I've never been one to say "I told you so".
So I won't gloat about the thumping the crafty Cantabs gave the wimpy Wellingtonians in the NPC first division rugby final.
I won't mention at all that the 13-point victory could have been 25-plus had the southern raiders not felt a tad
sorry for their opposition and taking the foot off the pedal in the last 10 minutes.
I won't say anything about the "run for cover" response from the much-vaunted Wellington forwards when the Canterbury pack came at them all guns blazing.
I'll keep to myself the thought that without the (wrongfully) suspended Jerry Collins the tackling of the Wellington lossies was about as effective as a slap from a wet bus ticket.
On second thoughts, not even as effective as that!
I won't proffer the opinion that if young Wellington halfback Weepu is to ever fill the boots of Marshall he'll have to get some lengthy tutorship from the old master of when to run and when to kick.
I won't wax lyrical either about the sheer artistry of another of the game's older heads in Andrew Mehrtens at first-five for the Cantabs
But if I did I'd be talking about the unerring accuracy of his tactical kicking,the slickness of his passing and, very un-Mehrts like, his assertive defence.
I won't talk about how Mauger and Laulala in the Canterbury midfield taught their Wellington opposites a lesson in how to open up the defence with hard, strgitht running and how to unload the ball before going to ground.
Or about how Carter at fullback for the Cantabs has suddenly emerged as a very real prospect for that position on the international stage.
And, finally, I dare say nothing about my earlier prediction that in goal kicking there would be only one team in it?. and that team wouldn't be Wellington!
In fact, it's probably better to say nothing about the game at all.
Except the best team won.
