Nic’s blog
I write about building businesses, failing and building a life, not a legacy.
Ricky Januarie - Drink, drive and play professional rugby
Sounds like a plan to me. I am unbelievably disappointed with the officials involved in this.
Springbok scrumhalf Ricky Januarie was arrested on Sunday morning in Durbanville, Cape Town, for drunk driving.
This article was written on September 15th at IOL. Guess what? Ricky Januarie is playing rugby on Saturday for Western Province.What is wrong with society that sports people (celebrities) are allowed to go free in spite of an arrest? Surely Januarie should be suspended until his court hearing? Surely the Western Province board doesn't care that much about winning? Surely it is more important to create a sense of responsibility among the idols of SA rugby?I am going to say it again, I am exceptionally disappointed with the situation and believe that Januarie should be indefinitely removed from professional rugby. This is not his first offense either and that should be even more cause for concern. No, not in our rugby ranks. Here drunk driving is an acceptable crime. Placing other people in danger on the road is seen to be an acceptable way of existing in society. Well I think not. What if Januarie had killed someone? What if he had rammed his car in to someones wall, car, child, mother or grandmother? What then?
It seems that Ricky Januarie will be able to play the rest of the year since his driving under the influence of alcohol case has been postponed to 29 January 2009.“Januarie, who was arrested by police in the early hours of Sunday morning in Durbanville near Cape Town, has been named to play for Western Province in a Currie Cup match against Griquas at Newlands on Friday. WP coach Allister Coetzee confirmed this week that he will continue to select the player, despite the scrumhalf’s off-field troubles.” - source
But instead January walks free and gets to earn more money and play more rugby all the while, leaving a great trail for the youth to follow. Well done Januarie, well done.
Springbok haka rubbish
Why do we do this? Why must we insist on looking like morons? The New Zealanders do the Haka. Simple. We, do not.No, now we want to a Zulu version. I think that DJ Fresh or someone said it: Imagine Os, or Bakkies doing a Zulu dance before a game. Firstly they will look like morons, secondly they will feel like morons and thirdly they will play like morons.Not to mention how ridiculous we look that just before our world cup squad announcement all we can talk about is a stupid pre-game dance. COME ON PEOPLE.Let's practice a bit harder, work a bit longer, make the team gel a bit more before even think about existentially proposing the possibility of a little jig before the game.What we do pre-game when facing the haka is stand united as a team and face it. That's what we do, simple, effective and a big statement. Now we are trying to emulate, reinvent and copy the "better" team fromt he south? No, no, no.Let's just hope that Hoskins will sort his shit out, forget about the dance and concentrate on the world cup squad selection. The nation is watching you and for the moment having a little chuckle.
Skinstad and White Robbed
How incredible is that? Bob and Jake walk in to the Australian airport and realise that the camera, laptop and allegedly their "playbook" were stolen.Most people would be talking about Bob being captain (KAK IDEA) or Jake selecting a second string team (You brilliant, brilliant man you). But I am more interested in them being robbed and the media hounding them upon arrival.Anyhoot, whatever, we sent a second string team, who cares, I think it's a shit idea to have the super 14, tri-nations and world cup in one year anyways. Go Jake.P.S: Bye bye Mr Smit and Mr Matfield we'll see you in the green and gold.
Football Hooliganism Makes Football Watchable
Sitting at the Keg last one of my mates was watching the Football. Manchester United vs AS Roma. BOOORRRRRIIIIINNNNGGGGG!!!But Wait, it's half time, the riot police are out and some Mancs (term for Manchester United Supporters) are getting the living daylight kicked, punched, beaten and whipped out of them. Let me tell you, the entire pub came to a stand still, turn around, and watched the onslaught. People cheered, shouted and went absolutely mad at a bit of police brutality.Prior to the incident, not a single peep from anyone regarding the Football!What does this say about the state of society right now?1: Either Football is an extremely boring sport and people are catching on or2: It takes blood and guts to make us feel good.I think that both are applicable. I can't turn around without hearing someone talk about the movie 300. Blood, comic books, gore, aggression, etc etc etc. Same old, same old. Yet no one takes two seconds to discuss the more subtle films, songs, T.V. series on. It's all about Nip/Tuck, Prison Break, beat your mom music, death metal and all the rest of the testosterone boosting influence that is available.It must also be said that Football is not a particularly stimulating watch for the AVERAGE viewer, not the emphasis on average. I am not talking about the Mancs, the die hard pommie wanna be football freaks who not which team finished 15th in the premier league 12 years ago. I am talking about the average guy or girl sitting at a pub NOT wanting to watch football.Quick comparison:Rugby: 80 minutes a game, points are scored via Tries, Conversions, Penalties or a drop goal (occasionally a Penalty Try will be awarded). There are lineouts, scrums, mauls, rucks, tackles, contact, kicking, passing (via hands), passing (via feet) amongst many other interesting phases in and out of the game. Games hardly ever end in a draw and when it does, that is usually a fair result.Football: 90 minutes a game, a goal can be scored by a player (usually the forwards), goals can be scored with the head or the foot (occasionally an obscure part of the body, NEVER the hands or arms). There are throw-ins, freekicks, the occasional penalty and very often the game ends in a draw which is usually a crap and boring result.Now, before you start telling me that I am bias, I am not, I love Football, I support Everton (UK) and Pirates (SA). I just think that something could be done to improve the sport for the viewers, and I don't mean beat the fans until the T.V. station puts on a Heineken Advert!
Pic supplied by AOLsportsblog
Investec Tipping Challenge
I was invited to join the Investec Tipping Challenge today. What a cool idea. Join a pool, make some predictions and see how you can beat in your pool.Unfortunately for those who do not like to watch rugby, this is a rugby pool. It's free, it's easy and it's highly addictive. So if you and your mates smaak some lekker Rugby then check out this Investec Tipping Challenge.
