Clear, clear blue sky.

Out my window a black flag flies on a red bamboo flagpole, the flag has a white fern frond diagonally across it and 'New Zealand" in white capitals across the bottom edge. Fluttering nationally there in the light breeze the flag has a small worn ragged thread on its bottom trailing edge, sometimes the flag is beautiful in it's complete glory and others it is beautiful in it's dropped off loose relaxed presentation. The national flag of New Zealand sport, always beautiful but not always glorious. We look for glory now, most of us, in this October 2011 Rugby World Cup but without Dan a note of trepidation has crept in as we await another hero to step forward to kick and run, find space and run, pass and run and run and run and run. We all know he's there but is this the time, the time for imagination and genious. This is Rugby, sometimes brutal, sometimes sweet but always the kick, the sweat, the jump, the grunt, the step, the speed and the try!