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Renovations Underway In The Attic - A New, Improved Site Is On The Way!

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We're currently working on some pretty major renovations here in the Attic. We're stripping back the old wallpaper, ripping up the old carpet, and knocking out some walls to bring in some much needed light.

We've almost finished the work, and pretty soon you're going to see a dramatically different, refreshed site, with plenty more sporting goodness for you to peruse.

Check back soon - we know you're gonna love it!

Israel and Chris.

2009 Super 14 Preview

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We're less than a week away from the start of the 2009 Super 14, and although it doesn't seem that long ago since we were celebrating the success of the All Blacks Grand Slam tour in November, we can't wait for the rugby season to begin.

The question on everybody's lips whether or not the Canterbury Crusaders can continue to dominate the competition without Robbie Deans as coach, and without the likes of Dan Carter and long-time servants Ruben Thorn and Caleb Ralph. The Crusaders will be on every one's hit list, but as far as we're concerned they should still be the front runners come semi-final time.

There biggest challenge within New Zealand should come from the Hurricanes, who head into the competition with undoubtedly the strongest side in the Super 14. Unfortunately for Hurricanes fans, the Wellington franchise has been the biggest underachievers in the competition, and they'll have to ramp up their game to have any chance of claiming their first Super 14 title.

The Highlanders have struggled in years gone by, and 2009 will definitely be a tough year for them - especially if they get off to a slow start. They have a solid side available, but if they pick up a few injuries they could find 2009 heading in the same direction as 2008. Despite this, we feel they have the talent to surprise a few, and if they can rebuild their once proud home record, they may just be in the hunt come semi-finals time.

The Chiefs have always been slow starters, which has cost them big-time later in the season. For them to have a successful Super 14 campaign they will need to start the year with a bang - and with wins over the Blues and Highlanders in the pre-season, they're showing good signs early on. They have speed to burn in the backs, and will be looking to Stephen Donald to lead them to success in 2009.

The Blues are always a danger of beating anyone on their day, but in recent years they've fallen off the pace in the back end of the competition. They don't have a solid first-five, and so Jimmy Goppeth and Tasesa Lavea will have all the weight placed squarely on their shoulders. We feel it will prove too heavy for them, and the Blues could be looking at another disappointing year. Blues fans will be hoping we're a long way off the mark, but we're just not sure...

In Australia, the team to keep an eye on will be the Western Force. While they've had their problems off the field (a reported player revolt against coach John Mitchell), they've continued to improve since their inception into the competition. They are a strong home side, but will need to improve their efforts away from home.

The Warratahs are the strongest of the Aussie teams, and will provide Australia with their best chance for success in 2009. Their only downfall is that they tend to choke when the pressure is on, and against teams like the Crusaders you just can't afford to be off your game. Look for them to be in the hunt late in the competition.

The Brumbies and the Reds have been the whipping boys of Australian rugby in the past few years, and we don't expect much to change in 2009. The Brumbies were once one of the strongest sides in the Super 12/14, but have suffered since losing players like Gregan and Larkham. The Reds always promise so much, but never seem to deliver.

The biggest challenge to the Crusader's tight grip on the trophy could come from a South African team. The Sharks, the Stormers and the Bulls have all played good footy in the past few years, and are always a constant threat - especially when playing at home. They will all need to learn to win away from home, or they could find themselves narrowly missing out on a semi-final spot - so close is the competition that you just can't afford to drop so many away games.

As for the Cheetahs and the Lions, well..the less said about them the better. They're yet to make an impact on the Super 14, and will more than likely be fighting it out at the bottom of the table.

This year will certainly be an interesting one, with new laws (a rejig of the ELV's), and the introduction of new referee laws meaning we'll all have to readjust to the new competition. And who knows? Maybe this will be the last Super 14, with rumours that yet another team will be added to the competition in either 2010 or 2011. The Australian's want to add a Japanese or Pacific Island team, which we think would be a great idea - it would help the growth of the game in the region, and it would mean even more rugby. How bad can that be?

Get ready, sports fans - this Friday it's all underway.

Black Caps Strike First

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The Black Caps have struck the first blow in the Chappell-Hadlee series, winning a thrilling match off the last ball of the game.

The win has been somewhat overshadowed by an incident involving Australian wicket-keeper, Brad Haddin, who appeared to strike the wickets with his keeping gloves, thus making it appear as though Michael Clarke had bowled Neil Broom. Replays have shown that the ball missed the top of the stumps, and the bails were removed by Haddin's gloves.

