Cloud nine then space for McCaw?
Day 32 from Planet Rugby journalist Adam Kyriacou's daily diary of his adventures from New Zealand at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
For something extra, Planet Rugby has jetted Adam Kyriacou across to New Zealand for him to scribe a day-by-day diary of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Follow Adam on Twitter: @PlanetRugbyAK
Day 32
Issue number 32 will be my final offering from New Zealand. It's been a blast and one that is expected to end with an All Blacks win – although odds of 1/12 seem high for 80 minutes against a nation who have caused them problems in the past. I am not buying into that the Auckland city officials are overconfident in already planning a tickertape parade as these things cannot just be arranged overnight so it's just forward thinking. If you did not know, Auckland has also created other venues for fans to watch the fixture such as Northern Lights in Albany, Trusts Stadium Arena in Henderson et al so as to ease pressure at the original Queens Wharf fan park. The general consensus is that it should stop a repeat of the congestion which caused that transport chaos of the opener between New Zealand and Tonga on September 9. Kiwi fingers are crossed all goes smoothly, both on and off the field for the tournament finale.
Top Tweet of the Day (It seems fitting for the final edition of the Blog to include Samoa centre Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu) – When my mouth is silent, my mind is at its most violent
At the time of blogging I checked on the news wire only to find Lewis Moody had announced his retirement from Test rugby with immediate effect. “My time with England has been unbelievable, even if the last few weeks have not gone so well,” was the flank's feelings in the Mail on Sunday. He will now concentrate solely on his Bath career whilst explaining that he is likely not to be the only exit from England's door. “It is only right for the team to move on. There'll be changes, maybe in management and definitely in some of the matchday 22, and if England want to start planning for a successful World Cup here in four years' time, then it's my belief that they should be appointing a new captain in February to see the team right the way through to 2015.” We wait to see where other changes occur, with ex-players already offering their two cents, like Will Carling who told The Star he wants Nick Mallett.
Best Pool Quote (Piri Weepu's mum Kuru on the perks of working as a security officer at Wellington Regional Stadium) – “I get to kiss and cuddle my boy straight after the game.”
Should the All Blacks win tonight, captain Richie McCaw will no doubt be on cloud nine after waiting so long to get his hands on the trophy. Cloud nine you say? Well it just so happens that McCaw is an accomplished glider pilot so when he enjoyed breakfast with Sir Richard Branson on Saturday, it would have been only natural that aviation came up over coffee. Get in there Richie, the Virgin Galactic owner who does space flights may waive that $200,000.
Lost a day? Here is a recap of the trip so far: