December 1st is the first official day of summer here in New Zealand. The above photograph of a Jacaranda, one of hundreds in bloom here at this time of the year, is perhaps inappropriate as the tree is not a New Zealand native species but the Pohutakawa which is and commonly known as the Kiwi Christmas Tree, has yet to put on its finest display.
This first week in December was a milestone in my treatment for myeloma as it was the last chemotherapy of the cycle. It has been eight long months of treatment having to suffer the many side effects in addition to the grief of losing my wife so an end to the chemo is something of a relief. Those side effects can take as long, if not longer, to dissipate after treatment stops as the chemo itself so I am not expecting any sudden relief.
With the myeloma now under control the next question is how long will that be before a relapse occurs which is inevitable. The prognosis is almost impossible to predict and could be measured in months or years. After a relapse you go back to chemo again which is never so effective the second time around. So far there is no cure for myeloma but new drugs are continually being trialled and life expectancy extended.
After my wife Sue died of secondary bone cancer in May 2020, the combination of my treatment for myeloma and the Covid 19 virus epidemic kept me trapped here in New Zealand. The recent discovery of vaccines to protect against the virus plus an end to my chemo treatment should mean I can now return home to the UK, however, I would be foolish to do so in the middle of a UK winter with the virus still a threat and my immune system currently in a much weakened state. I am therefore planning a return mid April 2021 when the UK might be a safer place.
More Humour from Uncle Murdo
Pam Ayres is a funny poet from Berkshire although some of you, particularly the younger generation or those who live outside the UK, may not have heard of her. Here she talks about retirement and how married couples get on with it, in particular if you live with a husband who knows it all.
She is like a stand-up comedienne but one who mostly gives her performance in rhyming doggerel on a multiplicity of subjects and has an accent more like Dorset, Devon or Somerset than the Berkshire county of her birth. I assume Uncle Murdo sent me this as he suspects me of being a know-it-all or he might have finally realised that he is equally guilty as he does ask; "Ring any Bells?!!x"
English Premiership Rugby, Tri Nations & Autumn Cup.
Northampton began the game by having to defend their try line as Brissle closed in for the kill but they did so brilliantly and turned the ball over quickly getting on the front foot. It was evident this was a team determined to play a different game to the previous 9 which they had lost. Ribbans soon crossed the Brissle line with a well worked try and within 10 minutes they had another going 14 points up.
The Saints continued to dominate the game and looked certain to break their duck but Brissle, despite a series of turnovers, poor handling and missed easy penalty goals, doggedly fought back to within 2 points when in the final minute referee Luke Pierce decreed the Saints had deliberately knocked on and Brissle scored a difficult penalty goal for an undeserved 19-18 win.
Bath managed finally to break their duck at Sixways against Worcester. They began badly and I feared the worse when Matavesi and Priestland were both taken off after Head Injury Assessments. Cameron Redpath took over as fly half and Fly Half Ben Spencer the place kicking duties and both did sterling jobs but we might be without an experienced fly half for the European match next week against Scarlets. We ended up with 5 tries and a 17-33 win.
GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP Round 3
Pos
Team
Pl
W
D
L
Pts
1
Exeter Chiefs
3
3
0
0
15
2
Newcastle Falcons
3
3
0
0
12
3
Bristol Bears
3
2
0
1
10
4
Sale Sharks
3
2
0
1
10
5
Harlequins
3
2
0
1
10
6
Bath Rugby
3
1
0
2
6
7
London Irish
3
1
0
1
5
8
Leicester Tigers
3
1
0
1
5
9
Gloucester Rugby
3
1
0
1
5
10
Wasps
3
1
0
1
5
11
Worcester Warriors
3
1
0
1
4
11
Northampton Saints
3
0
0
3
2
Gloucester seem to be going backwards and despite being on the front foot for most of the game lost 24-34 against Quins at Kingsholm. At Orange Sucking they were 10-10 then a few minutes into the second half Andre Esterhuizen was red carded for a dangerous tackle then a yellow to Glen Young meant Quins were down to 13 men during which time Quins scored another try and Glaws scored nothing! They came back at the end with a couple of tries and Quins were lucky with some of the ref's decisions but the 2,000 faithful who were let in to watch must have gone home disconsolate.
Newcastle demonstrated they are no flash in the pan as they travelled to the Ricoh and gave they Waspies something to think about winning 17-27. Sale also had an away win against London Irish 13-21 while Exeter did the ususal demolition job to stay top of the table beating Leicester 13-35.
The Tri-Nations was decided as expected with the All Blacks winning the championship as the Wobblies still failed to beat the Pumas and tied yet another game 16-16 in really wet conditions in Sydney.
England struggled against a 3rd XV French side in the Autumn Cup Final. Owen Farrell left his kicking boots at home and missed 3 penalties while both sides played arial ping pong. France were about to seal a famous victory at the finish 12-19 when a dodgy decision from the ref awarded England a penalty which Ford kicked into the corner and Cowan-Dicke went over for the try to level the score.
It was then into 10 minutes either way extra time with a sudden death finish, the first team to score a point wins. Farrell missed another kick at goal in the first 10 minutes but redeemed himself in the second with perhaps the most difficult one and we won 22-19. If I was a Frog I would not be 'appy and they were not. My prediction is that in the Six Nations the French 1st XV will demolish England unless they change their game plan.
The Mendip Cave Registry and Archive (MCRA)
I was contacted recently by Maurice Hewins of the Wessex Cave Club who sent me the words of a caving song I had forgotten and which I have now added to the collection on this web site. The song collection has been archived by the MCRA on their web site for posterity but Maurice would like to make a recording of a bunch of cavers singing the songs and when I return to the UK next year I will organise a singing session on Mendip to do just that.
In the meantime Maurice has made the above video of some of the songs which is a sort of documentary of their origin. These songs are possibly one of the most recent examples of genuine folk songs and are a history of Mendip caving in the 50's and 60's. You can now subscribe to the YouTube MCRA channel here where you will find a collection of videos about Mendip Caving.
Brexit negotiations
These never ending talks that keep being extended look as though they might be coming to an end finally although I anticipate we will still be talking to the EU about a Free Trade Deal for the next 10 years. I appreciate that many of you have no interest in this subject but if you wish to read more then you can expand the page by clicking here.
Boris has returned from a meeting with the boss of the EU, Ms.Ursula von der Leyen, to ask for an EU trade deal who said "Nein Boris, Setzen Sie jetzt Ihre Maske wieder auf" to which Boris replied "den mas gamas Ursula?" a rather rude Greek phrase used in Greek shipyards extensively! They did however agree to keep their negotiators talking until Sunday when we have yet another 'final' day before we both agree to disagree. Problem is that both sides say they will keep talking ad infinitum as neither want to be accused of giving up.
I do not think that, even if they manage to reach some sort of bare bones free trade agreement (FTA), they will never reach a conclusion that is wholly acceptable to both. This is because there is a fundamental difference in philosophy between what the UK and EU see as the purpose of a FTA. The UK wants to open up markets with a FTA while the EU wants to use it to protect its closed market and while that state of affairs exists it is no wonder that it can take 10 years to negotiate a FTA with the EU and why it has no deals with most of the major trading nations of the world.
Added to the above division of philosophy, the EU wants to keep the UK shackled to its directives, past, present and future as if we were some sort of EU associate member thereby keeping the trade imbalance that now exists. It says that this is necessary to maintain a 'level playing field' and we must agree to 'sufficiently high and comparable standards' now and in perpetuity. No mention of the EU keeping up with British standards? Britain has said it will not lower its standards but can not agree to have future standards imposed on it by other nations or not have complete control over its territorial waters. The EU also wants its own court, the European Court of Justice (ECJ), to arbitrate disputes but the UK wants independent arbiters.
