The apathy ...
It is the shrug that says it all.
And it is the shrug that should be worrying New Zealand Rugby most of all.
Look around you, fellow Kiwis, and take a barometric reading of how people are feeling about Ian Foster, Sam Cane and the All Blacks in general.
Some are spitting tacks at this dreadful losing run and the overwhelming sense these All Blacks have no confidence, no cohesive strategy and no hope of beating the world’s elite teams right now.
Some are banging the drum for Foster to go, some are calling for Scott Robertson to get the call, some are suggesting Wayne Smith or Graham Henry or Vic Cavanagh (senior or junior?) or literally ANYONE with a skerrick of coaching nous should be sent an SOS.
Some have maniacal grins on their faces, absolutely loving the wailing and the gnashing of teeth and the prospect of the collapse of our once all-conquering national team, and actively hoping the All Blacks keep losing.
And some just couldn’t give two hoots.
... is the worst
I’ve said it once and I will say it again: New Zealand Rugby, and the All Blacks in particular, need to be most concerned about the people who have lost interest in the national team.
Some are spouting nonsense about Foster and Cane and company, and some are dishing out some pretty harsh criticism.
But at least they are interested.
I have been amazed at the levels of utter apathy or disinterest in the All Blacks’ plight in the community around me.
It’s not necessarily a bad thing - there are many more important things than a rugby team to be worried about - but it is a worrying sign (for the All Blacks) that people just don’t care as much any more.
You might not like the fact the All Blacks are put under intense pressure to win every single game, but it is undeniably one of the things that has helped them fashion such an extraordinary winning record.
Is it possible we are heading to a point where the All Blacks are just another one of our national teams? That they will never again mean as much to so many of us?
And is that OK?
Carson competes in the world dog surfing championships in Pacifica, California. PHOTO: REUTERS
Carson competes in the world dog surfing championships in Pacifica, California. PHOTO: REUTERS
That was quite shocking news about Trent Boult quitting his New Zealand Cricket contract this week.
Well, it was and it wasn’t.
Boult has a lot of miles on the clock, and a young family, and he can ease back his most demanding commitments and make millions from T20 festival leagues to extend his career and set himself up for life.
Totally smart decision.
Nevertheless, to effectively lose one-third of the greatest fast bowling trio New Zealand has seen is a massive blow, and earlier than expected.
Boult has been a class act and will be missed.
When Tim Southee and Neil Wagner follow him out the door, we will wonder when we see their like again.
Comeback kid
One of the stories of the week is a bloke called Joohyung Kim.
The Korean golfer made history when he won his first PGA Tour title, the Wyndham Championship.
Kim shot 67, 64, 68 and 61 to finish 20-under for the tournament and win by five shots.
All very normal so far.
But what was amazing about the 20-year-old — who became the second-youngest winner on the tour since 1932 - was that he started with an EIGHT, a quadruple bogey on his opening hole.
No player had won a PGA Tour event after starting with a quadruple bogey.
Completely classless
Never been a huge Ricky Stuart fan, to be honest.
The Canberra Raiders coach has always had a gob on him, and he was at it again last week when he called Penrith Panthers player Jaeman Salmon a "weak-gutted dog".
Turns out it was a reference to something that happened 12 years ago, when there was an incident between Salmon and Stuart’s son.
That almost defies belief. Get over yourself, Ricky.
Shout-out I
We are a proudly independent newspaper, as you know.
We will never resile from having a crack at a sports organisation if we believe it is justified, and we will never sacrifice our journalistic ethics to find favour with anybody.
But I will happily acknowledge the support of Basketball New Zealand this weekend.
BBNZ helped us get basketball writer Jeff Cheshire to Auckland for the NBL finals.
It doesn’t mean we will only write the good stories about hoops, but it does mean our basketball coverage - the best in the country, as far as I am concerned - can continue right to the end of the league season.
Shout-out II
You meet lots of people when you stay in journalism this long.
Some are good, some are great, some are ... well, you know.
Very few are the total package of talent, loyalty, charisma, work ethic and class.
Rebecca Ryan and I are very different people (I lack the charisma, certainly) but we share a unique bond as the only people to have edited the weekly version of our sister paper, the mighty Oamaru Mail.
She had her last day yesterday in the role, and she will be so sorely missed.
It’s a sports column, so I better mention that Rebecca is an outstanding tennis player and can also handle a netball and a basketball, and she is a wonderful sports photographer, and she and I are both Valley supporters.
Happy trails, my friend.
