A Black Morning ....

It's been a Black morning, but in the nicest possible sense.

First-up, the Tall Blacks beat Canada to progress to the last 16 of the FIBA World Basketball Championships in Turkey. We weren't expecting a lot from the Tall Blacks this time around, but the wins over Lebanon (yesterday) and today's hard-fought 71-61 victory over the Canadians are the result of a gritty and determined team making the most of its limited resources. They have one more pool game to play (agaist France), and then face a likely round-of-16 match against either Turkey or Greece, both of whom will be formidable opponents.



And the Black Ferns have qualified for a fourth consecutive World Cup final berth after a resounding 45-7 victory over France in London this morning. Women's rugby may lack the power and intensity of the male game, but there's no denying the commitment ans spirit of the Black Ferns players. They will face their old rival, England in the final on Monday morning.

We wish both teams well, as they continue to do New Zealand proud.