Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.<\/p>\n
Well, I never!<\/p>\n
One of the most likeable, and talented, figures in the Australian entertainment industry is Sam Pang. I never know quite what it is that he does, only that every time you see him, he is smart and funny. On Mick Molloy and Mark Geyer\u2019s Triple M\u2019s Morning Show this week, Pang was a guest and during the chat let slip that, for an upcoming movie he had been asked to play . . . Eddie Jones!<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know much about rugby union,\u201d Pang says he told the director, only for Geyer to break in, \u201cNeither do the Wallabies!\u201d<\/p>\n
Charmed, we are sure.<\/p>\n
In any case, while the movie might go ahead \u2013 the mind boggles \u2013 it will be without Pang.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you ever seen me act?\u201d Pang told the director. \u201cDo you want a version of Eddie Jones who shouldn\u2019t be on TV?\u201d<\/p>\n
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Ousted RA boss Hamish McLennan on 2GB radio.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Kate Geraghty<\/cite><\/p>\n Here\u2019s the thing about Hamish McLennan\u2019s resignation as chair of Rugby Australia. He has been replaced by one-time Wallaby Dan Herbert, and we wish him well. But there remains a lot of discussion about who should take over as chair in the long term.<\/p>\n A couple of my rugby mates have been very strong on the view rugby should look for \u201ca figure like Peter V\u2019landys.\u201d That is they want a well-connected poobah with the game in his bones, to crack heads, crash through or crash, and not be too fussy, meantime, about the protocols just so long as he gets things done.<\/p>\n Slippery slope: Hamish McLennan and Eddie Jones.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>John Shakespeare<\/cite><\/p>\n My point to them is, that description fits . . . Hamish McLennan!<\/p>\n No, he obviously won\u2019t be coming back. But the point remains. The move to sack Dave Rennie and appoint Eddie Jones move was classic crash-through-or-crash move and everything at the time pointed to the likelihood that it would work. The tragedy is that it didn\u2019t \u2013 hence Hamish crashed. It\u2019s as simple as that.<\/p>\n In his departure, he has been, for the most part, gracious, noting that he had fought the good fight, and had no regrets. True, the graciousness slipped on Thursday when, in the wake of the Harvey Norman sponsorship ending he opened up on those who had forced him out \u2013 \u201cLook at what the boneheads have done. They are arrogant and dopey\u201d \u2013 but under the circumstances, surely one outburst is acceptable.<\/p>\n Bravo Georgia Godwin, the young Australian gymnast who this week had the supreme honour of having a sporting manoeuvre named after her.<\/p>\n It is unclear to me quite what the Godwin upon the uneven bars consists of, but we may presume it is some extraordinary twirly-gig in the pike position before landing on sixpence and throwing your hands in the air just before you get the gold.<\/p>\n As previously discussed, it is rarefied air in which she finds herself. She joins the likes of Dick Fosbury, the originator of the \u201cFosbury Flop\u201d in the high jump; and Muhammad Ali\u2019s \u201cAli shuffle\u201d named for his signature dancing moves in the boxing ring. (Cue Muhammad to Howard Cosell, before the \u201cThrilla in Manila\u201d: \u201cYou tell him, I\u2019ll be dancin\u2019 . . . I\u2019ll be DANCIN\u2019!\u201c)<\/p>\n There is also Johan\u2019s Cruyff\u2019s Cruyff turn<\/em>, a mesmerising dummy move in soccer where, just before you bend it like Beckham, you control the ball with your back to your opponent, and make it look like you\u2019re about to pass, only to drag the ball behind you and go the other way into space!<\/p>\n Rugby\u2019s answer to that kind of mesmerising move was the \u201cCampese goosestep\u201d, whereby, just as the defence was closing on him, Campo would kick one foot in the air which changed his speed, and left the tacklers more often than not clutching at thin air as the crowd roared. <\/strong><\/p>\n Everyone\u2019s favourite though, and it has gone so much wider than mere sport, is to do a \u201ca Bradbury.\u201d (Cue my favourite tweet in January 2020, when @ballparkmusic posted: \u201cJust heard the airline page Steven Bradbury. He\u2019s late to board his flight, but we all know he\u2019s gonna f—in\u2019 make it.\u201c)<\/p>\n Steven does a Bradbury to win Australia\u2019s first Winter Olympics gold medal.