Fitz Files 8/11/08

[travelling_gerry]

FIVE years ago at a time when the Iraq war was breaking loose, the gag ran like this: "These are strange times. The best golfer is a black guy, the best rapper is a white guy, Switzerland has won the America's Cup … and Germany doesn't want to fight this war!"

To that, this week, of course we can add, wonderfully, that there is now a black man in the White House, while another black man steps forth as formula one champion and they're playing a Bledisloe Cup match in Hong Kong, even while the Kangaroos played the Poms in a World Cup, in Melbourne.

Strange days indeed, most peculiar, Mama. But while some in the list above are inspiring, do we include the Hong Kong Bledisloe in that? Surely, it was the most underwhelming Australia/New Zealand encounter in living memory.

It wasn't that the match had the quality of an exhibition game, per se, just a curious lack of intensity from both sides. Many report that while the festival atmosphere in Hong Kong leading up to the match was terrific, most were disappointed that the game itself in no way lived up to expectations.

If they are going to persist, it would surely make more sense to make it the third Bledisloe of the year, so that there is more chance that the cup itself will be riding on it.

the rest of Peters very funny column here........

[JediKnight]

I disagree that it should be the 3rd match of the series.....if they want to play a money-raising match in HKG then it should be an exhibition match, not with the Bledisloe at stake.

[Flamethrower]

[GIGS20]

Actually no....I can see the wisdom in playing the third match of a three match series at a neutral venue. That way the home ground advantage is nicely taken care of. Let's face it, the Wallabies' chances of winning it next year, when they have two away games are pretty small aren't they. If they had an away game and a neutral venue it'd be fairer.

Then again the AllBlicks don't seem to care where it's played, they win most of them anyway!

[Burgs]

Not sure how they could make it the third match while we have a three round Tri Nations as neither will want to give up the Home advantage for that series.
If it was two rounds it would be ideal, week after last 3N then up to HK for the Bled Final.