Friday, August 17, 2012

2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ 1/2oz Silver Proof - Perth Mint

2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ 1/2oz Silver Proof Coin featuring:

  • Proof Quality 99.9% Pure Silver
  • Stunning Reverse Design
  • Australian Legal Tender
  • Limited Mintage – 10,000
  • Numbered Certificate of Authenticity
  • Souvenir Presentation Packaging


The FIFA World Cup is the ultimate competition for any football fan. The Perth Mint is thrilled to present this official licensed product for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.

Get behind our Australian team with this fantastic memento, as the world’s best players battle it out for final victory.

Proof Quality 99.9% Pure Silver

The coin is struck by The Perth Mint from 1/2oz of 99.9% pure silver.

Original Reverse Design

The coloured coin’s reverse depicts a representation of a soccer player incorporating an Aboriginal motif and a map of Australia. The design also includes the inscription 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL™ and The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark.

Limited Mintage

The Perth Mint will release no more than 10,000 coins.

Australian Legal Tender

Issued as legal tender under the Australian Currency Act 1965, the coin depicts the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse.

Souvenir Presentation Packaging

The coin is presented in a prestigious display case and souvenir shipper that includes a specially designed numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ 0.5g Gold Proof Coin - Perth Mint Australia



2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ 0.5g Gold Proof Coin featuring:
  • Proof Quality 99.99% Pure Gold
  • Stunning Reverse Design
  • Australian Legal Tender
  • Extremely Limited Mintage – 7,500
  • Numbered Certificate of Authenticity
  • Souvenir Presentation Packaging
The FIFA World Cup is the ultimate competition for any football fan. The Perth Mint is thrilled to present this official licensed product for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.
Celebrating the Australian team, this fantastic souvenir struck in gleaming gold makes a fantastic gift or memento of this much-anticipated event.

Proof Quality 99.99% Pure Gold

The coin is struck by The Perth Mint from 0.5g of 99.99% pure gold.

Original Reverse Design

The coin’s reverse depicts a representation of a soccer player incorporating an Aboriginal motif and a map of Australia. The design also includes the inscription 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL™ and The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark.

Limited Mintage

The Perth Mint will release no more than 7,500 coins.

Australian Legal Tender

Issued as legal tender under the Australian Currency Act 1965, the coin depicts the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse.

Souvenir Presentation Packaging

The coin is presented in a prestigious display case and souvenir shipper that includes a specially designed numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Misfiring England avoid paying the penalty RWC News


England's hard-fought 13-9 win over Argentina in their first Pool B match at Otago Stadium on Saturday provided a rigorous assessment of areas that need improvement if they are to go on to claim a second Rugby World Cup title.

Argentina dominated England at the breakdown and went 9-3 up before tiring in the final stages, as the 2003 winners finally found some fluency and forced a crucial late try by Ben Youngs.

The 67th-minute score from the replacement scrum half was one of the few times England were able to explode out of the ruck with any penetration.
And with Jonny Wilkinson missing five of his seven penalty attempts, the English would have been made to pay had Pumas kicker Martin Rodriguez not been equally wasteful.

The fact that England conceded 11 penalties will be an area of concern for manager Martin Johnson, who said he would be "looking at the details" of some of the decisions.

"We gave some penalties away, some were clumsy but others were a bit harsh," he said in a post-match press conference.

Heartening effort

"You concede possession and suddenly you've got them in your own 22, grinding you down and trying to get over the line."

Argentina were stopped just short of the line on several occasions and they will take heart from their performance having played only one match in the previous 11 months.
That lack of game time was telling in the last quarter of an hour, but they were also hampered by injuries to fly half and captain Felipe Contepomi and centre Gonzalo Tiesi, both of whom will have scans.

"In terms of the result, it can cost us dear. But in terms of performance, I think the whole team made a big step forward," said Contepomi, wearing an ice pack on his torso.

He said the medical team were unsure if there was damage to cartilage or bone in his ribcage, while Tiesi has a suspected sprained medial ligament in his knee.

Backs to the wall

The standard of kicking was a surprise, particularly in the case of Wilkinson, but Johnson resisted the temptation to bring on Toby Flood.
Wilkinson recovered from five consecutive misses to convert Youngs' try and then open up a four-point margin with a late penalty.

"You concentrate on what you control and for me that's kicking the ball," Wilkinson said.

"Today it felt good, felt right but it wasn't going over. I'm a bit better with my back to the wall. You can't let these things faze you."

England captain Mike Tindall said he was pleased at how England had handled the pressure.

"Nothing seemed to be going right for us but no one panicked and everyone just stuck to their jobs," he said.

"Credit to Argentina for what they did, but once we got into the tempo of rugby we wanted we were able to get under the sticks."

Thursday, September 8, 2011

RUGBY WORLD CUP POOL C PREVIEW - WALLABIES LEAD THE PACK


Pool C appears clear cut, with Australia poised to run away with the top spot in the group. Ireland should claim the other quarterfinals spot from the group ahead of Italy but the Irish have been on a run of poor form. The other countries in pool C are the United States and Russia; neither of whom should figure into this group's outcome.

