In this week's On The Sidelines, Scotty dives into a jam-packed weekend of sport discussing the latest in cricket, rugby, basketball and hockey.
CRICKET
Black Caps must find home mojo in Wellington
Thud. The sound of the Black Caps landing back in the real world after a fantastical journey through India. Barely a month ago this team was the toast of the cricketing world, and rightly so, for having taken down India 3-nil in the test series. Today, they head to Wellington one test down in a three-match home series, and may well be wondering, as the rest of the world did, how they pulled off the great Indian heist.
This Hagley homecoming was less a party than a series of unfortunate events, as Lemony Snicket may have written it up. There was nothing wrong with the effort, nothing essentially wrong with the plans, there was just far too few meaningful contributions with the bat and a chronic, catastrophic, and uncharacteristic, case of the drops.
Pointing to the dropped catches and shrugging the shoulders is easy, but not entirely an accurate or helpful accounting of the Black Caps' Christchurch endeavours.
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This team wants and needs runs. The kind of runs that make a team like England start to sweat. New Zealand’s first innings score may have been enough had they supported the bowlers even a little better, but 319 left no margin for error.
And certainly none for seven.
There were contributions — Williamson (as ever), Phillips, Mitchell, Latham — but not a century among the batters, and no genuine spirit-sapping partnerships. There is ongoing doubt at the top, a certain frailty in the middle, and non-wagging tail which has long been accepted, but which was shown up by England's late order efforts.
This Black Caps team always believes it can win, and it has done so when no one else did. That self-belief must be front and centre in Wellington, along with a genuine innings of note.
RUGBY UNION
Wallabies get Schmidt and polish; more to come
That one would have hurt. Australia had their chance to give coach Joe Schmidt an early Christmas present but Santa got stuck in the chimney and Ireland took the gifts. Credit to Ireland for hanging in there and getting the job done, but this was hardly the kind of performance one would have expected from the Irish. It was ragged, it was frantic, it lacked a certain cohesion. It was enough.
Australia finishes its Grand Slam tour with a 2-2 record, which is perhaps one win more than most pundits were expecting. It was all grit and last second heroics against England, and a walkover against the woeful Welsh, but this Wallabies side will be heading home with mixed emotions. Scotland and Ireland were there for the taking, and they will know it.
Winning matters in Australian sport, especially at international level, and the Wallabies need to be considered winners again if they are to be taken seriously by a demanding public with plenty of other sporting options to sink their teeth into. They have the AFL and the NRL, too, both of which guarantee an Australian victory. It is clear that those are more palatable fan options than watching the national side take a beating annually.
All of which is to say, Australian Rugby is entering perhaps its most important commercial phase this century. SANZAAR is effectively a thing of the past, the new Super Rugby Commission is only barely up and running (and still essentially hampered by the high performance units of the national bodies), and the Lions are on their way downunder as an appetiser to the next rugby world cup.
Winning matters. And here's a bold statement: the Wallabies are the most improved international team this year. And they are only going to get better. If the Mosman Mafia can stay out of Schmidt’s way, this upcoming Lions series will not be the lopsided affair many have long predicted.
MORE RUGBY
Eligibility rules not likely to change until 2028
It appears New Zealand Rugby won’t be changing its rules around eligibility any time soon. Sources spoken to be Sidelines have said the national body sees no reason to change its policy right now and any further thoughts on the matter will only be considered after the current world cup cycle.
All Blacks Head Coach Scott Robertson has made no secret of the fact he would like New Zealand Rugby to keep an open mind on the matter, and discussed this once again after the side's final, underwhelming, match of the European tour against Italy. Credit to Robertson, his desire to have a few more experienced test players available has not been borne by the season's 10-4 record. He had discussed these matters even before the ink had dried on the All Blacks contract.
If New Zealand Rugby is to stick to its guns, that will also mean Super Rugby will be prevented from introducing greater player movement – something that long term proponents of a draft system, or an eligibility adjustment to allow players to be eligible for their national sides no matter what Super Rugby club they play for will be disappointed to hear.
There has been plenty of debate about whether rugby needs to move with the times, but it appears those times are at least three years away.
NBL
Breakers crushed again as defence deserts them
It’s not alarm bell time for the Breakers, but another heavy defeat – this time to the Perth Wildcats – will have the club on edge. The New Zealanders were beaten 123-112 in Perth over the weekend, just three days after being torn to shreds by the Illawarra Hawks 109-71.
The inconsistency hasn’t been overly costly – the Breakers still sit third on the table though they have eased out to 7-5 this season – but it will have the coaching staff asking some serious questions about defence. Problematically, giant American import Tacko Fall is the latest to be added to the injury list.
Credit to the ‘Cats. Bryce Cotton, the veteran American, led the way with an astonishing 59 points. That is a one-man demolition and should be lauded, but it only feeds the narrative that the Breakers are struggling inside the paint and outside the arc.
They have just a couple of days to find some solutions, with home games against Melbourne United and the Sydney Kings coming up.
Don’t forget, you can catch every Breakers game this season LIVE and FREE on Duke and TVNZ+
HOCKEY
Premier Hockey League finals decided
After six hugely entertaining rounds, the Premier Hockey League heads to finals this Saturday at North Harbour.
Credit to New Zealand Hockey for creating a league fit for television audiences, with the nation’s best players – men and women – selected for one of four franchise teams: the Alpiners (Te Wai Pounamu), the Falcons (Lower North), the Mavericks (Central North) and the Tridents (Upper North).
New Zealand hockey fans have been agitating for a tournament like this, and the players have benefitted from the experience of playing high intensity matches against the very best. The introduction of field goal conversions has also seen an increase in innovative play, with the penalty corner having far less influence in the game.
In the men's competition, the Alpiners – the competition's most convincing side – will take on the Falcons in the gold medal match, while the Falcons women will have top billing against a young and exciting Tridents outfit.
The minor medal match will feature the Tridents and Mavericks men, and the Mavericks and Alpiners women.
Catch every minute LIVE and FREE on TVNZ+
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