Happy Birthday!

One hour left in New Zealand for our favorite player to celebrate his 26th birthday.
Happy New Year 2007 for everyone (full of joy, success and rugby!)
One of his main activities today (answering messages!)

Encore 13 heures jusqu'a la nouvelle annee mais aussi encore 13 heures pour penser a notre joueur de rugby prefere qui fete aujourd'hui ses 26 ans. Son activite principale du jour : repondre aux messages!
Bonne Annee 2007 a tous (pleine de bonheur, de reussite et de rugby!!!)

Captain's run (NZ Herald)

Captain's run - Richie McCaw
Friday December 29, 2006
By David Leggat

Richie McCaw admits he indulges in the odd spot of visualisation. You know the sort of thing ... beloved of people who make their living studying the goings-on inside of sporting heads.
It's an admission from the All Black captain which comes slowly, as if wondering whether this is the sort of thing which should be discussed out loud. That it might hint at getting ahead of himself.

After all, All Blacks and World Cup titles are a dodgy pairing. They don't happen every four years. It's 20 years since David Kirk became the only All Black skipper to lift the Webb Ellis Cup at Eden Park. Four others, Gary Whetton, Sean Fitzpatrick, Taine Randell and Reuben Thorne, have tried and come up short.

But McCaw is right to think in positive terms about the significant year ahead, to imagine himself holding "Bill", as the Wallabies call the trophy they've won more than the All Blacks, or scoring the winning try, or making the match-winning tackle.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't occasionally think like that," he said. "It doesn't hurt to think good things. It's an old cliche that you focus on what's just round the corner. But at this time when you're not playing you can think of the year as a whole and think it'd be great."

With due respect to the Silver Ferns, Team New Zealand and the World Cup-bound cricketers, it is McCaw and his men who will draw the most impassioned support when their Big Show starts in France in September.

The nation expects, and events of the last couple of years have only swelled those expectations. The All Blacks have been beaten only once in each of those years, both times in South Africa, 23 wins from their last 25 tests and this year were often comprehensively better than the next best nations.

But it's no simple business winning World Cups. McCaw was there four years ago when Australia cleaned the All Blacks out in the semifinal in Sydney.

He reckons he's never sat down and watched a replay of that match. He's unlikely to now, unless it is deemed a suitable extra little piece of motivation at some point in the months ahead.

"I don't think we understood what it took to win the World Cup. We just sort of turned up and said, 'We're going to win it'.
"You look at that English team back then. Everything was put into winning the World Cup. It's a matter of having everything right, and up till now I think we've done that."

But for now McCaw, the International Rugby Board and New Zealand player of the year, peerless flanker and driving inspiration for his team, is resting up, clocking up more kilometres on his way to obtaining his gliding licence to go with the pilot's licence he's had for about three years.

"Gliding's a real sport," McCaw said, offering a distinction between the two. "You've got to get up and look around for places where you can get a lift. The aeroplane is a bit like getting in a car and driving somewhere."

The peaceful moments several hundred metres up are when McCaw, happy back in his central Otago farming patch, can relax. Switching off comes more easily to him than it used to.
He believes it is a skill that needs to be learnt.

"The big thing is you've got to have other interests. Then you don't think about the rugby side of things for a while and all of a sudden you'll think, 'Hell I want to get back to rugby'.
"That's the way it should be. If it becomes, 'Oh, I've got to get back into it', that's not right at all. Flying is something I'm pretty passionate about. I can get away down south where it's nice and quiet. I really enjoy that."

Once the calendar ticks over next week, the big countdown starts. McCaw is one of the 22 players who will skip the early weeks of the Super 14 for reconditioning, but he knows it won't be a gentle lead-in to the season.

And he's aware public expectations can put vast pressures on players.
"In my first couple of years in the team I felt it. On the end-of-year tour this year there were 14 guys who were at the 2003 World Cup who went through that.
"They have matured a lot in terms of knowing how to deal with that side of things."

