Finau the box office attraction
Trans-Tasman rivalry continues in Super Rugby Pacific, with four Kiwi teams facing Australian rivals, as the Phoenix footballers get the weekend off ahead of the A-League semifinals and the Warriors return to action.
We look at the top sport on our screens this weekend, taking in stops in Newcastle, Singapore and the north of England.
5 – Super Rugby Pacific: Chiefs v Force. Tomorrow 7.05pm, live on Sky Sport 1 (channel 51) and Sky Open (channel 4)
Samipeni Finau – all 1.93m and 115kg of him – is officially the most feared defender in Super Rugby Pacific. His shuddering tackle on the Waratahs’ Tane Edmed was deemed fair, but attracted plenty of comment and put him on the radar for match officials in future matches.
Finau told Stuff: “At the time I was really scared because I thought it was late and I was going to get yellow-carded. Most of the time I know my technique is there, it’s more if it’s a high tackle or not. [But] I’ve got to be careful.”
Asked about the legality of Finau’s tackle, Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw said: “It was a good hit. I thought it was totally fine. It was a big tackle but I didn’t see anything wrong with it.”
4 – Premier League: Sheffield United v Nottingham Forest. Sunday 2am, live on Sky Sport 7 (channel 57)
A big few days loom for Forest and their All Whites striker Chris Wood. They await the result of their appeal into a four-point deduction for breaching the Premier League’s “profitability and sustainability rules”, and have a royal chance of avoiding relegation if they can beat the doomed Sheffield United away.
Wood has 13 goals in all competitions for Forest but hasn’t scored in his past three outings and had some glaring misses in the 2-0 loss to Manchester City.
3 – World Sevens Series: Singapore Sevens. Sunday 9.40pm (women’s final) and 10.20pm (men’s final), live on Sky Sport 2 (channel 52)
Captain Risi Pouri-Lane and the Black Ferns Sevens sit level on points with their great rivals Australia in the women’s series, with just Singapore and the final tournament in Madrid looming before Olympic medals go on the line in Paris.
The All Blacks Sevens are defending their Singapore title and are fresh off a victory in Hong Kong which lifted them to fifth on the men’s standings. Kitiona Vai is set to take the field alongside his younger brother, Cody, after being sidelined with injury for almost two years.
2 – NRL: Warriors v Newcastle Knights. Sunday 4pm, live on Sky Sport 4 (channel 54)
The Warriors have won three of their last four against the Knights and desperately need a victory in Newcastle after plenty of time to digest their Anzac Day horror show against the Titans. They sit 12th, one point ahead of the Knights, and welcome back key men Kurt Capewell and Bunty Afoa from injury.
The Knights are without injured star Kalyn Ponga but unearthed a gem in fullback David Armstrong, who guided them to victory over the Dolphins on debut.
1 – Super Rugby Pacific: Hurricanes v Waratahs. Tonight 7.05pm, live on Sky Sport 1 (channel 51)
The Cane train didn’t quite derail in Canberra but it certainly wobbled on the tracks.
Perhaps a torrid win in the Fijian heat and subsequent travel caught up with them. As coach Clark Laidlaw said: “We didn’t feel like the Brumbies threw something at us that we should be missing 43 tackles. That was a big part of the honesty on Monday when we looked at the game.”
Captain Brad Shields is rested, TJ Perenara and Jordie Barrett are benched.
The TAB has the hosts at a microscopic $1.07 to beat the 11th-placed Waratahs, who lost at home to the Chiefs last weekend.
Watch for fullback Ruben Love – a near certainty to crack the All Blacks this year – to carve up on his home track after looking a huge threat with limited opportunities against the Brumbies.