Saturday night’s action includes a transtasman test.
Rowland Smith in action. Photo / Hawke's Bay Today
4) Drive to Survive, from Friday - Netflix
Netflix’s series has been a runaway success and helped Formula One to reach new audiences. Season 5, following the 2022 campaign, will include the usual dramas but with world champion Max Verstappen playing an active part.
He had boycotted it claiming Netflix fabricated some storylines. There are also suggestions an F1 bigwig had been over theatrical on one occasion because the cameras were there. Really, you mean reality TV isn’t always real. We are shocked. Anyway, Verstappen says his status as the champ meant he had a rethink and gave Netflix an hour’s worth of interview. He’s also made it clear he will be watching the series - so will Netflix tread more warily?
3) NRL kickoff: Eels v Storm, Thursday 9.50pm – SKY
A prelude to…drum roll please…the following night’s clash between the Warriors and Newcastle Knights, from Wellington believe it or not. Starved of home matches during Covid lockdowns, the Warriors’ Auckland fans will have to watch the first three rounds on TV, which is very weird planning.
2) Cricket: New Zealand v England, second test, from Friday 11am – SPARK
How much fight does this Kiwi team have?
There were two tests going on in the first duel at Mt Maunganui.
England were full of energy and confidence. It’s called Bazball. New Zealand were playing on memory, wondering where the glory days had gone.
New Zealand speedster Matt Henry is back, a potential spark plug at the Basin Reserve.
Michael Bracewell's wicket was the beginning of the end for the Black Caps. Photo / photosport.nz
But it’s going to take a very good team to knock over this English juggernaut, and the Black Caps don’t look up to it.
Some players in this squad are not meeting the standards set by predecessors such as Ross Taylor and Trent Boult, whose omission for this series is dumbfounding.
Unfortunately, the weather forecast isn’t great for the first three days.
Okay, that’s an exaggeration these days. The competition has become a bit of a lemon with diluted rivalries and other issues such as the All Blacks interfering with selections.
But it’s all we have in terms of a major semi-domestic professional sports competition with multiple New Zealand teams to follow.
And in a World Cup year, there will be massive interest in players’ form.
The Crusaders welcome back three hot All Blacks prospects – Joe Moody, Ethan Blackadder and Jack Goodhue – from injury struggles. (As a curio, Moody might pack down against Irish tighthead John Ryan - a rare Super Rugby import - who is on the Chiefs bench).
The big news – the smiling wizard Damian McKenzie is back from Japan for the Chiefs. He’s great to watch, even if his test career has struggled to match his potential.
The smiling wizard Damian McKenzie is back from Japan. Photo / Photosport
Moana Pasifika host the Fijian Drua at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday (4.35pm), and the Blues travel to play the Highlanders (7.05pm) after that.
So let the All Blacks selection arguments begin.
The women’s competition also kicks off on Saturday with the Hurricanes playing the Chiefs (2.05pm), and the Blues face the South Island Matatū (4.45pm), part of a doubleheader with the men at Dunedin’s wonderful indoor stadium.
Despite all the efforts to build interest in Super Rugby Aupiki on the back of the World Cup success, it will almost certainly battle away in the shadows given the worldwide choices the modern-day sports fan enjoys.
And to make matters a lot worse, a handful of Black Ferns stars - including World Cup sensation Rugby Tui, who will be a Sky commentator - and sevens flyer Portia Woodman-Wickliffe will not be playing.
Still, women’s rugby is building a unique following distinct from the intense men’s crowd. And that World Cup boon gives it a head start.
