KEY POINTS:
Benji Marshall is a magician and every trick he pulled against Tonga turned the league World Cup into a disappearing act.
The mysterious international league organisation's fumbling arrived to haunt it on Saturday, a week before this fabled World Cup tournament starts.
Unless Samoa can come to the party, the World Cup is back to what everyone expected it to be, a quasi-Tri-Nations apart from the semantics which decree that Great Britain turn up under the name of England.
Tonga, supposedly the team most likely to challenge the big three, were blown away by a terrific Kiwi performance at Mt Smart Stadium.
Having witnessed first hand what Tonga did to the Kiwis in Warrington on a magical night 13 years ago, and the sparkle they could add to a world tournament, it was shattering to see what strife within the game and a downright dereliction of duty by those running it has done to league's shaky credibility.
The tough and wise - if self-interested and manipulative - old men who used to run the game actually held international conferences back in those days. Now it looks as if league is run by international conference calls out of Sydney.
How on earth could the loudmouths who keep yapping on about the 126 countries that will receive televised coverage of this World Cup have conspired against the lesser teams so blatantly.
Robbed of one leading player by Australia, and denied the use of two others by rules that will make absolutely no sense in 124 of those enthralled countries, Tonga presented themselves as cannon fodder on Saturday afternoon.
The Tongan debacle has obscured another equally important point, that Papua New Guinea - a country that lives and dies for league - has been dealt the worst hand in sports World Cup history, being placed in a pool with Australia, England and New Zealand.
The PNG side, once an enchanting part of world league, hardly ever tour these days and they'll probably pack the suitcases away for good after this one.
In World Cup parlance, it is the pool of death for PNG and a free ride into the semifinals for the big three. So while an early World Cup exit and a series of drubbings are even more certain than taxes for PNG, Australia, New Zealand and England are spared the real nerves that can lead to real World Cup drama rather than the contrived stuff.
This system takes just about all meaning out of the pool stage unless - wash your mouth out - the meaning is to ensure that certain teams appear in the semifinals.
Yes, a tiny sport like league needs to manipulate its World Cup, but in a good way. The Australian, ooops, world league bosses needed to really believe in it. Any selection system might have had its messy elements, but noble intentions would have seen it escape the heavy criticism. But robbing and denying the poor, including to help the rich, ain't noble or image savvy. And neither is a lopsided tournament in a sport that is famous, or infamous, for its tiny powerbase.
Then again, the TV league devotees in India and Albania may be oblivious to this and they're only there to make up the numbers anyway.
It's a set-up. League pretends to sell its game to the world, when the major aim is to sell it over rival codes in Australia with alleged world status being just another advertising point.
That's not to say that the tournament won't provide a few terrific games and a thrilling climax. It would be wonderful if Samoa could throw a spanner in the works and ruin this predetermined party.
And when it comes to Marshall, you could watch him forever.
Legs that dangle and dance off a body that writhes to a beat of its own, with hands that ping the ball out like the proverbial pip from an orange. Tacklers suddenly find they are grasping at air or waving at Marshall's heels.
His shoulders might have less chance of surviving the tournament than Steve Matai's. And wherever Marshall tries to hide in defence, he'll be a target for ball runners.
He's also bound to make a few errors, especially in a scratch side. The players around him must often wonder what's coming next, which can be a strength and a weakness.
On his day though, bouncing Benji could set the Kiwis alight against the very best. It's just a pity that a team like Tonga have been blocked from fielding their best.
* Hawkes Bay were bold but hardly beautiful in the rugby semifinals.
It takes a lot of nerve to take on Canterbury in Christchurch by repeatedly giving them the ball. Many would say bold to the point of silly.
So where was the rampaging, ball-in-hand attack that decorated the Magpies' late assault against Bay of Plenty and the first-half onslaught against Waikato over the previous fortnight.
This was a good but not great Canterbury lineup and hardly worthy of such timid respect in a semifinal.
Hawkes Bay relied on two tactics against the red and blacks - the short kick and the long kick.
Richie McCaw will grab enough opponent's ball anyway, without continually kicking it back to his side.
The scoreline says an underdog got close, but they should have got a lot closer, especially as Canterbury offered up chances through errors such as the charged-down Tim Bateman clearance.
This was a fascinatingly tense yet ultimately dull spectacle and further evidence that elite players are imperative to provide enticing rugby. Generally mediocre attendances suggest the public feels the same.
Saturday night was a golden opportunity lost for Hawkes Bay. There is something heartwarming about what they have achieved over two seasons but the Magpies froze tactically on the big occasion.
* Liverpool's England midfielder Steven Gerrard produced a marvellous stepover for the equaliser that set his side on the path to a comeback victory over Wigan in the English premiership.
It's a little-used thing of beauty, the stepover, and sport's ultimate dummy. Gerrard did it under close guard around the penalty area, leaving Albert Riera to finish superbly.
This was a game of spectacular goals, including a couple via that training ground favourite - the scissors kick.
Gerrard's wizardry was a reminder of the swaggering deceptions of Manchester United's old master Eric Cantona. The Premier League has its share of problems and controversies, but remains an entertainment winner.
* As for that topsy-turvy netball series between New Zealand and England - bizarre. Absolutely bizarre. Comebacks and collapses don't come any starker than this. If it was horse racing, there'd be an inquiry.
* Has rugby no shame? Barbarians rugby coach Eddie Jones wants league disgrace Sonny Bill Williams for the December clash against the Wallabies at Wembley.
Williams hasn't even proved he can play union, or hardly played a game. The poster boys rule yet again and you can bet your boots that the All Blacks will be joining this sickening queue for the man who represents everything that stinks in modern sport.
Walk out on your mates and get feted by the world. It's the sort of star-struck thinking that lets Dan Carter parade around the planet via his own set of rules.
* Once again, Daniel Vettori has proved to be our best test batsman, this time against the might of Bangladesh. It's a hairy old tactic relying on your number eight, but it's miraculous how often he rises to the occasion. Vettori is a mighty cricketer although his true captaincy ability will forever remain a mystery if he can't find enough decent comrades to play alongside.
