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T20 World Cup
New Zealand starts with a Roar in Dubai
It was the perfect tone setter for the White Ferns in their opening match of the T20 world cup on Saturday morning NZT. Led sublimely by Sophie Devine who finished unbeaten on 57 (from 36) as the Kiwis posted 160-4 in their innings, the Ferns did not falter on defence, producing one of their best all-round team performances to defeat India by a whopping 58 runs.
If this is a harbinger of things to come, the New Zealand side is more than capable of turning heads at this tournament. Australia are up next, followed by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. They need a top two finish to advance to the knockouts, and that first performance was the perfect step in the right direction.
All Blacks
Will Tough Calls be made in Tour Selection?
The All Blacks team to tour the Northern Hemisphere will be named today with the major talking points surrounding halfback and openside flanker. There is no doubt Scott Robertson and his selection team have some massive decisions to make: To stick with the departing TJ Perenara and Sam Cane, or take this opportunity to look strictly to the future.
The decision around half back may be simple. The return to action of Cam Roigard (who was sensational for the Steelers in the NPC over the weekend) provides the necessary experience. While Perenara has been a great servant of the team – Sidelines was there for Perenara's first test in Dunedin when he made his way to the groundkeepers’ shed after the match to share a beer much to the delight of the visiting British commentary team – but with Ratima growing into the role, Hotham waiting in the wings, and Roigard once more available, this may be a tour too far.
The openside role is more problematic. Cane has proven to be the best seven in the side so far this season and has upside outside his role on the field. Robertson will be desperate for one of the other loosies to stake a claim on the spot, but as yet none have. Calls for Savea to return to seven miss a crucial point: at number 8 he can play with the trademark flair he has become renowned for. A recall to tighter, more defensively oriented duties take away that opportunity and place extra pressure on the other loose forwards.
Had the season been a touch more successful to date, more risks may have been palatable. As it stands, this tour has taken on a tad more significance as the All Blacks look to build on their rousing finish to the Rugby Championship and re-establish their position in the world order.
NPC
Taranaki Take Shield For Summer in Thrilling win
It was fun while it lasted, but Tasman’s first Ranfurly Shield reign was ended yesterday by a Taranaki side that most definitely came to play.
The National Provincial Championship may not get the attention it used to, but Taranaki’s 42-29 victory in Nelson was worth the price of admission and the kidney you weren’t using. There were moments of brilliance in this match, punctuated by Daniel Rona’s second half try that will go down as a contender for score of the year.
When a team challenges for the Log, they must play footy. Taranaki understood the assignment, and looked untouchable in the opening exchanges as they harassed and pressured the holders on an overcast afternoon at Trafalgar Park. There was only one team in it at the break and at 23-8 you could have been forgiven for thinking the contest was toast.
This is Shield rugby, though, and Tasman found that extra gear we have come to expect. With ten minutes to go just six points separated the sides and the Mako were fins up. The crowd were in it, too, but a Neil Barnes side has no off-switch, and the Bulls stormed back into the mix to seal the deal with one final try.
How beautiful to see the Shield in the sunshine and a great rendition of the team song to boot. Tasman have been great Shield holders, seeing off challenges from competition front runners Wellington, and a spirited Auckland, but Taranaki have found the right kind of flair to augment their tough as teak pack. Ricky Riccitelli was immense, as was centre Daniel Rona.
The Shield is done for the season, but the other major talking point (and apologies for burying the lede here) will be Auckland’s failure to make the top 8. It is absolutely fair to ask how on earth that is possible.
WXV
Black Ferns Simply Must Find Their Groove
A shock loss to Ireland has put New Zealand on the back foot in the second edition of the WXV in Canada, and with England looming this morning, the assignment just got even tougher. This is a Black Ferns team that appears to be struggling stylistically. Ireland were relentless in the way they pressured the reigning world champions, and it will be rinse and repeat against the Red Roses today.
Not surprisingly, the selectors have moved to change the front row, while injecting some serious venom in the boot of the scrum via Kaipo Olsen-Baker. Ruahei Demant continues in the midfield, with Hannah King preferred at first five. Ruby Tui has been shifted to a bench role from which she will be desperate to make an impact on the wing.
New Zealand will be massive underdogs for this contest, having already been defeated by England at Twickenham last month. Consistency has to be the catch cry for a team that needs to rediscover its rugby footprint, and quickly.
America's Cup
The End of the Road for Spithill as Brits Eclipse Italians
Take nothing away from the man who once clawed his team back from 1-8 down to take the America’s Cup off New Zealand, but by his own admission, Jimmy Spithill’s America’s Cup days look to be over after Luna Rossa were knocked out of the Cup race by Sir Ben Ainslie’s Britannia.
It was a Louis Vuitton Cup finals series for the ages, even if the interest levels in New Zealand have hovered somewhere between “it’s on?” and “meh”. The two best challenger programmes put each other through their paces with Britain’s mastery of the heavier conditions the difference maker in the end.
This sets up a potential banana skin for the Kiwis who begin their official Cup defence this week. Having been the best of the bunch in the early rounds of the Challenger series (they were able to compete only in the double round robin phase before bugging out) the Kiwis have been forced to train on their own while Ainslie's men have been hardened in battle over the last several weeks.
Having earned the right to take on the weaker Alinghi in the semifinals, there was a school of thought that Luna Rossa's tougher road against the Americans would have given them a greater data set from which to plot their opponent’s downfall. However, in what may well have been a surprise to all, including Team New Zealand who were expecting another showdown with Spithill and the Italians, it was the Brits who looked to have a more finely tuned package, and – crucially – more reliable equipment.
Quite what this will mean for the event is unknown, though it will likely now capture the imagination of the British market as Ainslie sets his sights on an historic victory. His would be the first for Britain and, in the immortal words of his vanquished rival, Spithill, "what a story that would be".
What's making news today and this week
NRL
Find full and comprehensive coverage of the NRL Grand Final on 1news.co.nz
NETBALL
Game Three of the Taini Jamison Trophy series between England and New Zealand was played last night in Invercargill. Regardless of the result, this dead rubber test shapes as the last hit out before the team takes on Australia. Has Dame Noelene Taurua got her selections right, and is the muted response to the series defeat a sign of the times for what was once the undisputed number one women’s sport in the country?
GOLF
Ryan Fox began the final round of the Sanderson Farms Championship tied for 7th and looking good for a top ten finish. This would be a gun result for the New Zealander who revealed last week that injections in the hip are helping him get through tournaments. The ongoing issue has been a literal thorn in his side this year, and he is hoping the latest treatment will allow him to play with a touch more power and agility. Early signs are good!
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