Highest Five » Sports & Fitness http://www.highestfive.com Men's Magazine Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:46:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Top 5 Women Golfers in History http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/top-5-women-golfers-in-history/ http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/top-5-women-golfers-in-history/#comments Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:18:07 +0000 Emily Jacobson http://www.highestfive.com/?p=3307 a

]]> From Australia’s Royal Melbourne Golf Club to the Loch March golf and country club near Ottawa, golf has become one of the most popular international sports with women’s golf flourishing from country to country.

Participation levels are at an all-time high. Talent levels at the professional ranks are unlike anything we’ve seen before. And most importantly, women’s golf is finally receiving the attention and the recognition that it so rightfully deserves. But none of this would have been possible without the women who paved the way. In that spirit, we present to you five women who played vital roles in building the golf of today.

1. Mickey Wright

Mary Kathryn, nicknamed Mickey, was a California girl who took up golf at the age of 12 in 1947. Five years later, she took home the U.S. Girls’ Junior and the World Amateur title two years after that. The next year, she took some time away to study at Stanford, but when she returned and turned pro in 1956, she began a journey that would establish the most impressive career statistically that any women golfer has ever achieved.

2. Sandra Post

In a way, Sandra Post is women’s golf in Canada. That’s not meant as a slight against the other greats, but Post did so much on big stages that she became a symbol. She began her career in 1968 and immediately won the LPGA Championship along with the LPGA Rookie of the Year Award. Despite that early success, her path wasn’t easy. She struggled for ten years to recapture that glory, but when she finally did, seven more tour victories followed.

3. Marlene Streit

Born in 1934, Marlene Streit is the most successful Canadian amateur golfer in history and the only golfer to have won the Australian, British, Canadian and US amateur championships. That distinction earned her a place at the World Golf Hall of Fame, and she was selected as the best Canadian female athlete five times. Some would argue that she was better than Post even, but Post has to get the nod because of the pro competition she played against.

4. Annika Sörenstam

The Swedish-born Sörenstam burst onto the golf scene in 1992 and never looked back. She was unlike anything we had seen before. Her intense passion, calculated efficiency and all-around game drew comparisons to male golfers, and she achieved attention for the sport at a time when it was difficult to come by. She won both the Open and the LPGA Championship three times, and she built a legacy of greatness that will stand for as long as we play the game.

5. Se Ri Pak

Se Ri Pak is a South Korean golfer who won the LPGA Championship in 1998, 2002 and 2006. She also won the U.S. Women’s Open in 1998 and the Women’s British Open in 2001. That incredible success paved the way for an influx of South Korean golfers into women’s golf.

There’s little doubt that the modern diversification of women’s golf has had a profound effect on the game, and this was perhaps the most important step in that process.

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]]> http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/top-5-women-golfers-in-history/feed/ 0 6 Sports That Required Hallucinogens to Invent http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/6-sports-that-required-hallucinogens-to-invent/ http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/6-sports-that-required-hallucinogens-to-invent/#comments Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:47:35 +0000 Dan Bingham http://www.highestfive.com/?p=2893 a

]]> Some of the most popular sports in the world are based around fairly basic principals. Using a specific part of your body, move a ball to a specific location while stopping opponents and their body parts from doing the same. Sometimes you must use a stick, and sometimes the ball is a puck. However, throw a handful of magic mushrooms into the mix and suddenly the ball is a toilet on skis. The following are some really bizarre sports that really make you wonder “wtf were people smoking when they came up with them?”

Octopush

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Octopush, or underwater hockey was invented in Portsmouth, England by diver Alan Blake back in 1954.  Equipped with diving masks, snorkels, fins, swim caps and a glove, players use their “pushers” to push the lead “squid” into the 3-meter “gulleys” on each end of the swimming pool.

Cheese Rolling

There aren’t many foods in this world I would risk breaking every bone in my body to chase down a hill.  For Double Gloucester cheese however, I would make an exception.

