THE Australians like to refer to us – among other things – as “whinging Poms”, but they do quite a fine line in complaining when things are not going their way as well.

So much so, in fact, that several years ago an old colleague once proposed an idea for a game show called 'Whinge Like An Aussie', where points and prizes would be awarded for each outlandish excuse contestants could come up with for why Australia had lost in a particular sporting event.

If such a show had actually been commissioned, then there could hardly have been a more perfect contestant for it than Michael, aged 50, from Sydney and who works as a rugby union coach – at least on the evidence of last Saturday, anyway.

Poor old Michael, you see, was in a terrible tizz both during and following the Wallabies' 30-6 defeat to England at Twickenham, so much so that World Rugby recommended an investigation into his behaviour and which could well lead to him being called up before a disciplinary hearing.

So much for his words to BBC television in a rather terse post-match interview about wanting to build a “no-excuse culture” in the team.

The targets for his ire were referee Ben O'Keeffe and the Television Match Official. Because obviously it was their fault Australia lost, and nothing to do with his own side's poor discipline, or their appalling defending which contributed to England running up the score in the closing stages.

Two decisions from the TMO promoted Wallabies head coach Chieka to make his way out of the technical box in the stands to the sidelines, sadly not after being called down from the audience to take part in a game show. Instead, he just wanted to vent his anger at someone.

The first of those which got him up off his feet, along with being caught muttering a swear word on camera, was when Michael Hooper – more of him later – had a try ruled out by the video referee for offside, which looked marginal but was ultimately the right call.

Chieka was further enraged when Australia had another score chalked off in the second half which would have drawn them level following another correct call for offside, this time by Stephen Moore.

Sadly, this was preceded by the unedifying sight of England's Owen Farrell throwing a hissy fit at Mr O'Keeffe insisting he refer to the TMO after Marika Koroibete had got the ball down (Maybe that “whinging Poms” tag isn't entirely undeserved then...).

Hooper made his own feelings clear to the New Zealand referee as well when the TMO decided a bouncing ball had not gone into touch just before Jonny May scored a try.

Replays, however, could not definitively prove the ball did not remain in play, despite the Wallabies' skipper being overheard on the referee's microphone saying it was a “bad call”.

Mind you, Hooper and his coach had already been incensed during the first half following his yellow card for repeated infrigements and after being caught repeatedly offside and warned, he was dispatched for 10 minutes after pulling down a maul.

That was soon followed by Kurtley Beale being shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on. Both decisions might have been more letter-of-the-law than spirit of it, but neither were they inconsistent with other rulings by officials in the past.

But while Chieka fumed in the post-match debrief, his compatriot and England head coach Eddie Jones rightly dismissed suggestions England had been lucky, even – maybe slightly tongue in cheek – praising Mr O'Keeffe as “the best referee in the world for today”.

Which is ironic considering Jones, during his time in charge of Saracens, once concocted an excuse about Northampton Saints having “13,000 of the best referees in the competition” after his side lost away to them and were on the wrong end of a lopsided penalty count back in 2009.

For as the previously-mentioned former colleague once observed: “You never beat the Australians, you just score more points than them.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Repost?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Repost</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Tyson_Fury?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tyson_Fury</a><br>・・・<br>Special message to <a href="https://twitter.com/MatchroomBoxing?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@matchroomboxing</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/EddieHearn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@eddiehearn</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TonyBellew?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tonybellew</a> now haye is… <a href="https://t.co/SG4Ts3uiVb">https://t.co/SG4Ts3uiVb</a></p>— Hennessy Sports (@HennessySports) <a href="https://twitter.com/HennessySports/status/932644274310602753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2017</a></blockquote>

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FOR many years, the world of heavyweight boxing has been as much about what happens outside the ring as in it, although recently it seems as if the hype has been turned up even more notches.

With the tiresome rematch between David Haye and Tony Bellew now being postponed due to Haye suffering an injury, it did not take long for Tyson Fury to emerge on social media calling out Bellew.

Fury, of course, has not fought since dethroning Wladimir Klitschko just under two years ago, although is hoping to make a comeback next year and has taken to aiming verbal barbs at old nemesis David Price as well.

Meanwhile, reigning heavyweight champions Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder have been trading challenges with various tweets, videos and Instagram posts, as have fringe contenders Eddie Chambers and Dillian Whyte.

And then there is promoter Eddie Hearn, popping up occasionally cutting promos with some Vince McMahon-esque posturing. It all makes for fascinating viewing, but how about actually making some of these fights happen and getting back to the actual in-ring action?

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TOMORROW sees the release in cinemas of The Battle of the Sexes, a film which chronicles the the 1973 tennis match of the same name between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.

It is not too fanciful to suggest that Riggs, played in the film by Steve Carell, would probably make a fascinating subject for a film on its own though.

Despite being the son of a minister, the American became renowned as a man who hustled, gambled and partied his way through a career which saw him establish himself as one of the best players in his era.

That reputation was underlined at the age of 21 by him scooping $105,000 – over $1.8million in today's money – from a $500 bet on himself to win the singles, doubles and mixed doubles at Wimbledon in 1939.

And this at a time when The Championships, as with the other three Grand Slam events back then, were only open to amateur players.

“I've got to have a bet going in order to play my best,” Riggs wrote in his 1973 autobiography which, appropriately, was titled Court Hustler.

It was inevitable Riggs would eventually turn professional, doing so after serving in the US Navy during World War II, and in a period where there was no formal circuit like today's ATP Tour and pros made a living from exhibitions along with tournaments, that flamboyance would come to the fore.

Even after he retired, Riggs could be found betting on himself while challenging amateur and senior players in tennis clubs across the country, along with playing money matches – and winning them – on the golf course as well.

Then at the age of 55, ever the showman, he hit upon the perfect publicity stunt to get himself back into the spotlight – goad the best women players in the world to a match by belittling their ability and claiming even he could still beat them.

It was his 6-2, 6-1 victory over Margaret Court which finally persuaded King to take him on, determined to prove women's tennis deserved just as much respect as the men's game after rebuffing his initial challenge.

And at the Houston Astrodome in front of 30,472 spectators, she triumphed 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 to prove her point. For Riggs, however, it still sealed his place in history and is arguably what he is best remembered for today above anything he won during his career.

Even that match has another level of intrigue though, with allegations persisting to this day Riggs threw it in order to settle gambling debts with the mafia. That story might have to wait for another movie though.