Visit the M&G’s Rugby World Cup 2011 special report
The Opening Ceremony signals the official start of the seventh Rugby World Cup in Auckland, New Zealand at Eden Park. We will be live blogging the ceremony, followed by a blow by blow account of the match: New Zealand vs. Tonga.
11:38:08 am - Fri 9 Sep Tonga seem a little more prepared for the 2nd half. Scrum inside their own half. New Zealand put in. 11:10:24 am - Fri 9 Sep A brief respite for Tonga. Midfield scrum to New Zealand. 11:06:41 am - Fri 9 Sep It’s all too easy. All Blacks score another try this time for Richard Kahui. 27-0 with a conversion to come. 11:01:27 am - Fri 9 Sep Tonga fail to find touch again from the clearance. Lose ball from a ruck, rolls towards New Zealand tryline. Line-Out to New Zealand. 10:59:46 am - Fri 9 Sep New Zealand relentless. Ruck on the Tongan advantage line. Ref blows. New Zealand join ruck incorrectly. Morath can’t find touch. All Blacks on the run again. 10:57:25 am - Fri 9 Sep Sonny Bill Williams try disallowed. New Zealand backline running interference. 10:55:38 am - Fri 9 Sep All Black attack mounts from their own 22. Tonga now clear to touch in their own 22. Another try beckons. 10:53:32 am - Fri 9 Sep Williams runs through 3 tackles and scores the All Blacks second try. 13-0 to New Zealand with Carter to attempt the conversion. Horrible defence by Tonga! 10:52:25 am - Fri 9 Sep Carter finds touch from a freekick within in his own 22. Line out is taken by the All Blacks. Another attack on the Tongan tryline ensues. 10:44:28 am - Fri 9 Sep All Blacks run straight from the scrum – 2nd phase – 3rd phase – 4th phase and Israel Dagg scores the first tryo of the Rugby World Cup in the left hand corner 10:43:17 am - Fri 9 Sep Tonga mount an attack… New Zealand defense equal to the task. Ruck ensues… Another scrum is called – New Zealand put in. 10:36:31 am - Fri 9 Sep New Zealand on attack already… 3rd phase, 4th pahse, 5th phase – now inside Tonga’s 22 10:35:07 am - Fri 9 Sep Tonga looked determined to give New Zealand a run for their money in the opening game. They will have a tough time of it though… New Zealand’s team is the best they’ve had in years. 10:33:50 am - Fri 9 Sep It’s kickoff… Tonga begins six weeks of the Rugby world cup! 9:45:45 am - Fri 9 Sep No matter how far away your little island is, it seems you can’t escape the trauma that is Europop. Bring back the warriors please. 9:44:13 am - Fri 9 Sep Hands up if you also think that the New Zealand team should abandon their simple haka and pull out all the stops, like we have just seen? Before every game? Just think about how exhausted they would be before kick off. Sneaky sneaky. 9:42:19 am - Fri 9 Sep And half of it’s in Maori anyway. I don’t speak Maori. (and I know it’s not the done thing to say, but am I the only one who keeps on thinking I hear naughty swear words when they speak it? Oh. Just me then. Ok). 9:40:03 am - Fri 9 Sep Noisy pub. Ugh. But who needs to hear the TV when you can listen to “Naaais, boet. That’s naaais”. 9:38:10 am - Fri 9 Sep I’m not sure who decided that all opening ceremonies to anything would be about local history and mythology, but it’s working for me so far. 9:35:42 am - Fri 9 Sep Middle Earth! The mountains of Mordor. Sort of. I knew this would either be all about hakas or all about hobbits. 9:33:53 am - Fri 9 Sep There’s a lot to be said for having opening ceremonies at night. I think that’s we went wrong with ours. No lights and magic. 9:31:58 am - Fri 9 Sep Countdown. Lift off. 9:30:46 am - Fri 9 Sep “We will now enjoy the opening ceremony”. Well yes, we hope so. 9:29:14 am - Fri 9 Sep The people behind this broadcast haven’t seemed to realise that talking heads are a lot less interesting than the crowd using their lit cellphone screens to create an impromptu synchronised light display. 9:25:42 am - Fri 9 Sep Much talk of “Maori warriors in traditional dress”. I was always told that the rugby field is a battlefield, but this seems very serious indeed. 9:20:21 am - Fri 9 Sep Your intrepid live blogger is the only female in the bar. This may not be an important point, but there’s not much else to blog about yet. 9:17:45 am - Fri 9 Sep Is 9am a ridiculous time to be sitting in a smokey pub, gathered around a big screen, with men drinking beer? Not today.
Opening ceremony