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The event is a 200-year old tradition, taking place annually at Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth, a small village near Gloucester England.  Due to the amount of injuries sustained over the years, the official event was cancelled in 2010. That did not stop 500 people, locals and cheese-rolling enthusiasts from around the world from showing up anyways, firing up some unofficial cheese races of their own.

Chess Boxing

You know that feeling, when your chess opponent defeats your queen with a stupid pawn, and you wish you could just flip the board and punch them in the face?

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To fully understand the subtle intricacies of this brain/brawn hybrid, we can always look to the Wu-tang Clan.

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Outhouse Racing

The Holy Crapper, the Wee Wee Tee Pee, the Flamingo Flusher and the Shot and Squat Saloon are so much more than just hilarious nicknames for your dog.  They were the most recent entries to Mackintaw Michigan’s annual winter outhouse race.  The rules are simple:  build an outhouse, mount it on skis, get unbelievably hammered, and run the crap outta those race toilets!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Binocular Soccer

Not an official sport, but it really, really should be. I also feel that not enough referees wear bunny helmets.

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Buzkashi

While most countries use objects like pucks or balls for their sports, things are a little more intense in south-central Asia.  Buzkashi, the ancient and national sport of Afghanistan, takes place on horseback, and instead of the friendly ball they use the corpse of a headless goat.

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For more decapitated goat action you can watch it here, Rambo style.

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]]> http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/6-sports-that-required-hallucinogens-to-invent/feed/ 5 Top 6 Most Destructive Playoff Hockey Riots http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/top-6-most-destructive-playoff-hockey-riots/ http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/top-6-most-destructive-playoff-hockey-riots/#comments Fri, 14 May 2010 13:14:15 +0000 Dan Bingham http://www.highestfive.com/?p=2316 a

]]> Sorry rest of Canada, sorry if we kept you awake last night.  The truth is, against all odds we just finished beating last year’s Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and we got a little excited about it.  Okay, we got A LOT excited about it.  In case you weren’t watching the NHL Eastern Conference Semi-finals last night, the Montreal Canadiens defeated Sidney Crosby and his Penguins 5-2, and the downtown core of Canada’s sin city erupted into a massive party.  Thousands upon thousands of fans took over Ste-Catherine street to celebrate, and while most were just hockey-loving Habs fans having a good time, there are always a few jackasses at the party.  Penguins jerseys were lit on fire, cars were flipped, store windows were shattered and inevitably tear gas was released, and arrests were made.  Hockey riots are somewhat of a strange tradition, especially since they usually happen when a team wins!

“My sports team scored more points than your sports team! I’m so happy, I’m going to throw this garbage can through a Starbucks window!”  The following are 6 instances when hockey fans decided to show their love and appreciation by lighting their own city on fire.  And yes, many of them take place in Montreal.  Sorry again rest of Canada.  We’ll try to keep it down next round.  Alright, we probably won’t.

Montreal Eliminates Pittsburgh – 2010

(I had nothing to do with the song!)

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Detroit Red Wings Wins the Stanley Cup – 2008

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Montreal Canadiens Eliminates the Boston Bruins – 2008

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Colorado Avalanche Wins the Stanley Cup – 2001

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Vancouver Canucks Lose to the New York Rangers in Game 7 for the Stanley Cup – 1994

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Montreal Wins the Stanley Cup – 1993

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If this is what took place after only 7 years of Stanley Cup hunger,  I’m scared to see what will happen to my city if we somehow manage to win the cup this year.  After all, we’ve been starving for 17 years now!

I think I’ll look for somewhere nice and quiet to hide. Hey Ottawa, mind if I sleep over?

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]]> http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/top-6-most-destructive-playoff-hockey-riots/feed/ 3 Top NHL 2010 Round One Playoff Goals http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/top-nhl-2010-round-one-playoff-goals/ http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/top-nhl-2010-round-one-playoff-goals/#comments Mon, 03 May 2010 20:04:21 +0000 Adam http://www.highestfive.com/?p=2220 a

]]> Round one of the 2010 NHL playoffs was jam-packed with upsets & pretty awesome goals. Here is a list of the 10 most impressive goals of the first round.

