In this week's On The Sidelines, Scotty dives into the All Blacks' Turin test, Liam Lawson's failure to fire in Vegas, and Auckland FC's first win across the Tasman.
RUGBY
Turin Test: Did the All Blacks machine exhibit intelligent behaviour?
They say you can't polish a turd, but you can roll it in glitter. So thank goodness there was a final flourish from Beauden Barrett to provide the sparkle on a dull night in the north of Italy.
This looked like a team on autopilot – a not unforgivable state of being after five weeks on the road, and three brutally tough Test matches leading into the final showdown with an Italian side that came to wreak havoc at the breakdown and tackle like men possessed.
It was a gallant defensive showing from the home side, and one that would have pleased them more in a loss than it did the All Blacks in victory. This All Blacks side looked hell bent on going through the motions, and rarely changed the point of attack even when the Italians looked like they had the playbook in advance.
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It has been one of the more frustrating elements in the All Blacks game this year: a propensity to follow a pre-approved script. The adlibbed lines have largely come late in a phase count and have been flubbed more times than they’ve landed. Again, in Italy, the off-piste moments tended to occur with the try line in sight. Cue the loose offload!
There is nothing wrong with retreating into structure – it was obvious Damian McKenzie's return to the bench was a result of him failing to stay on the same page as the coaching staff – but the ad hoc plays are still what makes the All Blacks the threat they are. If they bottle those, they might look efficient, but they are collectively rugby's automatons.
This team desperately needs to discover a way to weld instinct to instruction, and to find the balance between execution and imagination. The Turin test has provided a timely reminder of that.
Patrick McKendry outlines here all the questions that remain unanswered.
CRICKET
Aussies get schooled by resurgent India
The Indians have quickly put behind them the disappointment of a first ever three-Test series donut against New Zealand to dominate Australia in the first test of their all-important series in Australia.
It didn't appear the likely scenario on the first day, when the visitors were rolled for a paltry 150 runs. Australia would have believed they had the upper hand, but they floundered with the bat to be all out for just 104. Jasprit Bumrah was the destroyer-in-chief for India, returning figures of 5-30 from 18 parsimonious overs.
India did not waste their opportunity in the second innings (at least they hadn't done so as Sidelines headed to the editors overnight). Yashasvi Jaiswal but a first innings duck behind him as he passed 100 for the fourth time in 19 tests, with Australia even turning to Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head in a desperate quest for wickets.
Australia's best with the ball, Jash Hazlewood – who took four wickets in the first innings – was as stingy as ever, but Jaiswal's solo mission to break the quicks may yet be enough to ensure India take the lead. With two days left to play and a lead of 400-plus in the offing, it is certainly theirs for the taking.
CRICKET
Crawley and Root in the runs as England finish warmup
The first test of the New Zealand summer begins on Thursday in Christchurch, and the England side completed preparations in Queenstown over the weekend, playing out a draw in their two-day match against the Prime Minister's XI.
England piled on the pressure on day one with Brandon Carse the pick of the bowlers, taking four wickets as the youthful home side battled with a rise in class. England limited the first innings total to 136 before Crawley et al. set about piling on the runs at pace. Crawley whacked a quickfire 94, but the visitors lost shape before being bowled out for 249.
The home side made life much more difficult for England’s bowlers in the second innings, with Jamal Todd and Hunter Kindley putting on 74 for the first wicket, and Troy Johnson (80), Kindley (56) and Jesse Tashkoff (56) all notching up half centuries before a declaration came at 313/5.
England needed 201 for outright victory, and Joe Root (82) and Ben Stokes (59) should have made that a formality. Instead, another clutch of wickets fell in quick succession and the match finished in a draw with England just six runs short of the target.
F1
Lawson fails to fire in Vegas, Verstappen makes it four
Liam Lawson's latest chance to impress the Red Bull bosses fell flat on the Vegas Strip in a Grand Prix that had massive permutations but failed to excite outside the minor standings.
