Boca Juniors fans cram Miami Beach before their side’s 2-2 draw against Benfica in the Club World Cup in Miami. PHOTOS: REUTERS
Let us pray ...
It might shock you to learn your columnist does not have a great deal of affection for the Crusaders.
While some rather misguided souls feel it is in their interests to support the Evil Empire in tonight’s Super Rugby final in some sort of show of southern solidarity, The Last Word stands firm.
Last season — when the Crusaders collapsed — was glorious.
The world is a terrible enough place without seeing the men from the flatlands at the top of Super Rugby again.
We must unite as one and ask the rugby gods to bless the Chiefs.
It would be cruel if they were to lose a third straight final, and coach Clayton McMillan deserves to go out a winner.
... for the Chiefs
One thing I will say for the Crusaders.
They have done exceptionally well to bounce back from the horrors of 2024.
Having a dozen All Blacks helps, of course.
But the really interesting thing is that, if the Crusaders are to win this final (sigh), they will do it without a top-class first five, which goes against the common belief any champion team must have a star in the No10 jersey.
No disrespect to emerging talent Rivez Reihana, but he is simply not that star.
It could actually be two straight years for that situation. Harry Plummer was in great form for the Blues last year but, to be blunt, he is hardly going to be remembered as one of our best first fives.
Perhaps not since the Bulls fielded Derick Hougaard in the 2007 final has a Super Rugby champion fielded a first five who was not world-class or close to it.
Dan Carter (2008), Morne Steyn (2009-10), Quade Cooper (2011), Aaron Cruden (2012-13), Bernard Foley (2014), Lima Sopoaga (2015), Beauden Barrett (2016) and Richie Mo’unga (2017-23, otherwise known as the grim years) were all class acts.
Off again
Understandable but still a little disappointing the great Ardie Savea is off on another sabbatical and will miss Super Rugby in 2026.
He was immensely influential for Moana Pasifika in his first season with his new team, and Super Rugby does not need its best players ducking off to Japan to make some cash.
Not sure what the solution is, though.
Grubbing away
There were extraordinary scenes in the world of State of Origin this week.
I am not talking about game two — though it was great to see Queensland win, thanks to a wonderful first half, not just because that is where my allegiances lie but because it sets up a decider, which is always nice.
The biggest story was Queensland coach Billy Slater’s emotional press conference after being referred to as a "grub" by former New South Wales prop and commentator Aaron Woods.
Slater was almost trembling as he spoke at length about everything from a person’s character to the "privileged position" held by journalists and broadcasters.
He also shocked some people — and has since apologised — when he talked about how people coped with criticism and referred to former Queensland coach Paul Green perhaps being one of those who could not.
Green died by suicide in 2022 and a post-mortem found he had been living with a severe case of the CTE brain disease.
All this, seemingly, because of the word "grub".
It seems so mild, yet it is basically the worst thing you can say about anyone in the rugby league world.
Golden boy
Safe travels, Nico Porteous.
The Olympic champion has retired from elite-level freeskiing competition at the tender age of 23, having won it all and done it all.
Most of us will never really understand the depths of courage and skill it takes to succeed in a sport like that, and Porteous will rightly be remembered as a New Zealand sporting great.
Just a farce
Not sure what is worse.
Fifa bringing in a bloated, essentially pointless World Club Cup to further clog the football calendar.
Or a system that leads to the New Zealand representative being Auckland City, an allegedly semi-professional team (bet their budget is comfortably higher than the Dunedin City Royals’ or Wanaka’s), who were smashed 10-0 by Bayern Munich.
Bonkers all round.
Old mate
The sports story of the week has to be Kazuyoshi Miura.
Miura — 58 years and 109 days old — made the first appearance of his 40th football season when he came off the bench for Atletico Suzuka in the Japanese fourth division.
Miura, who has also played club football in Italy, Croatia, Portugal and Australia, scored 55 goals in 89 appearances for Japan, the last of which came in 2000.
Believe it or not, though, it seems he is not the oldest professional footballer in the world.
The Guardian recently profiled Mykola Lykhovydov, running around in the Ukraine third tier at 59.
Guinness World Records report the oldest player in the history of professional football was Ezzeldin Bahader, who appeared for an Egyptian club with the magnificent name of 6th of October SC in March 2020, aged 74.
Astonishingly, Bahader scored from the penalty spot in that game, making him also the oldest scorer.
And the fun fact of the week is 6th of October is a desert city in the Greater Cairo region, named for the start of the Yom Kippur War, the fourth Arab-Israeli War lasting 19 days.