McCaw sees the World Cup as exciting. Any trepidation at the enormity of the whole business is well hidden - "If you don't get excited for it you're probably doing the wrong thing."
There's no one big key to winning the World Cup, McCaw said. In his mind it boils down like this: you get to the playoff stages and from there it's three games to win.

"You've got to get yourself in the right state to play your best in those games.
"The big thing is we've got to have an attitude that as long as we get ourselves ready the best we can, and perform to our best, then if a team is better so be it. But the worst thing is to walk away and say, 'If only we'd done that'."

Aside from everything else, McCaw has one personal reason he rather fancies leading the All Blacks to glory at Stade de France on October 20.
"I've never even seen the bloody thing up close. It'd be nice to do that."

**************
VF :
http://marylanceron.blogspot.com/2007/11/captains-run-nz-herald.html

Review 2006 : Part 2

July - Eden Park is to get a $320 million facelift in time for the 2011 World Cup; A brace from Keven Mealamu helped earn the All Blacks a tense 32-12 Bledisloe Cup victory over Australia at Jade Stadium; the match is nearly overshadowed by Jerry Collins' call of nature just before kick-off; the All Blacks then won an armwrestle over the Springboks in Wellington with a 35-17 victory at a capacity Westpac Stadium; later in the month the ABs down the Wallabies in Brisbane 13-9; the new Air New Zealand Cup kicks off as Canterbury destroy Hawke's Bay 45-0.

Renovation de l'Eden Park validee a temps pour la CDM 2011. KM aide les ABs a remporté la Bledisloe Cup (mais le match passe au second plan derriere le pipi de JC juste avant le coup d'envoi). Ensuite, les ABs ont battu les Sud'Afs a Wellington et les Aussies a Brisbane. Debut du championnat national : Canterbury ecrase Hawke's Bay.

August - The All Blacks claim the Tri-Nations with a close-fought 34-27 win over the Wallabies at Eden Park in Auckland; Wallabies winger Lote Tuqiri gets a five-match suspension for a dangerous tackle on All Blacks captain Richie McCaw; Graham Henry's men then defeat the Springboks 45-26 win in Pretoria; Wellington is confirmed as a Sevens host for the next five years, with Adelaide joining the fray as well.

Les ABs gagne le Tri Nation grace a leur courte victoire sur les Aussie a l'Eden Park. LT prend 5 matches de suspension pour tacle dangereux sur Captain Richie. Ensuite les hommes de GH gangneront a Pretoria. Wellington est designee ville hote de la CDM a 7.

September - Defeat finally for the All Blacks as they go down by a point to South Africa; the Black Ferns win the Women's World Cup while the Wheel Blacks lose in the final of the Wheelchair Rugby Champs to the USA in Christchurch; the first rumblings of building a new stadium in Auckland for the 2011 World Cup begin; North Harbour claimed the Ranfurly Shield for the first time when they toppled Canterbury 21-17 at Jade Stadium.

Defaite dans le dernier match des Tri Nations pr les ABs. Les filles remportent la CDM mais les "fauteuils roulants" perdent face aux USA. On parle d'un nouveau stade pour 2011. North Harbour gagne pr la 1° fois le bouclier Ranflury en battant Canterbury au Jade.

October - Waikato win the inaugural Air NZ Cup, defeating Wellington 37-31, Wairarapa Bush take the Meads Cup, while Poverty Bay claim the Lochore Cup; Jonah Lomu is linked with a switch in codes to new league franchise the Gold Coast Titans; New Zealand great John Kirwan takes over as coach of Japan.

C'est Waikato qui gagne le championnat en battant Wellington.JK devient le selectionneur du Japon (a la place de JP Ellissalde). JL va pt etre signer avec Gold Coast (je pense que c'est du 13 ms je suis sure que ce n'est pas du 15!). Les deux autres equipes sont des championnats nationaux (ms je ne pourrai pas dire de quelle categorie exactement).

