New Zealand (NZL), Rugby World Cup - from hakas to hwyl

Swot up on your Rugby World Cup trivia as Ian Gilbert continues his series with the lowdown on pre-match rituals.

What’s the history of the All Blacks’ haka?

There are few more electrifying sights (and sounds) in sport than the haka. Just before kick-off, as New Zealand deliver their challenge to the opposition, the stadium crackles with excitement. Strictly, a haka is the generic name for a Maori dance, of which the All Blacks’ pre-match display is just one (two, if you consider they sometimes use the All Blacks-specific Kapa o Pango - first performed in 2005 - as well as the more traditional Ka Mate, Ka Mate).

The call to arms is taken from a traditional dance used to prepare warriors for battle. First performed on the New Zealand Native Team’s 1888/89 tour of Britain, it was generally used only while on tour, but at the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 it became a fixture before every Test.

Which haka to use, and who leads it, is decided by the team before each Test. One of the most passionate exponents was Wayne 'Buck' Shelford who, when he assumed the captaincy just after the RWC 1987, took his team-mates to a Maori school to see the students perform a traditional haka.

Doesn’t it give the All Blacks an unfair advantage?

New Zealanders would argue it’s every bit as much their heritage as the national anthem (God Defend New Zealand, which is also performed). Samoa, Tonga and Fiji also have pre-match dances – the manu siva tau, kailao and the cibi respectively.

Opinions differ as to how opponents should best counteract the psychological stirrings of the haka, ranging from indifference (Australia's David Campese would continue with his warm-up) to upfront hostility (during New Zealand's 1989 tour match against Ireland, Willie Anderson advanced on the New Zealand formation to finish nose-to-nose with Shelford).

Shontayne Hape, England’s Maori-descent centre who has also played rugby league for New Zealand, told London’s Daily Telegraph before playing against the country of his birth last year: “I have done it [the haka] before but if I give any advice to my team-mates it will be to stand tall, stare them back in the eyes and let them know we will accept the challenge.”

If a Scottish athlete wins gold at the Olympics for Great Britain, they play God Save the Queen, so when Scotland compete at rugby, why do they sing Flower of Scotland?

God Save the Queen is the national anthem for the United Kingdom – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. So, when those countries compete under the GB banner it’s one anthem for all; when playing rugby, they assume their individual rallying cry. The Welsh have Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers), the Scots Flower of Scotland, while Ireland, competing as a united side, will sing Ireland’s Call (for Dublin games the Republic’s anthem, The Soldier’s Song, is also sung). England stick with God Save the Queen, though there has been debate about using a dedicated song such as Jerusalem, which is used at the Commonwealth Games.

Should I be worried if I see a Frenchman with a cockerel stuffed in his bag?

Don’t worry – it’s not an animal rights stunt, though it might cause stadium security staff a few headaches. French fans have traditionally tried to smuggle a cockerel into grounds and when les Tricolores get their noses in front, that’s when le coq sticks his beak in, being surreptitiously released onto the terrain.

What about individual beliefs and superstitions?

Michael Jones, the New Zealand flanker who starred in the 1987 and 1991 campaigns, refused to play on Sundays due to his religious faith. Other players have had slightly more secular beliefs. Australian legend David Campese always insisted on running out last. England’s Jonny Wilkinson never warms up in his England shirt – though he prefers to call this part of his routine rather than a superstition.

And number 13 – lucky for some?

Will Greenwood’s superstition was something of a reverse ritual. England’s inside centre in the 2003 Final victory over Australia preferred to wear the 13 shirt, despite playing inside Mike Tindall. However, his compatriot Jeremy Guscott played in the 1991, 1995 and 1999 tournaments as outside centre but wore the 12 shirt.

Food for thought

Jonah Lomu, the New Zealand wing who made mincemeat of opposition defences in 1995 and 1999, had a pre-match meal that was as much about sustenance as superstition: mashed potatoes, spaghetti and six egg whites.

Now for Wales. Who or what is ‘hwyl’, and is it their 16th man?

