Some things ...
Hello again!
The good news for the 17 dedicated readers of this column is that it is back, more or less on a weekly basis, now the man who writes it is not knee-deep in Highlanders stories. (And, er, is back from a lovely Australian holiday.)
The bad news is you can expect roughly 437 mentions of Liverpool being champions of England between now and February.
1. The Highlanders claimed the wooden spoon. Oof. Did not see that coming, to be honest. They played good rugby — some really good rugby — at times. Four or five of their players were consistently brilliant. But, as one noted rugby brain told me recently, they just lost too many of the small moments. Their inexperience in some positions showed, and they lacked a couple of real game leaders to take control. Last is not good, and while most supporters will move on quickly, it will not be pleasant if results do not significantly improve next season.
2. The Chiefs are the best team in Super Rugby, by miles. Hard to see them being stopped. If it has to happen, let it be the Hurricanes, not the Crusaders.
3. Super Rugby continued its year of resurgence. The rugby has been good, new stars have emerged, and there has been plenty of uncertainty. Match attendance increased 6% despite regular season games dropping from 84 to 77, and television and digital viewership went up. Significantly, it has been the second-highest scoring season — an average of 58 points per game — with a historically low average of 2.1 penalty attempts per game. Hard to complain.
4. Just 16 days until Scott Robertson names an All Blacks squad for a second season. The Highlanders will clearly have at least one new test cap (Fabian Holland). Fingers crossed for Timoci Tavatavanawai. Elsewhere, it is hard to imagine too many new faces. Chay Fihaki, perhaps. Du’Plessis Kirifi?
5. In my last column in March, I wrote the Warriors were "miles off the pace". Oops. Sorry, Wahs fans! They have rattled off a bunch of wins and sit pretty just two points off the top of the NRL table.
6. My beloved Penrith Panthers . . . well, let’s just say a fifth straight premiership was always going to be unlikely.
7. The Otago Nuggets have parted company with Jose Perez — one of the weirdest, most interesting basketball players I have seen — and become rooted to the bottom of the NBL table. Both the Nuggets and their sister team, the Hoiho, still face an uncertain future as they seek new owners.
8. In the least surprising development since Jacinda Ardern’s autobiography was released with 792 references to "kindness", the Indian Panthers have been booted out of the national league. This whole shambles has been one of the great stains on the history of New Zealand sport, and some people should be feeling really embarrassed.
9. No doubt you read my thoughts on the NBA finals in yesterday’s paper. Should be a good series. But my Knicks are not far away.
... that have been
10. If you are only good as your last game, the Southern Steel are awful. But the 70-45 loss to the Pulse was an early outlier in a season that is already suggesting the Steel are vastly improved from recent years.
11. I will take some convincing that a two-point shot belongs in netball.
12. What is with netball and its persistence with calling players out of retirement? The Steel raised a few eyebrows when 40-year-old assistant coach Liana Leota came off the bench in the opening game. Now an Australian team has called in Silver Ferns great Casey Kopua, a staggering six years since her retirement. Are there no decent players coming through the ranks?
13. One last netball thought. The national boss might think things are going swimmingly but there has to still be a concern that the future beyond 2026 looks so uncertain thanks to the new broadcasting deal.
14. Great to hear a new $15 million roof could be coming for the Edgar Centre. It is the best asset in this city, and needs to be protected.
15. I waited this long. Did you hear Liverpool are champions of England for a 20th time? Bliss.
17. You had to feel for Auckland FC. They were wonderful in their inaugural season, deservedly won the minor premiership, and were unlucky to fall in the playoffs. Like every normal football fan, I would rather the A-League just had a plain old league format.
18. The Phoenix appear to be in freefall. Really worrying.
19. Liam Lawson has been busy. He was demoted by Red Bull — who never really gave him a chance — and after a rugged start with Racing Bulls, he appears to be finding his feet. Hopefully he continues to progress.
20. My cousin in Canada and a work colleague are all-in on the Edmonton Oilers winning ice hockey’s Stanley Cup, as am I. Lessgooo Oilers.
21. Closer to home, those were two fantastic ice hockey world tournaments held in Dunedin. This newspaper did a sterling job covering them, too. At which point I humbly highlight the sports department’s contribution to the Otago Daily Times being named metro paper of the year at the Voyager Awards. We are still covering things other papers have abandoned.
... on my mind
22. And the prize for the stupidest sport-related activity goes to . . . this "run it straight" nonsense. Just shut it down, please.
23. Can we also shut down any talk of the major boys’ secondary schools in Otago and Southland abandoning a really good southern schools rugby competition in favour of an over-blown South Island First XV league, designed purely and futilely to attempt to maintain an arms race with the big North Island schools. I don’t like it at all.
24. The best book I have read this year has been Spearhead, the amazing story of a tank crew in World War 2. The only sports book has been Not Everything Counts But Everything Matters, the yarn with Penrith coach Ivan Cleary. Not bad.
25. Cricket remains undefeated as the sport with the coolest scorelines. In case you missed it, the Richmond Fourth XI won the toss and fielded in a Middlesex County League game last month. Not such a brilliant decision, as the North London Thirds rattled on 426 for five off just 45 overs. In reply, Richmond were all out for two. Yes, two. One run off the bat, one from a wide. Off 5.4 overs. Brilliant.
26. Rory McIlroy completed the career grand slam with a dramatic and long-awaited win at the Masters. Awesome to watch.
27. Naomi Osaka’s tragic tale continued when she crashed out of the French Open, teared up, and sounded extremely down on herself. She just seems so unhappy to be playing tennis at times.
28. Miami quarterback Cam Ward was taken at No 1 in the NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans. The best names in the draft included Aireontae Ersery, Omarr Norman-Lott, Princely Umanmielen, Upton Stout, Zeek Biggers, Gunnar Helm, LaJohntay Wester, Aeneas Peebles, Konata Mumpfield, Dante Trader jun and Lathan Ransom.
29. As mentioned, The Last Word is just back from a trip to Australia. A bit of Melbourne, the amazing Great Ocean Rd and Murray River, and a bit of Adelaide. Did not attend any sport but went to Les Miserables in the Rod Laver Arena, and noted the ratio of Aussie Rules coverage to all other sport in a major newspaper (six pages to two).