Daniel Vettori has called out Haddin, claiming that he must have known Broom had not been bowled, and that his expression at the dismissal proves it so.

The incident happened at a vital time in the Black Caps run chase, when Broom and Ross Taylor were beginning to cruise towards Australia's modest total of 181. It would certainly be hard to prove whether or not Haddin intentionally "cheated", but if he is found guilty he must face a lengthy ban, as that kind of behaviour goes against everything cricket is about.

We'll await more news over the controversy...

The game itself was an edge-of-the-seat type of game, as the Black Caps looked to have blown an easy victory. It took until the very last ball before Vettori hit the winning runs.

The Black Cap bowlers did a fantastic job in limiting the Aussie onslaught - Kyle Mills led the way with four wickets, while Ian O'Brian claimed the vital wickets of Michael Hussey and James Hope, who proved to be the last hope (no pun intended) for the Aussies.

The bowlers were backed up by some fantastic fielding, which led to the crucial run outs of Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke.

While limiting the Aussies to 181 was a fantastic job, the batsmen certainly made hard work of chasing down the total.

McCullum was dismissed off the second ball of the innings, after being given out in what would prove to be the wrong call by the umpire after replays showed McCullum clearly getting bat on ball before it hit his pads. It was unfortunate, but it does happen - as it did to David Hussey in the first innings, when he was given out caught behind when the ball didn't appear to hit his bat.

If it wasn't for Taylor, Broom, and Kyle Mills it would have been an embarrassing loss, but at the end of the day the Black Caps tour has got off to the best possible start. And what's even better is that the Australians horrible run continues.

It's still too early to say the Black Caps will run away with the series, but if the Aussies don't start to improve soon their Summer is going to get a lot worse very quickly - not that we would mind that too much.

The second ODI is on Friday.

New Faces In Black Caps Squad

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Brendon Diamanti and Trent Boult are the new faces in the Black Caps squad named for the upcoming Chappell-Hadlee series in Australia.

Diamanti has been on the New Zealand scene for some time now, and has been rewarded for some good form in this summer's competition. With Jacob Oram still unavailable Diamanti will bolster the Black Caps all-rounder stocks, although there are rumours that Oram may play some part in the series if he overcomes his injury and can prove his fitness is up to scratch. Here's hoping he can - he's such a valuable asset to the Black Caps, and the balance of the team.

Boult makes his way into the squad after a fantastic start to his career in New Zealand. At only 19 years old, Boult joins his Northern Districts teammate Tim Southee as a new generation of Black Caps, and it's clear the selectors are looking to the future with such selections.

Boult's figures in this summer's State Shield are impressive, taking thirteen wickets at an average of 23.84 - not bad for a 19 year old.

Ian O'Brian and Peter Fulton join the squad after missing the ODI series against the West Indies, and other than that it's the same squad.

Brendon McCullum has had an early taste of Australia after being included in the New South Wales T20 team for their final. McCullum was granted a release from his duties with Otago to play in the final. Andrew Symonds has called McCullum's inclusion in the NSW team, as "un-Australian" (and the rest...), but maybe he should be worrying more about his own form.

If the Black Caps are to stand a chance against Australia, McCullum will need to be on top of his game, despite the fact that Australia's form hasn't been red hot as of late.

All we need now is for South Africa to soften them up a bit more before the Chappell-Hadlee series begins next month!

Jimmy Cowan To Captain The Highlanders

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After an up and down 2008, Jimmy Cowan has been given the job of leading the Highlanders in 2009, beating out his Southland teammate Jaime Mackintosh for the role.

Jimmy Cowan had several run-ins with the law last year due to his problems with drinking, which led to him being charged twice for disorderly behaviour in the space of a couple of months, with another charge being dropped by police. His problems with alcohol almost led to him being axed from the All Blacks, and had it not been for the All Blacks management enforcing a complete alcohol ban on Cowan, he would never have had the chance to redeem himself in the black jersey.

Fortunately, he adhered to the liquor ban - and went on to produce some of the best form of his career to date. And, by the end of 2008, he had leap-frogged Andy Ellis and Piri Weepu to become the best halfback in the country.

All his hard work has now paid off, as he becomes the first Southlander to captain the Highlanders. And while he lacks experience captaining, he has a strong group of guys around him who will offer him the support he needs.

