Editorial: Hopes pinned on last match

As the week draws to a close, it seems there are only two stories people are talking about in the Bay - Rena and the Rugby World Cup final between the All Blacks and France.

In terms of Rena, I am so glad the couple of days of bad weather we had this week were nothing like last week and didn't result in more horrible oil being spilled into our water.

And with five days of settled weather in front of us, I pray the salvors can get a decent amount off the ship and on to the Awanuia and they have no setbacks.

The disaster has settled somewhat but there is a huge amount of dangerous and heroic work being done every day to sort this mess out.

The salvage experts and volunteers cleaning up the beaches and rocky shoreline deserve our gratitude, as do the wildlife people looking after the poor birds brought in covered in oil. There are countless others and I am grateful for their work.

There has been a bit of talk about the impact on businesses and it seems to me that some are weathering the storm and some aren't. I'd like to think that locals will make an effort to support these businesses which depend on beach-related customers.

As for the World Cup, what a fantastic tournament it has been.

The matches have been exciting and on the whole there has been a positive atmosphere.

But it all comes down to the one match, on Sunday night.

As the article we publish on A15 today says, All Blacks coach Graham Henry has been the most successful coach not only in the team's history but for any major nation in the professional era.

Personally, I've always liked Henry and the way he mixes a bit of humour with the serious stuff. He is warmer than predecessor John Mitchell, who came across detached and cold.

This All Blacks team has been superb this tournament and the win against Australia was a great show.

We have coverage today and will have comprehensive stories and photos on Monday and Tuesday, so don't miss your copy of the paper.

On Monday, we will have match coverage and photos plus all the action in town with fans at the big screen.

On Tuesday, we will have an eight-page sports section souvenir wrap-around.

Go the All Blacks!