26th July, 2003
BLEDISLOE CUP BASH
I have just arrived back from the Sydney Convention Centre where the Wallaby Supporters Team put on a Bledisloe Cup Luncheon for 900 people. It was a great afternoon with Phil Kearns as the MC and Chris “Buddha” Handy and Eric Rush as the guest speakers. Eric Rush was sensational and had everyone laughing with his Kiwi sense of humour. Eric said they start shagging sheep in NZ when they are 12yrs old, they break the sheep in for 2 years then they take them to the slaughter house. Eric then went on to say that they don’t eat them in NZ they export these “special” sheep to us Aussies. Eric said, think of us Kiwis when the gravy drips down your chin. The thought of this unique Kiwi export certainly lent a nice flavour to the roast lamb the 900 people there were eating. 

Buddha was not his usual self at the lunch he was quite serious and passionate and often brought in business anecdotes into his “team” talk on the Bledisloe Cup. I think he is making heaps on the speaking circuit and wanted to pick up some more talks from the business heavy weights there. He was still quite good though and got a loud ovation from the punters. Buddha seems ageless he has not changed a bit in the 13 yrs I have known him, he still runs a close second to the ugliest man in the universe, Noel Selby.Buddha stitched me up big time on my first Wallaby tour in New Zealand in 1990. We were staying at the “Mon” at Takapuna and I got on the drink with Buddha. After copious vodkas in the beer, green chartreuses and duty free rum I ended vomiting my heart up in the bushes outside the hotel. Buddha was patting me on the back telling me I was as weak as piss, I never drank with the evil bastard again.

Sorry I have been rambling and reminiscing and I have forgotten to mention the big one at Telstra Stadium on Saturday night. I got the result right last week but not the score, I picked the All Blacks to beat the Boks but by a narrow margin. The AB’s absolutely belted the Boks by a record margin and they are in very good form.I have been bagging the xxxx out of the Wallabies the last few weeks but it is really the last throw of the dice for them on Saturday night. I am picking an All Black victory but by a narrow margin. The Wallabies have been copping a hammering in the press and if they are ever going to play well this year, it will be on Saturday night. The Wallabies know they can turn their whole year around with a good performance.

It will be all the usual stuff against the Blacks , scrum good, lineout good, aggression and numbers at the breakdown, good options in the backline and big hits in defence. Tick these off one by one and we will be in with a half a show. I hope Eddie Jones has been sticking it up them at training. I still think they should set up camp in Mt Druitt, in a motel on the Great Western Highway, this would bring them back to the real world.
My message board has gone quiet so make sure you keep those messages coming. Regards to Qila and the other Taxi 200 drivers in Nadi, Fiji. They have been emailing me about the “Bula Festival” currently happening there, it sounds like they are having a “great” time.

Regards
Matt (Bubba) Ryan