AW v Slovakia Tue 15th 11:30p (SS2, TV1)

e.g. My day after the game:

1. NZ team heroics main topic of discussion of Asian students at language school (putting Korean team heroics on backburner for the time being!)

2. Korean 11 year-old I tutor after school, never previously interested in football, tells me excitedly he had convinced his mum to let him stay up and watch the whole game. Now he's plotting ways to see NZ's next game at 2am next Monday...

3. Dropping in to pick up a DVD at "Alice in Videoland" (NZ's best DVD hire store stacked with classic, cult and foreign films, in the central city) which is quite an "artsy" sort of place, the guy behind the counter who only two weeks ago told me emphatically that he never watches sport and has no interest in it, revealed he'd stayed up and watched the match and actually enjoyed it. Now he can name several players and knows what a vuvuzela is...

4.Walking along street in neighbourhood on way to house-warming party, turn corner to find two dogs pushing football around with noses and scrapping for possession. Comment to their owner who is watching, "Football's really taking off in this country, isn't it? - even the dogs are playing!"

 

The 3rd line looked like it said Rustenberg South Africa but I couldn't see what the rest said.

 

got to love the match analysis of the 82 game against scotland where they take the p*ss out of Hansen.  Also love (kind of) the way they pretty much write us off before the game and then praise us at half time (haven't re-watched second half yet).

 

don't know if this has been on other channels and anyone saw it - but they interviewed loads of players about pre-match rituals - boyens doesn't shave, but i liked the slovakian player,  "i take off my wedding ring and hide it in a, shall we say, private place" - i mean, i take off my wedding ring when i play sport too, but i don't feel the need to put it in a "private place".

 

No Gary though.