This match could drag on

We always expected a competitive contest and the prospect of Oracle failing to find a win seemed unthinkable. To have a Cup legend like Russell Coutts talk of a clean sweep to the Kiwis smacked more of gamesmanship than reality and he was the first to rise out of his seat and applaud his Oracle outfit finally notching a win. The longer this thing goes, the more competitive Oracle will become.

Oracle have used their time wisely

No one doubted the defenders would maximise the five-day break which must have seemed like a lifetime after what they achieved in a couple of days four years ago in San Francisco. They lightened the boat for the lighter winds but their biggest gains came in the form of their remodelled foils. They used much longer tips and got the boat sitting more nosedown like Team New Zealand’s.

Jimmy Spithill can moan all he likes about Team New Zealand getting the better of ‘‘soft’’ penalties, but he only has himself to blame. A starting line penalty is purely the fault of the skipper and his crew and Spithill’s blunder put Oracle on the back foot from the opening gun on Sunday. A second penalty in the same race came as he applied illegal heat in close quarters. Combine the two and Spithill effectively handed the Kiwis race five of the series.

Team NZ aren’t as smart as they make out

We hear a lot about the young Kiwi crew learning quickly from their mistakes and these guys have made huge gains in a short time in this tough environment. But worryingly the loss brought back memories of their first roundrobin defeat to Oracle. Once again, holding a handy lead heading upwind on leg five of seven, they ignored ‘‘match-racing 1.01’’ and failed to cover Spithill. He escaped to the left and found the windshift to get back into the game. By the time they met at the top gate, Spithill had the better speed and position to turn first and leave Aotearoa in his wake.

Burling likes to banter

The Cup rookie is prepared to give as good as he gets when it comes to battling Spithill off the water as well as on it. But is it wise to bait a Pitbull? It’s certainly better to see a bit of counter-punch from the Kiwi camp than the meek efforts in San Francisco four years ago when they were knocked out day after day by the cocky Aussie on the microphone at the top table. And Sunday wasn’t even a counter-punch, Burling twice got in the first blows. Good on him. But, as always, it’s good to walk the talk too. Time will tell who has the last laugh.