We took the bus to town for a film festival movie (One Hundred Nails, glorious) and on the bus home afterwards, already running very late (because of Snapper problems, the driver said) the bus suddenly slowed to no more than 5 kmh and the driver had to pull over.

It had overheated, he said, because the Snapper equipment was overloading it.

We got off and walked the rest of the way, as did most of the other passengers on this very full bus. We felt sorry for the driver and it was good to see that nobody seemed annoyed with him for the truncated trip.

The bus we caught going in had the Snapper equipment turned off, which seems to be the case in about half the buses I've observed.

Given the Morning Report reporter's insistence that she had been told Snapper was working perfectly, I'll be emailing the bus company to ask what is really going on.

Don't get me wrong, I think the Snapper card is a great idea that will provide many benefits, but as I have said before, I think its introduction has been disorganised and all the bugs should have been fixed before it was extended past Route 17 to the rest of the Go Wellington routes.

[gallery]

Was interesting reading this one on tv3.co.nz do you feel Wellington is getting more dangerous at night time ??

Live and learn, eh?

The reporter contacted me earlier this week as a result of reading articles on this blog about Snapper, which is a smart-card system that is not only replacing the old 10-trip bus tickets, but can be used to pay for coffee, drycleaning and many other small purchases at retailers that will also have Snapper readers.

I told her that I thought the introduction of Snapper was proceeding in a disorganised way, as, for example, Route 17 buses have been Snapper-equipped for a trial since April, yet late last week users were told by email that from this week, there was no guarantee of getting a Snapper-enabled bus on this route, so we should be prepared to use other forms of payment, such as cash or a 10-trip ticket. And, of five 17s I have caught so far this week, only one has had its Snapper reader working. Just why this should be the case in the week the system was meant to have been introduced across the Go Wellington network is anyone’s guess, and is unacceptably bad customer relations for passengers on a route where every bus had been Snapper-enabled for months and the cards had been used every trip by many passengers.

I also told her I thought the Snapper system was a very good idea, that the technology had been proven overseas (London’s Oyster card and Hong Kong’s Octopus, for example), and that the problems I had noted on this blog were clearly only teething problems, but that Go Wellington seemed to be rushing into its system-wide introduction a little early.

She went to the bus company and came back and told me I was wrong, that everything was fine and working perfectly, according to the bus company, which to prove it provided her with a large number of happy Snappers from the ANZ Bank (who seemed from her report to use it to buy coffee rather than catch buses).

As I said, nothing she said gave me the impression she actually uses the buses.

Laziness like this - and on a damn blotter item - is just aggravating as hell.
But, hey, I haven't finished my coffee yet, so maybe it's just me ...

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

After some research and asking around the New Zealand Vodafone dealers, they recommended me to go to Omni Tech Limited, it is located at 378 Great North Road, Henderson, Auckland to solve my problem.  Before going there, I search for "mobile phone repair" under www.google.com, I found a few links pointed towards Omni Tech Limited's site.  This company is listed with New Zealand Retailers' Association under the Supplier's Section <here>

It took me less than one day to let Omni Tech Limited to unlock my mobile phone from the Australian network and did not cost me a bomb!  They provide superior and quality service; which gave my dollar a big bang!

You have to be very careful who you choose to repair your mobile phone as you do not want your expensive phone to be messed by some amatures in Auckland!  If yuu have any doubt, you can always contact Omni Tech Limited at (09) 8383943.

They charge only $22.50 inspection for a full checkup on your mobile phone (which is counted towards the final repair bill). Other might charge you $25, $40 or even $70 before they even look at your phone!

Anyone who has ridden a skinny wheeled road bike through the streets of Wellington must grimace in empathetic pain when they see one of those things.

When I was in Holland one of the things I loved was that the breweries there gave bike racks with advertising of their beer on them to pubs in the same way that breweries here give pubs advertising covered coasters, caps and sofas. The assumption that underlay that advertising pitch was supurb. (BTW - I'm not advocating cycling drunk, but I know I'd rather be hit by a drunk cyclist than a drunk driver.)

I read last time the beautiful post of Béatrice Peltre on La Tartine Gourmande. She speaks, among other things, about what make the difference between an American and a French supermarket. If dairy products can be one of the signs that show you are in France, there are also signs that show you are in New Zealand:

- The bakery section is fully surrounded by cinnamon flavour

- Cheeses are sold in tiny portion, except Cheddar and Edam.