Tomas Plekanec Goal against Jose Theodore

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Tomas Kopecky Goal against Pekka Rinne

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Pascal Dupuis Goal against Pascal Leclaire

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Miroslav Satan Goal against Ryan Miller

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Nicklas Backstrom Goal against Jaroslav Halak

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Pavel Datsyuk Goal against Ilya Bryzgalov

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Evengi Malkin Goal against Brian Elliott

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Drew Doughty Goal against Roberto Luongo

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Alexander Ovechkin Goal against Carey Price

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Kris Letang Goal against Brian Elliott

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]]> http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/top-nhl-2010-round-one-playoff-goals/feed/ 0 Top 5 Lionel Messi Goals http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/top-5-lionel-messi-goals/ http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/top-5-lionel-messi-goals/#comments Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:46:52 +0000 Dave Long http://www.highestfive.com/?p=2035 a

]]> Leo Messi could very well be the best footballer in the world At this point, he’s got 25 goals in 26 games this year, with multiple multigoal games, including back to back hat tricks. He leaves defenders and keepers clueless, with a power and grace in his shot unparalleled in today’s game.

Here are what I consider his 5 best and most interesting goals:

Typical Maradona-Style Against Getafe

From half field, absolutely unstoppable, one defender at a time until the ball is in the back of the net. No wonder people are reminded of Maradona.

Drive Against Zaragoza

Look at Messi power through, first fighting hard for the ball, then making everyone look stupid as they try to get in his way.

Four Goals Against Arsenal

This is a set of goals to showcase how well-rounded a scorer he is. The first shows the power of his shot, the second his ability to be in the right place at the right time, the third his speed and amazing touch, and the fourth, his incredible ball control.

Third Goal of Hat Trick vs Tenerife

Check out the perfect touch on this shot. A goal like this shows you that he can pretty much do whatever he wants with a ball, and good luck trying to stop him.

Hand of God Goal vs Espanyol

Check out this one… the source of much controversy, he punches the ball in the net in perfect coordination with his would-be header lunge. He puts the manly in unsportsmanly.

So that’s the top 5. At 22, there’s plenty more to come from him, and you can only imagine what the next Messi goal will look like.

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]]> http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/top-5-lionel-messi-goals/feed/ 1 10 Hottest Female Athletes Of 2010 http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/10-hottest-female-athletes-of-2010/ http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/10-hottest-female-athletes-of-2010/#comments Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:39:30 +0000 Mary Montserrat-Howlett http://www.highestfive.com/?p=1958 a

]]> They are among the world’s most incredible athletes but also among the world’s most beautiful women. Here are 10 stunning female athletes that could melt the winter away with their hotness.

Lindsey Vonn

American Alpine Ski Racer

Accomplishments: She has won three consecutive World Cup championships (2008, 2009, 2010) making her the first American woman and second woman ever to accomplish this. Vonn has become the most successful Amereican woman skier in history with her Olympic gold medal, 33 World Cup wins in four disciplines (downhill, Super G, slalom and super combined) as well as two World Championship gold medals.

Dominique Maltais

Canadian snowboarder, specialty: snowboard cross

Accomplishments: Not only did Maltais win the Canadian Championships in 2003 and 2004, she is also a firefighter in her professional career.

Melisa Hollingsworth.

Canadian Skeleton Athlete

Accomplishments: Hollingsworth, who has been competing since 1995, is the first Canadian to win an Olympic medal in the sport of skeleton at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

Julia Mancuso

American Alpine Ski Racer


Accomplishments: Mancuso was the gold medalist in the giant slaolm at the 2006 Winter Olympics and the silver medalist in both downhill and combined at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Claudia Toth



Austrian Curling Skip

Accomplishments: Toth has played in two European Championships, skipping her Austrian team to an 11th place and also participated in this year’s Winter Olympics. She once turned down an offer to pose for the German edition of Playboy, however in 2005, she posed nude in a calendar to promote women’s curling.