The Welsh refer to the emotion of “hwyl” - roughly translated as patriotic fervour, and pronounced 'hoyle'. The Welsh fans maintain the country's strong musical tradition. When the first strains of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau float across the stadia of the North Island, expect the travelling support to be in good voice.

Rugby world cup stage Japan aiming to reach new position

Rugby world cup (RWC) stage Japan aiming to reach new position

Japan ended a run of 13 consecutive RWC defeats with a 12-12 draw with Canada at France 2007 and the Canucks, along with Tonga, are the sides that Kirwan’s men will be aiming to beat in New Zealand.

The last time John Kirwan was involved in a Rugby World Cup on home soil he proved one of the stars of the tournament, helping New Zealand to lift the Webb Ellis Cup back in 1987.

Twenty-four years on that remains the All Blacks’ only RWC success, but while Kirwan hopes that monkey will disappear from New Zealand backs, he has another target in mind, helping Japan secure their most successful ever tournament.

Kirwan, heading to his second RWC as Japan coach, has set the Brave Blossoms the target of winning two of their Pool A matches, a return which would secure them automatic qualification for RWC 2015 as the third ranked team.

However, Kirwan also wants Japan to be competitive in their first two matches against France on 10 September at North Harbour Stadium, and hosts New Zealand four days later in Hamilton.

More complete outfit

“I am very happy with the side,” said Kirwan. “We have spent the last four years putting the team together and everyone understands how we want to play. We have a good mix of youth and experience.

“We are a much more complete team than four years ago. It’s very important that we go to the World Cup with a settled side. This is a well established team, but they will need to prepare as it will be pretty intense over there.

“It’s important that we achieve the goals we set four years ago and that means being competitive in the first two games and winning the last two.”

Takeshi Kikutani will captain a squad comprising 16 forwards and 14 backs with Sione Vatuvei the only player to make the cut who didn’t feature in the successful HSBC Asian 5 Nations and IRB Pacific Nations Cup campaigns in 2011.

Vatuvei, who will follow in the footsteps of his older brother Luatangi Samurai Vatuvei - a member of the Japan squad at RWC 2007, earned his spot at the expense of Tadasuke Nishihara, labelled “a good player for the future” by Kirwan.

The vastly experienced wings Hitoshi Ono and Hirotoki Onozawa are the two oldest players in the Brave Blossoms’ squad at 33, while flanker Michael Leitch is the youngest member at 22.

Japan squad for RWC 2011:

Forwards: Hisateru Hirashima, Naoki Kawamata, Yusuke Aoki, Shota Horie, Hiroki Yuhara, Kensuke Hatakeyama, Nozomu Fujita, Hitoshi Ono, Toshizumi Kitagawa, Luke Thompson, Justin Ives, Takashi Kikutani (captain), Michael Leitch, Sione Vatuvei, Ryukoliniasi Holani, Itaru Taniguchi.

Backs: Fumiaki Tanaka, Tomoki Yoshida, Atsushi Hiwasa, James Arlidge, Murray Williams (Toyota Industries Shuttles), Yuta Imamura, Ryan Nicholas, Koji Taira, Alisi Tupuailai, Hirotoki Onozawa, Kosuke Endo, Takehisa Usuzuki, Shaun Webb, Taihei Ueda.

Squad subject to RWCL approval.

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rugby Wales VS Argentina

International Rugby Events

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All kind of International Rugby Events, like June Tours, Pacific cups and all others

Wales vs. Argentina

Match scheduled:
20-08-2011 from 13:30 until 15:30

Tendulkar made an unbeaten 152

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar scored his 48th Test hundred to lead India’s fightback on the third day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Colombo on Wednesday.

The batting maestro reached his ton in 167 balls which was studded with 13 boundaries and a six.

Suresh Raina scored a fighting century on debut and Sachin Tendulkar made an unbeaten 152 as India avoided the follow on Thursday in the second test against Sri Lanka.

Resuming day four at 382-4 and needing 61 more runs to avoid the follow on, Raina and Tendulkar added 95 runs in the opening session to reach 477-4 at lunch. They had added an unbroken 236 runs for the fifth wicket.

