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9th Day in Nanjing
Glen Larmer at the tennis today - looking like the heat was getting to him. It was bloody hot!
21 August 2014
Today a complete change of roles for me in Nanjing at the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games. The Rugby Sevens has finished so today my commentary roster had me heading out to the tennis complex for some broadcasts there. I worked with Auckland Glen Larmer (he's a great bloke - though he calls himself a 'former - Wellingtonian' which is interesting as he went to Naenae College)
We had a nice day. Seeing there were only three matches on the Show Court we split them up 50/50%. Glen took the men's singles semi-final and I opted for the women's. Then we both decided to share the call on the Mixed doubles. My female winner was a very powerful Chinese women by the name of Xu Shilin - known as 'Coco' to her friends - and my word she could play. As a 17 year old she was hardly likely to be in the top ranked 'adult' players in China but I will be looking out for her in the future. Today she bulllied past Kristina Schmiedlova of Slovakia 6-1 6-1 in less than an hour. That puts her into the medal rounds (the semi finals to put it another way) I wouldn't put it past her to win the Gold Medal. Coco has a tough game.
I must say the temperatures seemed vastly hotter today than out at the rugby. It was so exhaustingly hot when I climbed to the top of the commentary tower that i immediately seemed to get what I would call a 'heat headache.' Mind you, a couple of panadols fixed that though.
Then later I had to put my rain jacket on to keep out the cold as the night swept in. So it is crazy here.
Anyway who cares about the weather? Nobody really does? Especially about commentators - its always a bit 'OK' so we cope.
Soon enough the tennis today was over and Glen and I battled back in the train (for 15 stops - an hour's ride) to the hotel. A couple of Heinie's downstairs and now I'm off to bed.
Tomorrow it's weightlifting which is on my roster. Funny how things work eh? One has to be ready for anything.
Talk to you here tomorrow.
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Every day there is Rugby History 10 September 1966
Click to show The British Lions are sent packing.
On Eden Park on this day in 1966 the All Blacks beat the Lions 24-11 and completed a 4-0 test series whitewash.
A-Z of Rugby
Click to show KEANE, MOSS
KEANE, MOSS
Lansdowne and Ireland
51 internationals for Ireland 1974–84
1 international for the British Isles 1977
A dedicated player who became only the third forward from Ireland to reach 50 international appearances. Keane was never a great lineout leaper or scrummager or runner in the open. Rather he played the game in the dark depths of rucks and mauls, where he was as good a grafter as the game has seen. For heart and pride, and the desire to do his utmost for Ireland, he could not be bettered.
Maurice Ignatius Keane first played for Ireland in 1974 in a 6–9 loss to France, but wins in two other matches that season gave Ireland the Five Nations title. In Keane’s fourth international season for Ireland, he made the British Isles team to tour New Zealand, after one of the team’s originals, Geoff Wheel, had to withdraw on medical advice.
Keane was in the Irish team that won the Five Nations championship in 1982 and in the one that shared the title with France in 1983. The other years of his international career were lean: in 52 internationals Keane was only in the winning team 17 times.
Keane had a delightful personality and a wicked sense of humour and many stories, true, exaggerated or otherwise, are still told about him.
In the 1978 New Zealand v Ireland match at Dublin, the Irish were being well beaten in the lineouts, where Keane was marking the All Black giant Andy Haden. The only chance Ireland had to win lineout ball was with their complicated lineout calls, which none of the New Zealanders could decipher. The All Blacks were helped on one occasion when the lineout call went out from the Irish halfback and they heard Keane cry, ‘Oh God no, not to me again’!
Moss Keane was the first Gaelic footballer to play rugby union for Ireland after eligibility rules were changed. He remained an enormously popular figure in Ireland after his retirement from playing.
10 Questions to well known sporting people
Today's KQ Rugby Quiz
What was unique about the Hastings brothers, Gavin and Scott, when they made their debuts for Scotland?
What do you think?
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