Awards Season Comes Early

I thought I’d give out some awards based on sporting events during the past week or so.

The Warrior Award: Richie McCaw

On Saturday night in the post-game interviews the condition of his face made him look like he’d been mugged, as it always does after a test match. He continues to be a wonderful player and a wonderful leader. And he’s a tough as old boots.

The Skin of Their Teeth Award: The Warriors

 They were the width of the painted dead-ball line away from ending their playoff hopes on Saturday night; if Gold Coast Titans winger Kevin Gordon had managed to plant the ball 30 cms further back, the Warriors would be playing for pride only next week. As it stands their playoff hopes are still alive and hang by the most slender of threads.

The How Good is He Award: Jacko Gill

For a fully mature male in his 30’s he’d be amazing. As an 18 year old in a sport where athletes often don’t peak till their early 30’s, he’s a phenomenon. He holds every age grade world record bar one. I don’t think New Zealanders truly appreciate how amazing Gill actually is.

The How Good Is He Going To Be In Ten Years Award: Jacko Gill

In ten years’ time, Jacko will be an Olympic champion, a world champion and a world record holder. As he starts to move into senior competitions, he won’t win everything immediately but it won’t take long. I’m sure he has the rest of those world records in his sights.

The How Good Is She Going To Be In Ten Years Award: Lydia Ko

She is competing against, and beating, pro golfers. And she’s only 16.

The ‘God I’m Sick of People Making Height Jokes in Interviews But I’ll Smile Anyway’ Award: Steven Adams

Melanie Robinson’s pre-All Black test interview with Adams included the customary astonishment and commentary on Adams’ height. Did I detect the slightest hint of a ‘here we go again’ look on Adams’ face? Maybe not…

The Gosh He’s Talented So Why Don’t They Pass to Him More Often Award: Israel Folau

When Folau evaded Dagg on his way to scoring an interception try vs. the All Blacks on Saturday, aside from thinking ‘Has there ever before been an instance of two sportsmen named Israel facing each other on a sports field?’, I was astounded at the ease with which he ran around Dagg. It was effortless and reminded me of Lomu at his peak playing sevens. Why the Wallabies don’t involve him much, much more in their gameplan is beyond me.

The Australian Front Rowers Are Rubbish Award: The Australian Front Row

The Wallabies props and hookers were always the favourites to collect this award, and they came through superbly on Saturday to claim it yet again. They were destroyed by their NZ counterparts. Now the new scrum rules have returned scrummaging to being a test of strength and technique again, as opposed to a contest involving who could get the best hit in as the scrum formed, the Aussies have nuthin’. They were lucky Wyatt Crockett was summoned because up until that point they were being embarrassed.

The 100 Not Out Award: Tony Woodcock

He’s had an extraordinary number of critics over the years, but nobody plays a hundred test matches and sees off numerous quality challengers along the way without being quality. And Woodcock is.

The Gosh I Wish He Was A Kiwi Award: James Horwill

As good as our locks are, Horwill is a fantastic player and a great leader. A second row of Whitelock and Horwill would be as dominant as Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield once were.

The Whaaaaaaaat??? Award: Liverpool Football Club

Two games played in the English Premier League. Two wins. Six points. Hasn’t happened for five seasons. Please oh please let this be our season…

The Not Looking Good Award: Jesse Mogg

The Wallabies fullback has looked out of his depth thus far in the Rugby Championship. Undoubtedly talented, but this may be a step too far for him.

The It Looks like They’ve Been International Players for Years Already Award: Steven Luatua and Tom Taylor

Taylor produced an assured first test performance to illustrate that our first five-eighth stocks are plentiful for the inevitable post-Dan-Carter era. His late rib injury also meant he succumbed to the injury curse attached to the All Black number 10 jersey. Luatua is a beast and is absolutely ready for test football. Luatua’s entrance to the international arena has been so promising that Victor Vito’s best hope for a role at international level now is as Kieran Read’s understudy, Jerome Kaino will need to be on top of his game if he returns and Liam Messam will be sweating.

The Fifty Six Year Wait is Over Award: Otago

I was amazed to read that Otago hasn’t held the Ranfurly Shield for more than half a century. The jubilation exhibited by the team at the final whistle was wonderful to watch and a refreshing change.  

