Super Rugby entertaining, Landers and all

Some things ...

Welcome back!

As promised, The Last Word went into hibernation once Super Rugby season started and the demands of the Highlanders left little time for a weekly roundup of the trite and trivial.

But the Landers are on a bye week, the others in the sports department are handling the heavy lifting with cricket and athletics, and your man is back for one week only.

So here are 21 things — purely coincidentally, I am attending a 21st tonight (happy birthday Jasmine) — that either I have been thinking about or have hurriedly wedged in to make up space.

1. Speaking of the Highlanders, hmm. Kind of a weird team to assess right now. One incredibly gutsy win, one semi-meltdown that still ended in victory thanks to a glorious seven-minute period, one pretty decent performance in Sydney that ended in defeat but could very easily have been a win. Injuries are a concern, as are defensive lapses. Intrigued to see where they go from here.

2. The Chiefs have clearly been the pace-setters, while the Blues need to regain some of their mojo. The Force have been the most surprising team, and it certainly seems like the contraction of Australian teams has led to a nice equalisation of talent.

3. How good has Super Rugby been overall? The games are entertaining and there have been few blowouts. Sky Sport reports terrestrial viewership of 1.14 million across the first three rounds — up 12% on last year — and 350,000 more on streaming services.

4. This has possibly always been the case but I have not previously noticed it as much as I have this year. Why are SO many rugby journalists (and fans) obsessed with what every Super Rugby development means for the All Blacks? Like, I get it — our rugby pyramid has the All Blacks at the top. But Super Rugby cannot just be seen as a feeder competition for the national team. It needs to breathe its own air, and create its own narrative.

5. In saying that ... are Fabian Holland and Harry Godfrey in an All Blacks team if it is named tomorrow?

6. Fantasy rugby. You playing it? I left it a little late but reports have been mixed. Small steps.

... I have been ...

7. Most of the Halberg Awards seemed to be on point. (Disclaimer: I am a judge, but am struggling to remember exactly how I cast my votes.) Lydia Ko was a great choice for sportswoman and supreme, Hamish Kerr must have won sportsman quite comfortably, our Anna Grimaldi deservedly won para athlete, and canoe guru Gordon Walker was always going to be hard to top as coach. Perhaps two of the categories caused some debate. Olympic canoeing (or rowing) crews regularly win the team award, but what the White Ferns did to win the T20 World Cup was quite special. And while emerging talent winner Tyler Bindon is set to play football in the Premier League, Southland speedster Cormac Buchanan is the first Kiwi in MotoGP ranks in 25 years.

8. Unless I missed it, there was no induction into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame at the Halberg Awards. It actually appears there has not been one since the Hall’s godfather, the late Ron Palenski, was inducted in 2022. It is a great shame this institution, set to be relocated from Dunedin to Cambridge, does not get more attention.

9. The Last Word skipped the New Zealand Open at Millbrook this year — might return in 2026 if the FOMO kicks in — but enjoyed reading about ex-bikie turned golf champion Ryan Peake. Cool story. The tournament still needs a Kiwi winner more often, though.

10. What chance the Black Caps in the Champions Trophy final? Better than even, if the cards were not stacked so heavily against them by global fish-heads who do whatever the Indians demand. Kane Williamson — immortal. Rachin Ravindra — ultimate big-game player and future Hall of Famer.

11. The Otago Sparks! Truly excellent. That Hallyburton Johnstone final was one for the ages. Shame they were not celebrating a double, having rather imploded in the Super Smash. But bravo all round.

12. Has this nonsense talk about the "Southern Districts" cricket teams gone away yet?

13. Hat tip to the Taieri club for winning the Dunedin premier cricket title for the first time in donkey’s years. My favourite memory of that club is ringing round for the scores and dealing with the late great Kevin "Mumbles" McQueen, who never had a number out of place. He would have hated PlayHQ.

... thinking about

14. Huge, and worrying, news that our two basketball teams must find new owners. There is every chance either the Nuggets or the Hoiho or both could fold, or be taken to another town, and that would be an awful development for the hoops community.

15. Liverpool! Still top of the Premier League, and with a handy lead. I am not celebrating yet, of course.

16. Sheesh, how sick must Wellington Phoenix fans be feeling? You graft away in the A-League for years then the upstarts from Auckland FC turn up and tear up the place. The Nix are 21 points behind league leaders Auckland, who won all three Kiwi Clasicos.

17. It will not be the Warriors’ year. You can say "Up the Wahs" all you like but they already look miles off the pace in the NRL.

18. Horse racing in New Zealand takes another huge step today with the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi. Hot on the heels of Classics Day at Wingatui, racing really is humming.

19. Such a shame Joseph Parker was robbed of the chance to fight Daniel Dubois. Parker’s next steps will be interesting.

20. The craziest thing I have seen in the past few weeks is the beginning of the ice hockey game between Canada and the United States. Three fights in the first nine seconds — and in a glorified exhibition!

21. How the heck is it March already? Winter club sports season is very close. Yet, ironically, we have our international cricket day — two T20s — in Dunedin on March 18.

hayden.meikle@odt.co.nz