Cowan has stated that he will take a lot from what he's learned playing alongside Richie McCaw, and use that to help turn the form of the Highlanders around in 2009. From what we've seen of them at training, we think 2009 will be a major improvement on their 2008 season - which is one best forgotten.

Jaime Mackintosh and Jason Shoemark have been named as vice-captains to Cowan.

It's great to see Cowan taking his rugby more seriously, and giving alcohol the boot - it's saved the career of one of New Zealand's most gifted players.

Super 14 Gets New Referee Law

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The 2009 Super 14 competition is just around the corner, and while the teams are gearing up for a few pre-season games, the laws surrounding the referees is set for a major change.

In the past, all Super 14 games have been refereed by a neutral referee, to avoid any biased of any kind. But as of this year, the referee will be chosen based on form, rather than where they're from. This means we could have an Australian ref officiating a game between the Brumbies and the Crusaders, a South African ref in a game between the Bulls and the Reds, or a New Zealand ref calling a game between the Hurricanes and the Cheetahs.

What this does is force the refs to be in top form every week, because only the best refs will be given games to referee. And although there will be plenty of talk over refs showing biased towards their home team, the Super 14 bosses will be quick to stamp out any cheating.

In cricket, there has never really been an issue with having an umpire from the home country officiating in ODIs, and so rugby should be no different - at least at the Super 14 level. We don't expect the law to flow through into the international arena - that wouldn't be a good idea.

It's crazy to think that the rugby season is almost upon us again - only four weeks to go until the first game between the Highlanders and the Brumbies! It'll be great to get back into the swing of things again, though, especially with much of the Black Caps action being a washout so far.

Black Caps Win - But What Can We Take From It?

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The Black Caps have won the ODI series against the West Indies, after the final ODI in Napier was shortened due (once again) to rain. Under the deeply confusing Duckworth Lewis system, the Black Caps won the ODI by six runs - ending up on 211/5 in the 36th over before the rain caused the end of play.

The West Indies started the day in absolutely devastating form, with Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul spearheading the attack as the Windies piled on 293 runs. Gayle smashed his way to yet another ODI century, finally being dismissed for 135, while Chanderpaul fell six runs short of 100.

Brendon McCullum and Jessie Ryder got New Zealand's run chase off to a good start, and was carried on by Martin Guptill, fresh off his record setting 122* in Auckland, and Ross Taylor, who was left stranded on 48.

Both captains agreed to call the match off, effectively giving the Black Caps the series. It's not the ideal way to win a series, but it really does sum up how the West Indies' tour has gone - wet and miserable.

So, what can the Black Caps take out of the West Indies series? Well, perhaps surprisingly, quite a lot.

Firstly, the concern over our lack of strike bowlers at the top of the innings. Kyle Mills is without doubt our best on offer at the moment, and while he has produced some good form lately, he does have a tendency to follow up a good game with a pretty average one. Mark Gillespie has the pace to lead our attack, but his accuracy is a worry. He is better suited to the fifty over game, and will struggle to make a name for himself in the Test arena based on his performances to date. He would probably benefit from regular game time, though, rather than being dropped all the time.

Secondly, we need to start looking at future replacements for Jacob Oram and Scott Styris, who seem to spend more time on the sideline than they do on the field. Grant Elliott is OK, and shows some promise, but he's a long way of the level Oram and Styris set with both the bat and the ball. Neil Broom certainly has the skills to score runs, and from what we saw in Auckland he can score quickly, but like Elliott he's rather inexperienced. Time will tell for these two...

It's not all doom and gloom, though. Our batting has shown a marked improvement in both forms of the game, especially with the likes of Ryder and Flynn - who have started to prove their worth in the team. Taylor is starting to find some form, too, which will be good for the upcoming ODI series against the Aussies.

As for the new coach, Andy Moles, we think he's started off his career with the Black Caps not too badly. It can't have been easy watching his team get into a commanding position, only to have the weather spoil the party - but based on what we've seen so far, we think he's making the right decisions. As with the players - only time can tell.

The upcoming series against the Aussies should be a cracker, especially as the Aussies seem to have unearthed a new batting 'sensation' in David Warner - who was plucked from obscurity to help lead the Aussies to a win over the South Africans in the first T20 match. Warner hadn't even played a first class game of cricket before being called into the team. Whilst he's failed to ignite in the first two ODI's, doing what he did once means he can do it again - let's just hope it isn't against us.