November - The All Blacks destroy England, France (twice) and Wales to confirm their status as the world's best team; the waterfront stadium becomes the favourite to host the 2011 World Cup final before losing out to Eden Park; Argentina shock England at Twickenham and by the end of the month Andy Robinson quits as coach; a new scrummaging rule is announced in a bid to improve safety; Richie McCaw is officially named the best rugby player in the world by his international peers; a new format is announced for next season's Air NZ Cup to make it less complicated.

Les ABs ont detruit toutes les equipes europeennes qui ont eu la merveilleuse idee de se mettre sur leur passage. Le stade du front de mer ne verra pas le jour (en 2011, ce sera tjs l'Eden Park qui accueillera la CDM). L'Argentine gagne face a l'Angleterre a Twickenham et AR est demis de ses fonctions. Nouvelle regle pour la melee (pour preserver les joueurs). Captain Richie elu meilleur joueur de l'annee (a la surprise generale!!!). Nouveau format pour le championnat national en 2008.

December - NZ Sevens win the George tournament, their first title since Singapore in 2005; Ex-Wallaby boss Eddie Jones is keen on the England job; Hawkes Bay sack coach Brendon Ratcliffe after just one season.

Hawkes Bay vire son coach apres une seule saison. L'ancien selectionnaur Aussie veut bien aider l'Angleterre. Les ABs ont 7 remporte leur premier tournoi depuis plus d'un an.

Retour sur 2006 (1° partie) :: 2006 Review part one

Janvier a juin :: January to June

by tvnz

January - Tana Umaga announced his retirement from the All Blacks, saying he wanted to spend more time with family and concentrate on playing for Wellington in the Super 14; Welsh club Llanelli ban a supporter for life who ran onto the pitch to abuse Jonah Lomu; Keven Mealamu was named skipper for the Blues while All Black loose forward Sione Lauaki found himself in trouble, accused of assault in Hamilton.

Umaga arrete les ABs. Llanelli banit a vie un supporter pour avoir "attaquer"Jonah Lomu. Mealamu devient le capitaine des Blues.

February - The Wallabies turn to John Connelly to turn around their fortunes after the sacking of Eddie Jones; Fiji win the Wellington Sevens defeating South Africa 27-22 in a thrilling final; Scotland stun France in their opening Six Nations match, later they down England at Murrayfield; All Blacks and Crusaders first-five Daniel Carter is named New Zealand rugby's Player of the Year for the second year in a row; the new Super 14 competition gets underway with the Hurricanes taking out the Blues 37-19 at Eden Park; the Western Force have a first week to forget, losing 25-10 to the Brumbies and Scott Fava was relegated to the bench for failing the club's alcohol policy; also in trouble is Wendell Sailor, who is suspended and fined by the Waratahs for a drunken night out in Cape Town.
Connelly remplace Jones a la tete des Wallabies. Les Fidji remportent le tournoi a VII de Wellington face a l'Afriqu du Sud. Les Ecossais debutent les VI Nations sur deux bons resultats. Carter elu meilleur joueur de l'annee pour la deuxieme annee consecutive. Pour la naissance du Super 14 : les Hurricanes vont a l'Eden Park pour ecraser les Blues ; pour son premier match la WForce perd chez les Brumbies et Fava se retrouve sur le banc pour avoir etre alle a l'encontre de la loi du club en ce qui concerne l'alcool. Quant a Sailor, il se retrouve suspendu apres une nuit trop arrosee au Cap.

March - The NZ Sevens side surprise everyone, including themselves, with gold in the Commonwealth Games; Hamilton gets one in the neck after the Reds blamed "pre-match boredom" for their defeat by the Chiefs; Australia utility back Elton Flatley announced his retirement from rugby for medical reasons; France take the Tri-Nations, while Ireland win the Triple Crown.
Aux jeux du Commonwealth, la surprise vient de l'equipe a VII qui remporte la medaille d'or. L'Australien Flatley annonce sa retraite pour des raisons medicales. La France remporte les VI Nations et l'Irlande fait le Grand Chelem.

