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World Cup 2011

In just over 12 months time New Zealand will be invaded by an army of thousands of international rugby supporters, each one coming to cheer on one of twenty different countries competing for World Rugby's ultimate prize. The Web Ellis Trophy. As a country, New Zealand will be hosting a carnival atmosphere right across the nation and to help make this a stand-out event above and beyond international standard, RWC 2011 is asking for your help. From Whangarei to Invercargill, over 5000 volunteers will be helping with the smooth operation of the tournament. With positions available in twelve different areas from Ceremonies to Media Operations to VIP Programmes there will be spaces available to cater for anyone's interest. Check out the official site here or go straight in and look at the volunteer positions available here

Just briefly...

Football Fever: Football has definitely arrived in New Zealand. The country has been unified in football fever. Support of the All Whites can be seen the length and breadth of New Zealand. Going into the World Cup as one of the lowest ranked teams in the competition the All Whites came through their pool undefeated. They couldn't manage a win coming close once or twice but, amazingly, they finished third in their pool. Their three draws earning them a better finish than 2006 World Champions Italy. The results were achieved on the back of some dedicated defence with goalkeeper Mark Paston sublime. The back three of Winston Reid, Tommy Smith and inspirational captain Ryan Nelsen were ever present, suffocating opposition shots at goal. The achievements of this team cannot be over-estimated. To go into a world cup ranked 78th and Draw against World Champions like Italy is hugely monumental. Look forward to the next four footballing years New Zealand and make sure you support the team just as fervently when they head to Brazil for the next World Cup in 2014.

Rugby Union: South Africa had a clean sweep of New Zealand in last years Tri-Nations but the All Blacks have roared into this years competition to set up their own clean sweep. Winning their first two games against the old foe, South Africa, with scores of 32-9 and 31-17 it has been a perfect start for the boys in black. They have picked up maximum points with two four-try bonus points and now have a week off before heading across the ditch to take on Australia. The ITM Provincial Cup is about to get underway in a couple of weeks as well and Tana Umaga, in re-starting his New Zealand career, will be returning to play in Wellington. He will be returning as a Counties-Manukau Steeler though, playing against his old team on August 8th. This game will draw a large crowd and will be good entertainment. Make sure you head along.

Rugby League: Over in Australian rugby league, Queensland have wrapped up their fifth consecutive State of Origin title. This has been a stellar five years for the Maroons and one can only feel like the team is in the middle of their dominant streak, not the end of it. They completed a series whitewash, winning all three games for the first time since 1995 and New South Wales must be feeling like they have a long road ahead of them before their next series win. In the NRL the competition looks to be heading for a very close finish. There are not many points separating places 3-14 on the competition ladder so points differential is sure to some into the calculations to see who makes the final eight. The Warriors are sitting pretty in fifth place and have a good chance to finish in the top four.

In Other Sporting News: In the ANZ Netball Championship the Central Pulse have again had a disappointing season with only one win. They managed to avoid the wooden spoon at least with that dubious award going to the Mercury Energy Tactix from Canterbury. The New Zealand Womens Cricket team won the final game of their five match tour of England but it was not enough to win the series with the England women already holding a 3-1 advantage. Playing at Lord's, the home of Cricket, the win came on the back of some supurb bowling that restricted England to just 176. Some mature batting ensured a six wicket victory for the visitors.

New Zealand Sporting Heroes

New Zealanders show a lot of pride in their sporting heroes and rightfully so. In our history there have been moments that have inspired young kids around the country. Moments that have made a nation stand as one and moments that have made fans ecstatic.

Sir Richard Hadlee

Sir Richard Hadlee is the highest ever wicket taker in test match cricket for New Zealand with 431 wickets to his name, a record which was the best in the world for many years. He played as an all-rounder and was a hard hitting left hand batsman but was most feared for his swing bowling which netted him many fine figures and statistics, the most notable being his 9/52 against Australia in 1985. In his early days he bowled with a lot of pace and as he grew older it gradually decreased to be replaced with subtle variations as his main weapon. With the bat in hand Hadlee forged a respectable record as a lower middle order batsmen with over 3,000 runs to his name including two centuries. He was knighted in 1990 for services to cricket and in 2009 was inducted into the ICC hall of fame.

Sir Richard Hadlee has written a number of books himself about the game of cricket and the on-field personalities. Take a look at Hadlee Hits Out and Soft Deliveries, as well as Hadlee his autobiography.

Mark Todd

The New Zealand equestrian has competed at six Olympic Games in his career and earned a medal in four of those. He has also won over 20 other international riding events including the Burghley Horse trials, the World Championship, the European Championship. His two Olympic gold medals came with his most notable horse Charisma who partnered him for many years and across several types of events. His longevity and international success has endeared him to many Kiwis and in 1998 Todd was given the Supreme Halberg award and inducted into the New Zealand sports hall of fame.

For more information about Mark Todd's career take a look at his autobiography So Far, So Good or have a read about Charisma.

Sir Edmund Hillary

Sir Edmund Hillary began life in Auckland, 1919. He grew to be a tall young man and found an interest in tramping while on a school trip to Mt Ruapehu. He served briefly as a navigator during the second World War and from the late 1940's he was part of several expeditions around the world before, in 1952, he was invited to join a British expedition to Mt Everest. The rest, as you all know, is history. With the famous words "we knocked the bastard off" Hillary informed the world that Everest had at last been conquered. News reached Britain on the day of a young Queen Elizabeth's coronation and Hillary and his Sherpa Tenzing were duly knighted. What followed was a life of public attention and adoration (unwanted by Hillary himself) and, after numerous expeditions through the Himalayas Hillary started to devote his life to charitable causes. His main focus though was the Sherpa people and he founded the Himalayan Trust which was responsible for setting up many schools and hospitals throughout Nepal. Hillary was a modern day hero for a lot of New Zealanders and many more outside our country. His passing in January 2008 was mourned across the world.

Read more about 'Sir Edmund Hillary, 1919-2008'.

Ricki Herbert

Ricki Herbert was part of that famous 1982 All Whites team that first made the finals of the football World Cup. Twenty-seven years later Herbert, still in the All Whites fold as head coach, echoes that great achievement and propels his team back into the final 32. Achieved by beating Bahrain in front of a record crowd in Wellington this match could well be one of the turning points in New Zealand football. As a player and as a coach, both with the Wellington Phoenix and the New Zealand All Whites, Herbert has been at the centre of Kiwi football for nigh on three decades. To find out more about the man read 'Ricki Herbert : a new fire' or find out some of his coaching tips in 'Winning ways : champion New Zealand coaches reveal their secrets'.

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MyLibrary:

MyLibrary is a part of our website which provides selections from the new books and DVDs at Wellington City Libraries. Our librarians compile these lists on a monthly basis across the different subject areas in the library's collection, and for many subjects these monthly lists are available going back a number of years. MyLibrary provides recommended databases and websites and also allows you to customise the page with your own selections from the lists, and add your own bookmarks.

Have a look at the libraries' Sport recent picks for more new books on sport and fitness.

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