Auckland born (but don't hold that against him), Dunedin based (that's two strikes), and still young enough to remember the first time he saw a naked nipple, Barnya has graced the Fern forums since 2003...  Hell, five years, the sad git, that must be three strikes then...

Forum member number 435.

Describe yourself in 25 words or less:  Good from afar but far from good

What international rugby team do you support and why?  All Blacks.  If they're not playing, always Scotland.  At the other end of the scale we have England and Australia... and when those two teams are playing I just close my eyes and deny all existence of the event.

What Super 14 team do you support and why?   Blues, was born in Auckland and lived there till I was 12.  Being in Dunedin and suffering through six years of steady decline for the Highlanders has definitely given me a soft spot for them, even though Craig Newby did once cut my lunch.

What's the biggest challenge facing rugby?  The rampant commercialism of the game at the detriment of the grassroots fans.  All this constantly-expanding S14, Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup carry-on feels like a load of contrived bollocks to me, just a money-making exercise devised by suit-dummies with no passion for the game.  Start listening to the fans and they will start warming to the game again, but clearly the powers-that-be have other priorities...

Who was the game's greatest ever player?  I haven't been around as long as your average Ferner, but from what I've seen, heard, read, the aura surrounding him and the fact that he took time out to have his photo taken with me even though I was wearing a poofball shirt at the time - it has to be Pinetree.

How about non-NZ players? Who were/are the greatest?  The greatest = the players who have given me the most torment as an ABs fan?  Probably.  John Eales, Martin Johnson, Matthew Burke, Campese, Francois Pienaar.  I'm also told Gareth Edwards was a pretty handy player.

The best match you have ever seen?  Best test match, the 2000 Bledisloe in Sydney.  Best ever live match, probably the 1995 NPC final at Eden Park.  When the penalty try was given it was total pandemonium in the ground... confusion, sheer disbelief and elation all at the same time.  It was a moment and a game I won't forget any time soon.

The best try you have ever seen?  Best try I saw live was Sadourny's try from the end of the world in '94.  But putting the eye-patch back on... in terms of sheer power, pace, and skill, as well as being in the context of it sealing the Bledisloe for another year and signalling after a long malaise that the great man was back in full flight, Rokocoko's chip and chase try in Sydney in 2005.  I may or may not have dry-humped the TV.

What position did you play, if you played, in rugby?  Back in the day I played hooker at the Carlton rugby club in Auckland.  Was a handy little player until my American father, no longer able to bear the sight of his first born son getting mangled by 15 Tongans twice his size every week, made me stop playing.  I went on to become a cricketer, footballer and golfer of little-to-no-distinction.

What do you like about the Silverfern?  With the ongoing slide of print media into the realm of sensationalist drivel, it's the best place I know of to read informed opinion from people who know a lot more about rugby than I do.  Probably the only online forum I've come across where threads don't always descend into handbags after three pages.  Also as Red Beard mentioned, it's been fun meeting a few of the boys, who have all turned out to be good blokes and more than happy to shout me beers.

How could the site be improved?  Less Poms would be nice!  Nah it's pretty good as it is.  Maybe sponsor some English lessons for Paarl Bok so I can work out what the hell is going on in his threads.

Who's your favourite poster?  Mr Mike and Mogwai for their comedy value, davidav because without him the world would be a duller place.  But the man whose opinions I most respect and who always seems to call it down the line and with great knowledge and insight (with the notable and bizarre exception of 9/11), has to be Mr Kiwipie.

Who's the worst poster?  Phooey.  Probably the only Ferner I wouldn't be keen to sit down and have a beer with (the feeling is mutual no doubt!)

How could the game of rugby be improved?  Well the breakdown is a shambles but short of bringing back rucking and having Phil Waugh put down, there doesn't seem to be a quick fix.  I would like to see the opposition given the option of a scrum back where the ball was kicked when a player misses a penalty or drop kick from outside the opposition 22 and it goes dead.  This would discourage blokes from mindlessly pinging it at the sticks from any old where.

What rugby player would you turn gay for?  Toss up between Mehrts and McCaw.  Mehrts would be good around the house and we'd have more in common but he is potentially quite high-maintenance, whereas Richie may not offer the same intellectual stimulation but he would go to the ends of the earth to keep you happy and safe.  He just seems like that kind of guy.  Let's face it, Richie's probably also packing more than Mehrts.

I'd go Steve Price over both of them, though.

Non-rugby questions now: Favourite music?  All time favourite group is The Band, they are incredible.  I'm a fan of old school blues and R&B as well as newer indie stuff.  Best concert I've seen was Muse in Christchurch last year.  Currently listening to Arcade Fire and Jim White (I'm usually 1-2 years behind the music scene as I'm too cheap to buy the CDs when they first come out)

Favourite book?  Will be predictable here and go with On The Road, Catch-22, McCarthy's Bar and The Road To McCarthy (Pete McCarthy was the funniest writer who ever lived), and How To Be A Man - the most useful 18th birthday present you could ever give to your son. 

Favourite Film?  Will go for a top five of No Country For Old Men, Life Is Beautiful, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, National Lampoon's Animal House and Pirates (the Evan Stone version, not the Johnny Depp version)

Biggest lifetime regret?  No regrets but I do wish I'd been able to play rugby through high school and beyond, to keep me fit and to see how good I might have been.  Also, my inability to grow a moustache.

Greatest hope?  Well I'm only 23 so still clinging on to my boyhood All Black dream, hmmm it's not looking too flash though is it.  May just have to settle for being the Next Martin Crowe or the next Bill Bryson... I also hope to see us win the bloody world cup again in my lifetime.