ERIC RUSH

It's official - Eric Rush has confirmed that he will not be here next year for the 7's (at least not as a player). Not only is it the end of an era, it's also the end of an elaborate self-delusion that as long as he was able to represent NZ at the age of 39 I would still have a shot at international sport if I wanted. I now have to finally admit that my sporting career peaked with representing my university at darts at the age of 19 and has been on a pretty slippery slope ever since (to the point where I was even beaten at darts in Whiskey Priest by Genghis a few weeks ago - the shame was almost unbearable). On the plus side it does mean I can finally throw away the huge, and now slightly mouldy, collection of old sports kit that I have built up over the years.

Ahhhhh what might have been...