The Yee-Haaa Enthusiasm Award: TVNZ Americas Cup Commentary Team

I have no idea whether they are really as excited as they seem to be. But the excitement, positivity and enthusiasm they muster when commentating on a ‘race’ in which one team wins by two and a half minutes is commendable.

The Too Much Cash Award: Roman Abramovich

The owner of Chelsea Football Club is an obscenely wealthy man. When rivals Tottenham Hotspur announced they were negotiating to buy Brazilian player Willian from unpronounceable Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, Abramovich simply picked up the phone, called the owner to offer more than Tottenham were prepared to pay and therefore Willian is expected to be playing for Chelsea very shortly. It’s generally accepted that Chelsea don’t actually need Willian as they have plenty of class players in his position already. And it’s also generally accepted that Abramovich actually only bought him to stop him from joining Chelsea’s bitter rival. That’s one rich man.

The Time to Call it a Day Award: David Tua

His body (calf muscle to be precise) is telling him what I suspect Russian gigantor opponent Alexander Ustinov’s fists will confirm in November – it’s time to pull the pin. I would love nothing more than to see Tua win, then get another couple of paydays and be financially comfortable for the rest of his days. But Ustinov looks like he was built in a factory in Chernobyl. If the boxing authorities are correct and he is in fact the 7^th or 10^th (depending who you ask) best heavyweight in the world, it’s very hard to see Tua overcoming that ridiculous size differential. Still, stranger things have happened. Go David!

The Gosh I Hope He Beats This Award: Jonah Lomu

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of meeting Jonah at a book signing in a Wellington mall. He looked like he was feeling pretty average (having a single, malfunctioning kidney will do that to you) yet he was friendly, full of smiles and stayed on well beyond his scheduled finishing time. He happily posed for a photo with my kids and was happy to sign our just-purchased book, my son’s shirt and my daughter’s shoe. I sincerely hope he can find another kidney donor and prolong his life for many years to come. Best of luck Jonah.

Till Next Time,

SG

Was Robbie Smiling?

As Robbie Deans, presumably, sat in his plush Sydney home on Saturday night did he watch the All Blacks slaughter this somewhat new batch of Wallabies? And did he ever so slightly let out a little smile? Not in a nasty way; just a flicker of satisfaction that said ‘Ewen McKenzie – it’s not as easy as you thought, is it?’

The All Blacks simply dismantled the Wallabies. Even though they conceded 29 points, which will be a concern for the coaching crew, they always looked in control as they racked up 47 points of their own. McKenzie has rattled the changes in his troops, but it appeared the same old problems still persist.

The Aussie front row had their moments where they competed well enough but ultimately they are still just journeymen and grafters. For example McKenzie dropped Benn Robinson and replaced him with James Slipper; I couldn’t actually tell the difference. They need a standout number 8 and number 6. Having said that, openside flanker Michael Hooper was arguably the best player on the field. He was everywhere, always involved and a constant nuisance for the AB’s. 

In the backs, fullback Jesse Mogg probably played his way out of the team for next week in Wellington. Israel Folau is a wonderful talent but at times on Saturday I wondered if he was even on the field at all. It would be worth trying him at fullback to get him into the game more. James O’Connor had moments where he did OK on the left wing and is probably worth persevering with, although he did a superb impersonation of Manu Vatuvei on defence as he rushed in unnecessarily and left his opposite Ben Smith unmarked to score in the corner.

For the AB’s, Ben Smith was superb, as was Conrad and Ma’a Nonu answered many of his critics with a good all-round game. Cruden was excellent, as was nippy little Aaron Smith who dictated the pace and direction of the game superbly.

In the forwards McCaw mixed some sublime moments with some blatant and silly penalisable offences in kickable field positions. But ultimately he superbly won a couple turnovers at key times, scored an excellent try (his ninth in trans-Tasman clashes) and will be all the better for the hit-out.

I often found myself watching Steven Luatua as the match progressed. The physically imposing blindside flanker is a star of the future, no doubt about it. If Jerome Kaino returns to play proper rugby in NZ again, I think Victor Vito may struggle to ever again move ahead of Kaino, Luatua and Liam Messam in the race for the number six jersey. Luatua was a standout at Super Rugby and ITM Cup levels. And in this test, I thought he was excellent.

