Carlos Alcaraz (right) consoles opponent Jannik Sinner after the latter was forced to retire from the final of the Cincinnati Open. PHOTO: AARON DOSTER-IMAGN IMAGES
Some things ...
It feels like the right time to make another list of a bunch of things that have been on my mind.
Here are 23 of them.
1. Excited for the Women’s Rugby World Cup? Not such New Zealand-friendly kick-off times as last time, obviously. But look at the immense interest this tournament is generating in the UK. Feels like another huge step for women’s rugby.
2. Not to be a grinch ... but I do not see the Black Ferns winning. Sorry. They have skill in key positions but I am not convinced they have the oomph to combat such a powerful English team at home.
3. The All Blacks were mostly pretty decent in the first test against the Pumas. Cortez Ratima surprised me (in a good way), and it is a shame Patrick Tuipolotu got injured because he is now the impact king. Good to see Wallace Sititi on the comeback trail. Still not convinced at all about our centre and wingers.
5. Is Taylor our greatest hooker? Sean Fitzpatrick held that status for a long time but I think there is a debate now. Keven Mealamu and Dane Coles were good for different reasons. Throw a couple of Andrews, Hore and Dalton, and the likes of Anton Oliver, Dennis Young and Tane Norton into the mix.
6. The Wallabies! No, I did not see that coming. Neither did you. A shocking result on par with Japan beating the Springboks in 2015. Tempting to say it means the Boks are on the slide, but remember they lose plenty of tests over a World Cup cycle before turning up and winning with boring effectiveness. And tempting to say it means the Aussies are back, big time, but let’s see.
7. Hat tip to Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt. The man knows his stuff. I saw a post this week highlighting Schmidt’s wonderful CV: four wins over world No 1-ranked teams (a record), Australia’s first win in Johannesburg since 1963, Ireland’s first win over the All Blacks, Ireland’s first win in South Africa, three Six Nations titles (with a grand slam), helped revived All Blacks make 2023 World Cup final, four trophies in three years with Leinster.
... I have been ...
8. No issues at all with the Highlanders continuing to embrace their youth policy by signing three New Zealand under-20 players. It is effectively impossible to go out and buy star players, so get the talent in early and develop them. Without putting pressure on the lad, I see halfback Dylan Pledger quickly becoming first-choice for the Highlanders, and a chance to be an All Black by the time the 2027 World Cup rolls around. He’s that good.
9. The Highlanders are still going to need a top-line first five and No8 next year. Wonder how that recruitment is going.
10. The Last Word hears some noise about the Otago rugby team getting a nickname. Meh. "Otago" has been good enough for 150 years. Nicknames are better when they develop organically, and are not simply invented, especially for a team with history. "Razorbacks" was tried some time ago and sank without a trace. Too many syllables, and too few people even knew what a razorback was.
11. No idea if this is true. Social media is never too concerned with the facts. But apparently former Thames Valley hooker Liam Gilheany-Black made his NPC debut recently, and became Waikato representative No1269. And he was Thames Valley representative No1269!
12. Gulp. While it was clear the tweak to Silver Ferns eligibility rules was going to lead to some players heading to the superior Australian league, was anyone expecting it to be such a flood and so quickly? Last one to leave, please turn out the lights.
13. Yes, I’m an old man ranting at clouds. But it was slightly weird to see one of our teams, the Central Pulse, making lots of jokes and posting memes at the same time as the Australian raiders stole all their best players. You’re that happy to be a development team now?
14. Now that I’ve had time to digest news of America’s Cup boats creating a sixth, non-sailing spot on the crew for rich people or those god-awful influencers, I am on board. In fact, why stop at yachting? Imagine if ALL team sports had a mandate to carry an extra. I’m thinking a 16th person in rugby (a fourth loose forward, surely), a 12th person in cricket (fifth slip), an eighth netballer (to be immediately signed by an Australian team if they are any good), and a 12th footballer (another goalie in a second, smaller goal).
15. Are the Warriors back on track after three losses?
16. A shout for South Sydney Rabbitohs winger Alex Johnston, the NRL’s most under-the-radar star. He has played for the Bunnies for 12 seasons and, with a whopping 209 tries, is just three off matching the all-time record of the great Ken Irvine. And Johnston got just a single test for the Kangaroos before switching allegiance to Papua New Guinea.
Robots compete in the 100m final at the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. PHOTO: REUTERS
... thinking about
17. They are celebrating 20 years of T20 cricket internationals. Meh. Three formats is too many. Nations should play just tests and one-dayers. Leave T20 to the 73 different franchise tournaments.
18. The Premier League begins! Too early to make sweeping judgements but clearly it is Arsenal’s title to lose, Man City look dangerous, Liverpool need some time, and Man United and Everton will get relegated.
19. Quite surreal to see New Zealand footballer Chris Wood — who opened the season with two goals for his Nottingham Forest club — sandwiched between Liverpool immortals Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk at the PFA team of the year ceremony. Puts his status into perspective.
20. The Wellington Phoenix, ye gods. Early days but their humiliation by a lower-league club does not bode well.
21. Keep an eye on Moses Itauma, the next big thing in heavyweight boxing. The British youngster destroyed Dillian Whyte and could meet our Joseph Parker next.
22. Not sure what to make of the US Open tennis tournament starting with mixed doubles in an abbreviated format. Must every sport T20-ise their product? Fans seemed to enjoy it, to be fair.
23. Watch this space — next week, in fact — for the annual ODT sports power rankings. Let me know pronto who should feature prominently.
