Team New Zealand will defend the America's Cup against Ineos Britannia. Photo / Getty Images
Chris Rattue has been a journalist since 1980 and is one of the most respected opinion writers in New Zealand sports journalism.
OPINION
WINNER/LOSER: The America’s Cup … sweet dreams
The real racing is upon us, with British icon Sir Ben Ainslie the danger man as New Zealand defends the Auld Mug against the Brits in Barcelona.
How many Kiwis will see the wee-hours racing though?
Emails keep arriving at my desk from Kiwis in Barcelona raving about the event, the quality of the racing, and the cutting-edge technology.
Trouble is, nice as it is for some we can’t all be in Barcelona. I don’t know anybody who has watched the racing so far, although that might be about to change.
LOSERS: The Black Ferns … that sinking feeling involving England.
No, I’m not talking about our glorious Navy.
Marlie Packer’s England smashed New Zealand up front and then put on a few standard backline moves to comfortably beat the Black Ferns in Canada.
The Black Ferns are licking their wounds again, after a shock defeat to Ireland in the WXV1 championship.
The scrum, kicking and one-on-one tackling were particular problems, to name a few.
Desperately seeking positive notes … the Ferns did show some open-field promise but lacked precision.
“When we’re making breaks … instead of having five people screaming at the ball carrier, just one person,” said veteran Ruahei Demant, most accurately, in a post-match TV interview.
Bottom line: The England pack is awesome, their backline is strong and efficient, and the overall attitude is one of seeking total domination. And they’ve got it. The Roses might be the most dominant team in international sport.
WINNER: England (netball) Roses … team stability
Another English win. Their netballers scored a fine test series victory over the Silver Ferns.
Abandoning her bizarre replacement avalanche in the second test, Ferns coach Noeline Taurua engineered a consolation victory in Invercargill using a stable lineup.
Hallelujah.
But it was too little too late, as the Taini Jamison Trophy headed offshore.
WINNER/LOSER: Jahrome Hughes
The Kiwi halfback won the prized Dally M award for the top player in the NRL, but then suffered grand final misery as the Penrith Panthers suffocated his Melbourne Storm. It has been a groundbreaking year for Hughes, who has risen to the top of the game. But he will have mixed feelings after the Panthers outclassed Melbourne on Sunday night.
LOSER: The NRL grand final
All power to the Penrith Panthers, who have done the seemingly impossible by winning a fourth straight title in their fifth consecutive grand final appearance.
The way they dismantled Craig Bellamy’s Melbourne Storm was stunning.
It was even more impressive considering the long list of players – including Stephen Crichton, Villiame Kikau, Matt Burton, Spencer Leniu and Api Koroisau – who have left the Panthers during their winning run.
But there was a fatal flaw in this grand final. At no stage did the Storm look like winning, even though the final score was just 14–6.
Harry Grant’s early try for the Storm was a mere speed bump, and the Storm didn’t create any decent try-scoring opportunities from there. It was a grand final masterclass from the Panthers.
The suspension of the Storm’s giant Kiwi forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona was a disaster for his team and the quality of the contest.
WINNER: Ivan Cleary
The former Warriors player and coach’s feat in guiding the Panthers to four straight titles in the salary cap era makes him, probably, the greatest club league mentor of the past 50 years. With more top players leaving Penrith, his mission to create another champion team will be the central story of the 2025 season.
LOSER: Andre Mikhailovich … boxing …
The Auckland boxer has had his nine rounds of slight fame.
He was outclassed by IBF middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly in Sydney in a typically chaotic boxing promotion.
The wrong Kazakhstan anthem was played, the two camps threw insults at each other, and there was even confusion over whether the WBO belt was also on the line.
This, after the original fight in Las Vegas was scrapped at the last minute because Alimkhanuly’s late weight loss effort left him too ill to fight.
Further still, this world title fight involving a Kiwi in Sydney started near midnight New Zealand time. Hopeless.
Anyway, Alimkhanuly and Mikhailovich looked as though they belonged in different weight classes, and different classes altogether.
Mikhailovich had never fought anyone close to Alimkhanuly’s ability. He did well to bravely survive so long against a big puncher.
The arrogant champ said he let the Kiwi stay in the contest, in part to increase the punishment. Charming.
WINNER: Brentford’s blast
Brentford are on an incredible run of early goals in football’s English Premier League.
It took them just 75 seconds to score against Wolverhampton Wanderers – who kicked off – in the latest round of matches.
This is pedestrian compared with the previous three games.
Having kicked off, Brentford scored after 22 seconds against Manchester City, 23 seconds against Tottenham Hotspur and 38 seconds against West Ham.
Manager Thomas Frank reckoned: “We spoke to our guys, they analysed one million games and no one has done it three games in a row. It must be a world record.”
But they failed to score again in those matches and lost two of them. They beat Wolves 5–3.
WINNER/LOSER: Pete Rose … (and some great timing)
No sportsperson in history could match Rose in terms of being both a winner and a loser.
Baseballer Rose, who died aged 83 last week, had more hits than anyone in major league baseball, thanks to his never-say-die attitude.
Rose inspired the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies to World Series titles.
But he also had a gambling addiction, terrible self-awareness, a belligerent personality and only a passing interest in the truth, all of which led to his permanent exclusion from baseball’s hallowed Hall of Fame.
As luck would have it, there is a fabulous four-part documentary – released this year – about Rose available on Neon.
Charlie Hustle and the Matter of Pete Rose is a two-thumbs-up must-watch.
It also has relevance beyond Rose’s life as professional sport embraces gambling, with the take from online bettors estimated at $40 billion a year in the United States alone.
Rose’s 4256 hits will never be beaten. And he is Mr Nice Guy compared with the man he overtook on the greatest hits list.
The 4189-man Ty Cobb was the most hated superstar in the history of any sport.
An ESPN list of most disliked baseballers described Cobb as a “violent psychopath and stone racist”.
WINNER: Tim Southee
Had big shoes to fill as New Zealand’s test cricket captain, and has struggled with an underperforming team.
The shambles in Sri Lanka was the final curtain for a great New Zealand cricket era.
Southee was central to the glory years. This two-test debacle shouldn’t detract from that.
WINNER: India’s cricket power
The IPL T20 powerhouse will ban overseas players for two years if they pull out of their lucrative contracts for non-injury reasons, setting up more club v country angst, no doubt.
Meanwhile, Hampshire – one of three private England clubs – has been bought by Indian interests linked to the Delhi Capitals, making it the first cricket county with overseas owners.
An excited Hampshire chairman has hailed the $250 million deal and predicted others will follow.
WINNER: Ranfurly Shield rugby
Not quite like the great old days, but it still has a bit of magic left a la Taranaki’s win over Tasman.
Veteran Sam Cane is given his farewell test appearance.