.. provides far more players than they take to other teams

… than they take from other teams … sorry.

They are Samoan names. They play for Samoa. They were born in NZ.

I was trying to show that NZ provides far more players than they take to other teams, particularly Pacific Island teams.

I made a visit. With all due respect to folks who like the internet, give me the pleasure and convenience of a clearly set out, printed and stapled weekly guide for $1.20, aaaaaaanydaaaaaaay …

I’m not a polynesian language expert, but I do know quite a few Maori, and many of those names look suspiciously Samoan to me, not Maori. But hey, if they were born in gawdzown, that’s good enuff.

But what about the real questions? Is it just a cover for promoting Fox? Does it have critical movie reviews and program assessments, or is it just p/r handouts about soap and celebs? Most important of all, is the liftout stapled?

It’s too late for me, I’m a mungo already and there’s no going back. But you should be able to avoid this fate by taking a few simple precautions.

Myself and colleagues at the Max Planck Institute have calculated you have three point four eight seconds of visual exposure to the front page before spontaneous degeneration begins. On most occasions you will find this adequate to ascertain the exact position of the liftout within the paper, extract it in its entirity and dispose of the rest (first ensuring you are no more than one metre from the nearest WorkCover approved lead-lined receptacle.) This information is for educational purposes only and no responsibility is taken for injury or loss sustained.

Do I also have to empty half my brains out?

Buy the Terror on Wednesdays.

WALLABY five-eighth Stephen Larkham was in a Montpellier hospital bed last night refusing to concede his latest knee dramas have ended his World Cup campaign. The 102-Test veteran, who is likely to spend a further 24 hours receiving specialist treatment for an infection in the joint, spoke to The Daily Telegraph shortly after news broke of his second arthroscopic surgery for the tournament. “There’s still hope that I’ll play again,” he said. “The best case scenario for me would be the quarter-final but I’d also be very happy if it was the semi-final a week later. It’s a matter of getting the swelling down now. It was a more intrusive procedure than the first one (on September 16). But I’ve had some good news already. They thought I was going to be in hospital for four days. It looks now like I’ll get out tomorrow.”

Woe, oh woe is us.

The vast majority of those, in fact I suspect every one of them save perhaps Nicky Little, are nonetheless players that were never going to play for NZ. Even though I should just lose gracefully, a part of me does feel that that is different to the case where a country’s best players are playing in another team.

Which, I suspect, is what most other people are complaining of too. But then again, there is an argument, and clearly especially for Samoa, that playing in NZ makes their national teams better.

Here are the ones I could find on a search of rugbyworldcup.com. Note that this list contains 27 names, and some of these players (e.g. Levi) are injured, which might be the reason for the discrepancy between this figure and the 22 quoted above.

Japan – Bryce Robins, Place of birth: New Plymouth (New Zealand)
Japan – Philip O’Reilly, Place of birth: Hamilton (New Zealand)
Japan – Luke Thompson, Place of birth: Christchurch (New Zealand)
Japan – Hare Makiri, Place of birth: Thames (New Zealand)

Italy – Kaine Robertson, Place of birth: Auckland (New Zealand)
Italy = Paul Griffen, Place of birth: Dunedin (New Zealand)
Italy – Josh Sole, Place of birth: Hamilton (New Zealand)

Tonga – Ephraim Taukafa, Place of birth: Auckland (New Zealand)

Samoa – Junior Polu, Place of birth: Otahuhu (New Zealand)
Samoa – Sailosi Tagicakibau, Place of birth: Auckland (New Zealand)
Samoa – Kas Lealamanua, Place of birth: Wellington (New Zealand)
Samoa – Census Johnston, Place of birth: Auckland (New Zealand)
Samoa – Kane Thompson, Place of birth: Paraparaumu (New Zealand)
Samoa – Daniel Leo, Place of birth: Palmerston North (New Zealand)
Samoa – Justin Purdie, Place of birth: Wellington (New Zealand)
Samoa – Gavin Williams, Place of birth: Auckland (New Zealand)
Samoa – Justin Va’a, Place of birth: Lower Hutt (New Zealand)
Samoa – Tanielu Fuga, Place of birth: Auckland (New Zealand)
Samoa – Leo Lafaiali’I, Place of birth: Auckland (New Zealand)
Samoa – Lome Fa’atau, Place of birth: Wellington (New Zealand)
Samoa – Fosi Palaamo, Place of birth: Murupara (New Zealand)
Samoa – Filipo Levi, Place of birth: Hamilton (New Zealand) (injured)

England – Perry Freshwater, Place of birth: Wellington (New Zealand)

Fiji = Nicky Little, Place of birth: Tokoroa (New Zealand)

Wales – Sonny Parker, Place of birth: Thames (New Zealand)

Ireland – Isaac Boss, Place of birth: Tokoroa (New Zealand)

USA – Hayden Mexted, Place of birth: Whakatane (New Zealand)

Joe Rokocoko has lived in NZ since he was 5.

Sitiveni Sivivatu is the dodgiest as he moved to NZ when he was 15 on a “rugby scholarship”.

Still, no current AB was a member of another countries’ U-21 side before playing for New Zealand (Dan Vickerman, Clyde Rathbone (capt.)).

The eight kiwi ‘takes’ are all accounted for by players in the 22 players that will be selected for the semis. I don’t believe that there are 22 kiwi-born internationals running around for other teams at all. I presume that means that there are 22 capped internationals who have played in NZ at some stage. Wow. That is also why England are such high ‘givers’.

SA are partly that and also they lost a lot of players because their parents left when they were still babies for obvious reasons.

And finally some of both of those numbers come from players getting to about 20-22 and figuring that they aren’t going to make it for NZ/RSA so as much try their chances in Wales/Scotland/etc. Which again I regard as a bit different.