Kristi Leskinen



American Freestyle Skier

Accomplishments: Leskinen was the first woman ever to pull a rodeo 720 (two rotations, head pointed to earth). She won a bronze medal in the Women’s Superpipe at the Winter X Games IX.

Kim Yu-Na


South Korean Figure Skater

Accomplishments: Yu-Na was the 2010 Winter Olympic champion in ladies singles. She is also the current record holder for ladies in the short program, the free skating and the combined total. As of March 2010, Yu-Na is ranked first in the world by the Internaitonal Skating Union and is the first female skater to surpass the 200-point mark under the ISU Judging System.

Kiira Korpi



Finnish Figure Skater

Accomplishments: Korpi is widely regarded as the most beautiful woman in figure skating. She is the 2007 European bronze medalist and the 2009 Finnish National Championship and as of Febrauary 2010, she was ranked 11th in the world.

Tanith Belbin



American Ice Dancer (born in Kingston, Ontario)

Accomplishments: Belbin is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, four-time World medalist and five-time U.S. champion. As of January 2010, she and her partner Benjamin Agosto ranked 4th in the world.

Therese Johaug


Norwegian Cross-Country Skier

Accomplishments: Johaug won gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver in the 4 x 5 km relay. She made her internaitonal breakthrough by winning bronze at the 30 km mass start at the 2007 World Championships in Sapporo.

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]]> http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/10-hottest-female-athletes-of-2010/feed/ 1 Best/Worst Soccer Falls/Fakes http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/bestworst-soccer-falls/ http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/bestworst-soccer-falls/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:21:21 +0000 Dan Bingham http://www.highestfive.com/?p=518 a

]]> To be honest I couldn’t decide whether to call these the “best” falls in soccer or the “worst.”  They’re the best in terms of how ridiculously fake they are.  These players are the “best” at crumbling when anyone comes within a six meter radius of their delicate selves.  At the same time they are some of the worst attempts to gain advantage in a sport through cheating.  The following clips contain some of the worst acting you’ll ever see, from athletes who are the best at demonstrating how abs of steel do nothing to stop them from wilting like tulip petals. You’ll want a multi-viewer just to judge who’s worse.

Gilardino

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Slap Happy McPappy

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And the Oscar goes to…

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Cheating Pays Off

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Schumacher’s goal more authentic than Alsonso’s fall

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Ronaldo’s Fancy Footwork

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Steven Gerrard Diving Compilation

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Nice Reaction Time

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The Imperial Collapse

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]]> http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/bestworst-soccer-falls/feed/ 2 How to Sports Spread Bet for Dingbats http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/how-to-sports-spread-bet-for-dingbats/ http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/how-to-sports-spread-bet-for-dingbats/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:15:37 +0000 Dan Bingham http://www.highestfive.com/?p=946 a

]]> I’ve never been a gambler.  Ever since hearing the Kenny Rodgers song as a kid, I never got over the image of a gambler as a cigarette bum with the audacity to drink your last swallow of whiskey.  I didn’t know much, but I knew enough that I didn’t want to grow up like that guy.  Nowadays the only gambling I partake in is when I pay $15 for a movie ticket at the theatres.  Lately it feels like the odds of paying to watch a Hollywood Suckfest are a depressing 10-1.

terminator-salvation

So while I’ve never stepped foot into a casino, participated in sports betting, or placed my kid’s college fund on a horse, I understand the concept of betting the odds.  The only way to win HUGE is when the odds are stacked disgustingly against you.  This is probably why I don’t gamble.  But I’m tired of looking like a deer in headlights whenever people talk about “betting the spread.”  Gamblers on television, in movies, and in real life talk about getting raped by the spread, and it’s time I knew what the hell they were talking about, as opposed to imagining them getting sodomized by a jar of Cheese Whiz.

So I did some research into this whole spread betting thing, (and by research I mean I Googled it), and I’m presenting here spread betting as I understand it: a guide so basic that a 4-year-old can understand it, which may come in handy one day when mommy or daddy lose the house during a game of poker.