- At the delicatessen part, the ham is already sliced

- You can find oil in spray and the oil range is wide

- There is a rainbow of bottles for food coloring

- Vegemite and Marmite is sold next to jam and honey

I'm in my comparing phase at the moment, although I don't like comparison. I would say in general that marketing and branding are not so strong here. I've been formated for many years in France and I admit to be a victim of these strategies. I pay attention to packaging, even if regarding food, my main criteria will remain the taste and the quality. I don't like that much supermarkets. I guess it's probably the light, the scale... The greengrocery section is far to be the most attractive part and I like to hang out there to discover new fruits!

In the same way I like how a shop organizes its window or display items. Last time during the sales, I did a pleasant discovery. It was not the window, nor the display, but the rear side of the shop: the fitting room ! It was huge and comfy at the same time. Nicely decorated in a Japanese style. You just wanted to spend all your afternoon there, trying all their garments !

Retails with personality are not so spread. Nonetheless, I appreciate the atmosphere and lovely shops of Greytown, in Wairarapa. In Wellington, there is Madder & Rouge, but I also like Magnolia (113 Tory Street) and Inky Pinky (Marsden Village, Karori). Both sell gorgeous decorative items ! For Antiques, I will definitely advice to go to Tinakori road and do not miss Cherry Orchard Antique !

You are probably wondering after all, what's the link with iPhone ? There's no. I'm just sick to hear about it everywhere, althought I like its design and that it's user-friendly.

La suite en français

J'ai lu, la dernière fois, le superbe billet de Béatrice Peltre sur La Tartine Gourmande. Elle parle, parmi d'autres choses, de ce qui fait la différence entre un supermarché américain et français. Si les produits laitiers peuvent être un indice qui montre que vous êtes en France, il y a également des signes qui montrent que nous sommes en Nouvelle Zélande:

- La boulangerie est plongée dans une enivrante odeur de cannelle

- Les fromages sont vendus en petites portions, sauf le Cheddar et l'Edam

- Au rayon charcuterie, le jambon est déjà tranché

- Il y a de l'huile en spray et le choix d'huiles est large

- Il y a un arc-en-ciel de bouteilles de colorant alimentaire

- Vegemite et Marmite sont vendus côte à côte avec les confitures et le miel

Je suis dans ma phase comparative en ce moment, bien que je n'aime pas beaucoup les comparaisons. Je dirais d'une manière générale que le marketing et le branding ne sont pas très forts ici. J'ai été conditionnée pendant des années en France et j'avoue être une victime de ces stratégies. Je prête attention à l'emballage, même si le goût et la qualité reste le critère principal lorsqu'il s'agit de produit alimentaire. Je n'aime pas vraiment les supermarchés. Je pense que ça vient de l'éclairage, de l'échelle... Le rayon fruits et légumes est de loin le plus attractif et j'aime y traîner pour découvrir de nouveaux fruits !

Dans le même esprit, j'aime la façon dont un magasin organise sa vitrine et ses rayons. La dernière fois pendant les soldes, j'ai fait une agréable découverte. Ce n'était pas la vitrine, ni les rayonnages, mais au fond de la boutique: la cabine d'essayage ! C'était grand et comfortable à la fois. Joliment décoré dans un style japonisant. On avait juste envie d'y passer toute l'après-midi à essayer tous les articles!

Les échoppes avec du charactère ne sont pas très répandues. Néanmoins, j'apprécie l'atmosphère et les boutiques de Greytown dans le Wairarapa. A Wellington, il y a Madder & Rouge, mais j'aime aussi Magnolia (113 Tory Street) et Inky Pinky (Marsden Village, Karori). Tous les deux vendent de superbes objets décoratifs ! Pour les antiquaires, je conseillerais définitivement de faire un tour à Tinakori Road et de ne surtout pas manquer Cherry Orchard Antique !

Vous vous demandez sûrement, après tout , quel est le rapport avec l'iPhone ? Il n'y en a pas. Je suis juste fatiguée d'en entendre parler partout, bien que j'aime le design et la facilité d'utilisation de l'objet.

Scoopit!

It has been a very pleasant day here in the Lower North Island, sunny and crisp. A pleasant change. So Adam thought he would post a picture of a Wellington street scene he took a couple of years ago, one Sunday in January.

To remind us all summer is coming.

As one of the regular No 17 users given the chance to trial Snapper, I have received an email saying that the dedicated buses with Snapper readers used on the route are being merged back into the wider bus fleet from Monday and that not all No 17s will now have Snapper readers.

