Kicking off . . . Here is a question for even the more dedicated All Blacks fan. How many games on the Greatest Rivalry tour are you watching? Not watching as in, catching a replay later in the day, or zipping through the highlights. Watching LIVE — getting up at an ungodly hour, whipping up a hot chocolate and a bit of toast, and taking in the action through bleary eyes in a chilly living room. My guess is a lot of you are snoozing through. The midweek games are all 5am (NZ time), and three of the four tests — the exception being the fourth in Baltimore, which comes to us at 9am — are at the horrific time of 3am. As usual, the South Africans have been entirely unconcerned with looking after New Zealand fans, and there does not seem to have been any discussion about that at all. Contrast that to what happens when the Springboks, or England or France or Ireland, come to these shores. We bow down to our northern masters, basically. Our home tests have long been scheduled at night, ostensibly because that’s what Sky TV demands (higher ratings) but also doubtless because it pleases the northern hemisphere nations who can rise at a reasonable hour. . . . at kickoff times Interestingly, we had a South African Kiwi in our house this week, so I took the opportunity to ask her why her home nation persists in playing tests in the afternoon (their time). She highlights the fact a big rugby game in the republic is effectively a cultural event, not just a sports clash. Supporters turn up hours before kickoff, get the meat sizzling on the braai, meet new friends, enjoy lots of forms of entertainment or a curtain-raiser, and make a day of it. It was, therefore, unthinkable that a big game could be pushed to the evening, when so much of that cultural ritual would be lost. Contrast that with the New Zealand experience, where we grimly deal with unreliable public transport, stadiums like Eden Park in bonkers locations, over-priced and under-flavoured food, and freezing cold conditions. My question is: did New Zealand need to wave the white flag so hurriedly all these years ago? Could we not have dug our toes in and told either the broadcasters or the rugby alickadoos or both that we demanded All Blacks tests stay with afternoon kickoffs because it’s a much more pleasant experience? Has the horse bolted or could we bring back afternoon rugby at all levels? Howl at the moon Forgive The Last Word for one final plug for the rugby team that stole his heart. The Taieri College Second XV — popularly known as the Mud Dogs — play their final game of the season on Saturday. It has been so much fun over the past three years to follow a bunch of lads, including a Meikle boy, who have few higher aspirations than merely running around with their mates. They play a great brand of rugby and, honestly, it has been the most I have enjoyed the game in ages. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectRyan Fox shows off his freakish swing. Photo: Reuters Freaks and cleeks Always knew Ryan Fox was a freak — in the nicest possible way. The New Zealand golf star and recent British Open champion features in a recent yarn from Golfweek writer Adam Schupak. He hears from golf instructor Carl Lohren, the 88-year-old identity who has seen plenty of interesting swings over the years. Lohren declares there are three “freaks” on the PGA Tour. "Ryan Fox’s left hand almost is hitting his ear at the top of the backswing,” Lohren said. "That's the No 1 freak out there right now. No-one has ever swung the club as upright as he swings it.” Lohren said the other oddball swingers on the tour were Chris Gotterup, who had a “ridiculous” swing, and rising star Jackson Koivun. (Side note: A “cleek” is the archaic Scottish term for a type of golf club.) The gender agenda You hopefully read my colleague Kayla Hodge’s column earlier this week exploring the latest Sport NZ study into gender balance in sports media coverage. The Otago Daily Times is proud to again lead the way in covering women’s sport in New Zealand. Like Kayla, I believe the onus is now on sports organisations at a national level to provide more actual women’s sport to be covered. Take Super Rugby as the perfect example. We have a men’s team in our city, and the Highlanders will play 16 games in 2027. The closest female equivalent is in Christchurch — having not bothered to play in Dunedin in three years — and Matatū play a maximum of seven games. How are we expected to give them equal coverage? IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectCaitlin Clark is a megastar but the WNBA has some issues. Photo: Reuters Out of control This statement risks causing offence, especially as I have just promoted our coverage of women’s sport. But holy moly, why has the WNBA gone insane? The biggest professional women’s basketball competition in the world should be riding a wave of popularity but is instead bogged down in a morass of pettiness, culture wars, racism accusations and pointless arguments. The league has a generational star in Caitlin Clark but she has found herself a constant target for overly physical fouls and jealousy. There is a relentless focus on what the players feel over whether a transgender player would be welcome in the league — when there has not been one case of a male-to-female player in the 30-year history of the WNBA. Now we have two clown former NBA players, Enes Kanter and Royce White, saying they are going to identify as trans and declare their eligibility for the women’s league. Finally, a race row has erupted after a black player (DiJonai Carrington) clobbered a white player (Sophie Cunningham), and after Carrington got booted for a flagrant foul, she wrote “white privilege” on her social media account. It is all most unseemly and detracts from a league that has never been so popular. hayden.meikle@odt.co.nz