Napoleon Macron says that Britain will come back cap in hand pleading for a trade deal once the tariffs begin to bite if there is no deal. Britain imports 26% of our food from the EU and he perhaps forgets that we do not have to charge importers from outside the EU the crippling tariffs that protect his agriculture. The EU tariffs will make EU produce prohibitively expensive. France spends 0.76% of GDP on state aid. Britain spends 0.36% so that is not a very level playing field.
EU Beef tariffs on imports are currently 12.8% and subject to quotas. Australia and Argentina must be champing at the bit to get unlimited quantities of their beef on to UK dinner tables 12.8% cheaper. The UK currently imports half of the total Irish meat production.
In the short term our car manufacturers will suffer a 10% tariff but so will EU manufacturers who export £49 billion to us compared to £13 billion of UK exports to them. A difference of £36 billion so the UK will be £3.6 billion better off from tariffs which it can compensate the car makers with. Germany exports 20% of its car production to the UK. It spends 1.31% on state aid. Britain spends 0.36% so that is not a very level playing field. The remaining tariffs are small and should not affect trade.
The final hurdle keeping us apart is that the EU wants to demonstrate to its 27 members that there is no future in leaving the EU and seems determined to punish us for doing so. The EU began life as the EEC which was designed to keep European nations from going to war with each other. Now it wants to set up its own European army yet most EU countries can not even contribute their fair share (set at 2% of GDP) to NATO which has kept the peace in Europe since WWII. Britain contributes over 2% of GDP to NATO and the USA contributes 3.4%. Germany contributes only 1.38% of GDP yet is the biggest economy by far in the EU.
12th December 2020
Quite an important day for me as I reached the grand old age of 80 years old.
I decided that the occasion should also coincide with consigning my late wife Sue's ashes to the Pacific Ocean. Sue and I discussed this when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and agreed that I should do it at Orokawa Bay. Sue had never visited this beautiful place but had seen my photographs and liked the idea. At the same time she also approved my proposal to walk the Macmillan Way in the UK in aid of the Macmillan Cancer Support Charity in her memory as we had walked large sections of this long distance footpath together.
I invited some friends and relations to meet at Waihi Beach on the morning of the 12th at the Southern end of the Coromandel Peninsula and where the 2.5km walk to Orokawa Bay begins. The plan was to have a picnic on Orokawa beach and all were invited to 'bring a plate'. This is a Kiwi expression and the idea is to bring food, not an empty plate which has happened before! I would provide the liquid refreshment.
I purchased a few bottles of Freixenet Cava which is a Spanish sparkling wine and one that Sue and I with our witnesses Jill and John Manchip had over indulged in at our wedding breakfast in Edinburgh which was at a little Spanish restaurant in Rose Street way back in 1975. Kelly and Dave agreed to organise chill bags and to carry them to the beach and I carried the champagne flutes and Sue's ashes. Then Sue's sister Maryanne kindly invited everyone round to her house near Katikati for a BBQ to finish off the day in some style.
The day dawned a bright and sunny 20 degrees which was ideal weather for the event which you can see from the above slide show we all enjoyed. Terri and Byron Bentley came down from Auckland as did Sue's brother Phil. I waded into the surf where Sue's ashes were duly consigned to the Pacific Ocean and one or two tears were shed.
Back at Maryanne and Fred's house we continued my birthday celebrations until Fred fired the Weber up and proceeded to cook the eye filet steaks which he had ordered specially from the local butcher from the firm he used to work for in Auckland. Maryanne laid on all the salads but Fred's steaks were the pièce de résistance, cooked à point and melt in the mouth delicious. Terri baked me a birthday cake to which Maryanne added a huge plate of fresh strawberries to complete a meal fit for a king.
A big thank you must go to everyone who contributed to making my 80th birthday one to remember.
My latest health developments.
After finishing chemo I experienced a marked reduction in pain levels and on my 'Barfday' was mostly pain free after walking 5k. I was therefore optimistic for the future but I still had the pain in my ribs which had started about a month ago. The cancer clinic told me to see my GP about it which I did and she arranged an X-ray and an ultrasound scan. The result show I have a bone fracture in one of the vertebrae and lesions elsewhere so I have been referred back to the cancer centre urgently.
This ridiculous Kiwi health system is so fragmented that you often have no idea who is supposed to be responsible for your care. To my mind the cancer centre should have investigated the rib pain which would have saved time and money. My money!
Even though the drug regime I was on was prescribed jointly by Tauranga hospital renal and haematology departments, when I finished chemo it was back to the GP for a hypertension prescription although antibiotic and antiviral drugs continued to be prescribed by the hospital. The GP actually asked me if I still wanted some of the other drugs I was on. I said I thought the other drugs were to combat the chemo side effects but that I was not a doctor! Unbelievable!
Now that the GP has referred me back to the hospital I suppose the drug regime could change yet again? Fortunately I have an understanding pharmacist who will re-do blister packs of pills if things do change again.
This latest development is a setback but is one to be expected as the Myeloma progresses and I will know more once I see the specialist again. Unfortunately that said specialist has gone away on holiday for two weeks so I spoke to cancer nurse Moira who checked the latest x-ray against the one I had back in May and told me there was very little difference that she could see. Once again it would seem I am the victim of the NZ health ministry system fragmentation as it would seem the GP has seen fractures and lesions that were evident 6 months ago.
Moira also informed me that she can see on her computer record that the GP has now requested a MRI scan. It would be nice for the patient to be told what was happening to them.
More Humour from Uncle Murdo
Murder seems to have been carried away with seasonal goodwill of late and has now sent me a link to the video of Fascinating Aida singing a song in Edinburgh apologising to the Scots on behalf of the English for voting for Brexit.
Fans of this satirical trio might seek out their Christmas song as which is even ruder.
Jacob and Christine, my landlords, dropped round to wash the roof and presented me with a Christmas basket of goodies. After they had finished I plied them with Harvey Wallbangers. Two of the nicest landlords a tenant could wish for.
Boris gets Brexit done at last
Boris and EU boss Ursula von der Leyen seemed to have clinched the deal during a phone conversation on Monday. Ursula insisted that the UK would have to accept that if we were to change access for fishing vessels in British waters that the EU could then impose tariffs on all British goods, not just fish, but Boris was having none of it. "Viel Hummer, kein Hammer" said Boris meaning "Lots of lobster, no hammer" and after consulting with EU leaders the "hammer" clause was removed.
Boris had said he wanted 50% of fish quota's returned to the UK on January 1st 2021. The EU had offered 25% with a transition period of 8 years until Britain became in full control of its own territory. Boris eventually accepted 25% but with a 5.5 year transition period. The current British fleet could not catch that many fish so they needed time to invest in new vessels to have the catching capacity. After June 2026, 10 years after we voted to leave the EU, we will finally have full control over our own territory and fishing quotas will be negotiated annually.
There were a few more conversations and things to sort out but on Wednesday evening Ursula asked Boris "Do we have a deal?" "Ja" said Boris and bar a few last minute changes to the fish quota's the deal was indeed done. And about time too!
My admiration in all this must go to the negotiating teams and especially the chief negotiators Lord Frost and Michel Barnier who showed extreme patience while the political shenanigans of Napoleon Macron in shutting the French border to trucks on the pretext he was protecting his country from the virus might have made lesser men walk. The exhausted British negotiating team were flown back to Britain in a RAF transport on Christmas Eve.
English Premiership Rugby Union
Round 4 was hit by the dreaded Covid virus with two games cancelled. London Irish reported several covid infections so this meant their fixture against Bath at the rec was cancelled. Premiership Rugby awarded 4 points to Bath and 2 points to Irish.
Similarly Leicester reported infections so their game against Newcastle at Kingston Park was cancelled and premiership Rugby awarded 4 points to Newcastle and 2 to Leicester. You can expand this page to see the English Premiership Rugby reports and current standings by clicking here.