Toilet Paper, Old Flags and Security Systems
It has been one hell of a weekend I must admit. I am still sick. That sucks but it didn't stop the weekends events from unfolding. What it did stop me doing for some reason was sleeping, again.Toilet Paper and DreamsFriday night I was at "The Hat" (Manhatten in Rivonia) with the boys (yes, I just said "the boys"). Everything was going well until we received a very serious phone call from one of our mates, let's call him Shitbreak1 (SB1). SB1 phones his brother Shitbreak2 (SB2) to ask him to leave the club and walk to an adjacent shopping centre (Mall) to get him some Toilet Paper(TP). Our man, SB1, had walked all the way to the shopping centre went in to the toilets, in to the cubicle and not noticed that there wasn't any TP. WHO DOES THAT? How is it actually possible, in a public toilet, to forget to check for TP? Well Shitbreak 2 stylishly leaves the club with none of us knowing, until his girlfriend comes in to the club... He had bumped in to her as he was sneaky out to make is own "deposit" at the shopping centre and was forced to tell her the whole story. So close to the perfect getaway, so very close!Hang-overs, Shopping, Old Flags, Hansa and RugbySaturday proved to be a long, long day. I woke up at 8:30am with my body tell me to go F*ck itself in a big way. I felt like Shitbreaks 1 & 2 the whole day. Nice start. Then went to Sandton where I had a business meeting (I sound so professional). Still hanging like the devils tail and missioning on I went to see my Mom and her boyfriend for lunch. I didn't eat. Then went shopping with my mom. Two pairs of shoes, shorts, T-shirts and a belt as well as finishings for my toilet. Awesome. Still hanging. Go To Shitbreaks 1 & 2 for a Braai (Barbecue) to watch the South African rugby team play England at Twickenham.
This started well, kicked straight in to the Brandy and coke, no Hansa. Everyone else drank Hansa till it seemed as if Hansa was sponsoring the 'event'. I stuck with Brandy. Rugby kicked off at 4:30pm, great, game going well we are winning then it's even, then we score a try. I am not sure exactly how many people noticed what happened next but I did: Some moronic amoral low-life fool started waving the OLD South African flag.
This might not seem like a big deal to most and many of the guys joked about it. But seriously, I am all for learning about our past, I agree with knowing about what the flags looked like, the people wore etc etc, but keep that shit at home in your fucked up life. Apartheid ended 12 years ago, it's time to let it go you Afrikaans White freak.We lost the rugby 21-23. Sad, sad day.Security SystemsSo the rugby ended, we lost and shit happens, cool. But why do days like this one have to go on? Why can't we just let it go when the rugby finishes and a few people leave? Why? As you can only guess by now I wasn't one of the people who left the braai. I stayed, I pushed on and we drank on (Shitbreaks 1 & 2 more so than me) till the early hours. Now the funniest thing about South Africa is that we all love the joys of Summer, we do. We love the fact that we can sit on a deck till 11pm in the evening and feel great.But don't let an alarm go off, don't let a dog bark and be sure not to walk past a house where there is a braai happening after dark. We were all sitting on the deck quietly involved in some heavy debate about life, suicide, friends, death, money, rugby, ladies (not chicks) and everything else when, all of a sudden the dog started barking and the next door neighbours alarm was activated. I have never seen for men jump up quicker in my life. Arms tensed, legs locked and eyes focused. We all quietly picked up the nearest blunt object and headed to the walls and gate to see what was going on. I find this incredible. At the drop of a hat we were sober as a nun (hate that metaphor) and ready to defend our land, or anothers' land from the enemy. I still don't know who the enemy was but I am sure glad that they didn't attack!Now it is Sunday and I have finally had my due sleep. Take it eash.
Gender wars part 2... instigated by Michelle Atagana
What it is about women that allows them the ability to slate all men in one fell swoop? I don't get it. If a man so much as looks at a women with any sort of disdain he is charged with being a patriarchal chauvinist and shunned from society (bet he wont get laid for ages... what a typically male thing to say!!).Michelle posted on the issue to begin with on her post I believe in the man... I think. "The male species cannot be as shallow and as one minded as they present themselves, can they?" Imagine if a man blogged that women can't be as slutty and stupid as they present themselves, and Why aren't more women cooking and cleaning for their husbands like back in the good old days?I would be burnt at the stake, not so? So then what on Earth gives any women the right to make swooping statements like one of the comments to Michelle's post: Jen said, "Sorry to burst you bubble but that is all there is to men!," tsk tsk tsk Jen, there's that stupidity I was just speaking of. Maybe all women are as moronically ignorant as Jen presents herself. No. That's not right, but that is the luxury that women are allowed, to be able to say what they want about men because of historic imbalances.Well let me be the first to say that history is over. Much like the many black South Africans who never experienced apartheid charge the white man for their suffering. What suffering? You didn't live through apartheid, you have affirmative action, you are not suffering. In the same breathe, women who are able to blog in front of their own personal laptops at University have no room to complain about the ignorance of man, because in so doing, you are expressing your own ignorance.Some men are rapists, some men beat their wives, some men are shallow and some men are not. Some women spend thousands upon thousands of Rands every year on make up so that they look better and some women don't. Are you telling me that every women who buys make up is shallow. No. That's just not true. Hence, not all men who watch rugby, drink beer and play sports are shallow. Just because you, as a women, don't grasp the male love and understanding for and of sports, don't knock it. We don't criticize your shoe collection, we love it cause it's who you are.Let bygons be bygons, let men be men and women be women and everyone be human. Simple.