OPINION
Chris Rattue runs through the best and worst from the sporting weekend.
Winner/losers: The Kiwis/test rugby league
It was the greatest of days for the Kiwis in one way.
But in another way, not so.
Chris Rattue’s Winners and Losers: Kiwis’ ‘greatest day’ tinged with sadness
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad during the 2023 Pacific Championship final. Photo / Photosport
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How do you explain a 30-0 victory over a very good Australian side, when there have been so many bad days against the mighty Kangaroos?
A result like that is almost unexplainable.
It is arguably the finest-ever performance by a Kiwi side in this country, akin to or above the Carlaw Park drubbing given to an Aussie side full of stars in the early 1970s.
The great dream, that an NRL team full of Kiwis would revolutionise the national side, became a reality.
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Lock Joseph Tapine, wing Ronaldo Mulitalo and halfback Jahrome Hughes were among the best in the Hamilton Miracle on Saturday night, and it was beyond heartwarming to see the veteran Kieran Foran enjoy a test result like that.
The livewire Mulitalo brings a special magic and energy to the Kiwis. His persona is made for representative football, which should be a different beast from the NRL’s methodical, statistical swamp.
The Kiwis were absolutely awesome. All of them.
They completely nullified the Australian front-row powerhouse Payne Haas. Playmakers Cameron Munster and Harry Grant were left befuddled.
There have been few better days for the Kiwis, but plenty for test league.
The Kiwis’ 1991 victory in Melbourne stands out to my mind, because of the reaction and celebration it inspired.
I recall Australian newspaper feature writers ringing to get information and contact numbers for the unheralded, conquering Kiwi heroes after a game that made the likes of Tawera Nikau, Jarrod McCracken and Dean Lonergan household names.
Three decades on and test league’s profile is okay, boosted by the Tongan surge, but that’s about it.
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The Hamilton crowd drummed up a stirring atmosphere, but there were too many empty seats.
The same all-dominant NRL that has given us this brilliant Kiwi side is the one that has crushed test league, in part because rivalries have become hopelessly blurred.
If anything can give the genre a bit of oomph, it was this smashing of Aussie league pride. Don’t hold your breath though.
Winners: The Black Caps and Rachin Ravindra
The ODI World Cup campaign is not going well although a semifinal place still beckons. A brilliant batting display went to waste against Pakistan.
But the bigger picture looks like this: New Zealand has uncovered an amazing new star in Rachin Ravindra.
The Wellington-born Ravindra’s Indian heritage makes this even better news, because of India’s obsession with the game and commanding position in world cricket.
It doesn’t get much better than that.
Winner: The NBA, thanks to (you guessed it)...
On a similar and much higher profile note, the NBA is about to soar to a whole new level built around Victory Wembanyama’s wingspan.
The giant French rookie is expected to dominate the game and he’s off to a flying start that included 38 points for the San Antonio Spurs against the Phoenix Suns.
Only the legendary Shaq O’Neal has similar numbers from his opening NBA games. It’s early days of course, but the signs are amazing.
Winner/Loser: Gianni Infantino’s FIFA/The rest of us
Fair to say that what Saudi Arabia wants, Saudia Arabia is now getting in the world of football.
The latest success: it has nabbed the 2034 World Cup hosting rights, after brief rivals Australia decided - quite sensibly - that they probably weren’t in the hunt or didn’t have enough time to prepare properly for it.
Dream and southern hemisphere adrenaline rush over. Pity.
The general view is that Fifa, once riven by corruption, has found a new way to get the desired outcome and associated financial clout through faits accomplis contests.
In this case, Fifa appeared in a bit of a rush and once-bitten-twice-shy Australia jumped out of the way. Fifa remains a well-oiled machine
Winner/Loser: England rugby/women’s rugby
The English women were awesome in demolishing the Black Ferns at Mt Smart Stadium to win the new international trophy.
They are brilliantly-drilled and the sharp athletic charges of their big forwards were too much for the Black Ferns, whose only reply was the odd impressive charge from No 8 Liana Mikaele-Tu’u.
Under this duress, two of the Black Ferns’ World Cup stars, Ruahei Demant and Ruby Tui, really struggled.
The Black Ferns made the job harder by shovelling the ball around without drawing or trying to confuse defenders, something that was noticeable in a lot of No 10 Demant’s game.
England were delighted, mainly, after a game that included a mild biffo.
Afterwards, England captain Marlie Packer had a crack at the lack of spectators at matches in New Zealand.
Why might this disappointment be?
For starters, New Zealand’s relatively small population makes it much harder to fill stadiums than it does in Europe. Stadiums are a similar size around the world, but populations aren’t.
Secondly, New Zealand’s interest in women’s rugby has probably been overstated in the wake of last year’s World Cup final, which drew a few massive crowds and widespread attention.
In other words, the World Cup was an outlier and giver of hope, rather than representing the state of the game as it stands.
Good on Packer - the new world player of the year - for pointing it out though.
Chris Rattue has been a journalist since 1980 and is one of the most respected opinion writers in New Zealand sports journalism.
