Sport
The week’s best live action
SOCCER No Germany (shocker), no Argentina, no Denmark; perhaps England are in with a chance. At the time of writing, it was possible although, on balance, unlikely. The 2018 Fifa World Cup final will be played at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium in front of 81,000 people and a projected worldwide audience of one billion. More figures: total viewership of the event is projected to be 3.4 billion – nearly half the world’s population – and Fifa’s revenue, which includes TV rights and sponsorship deals, is reportedly more than $9 billion. Live coverage of the third-place playoff is on Sunday morning (SS4, 1.30am); and the final is on Monday morning (Prime and SS4, 2.45 and 2.30am).
RUGBY
It’s Super Rugby’s final round: on Saturday in Dunedin, the Highlanders take on the Melbourne Rebels, who will be keen to improve their standing in the final eight (SS1, 5.00pm). Then the Crusaders have another practice run against the Blues in Christchurch (SS1, 7.15pm). In South Africa, the Lions play the Bulls early on Sunday morning (SS3, 1.00am), followed by the Sharks v Jaguares (SS1, 3.10am). The qualifiers start on Friday (SS1, 7.00pm).
ROWING
New Zealand has won the World Rowing Cup three times (2014-16), although Great Britain won their seventh title last year. The final leg of the three-stage competition takes place on Lake Rotsee, Lucerne, known as the “Wimbledon of Rowing”, and New Zealand is sending a large contingent, including the veteran Mahé Drysdale; world champion double-scullers Chris Harris and John Storey and Olivia Loe and Brooke Donoghue; and women’s coxless pair world champions Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast. Coverage on Sunday (SS Pop-up 2, 8.00pm).