Confession time....

I have a bit of a confession.... For the past two years I have um.... Hmm.... Well I'll just say it, I have fallen in Love with Rugby! Being a fellow American I to put it plainly despise American football. To be blunt, I think it's the most boring sport and I don't understand it one bit! But since being in New Zealand I understand Rugby. I don't know why Americans don't switch to watching this sport! It is so easy to understand and it doesn't stop and start so much like football. So since it's June the All Blacks have started up again! They won the world cup last year in New Zealand. For such a small country they have produced the best rugby team in the world. So before the All Blacks they have a series called Super Rugby which is New Zealand divided up into regions and each region has a team. They play each other along with other teams from Aussie and South Africa. Then from these teams they pic the All Blacks team. I always thought it was funny that the players go from playing against each other one week to playing with each other the next week. My favorite team is the Crusaders from Canterbury on the south island. 

This is Israel Dagg and Dan Carter. 

This is Guildford...

So these players above go from playing on a team in their region to playing for the All Blacks. These are three of my favorite players. I went to watch the first game of the Super Rugby season which was the Crusaders vs. the Blues. It was an amazing game! Crusaders won of course because the Blues aren't so hot this year. So then we have:

The All Blacks Haka. 

(The Haka: is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance or challenge form the Maori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment.) 

This will describe the Haka a bit better:

So tonight was the first test match of the All Blacks vs. Ireland. The All Blacks crushed them as predicted. It was such a good game. I have never found myself so compelled to sit on the edge of my seat watching a sport. I just love this sport so much. I think I know how some of the men out there feel when their favorite team is playing. 

If you don't know what rugby is then I would hope to inspire you to find out more about it. Because it is AMAZING! 

Anyways on a different note.... All is well in the great country of New Zealand, it is winter so it's getting colder and snowing on the south island. I know it may be hard for some of you to comprehend but it's true. It'll be snowing in July for my birthday! I'm stoked for that....