Lastly, we end on the news that Matthew Hayden has announced his retirement from international cricket. After what's been a pretty tough Summer of cricket for Hayden, the announcement has come as no real surprise. Hayden has certainly been one of Australia's greatest players, and their best opener in Test cricket - and it's another massive loss for Australian cricket as Hayden joins the likes of Warne, Gilchrist, Langer, McGrath and Martin, who have all called an end to their playing days in recent years.

His no-fuss hard-hitting will be missed, in all forms of the game.

How's Luck Runs Out

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Jaime How's run of bad form has forced the selectors hands, as they were faced with no choice but to drop him for the remaining two ODIs against the West Indies. His axing has made way for the young Martin Guptill of Auckland, who made a sensational debut for the Black Caps by scoring a brilliant 122 not out.

Guptill has been knocking on the door for a while now, and has experience playing in the New Zealand A team, including tours to Australia and India last season. His form in this years domestic competition has been very good, including 124 off 97 balls against Northern Districts.

Guptill becomes another in a long line of top order batsmen for the Black Caps in recent years, but if his start is anything to go by then he could just be the answer to the Black Caps problems. Already Daniel Flynn and Jessie Ryder have benefited from Andy Moles tutelage, and Guptill could well benefit from Moles' influence.

As for Jaime How - well, he's going to have to go back to the domestic level and try to regain the form we know he's capable of. If he can manage to do that, then he may have a chance to regain his place in the team for the series against India, but at this stage it's going to take a lot of work by How to regain his place. His one advantage is that he has been working with Martin Crowe on his batting, so who knows?

There may be hope.

His fate is in his own hands, at least, but you've got to wonder how many more chances the selectors will be prepared to give him. Just look at Matthew Sinclair - he's in blistering form this season, but the chances of retaining his return spot with the Black Caps are very slim.

Could this be the last we'll see of Jaime How?

We'll just have to wait and see.

South Africa Create Cricketing History In Australia

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The cricketing world has been privileged to watch one of the great Test series of recent years, with the South African team creating history by beating the Aussies in a Test series for the first time on Australian soil. And the way they went about it was something truly incredible to witness.

This series was always going to be testing for the Aussies, who have looked a shadow of their former selves recently. And although they had opportunities to win in both of the first two Tests, they let those opportunities slip by them - although South Africa still had to do a hell of a lot of work to do to win the first two.

The first Test in Perth was one of the best Tests we've witnessed for some time, with South Africa chasing down a massive 414 runs to win - the second highest ever run chase in Test cricket history. Australia had a chance to put the game beyond doubt, but were bundled out for 319 in their second innings thanks to a good all-round bowling effort by the Proteas. Going into the massive task set by the Aussies, the South African batsmen put on the perfect chase, hunting down the total in spectacular fashion. Graham Smith and AB de Villiers both scored centuries, while Amla, Kallis and JP Duminy (on debut) all chipped in with 50s. It was the perfect start to the tour of Australia, and most importantly it put the Proteas in the box seat.

The second Test continued in much the same way, with Australia looking in control by scoring 394 runs in their first innings. They then had South Africa on the ropes - seven wickets down for 198 runs. What happened on the second day was nothing short of amazing - JP Duminy and Darryl Steyn put on over 150 runs for the 9th wicket, which gave South African a first innings lead. From that moment on, South Africa were back in control, and Australia were fighting to stay in the game. Steyn ripped through the Australian batting lineup, and South Africa were left to chase down 183 - a task they would do with some ease, losing only Smith for 75.

South Africa had the opportunity to move to the top of the Test rankings by beating the Aussies in the third Test, but Australia had a lot of pride on the line, and played as if there was a million dollar prize. Their batting looked a lot sharper, and despite having two rookie bowlers on debut, their bowling looked the best it's been all series. What was amazing about this Test was the run chase in the fourth innings. South Africa were already without Smith, injured in the first innings, and when Steyn was given out late in the day, everyone at the ground (including the players) thought the game was over.

Not so - Smith walked down from the pavilion, suffering from a broken finger on one hand and a damaged elbow on his other arm, to try and help save the Test. It was a valiant effort from the captain, who alongside Ntini brought the game within 7 deliveries of being a draw. Mitchell Johnson finally ended the game, bowling Smith for three, and giving Australia something to smile about after a pretty tough Test series.