The Godfather of Spread

Born in 1903, Charles K. McNeil’s life revolved around numbers, beginning his career as a math teacher at a prep school in Connecticut.  At the outset of the 1930s he went on to become a securities analyst for a bank in Chicago, where he also discovered sports betting at baseball games.  He developed such a keen eye for winning teams that he was able to make a living off his predictions in less than ten years, when he would also finance his own bookmaking operation.  Bored with simply betting on the odds, McNeil decided to spice things up by inventing a new way for bettors to gamble.  Not only could they bet on who would win, but by how much.  Now people had the chance to still win big, even if they bet on the hugely favored team.  The point spread is born.

sports-betting

How the point spread works

Let’s pretend the L.A. Lakers are going head to head with the Cleveland Cavs.  Lebron James is out with swollen lymph nodes, so the bookmakers are predicting a Laker victory with a spread of 22 points.  If you still think the Cavs can pull it off and you bet on the underdog, you’ll win money if:

A) They blow past the Laker’s, wiping that smug grin off Kobe’s face, or…

B) They lose by less than 22 points, in which case they “win against the spread,” and Kobe gets to keep his grin.

But you’ll lose money if the Lakers “cover the spread” and win by more than 22 points.

kobe-vs-lebron

Now to avoid something called a “push,” whereby the Lakers win by exactly the amount as the spread and no one wins, bookmakers create spreads with half-points to ensure commissions.

Over/Unders

Another popular method for sports betting is betting on whether the total score from both teams is over or under the amount set by the bookmakers.  So if you’re like me and you have no idea which NBA, MLB, KFC, or NFL picks to make, you can just wander in without a clue, see the number 47, slap your wad of cash down boldly declaring “Higher!”

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]]> http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/how-to-sports-spread-bet-for-dingbats/feed/ 2 Top 10 Hardest Basketball Fouls http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/top-10-hardest-basketball-fouls/ http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/top-10-hardest-basketball-fouls/#comments Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:53:02 +0000 Dan Bingham http://www.highestfive.com/?p=508 a

]]> Hard fouling is a part of basketball, especially during playoffs, but sometimes players can take things too far.  This collection of elbows, choke holds and bodyslams goes out to all the football and hockey players who call basketball players “wimpy.”  These giants are some of the most ridiculously monstrous athletes around, and if their arm tattoos aren’t enough to prove just how tough they are, then these clips definitely should.

Posey Slams Deng

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I love how Posey throws his arms in the air with the old “what did I do?” face.

Varejao Breaks Nikos Zisis’ Jaw

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Deshawn De-headbands Lebron

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Lebron Clothelines Dwayne Wade

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Shaq Attack

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Melo Performs Ye Old Darth Vader Maneuver

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Ronny Turiaf Swats Ronnie Price

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Shaq Attack Part Deux

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Brendan Haywood Delays the Flight of Lebron James

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Marvin Williams Plays Lazy Defense

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]]> http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/top-10-hardest-basketball-fouls/feed/ 0 10 Hardest Rugby Hits http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/10-hardest-rugby-hits/ http://www.highestfive.com/fitness/10-hardest-rugby-hits/#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:30:14 +0000 Dave Long http://www.highestfive.com/?p=413 a

]]> Rugby doesn’t get the same kind of airtime football enjoys in North America but there’s no denying these guys are tough. I played two years in a Division 3 rugby league and I can attest to its brutality. The last game I played an ambulance came 3 times because of broken bones. When there’s large men running at each other full-speed with no equipment on… it really comes as no surprise that there are some massive hits. Here are ten of the hardest hits I could find.

rugbyhits

Adrian Morley big hit on Ryan Hall

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Faumuina big hit on Myler

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Gordon Tallis’ famous tackle on Brett Hodgson

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Justin Hodges hit on Steve Turner

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Viliame Satala big tackle on John Roe

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Vainikolo smashes Aspinwall

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Thomas Leuluai big hit on Maurie Fa’asavalu

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Sam Burgess on Fuifui Moimoi

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Adrian Morley big hit on King

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Adrian Morley smashes Awen Guttenbeil

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