Hong Kong Game Review

Ok, so the conditions weren't fantastic, the humidity meant everything was slippery and the loose surface meant that the side step became a slip step.

Oh dear so the All Blacks started off throwing the 50-50 passes which only make it when you're playing Italy or Scotland. The kids were starting to shy away from the Plasma and hide in the extremities of the house as I launched into heightened vitriol at our men in black for going down the Islander Rugby route again. Why they have to start like this is beyond me! Fortunately when they saw the Aussies start to capitalise on the stupidity combined with a probable jolly stern talking to at the break they pulled their heads in and held onto the ball for long periods in the second half effectively snuffing out any chance of the Aussies launching their, arguably superior, back line.

Coincidentally my mate Cam had a business trip in Hong Kong and was able to catch the game, funny that. Plenty of calls and text messages we made and by the end of the game I was green with envy (in a good way) at the fun being had. I also saw my mate Reyhan and his dad Aatish in the stand during the game. Given that these esteemed All Black supporters were at the game I felt confident for a win which of course we got.

So the Aussies are claiming they were dudded here and here. No surprise there. I must admit that the referee was pretty hard on the Wallybees but, then again, they were infringing more than the All Blacks. This goose Greg Growden must have been watching another game to think that the "Aussies had it all over the ABs." The guy must have been partaking of pre-game drinks and blacked out in the second half. Sure, the All Blacks were slow to begin with but they also threw away a lot of possession. When the cool heads prevailed and Robbie Deans stopped perving on the babes we saw a confident and controlled All Black performance seal the match.

All in all an average quality game with the right result. Good venue and crowd. Hong Kong Sevens is looking like a distinct possibility!