Marc and Laura preview the Warriors and Super Rugby action, and meet the America’s Cup and Olympic hero they call “Rhino”.
This week, ESPN released their annual World Fame 100 which lists the biggest sporting names based on search score, endorsements and social following.
There were no New Zealanders on the list which got us thinking: Who is New Zealand's most famous athlete right now?
To discuss, we've gathered Herald sports writers Andrew Alderson, Chris Rattue, Joel Kulasingham, Christopher Reive, David Leggat, Cam McMillan and Steve Holloway.
ANDREW ALDERSON
Imagine applying the following scientific theory for a moment.
Walk anywhere in the world, be it village, town or metropolis, and name-drop individuals to test for recognition amid your vox pops.
Candidates that appeal using this technique are basketballer Steven Adams, boxer Joseph Parker, Formula One driver Brendon Hartley and golfer Lydia Ko.
However, I've got another contender if we navigate using population as a gauge: Kane Williamson.
The 27-year-old might be a self-effacing individual, but the fact cricketing hubs such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh each feature in the world's top eight-ranked countries via population adds weight to this hypothesis.
Williamson would feature prominently given the increased access to the game via cheaper technology, streets filled with walking Wisdens and a perpetual rotation of backstreet games in that region of the world. Then there's Australia, Britain, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the Caribbean and the UAE to bolster votes...
The New Zealand cricket captain might get top billing in any contemporary Kiwi sports hall of fame.
Pick: Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson of the Black Caps. Photo / Photosport
CHRIS RATTUE
How can you tell, from within New Zealand?
Some stars we see as hugely famous might not be so recognisable around the world. Richie McCaw may fall into that category.
Anyway, I'll plump for Lydia Ko, on the back of the exposure Time Magazine gave her couple of years ago. Her inclusion on a list of the world's most influential people reflected her profile, and boosted it - a self-fulfilling deal.
There is also a massive golf/sports audience in Asia that we tend to disregard, because English is not the first language there. Ko was No. 1 in the world for a long time, in a massive sport.
Here's a piping hot take for you: Sonny Bill Williams is the best New Zealand athlete alive right now. His cross-code prowess is well documented, and many people forget that he took on Francois Botha in the ring four months before Joseph Parker did. Few athletes on the planet possess his natural sporting IQ and superhuman athleticism.
But that's not what we're here to discuss. I'm picking SBW because he leads in one of the best tools that we have available to us to measure fame in 2018: social media. He is the most followed Kiwi athlete on Twitter and is second only to Dan Carter on Instagram. Sure, Carter has more combined overall followers, but I bet you Williams gets more likes, retweets and all that jazz - it's all about engagement!
Carter is like Eminem, a star who has gathered fans throughout the years but is past his best. The kids don't care about Eminem and his outdated rapping style, they want Drake. SBW is the Drake of New Zealand sports: ubiquitous, inventive, versatile, and above all, famous.
It's hard to imagine Steven Adams can walk down the street and not be stopped by a fan for a photo or a high five - I mean, it's not as if the seven-foot Oklahoma City Thunder centre can blend into the background.
On a worldwide scale, Adams would have to top the list of the most famous Kiwi athletes, playing on the biggest stage in his chosen sport, at least 82 nights per year in front of an audience spanning the globe.
His off-court shenanigans help his case, as his sense of humour in interviews can appeal to those non-sports fans out there.
Forget other fly-by-nighters who may not last half the distance. McCaw did his thing for 15 years, led the All Blacks in more tests than anyone else while playing one of the most demanding positions in the game.
Okay he retired from rugby after leading the All Blacks to a second consecutive World Cup in 2015. So he's been out of sport effectively three years. But his fame within the national game remains firmly intact. I'd wager if you say his name more people in this country would recognise it than anyone else.
He's arguably the best player this rugby nation has produced. But judge this not so much by rugby fans but those who are not.
At a recent Trendz convention in Dunedin, high country helicopter pilot McCaw was in huge demand. Queues 60m long lined up, Germans, Japanese, a full United Nations of delegates, for a photo opportunity. They weren't doing that because he flies a chopper and is, broadly, in the travel industry.
McCaw is also renowned as a decent person, whose head was never turned by substantial fame. He turned down a knighthood, which says plenty about his character.
He might accept one in 15 years' time and that's fine, but he appeals as a bloke who might be rather 'aw shucks' at the adulation heaped on him for simply playing a game, albeit supremely well. And that's the way New Zealanders like their champions in sport and in life.
It's an interesting question because going by one report, the Tour de France attracts an audience of 2.6 billion annually which is second behind the FIFA World Cup. Say George Bennett takes a stage win this year. Suddenly that's a lot of people who are aware of the Kiwi rider.
Going by that logic, English Premier League viewership has decreased from the 3 billion watching three seasons ago but it remains the most watched league in the world, and football is the most popular sport in the world. That's why New Zealand's most famous sportsperson is between Chris Wood and Winston Reid. Reid has the benefit of being in the league longer and plays for a bigger club, so arguably gets more exposure, but Wood scores goals. I'm sure almost every one of the six million people who play Fantasy Premier League have at least considered picking up Wood.
Guys, I think it's Brendon McCullum. Some questionable website told me cricket has 2.5 billion fans worldwide, which seems like a lot, and as Alders noted, most of them come from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. You know who's still HUGE in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh? Brendon friggen McCullum. He's still the top-priced Kiwi in the IPL auction (read-most in demand) and still has greater worldwide recognition than Kane Williamson. And Joel - if you want to play the social media game, try this on for size; Ross Taylor has 802,000 Twitter followers... cause he's huge in India. That's basically the same as Sonny Bill Williams. And you know who's wayyy bigger than Ross Taylor in India? Brendonnnnnn (I know he's only got 221k Twitter followers, but he's only been on the site for a year.. give the guy a chance to catch up). Case closed.
Actually, guys (case re-opened), If we're allowed to vote for players from the past, I might have to split my vote between McCullum and Jonah Lomu. How has no one mentioned Jonah? He basically is rugby...