Tendulkar recorded his 48th test century, facing 264 balls, hitting 20 fours and a six. Raina was unbeaten on 112, facing 213 balls and hitting 11 fours and two sixes. He became the ninth Indian to score a century on his test debut.

Sri Lanka scored 642-4 in its first innings and leads the series 1-0. With only eight wickets having fallen in 10 sessions, the game looked headed toward a draw.

India was vulnerably placed on 241-4 on Wednesday needing 200 more runs to avoid the follow-on when Tendulkar and Raina paired together.

Tendulkar made Sri Lanka pay for a dropped catch by wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene off seamer Dilhara Fernanado when he was 29 runs, scoring his sixth test century for 2010.

India started a strong reply to Sri Lanka's first innings score Wednesday with openers Virender Sehwag and Murali Vijay sharing 165 runs, but Sri Lanka spinners Suraj Randiv and Ajantha Mendis struck back taking two wickets each.

India were vulnerably placed on 243/4 at tea on day three needing 200 runs to avoid follow on, but it reached 382/4 at stumps. India just need 61 runs to avoid follow on with six wickets in hand.

Tendulkar, who holds the record of scoring highest number of centuries, played brilliant cricket with Suresh Raina to dominate the day.

Sachin also equalled the former Australian captain Steve Waugh's Test record to have played the most number of matches (168).

Tendulkar shared an unbroken 141-run partnership for the fifth wicket with debutant Suresh Raina.

Tendulkar was unbeaten on 108 at stumps while Raina, who made a half-century in his maiden Test innings, was not out on 66 off 133 balls, including eight boundaries.

Earlier, VVS Laxman departed after a slow partnership with Sachin Tendulkar to leave India tottering at 243 for four at tea.

Tendulkar and Laxman almost batted through the second session but Ajantha Mendis broke the slow 68-run stand by trapping the stylish Hyderabadi 10 minutes before tea break.

Tendulkar, who was dropped on 29 by Prasanna Jayawardene off Dilhara Fernando, was batting on 39 and debutant Suresh Raina was yet to open his account.

Laxman (29) and Tendulkar dug in went about their business slowly and raised a stand of 68-run to deny the Lankan bowlers any success for almost two hours.

The mid-session produced 70 runs after the troubled opening session, which saw India being jolted by three quick blows including that of explosive Virender Sehwag.

Tendukar's runs came off 95 balls while Laxman consumed 98 balls for his 29-run knock.

The duo slowed down the proceedings by playing a lot of dot balls and relied on ones and twos to keep the scoreboard moving.

Laxman was lucky as his edges, off spinner Suraj Randiv and paceman Dammika Prasad, fell short of fielders.

Laxman finally got out as he failed to read a Mendis googly and was caught in front of the wicket.

Maradona Claims Betrayal by soccer officials

Maradona Claims Betrayal by Argentina Officials

Diego Maradona said he was lied to and betrayed by Argentina soccer officials who decided not to renew his contract as coach of the national team. Maradona, whose team was beaten by Germany in a World Cup quarterfinal, said Carlos Bilardo, the national team director, and Julio Grondona, the association president, worked to undermine him. Maradona, 49, read from a script in a restaurant in a Buenos Aires suburb and took no questions.

In a meeting Monday, Bilardo asked Maradona to continue without seven of his assistants. Maradona said he could not meet those conditions.

Diego Maradona said he was the subject of lies and betrayal by soccer officials after his contract as coach of Argentina’s national team wasn’t renewed.

Maradona, who guided his country to the World Cup quarterfinals this month, said yesterday that he was “lied to” by Argentine Football Association President Julio Grondona and had been “betrayed” by national team manager Carlos Bilardo.

“All my team and I were ready to continue,” Maradona, 49, told reporters on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. “They called me to put out a fire and we put it out. I’ve given everything.”

The association’s executive committee “unanimously resolved” not to extend his deal two days ago because Maradona rejected requests to change his aides, committee member Rafael Savino said. Maradona told Argentine television this week that he wouldn’t continue in the post he took in late 2008 if the association insisted on changes to his backroom team.

