Editorial: Great sporting year, but 2011 could be better

'The All Blacks, yet again, gave every sign of having every right to be strong favourites to win next year's event on home soil'. Photo / Greg Bowker

A little thing called the 2011 Rugby World Cup cast a giant shadow over New Zealand sport this year. So much so that it caused many people to lose sight of an outstanding 12 months. Not often can New Zealand claim to have finished a year on top of Australia, its biggest rival, in three of the leading winter codes - rugby, rugby league and netball. Even in soccer, it could boast a superior record at the World Cup in South Africa, thanks to a stunning unbeaten run. And if New Zealand's cricketing stocks slipped further, we were at least in good company. Australia's fortunes plummeted even more dramatically, apart from a pre-Christmas Ashes fillip.

The obscuring of New Zealand sportsmen and women's wonderful year undoubtedly owes something to the emphasis now placed on world cups and other quadrennial competitions. The results of one tournament can eclipse stunning exploits in more run-of-the-mill annual competitions. The All Blacks are an obvious example of this. Their consistent standing at the top of the world rugby tree has been undermined over the years by a series of wretched World Cup upsets.

That, in turn, increases the focus on, and the importance of, the next World Cup. This year, the All Blacks, yet again, gave every sign of having every right to be strong favourites to win next year's event on home soil. Only one test was lost, and that in a game in Hong Kong when the Bledisloe Cup and the Tri-Nations championship has already been decisively won. Australia had to play at close to capacity to sneak the narrowest of wins and break a long losing run.

Yet few New Zealanders will approach the World Cup with other than trepidation. That is the legacy of past failures. There is also concern over what might happen if Richie McCaw, now the most inspiring of captains, or first five-eighths Dan Carter, were injured. Satisfactory replacements have not been found. Equally, the All Blacks must have ready answers to the attempts that will be made to stifle their up tempo game.

The emphasis on world cups has one undeniable upside. These events are staggered in a way that ensures each year has one or maybe two major focuses. This year, it was soccer's World Cup in South Africa and the Delhi Commonwealth Games. The All Whites, galvanised by captain Ryan Nelsen and a group of youthful overseas-based players, did not, as expected, proceed past the group stage. But draws against Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay earned worldwide admiration. The task now is to draw on the emerging talent and develop a winning team.

Any blushes at the Commonwealth Games were spared by the gold-wining performances of the Silver Ferns and the rugby sevens squad. Thankfully, that was enough to prevent another bout of soul-searching about the education system. The netballers' victory was as dramatic as it was unexpected. Put to bed, for the time being at least, was the notion of a nation of chokers.

But soon after, on the same sub-continent, New Zealand cricket's fortunes slumped to a dismal low when the Black Caps were well beaten by lowly rated Bangladesh. Inconsistency has made a mockery of the hopes held for what appeared a talented group of players, and the problems were compounded by a nonsensical structure that put Daniel Vettori in almost every conceivable role. Only the overdue appointment of John Wright as head coach late in the year gave a smidgen of hope for the looming World Cup in India.

Another highlight of 2010 was the world rowing championships at Lake Karapiro. These were a huge success for New Zealand in terms of both organisation and medals won.

Only a similar outcome from the Rugby World Cup could make next year a better one than this for New Zealand sport.