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rgh1066

Listed below are comments made by rgh1066 between Wednesday, 11th June 2008 and Monday, 6th July 2009.

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Final flourish leaves Lions lamenting what might have been 01:10am on 06 Jul 2009 Blimey! I keep expecting to see Jimmy Carter coming in to try to officiate a peace deal between WillyGilly1990 et al and the England2003 bloke/lass (surely s/he's too young to remember that World Cup anyway! S/He sounds about six!)

Interesting comments earlier about the Southern Hemisphere having an equivalent of the Lions to play the NH's finest on the odd occasion. From time to time the idea has found enough support to get it going. I saw the Southern Saltires thrash the Northern Stars in Hongkong in 1990. It wasn't much of a game, to be honest. The problem is the timing of the series. The only time the NH is likely to do well in a series of this sort is if it's held in the middle of our season (same applies to the RWC, of course - worst luck). There's no way the 6N will be allowed to take back seat to such a radically new idea, so I think we can forget about it ever happening on a regular basis. Don't know if anyone here remembers the South American team led by Hugo Porta that toured South Africa during the apartheidt era (they actually won a Test), but it underlined the importance of the touring mentality. That's why the Lions should never play at home. I know we played in France in 1989 that one time, but the decision to play the Pumas at Cardiff in 2005 badly backfired. It seemed the rest of the Lions were the guests of the WRU - Owen was even the captain, I seem to remember. The Lions ain't broke and don't need fixing. We were unlucky this time. The Third Test (in which BOTH sides were changed, not just the Saffers) proved the Lions can win after the SCW debacle. Next time things may be different.
Can wounded Lions salvage more than pride? 06:40am on 03 Jul 2009 Very downbeat blog! I hope the Lions don't feel this pessimistic about the chances of winning the game - or the point in playing it in the first place.

This is a Lions Test match against the world champions. Never mind the dead rubber nonsense. This is as live as it gets for a player from the British Isles. I agree with earlier posters that this is a stronger, not weaker, South African side, but Geech's omission of Shane Williams robbed the Lions not only of one of the most clinical finishers in the world, but also the one player who had the Indian sign over his opposite number - leaving Habana on his jacksie and outscoring him 2-0 last time they met. Geech has put that right this time, and also put the future starter Hook on the bench - both decisions that should have been made a week ago.

You're only as good as your last game. Win on Saturday and the Lions can remember an end to a season when they showed the South Africans that NH rugby is alive and kicking.
ECB hit for six by Stanford 3:53pm on 19 Feb 2009 Once more, Mihir's blog proves to be fascinating reading - not so much for what he writes himself, but certainly for the well-informed and stimulating responses to his assertions.
World view of Beijing 11:12pm on 24 Aug 2008 Great article. You should send a copy to Mihir Bose! I shall try to remember some of your examples next time I have to listen to some ignoramus claiming that all that counts is the winning.

Zhu he nin, Zhongguo. Gen Sydney 2000, zui hao bisai!
It's the winning, not the taking part that counts 6:20pm on 16 Aug 2008 Bose seems to be celebrating the Aussie supporter's contemptuous comment for the Indian cricket fan, rather than treating it with the disdain it deserves. There are plenty of examples of people thinking they are superior pouring scorn on the efforts of those who have finished behind first place - the famous and fatuous comments of Vince Lombard come to mind, but most well-adjusted people see these for what they are. The Olympic spirit famously celebrated those who participate, not merely those who win. It's nothing to do with being satisfied with mediocrity; it's about celebrating participation in sport. Contrary to what is being posted on this board, the british are among the most magnanimous in world sport. Living in Mexico and having to suffer US television coverage of this Olympiad, I can assure you that this particular continent could learn a thing or two from that.
Beckham to appear at closing ceremony on top of a London bus 7:03pm on 15 Aug 2008 Exciting though the idea of including Scottish and Welsh history is, we should remember that the Olympic Games are awarded to cities - not countries. The London bus is arguably one of the most iconic symbols of our great city, and like him or not, Beckham is the most famous Londoner in the world to the Chinese. It is, therefore, fitting that he represents us at the closing ceremony.
Whether he'll have any role to play in what I am sure will be the best opening ceremony the world will have ever seen come 2012 is another matter entirely. But why defeatist comments like "We won't be able to compete with Beijing's opening show" are already appearing on this forum is baffling. That's not the spirit London is famous for.
Is Phelps really the greatest? 5:46pm on 13 Aug 2008 Vera Caslavska single-handedly put gymnastics on the map. More individual golds than any other athlete in history and she was banned from training by her cruel and morally bankrupt government until just days before the 1968 Olympiad in which she made her mark. She trained in secret and in exile in the countryside by lifting sacks of potatoes. Then she amazed the world with a floor routine that for sheer triumph of spirit has never been bettered. Still the authorities tried to humiliate her by gerrymandering the scores to give her a tied gold - and by a blatantly unfair decision on the beam that forced her to silver. She rose above them all by her famous silent protest on the podium even though she knew this would be met with a harsh punishment (she was forced to retire). You cannot gauge the greatness of an Olympian by gold medals alone - to do so would be in direct conflict with the Olympian creed, but Caslavska will be remembered long after many of the names in this blog have passed into obscurity.
So who was right? 01:27am on 12 Jul 2008 Well, it was Zhou Enlai, not Deng Xiaoping, but the story is apochryphal anyway. I think Davis' actions were unwise coming so close to another high profile non-contested election whose "winner" has convinced no one.

Whilst I do not wish to imply Davis is as morally bankrupt as Mugabe, I do think this lunacy was always going to be a gift to Labour at a time when the Tories should be showing a united front and trying to convince the country they have the team to govern responsibly.
You Are The Ref special 01:05am on 11 Jun 2008 Ticape, presumably Buffon could have walked past RVN and played him offside.

Or he could have saved RVN's shot.

IMHO not only was it a correct decision (though perhaps purely by chance) but it also caps an amazing week of football - with Venezuela beating Brazil away and the USA holding Argentina to a draw.

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