“What that means for you is that the bus that picks you up on Route 17 may or may not be Snapper enabled. To ensure that you are not inconvenienced, please ensure that you have an alternative method of payment available to you,” the email says.

This is not something likely to generate enthusiasm for the new payment system. It means that trial commuters used to using Snapper cards (who were, very generously, given cards with $60 already loaded into them) will now need to again make sure they have cash or a cardboard 10-trip ticket in case the bus that turns up doesn’t have a Snapper reader.

From my general observation, Snapper readers have been installed at the front and rear doors of most of Go Wellington’s trolley and diesel buses, so most passengers will get a Snapper-enabled bus most times.

But my reading of the email suggests not all drivers have yet been properly trained in the use of the new system, so the Snapper readers may not be working on all buses.

There also seem clearly still to be technical issues. Twice last week, the drivers of Route 17 buses I was on had to pull over and stop because the Snapper system had stopped and needed rebooting. This caused such a delay with one bus that the next one caught up with it despite the 15 minute timetabled frequency between the two services. And my observation indicates that some Snapper users still have problems getting the reader to accept their card. I gave up trying to use mine and now use still only my Gold Pass because of this problem.

Such a change should not have been made until all buses and drivers were ready for this system, which will soon replace the 10-trip tickets.

Snapper cardholders can also use their cards to buy coffees and other small purchases in various places round town. You put money onto these smart cards either at the retail outlets that sell bus tickets or over the Net, and readers on the bus or in a café or other store deduct the bus trip, coffee or whatever from the balance on the card.

At present, on bus trips, the cards give a 20 per cent discount off the cash fare, which is the same as with a 10-trip ticket. The email I got said there would be a 25 per cent discount once all buses were Snapper-enabled, which seems good. The savings being made by the bus company are being shared with customers.

I am astonished that many regular bus users still pay cash despite the big savings to be gained from a 10-trip ticket (and now Snapper) and the monthly $95 Gold Pass (which is likely to be incorporated into Snapper later this year; a smart card can handle such a transaction easily by charging for all bus rides up to the $95 maximum in a month and then allowing free rides).

On the No 17 I often catch, I see a woman get on each day and pay the driver in cash (the fare is $3.50) when the 10-trip ticket would save her 70c a ride or $7 a week and a Gold Pass would save her around $60 a month. She stands out because she invariably pays with a $10 or $20 note, too, and delays the bus for precious peak-hour minutes while the driver gets her change together. Grrr.

I was lucky really.  Charles took nothing of sentimental value and he didn't make a mess. TV, Video, Stereo and some CDs. My landlord wasn't surprised.  She'd been waiting for me to be burgled.  She had a hard time keeping tennants in the bottom flat. Umpteen in a row had been burgled within a month of moving in. Charles lived in the flat next to me with his girlfriend. He was the one who'd done it.

The day after the burglary I phoned every 2nd-hand store in Wellington and tracked down some of the CDs and the stereo.  The guy who sold the CDs to Real Groovy had used his real name and ID.  The police tracked hi down easily abnd he took the police to the flat where he'd collected the stolen goods, the flat next to mine, Charles' flat. He kindly told the police who else had been there at the same time collecting goods from Charles.

It wasn't long before the police executed a search warrant on Simon's place. In the end I got 138 out of 139 CDs back. I was impressed, especially since many were limited edition CDs or overseas releases of NZ bands.

Charles and his girlfriend disappeared pretty quickly. My landlord cleared out their flat and found a wardrobe of empty jewellery boxes. Clearly they'd been busy. They didn't redirect their mail so I did it for them - straight to my police liaison person. Best bit of mail was a renewal notice for a storage place. I believe the police recovered some more stuff belonging to other people.

Simon and Charles and a few others were arrested and charged.  I think they got off pretty lightly. They didn't physically hurt anyone though I too moved out after a few months. I moved into a secure apartment building and to this day I'm paranoid about security. I sleep a little more soundly these days.

Simon still bugs me. His name is in the public domain.  It isn't like he's super famous, most people probably barely notice his name but I see it. I won't read anything he writes. Every time I see his name I want to tell his employer they have a thief among them. When the police returned my recovered CDs they included a copy of the search warrant on Simon's place and my property which was recovered. I don't suppose I was meant to see that but I did and Simon, I know what you did.  I'm not going to make a fuss about it now, I'll wait till you're a little more famous, a little further along in your career.