April - England win the Hong Kong Sevens, defeating Fiji 26-24; Blues player Rua Tipoki is suspended for 16 weeks after being found guilty of striking Western Force player James Hilgendorf; Wallaby star Matt Giteau joins the Western Force in a three- year deal, rumoured to be worth around $4.5 million; Welsh club Ospreys sign former All Black halfback Justin Marshall to a two-year contract after the relegation of his club Leeds.
L'Angleterre remporte le Tournoi de HK a VII en battant les Fidjis. RT est suspendu pour 16 semaines apres mal tacle JH de la WF. Giteau rejoint la WF pour 4.5 millions de dollars NZ (3 ans). JM rejoint le Pays de Galles (et le club de Ospreys) apres que Leeds eut ete relegue.

May - Richie McCaw is handed the job of All Blacks skipper; Bay of Plenty's assistant coach Andre Bell is handed the top job ahead of the Air New Zealand Cup; Wendell Sailor's year goes from bad to worse after he tests positive for cocaine, he later gets a two-year ban; the Crusaders take the inaugural Super 14 title in comical conditions at Jade Stadium as hardly anyone could see the 19-12 win over the Hurricanes due to thick fog; Sale are crowned English champions for the first time.
A la surprise generale, Richie McCaw est nomme capitaine des All Blacks!!! Bell devient le boss du championnat communement appele NPC. Sailor va de plus en plus mal : positif a la cocaine (il sera suspendu pour 2 ans). Les Crusaders remportent le premier S14 face aux Hurricanes, au Jade Stadium dans un brouillard plus que londonien!!! Sales remportent pour la premiere fois le championnat anglais.

June - Fiji win their first ever Sevens crown after victory in the London round of the series; the All Blacks are given one almighty scare in the opening test of 2006 before finally conquering Ireland 34-23 in Hamilton, after the Irish led with 10 minutes remaining, while the visitors also put up a brave battle in the 27-17 loss in Auckland; Argentina also give the All Blacks a good workout, going down 25-19 in Buenos Aires; Australia wallop hapless England 34-3 and 43-18 and down Ireland 37-15; NZ Maori keep their Churchill Cup crown; Tana Umaga agrees to play with French team Toulon after the Air NZ Cup.
Les Fidjis remportent leur premiere couronne a VII apres leur match a Londres. Pour leur premier test match de la saison, les ABs ont eu tres peur a Hamilton face a l'Irlande (les Verts menaient a dix minutes de la fin ; la semaine suivante ils ont perdu d'une facon honorable a Auckland). L'Argentine a aussi donne du fil a retordre aux ABs a BA. L'Australie a humilie les Anglais et facilement battu les Irlandais. L'equipe des NZ Maoris a conserve la Churchill Cup. Umaga a signe avec Toulon pour jouer en France entre le NPC et le Super 14 2007.

SURPRISE............

All Black Captain Richie McCaw (L) and New Zealand Rugby Union Chairman Jock Hobbs arrive at the New Zealand Rugby Awards at Sky City Convention Centre December 14, 2006 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Sandra Mu/Getty Images)

www.allblacks.com :

Richie McCaw, as expected, was tonight named New Zealand's player of the year, clean-sweeping the major rugby awards this year. The Canterbury, Crusaders and All Black player, regarded as a peerless openside flanker in the past southern hemisphere season, won the award at the New Zealand Rugby Union annual Steinlager Rugby Awards at Auckland's SkyCity.
The All Blacks were named team of the year and their coach Graham Henry coach of the year. McCaw, 25, received the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Trophy to cap a magnificent year in the sport. He was named player of the year by the International Rugby Board and the International Players' Association and last week won the supreme award as well as the sportsman of the year in a poll-based people's choice in New Zealand. McCaw played 12 tests this year, including 10 in succession and also led the Crusaders to win the Super 14.

