Field Theory by Hadyn Green

Oh and Mike's photos look better if you click on them.

Had a wee chuckle at the banner I saw that read "Porirua welcomes Bahrain - yeah right!".

Fabulous pics -- and I love the the logos.

Well what happened when we went there this year?

Reckon the All Whites are playing better now.

Thanks for the compliments Russell. Glad you like the logo - figured that this being a Public Address exercise in other media (photos), I really should differentiate the pictures I take for you.

And Stewart, for your viewing pleasure, the Porirua Welcomes Bahrain sign.

Yes, now that we have qualified for the World Cup for the second time we should stop playing the sport that we've been really rather good at for quite a long time now.

It's great that they got through, great that the crowd was so into it, and I'll certainly check out their progress to and in South Africa. But I couldn't help think exactly the same thing when Fallon was going on about "rugby stealing the limelight and now we should get our share". Well come see me when you're top of the world game and regularly play matches of an amazing skill level with the best in the world. It was telling that the Black Sticks got through to the World Cup on the same weekend, yet I think I saw one 20sec news piece on it. The spotlight on you getting to the World Cup is deserved, but will (or even should) it last once you're out in the early rounds?

And really, do you want a bunch of us wankers that haven't played football since we were eight, and only went to one game in the last 10 years because we dossed near Stamford Bridge and some guy at work had free tickets to suddenly go on about how great football is and we're so like totally into it?

Full points to the NZ Football chiefs if they can actually capitalise on this and lift the involvement, training and development of soccer off the back of it. Milk the limelight guys to develop the sport to a point where you earn it off your performances.

...what happens when we go to South Africa?

Well hopefully certain supporters will leave their "White Power" banners at home as that particular slogan may not go down too well in the Republic...

One observation about the crowd on Saturday: The crowd support was fantastic and then the final whistle blew and BAM - I don't think I've seen the stadium so full yet empty so fast. I half suspected there was a race on to see who could get to Courtenay Place first.

But I've been really busy today so I'm only going to be able to give you a quick run down of the rugby…

Watched in a pub, a few ales after the All Whites incredible triumph, where the bar staff had kindly (for backpacking poms from a hostel) switched half the screens to show the England v. Argie game. Was sloshed, but damn it was hard to tell those two games apart.

NZ's status as World Cup's Official Favourite Minnow has just been usurped by Slovenia (pop: smaller than ours) who have beaten Russia in the play-offs and qualified for the first time. Congrats to Slovenia, whose reward is to spend the next six months being constantly mistaken for Slovakia, also qualified.

Euro 2008 finalists Russia no less. Meaning that for the first World Cup in 40 or so years, possibly for ever, Gus Huddink won’t be there (unless he gets a late appointment somewhere)

Russia totally dominated the 1st leg there; the key moment being when they dropped guard with a couple of minutes to go in that match in let in that vital away goal.

More proof that you want your away leg first.

And a huge story in Paris, where Ireland have been cheated by a French handball leading to a goal, awarded by referee Wayne Barnes.