World Cup opening ceremony

[Matabele]

Oh my goodness.  What is this rubbish???

 

[Chip and Chase]

What did Baz Luhrman pay for his blatant plugathon I wonder ?

 

[Kiki]

i was there and it was the worst thing EVER. the 'half time entertainment' was even worse. JB Hifi sponsored it and they had these weird mascot costumes representing movies like HERES CARTOON INDIANA JONES..GIVE HIM A ROUNDE OF APPLAUSE. it was embarassing.

the thing is, outside the venu all arvo they had awesome tongan dancers and irish drummers and stuff...they just shoulda had that.

christ league is so low rent. it kills me.

 

[Matabele]

They would have been better off not having anything.  Basically a commercial follwoed by the obligatory indigenous dancing that has become hackneyed beyond words.  Then a C grade singer singing a cover that's 15 years old.

Horrible.

 

[DSM5]

The League is great because it is so low rent.  Bring back the marching bands and relays and lower the price of the piss.

 

[Matabele]

If they're trying to be low rent then why dress Brassingwaite in a long dress?  Surely she'd have been better off in a bikini?

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Bloody Oath Mata, they should have just got her standing there silent, or with a pole to dance on

 

[Cameron]

Bloody Oath Mata, they should have just got her standing there silent, or with a pole to dance on

does she have a contract with the nrl or is she rooting someone in nrl head quarters they seem to wheel her out for all the big games

 

[Guest]

If they wanted to go really low rent they could have had Paris Hilton. 

 

[vidmar]

Glad it wasn't just me that was watching the "Clayton's opening" (The opening ceremony you have when the competition is already opened?) on delayed telecast (Wouldn't want 60 minutes inconvenienced?) with a feeling of "What the....?"
Must have been a pretty penny to get your movie trailer shown as part of a major sporting event (Not quite sure what that had to do with Rugby League.....)
I fully understand that the code needs cash but come on.....?
No problems with the aboriginal dancers per se but agree it was a bit lame...
Oh and was it only me that thought the booing at the Haka was a bit off.....? (I normally quite enjoy the Haka (and the warm up game one was excellent) but must admit I did have a giggle at Benji trying to look scarey)

 

[Matabele]

Marshall carried on like a pork chop in the haka and then went missing.  Maybe he'd expended all his energy trying to get his tongue to touch his adam's apple?

 

[Canteen Worker]

Why didn't they put on Tina Turner singly Simply the Best from her wheelchair or Chumbawamba or something???? Who is responsible for these things. Considering Gallop worked for News Ltd and they had the grand vision of the Entertainment package that would revolutionsise the game, it is pretty lame (or maybe David was away the 10 mins that Ribot and Ken Cowley made up the global vision of millions of little asians watching and playing the game on Star!!!!)

 

[Matabele]

It was beyond lame.  It was embarrassing crap.  Imagine the millions of poms watching that hogwash so soon after the spectacular of Beijing.  As I said, they'd have done better with nothing.

 

[Corso_Pete]

What does Aboriginal culture have to do with Rugby League? The last time I looked it was the World Cup yet there was no acknowledgment of any of the nations that were participating.

In the centenary year of RL, which has been an abject failure last nights ceremony was simply the icing on a pitiful year of celebration.

 

[Matabele]

I think I understand it now.  It was abstract art.  220 years (a Bicentennial + GST) after the original invaders came to destroy aboriginal culcha, the same happened last night?

 

[ssar]

Great to see one of the few "World Cups" of teams competing in a REAL contact sport.

Oh, and check out this footage of some amazing interpretations of the respective teams' traditional War cries..

The Aboriginal War Cry vs the Maori Haka just prior to the start of the game of Australian Indigenous XIII vs New Zealand Maori XIII in an entertaining curtain-raiser match of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup at the Sydney Football Stadium last Sunday 26 October:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk2Cwl_flZc

Result:

Australian Indigenous Team 34 (Rhys Wesser 2, Rod Jensen 2, Jason Carney, Yileen Gordon tries; Jamie Soward 5 conversions).

beat

New Zealand Maori 26 (Sam McKendry, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Chase Stanley, Jordan Rapana, Arana Taumata tries; Bronx Goodwin 2 conversions; Chase Stanley conversion).

Good stuff.

 

[ChuckWood]

I was also out at the game , and it was embarrassing. They must have had a budget of $3000.00. All that was missing were the Pal Super Dogs.

Thank god for the free tickets and the afternoon pre match beers at Manly Wharf Bar.

 

[Chip and Chase]

"That's better than Billy Idol"

LOL

 

[Ryan]

WoW - I must be the only one that thought it was pretty cool.
Aborigines have populated Australia for a lot longer than the British criminal populace. I thought sharing their cultural history was great.
Plus, that singer Natalie whatever her last name is, did a fantastic job with a great tone IMO. Plus, she was hot as..

I actually thought it was pretty classy how the large map of Australia showed the history of International football and that.

Oh well, nice leggy blonde, cute as - I'm easily pleased ! LoL 

 

[PONTIAN SEA EAGLE]

Why didn't they just show highlights of this years grand final on the big screen instead.