Winners and losers from the sporting weekend

Waisake Naholo of the Highlanders fends off James Lowe. Photo / Getty

Herald sport's writers Wynne Gray and Chris Rattue named their winners and losers from the sporting weekend including Waisake Naholo, Bartolo Colon and the Blues.

Winners:

Waisake Naholo
The power wing returned to Super Rugby with a vengeance, scoring two tries as the Highlanders beat up the Chiefs in Hamilton. An animated Naholo was in an imposing mood throughout the game and if that troublesome leg holds up, the World Cup misfit already looks like a test certainty to face Wales. - CR

Mark Todd
Heading for his seventh Olympics after a clear showjumping round on Leonidas at Badminton. The 60-year-old finished 4th to pip fellow Kiwis Clarke Johnstone, Jock Paget and Jonelle Price. - WG

Leicester City
Not only have they shocked the sports world by winning the English Premier League, they are doing it in runaway style. Celebrations didn't slow them down - Claudio Ranieri's wonders crushed Everton 3 - 1 before their ecstatic home fans. - CR

Southern Steel
Maintained their unbeaten netball run and crushed the Adelaide Thunderbirds 69-54 in just their second win from 22 games across the Ditch. - WG

The Blues
Cracked their two-year away hoodoo with a bonus point win against the Kings as they moved their winning run to three with the Kings and Force to come on their offshore trip. - WG

Bartolo Colon
Bartolo Who? He's the New York Mets pitcher who became the oldest player to hit his first home run in Major League Baseball. Colon, at his 226th at-bat in a 19-year career, was 17 days short of his 43rd birthday when he smacked a fastball from James Shields of the San Diego Padres over left field.

"I don't even know how to explain it," Colon said. "Once I hit it, I knew it was gone. I think right now, this is the biggest moment of my career." - CR

Losers:

The Hurricanes
Went from the fizzing win at altitude against the Lions to a resounding 32-15 loss at sea-level against the Sharks. The Canes were beaten in the physical battle and have slipped to 4th in the NZ conference. - WG

The Chiefs
The injury-hit Chiefs were second rate against the Highlanders and appear to have lost their way. They don't look capable of challenging for the Super Rugby title. - CR

The Kiwis
A lack of fizz from the Kiwis seemed to invade the whole trans-Tasman test in what was a lame entrée to the sporting weekend. - WG

International league
Samoa and Tonga did their best to redress the situation the next day, but the test between the Kangaroos and Kiwis - played in Newcastle - was a snooze-fest. Not only did the Kiwis fail to score, they didn't even look like doing so. - CR

Solomone Kata
As if the Warriors don't have enough problems...the powerful Tongan centre kneed Samoan opponent Kirisome Auva'a after a tackle in their Sydney test. Kata faces a ban...his apology to Auva'a was a nice touch but it will be of little consolation to his club coach Andrew McFadden. - CR