And no, this doesn't make a more productive member of society. Just a realistic one.

A blind date with one of six eligible bachelors awaits a young female takahe when she is released onto Mana Island today. The seven-month-old bird, named Moa, will be paired with a single male on the island in the hope that they’ll eventually breed.

Moa became sick early last week and was airlifted from her home at the Burwood takahe recovery unit near Te Anau to Massey’s wildlife ward. Lecturer in avian and wildlife health Kerri Morgan says she was near death’s door.

“She arrived exhibiting severe neurological symptoms and was very underweight. Tests showed a high level of the parasite coccidia in her system. We treated her for that and she’s recovered quickly.”

Ms Morgan says takahe don’t usually respond well to hospital treatment.

“They lose weight because they get stressed easily, but we gave Moa the penthouse suite in the ward and brought in native grasses for her to feed on, which she obviously appreciated.”

Department of Conservation staff will take Moa to Mana Island this morning, where she’ll be kept in isolation with her new mate.

The Department’s ranger on the island Sue Caldwell says the scientific reserve, off the coast of Porirua, is short of female takahe.

“It makes sense to bring her here. We’ll try and pair her with one of the six single males on the island. Males who aren’t paired cause trouble in the pre-breeding season that begins in late August, so hopefully we can get a fairytale ending here.”

Massey University - article

NZTAXIBLOG has been sent a copy of the July 08 edition of TAXICHAT. This scanned article below outlines a customers frustrations at travelling in stuffy and smelly taxis. According to the customer  Wellington seems to have the stuffiest/smelliest cabs on average with Christchurch next.  

The author of the Fleet Corner section of TAXICHAT  thinks the customer "raises some valid points." 

Here at NZTAXIBLOG we welcome your comments and feedback. Does your cab smell? What part of the country has the smelliest cabs? 

Stuffy Taxis

Please read this letter from a concerned customer regarding how uncomfortable it can be in a taxi when air conditioning is not being used. This is one customer who has taken the time to offer some helpful advice so that customers in our taxis feel comfortable when traveling with us. I think he raises some valid points.

Hi
This isn't a whinge, just a more general comment.

I use lots of cabs.
Can't help but notice that, out ofAKL, WLG, CHC and a few others, WLG seem to be the stuffiest/ smelliest on average, with CHC next. Some AKL Coop can be pretty ripe!
I've noticed that all the cabs seem to have all ventilation systems shut down when I get onto them. I've asked a couple of drivers and they mutter something about fuel economy. I always end up winding down the window.
So I wondered if you might need to do a bit of education to dispel a few urban myths ?
My starting point - the ideal position for the ventilation is Fan on low, air coming out of face and floor vents, no heating necessary (unless its cold), windows up. If it's hot,turn on the A/C while mobile.
Contrary to popular belief, having the A/C switched on uses less fuel than driving with the windows down (due to the effect on drag coefficient - cars are designed to have smooth surfaces)
Never use recirculate. It keeps the smell in.
Modem cars are not designed with movement-forced ventilation:they are designed to have the fan on low at all times.
Over time I think there would be a general improvement in the mustiness of the cabs.
Cheers

Adam

A couple others had responded to this question and one person went on to say that Royal Palm is basically rural and dirt roads.  He was obviously trying to push her to Wellington which is the neighboring Village and another beautiful place to live and raise a family.  I also serve this area as well.  But I found it funny since I have been living in the Wellington / Royal Palm Beach area for 8 years now and have only driven down a couple dirt roads which are all in the horse country area of The Acreage.  The Acreage is a beautiful place - more rural.  Homes from older to brand new.  Everyone has around 1.25 acres or larger.  There are also small farms, orange groves and nurseries but this is mainly a residential family area.  These people just want a bit more land and no HOA.  Trust me, this is not some po-dunk area.  Some of these homes are high dollar, beautiful places with garages large enough to house your 40 ft. RV, and 4 cars and horse stables for your 4 or 5 horses.   Hey, my in-laws live there and they are from Chicago!!!  No horses on their property but my father in-law - an avid golfer - did make a small par 3 course between his property and his neighbors so we will often hang out back and play some up and down (you golfers know what I am talking about!)

So back to my letter.  Here it is:

I am a Realtor living and working in Royal Palm Beach.  I am a 3rd generation FL native and have lived in Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, New Smyrna Beach, Tampa and St. Petersburg and I love Royal Palm.

