GURNEY: WE’RE HERE TO KICK ASS AND CHEW BUBBLEGUM
13/06/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
DARYL GURNEY vowed Northern Ireland are “here to kick ass and chew bubblegum” after a stunning World Cup escape.
The defending champions came from 5-2 down to edge past Belgium 8-7 in a Frankfurt thriller and keep their title defence alive.
Superchin delivered the killer blow, taking out a brilliant 102 finish in the deciding leg to send the holders into the quarter-finals.
Gurney admitted neither he nor Josh Rock had been anywhere near their best throughout the contest.
He said: “In all honesty, I thought we were playing our B-game and we were still hanging in there.
“We were missing chances and all we had to do was take them to get back in the game.
“They could have kicked on and then smashed us. But at no stage did we think we were beaten.
“At one point, when I wired three darts at double 16 to go in front, I was calling myself all the good names under the sun.
“Then I thought maybe it was just Belgium’s time.
“Then when we went all the way, I said to myself, ‘Please Josh, hit a 140.’
“I will back you up, and that is what I did.
“We weren’t in front until we won it and that tells you we are champions.
“We’re here to win and try to go back-to-back.
“We are under more pressure than anybody else in this tournament.
“Now this game is gone, we start fresh like everybody else.
“We are here to kick ass and chew bubblegum now.”
Rock admitted he may have underestimated Dimitri Van den Bergh and Mike De Decker after seeing their recent form.
He added: “We watched the draw last night and it all depended on who we played.
“Given the way they had been playing, me and Daryl thought it was an okay draw.
“Turns out it wasn’t an okay draw. You cannot underestimate anybody. It was exactly the same as last year.
“I did the heavy scoring and he did the finishing.
“That 102 to win the match was unbelievable.
“They didn’t get away in the last leg, so luckily for us we were able to get over the line.”
