Not always Super but it’s rarely dull
If the Blues thrash the Sunwolves, are they just rearranging the chairs on a sinking vessel? Why was the homophobic Israel Folau not given a public reprimand by the ARU? And can the Highlanders heap more misery on the Aussies in Dunedin? There is rarely a dull moment in Super Rugby.
1. What happens if the Blues beat the Sunwolves in Tokyo?
It would insult no-one’s intelligence to say the Blues should win this match, and by a handsome margin, to extend the Sunwolves’ winless run in 2018.
But so what if they do? What does it really mean? The reality is the Blues are placed second-last heading into this round, their playoff hopes pirouetting at the end of a frayed rope. There’s a danger a bonus-point win at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium would divert attention from the real issue, which is whether this team is simply in a holding pattern.
If that’s the case, it’s hardly good enough. Blues chairman Tony Carter and his board members have some decisions to make. Super Rugby teams are like any other business, they like to plan ahead. It’s paramount they prove to their players that their organisation is doing the best for them. Which, in turn, puts the heat on
Carter and co to decide whether to offer coach Tana
Umaga a contract extension, or to go to the market and seek alternatives.
And does NZ
Rugby have a role to play in trying to blow life some back into the Blues, a club that hasn’t made the playoffs since Pat Lam guided them to fourth place in 2011? Any assistance would be appreciated, surely. This story isn’t over by a long shot.
2. What must the Chiefs do to cane the Hurricanes?
What a game in Napier last weekend when the Hurricanes somehow ran down the Sharks after the final hooter. That they did it without Beauden Barrett destroyed any ideas about them being reduced in intellectual grunt if their star playmaker isn’t there.
But don’t dismiss the Chiefs. They are in with a chance to win in Wellington. Sam Cane and Brodie Retallick will be shovelling lumps of coke into the visitors’ boiler, and when the gravy flows from their brows, their fellow soldiers know better than not to muck in.
That could be the key for the Chiefs. Compete for everything on the ground, and limit referee Jamie Nutbrown’s reasons to award penalties.
3. Can Israel Folau remain focused on the field, after creating a firestorm of controversy off it? Israel Folau says gay folk are ‘‘destined for hell’’. Really? Australian Rugby Union chief executive Raelene Castle hasn’t helped matters much by dancing around this simmering issue. Yes, we know the ARU are desperate to re-sign Folau, arguably their most prominent player, but Castle’s reluctance to criticise the big fullback isn’t a flash look. So much for her being a straight shooter.
Sports people say they like to do their ‘‘talking on the field’’. Castle and her ARU mates no doubt wish Folau left it between the white lines.
4. Can the Highlanders make it 34?
The four Aussie teams have one collective goal; they all want to snap the horrible drought against their Kiwi counterparts. They are now up to 33 consecutive defeats against the New Zealand teams, and Brumbies coach Dan Mckellar doesn’t want the Highlanders to add to this collection of scalps.
Mckellar says the Brumbies have to earn the respect of their trans-tasman mates, which makes sense. It’s hard not to get the feeling even the Brumbies’ worst enemies in Australia will want them to win in Dunedin. This losing run is getting ridiculous.
5. Is this make or break for the Jaguares?
The Jaguares have continued to disappoint since joining Super Rugby in 2016. Already they are in trouble, with just two wins, and their upcoming road trip, which starts against the Rebels in Melbourne, could really spit them out. The excursion to the Victorian capital is followed by away games against the Brumbies, Blues and Chiefs. Good luck with that.
Their frustration knows no bounds. The young are thinking about putting down their phones. The old may consider changing the channel. Even the safety of the most treasured of gadgets, the TV remote, may be in danger. There’s only one person able to deal with this Commonwealth Games catastrophe. A batman sign in the sky won’t help us. Instead, shine the brunette-bob. Judy Bailey, save our sport!
I have been concerned a former TV colleague and still dear friend had incited a riot. She vented on social media about Joelle King’s gold medal squash match being relegated to TVNZ’S website while other less important Games events were given the prime place on TV. Tip for broadcasters; never stand between a Kiwi fan and their unbridled joy of seeing their athletes win a medal.
My phone vibrated as a wave of seething social media comments supported her view. It wasn’t the first time strange Games scheduling decisions had been made. Add that to the too-manyads fury and TVNZ was looking as popular as Taika Waititi at a Don Brash appreciation party. King was not receiving the respect and attention she deserved.
But when my dear friend said TVNZ could be saved only by bringing in someone who knew how to schedule sport. I disagreed.
There is only one person who can save the channel’s image. It’s not best-friend-of-the-nation Toni Street and it’s not sister-in-law of the nation Hilary Barry. Only a mum can sort out this mess. It’s time for the return of mother-ofthe-nation Judy Bailey.
In these troubled, dark times the masses need the velvet tones of she who read the news. Bailey must appear on the balcony at TVNZ in Auckland. I would suggest she goes on the telly but I’m not sure they’ll be able to schedule her in.
There’s a good chance TVNZ will be able to rent a supportive crowd. Long-time Warriors fans reckon there’s few thousand extras who’ve appeared from nowhere and will happily turn up if they think they’ll win. They might even be joined by netball fans who would be happy to not be able to find their sport on the box right now, such is their angst.
Right now, sports fans are bewildered. They’re also dealing with another all pervasive dark presence on the screen called advertisements. The channel has cut them back after sustained moaning that any older white male would be proud of but the remote cannot save them when the sport is live. I’ve heard SKY bosses have had to be hospitalised from laughing too much.
Here’s hoping TVNZ doesn’t just have a lot of worried meetings and is actually able to ensure what happened to King doesn’t happen to any other athlete. I understand their confusion at the time. New Zealand thought squash retired along with Susan Devoy and suddenly, without warning a person wearing the fern appears in the final and starts winning?! How are they supposed to know we are good at low profile sports, when we never see these people on screen.
It’s a sad day for free-to-air. It needs the commercials to afford the rights. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for the many who can’t afford to pay to watch our best take on the world. Kids are inspired by what they see. I was never going to play a sport like squash with tiny skirts that showed your undies, but as a kid I remember being amazed that Susan Devoy, a Kiwi, could kick world-class arse.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if some of the young talent we have could move into athletics, squash or weightlifting instead of rugby? Kids believe what they can see.
Speaking of which, would someone please signal Judy? Even if those golden vocables cannot calm the fury of the masses, it would be lovely to see a woman over 50 on telly.
Emma Keeling is a former television journalist.
Right now, sports fans are bewildered. They're also dealing with another all pervasive dark presence on the screen called advertisements.