Apples with oranges = bullshit.

This old chestnut about the ABs stealing pacific island talent is a bit tired. Here is a list post on rec.sport.rugby.union which lists the countries at the world cup and the number of “donated” players, the number of “stolen” players and the net result:

Country Give Take Diff
NZ 28 8 20
SA 15 2 13
England 13 4 9
Argentina 8 1 7
Tonga 6 1 5
Fiji 5 1 4
Romania 0 0 0
Georgia 0 0 0
Canada 2 3 -1
France 2 4 -2
Australia 3 6 -3
Portugal 0 3 -3
Namibia 1 4 -3
Ireland 0 5 -5
Japan 0 6 -6
Wales 0 7 -7
Scotland 0 9 -9
Samoa 5 14 -9
USA 1 11 -10
Italy 0 15 -15

I’ve a mate who coached in Canada and I’ll try to get some insight on the team if he’s got any; but the concerns now are that they’ll not present enough of what we need in order to be sharpened up. Australians famously rise to an occasion – we’ll beat the All Blacks – but only if we prepare correctly. My two bobs is that we have to not treat this Canada game as a “workout” (not dismissing the obvious need to focus and win) in tournament terms, or as a “step along the way” because that would rely too much on the opposition to provide for us what we need right now. Instead, we should take command now, and secure in absolutes the essentials we need to take the field the week later.

It’s a subtle point, about changing your tournament focus from “training/testing” type games to claiming command, centralising your power, building up silent internal the steam-roller which creates your wins. Canada could easily be regarded as another training/testing game, but my bobs is we can’t afford to do that. So far, our trajectory is fine, but we haven’t centralised the power, and we’ll get caught out against England if we expect it to just happen. We have to begin to be convincing.

Patrick, I don’t recognise many of those names you’ve taken the time to spell and consider; perhaps if they were spoken I’d pick them up. Are some Leaguies? (Can’t watch that game, at all, sorry). If one thing is coming out this World Cup is the need to provide assistance to the Pacific nations, if for no other reason than they hold keys to a future considerably protected by corporate persuasion. If they played for millions per match, one suspects they’d still throw grid iron passes to their wingers, tape from the try line, run with the ball lashing around in one hand…

(Recall a great story about Tonga touring here moons ago, when very competitive. The coach decided to surprise the team with a video of their homeland to connect the players with inspiration and a reason to do-or-die on the paddock the next day, reminded by the video of the great nation they loved and were representing. Summoned to the Australian hotel conference room, the coach played the video and one by one they started weeping until the lot of them bawled hopelessly with homesickness. Gotta love them.)

And Mosese plays like his name suggests.

“Some guys worked hard. Some didn’t, and we lost our shape a bit,” Connolly said yesterday. “It tends to happen in some games where you think you’ve just got to turn up to win, and there was a little bit of that. “It was loose. Mentally, we just weren’t there at times. We played as individuals. We didn’t get any go forward. “It was hot. It was uncomfortable. It was a game they thought they’d win.”

I don’t think Australia played as badly as you guys are letting on. Australia ran some very slick set pieces against Fiji and when they did this they almost always came away with points. Most of the way through the game Australia settled for not trying anything too fancy. They should be mildly concerned about defence, but some of the Fijian attacking players can easily match the best of the Wallabies defenders in a 1-on-1 contest.

Along those lines, this match being what it was came from a combination of things starting with the fact thirteen top line Fijians weren’t running on (if the commentators can be believed). That hardly brings the boys into focus. Playing at “home” in non-traditional rugby atmosphere which had been full of distractions, in the sun (afternoon), in the heat. The point is there was no reason for the team to psyche the bejeesus out of themselves, building up massive world-conquering intensity and focus. However, that’s all no excuse for the things performed poorly. And a bit tough to take in staying up late to watch on a Sunday.

But there were some beaut tries scored and some excellent moments nonetheless.

The Knuckles comments would be interesting – the link there cs is to the same article. And relieving news about Staniforth.

Meanwhile, Knuckles has let it be known he wasn’t happy. What will Greg Growden think? As I’m coming to terms with all that unnerving looseness, some unknown proportion of which can be put down to Fiji fizz, as Robert eloquently reminds us, I’m thinking this match was the goof-off that we had to have, before we get serious. It was the last laugh saloon, so to speak, before we ride into the valley of being deadly serious. Kiddy time is coming to a close. Soon, we’ll really see what these Wallabies are made of.

The bad news is that there is a lot of talk that Scott Staniforth has buggered his shoulder and may well follow Gerard home. This is a big blow to my mind, as it will take out the Greegs/Gits/Stanni second half switcheroo, which had so much promise.

On the other hand, it looks as if Bernie is going to get a second-half run this week. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled for Barnes’ tour to date. But Bernie he ain’t, at least not yet. Not only are we only just discovering how good Barnsey is, so is Barnsey himself, and we haven’t got room for that sort of experimentation at the deep end of the tourny unless we have no other option, regardless of whatever crazy delusions Growden indulges. It’s a great credit to Barnsey that he fully understands this:

Barnes immediately dismissed thoughts of Larkham’s return increasing pressure on him. “No. Get him back as soon as possible. I think the whole of Australia want that as well,” said the humble Queenslander. “I think he’s moved a lot better than he ever has with that knee so it would be good to have him back.” Barnes assessed England as a 20-point better team with Jonny Wilkinson back in the No.10 jersey. “If I got the opportunity I’d love to play (Wilkinson),” he said. “He’s someone I’ve looked up to and I admire the way he plays.” “But for Australia’s sake I hope Bernie (Larkham) is back.”

This kid will go far!