Canberra Raiders forward Joseph Tapine. Photo / Photosport
Canberra Raiders forward Joseph Tapine. Photo / Photosport
OPINION:
Chris Rattue ranks the five best sports to watch this weekend and beyond.
5) NRL's Canberra v Parramatta, Friday, 9.50pm – Sky
As things have worked out, there is not a big Kiwi involvement in this weekend's NRL playoff games (Parramatta v Canberra and Cronulla v South Sydney).
But there is a major Kiwi-related reason to watch the Canberra Raiders – forward Joseph Tapine.
We should be salivating over a cracker of a netball series, with New Zealand's topsy-turvy reputation on the line against the game's new rising stars in Hamilton and Auckland.
But no – we are being served up a dud.
Cash-strapped Jamaica - the darlings of the Commonwealth Games - are bringing a second-rate side. The Birmingham silver medallists then had their arrival delayed - and the series delayed a day - due to passport issues, making their task even harder.
With little else on this weekend, a gripping contest could have been a gold mine for netball.
Instead, it is presenting as a Silver Ferns training run. It's worth an initial look, and maybe Jamaica's quality runs much deeper than we thought.
But come on netball. You need to do better than this.
3) Argentina v South Africa, Sunday, 7.05am – Sky
Rates as a moderately interesting Rugby Championship match to accompany your bacon and eggs.
For rugby heads who aren't getting enough kicks from the Bledisloe Cup aftermath.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in a scene from the docuseries 'Welcome to Wrexham'. Photo / AP
It's a light week for top notch sport.
Disney+ is great for kids but when it comes to adults, about the best thing to say is it's better than Apple TV+, which isn't difficult.
Now and then Disney+ comes up with a cracker and Welcome to Wrexham is a low-key but fascinating look at life behind the football scenes.
It has a straightforward theme: American/Canadian movie star Ryan Reynolds and his Hollywood cohort Rob McElhenney buy Wrexham, a very old club which like the city itself has fallen on hard times.
Their mission: to get Wrexham out of England's fifth tier, and back into the professional football league system.
It's a well-worn theme for reality TV, finding order out of chaos.
But there is a feel of actual reality to this series, which is more than can be said about some reality TV.
Reynolds and McElhenney run the Welsh club remotely, which allows the locals to take centre stage.
The Hollywood duo's wry humour lets the series breathe, and they use an American slant to good effect, as in expressing amazement at how professional sports teams can be relegated.
The cast of characters includes a well-worn local band whose song celebrating the new Wrexham ownership has finally given them a hit of sorts. They are bemused to come across locals actually singing one of their songs.
There's also a new superstar striker signing, locals who love the club and a dilapidated stadium in the mix.
The series is approaching the halfway stage, and could probably do with some new intrigue to rev up the second half.
Overall, it's well worth a subscription, and probably a lot more fun than watching Argentina and South Africa beat each other up in rugby this weekend.
1) All Whites v Socceroos, Thursday, 10pm – Sky
Chris Wood will be in action for the All Whites against Australia. Photo / Photosport
Yes, we do have a national football team, although they are a carefully guarded secret.
The All Whites' list of match venues over the past couple of decades sounds like a backpacker's guide to the galaxy.
Opponents often have names like Curacao (no offence Curacao) and Cabinteely FC. New Zealand Football even managed to schedule a phantom game against England.
Drum roll, a decent international football clash is finally upon us.
New Zealand v Australia in Brisbane represents the resumption of transtasman football hostilities that have become all too rare.
Suffice to say that 30-plus veterans Chris Wood and Michael Boxall are the sole survivors from the last time the teams met, which was 2011.
World Cup-bound Australia will look to continue their dominance over New Zealand, whose record in Australia is abysmal.
But this is an All Whites side to savour, capable of playing sophisticated football beyond the style of their predecessors.
Players like Joe Bell and Liberato Cacace may herald in a fantastic new era, despite not qualifying for this year's World Cup.
Brisbane is the chance for a mass Kiwi audience to see just how good these All Whites are. Hopefully, a team flung together from far and wide will be able to respond to the occasion.
It gets even better on Sunday when the teams clash at Eden Park, the All Whites first home game for five years, and the first time they have hosted Australia in 20 years.
But before that, there's the Brisbane assignment.
This Australian team lack the star power which players like Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka used to provide. Indeed, the biggest name on the pitch will be All White Wood.
Coach Graham Arnold will be fine tuning Australia's World Cup preparation, whereas his All Whites counterpart Danny Hay can go all out for victory.
Fans normally have to set an alarm clock to watch the All Whites live, so a 10pm start is an absolute doddle.