“I stand by all my people, from the masseuse to the equipment man,” Maradona said yesterday, reading from a prepared statement. His staff included two doctors, two assistant coaches, two physical trainers, a press officer and a kitman.

Maradona said that Grondona told him after the World Cup quarterfinal loss to Germany on July 3 that he wanted him to continue. When the pair met three days ago, Grondona said that seven of his aides had to leave, according to Maradona.

‘Impossible’

“By telling me that, he was in fact telling me that he didn’t want me to stay,” Maradona said. “He knows that it would have been impossible for me to continue if my aides wouldn’t continue.”

Association spokesman Ernesto Cherquis Bialo didn’t return a phone call from Bloomberg seeking comment.

Maradona, who led Argentina to its last World Cup title in 1986 and the final four years later, took over the national team in November 2008. He used more than 100 players, winning 18 and losing six of his 24 international games in charge.

Argentina lost six matches in 2009, the first time since 1919 that it had so many defeats in a calendar year. Maradona didn’t oversee that year’s loss to Catalonia because he was banned for a profanity-laced tirade toward journalists following a World Cup qualifying game.

In South Africa, Argentina exited in a 4-0 defeat to Germany that was its most lopsided World Cup loss in 36 years.

Maradona’s team finished fifth at the tournament, according to soccer governing body FIFA, Argentina’s best result since losing in the 1990 final.

Batista, Bilardo

Sergio Batista, the coach of Argentina’s under-20 team, will lead the senior squad in its next match, an Aug. 11 exhibition against Ireland. Batista played with Maradona at the 1986 World Cup and coached Argentina to the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Bilardo, who coached Argentina at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups, will continue in his role, Cherquis Bialo said two days ago. Bilardo took the position when Maradona was named coach in 2008. Last year, Bilardo told reporters he would quit if Maradona left the national team.

Argentina is scheduled to host next year’s Copa America as it seeks a first major trophy at the senior level since 1993.

Pakistan Plane Crash

A total of 152 people were confirmed to have been killed in a plane crash that occurred Wednesday morning in the Margalla hills in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, reported local media.

Among the killed, there were six crew members including two pilots and 146 passengers, said the report, adding that all the people aboard the plane have been killed in the disaster, including at least 20 women and seven children as well as two Americans.

It was the worst plane crash ever in Pakistan, and rescue workers battled fires and muddy conditions as they searched in vain to find survivors on the densely wooded hillside where the flight went down.

The crash left twisted metal wreckage hanging from trees and scattered across the ground on a bed of broken branches. Clouds of dense gray smoke rose up from the burning wreckage as a helicopter hovered above.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar said the government does not suspect terrorism.

The plane left the southern city of Karachi at 7:45 a.m. for a two-hour Airblue flight to Islamabad and was trying to land during cloudy and rainy weather, said Pervez George, a civil aviation official.

Airblue is a private service based in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, and Wednesday's flight was believed to be carrying mostly Pakistanis.

Rescue workers scouring the heavily forested hills recovered nearly 80 bodies from the wreckage, said Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority in a statement.

The flight was carrying 146 passengers and six crew members, said George. The aircraft was an Airbus A321, and the flight number was ED202, he said.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik initially said five people survived the crash and were rescued, but those reports turned out to be wrong.

The crash site covered a large area on both sides of the hills, including a section behind Faisal Mosque, one of Islamabad's most prominent landmarks, and not far from the Daman-e-Koh resort.

At the Islamabad airport, hundreds of friends and relatives of those on board the flight swarmed ticket counters desperately seeking information. A large cluster of people also surrounded a passenger list posted near the Airblue ticket counter.

Saqlain Altaf told Pakistan's ARY news channel he was on a family outing in the hills when he saw the plane looking unsteady in the air. "The plane had lost balance, and then we saw it going down," he said, adding he heard the thunderous crash.

The Pakistan Airline Pilot Association said the plane appeared to have strayed off course, possibly because of the poor weather.

Raheel Ahmed, a spokesman for the airline, said an investigation would be launched into the cause of the crash. The plane had no known technical issues, and the pilots did not send any emergency signals, Ahmed said.