Sale Sharks entertained Wasps at at the A.J.Bell stadium. A close game saw Marland Yarde score two tries to put the them within 3 pints of Wasps with a few minutes left but they Waspies held on the win the game 23-26. Lima Sopoaga seems to have got his game together at last kicking four penalties and two conversion in a 100% record.
Northampton were hosts to Worcester at Franklins Gardens and were awarded a penalty try early in the game then Billy Searle went over for Worcester first but Nothampton's Alex Mitchell reply was instantaneous. The Saints gradually took control in the second half with a try from Dan Biggar before Mikey Haywood went over just before time to seal a bonus point 29-10 win.
Exeter welcomed Gloucester to Sandy Park whith a team that had had little training due to covid but was a strong team. Glaws had all the ball in the first half and spent much of the game in the Exeter half but failed to score apart from a couple of penalty goals. Exeter on the other hand with only 14 men scored a converted Johnny Gray try just before half time and went in 7-6.
GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP Round 4
Pos
Team
Pl
W
D
L
Pts
1
Exeter Chiefs
4
4
0
0
20
2
Newcastle Falcons
4
4
0
0
16
3
Bristol Bears
4
3
0
1
15
4
Sale Sharks
4
2
0
2
11
5
Harlequins
4
2
0
2
10
6
Bath Rugby
4
2
0
2
10
7
Wasps
4
2
0
2
9
8
London Irish
4
1
0
3
7
9
Northampton Saints
4
1
0
3
7
10
Leicester Tigers
4
1
0
3
7
11
Gloucester Rugby
4
1
0
3
5
12
Worcester Warriors
4
1
0
3
4
A different Chiefs side came out after a Baxter talking to and quickly took control with Ollie Devoto and Sam Symonds scoring tries in the first 15 minutes. Glaws wasn't finished though and came back with a try of their own, the first team to cross the Chiefs line this season. Sam Symonds quickly put any thoughts of a win for Glaws on the back burner with the second of his brace of tries before Glaws went over for a second try in the closing minutes. A conversion would have given them a losing bonus point but it was not to be an they went home pointless 28-20. Good effort though against the champions and better than Barf did!
In the final game Brissle took the bus down the M4 to the Stoop to play Quins. In the first half they were suffering from too much Christmas pud resulting in lots of penalties which Marcus Smith took advantage of. At the interval Pat Lam told them they could get back on the bus if they didn't begin to play the rugby he expected of them. That did the trick and a different team emerged to score three more tries and win 19-27.
Round 5 began with two covid cancellations of games between Worcester who were awarded 4 points and Quins 2 points then Northampton 4 points and London Irish 2points. This awarding points for not playing is to my mind ridiculous and some of those teams are probably further up the table than they would have been if they had played.
Bristol welcomed Newcastle to Ashton Gate where the visitors gave them a run for their money in the first half and they went in 14-10. In the second half Brissle took charge and scored two more tries to the Falcons one to win the game 29-17.
Exeter travelled to the Ricoh to play Wasps in a repeat of last seasons premiership final. The result however was very different as the Chiefs were unusually demolished by a rampant Wasp side that took no prisoners. The only player of note for Executer was flanker Richard Capstick who was everywhere and eventually received a yellow card for his efforts and scored their only try.
Wasps ran in 5 tries. Two from Jame Gaskell, one from Lima Sopoanga and another brace towards the end from Simon Mcintyre to rub in a humbling 34-5 defeat.
GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP Round 5
Pos
Team
Pl
W
D
L
Pts
1
Exeter Chiefs
5
4
0
1
20
2
Bristol Bears
5
4
0
1
20
3
Newcastle Falcons
5
4
0
1
16
4
Sale Sharks
5
3
0
2
15
5
Wasps
5
3
0
2
14
6
Harlequins
5
2
0
3
12
7
Leicester Tigers
5
2
0
3
11
8
Northampton Saints
5
2
0
3
11
9
Bath Rugby
5
2
0
3
11
10
London Irish
5
1
0
4
9
11
Worcester Warriors
5
2
0
3
8
12
Gloucester Rugby
5
1
0
4
6
Gloucester met Sale at Kingsholm and Glaws should have won after dominating posession and leading for most of the game. Glaws were 2 tries to nil towards the end when Sale managed a late try from Josh Beaumont returning from a long injury. Glaws penalty count let them down but they were within 3 points with a minute to play when 'Thirty Six' (Twelvetrees) pushed a water boy to try and retrieve the ball which had gone out resulting in an almighty throwing of handbags and for which '36' received a yellow card.
It finished without another score being made 19-22
The final game was at Welford road and a good close game of rugby between Leicester and Bath.
It began with Barf getting two converted tries without reply but they Tiggers patiently worked their way back into the game. Wee Georgie Ford had a very good kicking game and his spiralling up and unders had ice on them by the time came down to the consternation of Barf who seemed unable to deal with them.
Barf were still ahead 16-17 at half time but were then on the back foot for most of the second half although still very much in the game. It finished 36-31 for a well deserved Tigers victory.
Round 6 was once again hit by a covid cancellation. This time between Leicester and Northampton and as Northampton was unable to field a team Leicester were awarded 4 points and Northampton 2.
The game between Bath and Wasps at the Rec was a cracker. Both sides went at it hammer and tongs from start to finish with 12 tries being scored.
At half time Barf had their noses in front 29-24 after they Waspies had fought their way back from a two try deficit in the first quarter. There was no let up to the frantic open rugby in the second half. Both teams had 4 try bonus points but Wasps final try in the closing minutes put the game seemingly beyond Barf's reach, however, a try from Elliot Stooke after 5 minutes of extra time put them in reach of a losing bonus point but in the absense of Rhys Priestland due to injury, scrum half Ben Spencer missed the conversion so it finished 44-52.
GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP Round 6
Pos
Team
Pl
W
D
L
Pts
1
Bristol Bears
6
5
0
1
25
2
Newcastle Falcons
6
5
0
1
20
3
Exeter Chiefs
6
4
0
2
20
4
Sale Sharks
6
4
0
2
19
5
Wasps
6
4
0
2
19
6
Leicester Tigers
6
3
0
3
15
7
Harlequins
6
2
1
3
14
8
Northampton Saints
6
2
0
3
13
9
Bath Rugby
6
2
0
3
12
10
London Irish
6
1
1
4
12
11
Worcester Warriors
6
2
0
4
9
12
Gloucester Rugby
6
1
0
5
6
Worcester put up a creditable performance against Sale at the A J Bell but eventually succumbed to a 20-13 loss thanks to a face saving converted try in the 75th minute from Bok skipper Jono Ross.
The game at Sandy Park between Exeter and Bristol was another cracker. Both sides went over the try line in the first half with the score tied at 7-7 which also included the props from both sides Harry Williams and Jake Woolmore both being sent off at the same time for being naughty! In the second half Brissle prop Kyle Sinckler should have also been sent off for swearing at his old Quins teammate Karl Dickson who this time happened to be the ref! The Chiefs failed to score a single point in the second half whereas Brissle scored another try and two penalty goals winning 7-20.
Newcastle beat Gloucester 22-10 at Kingston park but the final gripping game was at the Stoop where Quins entertained London Irish. The winner was always in doubt after a close contest with both sides determined to play the same open rugby after their previous games against other sides were the victims of the covid virus which had meant two weeks without a game. In the 78th minute an Irish try from Oli Hoskins put the sides level at 27 all which was how it finished.
Chris Hockey's New Year Message
Not to be outdone by Uncle Murdo, Chris Hockey sent me the video below saying 'Music often shows us the way':
The video is by an American called Daniel Emmet who was a finalist on NBC's America's Got Talent TV show. It is Nessun Dorma from Puccini's opera Turandot but entitled "No Corona" with the words in English hoping the virus will leave us in 2021. Amen to that.
The America's Cup
Yachting has never really interested me until I began to watch the America's Cup here in New Zealand. Prior to then I thought that yacht racing was equivalent to watching paint dry but not since they decided to convert yachts to hydrofoils.
