OPINION: Chris Rattue ranks the best sports to watch this weekend and beyond.
6) Twenty20: New Zealand v India, Friday, 7.30pm – Spark
Cricket returns to Spark, having been on Sky for the Twenty20 World Cup. Yes, it’s hard to keep up sometimes.
Do we need more T20 right now? That’s the question on a lot of lips.
This hardly rates as essential viewing, but you might get to see rising star Finn Allen on one of his amazing charges.
The circus moves to Mt Maunganui on Sunday and Napier on Tuesday.
5) Lydia Ko at the CME Tour Championship, from Friday, 8am - Sky
Ko is still shedding coaches like she’s running the New Zealand Warriors.
But the Kiwi golf legend is back, and close to being regarded as the best player in the women’s game, although there are a few contenders for that title these days.
Ko can nail a number of titles including LPGA player of the year - she leads the points race - going into the final tournament in Florida. Minjee Lee, Brooke Henderson and Atthaya Thitikul are also in the hunt.
Ko has already earned $3.85m this season, and there’s a record $3.25m winner’s cheque to go for this weekend.
Lorena Ochoa’s 2007 season record of around $7m can be pipped by the likes of Ko or money leader Lee thanks to improved prize money.
Women’s sport is on the rise, and this has been an extraordinary year for Kiwi golf.
4) Ryan Fox - DP World Tour Championship, Friday, Saturday from 8pm, Sunday from 7.30pm – Sky
Ryan Fox goes for glory, and another amazing payday.
Should he win in Dubai, Fox will pick up $4.9m for the tournament and also claim the Race to Dubai title.
Fox has already won plenty of glory and money this year on what used to be known as the European tour.
The Fantastic Mr Fox is ranked 24 in the world.
Going into the final tournament, Fox lies second behind the great Rory McIlroy - the world No 1 - in the DP Tour standings.
McIlroy will be hard to beat - the Irishman has an excellent record at this tournament. US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick and a couple of others are also in the hunt for the overall crown.
Fox’s rise comes in a golden era for players. The emergence of the rival LIV tour has seen prize money creep, and leap, upwards.
Fox has already won $5.5m this season. Wonder if his dad, the great All Black Grant Fox, tells his young fella of rugby days when players were officially limited to 30 bucks a day on tour.
He certainly helped set Ryan on the course to golf stardom and riches, with advice around issues such as pressure when operating as his caddie in the early days.
“I learned a lot from him. I feel like goal kicking was very similar to golf,” Ryan Fox said this week.
“That ball doesn’t move; you’ve got far too much time to think about it, and he was really good in those moments.
“It felt like I had a sports [psychologist] in my corner early on.”
3) Samoa v Australia, Rugby League World Cup final, Sunday, 5am – Spark
On one hand, I’m hoping Samoa win the World Cup at Old Trafford.
On the other hand...
The sticking point is Samoa’s playmaker Jarome Luai. He’s so annoying it even puts me off watching the champion Penrith Panthers.
Everything from his over-the-top try celebrations – he literally jumps on a pile – to his taunting of opponents gets under the skin.
Admiring teammate Nathan Cleary reckons Luai even annoys the Panthers players sometimes.
Phew, got that off the chest (in my defence, I’m far from alone with this Luai phobia).
Luai had some brilliant moments in the semifinal win over England – he’s critical to Samoa’s hopes.
Go the Kangaroos.
2) All Blacks v England, Sunday, 6.30am – Sky
England’s coach Eddie ‘Cloak and Dagger’ Jones will be up to his old tricks, with next year’s World Cup in mind.
And the All Blacks are still honing their World Cup game under the revamped Ian Foster regime.
It is tricky trying to get a handle on just where the All Blacks are.
It gets even trickier when, for instance, Jordie Barrett appears to stick a big flag in the ground as a midfield back one week, and is returned to fullback the next.
This game at Twickenham has a different feel compared to past encounters. An All Blacks loss wouldn’t be a big surprise, and it wouldn’t cause the heartache of old.
The rugby world has changed because the All Blacks no longer stand out from the crowd.
At their best, they can do the odd thing beyond other nations. They can still win when playing sub-par rugby. They might still win next year’s World Cup.
But their reputation for playing the game at a level well beyond the rest is in tatters.
When it comes to World Cup ramifications, this game has virtually none. Test rugby between the top nations is so even, so much an on-the-day business, that the lead-up has become misleading byplay.
1) The Fifa World Cup, from Monday – Sky
Finland versus North Macedonia isn’t a phrase you hear every day. But for those who can’t wait for the World Cup to start on Monday morning, this quirky warm-up game can be seen on Sky on Friday morning.
Yes, the Big Show is upon us.
In an ideal world, the World Cup would bring the planet together in harmony over some good old football disharmony.
No such luck.
For now, the warm fuzzies are in short supply in a world in which the last World Cup hosts, Russia, are committing unspeakable crimes in the Ukraine and have turned themselves into international pariahs.
Anything could happen around this World Cup in Qatar, especially when you consider Israel has just claimed Iran attacked a tanker with a drone in the Gulf of Oman in an effort to destabilise the tournament .
It feels as if this Fifa showpiece could mirror a troubled world in a way we haven’t seen before, particularly as the tournament itself is a symbol of corporate corruption thanks to Qatar’s ‘miraculous’ hosting victory.
Adding fuel to the fire, many World Cup footballers are making sure the tournament is not allowed to mask human rights issues.
To further emphasise the fractured world point, bitter enemies America and Iran have ended up in the same group.
Iran alone presents a conundrum.
As we know from the incredibly brave protests there, the players do not necessarily represent the hated regime. Can we somehow cheer for the people and still boo the regime?
If more traditional football derbies are your thing, this same group will include the fascinating opportunity for Wales to give Big Brother England a black eye.
And for potential storylines, two legends in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will get a fifth and final shot at World Cup glory. Messi’s Argentina have a better chance of achieving that than Ronaldo’s Portugal.
The tournament kicks off with Qatar playing Ecuador at 5am Monday.
Get that wall chart up, and let the games begin.
A strong run late carried consistent juvenile Toretto to his maiden victory.