KEY POINTS:
The jamboree is over. Sir Clive and the boys are off to the airport soon, some of them even fit enough to carry their own bags. The colour of the tour was supposed to be red, but in the end it was only the teams in black who won the big games. The All Blacks looked awesome, the Lions outclassed.
While Graham Henry became the golden boy, The Lions head coach's stock slumped dramatically as he was subjected to some virulent criticism - some of it justified, some of it motivated by other agendas on both sides of the supporters' and commentators' divide.
Alastair Campbell became a household name in New Zealand. Before he had just been the guy who had something to do with the dodgy WMD dossier, but THAT tackle became a moment of rugby infamy overnight thanks to his work.
Massive amounts of money were spent and it was either the greatest thing ever for the New Zealand tourism economy, or a total damp squib, depending on which angle you were hearing at any particular moment.
The Lions fans received praise everywhere they went and most of them enjoyed themselves too, despite it being mid-winter. (There was the odd exception - see the readers comments link at the bottom of this page for the rugby club which went home early, stung by the criticism of the Lions by the NZ press and public. No doubt they were glad to be home among the gentle scribes of the British tabloids.)
The stars were Dan Carter and Richie McCaw… Justin Marshall won the swansong prize… Brian O'Driscoll and Lawrence Dallaglio were the unfortunates… Gavin Henson talked big and then failed to deliver when selected… Jonny Wilkinson clearly wasn't ready.
And then it was over. A clean sweep for the Lions in the midweek games, victory for NZ Maori and 3-0 to the All Blacks in the tests. Only 12 years to wait until it all happens again. And Woodward went out in style, saying he would have liked a bigger squad. On that note there's nothing more to say.
9.7.05
With the end of the tour just hours away, the most important information of the past five weeks finally comes to light. The informant is "Bongo", currently on tour in New Zealand and communicating back to the mothership via the BBC website. He offers this must-do tourist information to the other British and Irish fans in the country: "If any of you Lions supporters are at a loose-end in Auckland, you MUST get up to Browns Bay, 20 mins drive north of Auckland city. There is a petshop called Animal Ark which has (real) dogs playing rugby in the window... four dogs dressed in Lions jerseys and four dressed in All Blacks jerseys. There is even a dog dressed as a referee. Brilliant! These Kiwis sure love their rugby!"
8.7.05
The Lions fans now piling into Auckland will not have been expecting to spend their time in the city's pubs watching news from home on TV, and the events in London haven't helped the slightly flat atmosphere with the series effectively over. However, credit to the NZRU and the Lions camp for making the right decisions all-round. A minute's silence before tomorrow night's test gives both sets of fans the chance to mark the attacks, while dismissing any talk of cancelling the match has to be correct. A game of rugby can only be trivial compared to what has happened in London, but the old adage remains true that carrying on as normally as possible prevents the bombers winning. Even against this background, here's hoping pride from both the teams and fans ensures a decent game and a carnival atmosphere at Eden Park.
7.7.05
Since the call for a coup against Barmy Army commander-in-chief Freddie Parker (see blog for 24 June), nothing has been seen or heard of the man. He has disappeared from TV screens and cannot apparently be contacted by media organisations. Concerns are rising that the request for an overthrow of the Great Leader has been taken too seriously. Other options are that he suffered a freak spa-related accident or that he was swallowed up in the mud among the campervans following 48-hours of non-stop rain in Auckland. Any sightings or information gladly received, otherwise his name will have to be added to the list of Lions lost in inaction - Dallaglio, O'Driscoll, Taylor, Hill, Shanklin, Henson, Wilkinson… At this rate, anyone half-fit and wearing a Lions shirt under their raincoat in Auckland this week is liable to get a call-up for Saturday night. Come to think of it, could Sir Clive be preparing Freddie for a run-out? Given Woodward's preferences for how a Lions Tour should be run, as revealed this week, he might be storing Freddie in cotton wool in a hotel in Melbourne to keep him fresh for the third test.
6.7.05
Interesting figures from British bookmaker William Hill for next year's Six Nations and the 2007 World Cup. Despite all the praise for the Welsh players and criticism of the English, the bookies put England at ₤3.25 for the northern hemisphere competition, behind only France at ₤2.87, and Wales tipped for third at ₤3.50. Meanwhile, the All Blacks are way out in front for the World Cup at ₤2.25. Next up, but way back, are Australia at ₤5. England and Wales are ₤9 and ₤11 respectively. All of which tells us what? That William Hill, if he's an Englishman, is as parochial as Clive Woodward? That All Blacks fans, who have seen predictions of World Cup glory go up in smoke before, should keep their cash in their pockets for now? That a couple of bucks on the lottery is probably a better idea than trying to second guess what will happen in the rugby world? Probably the last one.