I have to disagree with the first answer but will say that Wellington is a beautiful place and it is our neighboring city / Village and it is known as one of the centers of the Equine world.  I work in this area and help people buy and sell homes in Wellington often.  Wellington plays home to the Winter Equestrian Festival and top level Polo so it has its share of acreage too. 

As far as Royal Palm Beach goes, yes, there is the Acreage and Loxahatchee which are mainly 1.25 acre parcels and larger - some with ponds. There are also dirt roads in this area as well but the people living in these areas want it that way as they ride horses and like the country living.   But there are also many great family style neighborhoods.  Some newer and some a little older.  Some with HOA's and some without.  And prices are very affordable now.  For newer with HOA there are neighborhoods such as the ones listed by the above agent as well as Madison Green, Porto Sol which is under construction, Crestwood which is a great area and the is around $20 a month there, Bella Terra and Olympia are some others that are newer and have the HOA’s.  There are many more.  Unfortunately in some of these neighborhoods you will find that many living there are renters due to speculative buyers and some people don’t like to buy a home and have renters living all around them.  Could happen in any neighborhood but seems to be a lot of this in Olympia and some others.  That being said I know people who are buying there and this means more owners will be taking residence there which could be a great thing.

Then there are great neighborhoods without HOA's such as La Mancha, The Willows, areas of Crestwood, etc... and within walking distance to schools and parks.  Willows and La Mancha actually have their own parks within the neighborhoods for the residents to enjoy – and we do! Many great sports leagues and other things for kids and parents to do and meet new friends here in Royal Palm.  Top level youth baseball, softball, football and soccer. 

There are so many parks (over 15 in this 11 sq/mile area of Royal Palm) The Village planners reserve 7.5 acres of park space per 1,000 residents so there is no lack of parks and fun things to do.  They also have many celebrations, Green markets, Halloween parties, Veterans Day celebrations, 4th of July parties, etc... in these parks for families to enjoy.  Then there are times when they will have musicians playing in different parks jsut for pure entertainment.  I have a friend who lives here wiht his family and is a musician.  He and a few others will bring their equipment and guitars to the new Veterans Park and play songs and sing some Saturday mornings.  We all bring the kids out and they enjoy the spray ground at the park while our friends entertain.  It really is an enjoyable way to spend a Saturday morning.

The schools are excellent.  A rated and full of great staff.  I am currently helping a couple teachers from 2 different elementary schools find homes and my own child has been in H.L Johnson Elementary School since Kindergarten.  We love the school and the staff and my child enjoys going to school and is excelling there.  Great staff, activities, family nights, etc…  Plus A rated for years and years.  My neighbor’s kids went there.  They are both now in their mid 20’s and it was A rated when they attended so they have a high standard and maintain it well.

So yes, Royal Palm has many great options for you and many terrific schools for you kids to learn at and parks to play in.  It has the small town feel but close proximity to West Palm Beach (Downtown and City Place) and Wellington (Wellington Green Mall).  Feel free to contact me is you would like help in finding the right home in the area.

Hope this was helpful and somewhat enjoyable!!! Thanks for stopping by...

Wednesday 16 July, from 6.30 pm at Happy, corner of Tory and Vivian Streets, Wellington.
Entry by koha / donation.

All proceeds from this fundraising event will go towards assisting the Caracol of La Garrucha to deliver basic health services.

The Wellington Zapatista Support Group is organising monthly film screenings to raise awareness of the plight of indigenous peoples in Mexico. This screening is the second of a series of documentaries made by Zapatista communities explaining their resistance movement and how it is organized.

'The war of fear: cases of harassment against autonomous communities' explains how the Mexican government has combated the Zapatista uprising. Small paramilitary groups have been employed to wage a low intensity war against the autonomous communities. Since 2000, there have been more than 16 paramilitary groups operating in the state of Chiapas.

'Caracoles: new paths in resistance' tells the story about the creation of the Caracoles. Since 1994, Zapatista indigenous communities have formed 30 autonomous municipalities, which today cover more than half of the state of Chiapas. In order to confront the challenges of self-governance and to construct a more direct bridge to the rest of the world, the Zapatistas announced the birth of the CARACOLES.

Unlike many indigenous communities reduced to accepting token government hand-outs, the Zapatistas are committed to the peaceful development and provision of their own health, education and justice systems.

