Fa from cowered: I’ll take him out
Super Rugby Aotearoa no one-horse race
Joseph Parker has made his intentions clear about his plan against Junior Fa tomorrow night. He wants to knock him out — and do it early. Speaking ahead of the heavyweight showdown at Spark Arena in Auckland, Parker put his cards on the table and said he wants to knock out Fa within the first six rounds.
“There’s no secret that going into a fight, a fighter wants a knockout. That’s what I’m going to be looking for,” Parker said. “I think that’s what he’s going to be looking for, too. But I know that I possess the power to knock him out.
“That’s my plan. That’s what I want to do . . . [Round] one, two, three, four, five, six — I want to get him early.”
Fa, on the other hand, chose to keep his plan — at least outwardly — closer to his chest, but says he has the power to “take him down”.
“I can beat him,” Fa replied when asked if he can knock Parker out. “If I hurt him, I’ll take him down.
“I feel much better than my old self a few months ago. I’m feeling fully prepared for this fight. I feel like I’m peaking at the right time. I’m just feeling good. I’m getting excited . . . I can’t wait for the night.
“He can hit. I can move and I can dodge punches,” Fa added, when asked about Parker’s aggressive plan.
A point of contention within the Fa camp around the judges picked for the fight is also set to be resolved come fight night, said Fa’s manager Mark Keddell.
“The Barry family is a very famous and successful Christchurch family and we just thought there’s a couple of Auckland boys fighting so we should have Auckland judges,” Keddell said in reference to Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry.
“We felt pretty strongly about that.
“We’ve negotiated it so that we feel like we have a fair deal moving forward. We want a fair shake of it.”
“We definitely didn’t want Kevin’s mate from the pub to be one of the judges. He was a contentious judge,” joked Fa’s trainer Eugene Bareman.
Parker’s manager David Higgins confirmed the camps have reached an agreement around new judges.
Ultimately, both fighters say they’re at the top of their game and will put it all on the line on Saturday in what promises to be a thrilling fight.
“He has strengths, he has weaknesses. I have strengths, I have weaknesses,” said Fa.
“I feel like I can figure him out, I feel like we have a good plan that I can execute on the night to make sure that I come out on top.”
“The good thing about the postponement is that we’re both at 100 per cent now,” Parker added.
“He was able to take care of his health issues and I was able to take care of my elbows. There’s no excuses. Come Saturday when we fight, we’re both at 100 per cent and whoever wins is the best in New Zealand.” — NZ Herald
We will be back stronger. That may sound like a cliche, but I firmly believe it. We will be back.
Sir Ben Ainslie
The past few days have not been much fun. I woke up at around 5am on Tuesday and, for a minute, I thought we were still right in the thick of it. Then it hit me again: we are out of the running for this America’s Cup.
It is going to take a while to process, but that is sport. If you are going to compete at the highest level, you have to accept the risk that you may not win, and, if you do not it, will really hurt.
Like all Cup campaigns it has been full-on, not just the past six months but the past four years.
That said, it has been a huge privilege to have been hosted here in this beautiful country. Given the challenges the world has been facing, that opportunity is not lost on us. Thank you, New Zealand.
We will be back stronger. That may sound like a cliche, but I firmly believe it.
If you look at where we are now compared to where we were four years ago after Bermuda, there is a world of difference — our knowledge, our IP, our personnel. The linear progression has been constant.
We are a much stronger team now and I have to thank every single team member for their commitment and determination to see this challenge through to the end.
I have to give credit to Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa.
The AC75 was their creation and it has proven to be, in my opinion, a perfect embodiment of what the Cup should be about: technology, power, grace, speed and, most importantly, it has the “wow” factor.
In some ways, we should not be surprised that we now have the Challenger of Record, Luna Rossa, joining the defender in the Cup match itself.
Their understanding of that concept better prepared them to develop a faster package across the wind range and they stepped up their performance on the water to match.
Ourselves and American Magic made considerable gains with our second race boats but it always felt as if we were chasing. That was why we went for an aggressive design.
We did not play it safe at all. Perhaps that cost us in the end.
Clearly the Prada Cup final was very one-sided. We cannot hide from that.
Our performance in light airs throughout the Challenger series was not good enough.
As much as we took satisfaction from the improvements we made after Christmas, the results in the round robins probably flattered us, with the conditions disguising Britannia’s inherent weakness.
Plus we sailed some good tactical races.
I was proud of the way we fought, and without giving anything away, because that is our IP, we have a good idea of where we went wrong.
Inevitably there is already talk about what the future might look like for our team and for the America’s Cup. I think it is far too early to make any assumptions.
Clearly we need to see whether the Kiwis defend, or whether we are suddenly looking at a Cup from an
Italian perspective.
What I will say is that we set out on this journey to get the Cup back to Britain for the first time in its 170-year history and we have to persist in achieving that goal. Observing the Kiwi and Italian success in this game, it is clear that continuity over many Cup cycles has enabled consistent development and learning.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos have been absolutely fantastic in their backing of the team.
Jim was the first guy on the boat after we lost that final race, to commiserate with the guys.
He is a real sportsman at heart and understands the challenges that come with competing at this level.
Being part of Ineos sports, having access to the Mercedes F1 team and Ineos Grenadiers, as well as the likes of Eliud Kipchoge, is a huge privilege for our team.
That shared learning between our sports has huge potential. As a team, we need to tap into that collective experience to learn from our mistakes and ensure that we set the right pathway and culture for future success.
Finally, a huge thank you for all the support we have received from back home in the UK and around the world.