The Steinlager Salver, awarded annually to the person who has made an outstanding contribution to the game, was presented to former All Black forward Stan "Tiny" Hill, OBE. Hill, 79, also a former All Blacks selector, made his name as a rugged forward for Canterbury, the New Zealand Army and Services teams and the All Blacks. He made his All Blacks debut in 1955 and played 19 games, including 11 tests. In 1956 he played in all three historic victories over the Springboks as well as the 1959 series victory over the touring British Lions. Hill became selector for the New Zealand Army team and Canterbury before becoming an All Blacks selector from 1981 to 1986, helping the team to a clean-sweep over the Lions in 1983 and an unbeaten season in 1985.

McCaw's All Blacks, Crusaders and Canterbury teammate Daniel Carter was named Super 14 player of the year.

Carter and Chiefs and Waikato All Black Malili Muliaina were also nominated for the top player award.

The All Blacks won the team of the year for the second consecutive year, beating off the women's World Cup winning Black Ferns, Super 14 champions Crusaders and Air New Zealand Cup winners Waikato. The All Blacks won 12 out of 13 tests this year and in the process retained the Bledisloe Cup and the Tri-Nations title. They ended the season with emphatic wins against England, France and Wales.

Graham Henry was also named coach of the year for the second consecutive year. As the All Blacks coach, Henry has won 32 of his 36 tests and the team have remained unbeaten at home and in the northern hemisphere under his guidance.

Waikato centre Richard Kahui was named Air New Zealand Cup player of the year and Poverty Bay first five-eighth and competition top-scorer Scott Leighton won the Heartland Championship player of the year.

All Blacks, Highlanders and Otago prop Carl Hayman, from the Tuwharetoa iwi of the central North Island, was named the Tom French Memorial Maori player of the year while Black Ferns and Canterbury midfielder Amiria Marsh, who starred at the World Cup and was picked in the Cup's All Stars 15, was named women's player of the year.

Hawke's Bays' Tafai Ioasa, who captained the New Zealand sevens team to this year's Commonwealth Games gold medal glory, won the sevens player of the year award, receiving the Richard Crawshaw Memorial Trophy.

Canterbury's 21-year-old flanker Michael Paterson, who excelled for New Zealand at the IRB under-21 world championship in France, was named age-grade player of the year. And the volunteer of the year award was won by Otago's Jock Martin, president, chairman and under-13 coach at the Lawrence Rugby Club in Central Otago.

Paul Honiss was named referee of the year for the second year in a row. Honiss became New Zealand's most capped test referee after controlling his 38th test this year.

The award judges were former All Blacks manager John Sturgeon (convenor), All Blacks selector Sir Brian Lochore, former All Blacks captain and past NZRU president Tane Norton and journalist and author Bob Howitt.

Award winners.

Age-grade player of the year: Michael Paterson (Canterbury and New Zealand under-21)
Sevens player of the year: Tafai Ioasa (Hawke's Bay)
Referee of the year: Paul Honiss
Women's player of the year: Amiria Marsh (Canterbury)
Volunteer of the year: Jock Martin (Otago)
Super 14 player of the year: Daniel Carter (Crusaders)
Team of the year: All Blacks
Maori player of the year: Carl Hayman
Heartland Championship player of the year: Scott Leighton (Poverty Bay)
Air New Zealand Cup competition player of the year: Richard Kahui (Waikato)
Coach of the year: Graham Henry (All Blacks)
Steinlager Salver: Stan "Tiny" Hill
Player of the year: Richie McCaw (Canterbury, Crusaders and All Blacks)

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D'ou venez-vous? :: Where are you from?