But test rugby is a huge step up in terms of pace and intensity. Innumerable numbers of players over the years have found the step up too great. There were times, for example after he had just put in the hard yards to chase down and smash  the ever-popular Quade Cooper, when he was down on one knee and a look on his face that said ‘man, this is tough’. But the next look on his face was ‘man, I’m loving this.’ And that’s why I think he’ll be a massive success for years to come.

My other thought while watching this test was that the mighty IRB has been at it again as they tweak their rulebook once more. I don’t mind the new ‘crouch, bind, set’ scrums. Although it takes away some of the advantage of a front row getting a ‘good hit’, if it reduces the number of indescribably annoying scrum resets, it gets my vote. But those resets have now been replaced by penalties (no longer free kicks) for crooked feeds into the scrum by the halfback. Sometimes the feeds were crooked, but sometimes the scrum was on the move and the feed wasn’t actually as crooked as it appeared to be. But either way, who cares? If a team’s scrum is good enough to push the attacking team off the ball, then that’s fine. But otherwise a scrum is really just a way to re-start play and draw all the forwards in so there’s an element of space further out. So the direction of the scrum feed doesn’t really matter to me.

The other moment of rules-gone-crazy involved Aaron Smith. He made a(nother) break and was tackled but wasn’t held by the tackler. He therefore got back up and carried on running. A shrill blast of the whistle ensued. What had he done wrong? He had failed to release the ball momentarily before getting up again. What? Why? What possible reason is there for that rule? If you’re tackled and held, release the ball – no problem. If you’re tackled but not held, why can’t you just get up and carry on? Another example of a stupid rule dreamt up by some cigar-smoking, port-swilling, moustachioed upper class chap sitting in a leather armchair in a London gentleman’s club. Rugby has too many rules and that has to change.

The Week by Numbers

47: An almost record score by the All Blacks vs. the Wallabies

29: Too many points conceded by the All Blacks

3: Number of boats left in the Americas Cup regatta

4: Total number of boats in the Americas Cup regatta in the first place

1: Number of goals scored by Liverpool vs. Stoke. Enough for a first-up win…

19.66: Number of seconds Usain Bolt required to run 200 metres on the way to a World Championship gold medal.

-10: Jason Dufner’s score to win the U.S. PGA golf championship

140: dollars required to purchase a family pass to the upcoming All Whites world cup playoff

452: dollars required to purchase four adult tickets to the upcoming All Blacks vs. Australia test

10+: years since the Wallabies have held the Bledisloe Cup

210: number of Major League baseball games Alex Rodriguez will miss after testing positive for performance-enhancing substances

24: points scored by the Warriors vs. the Penrith Panthers

28: points scored by the Penrith Panthers vs. the Warriors

500,000: NZRU’s approx. annual profit

Americas Cup of Lies

Has it stopped? Oh god, no it’s still going. And now the cup holders Oracle, skippered by ‘Kiwi’ Russell Coutts, have been shown to be cheating. I don’t really understand how – something about putting a weight on the keel or something. Honestly, could this whole debacle get any sillier? Probably…

Where are the Crowds?               

In the 1980’s it was deemed ‘The Battle of the Bridge’. These matches were brutal affairs with tries, big hits, punches and trips to the sinbin. Everyone who watched was either a staunch Auckland supporter or an Auckland-hater who fervently supported the North Harbour side.

On Sunday we had the 2013 version. The atmosphere was akin to morning tea with the crochet club. If you subtracted players, officials, union employees, corporate guests and recipients of freebies, I reckon there were about 25 spectators in attendance. It is also indicative of what’s happening in NZ rugby right now. Seemingly these days the general public cares less and less about our ‘national game’; the exception being the All Blacks, whose support base never wanes.

As the NZRU pat themselves on the back about getting their accounts out of overdraft (and let’s face it, they were only a couple of executive salaries or a top level playing contract away from being back in the red), I hope they also have a plan outlining how they will grow the game again in this country.

Till next time,

SG

Holler...

…for a Marshall. This week saw the announcement of the imminent arrival into the NZ rugby ranks of one Benji Marshall. Once upon a time Marshall could do no wrong in the world of rugby league. He produced one of the most memorable NRL grand final moments of all time when in 2005 he broke clear of the defence before cheekily flicking the ball back inside to his winger, Pat Richards, who surged on to score the try as Benji’s beloved Tigers lifted the trophy.

