Rugby League World Cup Warm Up Match - Leeds v New Zealand. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Rugby League World Cup Warm Up Match - Leeds v New Zealand. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Chris Rattue analyses the best sport to watch this weekend and beyond.
8) World track cycling championships – Sky
Keep an eye out for Commonwealth Games gold medal stars Ellesse Andrews and Aaron Gate in their various disciplines. Coverage from Paris starts early morning, through to Monday.
7) NBA tipoff: Boston Celtics v Philadelphia 76ers, Wednesday 12.30pm; Golden State Warriors v LA Lakers, Wednesday, 3pm - Sky-ESPN
Time to move on from Kevin Durant and his off-season attempted trade drama, some nasty stuff involving the Phoenix Suns owner, and the various other par-for-the-course controversies which make American professional sports so compelling.
Last season's beaten finalists, the famous Boston Celtics, are first up at home. Then comes the biggie - Steph Curry's champion Warriors and their long-range shooting against LeBron James' Lakers, in San Francisco.
And to whet the appetite, catch The Redeem Team on Netflix, a first-rate look at how Kobe Bryant, James and co. saved America's battered basketball honour at the 2008 Olympics. It's worth the watch just for the insight into the late Bryant's fiercely competitive, loner personality.
6) NPC semifinals: Wellington v Auckland, tonight, 7.05pm - Sky; Canterbury v Bay of Plenty, tomorrow, 7.05pm - Sky/Prime
Rugby bosses half-heartedly try to pump the NPC up with promotional claims around its traditions, but in reality this has long been a reserve grade competition with no wide appeal.
At least it survives as a national competition, a sad rarity in a bleak domestic sports scene these days.
A mixture of old and new players stake a professional claim and even keep their All Blacks hopes alive in relative obscurity compared to the provincial competition's glory days.
The NPC certainly has the odd star, like Waikato's mercurial Damian McKenzie and discarded test veteran TJ Perenara, but the competition doesn't twinkle.
And All Blacks duties have robbed the semifinals of remaining glamour, although a fringe selection such as Auckland lock Patrick Tuipulotu remain.
Still, a smattering of fans keep living the dream, of following teams that seem somehow connected to their world.
And the semifinals could be worth a watch, if the World Cup isn't giving you enough of a rugby hit this weekend.
I suspect many potential viewers will be more interested in dusting off the barbecue as spring begins to generate more heat than the national sport's provincial battler.
5) MLB playoffs, from today, 9am – Sky
Baseball sure knows how to stretch things out.
As if the regular season in the USA doesn't have enough games already, the MLB introduced an expanded wild card series, which just made the whole playoffs shebang even more confusing than usual.
But there's still nothing like settling down to a big baseball game, with its soothing, incisive and informative commentaries flowing out of the TV, spiked with bonhomie and anecdotes. Little else in sport compares.
The best-of-five divisional series continue through to Tuesday if necessary, before we get to – you guessed it – more playoffs, in the form of the best-of-seven National and American League championships.
Then it's on to the World Series itself. Whew.
For now, enjoy the delights offered up by the champion Braves, Phillies, Dodgers, Padres, Astros, Mariners, Yankees and Guardians.
Stars should include the Yankees home run hitting superstar Aaron Judge.
It's comfy sofa time, for the next three weeks.
4) Liverpool v Manchester City, Monday, 4.30am – Sky
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their side's sixth goal during the Champions League Group A soccer match between Rangers and Liverpool. Photo / AP
Club football games don't come much bigger than this.
Manchester City are stomping their way to what seems an inevitable title, although Arsenal are putting up great resistance.
Liverpool were expected to be among the chasers but the 2019/20 champions are faltering with revered manager Jurgen Klopp appearing a little unhinged at times.
Can someone like an underperforming Mohamed Salah spark Liverpool into action, or is their title race done already?
Liverpool were at their swaggering best in the Champions League match against Rangers on Thursday, with Salah scoring a hat-trick in the 7–1 demolition job.
Maybe their mojo, and Mo, are back.
But Rangers are no Manchester City.
When asked earlier in the week if Pep Guardiola's City side provided the ideal chance for Liverpool to get their Premier League confidence back, Klopp realistically replied: "Probably not."
He seemed a little chirpier after the Rangers game though.
3) France v England, Rugby World Cup, Saturday, 8pm – Spark
A moment of truth for the tournament.
If there are any chinks in the English armour, they might be exposed in this game at Whangārei.
But even the often-formidable French look ill-equipped to deal with a mighty, superbly-honed English squad.
England have won 10 consecutive games against France, and mauled their way to a Six Nations victory when they last met before a magnificent crowd at Bayonne this year.
Apart from the English pack, the likes of Emily Scarratt and Helena Rowland present threats in the backs.
If France can at least take the overwhelming trophy favourites to the wire, interest in the tournament will be raised.
In all likelihood, we will instead find out that this World Cup is a one-horse race.
2) Silver Ferns v Australia, Sunday 7.30pm – Sky/Prime
Silver Ferns celebrate winning the Constellation Cup netball series - game one between the New Zealand Silver Ferns and the Australian Diamonds at Spark Arena. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
There's a fantastic reason to watch the latest transtasman netball stoush – a flamboyant new superstar-in-waiting.
The travelling Constellation Cup roadshow got off to a brilliant start in game one - for the Silver Ferns and diminutive Peta Toeava.
The little wing attack led the way in her test starting debut, as the usually immaculate Australians were downed in Auckland.
Kiwi captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio described Toeava as the "most explosive player I've ever seen on court", which is some statement.
"When she backs herself, she's unstoppable," Ekenasio enthused.
This will be red rag to a bull for the competitive Aussies, who will be making plans for Toeava after their strangely disjointed first test effort and open-to-criticism strategy.
At the age of 28, Toeava could be a late-blooming sensation.
Let's hope her instincts aren't overly curtailed in the name of error-free netball. A sport with so many movement restrictions is wise to encourage as much flair as possible.
Toeava might even go some way to inspiring a new generation of creative netballers, as players such as Carlos Spencer and Benji Marshall did in major ways for rugby and league. The series heads to Tauranga on Sunday and Melbourne three days later, before the Gold Coast finale on Sunday next week.
1) Rugby League World Cup: England v Samoa, Sunday, 2.30am - Spark
There is just one obviously great pool match-up in the World Cup, and this is it.
The Matt Parish-coached Samoa have thrown together such an incredible squad that they are favourites to beat the hosts - who are dotted with some very good NRL players – along with being top prospects to make the final.
If the likes of Josh Papali'i, Marty Taupau and Junior Paulo get on a roll watch out, because Samoa have backs to burn.
Don't count England out on home soil though, in the tournament opener at Newcastle. And if the hosts do prevail, it will set up a massive quarter-final showdown between Samoa and Tonga.
The Rugby League World Cup has taken so many forms over the years, but this one is testament to the NRL's ability to liven league up in our region.
New Zealand's large and vibrant Polynesian community certainly has something to cheer for, building on Tonga's great showing in the last tournament.
And this game presents an absolutely fascinating contest between the old and the new, before we endure a slew of pool romps and non-events with a typically bizarre league fare including World Cup debuts by Greece and Jamaica.