Depuis la fin de la tournee d'automne, ce blog a gagne un nombre inconsiderable de lecteurs/trices ;) C'est la raison pour laquelle j'ai decide de vous "presenter":
Votre prenom, votre lieu de residence, "mode" d'arrivee sur le site, je supporte Richie depuis...
Par exemple : Mary -- Troyes(France) -- recherche de "Richie McCaw" sur google -- je supporte les ABs depuis l'ete 2004 (donc a peu pres la meme periode!)
A vous de jouer!

Since the end of the autumn Tour, the number of readers (male and female) of the blog has increased a lot. That's why I decided to ask you to "introduce yourself":
Your firstname, your hometown, the way you got to the site, how long you've been supporting Richie....
For instance : Mary -- Troyes (France) -- google search engine, searching "Richie McCaw" -- I've been an ABs fan since summer 2004 (so about the same time!)
It's your turn now!

Midi Olympique Magazine (novembre 2006)

Richie McCaw, A prince of this game
By Serge Manificat

The prodigy New Zealander flanker may be, 20 years after David Kirk, the second All Blacks captain to hold the rugby world cup in a year at the Stade de France.

In the McCaw family, the most famous had been for a long time the grandfather, Jim, from Scotland, wounded during World War 2 after having enrolled to Europe and joined the Allies. For a short while, Richard Hugh, aka Richie, has passed him as far as bravery is concerned. Richie McCaw often enjoys saying that what excites him first when playing rugby is the fight. He stopped counting his scars, his wounds, but also the concussions he suffers from –like during the 2004 summer when he had to stop playing.

Cutting down –at the McCaws, we know it, from father to son. Like Tony Woodcock and Greg Somerville, Richie McCaw is a son of peasants. His parents Don and Margaret were cereal growers. He spent his childhood in Kurow Area, a tiny town in the South of the province of Canterbury, where he would take care of the cattle and raise the haystacks.
“Behind the farm, there was a kind of rugby field. That’s where I started to play at the age of 7 ; there was also the tiny field of hamlet’s school where we were only 24 pupils.”
Richie McCaw immediately knew this sport would be his.

"At 10 or 11, I would run a lot already. I knew I had to train more in order to tackle more often, so as to always be the first to steal the ball. I has always been pretty exciting to get the ball and see the others scoring a try in the opposite line. As I grew up, I have always wanted to be the most 'prepared' player, the most fitted. Besides, I practise as often with the back lines as with the front lines".

Richie McCaw was not born to be an average player.

This sentence is so true that Richie McCaw had just turned 17 when he was called to the Northern island to play the school finals. In Auckland, the most gifted flanker of his generation -who had been spotted for a long time by the recruiting sergeants- was seen as a prodigy and approved unanimously. So much so that his coaches, during a selection match whose aim was to constitute the Southern island team, didn’t hesitate and selected him as…a center player. But it was pointless. Three years before, his parents had moved not far from Dunedin, 150 kms farther in the South, and Richie had left the family nest to Otago boarding school. During the 1998 school final against Rotorua Boys High School, Richie McCaw scored the try which gave no winner to the match and got his scholarship to attend Lincoln University in Christchurch where he would play rugby and study agronomy. He soon started to play for the NPC team of Otago.

We know the sequel. The number 7 of the Crusaders, whose idols were Michael Jones and Josh Kronfeld, is today the best player in the world at his position. Like Dan Carter, every match he plays is marked by his prints, like this summer during the Tri Series or last year during the two first tests against the Lions. Richie is everywhere.
“His game is perfect or almost perfect. The only thing he has to learn is how to save his strength because he is often the first on the ‘contact points’, he gets all the blows”, Steve Hansen, All Blacks coach, said last summer.

