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a man who had just had a thousand-pound weight lifted off his shoulders. He packed his tennis bag, but he was
The All Blacks have dropped Aaron Smith for Saturdays Test against France with TJ Perenara starting at scrum-half as the world champions make five changes.New Zealand head to France off the back of their 21-9 win over Ireland in Dublin but with Sam Cane and Ben Smith out injured, Steve Hansen has been forced to mix up his team selection.With Cane sidelined, Matt Todd starts at openside with Jerome Kaino replacing Liam Squires at blindside.In the backs Perenara replaces Aaron Smith at No.9 while Israel Dagg shifts to fullback to cover the injured Ben Smith. Waisake Naholo comes in on the wing to step into Daggs shoes while Ryan Crotty replaces the suspended Malakai Fekitoa in the centres.One-cap Rieko Ioane is named among the replacements.When it came to selecting this side, we had to make some changes because of injuries, but we also looked to pick the best side possible for what we think will be a titanic battle against the French, Hansen said.It was a very physical match in Dublin on the weekend so we have looked to get this weeks preparation spot on - both mentally and physically - as we know France will also be looking to impose themselves upon us come Saturday night.Were excited by the unique challenge that comes with playing the French. Theyve improved immensely since the Rugby World Cup when we last played them, and were well aware theyll be looking to finish their autumn season with a big performance.As we all know, theyre capable of producing wonderful rugby on their day. As always, were looking forward to the challenge.The Test is also another opportunity for our team to experience the Northern Hemisphere style of rugby which will give this new group another chance to learn and grow. We have introduced 11 new players to the All Blacks environment this year which can only bode well for the future. New Zealand:Israel Dagg, Waisake Naholo, Anton Lienert-Brown, Ryan Crotty, Julian Savea, Beauden Barrett, TJ Perenara; Joe Moody, Dane Coles, Owen Franks, Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Jerome Kaino, Matt Todd, Kieran Read (captain)Replacements: Codie Taylor, Wyatt Crockett, Charlie Faumuina, Scott Barrett, Ardie Savea, Aaron Smith, Aaron Cruden, Rieko IoaneDOnta Foreman Jersey . The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany has traditionally been a stubborn opponent to Canadian teams at international tournaments. Max Scharping Jersey . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. http://www.officialhoustontexanspro.com/Arian-foster-texans-jersey/ .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start. Lonnie Johnson Jersey . The 29-year-old Baines has established himself as one of the top attacking full backs in the country and was the subject of two bids from United during the last off-season. Everton manager Roberto Martinez says that keeping Baines at the club is a "massive boost and exciting for the future" because he brings "maturity and football knowledge in a very specialized position on the pitch" and an "infectious and positive influence to the rest of the squad. Arian Foster Womens Jersey . Shot outdoors against the stunning backdrop of Banff, Alta., the networks 30-minute original production airs tonight at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2. The four All-Star teams will play for $100,000 in prize money during TSNs annual skins game, airing live this weekend on TSN from The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre.It wasnt merely short; it was divinely concise. It wasnt merely sweet; it was heart-wrenchingly sincere. It was Andre Agassis farewell speech, delivered on the floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium a decade ago at the US Open.Few speeches had ever had to satisfy so intense a build-up. Over 23,000 spectators had stood showering Agassi with applause and cheers for more than four minutes before he even stepped out to address them. They stood clapping and cheering, whistling and crying out, some with tears welling in their eyes.Taking it all in, Agassi felt that he finally understood what tennis meant in his life and what he had meant in the lives of tennis fans.It was my greatest moment on a tennis court, Agassi recently told ESPN.com. And I mean it every bit the way anyone would hear or read that statement.A decade later, the extraordinary scene that unfolded on the floor of Ashe that Sept. 3 afternoon after Agassi lost in the third-round of the 2006 US Open resonates with even greater meaning. It echoes like a fitting eulogy for perhaps the greatest generation of male tennis players ever produced in the U.S., the generation that included fellow Grand Slam champions Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and Michael Chang.This is also the 10th anniversary of the last American males appearance in a US Open final. One week after No. 112 Benjamin Becker of Germany stopped Agassi, Andy Roddick lost the championship match to Roger Federer.I guess you could call it irony, Agassi said. Or is it tragedy?At the time, Agassi could not know what lean times lay ahead for the domestic game. Besides, he was too worried about his own failing condition.Agassi was ranked No. 7 at the outset of 2006, but over the course of the year an ankle gave out, and his back threatened to follow. By the US Open, he was living in a cocoon of pain and looking hard at life after tennis. In his own mind, he thought of that portion -- two-thirds of his life, with any luck -- as, simply, the abyss. He would have to go into it soon, but he wasnt going without a fight.In his first match in Flushing Meadows, Agassi got by Andrei Pavel in four sets. Then he survived a five-set match with Marcos Baghdatis, mounting a spectacular rally after dropping the third and fourth sets. But Agassi was cooked. The ensuing day off still had too few hours. Agassi played a respectable match against Becker, but he was heavy-legged, dull at the edges. He lost in four sets.Agassi knew as he walked off the court that it was time to say farewell. He had no script, but he had been thinking about this moment, and what he might say when it arrived, for months. He knew what he valued.My jouurney was less linear, more complex, less honest than most, he said.dddddddddddd But I knew what this game and people have meant to me, and why I had gotten through so many difficulties and achieved so much despite all else. Thats why feeling connected, and communicating the value of that feeling, seemed so important.After Becker ended Agassis career with an ace down the middle, the loser sat with his face buried in a brilliant white towel. The standing ovation raged around and above him as he tried to compose his thoughts and control his emotions. At one point, he buried his face in his hands, and as the tears streamed down his face he tried wiping them away with the heels of his palms.Mary Joe Fernandez interviewed Becker briefly, finally quieting the crowd. Agassi then walked out on the court and took the microphone from Fernandez. He scratched the back of his head, looked up, and spoke these words:The scoreboard said I lost today. But what the scoreboard doesnt say is what it is I have found. Over the last 21 years, I have found loyalty. You have pulled for me on the court and also in life. I found inspiration. You have willed me to succeed, sometimes even in my lowest moments.And Ive found generosity. You have given me your shoulders to stand on, to reach for my dreams, dreams I could never have reached without you. Over the last 21 years, I have found you, and I will take you and the memory of you with me for the rest of my life.The speech lasted exactly 50 seconds. Agassi made it through nearly 40 of them before his voice showed any sign of wavering or cracking. Finished, he walked to his chair like a man who had just had a thousand-pound weight lifted off his shoulders. He packed his tennis bag, but he was no longer apprehensive about his destination. He was no longer feeling uneasy about the abyss.As he walked away, Agassi knew that he wasnt saying goodbye to the game as much as to a lot of people with whom he had been on a long and exciting journey. There would be another journey, and it too would be about people, about connections. The things that count.Its a bit of death of sorts, Agassi said of retiring. Youre crossing over into a different world. You can never know what to expect, what it looks like. And you dont know how you feel about it until after that day comes.Agassis day came, and afterward he felt pretty good about it. When he looked into the abyss, he found it filled with light and the love of 23,000 fans in Ashe and millions more who watched that day. ' ' '