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15 December 2014
From my reading of books, papers and magazines in 2014; from watching TV or sitting in a movie house or just plain listening to people yarning there are always quotes to jot down; Here are some of my favourite 'Quotes' (on any subject) from 2014 (Jotted down in my notebooks in no particular order): (And, by the way I've also jotted down the WORST sports commentary quote of the year. It's at the bottom of the page!)
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First - the BEST ones! This one concerns the rugby hooker Keven Mealamu who has now set the record for playing in the most first-class games in New Zealand history. Said an un-named teammate; "We believe he's put his arms around his All Black propping mates more times than he has put them around his wife!"
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"Looking at a women's cleavage is like looking at the sun. You don't dare stare. You just get a sense of it - and then look away quickly!" Jerry Seinfeld at some function.
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The Bible made a guess at the outcome of the 2014 New Zealand General Election; "The heart of the wise man inclines to the right; the heart of the fool leans to the left." Ecclesiastes 10:2
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The Bible also made a judgement on the Wellington rugby team's awful 2014 season: from John 11:35; '...Jesus Wept..."
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A critical quote about the current Government in power in Australia: "Fumble, Bumble, Tumble, Stumble and Mumble. The Abbot Government embraces all of the 'umbles - except Humble!" Phillip Adams - 'Oz Wit' edition 16 August 2014.
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"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain!" (A sentence on a card, presented by her friends to my granddaughter in 2014 on her 13th birthday - and written by poet Vivian Greene.
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An anonymous quote which could apply to any sport; "Don't be afraid to go out on a limb, of that's where the best fruit is often found..."
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"You can't stop the march of Father Time - nor the effects of his missus - Mother Nature! In sporting terms they are both formidable - though we all know Father Time is undefeated!"
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"They used to say the two most important men in any rugby team were the tighthead prop and the reserve tighthead prop!"
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The ex-English rugby player Peter Robbins used to say; "Welsh rugby players, if not born, are certainly conceived on a rugby field!"
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WORST TV commentary Quote of the Year; (In the light of the on-going discussion about the dangers of concussion in all sport - Colonel Bob Sheridan's commentary on the replay of the knockout punch at the recent Joseph Parker v Irineu Beato Costa Jnr fight in Auckland, surely does NOT help) Over the video Sheridan uttered the following inanity.
"Oh! See that head-snap! Wow! That's a brain-stem knockout! It's where the brain crashes into the side of the skull!"
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The great 1924-30 All Black fullback George Nepia dies in Ruatoria, East Coast, aged 81.
JAMES, CARWYN
Llanelli and Wales
2 internationals for Wales 1958
A brilliant rugby man whether as a player, coach, lecturer, broadcaster or writer.
Carwyn James had the misfortune to play in the same era as the great Cliff Morgan, and it was not until 1958 that he played flyhalf for Wales, when it beat Australia by 9–3 at Cardiff. James kicked a dropped goal. Later that season he played centre against France, outside Morgan.
It was as a coach that the quietly-spoken James made his mark on world rugby. Without ever having coached Wales, he was elected to guide the 1971 British Isles team in New Zealand. Under his quiet tutelage the Lions played winning rugby against the All Blacks, and James’s innate tactical judgments and expert reading of opposition strengths shot him into world prominence.
His reputation was enhanced in 1972–73, when he coached Llanelli to its famous win over the All Blacks. He was also the guiding hand behind the Barbarians club’s fortunes against the All Blacks in the final game of that same tour — a game said by many to be the greatest game ever played. James later coached with considerable success in Italy, where his influence on the players at the Rovigo club was said to be enormous.
Personal differences between James and some members of the Welsh Rugby Union meant that he never coached the national team, although at the time he was clearly a very good candidate for the job.
After his spell of coaching he turned to writing and broadcasting, where he proved to be very successful, with a turn of phrase that said much for his intellect and rugby wisdom. He wrote several coaching and historical manuals on the game and was an expert interpreter of rugby on television and radio.
James was an ardent Welsh nationalist who turned down an OBE after the Lions tour of New Zealand. He spoke Welsh fluently and encouraged others to do the same.
Carwyn James collapsed and died in the Netherlands in 1983, and was deeply mourned by his friends and colleagues. Many called him a genius of rugby, though it was also said he was a prophet of the game who was never honoured in his own country. The prominent English writer, John Reason, called Carwyn James ‘the best coach the world has yet seen’.
From 1987 to 2011 inclusive; How many men have refereed the seven Rugby World Cup finals?
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