The America's Cup is the oldest international sporting trophy and dates back to 1851 when the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) organised a yacht race around the Isle of Wight which was won by the schooner "America". The trophy was subsequently given to the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) and any yacht club in the world, provided it meets the conditions, can challenge the holders to compete for it. Up until 1983 the NYYC held the trophy when it was finally won by the Australian Royal Perth Yacht Club with "Australia II". Since then it has been won three times by the New Zealanders and twice by the Swiss as well as clubs from San Francisco and San Diego.
The yachts that compete today bear no resemblance to the original conventional displacement hull yacht designs. Since 2017 they have been catamaran hulls fitted with hydrofoils and today they are monohulls that travel at speeds of over 50 knots (58 mph) making it a spectator sport. The latest designs are called the AC75 class and incorporate folding hydrofoils actuated by hydraulics, controlled by electronics and software provided by the New Zealand Team. The yachts are 75 feet long, have a beam of 16 feet, have no keel and displace about 7 tonnes.
All the hydraulics, electrics and electronic controls are powered from batteries which are charged by several alternators hand cranked by a team of athletes who are called grinders. Then there are helmsmen, flight controllers and sail rig handlers so it is very much a team effort to keep the yacht up on the foils and sailing apart from having enough wind.
There are four teams involved this year. The holders of the trophy the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) with their yacht "Te Rehutai" and challengers Circolo della Vela Sicilia (CVS) from Italy with their yacht "Luna Rossa", NYYC with their yacht "Patriot", finally the RYS with their yacht "Britannia" skippered by Sir Ben Ainslie who have never won the America's Cup since its inception.
The three challengers compete in a series of 'Round Robin' races to decide who will compete in the final series with New Zealand for the trophy. A regatta was held towards the end of 2020 between all four boats which NZ won and the Brits failed to win a race. They worked non stop over Christmas to modify their boat to improve it's performance and succeeded in winning all four of their races in the first weekend of the challenge series.
Luna Rossa won one against Patriot but in the last race after establishing a big lead rounding the last marker prior to the final leg of the race, Patriot was caught by a squall which lifted her out of the water and she capsized. She was also holed beneath the water line and almost sank but now they have a huge task to repair their boat for the next weekends sailing apart from having null point!
The following weekend Britannia beat Luna Rossa by 20 odd seconds after a gripping race where the lead changed about nine times. The better yachtsmen won meaning that they do not have to race again until whoever won between Luna Rossa and Patriot the following weekend would meet Britannia in the final regatta.
Luna Rossa defeated Patriot in all of the first four races so go into the final and the Americans are eliminated. The winner of the final series will meet the New Zealand holders to contest the America's Cup.
The latest vaccine news on 27th Jan 2021
At the time of writing the UK has vaccinated 10.79% of the population. The EU on the other hand lags behind the UK by a considerable margin and is also experiencing supply shortfalls from the vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Astrazenica which has resulted in a caustic reaction with all sorts of unsubstantiated accusations being made by EU officials, diplomats and the media.
Pfizer have reduced supplies of their vaccine to the EU due to an upgrading of their manufacturing facilities in Belgium and the EU are not 'appy. Astrazenica also said they have supply problems with their EU manufacturing plants and 15 million doses will be delayed. The EU were then even more un'appy as EU diplomats suspected supplies meant for the EU were being diverted to the UK. The EU now say they will issue directives for EU exports of vaccine to be declared prior to shipment so they can ensure that there is a fair distribution.
Pfizer and Astrazenica (AZ) top executives have been carpeted with the EU insisting both companies stick to their contracted delivery schedules.
Pascal Soriot, the CEO of AZ, said he believed the UK was on course to administer doses to "maybe 28 or 30 million people" within weeks - nearly half the total population - and would comfortably hit the target of vaccinating the most vulnerable groups by mid-February. That got the EU throwing even more toys out of the pram. Why should the UK not have any disruption to supply when the EU does?
To add insult to injury Soriot revealed that British plants had among the best yield in the world after spending months perfecting the process, while EU factories had been left with the "lowest productivity in the network". "The Prime Minister has a goal to vaccinate 15 million people by mid-February, and they're already at 6.5 million. So they will get there," Mr Soriot told Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
Doses manufactured in the UK would not be diverted to the Continent he said. "The contract with the UK was signed first and the UK, of course, said 'you supply us first' and this is fair enough. As soon as we can, we'll help the EU."
The EU placed the order with AZ in August, three months after the EU signed. It was nonsense to claim that the UK got preferential treatment because they paid more because AZ is supplying the vaccine at cost so every country gets roughly the same price. The EU thought is might get a better price due to its much larger order but Soriot said they were mistaken in that belief. Also the EU regulator the EMA has still to approve the AZ vaccine which it is expected to do this Friday.
Mr Soriot said that his firm had never made a contractual commitment to supply the doses, as Brussels has suggested. Instead, he said the company agreed to make its "best efforts" because the EU wanted to be supplied at more or less the same time as the UK, even though the contract was signed three months later.
AZ's three UK factories will be free to supply other countries, but only when 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine have been delivered to the UK. Each contract has a dedicated supply chain and the UK plants had a three month head start on EU plants due to the time it took the EU to place the order.
Boris hasn't got too many things right during this epidemic but this seems to be one that he did.
German claims of AZ vaccine low efficacy.
German media claimed it had received inside information that the German health minister was considering vaccinating younger people first amid concern that the Oxford vaccine had not been proven effective in older people. It further said that the vaccine was only 8% effective in the elderly.
The German Health Ministry then said this was a misinterpretation of the data and that the 8% was the percentage of elderly people involved in the trial. Oxford University and AZ both said the report was a load of old cobblers and the vaccine was just as effective in all age groups.
It has also been said by the web site Politico that the German government purchased 30 million additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine contrary to the solidarity agreement that the EU would be the sole purchasing organisation, something outwith it's authority and which it has made a horlicks of!
There is also continued criticism of the EMA in the EU media for the amount of time they are taking to approve the AZ vaccine. I must admit if I was a German I would be stinkig that millions of doses of the Pfizer vaccine has been jabbed into Brit arms for a month now but only 2.29% of Germans have been jabbed so far with a product developed in Germany.
France is one of the lowest jabbers in the EU. Rumour has it that the EU were heavily influenced by France (illegally?) insisting they purchased the French Sanofi product which is delayed until 1992. Have you noticed how quiet Napoleon Macron has been lately?
Rugby Union Premiership and Six Nations.
It is round 7 of the premiership on the last weekend of January and the first weekend in February is the start of the Six Nations. Italy will host France in the opening game, England, the current champions, will welcome Scotland to Twickers and Wales will face Ireland in Cardiff.
Barf travelled the 12 miles across to Ashton Gate for the derby match against Brissle and they wished they had not bothered. Bristol played their best rugby yet and completely demolished a side that would not have been selected for the Nempnett Thrubwell 2nd XV. For the umpteenth time our defence was non-existent as Brissle proceeded to run rings round us to score 7 tries and put us to the sword 48-3.
Brissle thoroughly deserve their place at the top of the league table.
Leicester entertained Sale at Welford Road and at half time the home team had the better game after a try a piece. In the second half Sale turned up the pressure with two more tries. Tigers came back with a try near the end but Sale ended up with a 15-25 win helped by the two yellow cards given to Leicester.
The next day Gloucester and Northampton met at Kingsholm. Poor old Glaws is languishing at the bottom of the table which pleases me as a Barf supporter and they would have hopes to break their duck facing the Saints but it was not to be. Northampton put on one of their best efforts this season to win with a bonus point 26-31 score.
GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP Round 7
Pos
Team
Pl
W
D
L
Pts
1
Bristol Bears
7
6
0
1
29
2
Exeter Chiefs
7
5
0
2
24
3
Sale Sharks
7
5
0
2
23
4
Newcastle Falcons
7
5
0
2
20
5
Wasps
7
4
0
3
19
6
Harlequins
7
3
1
3
19
7
Northampton Saints
7
3
0
4
18
8
London Irish
7
2
1
4
17
9
Leicester Tigers
7
3
0
4
15
10
Bath Rugby
7
2
0
5
12
11
Worcester Warriors
7
2
0
5
10
12
Gloucester Rugby
7
1
0
6
7
Exeter have not been having a good time of late having lost their last two games against they Waspies and Brissle. They too would have been expecting success against Worcester at Sixways but they struggled against a determined Warriors side who were genuinely a pleasure to watch. There were only 4 points in it at the end with Exeter of the back foot but the champions managed to hang on for a 26-31 win.
On Sunday London Irish entertained Newcastle at their new Community Stadium in West London. The Exiles seemed the better side in the first half but the Falcons held on to go in at half time 14-8. Irish went further ahead early in the second half but in the last ten minutes the Falcons fought back to within 4 points. Irish then continued to attack and scored a bonus point try to put the game out of reach for a well deserved win of 31-22.
The final game of the weekend was at the Wasp nest when Quins travelled hoping not to get stung to badly having lost their Director of Rugby last week and with they Waspies current performance. You can never be sure who will win a game of rugby which for me makes the game so fascinating and nobody could have predicted this outcome. Quins gave Wasps their biggest spanking in their history beating them 17-49.
Premiership Round 8.
GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP Round 8
Pos
Team
Pl
W
D
L
Pts
1
Bristol Bears
8
6
0
2
30
2
Exeter Chiefs
8
6
0
2
28
3
Sale Sharks
8
6
0
2
27
4
Harlequins
8
4
1
3
23
5
Northampton Saints
8
4
0
4
22
6
London Irish
8
3
1
4
22
7
Newcastle Falcons
8
5
0
3
21
8
Leicester Tigers
8
4
0
4
20
9
Wasps
8
4
0
4
20
10
Bath Rugby
8
2
0
6
12
11
Worcester Warriors
8
2
0
6
10
12
Gloucester Rugby
8
1
0
7
9
Poor old Glawster could only manage a 32-26 losing bonus point when they visited London Irish's Community Stadium but Barf could not even manage that at the Rec where Quins thumped them 15-28
Executer traveled by coach up to the fozen North of Kingston Park to play Newcastle and made hard work of their 9-15 win.
Leicester Tigers entertained Worcester Warriors at Welford road and beat them convincingly 41-24 while Wasps struggled yet again at the Ricoh and lost 17-22 to resurgent Northampton.
Brissle ended their winning streak at Ashton Gate where Sale beat them 13-20 but managed to hold on to their lead in the table with Exeter and Sale close behind. Quins moved into 4th place and their performance against Barf demonstrated that their surprise win against Wasps the previous week was no fluke. It seems that the departure of their DOR has given them a much needed shot in the arm. Maybe Stuart Hooper should be looking for another job?
Six Nations first round.
France gave Italy their regulation stuffing 10-50 in a seven try fiesta. It is about 6 years since Italy's last win and I am at a loss why we don't go back to the 5 nations again until the Italians can become competitive. It was 38 years since Scotland last beat England at Twickers but this time they did it and outplayed a lacklustre indisiplined England team. On this performance I think my prediction last year of France becoming Six Nations champions is on course.
Wales managed to beat the Irish in Cardiff 21-16 after Peter O'Mahoney was sent of with a red card early in the game for charging into the ruck shoulder first with no attempt to use his arms. Despite being down to 14 men for the majority of the game Wales made hard work of their victory.
Premiership Round 9.
Barf travelled up to the frozen North to play Sale shorn of Elliot Stooke and Jonothan Joseph who were found to have misbehaved by breaking the Covid19 restrictions along with Wasps player Gabriel Oghre who had once captained Barf's under 18 side having joined their academy from Millfield School. To make matters worse, Stooke crashed his car after dropping off Oghre in Barf and was done for drunk driving. The prospects of a win against 3rd place Sale were not rosey, however, the players had different ideas and finally seemed to get there defensive play properly organised.
GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP Round 9
Pos
Team
Pl
W
D
L
Pts
1
Bristol Bears
9
7
0
2
34
2
Exeter Chiefs
9
7
0
2
33
3
Sale Sharks
9
6
0
3
28
4
Harlequins
9
5
1
3
28
5
Northampton Saints
9
5
0
4
26
6
Wasps
9
5
0
4
24
7
Newcastle Falcons
9
5
0
4
23
8
London Irish
9
3
1
5
22
9
Leicester Tigers
9
4
0
5
20
10
Bath Rugby
9
3
0
6
16
11
Worcester Warriors
9
2
0
7
11
12
Gloucester Rugby
9
1
0
8
10
Barf were ahead at half time 10-24 having scored three tries to Sale's one but their ability to retain a good lead has been in question all season and sure enough back came Sale in the second half with two more tries. Barf's spirited defence was maintained however and they won the game 22-27. New winger Will Muir impressed in a game played in freezing -7°C conditions.
Glaws hosted Brissle at Kingshom and did look like they could at last get a win but despite a poor Brissle effort still managed to lose by a point, 17-18. Glaws meet Barf at the Rec next week so I hope that their losing streak continues for another week!
Quins continued their winning run by beating Leicester 37-24 at Weford Road while Exeter gave Irish a stuffing down at Sandy Park 26-3.
Newcastle again fell foul of the dreaded Covid19 virus and their away game to Northampton had to be cancelled with the Saints being awarded 4 points and the Falcons 2.
Finally they Waspies travelled to Sixways and beat Worcester 13-17 to get back to their winning ways.
Six Nations second round.
As expected England thrashed Italy at Twickers 41-18 and all the pundits are celebrating England's return to form but I don't think they played that well. OK they scored six tries but allowed Italy to score two against them and I still think they will struggle against France.
Scotland should have won their game against Wales at Murrayfield but lost the plot in the second half and let Wales in to win 24-25 so that only leaves France left to win a grand slam.
The final game between France and Ireland in Dublin was a bit of an arm wrestle and France seemed a bit off colour. There were some brief flashes of French panache in particular the build up to the first try by captain Charles Ollivon. Antoine Dupont worked his magic throughout the game in partnership with fly half Jalibert who now has a new nickname I predict will stick after Ireland's coach Andy Farrell pronounced his name as "Jellybabe". France have not won in Dublin for ten years but managed to break the hoodoo to win 13-15, now on course for a grand slam.
Premiership Round 10.
West Country derby's are always hard to pick and Barf v Glaws at the rec was no exception. After 10 minutes Rapava-Ruskin carrying the ball hits Josh Bayliss to his head with his forearm and gets a red card for his troubles. Despite the one man advantage Barf play rubbish and are continually on the back foot, giving away penalties which Glaws turn into points until Barf finally string a few passes together just before half time, Faletau goes over for the try and they go in 7-6.
Barf come back out in a more determined frame of mind but Glaws are up for a game and always look dangerous. But it is Glaws who now begin to give away penalties which Priestland converts to put Barf 4 points ahead until Mike Williams shoulder comes into contact with Jason Woodwards head and he gets a red card so they are back to equal numbers of players. 57 (Willi Heinz) makes a high tackle and Priestland slots the penalty goal for a seven point lead.
With 8 minutes left to play an offside penalty in front of Barf's post gives 36 (Billy Twelvetrees) an easy 3 points and I have that feeling of deja vu as a few minutes later Rees-Zammit runs the width of the pitch unmolested and passes to Ludlow who scores a try in the corner and Glaws are ahead 13-14. Fortunately 36 missed the conversion but to make matters worse JJ (Jonathon Joseph) was given a yellow card for a deliberate knock on and we are down to 13 men.
Barf get a penalty in the dying minutes just 5 metres inside Glaws half but Priestland is up to the pressure kick and slots it. All Barf have to do now is secure the ball from the restart which they do and hold on to it which they do to win the game 16-14 and Stuart Hooper's roar could be heard in Brissle!
GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP Round 10
Pos
Team
Pl
W
D
L
Pts
1
Bristol Bears
10
7
0
3
37
2
Exeter Chiefs
10
7
0
3
34
3
Harlequins
10
6
1
3
32
4
Northampton Saints
10
6
0
4
30
5
Sale Sharks
10
6
0
4
28
6
Newcastle Falcons
10
5
0
5
25
7
London Irish
10
3
2
5
25
8
Leicester Tigers
10
5
0
5
24
9
Wasps
10
5
0
5
24
10
Bath Rugby
10
4
0
6
20
11
Worcester Warriors
10
3
0
7
15
12
Gloucester Rugby
10
1
0
9
11
Quins entertained Sale at the stoop and by half time had scored 3 converted tries, Joe Marchent bagging a brace with no reply from the Sharks. Curtis Langdon and Robert du Preez did manage to get a couple back back in the second half but Sale were well beaten at stumps 24-12.
Exeter continued with their lack of form with a close 12-13 loss against Northampton at a very muddy Sandy Park. A try in the final minutes by Sam Skinner took the score within a point but when Joe Simmonds delayed his conversion kick, Saints players ran up and kicked the ball away. The ref deemed Simmonds had started to move and Saints were within their rights.
They Waspies travelled up to Welford Road to play Leicester and got a bloody nose for their trouble. Wasps are yet another team who seemed to have lost form and were not helped by two red cards although they Tigers also received one. The problem seems to be collisions with the head and refs cracking down on it. Tigers won with a deserved 27-8 win in probably their best game this season.
London Irish welcomed Bristol to Brentford and quickly succumbed to two interception tries to put them on the back foot. Bristol looked like they would put them to the sword and despite some good posession and ball handling skills from Irish, Brissle dominated and the exiles were 1 try to 4 and 12-31 down at half time. Irish came storming back in the 2nd half to draw level at 34 points all and Brissle were left wondering how they had squandered such a commanding lead.
The Worcester v Newcastle game was cancelled due to Covid19 with Worcester given 4 points and Newcastle 2.
Update on my health on 4th Feb 2021.
I had to go into the cancer clinic to have another dose of the bone strengthener and finally got to see the results of my MRI scan and blood tests from three weeks ago.
The MRI concludes "Considerable interval improvement with no residual lesions identified. Central vertebral compression fractures at T12 and L4 noted without canal stenosis. No thecal sac or nerve root compression."
Although I understand very little of what the foregoing really means the nurse did assure me that this report shows an improvement in the state of my bones from the previous MRI. Whereas the initial x-ray indicated there may have been further fractures the MRI showed there were none.
The blood tests show that my kidneys are now performing better than ever with the creatinine level down from 127umol/L to 110 which is the best it has been since I was diagnosed with myeloma. My White blood cell count is also better, up from 5.1 to 7.4 which is more normal and Haemoglobin is up from 108 to 121 as is the platelet count, up from 174 to 219.
Finally my paraprotein level is down from 0.3g/L the previous month to 0.1. Paraproteins are useless cells created by the myeloma and are a good indication of the progress of the disease so are used to monitor it. The level has slowly reduced during the chemo from 1.8 g/l back in August 2020.
My chest pain has all but disappeared and my hip and back pain is much reduced so it would seem the disease is now in remission or certainly under control. For how long is anyones guess. I have now put my return to the UK back to early May with the current ongoing restrictions in the UK but will not book flights until I am reasonably sure I can return when the lockdown is lifted and without the risk of further restrictions being imposed.
The first Covid vaccines from Pfizer are expected to arrive here in NZ next month but only enough to vaccinate 250,000 people. Vaccination is expected to begin 3 to 4 weeks after the vaccines arrival with front line border workers and healthcare staff the first to be vaccinated followed by the public sector and emergency services. Maori, Pacific Islanders and care home residents will be next followed by those over 65 so it is unlikely I will be able to get a jab before I leave.
England Test Cricket
As an England and Bath Rugby Union supporter their recent results have been so disappointing that it was nice to be able to watch some positive test cricket from the England touring side. First they whitewashed Sri Lanka 2 nil and then they travelled to Chenai to meet India who were fresh from their trouncing of Australia which is always a pleasure!!
The Indian side must have found it a gentlemanly experience to meet England at the Madras Cricket Club after their treatment by those corse, foul mouthed Orstralian persons but after giving they Ozzies a lesson by beating them at the Gabba and taking the series they, and I, would have expected playing England on their home ground to be comparatively easy meat.
The pitch looked as though it would not last long so England were fortunate to win the toss and batted. Root continued his sparkling Sri Lankan form to post an innings of 218, ably supported by Dom Sibley's 87 and Ben Stokes 82 for a first innings score of 578.
Our bowlers then got to work and the Indian top order were soon dismissed apart from Pant and Pujara.
Pant punished Jack Leach, continually hitting him for six until he failed to connect properly with a ball from fellow spinner Dom Bess and was caught by Jack in the outfield for 91 in the outfield so had his revenge!
Rahane was caught by Root for 1 run at silly mid off with a spectacular diving left handed catch from a ball that was really travelling fast from Bess.
Apart from Pujara's patient 73 and Sundar's 83 the rest failed to last with even Kohli gloving a catch to Pope at short leg for a meagre 11 runs.
India were all out for 337 by the 4th day and England did not force the follow-on. In their 2nd innings England were bowled out for 178 to give them a lead of 418. India's 2nd innings began badly when Jack Leach bowled Sharma's off stump with a ball he expected to come back to him but it straightened instead and he departed for 12. The day ended with Gill on 15 and Pujara on 12 with India 39 for 1.
The final day saw danger man Pujara the first to surrender as Leach had him caught for 15 with a difficult catch by Stokes in the slips. Gill followed a few overs later having reached his 50 only for his off stump to be sent cartwheeling out of the ground by Jimmy Anderson with a ball that reverse swung. Two balls later Anderson had Rahane LBW but was given not out and on appeal was also given not out as the ball pitched off line so it was the umpires call. Anderson then delivered an identical ball which kept low and took out the off stump yet again to dismiss Rahane for a duck so who needs umpires!
This put India on the back foot on 92 for 4 with Pant and Kholi at the crease. Pant played his usual attacking game until he was caught by Root at point for 11 from another good ball from Anderson. Sundar went for a duck the next over caught behind by Josh Butler bowled by Dom Bess and the skids were under India big time.
Ashwin suffered a few blows from Archer's bowling as he did from the Oz bowling and arm guards were brought out to try and protect him. He bravely stuck around allowing Kholi to build up the runs until Leach had him caught behind for 9 with India 171 for 7 and England were in to the lower order. When Ben Stokes did an Anderson copy to Kholi's off stump that was effectively the end of India as the lower order were bowled out for 192 and England won the test by 227 runs, the sixth win abroad in a row.
In the 2nd test at the same ground the positions were reversed. India won the toss and batted on a deteriorating pitch to score 329 then bowled England out for 134. India's 2nd innings of 286 was helped by a great century from Ashwin to build a commanding lead. They then they bowled England out for 164 to win by 317 runs.
The Prada Cup:
This was a series of races between the Italian yacht Luna Rossa and the British yacht Britannia to decide who would challenge the New Zealanders for the America's Cup. Britannia had beaten Luna Rossa in the previous regatta described above then the Italians had beaten American Magic. The Prada cup would be won by the first yacht to win 7 races and after Britannia's previous performance most people expected some close racing but it was not to be. Luna Rossa romped away with 7 wins to only one Britannia win in light wind conditions which unsuited the British yacht.
The America's Cup races will begin next month and once again the first yacht to win 7 races will take the cup.
My return to the UK.
