apparently touched the line before he lifted his foot. I did not see these ‘later replays’.
I’d have loved it if Alonso was asked to move over. However, I would also have loved it if McLaren had got disqualified for team orders then.
On 22-Oct-07 at 3:36 pm,
Darwin wrote:
I lost interest in the RWC after the All Blacks left. I shamelessly admit my incentive was Dan Carter
On 22-Oct-07 at 4:03 pm,
drac wrote:
TLF: Disqualified? Surely that can’t happen. Alonso could quite legitimately develop “engine trouble” which forces him to drop behind Hamilton
I have heard of this theory about the toe touching the line, but it took someone to mention it (and then a super slow motion replay by the England commentary team) to make me see that the try shouldn’t have been allowed. Very tough call.
Darwin Carter? Really? You’re by no means the first person to mention this - but what about Percy? Or Jonny? Or .. or .. or .. an ultra-stretchy Gavin Henson?
On 22-Oct-07 at 7:19 pm,
Curious Yellow wrote:
Monty is the bomb-diggity. That hair has an otherworldly aura about it.
Rugby should make him their David Beckham. I can imagine the slogan now.
“Monty - he’s like Beckham but he can put away penalties and has better hair”
Actually that’s a crap slogan, but you get the gist.
On 22-Oct-07 at 8:32 pm,
chickenbutt wrote:
Not a nice weekend for the Brits was it? Kudos to Hamilton though. he bowed out smiling.
On 23-Oct-07 at 6:41 am,
rastadiu wrote:
Oh drackity.
Avril?
For real.
I have tears in my eyes from the laughter.
Also, Daniel Carter ftw.
On 24-Oct-07 at 7:12 am,
tinylittlefascist wrote:
But but… in order for this mysterious engine trouble to occur, surely McLaren would have had to gently suggest it over the radio. And aren’t the radio transcripts available to the race stewards? Therefore…
Unless they use some fancy code. And I suspect the only code Fernando would have been using would have been some choice vocabulary.