Dark Days

After a day of ignominious exits, and general depression in the M/M household about a certain World Cup, I distracted myself with Guy Somerset's brave words about shoddy book covers. I made similar comments at the end of a recent review (of Sarah Laing's very good short story collection, Coming Up Roses and was told off, during my last trip to New Zealand, by various maligned parties.

On a happier note: good on Fiji for doing so well and getting so far in the World Cup - making the quarter finals for the first time in twenty years. The Fijians managed to score more points in the match against the Springboks than either the All Blacks or the Wallabies managed in their respective quarter-final losses. I'm glad the Fijians got to do a lap of honour after the game.

Whether the Springboks or Argentina make it through to the final - and South Africa is a more likely bet, of course - I'll be supporting them. My loyalties remain in the Southern hemisphere. Perhaps this is why, three months after I applied for U.S. citizenship, the Department of Homeland Security still hasn't sent me any paperwork or cashed my check.

Comments

[Grendel]

Maybe you can explain something to me. When somebody drops the ball, and all those large men dive for it and form what I call "the enormous multi-man crab," how is it determined who gets the ball and how does the ball get out of the crab? Like, in American football, if there's a fumble, they dive for it, and the ref has to call a stop to it and determine who has the ball. In rugby, the players somehow determine it and it's all orderly. Tooo orderly.

[pjkm]

Grendel - this will explain all:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/bsp/hi/rugby_union/rules/scrum/html/feeding.stm

[Brando]

Wait, there's hookers in rugby? I'll have to start watching.

[Grendel]

Yes! Thanks. The key part: "However, no other player in the scrum is allowed to handle the ball until the ball is free - not even the hooker."