Roll up, roll up for the SBW show
1. What is expected of Sonny Bill Williams? Here we go. Again. If a player misses six games because of a fractured wrist, it pays to be realistic when forecasting what impact he can make once back on the factory floor.
But this is Sonny Bill Williams we’re talking about. Just mentioning his name makes sane citizens briefly take leave of their senses: eyes ping around inside skulls, and foam oozes out of mouths.
The ex-heavyweight boxer, who returns to add oomph to the Blues midfield against the Hurricanes at Eden Park tonight, will have his every move scrutinised. That’s just the way it is.
Still, Williams’s pregame KPIs should be modest. A solid 60-plus minutes should enough for a pass mark. Barring injury, selection in the All Blacks squad to play France, named on May 20, will then be a formality. And that will be that.
2. Will a few extra sets of eyeballs be glued to the gogglebox when the South African teams get going this weekend?
Recent speculation about whether the South Africans will bid farewell to Super Rugby, either before or after the 2020 deadline for a new broadcast deal, could encourage some Kiwis to record games played in the dead of night local time.
Sometimes you don’t yearn for things until they are gone. The South Africans haven’t cleared off yet, and whether they will is a moot point but the rumours have at least given us reason to pause and think about what their teams offer the competition.
As the Sharks proved last week when they pummelled the Highlanders 38-12 in Durban, they do their share in terms of providing entertainment.
3. Since we are talking about competition revamps, what’s the point of having the Sunwolves involved?
We are told having a Japanese-based team in Super Rugby makes commercial sense. Pity about the Sunwolves’ record. Ahead of their match against the Reds in Tokyo this weekend, the Sunwolves have lost all nine games. While the Jaguares are looking like playoff contenders, the Sunwolves remain anchored in sediment. Not everything that glitters is gold in the Land of the Rising Yen.
4. How important is the Chiefs’ game against the Stormers in Cape Town?
Very. Given the team they will select for their second game in South Africa, against the Sharks in Durban, will be stripped of All Blacks, the upcoming game in Cape Town is a must-win. On the back of the recent loss to the Jaguares in Rotorua, the Chiefs cannot afford to wobble along the tightrope in the New Zealand conference.
5. Can the Highlanders reverse their way out of the pothole they hit in Durban?
There’s no disgrace in flopping to the Sharks in the Natal humidity but conceding five tries isn’t flash by anyone’s standards.
It’s not all bad news for the Highlanders. At least they don’t have to worry about inclement weather forcing them to alter their game plan inside the enclosed stadium against the Lions.
Unlike the Crusaders. Rain is forecast for their outing against the Waratahs in Christchurch. Reading the wet-weather section of the strategy menu may be required for that one. New Zealand always beckoned for Carlos Spencer. Just maybe not Wellington.
South Africa and Japan have been home for the former All Blacks first five-eighth in recent years, as he sought to transfer a stellar playing career into coaching. It paid off this week, when he was unveiled as a new assistant coach for the Hurricanes, largely on the work he did in Johannesburg with the Lions.
It’s the kind of appointment that could change the trajectory of his career, and maybe alter Spencer’s view of where home is, too.
Having made his playing name in Auckland, it remains his dream coaching destination.
‘‘That was prob- ably the plan and the idea. Being ex-Blues, that was always my goal to return there one day,’’ Spencer said in Wellington yesterday.
‘‘I probably thought I’d end up there before I ended up at the Hurricanes but the Hurricanes are probably the second team that are closest to my heart. I grew up in the Nua [Horowhenua] so it [Wellington] was just down the road.
‘‘I spent a lot of time here with the old man, working in the drains, so I know Wellington quite well. If there was ever another franchise I was going to go to in New Zealand, it was probably the Hurricanes and I’ve got that opportunity now.’’
Spencer is still contracted to the Sanix Blues in Japan and will officially take up his new role in December and January.
His addition marks the only change to the Hurricanes’ existing staff. Head coach Chris Boyd has a three-year deal at Northampton kicking off at the end of this Super season, with John Plumtree succeeding him and Jason Holland, Richard Watt and Dan Cron all signing contract extensions.
Spencer rated winning the 2011 Currie Cup final with the Golden Lions, as assistant coach to John Mitchell, the highlight of his coaching career and it’s what sold Plumtree on him too.
‘‘That Currie Cup final he’s talking about was actually against the Sharks, so that’s not a very nice memory for me,’’ a smiling Plumtree said.
He was Sharks coach then and an admirer of the work Spencer did with players such as Elton Jantjies. Spencer will have players such as Beauden Barrett to work with here, in what’s going to be a pretty ‘‘broad’’ role.
Carlos Spencer