The Baby Black untouchables, a status reflected in their collective tournament record of 274 points over five matches, have grown old enough to be middle-aged. They are in their early forties now, their playing days all long gone except for the one they used to call ‘SpongeBob.’
Jimmy Gopperth’s marathon, already long enough to outstrip every Olympian emperor of endurance from Emil Zatopek to Haile Gebrselassie, shows no sign of ending. By the neatest of coincidences, this Thursday’s 20th anniversary of Jerome Kaino’s kids cleaning up in Glasgow also marks Gopperth’s 41st birthday.
A fortnight or so later, he will be back on the treadmill warming up for a second season with Aix-en-Provence. Far from sending their evergreen Kiwi off towards the sunset, his employers thought highly enough of his first season’s work to renew his contract for another.
It will be the 23rd of his professional life for old SpongeBob SquarePants, so-called because the squareness of his shoulders reminded a few team-mates of the-then newly-created cartoon character. Even for all the commercial success of his life on the ocean seabed, the original SpongeBob is due to resurface soon for his 15th season which puts him a long way behind his rugby namesake.
Denne historien er fra June 23, 2024-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
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Denne historien er fra June 23, 2024-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Ten-try Chiefs show Pirates no mercy
TEN-TRY Exeter inflicted the backlash from six successive defeats in their worst ever start to a Premiership season on a young Pirates side suffering their own problems in the Championship.
South America look to keep on building
AS Sebastián Piñeyrúa's historic six-year term as President of Rugby Sudamérica comes to an end, his replacement shows no signs of slowing down.
Scarratt excited by new pathway
ENGLAND centurion Emily Scarratt is delighted with the new women's BUCS programme which aims to provide a smoother pathway for young aspiring female players.
Baxter: I want to make things better
ROB Baxter will not be walking away from Exeter, the only club still looking for a Premiership victory this season, believing he can get the Chiefs back on track and he cannot bear the thought of anyone else doing the job.
Pearce walks in his father's footsteps
PADDY Pearce is living a dream after emulating his father and great-uncle by playing for the club he supported as a boy, Bristol.
New England group will cause uncertainty
SO JUST when we thought that everything was getting sorted between the RFU, the clubs and players, a number of new agreements and a new group raises its head.
Galthie turns his sights to the future
FRANCE head coach Fabien Galthie offered the clearest hint yet of Les Bleus' future on Wednesday, when he released 19 players back F to their clubs for the ninth and final Top 14 round before the international break.
Gilmore has tightened up our defence - Anderson
CAMERON Anderson has hailed the impact made by defence coach Jason Gilmore, below, since he arrived at The Stoop in the summer.
Ampthill given 11-try lesson in class from Bath
BATH secured a thumping away success in the opening match of their Premiership Rugby Cup campaign against Ampthill at Dillingham Park.
New faces take the plaudits for Saints
NORTHAMPTON handed out a thorough lesson to a tame Leicester team in this one-sided East Midlands derby to launch the Premiership Cup.