5.7.05
You can't keep politics out of sport, as NZ Cricket is currently being reminded. And on the Silver Fern messageboard (nothing to do with netball, link below) they are managing to link the Tour to all the big issues of the day. One poster says the Tour has convinced him of the gulf between NZ and Britain and the need to become a republic (though, graciously, he does allow for the "sad and strange fetish with Coronation Street" to continue). Another contributor, though, is outraged at a Welsh choir being allowed to sing at halftime in the test. "What an insult to Kiwi culture", he shouts in capitals and with lots of exclamation marks. Except no-one else can get that upset about it, and someone points out the All Blacks get to do the haka on Welsh soil. Posters are, however, united in their condemnation of the singing of Waltzing Matilda at Bledisloe Cup matches. Fair enough, you have to draw the line somewhere.
4.7.05
Zinzan Brooke, writing a column for the BBC, suggests that Saturday's performance, and that of Dan Carter in particular, will make the northern hemisphere finally wake up to Super 12 rugby. As he points out: "The skills that the All Blacks showed on Saturday are exactly the same skills the sides have been doing in the Super 12." Difficult to see the old guard up north doing any such thing - can anyone picture a Stephen Jones piece in the London Sunday Times singing the praises of the southern hemisphere competition? About as likely as the Welsh offering Clive Woodward the freedom of Cardiff.
New Zealanders will be hoping Carter recovers soon as his injury leaves a gaping hole in the backline for Saturday. First-five seems to be one position in which the All Blacks don't have an embarrassment of riches to choose from, unlike wing, say, where there are five or six top class candidates to choose from. Public opinion seems to be very much behind the sentimental vote for Andrew Mehrtens. Nice idea, but it makes no sense - it would achieve nothing for the future and Graham Henry won't have given it even a half second's thought. Strange that Nick Evans still isn't getting called in as back-up though.
3.7.05
That's it then. Unless, of course, Alastair Campbell is about to call a press conference to highlight some dodgy practices he has caught on camera, for which the entire All Black squad should spend several years in jail, making the result of last night's test void and awarding the series to the Lions. No, that would just be silly, and he wouldn't indulge in such things.
Dan Carter is being touted as the new Jonny Wilkinson following his wonder performance last night (James McOnie in the Herald on Sunday awarded him 11 out of 10) and the Englishman's failure again to capture his old spark. Could Carter now be set to become the most famous All Black worldwide since Jonah Lomu? Traditionalists may decry superstars, but they raise the profile of rugby, and his elevation would do no harm to New Zealand's place in the sporting world either. One reader has already nominated him for president. Not sure what a glum Prince William sitting in the Cake Tin stands would have made of that.
2.7.05
After months of build-up, the equivalent of the US defence budget spent by the Lions, and a couple of Amazon forests-worth of newspaper copy, the series could all be over by 9pm tonight if the All Blacks record their second win. The Lions side looks a lot stronger this week – Sir Clive has finally listened to all that Dad's Army criticism and re-set his clock to 2005. Much may well depend on whether Jonny Wilkinson suddenly hits the peak of his abilities. And there may be some (minor) questions over the three deliberate changes to the All Blacks team, plus the loss of Carl Hayman. Add the conditions, which are forecast to be better in Wellington than the weather shocker in Christchurch last week, and everything still points to an All Blacks win. If that is the case, then the chorus of voices asking if all that money and effort (on the part of the fans as well as the Lions camp) was worth it, and whether tours of this nature can continue, will grow louder. (See the link to readers' comments at the bottom of this page for the start of this debate.)
1.7.05
An Irish rugby fan currently in Costa Rica would like some information on where he can see the second test, so he cleverly thought to post a message on the Irish Rugby website - well known as somewhere that Central American TV schedulers hang out. Funnily enough, he hasn't had any replies yet. However, there is an ad on a Costa Rican website (link below) from someone offering to sell their bar. So perhaps he could buy that, get satellite TV installed, and watch rugby to his heart's content. Pleased to be of assistance.
