Timing is everything in life, and the new South Pacific rugby competition has struck it unlucky, launching just when the highly contagious variant is about to do its thing. It is going to be a tough ride, with the virus sure to affect team lineups.
Rugby will have to cling on and hope for better days.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Photo / Photosport
Just as Tom Brady rides off towards the sunset (maybe) American Football has got something even better, a new quarterback rivalry that is taking the game to another planet.
An extraordinary round of playoff matches included a genuine epic between Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills which is being described as among the best NFL games ever.
The range, precision and inventiveness under pressure from quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen is being viewed as an almost evolutionary step in the sport.
Their passing and running ability make them one-man teams within teams.
By the incredible numbers and everything else, both were beyond the traditional limits of perfection in this thriller which was won by Mahomes and Kansas.
It was the best football of any code I've seen for a long time.
LOSERS: The Aussie Open reminds me of a pet hate
In a world of troubles, this may seem petty. But all that fist touching between doubles partners in tennis is so annoying.
A Peng Shuai banner at Melbourne Park. Photo / Twitter
The tournament cited its ban on any sign which counts as commercial or political.
"Where is Peng Shuai?" is not a commercial or political statement. It's actually a very legitimate question and, more importantly, one which is highlighting a human rights issue.
And surely an exception could be made in this case anyway.
Shuai has seemingly disappeared, at least on the internet, and/or been coerced into a U-turn, after accusing a senior Chinese politician of sexual misconduct.
One of the Victorian police officers who enforced the rule held up what sounds like an apologetic sign saying that Tennis Australia sets the rules.
This is a case of the police being asked to do the anti-freedom dirty work on behalf of a money-obsessed sports corporation. They should refuse.
LOSERS/WINNER: Football minnows/great quotes
Africa's Cup of Nations has been a wild ride of upset results and Covid affected teams. There are also reports of a tragedy - a fatal crowd stampede.
Comoros (a tiny island nation) has even had to contemplate putting an outfield player in goal.
But the country's goalkeeping coach Jean-David Padovani reckoned "we have got some potential goalkeepers, and we are laughing about it, we prefer to approach it this way. It is funny".
Fantastic.
Malawi's coach Mario Marinica was struggling to see the funny side of the tournament arrangements though, claiming the minnows were being mistreated.
"You wouldn't see Sadio Mane washing his own underpants and hanging them on a bush to dry," said Marinica, providing an early candidate for sports quote of the year.
WINNER: Marcelo Montoya, the saviour
Marcelo Montoya of the Warriors. Photo / Photosport
Who?
Yes, the Warriors back.
He's hardly a household name but coach Nathan Brown has told the Sydney Telegraph that Montoya was the "real standout improver" last year.
"David Klemmer put me on to him at the Knights in terms of what a good guy he was and his great work ethic … the way he goes about things was impressive."
It's always interesting to know who coaches see as the driving influences in a team, and the Warriors desperately need a core of players who can establish a new culture.
But Brown indicated that Reece Walsh, the rising superstar (if things go to plan), was still learning "how to train hard consistently which is a great challenge for all young kids".
AMAZING WINNER TO LOSER: Claudio Ranieri
The Italian masterminded the most wondrous league title win in the history of professional football, when Leicester City won the EPL title in the 2015/16 season. They did the impossible by winning the title against famous and big-spending opponents, and by a huge margin.
Now Ranieri's been sacked after just 14 games in charge of Watford. He's got plenty of company. Under Watford's current ownership, the club has had 15 managers in a decade. They have sacked five coaches in the last 28 months.