He had an absolutely horrific run of injuries, mainly concerning a shoulder that would dislocate, be operated on then refuse to stay in its socket as soon as it was required for tackling duties again. But despite this, he eventually strengthened the shoulder and modified his tackling so he was able to continue his career.

And despite there being no repeat of that 2005 grand final success in the years since – in fact they are odds-on to take the wooden spoon this season – Marshall has always remained a key member of the Tigers and the Kiwis. He would often dictate how a game would be run and on more than one occasion he would seemingly win matches on his own.

But sometime in the last couple of years that has started to change. His unbelievable acceleration from a standing start has waned a little. The unreadable Benji sidestep that has embarrassed many-an-opponent isn’t quite as hard to read anymore. Some of this decline (if you can even call it that) may be down to age, although he’s only 28. Some of it may even be an accumulation of all those injuries and the week-in week-out battering that the NRL players take six months a year.

But I think a lot of it is to do with the mental side of things. Marshall is extremely well recompensed for his efforts. And fair enough. When it came time for Team Marshall to negotiate an extension to his contract that would have effectively made him a Tiger for life, the Tigers power-brokers agreed to an even more lucrative contract. Strangely, this was agreed with a hearty handshake rather than the more conventional piece of paper.

Then all of a sudden the leader of the Tigers pack was deposed, a new Big Cheese was appointed and the selection of a handshake rather than pen and paper did not seem such a wise decision. The contract extension/upgrade was denied. There’s no doubt this affected Marshall’s on-field performances and despite many glimpses of his brilliance in recent weeks, you couldn’t really argue that he’s the Benji of old.

So taking all this into consideration, will he be a success in the 15-man game? I respond with a ballsy resounding ‘YES’. As many others have suggested, I think he’ll develop into an excellent fullback.

Why do I think this? He’ll have a bit of time at the back, eventually he’ll chime into the backline with the grace and speed of Christian Cullen (I’m not comparing these two by the way – it’s just an analogy). His kicking in general play is good, and with the tutelage of kicking guru Mick Byrne will only get better, and he offers another option as a goalkicker. And he can tackle. Yes, he can. Although he’s not a defensive powerhouse, he’s no Quade Cooper in terms of defensive frailty either. So much of a fullback’s defensive work involves chasing down opposition attackers from behind or from the side as they scarper towards the line. But he’s a courageous tackler, so I think he’ll generally be OK with front-on tackling when required as well.

It’s a fairly significant financial outlay for the Blues franchise and the NZRU, even though Marshall is taking a sizeable salary cut to come home. But he’s a proud Kiwi, a supremely talented sportsman and he’ll put plenty of bums on seats when he plays. I think it’s a smart move for the Blues and for Marshall. As long as he remembers to release the ball on the ground I, for one, am looking forward to seeing him give Union a go.

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Ma’a Nonu?

Best in the world in his position? Probably.

Destructive player who demolishes opposing defences? Definitely.

Has improved his game over the years? Yes.

Is wanted by anyone? No.

It’s hard to work out what’s going to happen regarding the domestic playing future of Mr. Nonu. On his day he can single-handedly turn, and even win, a game. When his game was described as one dimensional and predictable he worked hard to develop his distribution and kicking skills. He’s had a mortgage on the All Black number 12 jersey for many years although it’s fair to say that SBW had probably become first-choice second-five by the time he temporarily left the game.

I don’t have any particular inside knowledge of what went down between Nonu and Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett. There have been plenty of rumours over the years about what a disruptive influence Nonu is in the dressing room and on the training paddock. He’s certainly made himself a few enemies including Hammett and others at the Canes. Blues coach Sir JK was another who Nonu offended; apparently the Blues had a verbal agreement and a Benji-Marshall-esque handshake with Nonu that he would play the 2013 Super Rugby season in Auckland, but Nonu decided to head south.

And finally the Highlanders were unable to tame the man. There were rumours of a clash with coach Jamie Joseph and eventually, despite the southerners initially being keen to retain Nonu, negotiations stalled.

Like the unpopular bully at school, it now seems nobody wants to eat their lunch with Ma’a Nonu. The Crusaders are happy with their current midfield back stocks, as are the Chiefs.  The Blues and Highlanders have now said they’ve been burnt once so are now not interested. Which leave the Hurricanes. Apparently Hammett and Nonu recently had yarn over a latte. And apparently Nonu wants to come home. And apparently Hammett has told NZRU CEO Steve Tew, who apparently asked the Canes to welcome him back into the fold, that he’s not interested in a tearful reunion. As you can tell from the number of instances I’ve had to use the word ‘apparently’, there isn’t a lot of information openly available.