The three Tests had so many twists and turns, we were kept on the edge of our seats the entire time - which gave us a nice break from the ho-hum series between New Zealand and the West Indies (the Black Caps won the third ODI, by the way...).

The South Africans have shown the world once again that they are a force to be reckoned with in all forms of the game, and have uncovered some exciting talent. JP Duminy looks to be an exciting prospect in the middle of the order, and will give the selectors a few headaches once Prince is available for selection. Steyn has also shown us that he is fastly becoming (if he's not already there) the best bowler in the game today, and after what he's shown us with the bat, who knows - maybe he could become more of an all rounder...

Australia are in somewhat of a crisis now. Hayden is having trouble scoring any runs, and many people are calling for his retirement. At this point he shows no sign of quitting the game, though, although he's been dropped from the ODI squad - so his days in the coloured uniform may well be over. Bowling wise (other than Mithchell Johnson) none of the bowlers have looked to really threaten consistently. What is apparent is that they are no longer the only heavyweights of the cricketing world, and despite what the rankings say, it appears that India and South Africa are pulling away at the top of the cricketing world.

The beauty in all of this is that these two teams will go head to head in a couple of months, this time on the lethal pitches of South Africa. This could be the opportunity for South Africa to slam an explanation point on this heated rivalry.

We can't wait!

Black Caps vs West Indies, 3rd ODI

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The Black Caps will take on the West Indies in the third ODI on Wednesday, after going down in the second one dayer - which was shortened to 28 overs due to rain. Given that the first ODI was washed out completely, the Black Caps are now in a do-or-die situation, and they will be desperate to put their efforts so far this summer behind them.

While they haven't been playing badly, they've struggled to capitalise on their home ground advantage, especially in the two Tests where all they could manage were draws.

There are several players in the team who need to step up and start scoring runs, because thus far we've relied too much on one or two players to score the runs, and then hoped for some serious tail-wagging. It's time the Black Caps stopped having to rely on those few who do step up. There are eleven players in the team, and they all need to go out there and do their job.

The West Indies have a similar problem, where they rely too heavily on Gayle, Sarwan and Chanderpaul, while the rest of the guys seem to coast by on the efforts of the big three. It was an impressive finish to the second ODI, and the way they fought back to claim victory was great to watch, but what they were effectively playing was a slightly extended T20 match - which they are traditionally good at. Had the game gone the full fifty overs, the story may not have been the same.

Which brings us to our next point - why the hell do they cut the games down to such a ridiculous amount of overs? It's crazy that instead of playing 100 overs of cricket, we get short changed to less than 60. Whatever happened to postponing the game until the next day? At least that way we get the full game, not just a shortened waste of time.

Hopefully the New Zealand weather can clear up for the remainder of the summer, and we'll get to watch some proper cricket.

There's a bit of good news, though. The Indian cricket board has requested that they extend the Indian tour to New Zealand by adding an extra Test. It would be crazy for the New Zealand cricket board to refuse this, as we all know the Indians carry a huge financial weight behind them which could really benefit New Zealand cricket. It would be great for the Black Caps to get some more Tests under their belts, especially against the in-form Indian side.

Let's hope the NZ cricket board do the right thing, and accept the deal.

Top 5...Biggest Sporting Stories of 2008

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Well, sports fans - 2008 has come to a close, so we thought we'd take a look back at the five biggest stories (in our opinion) of 2008. This wasn't easy, either - there have been some very interesting stories and events to emerge this year.

5. The Beijing Olympics
There were a lot of questions about whether or not China could host a successful Olympics, but they put forward a solid effort, and despite some pretty average crowd turnouts, the games themselves were very entertaining - especially for us New Zealanders, who had one of our most successful games in recent times.

The games themselves were almost entirely dominated by two individuals - Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt - both of whom captured our imaginations with some truly spectacular performances. Phelps set a new record by winning eight Gold medals in the pool, while Bolt blitzed the rest of the field in the 100 and 200m, before helping Jamaica to Gold in the 4x100 relay. The scary thing was that Bolt never looked to get out of 3rd gear, and he still dominated. Just imagine him at full pace...

The Beijing games were well organised, and have seemed to re-spark interest in the Olympics.

Bring on London in 2012!

