Blues claim historic win, Warriors win streak snapped and more in all you need to know from the Easter weekend's sporting action. Video / NZ Herald
OPINION:
Chris Rattue runs through the winners and losers from the past week of sport.
WINNERS: Black Ferns
Bad results, bad karma … but out of it comes a great coach.
It will be fascinating to see if the legendary Wayne Smith - and a yet-to-be-named new Black Ferns coach- can resuscitate their World Cup defence on home soil late this year.
The recently completed review into the state of the team and thus women's rugby no doubt contains some very valid points, and there are also holes in it you could drive an England forward pack through.
These types of enquiries are not perfect things. I'm not even sure if this one was warranted in the first place, given that it was based heavily on one player's complaints.
Even when the findings did come out, 2017 World Cup winning coach Glenn Moore initially survived but then quit, making the NZR look indecisive or still out of touch.
Promoting all women's sport as an equal to men's in this era of new awakenings can be a complex business, but treasuring the Black Ferns was one of the easier facets to it.
There's not much doubt that the once mighty Black Ferns XV were taken for granted by an administration which is obsessed with the All Blacks.
Women's rugby would not be alone in feeling disenfranchised by the top brass.
And issues such as cultural ones (for instance, no one of Māori heritage, as far as I can tell, has been the All Black coach) are not confined to that team, or rugby, or even sport.
Moore became a scapegoat of sorts and fell on his sword.
He was already a symbol of the problems though.
How many of our greatest coaches would have wanted the job back in 2015?
And Moore's CV, while including some highlights, was hardly inspiring at the highest levels of the men's game.
But even before Moore departed, Smith had been recruited as the Black Ferns look to put up a credible World Cup defence after poor recent results.
Trouble is, England look close to unbeatable right now. They are perfecting a low risk, high power game, with a deep squad.
Smith, who will offer technical support, has a major job on his hands.
Wayne Smith has joined the Black Ferns coaching team ahead of this year's World Cup. Photo / Photosport
Smith wasn't only noted for his coaching nous. Players loved his genuine approach.
And what, for instance, could an inspiring and stunningly successful coach like Scott "Razor" Robertson draw out of the Black Ferns? He would be my temporary pick, if available.
But England are so good right now that I think a miracle is beyond the grasp of genius coaches such as Robertson and Smith. They will also have a lot to learn about a new team, and fast.
But at the very least Smith's presence sets a benchmark or guide, for the quality of coaching the Black Ferns should always be given.
WINNER: Nathan Brown
The Warriors aren't a great NRL side, more just an adequate one right now. But all power to coach Brown, who looked within rather than at the referee after a fairly narrow loss to the Roosters.
And for anyone who felt the ref was to blame, think back to the Warriors' win against the Wests Tigers, who were robbed of a crucial try when officials failed to call for a video check.
As Brown kind of implied (I'm reading it this way), the Warriors are a team best served by addressing their own failings before wasting energy on pointing the finger elsewhere.
LOSERS: The Blues
AJ Lam and Taufa Funaki of the Blues celebrate beating the Crusaders. Photo / Photosport
They're winners of course, playing superbly and breaking a long drought in Christchurch with victory over the Crusaders. But they are finally delivering at a time when interest in Super Rugby has never been so low.
WINNERS: Golf clubs
Many are full to bursting - the pandemic has boosted golf around the world.
Some Auckland clubs have never had waiting lists like it. But will it last, as travel restrictions ease?
WINNER: A great nil all draw
What a game, as Manchester City held on in their Champions League quarter-final against Atlético Madrid.
The chaos that went on in a tempestuous, ill-tempered final stanza was just great. The fallout is continuing. It's fantastic to watch a total blood boiler now and then.
Oh yeah. Tut-tut, such behaviour can't be condoned.
WINNER/LOSER: The rolling maul
Here's my take on rugby's rolling maul obsession, which is driving some people crazy.
Like a lot of rugby things, mauls are amazing to watch in test match trench warfare but not so great in everyday stuff like Super Rugby.
There's another aspect.
Rugby needs to retain plenty of these muscular confrontations so the game isn't overpopulated by too many free running athletes who would reduce space on the field.