These are exceptionally difficult times for so many people but we have been overwhelmed by the messages of support for the team and the interest created by this Cup. We will be back.
— Telegraph Group UK
After four years of successive titles, it’s unsurprising to again see the Crusaders rank as firm favourites to claim the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa title.
Under the guidance of head coach Scott Robertson, the Christchurch franchise are in the midst of a golden era as they eye a fifth consecutive crown to add to their exhaustive honours list.
The prospect of a sixth title on the bounce is also on the radar, should they do the double in both Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby Transtasman, but the reigning Kiwi champions won’t be getting ahead of themselves.
With the season underway tonight, the Crusaders still have to embark on eight straight New Zealand derbies before they can lock away any silverware, and each of those matches will be tough encounters.
Robertson’s squad will understand the competition is certainly not a onehorse race, with each of the other four franchises posing their own respective threats to the Crusaders’ dynasty.
There are two teams in particular that stand front and centre in the collective bid to knock the Crusaders off their perch, according to recentlyretired Blues hooker James Parsons and Crusaders halfback Bryn Hall.
Speaking on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod, Parsons, who quit all forms of rugby last month, said his former side, for whom he played 115 times between 2012 and 2020, are legitimate contenders to claim their first Super Rugby title since 2003.
After a decade-and-a-half of underperformance, the three-time champions enjoyed a resurgent campaign last year, sitting in fourth spot at the time of Super Rugby’s suspension in March before finishing runners-up in Super Rugby Aotearoa.
Their rejuvenation coincided with the high-profile acquisition of All
Blacks star Beauden Barrett, but the two-time World Rugby Player of the Year is unavailable this year due to his sabbatical in Japan.
However, Parsons suggested the Blues have enough depth across the board to cope without Barrett — and recently-retired All Blacks great Dan Carter — this year, putting them in good stead to go one place better than their 2020 campaign.
“I genuinely do think the Blues because it’s another year of experience,” Parsons said.
The two-test hooker added he was impressed by what he had seen from the Auckland franchise in their pre-season outings, noting that their performances reflected the goals they have set for themselves for the season ahead.
“I felt, from what I saw on the weekend, and I haven’t been in with the squad at all, you could see that there’s a genuine expectation on themselves to step up and continue that ball rolling,” he said.
“From what you saw from the big guys that haven’t had a lot of pre-season, like Rieko [Ioane], I just thought he was exceptional.
“His line speed, defensively, his willingness to set up his team-mates, his work rate off the ball — when you’ve got a leader like that delivering in a pre-season game with no points on the board, others are going to follow.
“I think that’s the most exciting thing for me, and you’ve got a guy like Otere [Black] who’s got that balance of attack, you’ve got
competition at No 9 between Finlay Christie, Sam Nock and Jonathan Ruru, who was exceptional on the weekend, in key positions.
“You’ve got a forward pack that is coached by Tom Coventry that are continuing to just want to roll their sleeves up. You’ve got a front three that are fighting for positions.
“You’ve got Nepo [Laulala] and Ofa [Tuungafasi] fighting out for tighthead. You’ve got two All Blacks [Karl Tu’inukuafe and Alex Hodgman] fighting it out for loosehead.
“You’ve got a skipper in Patty [Patrick Tuipulotu], you’ve got Tom Robinson, you’ve got Dalton Papalii, you’ve got Blake Gibson, you’ve got Hoskins [Sotutu], you’ve got Akira [Ioane]. You’ve got selection dilemmas. That’s depth and selection dilemmas.”
Hall, meanwhile, agreed with Parsons’ assertion that the Blues loom as key challengers to deny his side yet another title, but the 29-year-old was similarly impressed with the recruitment efforts made by the Highlanders over the off-season.
The Dunedin franchise endured a
below-par campaign last year, picking up just one win from five matches prior to Super Rugby’s cancellation and finishing in fourth in Super Rugby Aotearoa.
That forced the side to part ways with head coach Aaron Mauger, who has since been replaced by Tony Brown, an assistant to Mauger in 2020 and back for his second stint in the top job at the club.
Since his appointment, the former Highlanders first five has recruited strongly, bringing in a raft of top names.
“The Highlanders have done really well in their recruiting, and I think, with Tony Brown being involved again, it’s is going to be great for them, bringing back their real Highlanders mindset,” Hall told the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.
“Even though he was in the environment last year, I think him being able to be the head coach will be massive for them.
“The players that they’ve signed, with the likes of, in their backline, Fetuli Paea — who was really good for us here — he’s going to have more growth and he’s going to have more opportunities. I see him very similar to Malakai Fekitoa, actually.
“Then Solomon Alaimalo, who is a great signing for their back three. They had a lot of young guys there
last year, and probably lacked that experience and Solly has had a lot of time at the Chiefs and, not too long ago, he was knocking on the door of the All Blacks.
“I think they’ve just signed some really good, key, experienced players like Josh Hohneck, who’s come back, and Bryn Evans, who will really add that experience in that group.
“Let’s talk about Liam Squire, who, we know in New Zealand rugby, is more of a talisman for them who sets the tone physically and just brings more depth into that loose forward trio, who are going to be fantastic with his addition.”
Hall added that while he doesn’t expect the Highlanders to challenge for the Super Rugby Aotearoa title as strongly as the Blues this year, the foundations are in place for a successful future — especially with one key youngster in their ranks.
“One guy that I’ve also had a look around is [Folau] Fakatava and his involvement that he’s been having off the bench,” Hall said.
“He’ll keep Nuggy [Aaron Smith] honest, but you look at how he played during the Mitre 10 Cup and his game management and how much he grew in the last 12 months.”