I have now booked and paid for a flight home on 4th May. This time I will be travelling business class on lie flat seats so will not stopover on the way. Boris has not made the planning this trip any easier with his strange 'red list' of countries which have Covid19 variants which are already in the UK community and throughout Europe. It seems to me like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. If you have visited or transited through one of these red list countries you must spend 10 days quarantine in an hotel at a cost of £1,750 otherwise you can quarantine at your UK home and have two Covid19 tests which you must pay for at the inflated rate of £220.
Boris says he is just doing what New Zealand has been doing for months but here we are an isolated island and have no virus in the community. If you are a Kiwi you do have to quarantine in an hotel but at the governments expense. So Kiwi's jet off for a holiday in Australia for a few months and then come back for a free fortnight in a nice Auckland hotel at the NZ government's expense!
The UK's 'red list' countries include the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which are included because Emirates and Etihad airlines have regular connections with other red list countries. This means I could not risk booking with either of those airlines as I might have to quarantine in an hotel if the UAE is still on the red list by May so I have booked with Qatar which is not. Of course there is still a risk that Boris decides to put Qatar on the red list so all fingers are crossed. I do have the option of postponing the flight should this happen and the removals company have agreed I can postpone their export packing and collection of my worldly goods!
The Qatar airline is reckoned to have the best business class service and seating. The Auckland - London route is flown by Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, all of which are fitted with the Qatar airlines's Qsuite's which provide you with your own little self contained pod. So isolated are you from other passengers that the airline recently dropped the requirement to wear a mask when you are sleeping.
Cricket and Rugby.
The third test cricket match, England against India in Ahmedabad was played in the new cricket stadium that seats over 130,000 and is the biggest of its kind in the world.
Here in New Zealand the rugby season has just started with the Super Rugby Aotearoa competition while in Europe the Six Nations is at a critical stage and in England the premiership has reached the 11th round.
England picked a side with three pace bowlers and one spinner whereas India picked three spinners and one paceman. That fact alone explains why the England selectors need to go into a dark corner and meditate.
On the first day England were bowled our for 112. Six wickets fell to Axar Patel for 38 runs, Ashwin got 3 for 26 and the only fast bowler Sharma got 1 for 26.
In came India who were bowled out for 145. 4 wickets went to Jack Leach for 54, 5 wickets went to part time off spinner Joe Root for only 8 runs which must be some sort of record and one wicket went to paceman Jofra Archer for 24. Now do you need any more evidence of a screw loose with the England selectors?
Anyway England were in with a chance of even winning the match on the second day if their batsmen could somehow find a few runs but it was not to be. England collapsed for 81 runs with this time Patel taking 5, Ashwin taking 4 and Sundar taking 1 leaving India to get 45 to win which they did without the loss of a wicket.
So India go 2-1 up in the series with one match left at this ground and two day Test Matches might become normal on pitches like these.
Six Nations Rugby
Ireland beat Italy in Rome comprehensively 10-48 as we have come to expect.
England travelled to Cardiff and played poorly as we have come to expect. They were helped by poor refereeing from French referee Gauzere who firstly allowed play to resume while England players were still taking on water resulting in an easy try for Josh Adams and secondly being unable to see that Rees-Zamitt had knocked the ball on even though the player himself could not believe the decision allowing Liam Williams to go over for a try. Just the same England could have stopped some of the Welsh tries if they were not asleeep at the time.
Despite those poor decisions England were indisciplined and let they Whales off the hook multiple times but fought back to 24 points each.
In the last quarter English indiscipline and sleepiness once again let Wales in with 3 penalty goals and a try to seal the game in the closing minutes. Maro Itoje alone had 5 penalties against him and narrowly avoided a yellow card. So Wales deservedly won the triple crown and their final game will decide the grand slam. The France v Scotland game in Paris was postponed due to Covid so if France eventually win that game and win at Twickers against England (which is a foregone conclusion IMHO) it will be a grand slam decider with Wales.
Super Rugby Aotearoa
I am always impressed at the speed Rugby is played down here and the opening derby game between the Highlanders and the Crusaders in Dunedin was no exception. The try of the game for me was when Sevu Reece at full tilt down the right wing kicked across to the center where scrum half Bryn Hall also at full tilt went over the whitewash.
Ethan Blackadder got a yellow card which helped the Highlanders get themselves back in the game and it was 14-10 at half time.
Crusaders were made to fight hard but eventually replacement hooker Brodie McAlister went over for a try in the last ten minutes and the champions won the game 13-26.
The second game was in Wellington where the Hurricanes entertained the Blues from Auckland who had half the All-Blacks in their side. Still they struggled to win the game and the 16-31 score does not reflect the close contest for most of the game.
Gallagher Premiership Rugby Round 11
At long last Gloucester managed to get a win under their belt against Worcester at Kingsholm. It was a scrappy first half with Glaws going in at half time 5-7 down. They fought their way back in the second half but a deliberate knock on by Glaws Santiago Carreras resulted in him getting a yellow card as Worcester looked certain to score a try. The ref decided not to award a penalty try and Glaws hung on for a 22-14 win.
GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP Round 11
Pos
Team
Pl
W
D
L
Pts
1
Bristol Bears
11
8
0
3
41
2
Exeter Chiefs
11
7
0
4
34
3
Harlequins
11
6
1
4
33
4
Sale Sharks
11
7
0
4
32
5
Northampton Saints
11
6
0
5
31
6
Newcastle Falcons
11
6
0
5
29
7
London Irish
11
4
2
5
29
8
Wasps
11
5
0
6
25
9
Leicester Tigers
11
5
0
6
24
10
Bath Rugby
11
5
0
6
24
11
Worcester Warriors
11
3
0
8
15
12
Gloucester Rugby
11
2
0
9
15
They Waspies are also going through a torrid time whereas London Irish are on form having held Brissle to a draw last weekend. This time the game was won by the kicking boots of Paddy Jackson who must be in the sights of Ireland for a return to the international side on his current form. The game was won on penalty goals 10-16.
A late penalty goal by Brett Connon managed to pip Quins to the post at Newcastle 25-22 while Brissle were back to winning ways at Ashton Gate beating Leicester 17-3.
Exeter continues to lose the plot but battled gamely on at Sale's A.J.Bell stadium after losing captain Jack Yeandle to a red card in the first half for a shoulder charge to the head at the ruck. This was his first card of any colour as a long and faithful Devonian. The result was a hard fought 25-20 win for Sale but that was Executer's fourth loss of the season and we're not used to this.
There is a limit to how many losing games an Englishman can watch so with the English cricket and rugby union teams in disarray I was hoping that my Barf boys could pull something out of the hat in their game against Northampton at Franklins Gardens. Last week they seemed to have mastered their defensive game but this week their scrum went to the cleaners. They Saints won the first three scrums and were given penalties which idirectly resulted in scores so they were soon ahead 19-3. Just before the half time break saw the Barf forwards camped on the Saints try line until Zac Mercer managed to ground the ball and Priestland converted to score a record 31 consecutive kicks at goal in the Premiership overtaking Mark van Gisergen and Jonny Wilkinson.
Rugby is often a game of two halves and this was no exception as they Saints began to struggle while Barf found their mojo when Ruaridh McConnochie came on and the front row were replaced with Tom Dunn, Jamie Bhatti and Henry Thomas resulting in a more even scrum contest. After a couple of further Priestland penalty goals Saints slotted a penalty to go 6 points ahead until in the last quarter Zac Mercer scored a brilliant individual try stepping round three attempted tackles to collect his brace.
Having learnt how to preserve a narrow lead Barf continued to defend and counter attacked for the final 10 minutes to win the game 22-23. Not bad considering how they started.
