Nothing wrong ...
The moaning started as soon as the news landed. What a sad and predictable state of affairs.
Most Highlanders fans, hopefully, were actually pretty excited to hear their team — which, without wanting to sound cruel, is not exactly loaded with star power — had signed a top-class first five with a bunch of test caps for England.
The problem is that the groaners and moaners tend to make the most noise.
They immediately started in with the tired old line about the Highlanders, in contracting Freddie Burns, ignoring local talent and not giving younger players a chance.
Yawn.
The Highlanders literally have promoted younger players. Cam Millar, despite being listed as born in 1970 on the Ultimate Rugby website, has not even blown out 21 candles, and now has a wonderful opportunity to learn from an international player. Fabian Holland has (deservedly) been promoted quickly. And more of the golden generation are incoming on 2024 contracts.
And, in case you missed the memo from, oh, about 2008, the Highlanders’ remit is not to select local players simply for the sake of it.
It is a professional team. That means the only thing that counts is the skill and character of the player, not whether he went to a local school.
... with seeking help
One of the weirdest takes was from a Rugby Pass columnist called Ben Smith — and I am assuming the Highlanders great of the same name does not have some explaining to do at headquarters.
In a yarn headlined "Have the Highlanders lost the plot", he argued that New Zealand Super Rugby teams should not be signing players who are not eligible for the All Blacks, and it was their job to be "developing the next crop of potential All Blacks".
Eh?
The world has moved on, son. The Highlanders is no longer a New Zealand Rugby-controlled franchise. It is privately owned, and its explicit purpose is to field as strong a team as possible, to win as many games as possible, and to entertain its fans as much as possible.
Its job is not to be a development nursery, though that tends to happen naturally when players like Holland and Millar emerge.
So, when the management finds themselves in a situation with one first five who has not played due to concussion issues since May, one that is near the end of his career, and one that is a kid, they can hardly be blamed for grabbing a world-class No10 who wants to play here.
New Zealand Rugby needs to address the shambles that is the NPC and the slow death of club rugby, not the signing of one overseas player who should only add value to the landscape this season.
Sevens no heaven
Farewell, then, to the New Zealand leg of the sevens World Series, held in Hamilton for the last time at the weekend.
Are any tears being shed? And if not, why not?
The sevens tournament lost its mojo years ago but it was magic there for a while, and it does seem odd that the nation that has basically led the way in sevens (with apologies to Fiji) has been cut from the schedule.
Sevens is a bit weird all round. It continues to bewilder me that the elite New Zealand female rugby players are playing the shorter format and not proper rugby.
And what on earth happened to the New Zealand provincial sevens? Will it ever be properly back?
A very important study
There is obviously no longer a debate over the greatest All Black but this is certainly a question that should cause plenty of discussion around the dinner table.
Who is the most handsome All Black?
The press release from Gambling.com revealed "beauty app technology data" had given Chiefs prop Aidan Ross a "scorching overall beauty score" of 8.36 out of 10.
Pita Gus Sowakula was second — a shame his dashing good looks could not save him being dumped — and Jordie Barrett pipped brother Beauden for fourth.
Ethan de Groot was eighth in the beauty stakes and the very suave Aaron Smith did not even make the top 20, so the Highlanders lads have something to talk about.
Glory for the Gunners?
I have to say I did not see this coming.
My assumption was that Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool, which came so close to a historic quadruple last season, and filthy rich Manchester City would again jostle for the Premier League title.
And here we are.
City is still very good — though three draws and three losses from 20 games is not as good as normal — but my beloved Liverpool has been pretty awful, and even a top-four finish looks like a fantasy.
No, the story of the season has been Arsenal, which is absolutely humming with a five-point lead and a game in hand.
Can the Gunners really keep this up and claim their first title since 2004? I genuinely hope so.
The good Harry
You have to like Harry Kane.
The Spurs legend scored his 266th goal for the club this week, moving level with the great Jimmy Greaves.
I really hope Kane stays at Spurs and finishes as a one-club immortal and gets a statue, rather than go somewhere like Manchester United just so he can win some meaningless League Cup.
Women in sport
Finishing this week with a little tease about an upcoming series in the Otago Daily Times.
We lead the nation in coverage of women’s sport, and have also been delighted to welcome a female sports reporter to the department in the form of Kayla Hodge.
Watch this space for a series from Kayla examining the rise and rise of women’s sport.
