48 hours: Rooney genius keeps Man United in premiership race

It was the good, the badly needed and the ugly.

From beautiful Queenstown to the gloom at Waitakere Trusts Stadium, it was a mixed bag for New Zealand sport as the new year beckoned.

Elsewhere, though, something quite remarkable continued to shine.

It's four in the morning, and you are battling sleep, wondering if a fascination with the English soccer premiership is worth this effort, and then Wayne Rooney bursts into view.

If soccer is your go, and maybe even if it isn't, there's nothing more exhilarating in sport at the moment than the sight of Rooney dominating Manchester United's performances.

Glue-like first touches, dribbling runs, passes, creating chances out of nothing, dummies, feints, tackles, winning headers ... there isn't anything he doesn't do.

Even on the few occasions he did lose the ball against Bolton Wanderers yesterday morning, Rooney pounced to win it back.

The crowning glory came with a scoop flick - with the outside of his foot - under pressure to set up a Cristiano Ronaldo goal.

It's debatable if Manchester United as a whole were way too good for Bolton Wanderers. Rooney - and Ronaldo to a lesser extent - certainly were. Those two have such dazzling skills that Ryan Giggs looks fairly ordinary in the Red Devils these days.

British football has survived on a modicum of genuine superstars, in the world sense, over the years.

The late George Best, of course, and Paul Gascoigne on a good day head this bunch in terms of talent over the past three or four decades. That consummate midfielder Bryan Robson and a few others were world-class performers through different means.

But Rooney might be the best of them all. His work-rate alone is stunning, as is just about everything he does.

If United didn't have Rooney, they could kiss this premiership race goodbye. Chelsea are just too good.

With Rooney, though, United have a chance - in the unlikely event that gremlins find their way into Jose Mourhino's set-up.

The World Cup in Germany this year is where Rooney will find a truly exalted place in soccer history if he inspires England to lift the cup.

Still on the Manchester United versus Bolton Wanderers game ... the match commentator revealed a quite extraordinary statistic. Bolton included players from 10 different countries, and 16 nations are represented in their overall squad. Which would make for some fairly interesting discussions at times, you would think.

Back to New Zealand ... and the good, the badly needed and ugly.

* Good: The Black Caps crushed a Sri Lankan team that looked completely unprepared. It was an absolute dud of a match, especially coming after the thrills of the Australian series. But the Black Caps can't be blamed for that and at least a couple of new boys suggested there are ways the side can be strengthened.

With Queenstown providing a sensational backdrop, Peter Fulton and Jamie How finished off the visitors, and probably finished off Craig McMillan's international career in the process. Yes, McMillan has been written off before. About 10 times a season. And you wouldn't make hasty judgments on Fulton and How against that Sri Lankan effort.

But McMillan was on borrowed time anyway, and now the selectors have been lent a hand by "Two-metre Peter" and How. There is a handful of players vying for a few contentious spots in the Black Caps lineup and it was never going to take much to see the technically deficient McMillan slip under the waves. That moment arrived on Saturday afternoon.

Better than good was the sight of Shane Bond roaring into action for the Black Caps again. Bond's presence makes you believe that anything is possible.

And a final question. How often do the so-called Super Subs actually perform? Super Duds more like, with Nathan Astle joining that club in Queenstown.

* Badly needed: It was too little and way too late. But the Knights showed courage in holding high-flying Sydney FC to a draw at North Harbour Stadium. Luck played a big part in both Sydney goals, while Jeremy Brockie gained the point for the Knights with a superb volley from a close angle in the final stages.

Which only goes to show what we've been missing all year. The Knights were largely outplayed by Sydney, yet hung in there for a draw. Which can be the way in football, although the only thing the Knights have managed to hang all season is themselves.

The Knights have been a disaster zone, just when New Zealand soccer needed our only professional team to give the sport a lift.

With "fly-by-Knighters" Ronnie Bull and Simon Yeo having scarpered back to England, John Adshead's mob showed they do have spirit. So there is hope ...

As for Dwight Yorke, the ex-Manchester United star spent much of the match playing just in front of the Sydney defenders. It was a cool, man-about-town sort of game from Yorke which looked great until Brockie's goal. Then you were left with the sense that the experienced hand gave way to attacking fireworks.

* Ugly: The Breakers. A shocker. Their season was already virtually over, in terms of making the playoffs, before Saturday's clash against the Hunter Pirates at Waitakere. But that was no excuse for the lacklustre effort which allowed the visitors to race to a match-winning lead. Even the attempted comeback was tame.

Chief offender was import Brian Green, the point-scoring hero in back-to-back wins prior to this game. Green reverted to moodier ways, and his shooting was abysmal. Overall, a disappointing shambles.