Australia’s rugby team, the Wallabies, were ignominiously dumped from the 2019 Rugby World Cup that Japan is currently hosting (and being lauded for both its organization skills and the rousing performance of its unfancied team).
The Wallabies lost badly to England in a quarter final, mostly because they were not good enough as a team.
But Kangaeroo.com has also discovered another reason for the Wallabies’ woes.
Gorgeous Jindaiji Temple, which supported the Wallabies’ woeful World Cup, is situated in the Tokyo suburb of Chofu, location of the Aussies’ group stage loss against Wales on September 29 that effectively derailed their campaign on the field.
Jindaiji had proudly displayed Wallabies jerseys (alongside a Brave Blossoms team shirt, too, it should be noted) and supported the Australian team as it tried to regain the William Webb Ellis Trophy it last won in 1999.
The temple also displayed a daruma, a doll traditionally used to pray for good luck in Japan, as well as a message wishing the team well. Here is that message, reproduced in full (with spelling and grammatical errors intact):
The conetents the priest preached when he visited the camping place for the match
Daruma is a Japanese style a bringere of good luck which you can find at restaurants, in the houses and so son. This Daruma is representing a monk who was meditating for 9 years. When you think about meditation, you might think it’s static, but actually during meditation we are fighting against and enduring something like weakness or anger or worldly desires. Meditation is not just static, but also conflicting against ourselves. that’s the training of Buddhism and that’s the spirit which Daruma is showing to us. This spirit is exactly like the spirit of Rugby. It’s very dynamic in contrast, but you play desperately for one goal with focused. In Japan, there is a proverb associated with this Daruma. that is “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” It is a saying about never giving up no matter how many times life knocks you down because Daruma always comes back after falling down. The important thing is same in Sports. The high spirits touch people’s hearts. So, like this daruma, attend to the spirit and concentrate on the game and play a good game which touches people. I believe that this Daruma which you team put strong wish will bring good result. Today we want you to put one eye into Daruma. Putting an eyes means that you swear to start the mental training and achieve the goal. This ceremony is for the time which you have strong wish, so please don’t fool around make a wish.
Clearly, then, in spite of rumors of a rift in the Wallabies camp, the reason for such a dismal showing by the two-time champions and reigning runners-up was that they fooled around to make a wish.
At least the Wallabies retained the team’s excellence in selecting players with hyphenated names, the squad’s Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Adam Ashley-Cooper and Dane Haylett-Petty continuing the Australian tradition of picking lads with monikers like Massy-Westropp, Comrie-Thomson, Farr-Jones, Scott-Young, Kenny-Dowall, Waerea-Hargreaves, Tuivasa-Sheck, Asofa-Solomona, Polota-Nau, Feauai-Sautia, Mann-Rea, Paenga-Amosa and Johnson-Holmes.
An Aussie paraglider copped a shellacking from the national symbol recently, going global with a video showing a kangaroo attacking him as he landed near Canberra.
The paraglider offered a warm welcome to the ‘roo only for the mean marsupial to pounce at the intruder and let loose with a couple of decent whacks.
The kangaroo bounded off, leaving the paraglider unharmed except for a case of hurt pride and footage that has not gone viral.
Matilda has been described online as “the worst sports movie ever made.” Kindly, as it turns out. Matilda was a dreadful, alleged comedy about a boxing kangaroo that challenges for the world heavyweight champion title.
The movie was made in 1978, when Muhammad Ali was probably at his most widely popular (and the reigning world champion), and starred Elliot Gould, who was then still not too far off the peak of a career that continues going strong today.
Co-starring was another A-lister, Robert Mitchum, so it’s hard to argue that the cast and circumstances surrounding the movie didn’t pack a punch.
Unfortunately, the kangaroo featured in the film was clearly a bloke in a costume. With demonic eyes.
On top of that, the Australian involvement in the movie was non-existent outside of the kangaroo’s origins. And, as anybody who’s ever heard an American attempt an Australian accent or been to an Outback Steakhouse can attest, Americans don’t really put a lot of weight into authenticity when it comes to Down Under. Matilda was based on a novel by Paul Gallico, whose research into Australia and kangaroos was so extensive he gave the male marsupial protagonist of his work a female name.
Perhaps Gallico had a portend of the movie’s fate, though, as he was most famous for The Poseidon Adventure, which would be adapted by Hollywood for another disaster movie of a different kind.
Directing Matilda was Daniel Mann, who made some impressive movies over his career.
For 考えRoom.com, though, with its interest in Australia and Japan, perhaps his most interesting movie was The Teahouse of the August Moon, which starred Marlon Brando in yellowface.
All in all, Matilda was a critical and commercial disaster. On the upside, though, it did get some decent movie posters from all over the world, as well as some other decent images, many of which can be viewed in the gallery.
An Aussie cyclist got more than they bargained for in Australia recently.
最近、オーストラリア人女性サイクリストが想定外の事故にあった。
While riding along at a gentle pace, the cyclist collided with a kangaroo.
ゆっくりと走りながら、なんと、カンガルーと衝突事故した！
The kangaroo leaped out of the bush and struck the unsuspecting cyclist.
カンガルーが道路脇にあった森から飛び出し、女性とぶつかった。
The woman hit by the kangaroo sustained minor injuries.
カンガルーに引っかかれた女性が軽傷で済んだ。