4. Graham Henry vs Robbie Deans
After the All Blacks bailed out of last years World Cup in unspectacular fashion, many called for Graham Henry to get the chop, and for Robbie Deans to be given the job as All Blacks coach. After so many successful years in charge of the Canterbury Crusaders, all signs pointed to Deans getting the job, but to the surprise of many the NZRU reappointed Henry - along with Wayne Smith and Steve Hanson. Not long after that Australia snapped up Deans, and the Henry vs Deans saga kicked up a notch.

When the All Blacks and the Wallabies met in their first encounter, most of the focus was on the coaches rather than the players - it really was quite strange.

When the Wallabies won the first encounter, thanks in part to the All Blacks playing terribly (rather than the Wallabies playing spectacularly), most of New Zealand began to think the wrong man had been given the All Blacks job. But within a week the All Blacks were back on top, completely outplaying the Wallabies in Auckland. The All Blacks went on to beat the Wallabies in the last two Tests as well, giving Henry a 3-1 victory over Deans.

While many people were outraged at Henry's reappointment, you can't argue with the results he's helped produce. The All Blacks are back on top where they should be, and that has a lot to do with Henry. The Wallabies, on the other hand, haven't really shown any marked improvement from recent years, so it's going to be interesting to see what Deans does next year.

3. Bracewell finally departs
This story was pretty big for us, because we'd been calling for Bracewell to step down for some time. So, when he finally did at the end of the Tests against Australia, we were two of the happiest people in the world. The Black Caps were not showing any signs of improvement under Bracewell, and since Andy Moles has taken the reigns several players have already shown huge improvement.

Flynn moving up the order has been a success already, as has Ryder moving to five. Both players have gone on to score some runs, and while neither has made 100 they look like they aren't far away from their maiden tons. Tim Mcintosh has shown early on he has the makings of a good opener, making his first Test century against the West Indies in Napier.
We have to remember that it's early days yet for Moles, but the signs so far are looking pretty good.

2. The Sonny Bill Williams saga
In a matter of days Sonny went from one of the most loved men in Australia to one of the most hated. Not satisfied with his lot at the Bulldogs, Sonny up and left his club to take up a contract with French rugby team, Toulon. There was a problem with that, though - he was going against his current contract with the Bulldogs, who were prepared to take the matter to court if Sonny took the field for Toulon. It got to the point where Sonny was facing serious problems with the law, but fortunately for him the matter was eventually resolved.

Sonny's contract with the Bulldogs was paid out by Anthony Mundine, but it has meant that Sonny can't return to the NRL until 2012, which is a major loss for rugby league.
Sonny's departure really hit the rugby league world hard, and it will take a lot of time before loyal Bulldogs fans can ever forgive him - if they ever can. He would have to be pretty brave to step back into Bulldogs territory any time soon...

While he isn't exactly setting the rugby world alight, he certainly isn't disgracing himself, despite getting sin binned in his first game for a shoulder charge. It's going to be interesting to see if he can make the All Blacks some time in the future, as he's certainly an asset for any team - whether in rugby or league.

1. Kiwis win rugby league World Cup
By far the greatest moment of 2008, and possibly of our sporting lives. Beaten 32-6 by the Aussies in the first game of the World Cup, very few people gave them a chance of winning when they met the Aussies in the Grand Final. But this was to be a game no one would forget, as the Kiwis put on the performance of a life time to beat the Kangaroos 34-20, winning their first ever rugby league World Cup.

The Kangaroos were playing as though they had the game in the bag, and the mistakes began to pile up, while the Kiwis maintained their composure as they pushed the lead out to a fourteen point margin.

The feeling at the final whistle was something we'll never forget - finally the Kiwis had won the World Cup, and in spectacular fashion. The fallout for the Kangaroos was disappointing, to say the least. Ricky Stuart abused the referee, which eventually cost him his job. His actions were disgraceful, and he deserved what he got. In all honesty, he should be banned from coaching completely for the way he acted. Rugby league doesn't need that kind of behaviour - the players do a good enough job of tainting its name.

But all that doesn't really matter for us Kiwis, who got to end the year on an absolute high. It was a moment that we'll remember for a lifetime, and we can just see us talking about the day the Kiwis conquered the rugby league world fifty years from now, when we're old and grey.

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We'd like to thank everyone for taking the time out to read our thoughts on the sporting world during 2008. We're back bigger and stronger in 2009, ready to start another year of sporting action.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!

Chris and Israel..... the Sports Fanatics.

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