What is the solution? Well I think Mark Hammett should book a table at Mojo in the Old Bank Arcade, sit down with Ma’a and spell out exactly how it’s going to work if he’s allowed to return. If Nonu agrees to the conditions they should then stand up, hug (or high five if they’d prefer) and move on to winning the 2014 Super 15.

If Sonny Bill Williams graces the NZ rugby public with his presence again next year, Nonu’s presence is less vital to the All Blacks than it would be if SBW decides to give Gaelic Football or premier league darts a go next year instead. But make no mistake, Nonu is still a class act on the field and is still an important part of the All Blacks machine. This situation needs to be resolved, and soon.

Americas Cup Update

Oh god, can someone make it stop?

I realise TVNZ must’ve entered into some sort of pricey sponsorship contract with this ‘sport’ but their dramatic live reporting of these ‘races’ is almost comedic. The way they desperately attempt to inject some excitement or tension is almost devoid of any sincerity.

To date: the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series was whittled down to just three challengers: Artemis, Luna Rossa and Emirates Toyota Fisher & Paykel TVNZ Watties New Zealand Government Team New Zealand. All other potential syndicates regained their sanity, realised it is bizarrely expensive and silly, packed up their sailboats and went home.

In the first ‘round’ Artemis didn’t feel like racing, so stayed indoors. Luna Rossa came out to play once or twice, but overall [Insert Sponsor Here] Team New Zealand just played on the ocean by themselves and qualified for the “final” by default.

Then came the “semi-finals”. TVNZ ended the Breakfast programme early so they could take in live coverage. Artemis had qualified for the semis by actually showing up and filling in a form several weeks earlier but had not actually “sailed” in this regatta. According to Martin Tasker of One News, Luna Rossa were the hot favourites and they just couldn’t see Artemis being competitive. Great advertisement for the upcoming viewing.

As the race started Artemis raced away from Luna Rossa across the start line. The commentator was astounded and sounded like he needed a lie down. However as Luna Rossa raced into the lead a short time later, Artemis looked like it had forgotten to pull up its anchor. Luna Rossa won that race, and the three subsequent jaunts, by margins of about a week. So Artemis, which had lost crew member Andrew Simpson, who was tragically killed in a warm-up race, has spent $120 million, raced four times in this event and is off home. Why bother?

Now Luna Rossa are into the optimistically-titled ‘final’ against [Insert Sponsor Here] Team New Zealand. Unless all water is drained from the ocean, Luna Rossa will lose and Team NZ will contest the final final super grand finale (or whatever it’s called) against cup-holders Team Oracle. And I wonder if anyone outside of big business actually cares.

Till next time,

SG

He Ain’t From Around Here

As the next installment of the English Premier League football season draws near, aside from worrying about Liverpool’s chances of adding to their 18 league titles (last one was in 1989-90), I’ve become increasingly fascinated by the number of English players being signed by these English clubs. Or rather the lack thereof. Apparently in the current transfer ‘window’ less than ten percent of players purchased by Premier League clubs are actually English. And I’d imagine most, if not all, clubs could easily field a first eleven without having a single English player on the field.

So why does this matter? Well, if you’re not a follower of the English national football team, it doesn’t. But if you are a fan of the Poms, you’ll know this already; the English football team is rubbish. Yes they’re better than the All Whites. And yes they’ve won one more World Cup than we ever will (albeit 47 years ago). But it’s an inescapable truth that as the influx of foreigners continues in earnest, the English team is not exactly improving.

It’s tough to compare a truly global sport like football to the rugby scene in New Zealand. But the vast, vast majority of rugby players in New Zealand are eligible for our national team. And the All Blacks remain at the top of the pile year after year. Maybe the NZRU has got it right after all.

All this also makes me wonder; given the influx of foreign rugby players into France over the past, say, 15 years and the fact that ‘Les Bleus’ somehow took the wooden spoon in this year’s Six Nations, will we see the same thing happen to the French national team? They’d better be careful – maybe they need to take a leaf out of the NZRU’s book. 

