Travesty at Stadium Otago, that Black Shirt

The Rugby World Cup's off to a fantastic start.
Last night's first up for England and Argentina in front of a full and party-mode stadium was a gripper.
Argentina laid their lives on the line, and England...... played like pugilists, (Johnny Wilkinson apart).
The way a rib injured and just taped up Contepomi was smack tackled mid-riff was some distance from the gentlemanly manner England claims is its province.

And what's more they flogged our jersey to do it in.
How on earth the world body of rugby let a team get away with strategic crap like that I dunno.
They did it to us last RWC making the AB's play in some non-descript strip against Scotland.
Its time some Europeans got displaced from the international board.

Its great how "sporting" teams reflect national character.
In England's case, getting themselves a black strip was a great way to unsettle NZ, bit like Quade Cooper's constant needling of Richie McCaw conveniently assumes an unsettling role.
I had a laugh that Cricket NZ ignored the experience of 138 tests held by Turner, Greatbatch, and Rutherford to appoint Bowl's Australia's high performance manager (with little more cricket experience than club "hack"), to the newly formed post of national selection manager, inferring we need to add the something at the top that we're missing, and what makes Aussie a great sporting nation.
Well..., have to hand it to them, they are, and it might help overcome our in the shade attitude, but I hope we dont get some of the "rub it in" that goes with losing to the green and gold.
I dont think we need it.

The AB's got through their first encounter, against Tonga unscathed. I dont think the accolades over their win, are entirely warranted, Tonga just didnt come to the party like they normally violently do, that was England's domain on the night.
SBW? Well, I dunno just yet, certainly his best AB performance this season. I'm just a Ma'a fan that's all, and haven't seen anything convincing enough yet to ring in substantial changes.

Win, lose, or draw, I just want to see the AB's play fast, creative, and entertaining rugby and I'll still love them, even if they dont win the Cup