In the end, Max Verstappen did enough in a race that Mercedes owned. George Russell dominated the street circuit to take the top spot on the podium with the evergreen Sir Lewis Hamilton rounding out a one-two finish.
Russell's victory was deserved but was overshadowed by Verstappen's fifth place, which was enough to clinch the driver’s championship courtesy of rival Lando Norris crossing the finish line one place further back.
As far as anticlimaxes go, this was among the frontrunners – Verstappen taking the crown but unable to stand on the podium. Carlos Sainz took third place, while Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc took fourth. In fairness, the Red Bull team were confident enough to have pre-made some world champion merch for their superstar driver – bespoke sweaters adorned with M4X.
Lawson's RB car laboured through the closing stages of the race. At one point, the Kiwi had been sitting within the points but was passed by a procession of others, including teammate Yuki Tsunoda and major rival Sergio Perez, who claimed a single point for the Red Bull team after finishing one place behind Tsunoda.
The result opens fresh questions around who will join Verstappen next year. It seems unlikely Perez can make an argument now, but Tsunoda’s ninth place is a reminder that this may not be a fair accompli for Lawson.
RUGBY
Wales 0-12, Gatland refuses to budge
It is hard to imagine another professional sports organisation that would stand by its coach after suffering through 12 straight games without even looking like winning, but such is the hold Warren Gatland has over Welsh administrators that it seems they still believe in some forthcoming miracle.
Gatland is a good coach – a coach who has enjoyed plenty of success with Wales and with the British and Irish Lions. But Gatland is not, as his colleague Rob Howley suggested during the week, the "best coach in the world".
Say what you like about the state of Welsh rugby (dire), but there must be some accountability in the coaching ranks. Wales are straight up awful as a Test team, and the world cup cycle does little more than afford a cabal of international coaches the "judge me on the world cup" defence, which is about as self-serving as it gets.
Wales won't be anywhere near a world cup final in three years' time. They'd be lucky to emerge from their pool. But how much damage can be done on a fool’s errand? Between now and then, Wales as a rugby nation has more chance of becoming irrelevant than resurgent.
There are great coaches in international rugby, but there is also a small club of coaches who have long perpetuated the myth that they and they alone can coach international rugby. Eddie Jones is the alpha male of this particular gang, but New Zealand has its own card-carrying members, too.
Sometimes, the great coaches lose their power. It could be ego, it could be arrogance, it could be simply that they have failed to make the leap to keep pace with the new generation. Coaches have a shelf life, and the evidence seems compelling now that "Gats" has outlived his best before date.
Another year like the one Wales has just endured is tough to contemplate. A mea culpa and a gracious exit is easier to swallow.
A-LEAGUE
Auckland back on top, Phoenix win again
Believe the hype. Auckland FC has returned to A-League action to add another first to its growing list: a first win in Australia, the first new club to win four straight matches to start a season, and the first club to start four straight matches without conceding a goal.
Auckland may not have the football world talking about goal scoring prowess, but they are finding the back of the net when it counts. Guillermo May popped his A-League cherry against Macarthur on Sunday after slotting home a cross from Gallegos in the 34th minute.
The Black Knights needed all the defensive scramble they could muster in the final 20 minutes, but Alex Paulsen continued to demonstrate his value in goal with quality keeping that kept Macarthur at bay.
Auckland FC’s victory comes after a two-week break from action, and a host of players press ganged into international duty over the previous weekend. This won’t be the prettiest win for them this season, but it is a monkey off the back at first shake, and that counts for plenty.
Meanwhile, fellow Kiwis the Phoenix got back on a winning track with a gutsy 1-nil win over the more fancied Melbourne Victory. Kosta Barbarouses was the hero for the 'Nix, finishing off a 15-yard strike from a Marcos Rojas assist.
The Phoenix now sits third on the A-League table and have a break this week before their next assignment: a revenge mission against Auckland in the second derby of the season. On current form, that game should go close to selling out.
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