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Stephen Munday<\/cite><\/p>\n You get the drift. And you\u2019ll correct me if I am wrong, but it seems one of the few times an Australia woman has had such an honour bestowed? Outside gymnastics, are there other signature women\u2019s moves that enter the lexicon like the above? Discuss. <\/strong><\/p>\n TFF did a substantive interview with Pat Cummins this week, upon his return from Australia\u2019s triumph against India, in India, for the final of the Cricket World Cup. It was destined for my The Sun-Herald<\/em> Q&A column and you\u2019ll see it there tomorrow. I found him to be a great bloke, immensely likable, and very upfront.<\/p>\n And what an interesting career, he\u2019s had!<\/p>\n As if you didn\u2019t know, after claiming man of the match honours against South Africa on his debut as an eighteen-year-old in Jo\u2019burg \u2013 courtesy of his 6\/79 in the second innings \u2013 he had the world at his feet, only to get so many injuries it would be another five years<\/em> before he got back in the Test side.<\/p>\n \u201cYou must have despaired,\u201d I asked him, \u201cthat your body wasn\u2019t strong enough?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, absolutely,\u201d he replied. \u201cI felt, skill-wise I was competent enough to play Test cricket, but my body was just nowhere near strong enough. I played some one-day cricket, but Test cricket was my love and that\u2019s where I wanted to get back to, and I felt a million miles away from that for most of those five years.\u201d<\/p>\n Happily, he persisted and got back to the Test side in 2017, his belief now being that \u201cit is not until you\u2019re 23 or 24 that your bones are strong enough to basically withstand the forces of fast bowling.\u201d<\/p>\n A great force was now unleashed on the international cricket stage, which saw him rise in the ranks to the point that after Steve Smith and Tim Paine imploded as captains, he was Australia\u2019s choice to take over. As you will see in The Sun-Herald<\/em>, he felt the weight, early, of his new position. But he persisted<\/em>.<\/p>\n Was Australia\u2019s World Cup win behind enemy lines the finest ODI performance of them all?<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n And despite Australia losing two early matches in this World Cup against South Africa and India, they came back to make it all the way to the final, last Sunday against India once more.<\/p>\n Fitz:<\/strong> In the bowels of the stadium in India, before the final in Ahmedabad, did you give a speech to the dressing room like Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday<\/em>? You know, \u201cGentlemen, three minutes \u2019til the biggest battle of our professional lives all comes down to today. Now either we heal as a team or we\u2019re gonna crumble, inch by inch, play by play, \u2019til we\u2019re finished. We\u2019re in hell right now, gentlemen, believe me. And, we can stay here, get the shit kicked out of us, or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell one inch at a time!\u201d<\/p>\n PC:<\/strong> (Laughs.<\/em>) \u201cWell, we had a bit of a mantra this time, of \u2018if not me, then who?\u2019 which is like Pacino\u2019s speech. But there\u2019s already enough pressure in the cauldron of international sport, that you don\u2019t need a speech like that. So, for us, it was more trying to strip away the fear of failure.<\/p>\n \u201cThe big theme was: \u2018Be brave and positive. Don\u2019t be worried about \u2018what if it doesn\u2019t come off?\u2019 Play! Be that man. There\u2019s got to be a match-winner, and it could be you. If it doesn\u2019t work out, that\u2019s fine. But go for it. No regrets. Focus on the job. And savour this opportunity. You\u2019re probably never gonna have this opportunity again in your life. Win or lose, this will be a day to remember for the rest of our lives. So we might as well give it a red-hot crack!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Fitz:<\/strong> \u201cDo you think the myth of bowlers not being able to skipper has been laid to rest, or will batsmen, being batsmen, always argue they\u2019re<\/em> the best captains?\u201d<\/p>\n PC:<\/strong> \u201cI hope it\u2019s been laid to rest. I think most of the captaincy is done during a bowling innings, and so when it comes to how to get wickets and get the best out of the bowlers, I always think that showed a pretty big benefit of having a bowling captain\u201d.<\/p>\n I hope you enjoy the full interview with all the other stuff, including what Steve Smith said that entranced the team, just after Cummins took Virat Kohli\u2019s wicket with a pearler to turn the match!<\/p>\n This bloke will go far.<\/p>\n Henry Blofeld tweets \u2013 yes, I was surprised, too, on the victory of Pat Cummins\u2019 men: \u201cI couldn\u2019t be more thrilled that the Aussies won the World Cup. Talk about going into the lions\u2019 den and coming out first. Well done all of them. It won\u2019t do India any harm. They\u2019re getting a bit too big for their boots.