Posts Tagged ‘RWC’

Monsignor Bell brushed up on his French for Rugby World Cup

Friday, November 18th, 2011

If you thought watching the Rugby World Cup final was hard going, spare a thought for Monsignor David Bell.

Msgr Bell, from St Mary’s Catholic Church, was assigned as chaplain to the French rugby team for this year’s tournament and while Les Bleus didn’t seek his involvement, he still felt compelled to support the players.

Speaking at a Rotary Club of Wanganui meeting yesterday, Msgr Bell said he set about “loitering with intent” at the team’s hotel and training sessions in the North Shore.

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St Patricks College backtracks on parade detentions

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

St Patricks College appears to have pulled the pin on a decision to give lunchtime detention to about 200 pupils who attended the Rugby World Cup victory parade in Wellington.

Pupils at St Pat’s Town in Kilbirnie emerged from the school hall chanting ”All Blacks” after the school called an early end to their punishment this afternoon.

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Les Bleus have a secret weapon for RWC

Friday, October 21st, 2011

When Les Bleus were crushed by the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup’s pool stages, churchgoers in France’s rugby heartland got out their heavy artillery. They prayed to St Jude, the patron saint of lost causes. When things got worse after the rout by Tonga, the faithful took out their weapon of last resort: Read more

France won and I cheered.

Friday, October 21st, 2011

“France won, I cheered,” says Lakan Beech. Wales may be the fairer team on the field, but as a nation France wins hands down as a fair and just nation. He was blogging at Level with Me, which  is a project of Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand, which uses the Rugby World Cup to get people thinking Read more

Rugby, and ah, beer….or err…something

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

Rugby and beer have a long shared history… and not just in New Zealand. One of the principal sponsors of the Rugby World Cup is a beer brand. Is there a wide pervasive beer culture associated with professional Rugby? “I’m no wowser”  says Nathan Burdon. “During my playing days I enjoyed the social side of rugby as Read more

All Black Sonny Bill William’s wing and a prayer

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

The rise and rise of Sonny Bill Williams has created the country’s first Muslim superstar.

Senior Islamic figures say people are seeking them out for insights into the All Black’s preparations for the Rugby World Cup.

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IRB now targets the Bible in crackdown

Friday, October 7th, 2011

They have been accused of draw rigging, penny pinching and racism during the World Cup and having got mouth-guards under control, the IRB targets the Bible in its latest crackdown – no Biblical quotes on wrist strappings without prior approval. While refusing to comment further on the matter, a member of Australian team management confirmed that the directive, Read more

Kiwis resort to prayer in pursuit of World Cup

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

What is it with New Zealand churches? Not to be outdone by the All Saints Anglican community in Invercargill, who are proudly flying an All Black flag, one of Auckland’s most talked-about Christian establishments, St Matthew-in-the-City, has gone the whole hog. Fearlessly “progressive” – trendy, in other words – it tells those interested in going along not to expect anything so passé as a Bible study group. What it can promise is unstinting support for the All Blacks. Outside, on a huge billboard, is a poster featuring a ghostly David Kirk, captain of this country’s one and only World Cup-winning side, and the instruction “Pray like it’s 1987”. One other thing: St Matthew-in-the-City produces a publication entitled OMG (the text generation will get it). The subject for debate in the current issue is: “Has religion come to this?” Quite.

 

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School Term changes good for traffic, bad for Pompallier students

Friday, September 30th, 2011

The Ministry of Education last year instructed schools to adjust their terms to allow for a longer than normal holiday in October. The Ministry said the move would ease traffic movement in Auckland during the World Cup Pompallier Catholic College principal Richard Stanton said the school term changes would disadvantage this year’s NCEA students. “Instead of having four Read more

Fiji given a Hail Mary Pass by Britain

Friday, September 30th, 2011

Perhaps we should not be surprised that Fiji dropped the democratic ball after the Hail Mary pass that their Colonial masters gave them at independence: a nation divided by tribal and ethnic barriers. In the course of Britain’s colonial rule so many Indians were imported to work in the cane fields, that by the time Read more