Bricklayers Arms in Bromley was pretty good last time I was there.

@Chris-B said in For The Skiers Out There : Return To The Silk Road:

@MiketheSnow It's pretty cool seeing where some of those guys ended up. Rob Des Lauriers appears to have become a realtor and from the videos, he might be well suited to that! 🙂

Went to Cappadocia in 1986 - it was summer - scorching hot - no idea you could ski there and I can't recall the volcano. Probably couldn't see it for the heat haze.

Apparently there's good ski-ing in the various Stans, but I figure I need proximity to decent medical facilities for my ski-ing excursions these days!

Anyway - Dan's a winner from my viewing. I bought his book as a Christmas present for my bro-in-law. I should've asked you if it's any good but fark him (my bro-in-law) - he can like it! 🙂

Yeah, Dan one of the few of that era who's still in the sport.

Cappadocia is perfect in Winter. We had one day of light snow there which made it look really pretty. The rest of the time it was around 10C and sunny. Lovely walking around weather. And far less people than Summer.

There's great skiing all through Turkiye, the former Eastern Bloc, and the old Russian Empire.

Slowly heading further and further East each Winter.

His book is an easy and very good read. Dan's had quite the life.

Great fucking week. Big crowds on the two good weather days, unsurprisingly not so many on cup day, and most especially the bitterly cold Stakes day.

Turnover through the roof, viewership still on the up. A 2nd Aussie horse in a row, and this one Aussie bred, trained and owned has definitely helped.

Some fucking great racing over the week. There are few sporting locations like Flemington, amazing place.

Racing highlights were Jamie's ride on the MC winner, the overhead visions is crazy, VS running past them even on a heavy 9, Ceowulf's last 100m (fuck you!!!!), Pride of Jenni doing what she does on Derby Day. But i saw a lot of great finishes.

@SouthernMann said in Rough tips and other bets...:

Some of you lads are eating steak tonight!

steak for weeks!

Tindall now looks like he will stop in the middle of the M25 and approach you if you honk at him.

Elliot Daly added to the wider squad. Cue anther change at full back?

England retain the Raeburn Shield with their 9th consecutive win.

The All Blacks have a chance to take the shield off them next Saturday.

@NTA said in Aussie Community Rugby:

So, despite winning the GF easily, they were disqualified due to the competition rules.

There's no incentive, i
s there

@Snowy nonsense. ABs are just paying homage to the Athletic Park retirement village whenever they play in Welly. Respect your elders peers.

Yamamoto was actually given the wins in games 6 and 7; three wins all-up.
Hadn't realised that, very, very impressive.

@stodders said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:

@nzzp said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:

@MN5 said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:

@Victor-Meldrew said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:

@nonpartizan said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:

@Victor-Meldrew said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:

@Catogrande said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:

@DaGrubster

Who the fuck penned that load of shite? The Walrus would be my guess.

Yep. He was on a roll in '04/5. Remember him claiming Martin Johnson playing rugby in NZ almost ruined his career.

Haha, wtf.

It was like a gap year of sorts at a time when he wasnt an established first team regular at Leicester never mind England.

That is crazy shit.

Stephen Jones: "Why Neil Back was a better 7 than Richie McCaw"

Stephen Jones: An All Black shagged my wife. Memoirs of unbridled hatred of a national sporting team.

He was the buzzfeed of his generation. Understood that clicks/eyeballs were kings. In another life he'd be writing listicles on the net, not for the Times

Jones rates the 96 ABs as the greatest team of all time. So he doesn’t hate NZ. I think he just enjoys being a wind up merchant.

He does hate nz rugby

@NTA said in Wobblies 2025:

Lose? "Pommy bastards colluded to scuttle our chances!" 😠 🖕

or, should have cracked a window...

Murray Kinsella and Bernard Jackman had a decent conversion about the NZ/IRE game on the 42.ie rugby podcast. Most of it's about Ireland (+ URC) which is a good listen by itself but they go over out the state of the NZ team and the coaching. It's interesting hearing a neutral perspective from the outside.

About the NZ rugby public:

"They're very hard to please - they're quite cynical and that's because they know so much about rugby." Ha!

I don't agree with it all (Robertson called 'very bright guy') but worth a download.

Michael Blank played a few games for Waikato, and then a lot for King Country.

@Grooter said in Otago 2025:

@Chris always good Info from you Chris cheers, makes me think Cam Millar might have a Welsh or Scottish granny lol

With a name like Cam(eron)? And Millar, a miller, a vocation with an association to Glasgow? No way!

How could anyone think that name is Scottish!
https://screenacademyscotland.ac.uk/actor/cameron-millar/

@Smuts said in ALL BLACKS TOUR TO SOUTH AFRICA 2026:

@DaGrubster Don King never got this sort of bullshit, Sheeyeet brotha, Ali ain’t bombayaying no grill selling mutherfucka at no Boxing Championship Bout in the Vibrant and Sophisimacated motherfucking Metropole of Kinshasa.

Thanks for clearing that up!

@Kiwiwomble said in Rugby Championship scrapped?:

@Dan54 said in Rugby Championship scrapped?:

@Kiwiwomble said in Rugby Championship scrapped?:

@Dan54 no i was saying the lions tour is not really comparable to us touring SA as you were suggesting because they are so infrequent, yes the tour next year will be different....but we will still have played SA within 12 months as opposed to 12 years

no, RA got $100M flat fee for the RWC and a fair chunk is already gone on debt with little making it past the super teams, and not sure how else to word im not stressing about aussie...but about how i feel a competitive RC like this year is better for the AB's than exhibition games against the SA franchise and repetitive games against the Bokke

Well Phil Waugh is a liar if you correct mate. I saw him in Inside Rugby last week saying RA has cleared debt with profit from Lions tour ($100 mill) and the money from WC will go into a fund. Who should I believe?

or....more likely i misread something (although we havent seen any change in the club scene)....i feel jumping straight to "random guy on the internet calls Waugh a liar!....news at 10".....comes across like looking for an argument

Na wasn't looking for argument, was lighthearted way of someone has missed news or something. But also saying the woe is me doesn't work coming out of Aussie for me anymore. SA were it seems almost technically bankrupt last year, NZR lost a fair chunk of money, yet when these 2 unions try to something about it, it's criminal, because Lions only tour every 12 years and they got another 100 mill (reportedly)for WC in 27, spare me the tears how NZ/SA are somehow should worry about Aus before themselves. The only ones I feel for are Argentina, and even then well it's not up to NZR and SA to fund them. Reading some forums you would think Aus rugby is a NZR dependant.

As an example mate, @MiketheSnow says I am a dolt because I shrugged and said I didn't worry what Aus do next year. I genuinely care what Aus and NZR do, but don't actively worry about it, and RA has know that this tour was going ahead for at least 2 years, and if they have chosen not to do something, I am not going to lose sleep over it.

https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/sportstalk/audio/craig-innes-former-all-black-on-the-future-of-new-zealands-rugby-pathways-for-secondary-schools/