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Salty former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif: \u201cCongratulations to Australia but I am not ready to accept that the best team won the World Cup. This Indian team has been the best side. They are the best team on paper. They would win so many times playing against the same Australian team, even though they lost today. It was one of those bad days, this happens sometimes.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Mitch Marsh on Travis Head living up to the \u201cplay hard, party hard,\u201d mantra, leading into the opening T-20 match: \u201cI\u2019m no selector or coach, but if he plays that game it\u2019ll be a miracle.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Injured Minnesota Viking Justin Jefferson doesn\u2019t care about fantasy football: \u201cMy health is wayyyy more important than you winning your fantasy games. It doesn\u2019t matter how many times y\u2019all flood my dms talking about me selling your team. I DON\u2019T CARE.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Gymnast Georgia Godwin has become just the fifth Australian to have an original move named in her honour: \u201cAn absolute dream come true to be able to say I have created a skill and was the first person in the world and in the history of gymnastics to [complete] it. I worked my butt off for it to be ready, and I\u2019m so happy. Thank you to everyone who believed in me and \u2018the Godwin\u2019.\u201d<\/em> Yes, third person, but after the judges consulted, they decided not just to let it pass, but also offer their warmest congratulations.<\/p>\n San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich<\/strong> \u2013 after Spurs fans started booing Los Angeles Clippers star and former Spur Kawhi Leonard<\/strong> <\/strong>while he took a free throw \u2013 grabbed the announcer\u2019s microphone and gave his own fans what-for: \u201cExcuse me for a second. Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play? It\u2019s got no class, and it\u2019s not who we are. Knock off the booing.\u201d <\/em>Give that man a cigar!<\/p>\n Outgoing chair of Rugby Australia, Hamish McLennan: \u201cI lost the chair vote. They asked me to stay on the board but I resigned immediately.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Max Verstappen on the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit: \u201cI feel like a show element is important, but I lack emotion.<\/em> I love Vegas, but not to drive a F1 car; to go out, throw everything on red, whatever. But the emotion and passion is not there compared to some old-school tracks.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n No.1 AFL draft pick Harley Reid on his new West Coast Eagles jumper:\u201cYeah I did [sleep in the jumper], woke up and it\u2019s still on. Painted on.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n His father Mark Reid was asked if things had changed at home: \u201c<\/em>Not too much different. He still fights with his older sister<\/em><\/em> and torments his younger one. He\u2019ll be out of the house [soon] so it\u2019s one less to feed.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Olympic statement on the contentious surfing tower for next year\u2019s Olympics: \u201cThe new tower, more sober and reduced in size and weight, installed on new perennial foundations, is the solution to ensure the durability of the tower over time and to guarantee the holding of future sporting events in Teahupo\u2019o.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Marnus Labuschagne on being dropped from the Australian one-day team in August, only \u2013 after injuries to team-mates \u2013 playing the last nineteen straight, including the victorious World Cup final: \u201cIt\u2019s hard for me not to believe in miracles. There\u2019s someone above putting the pieces of the puzzle together.\u201d <\/em>Marnus? Does it seem likely to you that God dropped a puzzle piece to injure the hand of Travis Head, to initially get you back in? Sounds a bit mean?<\/p>\n Team of the Week.<\/strong><\/p>\n Travis Head.<\/em> The Australian opening batsman nailed 137 runs off 120 balls, allowing him to put his injured hand of God on one handle of the World Cup \u2013 and the rest did the rest without rest.<\/p>\nRugby needs a V\u2019landys? They just had one<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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By Georgia, she\u2019s done it<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Cummins proves to be a man for all seasons <\/strong><\/h3>\n
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What they said<\/h3>\n