Australia: IRB World Rank - 2nd
Coach: Robbie Deans
Captain: James Horwill

After winning the Tri Nations with a 25-20 victory over World Cup favourites New Zealand in Brisbane, the Wallabies must be considered serious challengers for the title.

A shock defeat to Samoa was certainly not an ideal start to the Wallabies' final World Cup preparations. But that slip-up at home in July may have served as a reminder not to take anyone for granted and the Australians will certainly be bringing their A-game.

At full strength the Wallabies can be a devastating force and are loaded with star power. Flanker David Pocock leads a terrific back-row while captain James Horwill is an imposing presence in the second row. Scrum-half Will Genia is one of the best in the game as is fly half Quade Cooper. And the forwards are no slouches either.

The two-time winners will be gunning for a third World Cup crown.

Ireland: IRB World Rank - 8th
Coach: Declan Kidney
Captain: Brian O'Driscoll

The wounded Irish have slipped to 8th in the World Rankings and are limping into the tournament after two depressing losses to France and another to England heading into the tournament.

The Irish can never be taken lightly though and could be seen as one of the tournament's dark horses. Their Six Nations drilling of England 24-8 back in March shows that they can be a dangerious, passionate side despite their recent struggles.

They have lots of experience in the likes of lock Paul O'Connell and some exciting younger players such as fly half Jonathan Sexton, prop Cian Healy and back row Sean O'Brien.

If they can shrug off their recent poor form, they should still easily finish second ahead of Italy.

Italy: IRB World Rank - 11th
Coach: Nick Mallett
Captain: Sergio Parisse

The World Cup is the swan song for Nick Mallett as the Italian coach and he would love to guide the team to their first ever knockout stage before he gives way to Jacques Brunel after the tournament.

There is reason for optimism as well as the Italians narrow 22-21 victory over France in this year's Six Nations showed that the team is capable of a big upset. They should also have confidence from playing Ireland, whom they will need to beat to advance, close in the Six Nations as well.

Sergio Parisse, one of the best number 8s in the world leads the squad on the field with his 80 caps. The Italians have talent and if they play up to form and the Irish are a little off the Azzuri could wind up booking their first ever trip to the final eight.

USA: IRB World Rank - 18th
Coach: Eddie O'Sullivan
Captain: Todd Clever

The USA have achieved a great deal of success in sevens rugby but have yet to translate that over to Rugby Union.

Zimbabwe-born Takudzwa Ngwenya, full back Chris Wyles and playmaker Todd Clever do give the States some hope though and are often the ones to provide the club's most positive moments.

The Eagles should be able to handle the Russians but a second win would come as a real shock. In the States Rugby is still the Ugly Stepsister to gridiron football.

Russia: IRB World Rank - 19th
Coach: Nikolay Nerush
Captain: Vladislav Korshunov

Russia qualified for their first ever Rugby World Cup which is a definite accomplishment but they shouldn't be much of a factor in Pool C.

They may not be completely outclassed however as they had three competitive displays against Canada, Italy A and the USA at the Churchill Cup in June. They fell 32-25 to the United States in that tournament and would love to claim their first ever World Cup win in a rematch.

Like the States the Russians have shown potential in rugby sevens and could be a bigger factor in future tournaments.

Hotels Rotorua, New Zealand: Rugby World Cup: Rotorua Brothers' Big Game Roles

BJ and Sam Grouby are reaping the rewards of their parents' volunteer work - the pair are to be ball boys for the three Rotorua Rugby World Cup matches.

There are 10 ball boys for the games and the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union decided to divide the roles between the sub-unions, rewarding parents who play a part in community rugby.

Hotels Rotorua, New Zealand: Rugby World Cup: Rotorua Brothers' Big Game Roles

Hotels Christchurch: Rugby World Cup 2011: England Lend Support to Ravaged Christchurch

The first thing you notice in downtown Christchurch is the hush. It is an eery feeling to be standing in the middle of what should be a bustling central square at lunchtime, listening to the sound of Kiwi tumbleweed. A few yards to the left lie the shattered remains of the city's pretty cathedral. Seven months on from the massive earthquake which destroyed much of the central business district, the area still feels booby trapped. "It broke our hearts," says the city's mayor Bob Parker, matter‑of‑factly.

Hotels Christchurch: Rugby World Cup 2011: England Lend Support to Ravaged Christchurch

Stay New Zealand Accommodation: Rugby World Cup Has Influence on Visitor Numbers

Queenstown's loss appears to be Dunedin's gain as Rugby World Cup fans gear up for the South Island's opening match at the Otago Stadium on Saturday.

Although Queenstown is the chosen host for the English, Irish, Romanian and Georgian rugby teams, their fans remain to be seen, with bookings for accommodation below those at this time last year.

Stay New Zealand Accommodation: Rugby World Cup Has Influence on Visitor Numbers