WEEKLY SPORTS DIGEST: Henry’s men, Umaga factor

WEEKLY SPORTS DIGEST: Henry’s men, Umaga factor, Formula 1

Executive sport summary – An overview of the major sporting events – Results, key moments and talking points – Everything you need to know to foot it at the water cooler this week.

By Jonathan McKeown

RUGBY UNION: Another robust display from the 2010 All Blacks vintage. The 49-28 victory over the Wallabies in Melbourne had Graham Henry comparing Kevin Mealamu and Brad Thorn to a fine wine that gets better with age. You can add the rest of the squad to that sentiment as well as the head coach. Heading into this weekend’s test in Christchurch, an All Blacks victory will effectively hand them both the Tri Nations title and the Bledisloe Cup.

Cards: The vogue with referees this year is to stamp their authority on the game, the flashes of coloured cards is testament to that. Dew Mitchell was given two yellow cards which saw him sent off minutes into the second half of the test. This was as much about stupidity as it was officiating, one yellow card down and Mitchell should have pulled his neck in, he didn’t and paid the price.

BIG HITS: People will say cards are ruining the spectacle, but the bottom line is player safety. If you tip a player in a tackle expect to be sent off, the line has been drawn and it is the players’ responsibility to work on their technique. The concern is with regard to the tackle and subsequent yellow card for Owen Franks. This was nothing more than a good solid hit (from an onside position I might add), not an offside shoulder charge. Referees should crack down on dangerous play but not every big hit, as the great Tana Umaga said “this isn’t tiddlywinks”.

NICE TOUCHES: These decisions shouldn’t take away from another great performance by the All Blacks who are not just great players but also consummate professionals. A couple of nice post-match touches illustrate why the All Blacks are ambassadors of the game. In celebrating Maori language week the All Blacks sang a quiet but noticeable post-match waiata. And while in Aussie-rules territory the All Blacks warmed down with a game of AFL.

PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP: The first round of the ITM Cup got underway this weekend; it wasn’t a spectacular start, with fairly muted crowds and an All Black test to compete with. However as the season moves along there will be a huge amount of interest generated around seventh position on the table, the cut-off for next year’s first division.

Winners: Bonus point victories for Auckland, Counties and Southland and wins for Wellington, Northland and Waikato. Auckland looked shaky to begin with but continued to build momentum throughout the game against North Harbour. Southland and Wellington will be title contenders this year, but Counties Manukau are quickly becoming the darlings of the 2010 season.

Losers: Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay fought out a 23-all draw, both teams will be there or thereabouts come finals time. Bonus points will be vital in the fight against relegation and Bay of Plenty and Taranaki salvaged something from defeat. Tasman, Manawatu, Otago and North Harbour will have to work hard this year, but for some the writing is already on the wall.

Upset of the week: The ‘Tana’ factor helped Counties to a stirring and deserved 29-13 win over Otago. The former All Black talisman has given a side full of talent the belief they need. It would be a miraculous turnaround if they were to make the top seven. But with players like Tim Nanai-Williams, Sherwin Stowers and Umaga, I wouldn’t put it past them.

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Rugby New Zealand 2011 Limited CEO Martin Snedden was profiled on BBC World this week in a regular spot called Peschardt’s People. Correspondent Michael Peschardt spent about three days with Snedden in Auckland and Taupo. Editing is of course controlled by the BBC but I think there will be a few senior World Cup executives who will be a little miffed at the lack of exposure for the event itself.

The premise is a personal profile of a leading figure in the Asia-Pacific region, but it seemed Snedden talked more about his time with New Zealand cricket, Twenty20 and the IPL than he did on the topic of the RWC 2011. At least Snedden took the reporter to Eden Park to witness a great All Black victory, and as they say any publicity is good publicity.

RUGBY LEAGUE: The New Zealand Warriors continued their slide, going down 28-20 at home to the Gold Coast Titans. Leading 12-0 at one stage the second loss in a row has dented the Warriors aspirations for an important top four finish. They have a superb chance to arrest the sequence of losses against the Sharks this weekend, but a loss would see them slip out of the top eight.

FOOTBALL: New Zealand football needs to work a lot faster than it has to capitalise on World Cup momentum. Plenty of nations have already played post-World Cup friendlies and the fact we have not even lined one up yet shows a lack of foresight and action from the administrators in this country.
It seems New Zealand has become part of a package deal with Australia. As a result we are tied up with waiting for the Aussies to finalise deals where we are tacked on the end. I understand the logistics of this, but perhaps the administrators need to match the precociousness of the players.

FORMULA ONE: Mark Webber reclaimed the Formula One championship lead by winning a Hungarian Grand Prix overnight. Lewis Hamilton dropped to second overall after he retired from the race with a gearbox failure.
But perhaps the best call to come out of motor racing this week came from the former driver Sir Stirling Moss, when he basically said in an interview that motor racing is too safe, and that the danger was what attracted the best drivers and the fans. He talked of racing in short-sleeved shirts and of crash helmets being ‘sissy’. Thankfully, times have changed.

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