They Call Him Skippy

A couple of weeks ago the name Matthew Sinclair appeared in sports headlines one more time. Australian-born ‘Skippy’ Sinclair played first class cricket in New Zealand for many years and was always near the top of the averages in whatever form of the game he played. Inevitably he made the Black Caps side and provided some memorable moments such as a double century on his test debut. He also took one of the best catches I’ve ever seen when, at full pace, he leapt horizontally just metres from the boundary and grasped the ball in his left hand. He then leapt to his feet and delivered a verbal spray to the Aussie crowd, who had earlier been offering him words of ‘encouragement’. Brilliant stuff.

But overall I always felt he was the scapegoat when the team’s performance dipped. He was often wanted about as much as Ma’a Nonu is wanted by Super Rugby franchises. And to be honest he did tend to clash with authority, which didn’t help.

And now he’s pulled the pin on his cricketing career. And he doesn’t know what he is going to do now that he’s retired. Which begs the question; does NZ Cricket owe him anything? Or is the onus on the player to plan for the inevitable last innings? I think it’s a bit of both. Yes, the player is ultimately responsible for planning for life after the final ball has been bowled. But, as so many youngsters now leave school and embark on professional sporting careers without ever having a ‘proper’ job to fall back on, I think sporting bodies have a responsibility to ensure there is support available and offered to their employees to ensure they are prepared for life after sport. Although I certainly don’t think NZ Cricket owe him anything, here’s hoping Skippy lands on his feet.  

Boyle Bursts Through

Part two of my series ‘top NZ sporting chicks’. Following on from the continued dominance of Valerie Adams that I referred to last week, we now have late-blossoming swimming sensation Lauren Boyle. This week at the world swimming championships, Boyle won three bronze medals in freestyle events. To put that in perspective NZ has only won eight medals in total and Danyon Loader won three of those. Boyle is considered an old swimmer at just 25 years of age – the winner of the women’s 800m freestyle event is just 16 and swimming legend Michael Phelps retired at 27. But Boyle is still getting better and better, including taking 30 seconds off her previous personal best time in the 1500m freestyle during these championships. She has indicated that she will compete at the Commonwealth Games next year. I certainly hope she continues to the next Olympics as well.

41-26

Not a scoreline; these numbers refer to ages. Of netball players. Of Irene Van Dyk and Caitlin Thwaites to be precise. This week the Central Pulse announced the signing of van Dyk as a direct replacement for the excellent Aussie shooter Thwaites. Initially I heard rumours that Thwaites was happy to head back across the ditch and had potentially already initiated negotiations with the Melbourne Vixens anyway. But subsequently I’ve read that Thwaites had made no plans to leave the capital and was even planning the foreseeable future in Wellington with her partner. Her form was so good that she is now in the Australian national team. But the Pulse have let her go and replaced her with van Dyk.

As I’ve said previously I’m a big fan of Irene. She is a legend of the game and has been for a long time. She continues to defy her age and play at the highest level. But for how much longer? Surely she only has a season or two left in her, whereas a 26-year old is likely to have many more years in the game. Once Thwaites is gone, she won’t be back. I hope this isn’t a decision the Pulse live to regret.

Piri

The man who kept us in the rugby World Cup just two years ago is now gone. Despite Weepu plying his trade in Auckland these days, Piri remains Wainuiomata’s favourite son. He has been an excellent performer in the black jersey for about nine years. Despite his return to a less rounded appearance this season, it’s become increasingly clear that he doesn’t fit in with the coaches’ gameplan that involves pace, pace and pace. The culmination of this realisation came when Weepu was substituted not long after halftime in his last test against France. And to be realistic that probably was his last test as there are three quality young halfbacks in Kerr-Barlow, Perenara and Smith now vying for the number nine jersey. If that is the case, thanks for the service you’ve provided to the AB’s Piri. I’ll always remember the 2011 world cup slogan inspired by Weepu: ‘Chill the &%!$ Out – I Got This’.

Chief Champs

Finally, a shout out to the Chiefs who have now won back-to-back Super Rugby titles. The spirit instilled in this team by the coaches, and the resultant success they’ve enjoyed is stunning given the fact they were the lowest-ranked NZ team for many years. Quite how Aussie McLean and Ian Foster got their current international coaching gig has always confounded me. If Wayne Smith can be persuaded to give it another crack, I think the current Chiefs coaching triumvirate would make a fine international coaching trio straight after the All Blacks win the next World Cup.

Till next time,

SG