Yet since his first cap in 2001, the crazy dog, the *celibattant*, the gliding fan who has his flying licence, has learnt to control himself. Not only thanks to some golf practices. Since recently, ha has had to control another kind of pressure, the one of the media, because of his fame. Since May 13th : it was the day after the Super 14 semi final won by the Crusaders against the Brumbies ; Graham Henry appointed him as the new All Black captain, as Tana Umaga’s successor.
“Two years ago when I was first appointed captain against Wales, it was a shock. For such a small country like ours, being the All Blacks captain is as important as being Prime Minister!”
Perfectionist through and through, able to build a ‘tackle zone’ again and again, to do the same moves. Richie is a prince of this game.
“Rugby is a way of being. Knowing that once you have tackled, the job is not finished, you have to go till the end of the action and the given situation. That’s where you make the difference. The ideal situation being without any fault. Because at the professional level, there is no second chance.”

*Celibattant* : mixed of the two French words “celibataire” = single and “battant” = fighter ; I didn’t find an equivalent…let’s say it’s the opposite of Bridget Jones. The “celibattant” are single and not desperate, not really searching a partner…c’est la vie!

Cattle : can be translated by livestock

Cutting down : can be translated by slaughter
--> I am not very familiar with this vocabulary...Yet, enjoy the article ;)

Magazin Midi Olympique (decembre 2006)

Le mois vu par Richie McCaw

The month through Richie McCaw's eyes

***L’evenement :: The event ***

La coupe du monde de rugby : forcement, en tant que rugbyman. J’imagine la joie au pays si nous pouvions la rapporter en Nouvelle Zelande!

The rugby World Cup : of course, as a professional rugby player…I can see the happiness back home if we could bring it to New Zealand!

***Le CD :: The CD ***

Je telecharge ma musique, comme tout le monde je suppose ; et mon groupe prefere est Dire Straits, pour leurs melodies et leurs textes.

I download my music, like everybody I guess ; my favourite band is Dire Straits, for the rhythm and the lyrics

***Le livre :: The book ***

The Power of one : ce livre de Bryce Courtenay est une belle histoire d’amitie qui se passe en Afrique du Sud ainsi qu’un plaidoyer contre le racisme.

This book written by Bryce Courtenay is about a great friendship in South Africa, it’s against racism.

***La serie TV :: The TV series ***

Prison Break : Des que j’ai commence a regarde, je me suis fait “piege ». Je suis devenu accro, avec tous ces rebondissements ! J’ai deja telecharge des episodes de la deuxieme saison, pour savoir ce qui allait se passer…

As soon as I started watching it, I got “punked”. I became addicted, with all these new events! I have already downloaded some episodes from the second season, to know what’s going to happen….

***Les hommes :: The men***

Chris Moller et Jock Hobbs : tous les deux ont fait un boulot extraordinaire pour que le NZ organise la CDM 2011. Je crois qu’ils ont fait 4 millions d’heureux au pays, contre tous les pronostics.

They both did a great job for NZ to be the 2011 WC host. I think they made 4 million happy people at home, against what was predicted.

***Le coup de Coeur :: The “heart beat” ***

La saison 2006 : C’est un privilege de faire partie de cette equipe qui a eu tant de succes cette saison. Nous passons bcp de tps ensemble et ns apprecions la compagnie des uns et des autres. Ce n’est pas seulement les resultats qui st importants ms surtt le style de jeu et les progres que ns avons faits.

The 2006 Season : It’s a great honour to be a part of this team which was very successful this season. We spend a lot of time together and we appreciate each other’s company. It’s not only the results that matters but also how we play and how we have improved.

***Le coup de gueule :: The “scream”***

La pauvrete ds la monde : je suis en colere a chaque fois que je vois des images de gens qui souffrent. Il me semble que ns pourrions y mettre fin, ms les gdes puissances ne st pas pretes a faire ce qu’il faut. Alors que ns avons la technologie te les moyens de nourrir et loger tt le monde.

Poverty in the world : I am angry any times I see pictures of people who suffer. It seems to me that we could end it, but the big powers aren’t ready to do it. Whereas we have the technology and the mean to feed everybody and offer them a place to live.