Covid Vaccines:
Back at the beginning of 2020 I wrote on this web site :- "There is much commercial drum banging between Pfizer, Moderna and Astra whose shares actually dropped on the announcement as investors were disappointed in the 70% versus 95% efficacy rates. I predict that once the price and comparative ease of distribution sinks in amongst the cloth headed investors that Astra's share price will increase as will Britain's scientific reputation."So what has happened since can be read by expanding this page here.▼
From the start of the development of the Oxford vaccine the scientists responsible insisted that whoever partnered them as manufacturers of the vaccine whould have to agree to supply all the worlds nations at cost until the epidemic was over. Astrazenica agreed to this condition and in return the UK government placed a large order subject to the vaccine proving effective in addition to placing orders with the other yet unproven vaccine developers. The UK government also agreed to largely fund the Oxford/Astra research project on the understanding the UK population would receive the vaccine first. They also agreed to a $500,000 contribution to fund worldwide distribution through the Covax scheme, at that time the largest contribution.
Quotes 'wot I don't like "We're waiting for the EMA [European Medicines Agency] results, but today everything points to thinking it is quasi-ineffective on people older than 65, some say those 60 years or older."
Napoleon Macron.
In contrast the EU argued the toss with Astrazenica to try and reduce the price they paid by virtue of the potential order volume despite Astra supplying at cost. The result was that it took the EU 3 months longer to sign the order putting them at the back of the queue for deliveries. The EMA were also slow to approve the vaccine and no attempt was made to approve it quickly for emergeny use. This has now come home to roost with the EU months behind the UK in vaccinating their populations made worse by the political shenanigans of Messrs Merkel and Macron in making statements that cast doubt on the efficacy of the Astra Vaccine
Several EU countries decided not to give over 60's the Astra vaccine which further slowed their progress and Astra vaccine went unused as people were suspicious it was second rate. Events have since shown that the Astra vaccine is even more efficatious than the others at preventing hospitalization and death with only one dose which was also ridiculed as 'risky' despite scientific opinion to the contrary. Political sour grapes might have caused people to have lost their lives needlessly as any protection is surely better than none.
The first Oxford/Astra vaccines have now been delivered to the Ivory Coast and Ghana while Moderna and Pfizer continue to haggle with Covax over pricing and terms, limiting the speed of the rollout. It's bloody hot in Abidjan so I am sure the fact that the vaccine can be stored in an ordinary fridge will assist it's distribution and we might soon see these third world countries overtake the EU thanks to British science. Until the world is vaccinated nobody will be safe.
Meghan and Harry
I am in favour of the monarchy simply because while the Queen is head of state we would never have to suffer the likes of 'The Donald' in that important position. Also the royals generally do a good PR job for Britain and are relatively inexpensive to maintain!
Unfortunately we now have Prince Harry who became besotted with an American actress who he married. They had separate apartments sharing the same modest London pad called Kensington Palace with Harry's brother Prince William and his missus Kate. They also shared the servants but the two couples fell out and the servants became pissed off with Meghan as she refused to 'coddle' them! So Harry and Megan move out into Frogmore cottage in Windsor Great Park and spend millions doing it up but then they tire of whole business of having to jet round the world in private jets while lecturing us on saving the planet and decide they can have an easier life, free of the Press and make piles of dough by only being part time Royals.
So the plan is have their cake and eat it by using their priviledged Royal positions to make money but only to perform certain public service that suits them. They move to Canada and then to LA where they purchse an $11 million dollar mansion and sign a huge contract with Netflix to make films about how wonderful they both are and all the good they are going to do for the world.
The Queen is a bit pissed off with all this and decides that they can't have their cake and eat it so strips them both of their Royal patronages and Harry of his military titles so now they are both pissed off as well. We are now to be treated to a two hour TV interview of them both with Operal Winfrey [sic] where we will learn there has been 'an orchestrated smear campaign' against these two poor deprived ex-Royals. As if Queenie doesn't have anough problems what with Prince Andrew's misdemeanors and Prince Phillip on his last legs!
When they first said they wanted to step back from their Royal duties and claimed they wanted to shun publicity and preserve their privacy I understood and sympathised but they have since done a pretty good job of doing the opposite and the Press have fallen for it. Now it has surfaced that Royal household staff had complained of bullying by Meghan to which she is supposedly 'saddened by this latest attack on her character'.
Harry has said "It has been unbelievably tough for the two of us but at least we have each other". I now need to go and lie down in a dark room.
I have since watched the Operal [sic] interview and must admit I did feel sorry for Meghan and her claim to have been suicidal when she was pregnant with Archie. At the same time for the two of them to sit there and confess to to events which should have been private within their family does not ring true with their stated desire to be left alone by the Media. Once again publicity on their terms as with what Royal duties they want to undertake.
Harry complains of not being funded and being deprived of security. He should understand that if you leave the job then you lose the salary and the perks in the real world. Of course he has never lived in the real world so perhaps can be forgiven for continuing the rich lifestyle he was used to. I am afraid the UK taxpayer would not agree to that funding without a return on the investment.
As for the accusations of racism if they are going to make such claims then they should identify the person who they are accusing, otherwise the whole Royal family are under suspicion which is unforgivable.
Fund raising for Macmillan Cancer Support 4 different ways:
On my return to the UK I will be organising a sponsored walk to raise funds for the Macmillan charity along the Macmillan Way West in memory of my late wife Susan. I am also a cancer victim and undergoing treatment in New Zealand but in the meantime, depending on your location, you can donate with this widget below directly to the Macmillan charity by subscribing to the JustGiving web site:
Douglas Macmillan 1884 - 1969: "Born in Castle Carey, Somerset, Macmillan was educated in Somerset prior to university in London becoming a civil servant in London. After his father died of cancer in 1911 he started a charity to help those suffering from the disease which was eventually named after him. He died of cancer himself in Castle Carey at the age of 85."
The Covid epidemic has hit charities like Macmillan very hard as most fund raising has been forced to rely on internet pages such as this one. Macmillan has lost a third of its fundraised income due to the pandemic. It is very difficult to get people to part with their hard earned cash on-line rather than appealing to their better nature's face to face. Macmillan would appreciate whatever you can afford because you might need them some day. Remember that 40% of the world population will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives and nearly 10 million a year will die which pales Covid into insignificance.
All money donated will go directly to the Macmillan charity. The donation pages on JustGiving default to Pounds Sterling currency. You can change the currency but there are limited options. If your currency is not listed, here is another widget below to convert to whatever is your home currency:
Currency Calculator
To Donate without subscribing to JustGiving:
As an alternative to using the JustGiving widget you can click on the photo below and you will be taken directly to my JustGiving page where you also donate without needing to subscribe to JustGiving. You can also chose not to make an additional donation to JustGiving should you wish.
Text your donation
This is a quick and easy way to give either a one-off or regular monthly donation for those with UK mobiles.
Donations are taken out of the phone bill at source.
Text MOBILE to +44 70550 to make a £5 single donation
Text REGULAR to +44 70550 to make an ongoing donation of £5 a month.
Please obtain bill payer's permission. Age 16+. UK mobiles only. One off donations charged at £5 + std rate. Monthly subscription donations charged at £5 + std rate each month. Macmillan Cancer Support is a registered charity in England & Wales 261017, Scotland SC039907, and Isle of Man 604. Macmillan receive 100% of all donations.
I will be placing the above invitation to donate at the bottom of each new page of this web site until the sponsored walk has been completed. My own cancer treatment is unlikely to be finished before the end of this year (2020) and I hope to return to the UK in April so the summer of 2022 is the most likely time for the sponsored walk to take place. If you would like to be included in the walk or sponsor a walker and receive email updates you can register your interest here.
Donating with a UK credit card
You can click on this link to donate directly to Macmillan if you have a UK credit card. If you choose to donate directly to Macmillan in this way it is linked to my JustGiving page so your donation will be credited to the total in memory of Sue.
Donating from overseas
If none of the alternative methods of donating are suitable then you can make a direct bank transfer by emailing Macmillan at fundraising@macmillan.org.uk or calling them on +44 207 191 2172 and they can provide you with their bank details to make a bank transfer directly to their account.