Airbus said it would provide technical assistance to Pakistani authorities responsible for the investigation. The aircraft was initially delivered in 2000, and was leased to Airblue in January 2006. It accumulated about 34,000 flight hours during some 13,500 flights, it said.

The last major plane crash in Pakistan was in July 2006 when a Fokker F-27 twin-engine aircraft operated by Pakistan International Airlines slammed into a wheat field on the outskirts of the central Pakistani city of Multan, killing all 45 people on board.

Airblue flies within Pakistan as well as internationally to the United Arab Emirates, Oman and the United Kingdom.

The only previous recorded accident for Airblue, a carrier that began flying in 2004, was a tail-strike in May 2008 at Quetta airport by one of the airline's Airbus A321 jets. There were no casualties and damage was minimal, according to the U.S.-based Aviation Safety Network.

The Airbus A320 family of medium-range jets, which includes the A321 model that crashed Wednesday, is one of the most popular in the world, with about 4,000 jets delivered since deliveries began in 1988.

Twenty-one of the aircraft have been lost in accidents since then, according to the Aviation Safety Network's database. The deadliest was a 2007 crash at landing in Sao Paolo by Brazil's TAM airline, in which all 187 people on board perished, along with 12 others on the ground.

The crash left twisted metal wreckage hanging from trees and scattered across the ground on a bed of broken branches. Clouds of dense gray smoke rose up from the burning wreckage as a helicopter hovered above.

"I'm seeing only body parts," Dawar Adnan, a rescue worker with the Pakistan Red Crescent, said by telephone from the crash site. "This is a very horrible scene. We have scanned almost all the area, but there is no chance of any survivors."

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar said the government does not suspect terrorism.

Rescue workers scouring the heavily forested hills recovered nearly 80 bodies from the wreckage, said Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority in a statement.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik initially said five people survived the crash and were rescued, but those reports turned out to be wrong.

The crash site covered a large area on both sides of the hills, including a section behind Faisal Mosque, one of Islamabad's most prominent landmarks, and not far from the Daman-e-Koh resort.

At the Islamabad airport, hundreds of friends and relatives of those on board the flight swarmed ticket counters desperately seeking information. A large cluster of people also surrounded a passenger list posted near the Airblue ticket counter.

Saqlain Altaf told Pakistan's ARY news channel he was on a family outing in the hills when he saw the plane looking unsteady in the air. "The plane had lost balance, and then we saw it going down," he said, adding he heard the thunderous crash.

The Pakistan Airline Pilot Association said the plane appeared to have strayed off course, possibly because of the poor weather.

Raheel Ahmed, a spokesman for the airline, said an investigation would be launched into the cause of the crash. The plane had no known technical issues, and the pilots did not send any emergency signals, Ahmed said.

Airbus said it would provide technical assistance to Pakistani authorities responsible for the investigation. The aircraft was initially delivered in 2000, and was leased to Airblue in January 2006. It accumulated about 34,000 flight hours during some 13,500 flights, it said.

The last major plane crash in Pakistan was in July 2006 when a Fokker F-27 twin-engine aircraft operated by Pakistan International Airlines slammed into a wheat field on the outskirts of the central Pakistani city of Multan, killing all 45 people on board.

Airblue flies within Pakistan as well as internationally to the United Arab Emirates, Oman and the United Kingdom.

The only previous recorded accident for Airblue, a carrier that began flying in 2004, was a tail-strike in May 2008 at Quetta airport by one of the airline's Airbus A321 jets. There were no casualties and damage was minimal, according to the U.S.-based Aviation Safety Network.

The Airbus A320 family of medium-range jets, which includes the A321 model that crashed Wednesday, is one of the most popular in the world, with about 4,000 jets delivered since deliveries began in 1988.

Twenty-one of the aircraft have been lost in accidents since then, according to the Aviation Safety Network's database. The deadliest was a 2007 crash at landing in Sao Paolo by Brazil's TAM airline, in which all 187 people on board perished, along with 12 others on the ground.