What I Learnt Today

15. The All Blacks have never beaten Australia in a Rugby World Cup Match. Australia and France have each knocked NZ out of the World Cup twice. 

16. Australia and South Africa have each won the World Cup twice. England and NZ have won it once each. France has twice been unsuccessful in the final.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Rugby_World_Cup

17. Rugby Union is the national sport of six countries – Fiji, Georgia, New Zealand, Samoa,Tonga and Wales.

18. In April 2010 Lithuania broke the record of consecutive international wins (a record previously held by both New Zealand and South Africa) with their 18th win in tier 2 in a match against Serbia.

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19. Rugby often occasionally features in literature.

• It is described in the 1857 novel ‘Tom Brown’s Schooldays’.
• Sherlock Holmes companion, Dr Watson, played Rugby for Blackheath.
• The Bective Rangers Rugby Club features in many of James Joyce’s works, including Ulysses. (Although I must admit I haven’t made it to that bit)

20. The USA has more registered Rugby players than Australia (88,000 vs 87,000),  playing in 570 clubs. (Japan and Argentina also have more players than Australia). The US national side, The Eagles, has competed at six of the seven world cups, but not yet made it past the pool stage. George W Bush was a keen rugby player, playing fullback for Yale’s 1st XV in a famous victory over Harvard in 1968. Bill Clinton had a go at playing second row while at Oxford.

21. If you want to play in a World Cup, you should go and live in Georgia. There are only 4167 players you need to be better than to make the squad. Don’t go and live in England – you need to be better than 2,549,181 other poms.

Here is the number of registered players in the World Cup nations, (source: http://irb.com)

• England 2,549,196
• South Africa 632,184
• France 313,877
• Ireland 153,080
• NZ 137,835
• Japan 122,598
• Argentina 91,459
• USA 88,151
• Australia 86,952
• Italy 66,176
• Wales 50,557
• Scotland 38,500
• Fiji 36,030
• Canada 23,853
• Samoa 23,372
• Russia 14,519
• Romania 9612
• Tonga 6891
• Namibia 5822
• Georgia 4181

22. The official Rugby World Cup Site is at http://www.rugbyworldcup.com

You can also read all about the world cup at http://rugbyheaven.com.au

23. There is an official RWC iPhone/iPad app with news, scores and articles at RUGBY WORLD CUP 2011.

There is also a rugby heaven iPhone app at RugbyHeaven RWC 2011 .

If music is your thing, you might like the World In Union 2011 – The Official Album by Various Artists

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24. If you’d like to have a flutter on the world cup, the All Blacks are overwhelming favourites at $1.66.

Australia are at $4.20, South Africa $9.00. England and France must be good value at $15.00.

How about Samoa at $226! I’d save my dough on Namibia , even given the odds of 5000:1.

25. The 2015 RWC will be held in England, who beat rival host bids from South Africa, Japan and Italy.

Yours in Rugby.

“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.”

Jack Handey

What I Learnt On 8th September in other years

8th September 2014 Mailbox for Mac

We’ve mentioned Seth Godin’s Domino Project previously, and have taken the opportunity to get some cheap ebooks, including the occasional free one.

Their new title isn’t free – in fact, it costs double the normal amount.

However, Seth hopes it will sell in enormous numbers. He hopes you’ll buy it even though you already have a number of books you haven’t got round to reading yet.

Not just because of the quality of the essays – 62 business authors have contributed – but because the entire $20 goes to Malaria No More.

The book is launched today, which is End Malaria Day

I’m in.

Although Mother’s Day has been celebrated in the USA since 1870, it was not until 1910 that a special day was suggested to acknowledge the contribution of Fathers.

Mother’s Day was so popular that it was proclaimed an official public holiday by Woodrow Wilson in 1914. He was also keen to proclaim a holiday for Father’s Day, but the wise congressmen were concerned it would become too commercialised! Anyway, they already had breakfast in bed everyday.

It wasn’t until 1972 that Richard Nixon enshrined Father’s Day in law, officially designating that the 3rd Sunday in June be a national holiday. Greeting Card Companies around the country rejoiced!

In Australia, PNG, New Zealand and Fiji, Father’s Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in September. The reason this particular date was chosen remains shrouded in the mists of history.

There is no official Children’s Day because “every day is Children’s Day” (from the book of Standard Mother Sayings)

The traditional Father’s Day presents are socks, jocks and ties. Sporting books are also very popular. (“Max Walker Feeds the Chooks” is up to Volume 37) These presents are often accompanied by heartfelt handmade ‘vouchers’ which entitle the beloved dad to have a number of odd jobs done around the house by his doting children, such as having the car cleaned or the lawn mowed. Unfortunately, there are no recorded occasions on which any of these vouchers have ever being successfully redeemed.

Red Balloon suggests some less traditional presents

http://www.redballoon.com.au/fathers-day-gifts/unique-fathers-day-gifts

Perhaps you have spent today putting a V8 Supercar through it’s paces, or skippered a Tall Ship on Sydney Harbour. Did you learn to fly a helicopter? Perhaps you took a ‘Beef and Beer’ Course or a ‘Barista’ workshop? Maybe all at once – now that would be cool.

Adrenaline.com throw in a free pair of undies with every adventure they sell – probably just as well. Tandem skydiving, anyone? or a swim with the sharks?

http://www.adrenalin.com.au/fathers-day-gifts/

For me, I’m very happy with the new ‘Wallaby Rugby Challenge’ PS3 game that I was given by Will and Oddie. I might even get to have a turn before next Father’s Day.