Gahan comments

Lets go Aussie!!! One of the few times in my life that I can remember NZ backing an Aussie team!

Only a fool would pay 13x the face value of legal tender.

Whilst Japan are certainly in the weak half of the draw (with the world's best 4 teams on the other side). It is probable that they will come third or fourth in their pool and be eliminated before the 1/4 finals. Should they miraculously scrape into the 1/4 finals they will face either Australia or Wales(maybe Fiji). It is highly improbable they will make the last 4.

As an aside this is the most imbalanced world cup draw the RWC has ever seen. Only 2 to the top 4 teams can go through to the semis.

This team is nowhere near their potential yet.

Forget English..

The ultimate language will be Chinese..

The next first world superpower language..

Get used to it.

The same was once said of Japanese. And it won't happen for pretty much the same reasons as it didn't happen for Japanese. Chinese won't become the global language in our lifetimes (or ever really). There are just too many barriers to languages that don't use alphabet written systems.

I wouldn't panic - that's about the same level we expect from native speakers in NZ (sarcasm... mostly).

NZ is timing their run at the RWC 2023 very nicely indeed.

She should be arrested immediately. The child must be returned to country from which they were abducted and Fukuhara can sue for custody in the Taiwanese court. All along the lines of the international agreement to which Japan is a signatory. Japan has appalling behaviour when it comes to child abduction.

NZ's 6th labour government have never had an easy ride. Installed in 2017 by a maverick politician despite the country voting for the conservative party and then covid handed them a walkover victory in 2020. Despite that the deeply inadequate Ardern carried on while over net approval rating plummet from an almost fantastical 80% to a negative rating in the space of 6 months. Her replacement, Chris 'Chippy' Hipkins has seen the most stunning self-destruction of the party and his cabinet Ministers. The truth is that they were woefully unprepared to take power in 2017 and they have had a disastrous effect on NZ. Driving divisive race-based policies on a deeply unapproving country, whilst the results of their incredibly poorly thought out lockdown programme and money printing has left NZ reeling economically. The Justice Minister, Kiri Allen is deeply disliked as she is a known bully and Iwi-elitist snob. All her talk of mental health has happened since she has been exposed and it smacks of an expensive PR narrative pivot that has now ultimately failed in a drunken, boorish car crash. She is the perfect metaphor for this 6th Labour government. I for one cannot wait to see the back of them.

There is almost zero buzz for this in NZ.

Since the 6th Labour government accidentally came to power in 2017 there has been a 30% reduction in the prison population. This was an ideological decision taken by the Labour government. Also, since the 6th Labour government was gifted power, against the general will of NZ, there has been a massive spike in violent crimes. While it may suit the ideological purposes of this government to incarcerate less people. The country, meanwhile, has to suffer their 'soft on crime' approach.

The ABs were magnificent. When they are in that kind of mood there is no team that can live with them. Can they maintain this form after the messy few years that started with the covid situation?

Although the NZ B team never looked under any threat it was certainly made harder by the preposterous heat the game was played in. SANZAR will have to think very carefully about their magnificent tournament subjecting the athletes to playing rugby in 30+ temperatures and high humidity. Also, the officiating was generally quite poor in this game.

TaiwanIsNotChinaToday  

Just ban the Russian flag and anthem as hate symbols.

They are not symbols of 'hate' though

The beautiful game vs the brutal game. Passing the ball vs smashing up the middle. The maul vs the ruck. For the soul of the game NZ needs to win by scoring try after try after try.

Seriously - here in New Zealand... people just don't care about soccer. I wouldn't go even I was given a free ticket.

Asian countries like NZ? Bruh!

Students of the game will have noticed that the ABs have completely changes the method of their attack. Time will tell if it is their prime attacking strategy moving forward or maybe a plan developed to specifically counter the defence-heavy style of the NH teams (where the Argentinians mostly play their rugby). The combination of Mackenzie and Barrett worked very well. The flatness of Mackenzie's attack was astounding.

Japan never really fired a shot during the game.

As a musician and a music teacher I would concur. The number of excellent musicians that I know personally who are 'on the spectrum' is quite high. The most important factor in becoming a great musician is the amount of dedicated practice that one outs into the instrument. That seems to suit people with a slightly obsessive nature.

Japan are NOT one of the favourites.

Well done to Jamie - he has by any metric been Japan's most successful rugby coach.

@Fighto - it's on the way. 2026 likely to be when japan (and prob Fiji) are added to the RC.

We could use this in NZ universities. It would just mean cutting all those 'identity and grievance studies' courses.

The first instance of multiverse use in the major comic companies was Flash in the 1960s. The quintessential multiversal struggle is the excellent 1985 DC comic Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Actually, looking at the issues going on around the world within this hysterical community. It looks to me like Japan have got it absolutely right. Perhaps Japan will be one of the few places where the rights of women are protected. It will make a nice change to what see sadly see happening to women's spaces and sports in the West.

RNZ (or Red Radio as many of us NZers know it) - has a recent history of exceedingly left-biased content and unbalanced fawning over the government. It is no surprise that there are ongoing issues there with the highly controversial Minister for Broadcasting, Willie Jackson, having a long history of unsavoury incidents and a clear love of grift.

Along with Brodie Retallic he has formed the most successful locking partnership of all time. An immeidate name on the All Time Greatest XV list

One of NZ's many great achievements having the first man to stand atop the mighty, Mount Everest.

They make excellent food.

genderless clothing - modelled by both of the genders.