Colin de Grandhomme of New Zealand bats during game one of the International Twenty20 series against Australia. Photo / Getty Images
Colin de Grandhomme of New Zealand bats during game one of the International Twenty20 series against Australia. Photo / Getty Images
The weekend hits and misses.
1) Miss - Batting Colin de Grandhomme at number seven
Okay, Mike Hesson is a genius. He's got a lot of cred. The New Zealand cricket record has gone into orbit under coach Hesson, which is where the ball was going when Colin De Grandhomme got hold of it at the Sydney Cricket Ground during a horrible defeat to the Aussies.
Which brings us to...Colin de Grandhomme. What the heck was New Zealand's favourite power hitter doing parked at number seven in the batting order? Mike Hesson - are you nuts?
Batting CDG at seven in T20 is like bringing Rieko Ioane on at halftime, or using Tom Hanks as an extra.
He was like a beacon in a blackout on Saturday night. CDG put the ball into the upper reaches of the SCG with what looked like a little pitching wedge shot. He's seriously strong, but the timing is fabulous.
CDG is the surprising find of the season, a second-chance late international bloomer with a booming bat. He has, remember, the second fastest test century by a Kiwi behind world record holder Brendon McCullum. As for the rest of the Black Caps — don't they want IPL contracts?
South African rugby is a bit of a shambles yet their sevens team is at complete odds with that image. At least someone knows what they are doing over there. World rugby needs a strong South Africa, and the sevens outfit gives a bit of hope.
Fans at the Hamilton sevens. Photo / Photosport
4) Hit - The sevens tournament in Hamilton
Time to toe the party line here and be Absolutely Positively Hamilton. I've got no idea if the tournament will turn out to be a long term success, and remember that the tournament was once a well-run hit in Wellington before hitting the skids. Maybe these things have a natural life span. But for now, it looks reasonably promising in the Tron. A fresh start, fresh prospects and well done to those who have taken all the risks to keep a vibrant sevens tournament in this country.
5) Miss - David Kidwell and NZ Rugby League
There are some nifty yarns coming out of the New Zealand league review on why the Kiwis were so goddam awful in the World Cup. Chief among them is that the communal marae living designed to develop team culture ran into issues because of...(drum roll)...snoring. Here's where league is missing the point. It doesn't need a review to know that coach David Kidwell isn't up to the Kiwis job. A lot of us knew that before the tournament. He has no record as a head coach AT ALL. What the New Zealand Rugby League should have done is sack Kidwell immediately, then put all of this effort into finding the new coach. The simple fact is this: New Zealand does not produce enough top league coaches to make appointing a New Zealander mandatory. David Kidwell was a failure in waiting.
6) Miss - All Blacks residency rule
Come on guys. Let's be honest - New Zealand rugby's All Black residency rule is a gone-burger. The media is reporting that the Kremlin will allow players to take "sabbaticals" with "select clubs" before returning to the Holy Land, in other words the All Blacks' World Cup campaigns. To put it more plainly, they are scrapping the hard-and-fast residency rule for the favoured few, or maybe more than a few. The residency rule was always unsustainable, when up against the forces of overseas money and New Zealand rugby's desperation to be world champions. One day, there will be no restrictions at all. Someone really good, of Dan Carter's ability and superstardom, will take NZR on and then it will be all over rover. New Zealand rugby has retained remarkable control over its very best players thanks to the power of All Black selection, and helped to a large degree (in my opinion) by a few compliant and influential managers. But this won't last forever - you can absolutely bet on it.
7) Miss - All those religious signals from try scorers at the sevens in Hamilton
It's a sports tournament, not a religious festival. Players should leave their religious beliefs at home. Players who thank their god after winning matches p!@@ me off. Or am I being unkind?
Let's (conveniently) forget about the 'deflategate' scandal and celebrate the prospect of a 40-year-old leading his team to a Super Bowl victory (although I have a sneaky feeling the Philadelphia Eagles will win on Monday afternoon).
9) Hit - Neil Sorensen
Steve Tew's number two at New Zealand Rugby gave an excellent interview to Newstalk ZB's Mark Watson around the next All Black coaching appointment. Sorensen has the common touch, and his relative openness often seems at odds with the general NZR demeanour. From a public and media perspective, there appears to be a bit of yin and yang involved with Tew and Sorensen.
10) Miss - The cricket schedule
Having popped into view at the SCG over the weekend, the Black Caps go into recess until Tuesday next week when they meet England in their next Tri-Series match, in Wellington. Series against the West Indies and Pakistan didn't really capture the public's imagination. The best is yet to come thankfully, but cricket has failed to gather momentum so far this summer.
11) Miss - The English Premier League poverty protest
A Manchester City "slip" has seen their lead narrow to a mere 13 points over Manchester United. City are in a grumpy mood, mind you, over bad tackles on their players this season, which is probably why manager Pep Gardiola only named six (instead of seven) reserves in the draw with Burnley. Like Manchester City have run out of players? They may be right about the tackles, but this is a petulant act from a club with reportedly the richest squad in world football valued around $2b in transfer value.
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