Please join us at Happy on the corner of Tory and Vivian streets, Wednesday July 16, 6.30 pm. Admission to the screening is by koha.
Links

Urgent Communique From the Zapatistas - Thursday 4 June, 2008:
http://indymedia.org.nz/newswire/display/75539/index.php

More on the Zapatista movement:
http://www.ezln.org.mx (in Spanish)
http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/mexico.html
http://chiapas.indymedia.org
http://www.narconews.com

Scoopit!

The Economist, amongst other papers, has an article on the Starbucks store closures. It alone as far as Adam can see correlates the price of coffee to that of petrol, though as the article says both are fuel.

FOR years it seemed that American consumers’ demand for liquid fuel was price inelastic—whether it was to drive their cars or get their brains going in the morning. Yet $4 seems to have been the price at which demand becomes elastic, for both petrol and a frothy latte. As a result, baristas at Starbucks coffee shops around America are starting to get a taste of what it feels like to be a carworker in Detroit. On July 1st the coffee retailer, based in Seattle, said it would close a further 500 stores in America (in addition to the 100 closures it announced earlier this year), and reduce its workforce of roughly 172,000 by around 7%.

Now Adam remembers on one of the more recent occasions he was in the US, late 2004, thinking that it did not make sense in some major cities to have a branch on each major intersection and often other chains nearby as well.

Given that coffee, or coffee such as a Starbucks is not a necessity, Adam notes the number of coffee shops on the way from the Wellington Railway station into the CBD has proliferated in recent times.

Some are local groupings, some are sole proprietorships, some are Australasian and one is global - Starbucks. One thing is indisputable, there are a helluva of a lot of coffee and food outlets in central Wellington.

Should we be thinking about a coffee bar index and monitoring the ebb and flow of outlets as a barometer of the economy?

Is such an index a reflection of Wellington economic activity, as the Economist burger index is globally?

Just how much business does get done over coffee in Wellington?

Can one correlate the nature of business with the type of coffees sold, for example is a 'long black' an indicator of intent?

Adam suspects that in the last 12 months the number of outlets has risen, is the number of coffee outlets a bubble, mirroring the oil price?

Or do they mirror the growth in government jobs?

Is there a correlation between the number of coffee outlets and the quality of government spend and/or worker productivity?

Do workers in any one industry/sector prefer a particular blend or chain?

Is the requirement for baristas reflecting the overall labour skills shortage?

Does the chain or blend drunk reflect a political persuasion?

Are coffee shops a lead or lag indicator?

Scoopit!

Brad Thorn's off the ball tackle on Springbok captain John Smit was appalling. Rightfully he will be spending the next 80 minutes of rugby down in Dunedin on the bench. Thorn apologised, Smit accepted, acknowledging such things happen in contact sport. Now, a few days later, Smit has accused the All Blacks of being a law unto themselves. "Just imagine Bakkies Botha doing something similar to Richie McCaw. World rugby would have come to a standstill." Smit is understandably disappointed at being ruled out for Saturday's test, but is he not getting a little hysterical here? On top of this, coach Peter de Villiers has accused Tony Woodcock of cheating in the scrums, a charge which All Black coach Graham Henry denies.

Isn't this all a bit rich? South Africa employed a tactic of targeting All Black play maker Dan Carter, whether he had the ball of not. On numerous occasions Carter and others were hit before receiving the ball or long after getting rid of it, or even when they had not even had it. However this did not rattle our boys. This is also the same team that pushes the offside rule to breaking point. I don't think the Springboks could ever win a game if the refs kept an eye on the Bok defense, as Habana would get his hands on a lot less intercepts. As for rough play, South Africa has a history of biting off more than they can chew against New Zealand...

Ref Stu Dickinson has admitted he should have sent off Thorn during the game, but says he did not get a good view of the incident. Would this have affected the game? Of course, do not forget that Dickinson has also admitted he got it wrong when he disallowed Kaino's try. The lead should have actually been much larger!

The complaining is simply a tactic to distract the All Black's from their game, and distract the attention from the Boks' lack of game. The world champion team who won the Webb Ellis trophy without meeting stiff opposition is certainly having their abilities tested, against what really is a team in transition.

So who is complaining now? In the 1995 final we lost in extra time to a Joel Stranksy drop goal. In November last year New Zealand lost the quarter final to France by only two points. Arguably a dubious first half sending off, an obvious forward pass and a second half full of unpenalised French infringements cost us the game. Last week South Africa (and England who also accused the AB's of cheating earlier this year) lost by a lot more than that. The only way either team could have come out on top was if Wayne Barnes officiated!

Oh no...

Back in Sydney now, though...