Sam Cane's All Blacks enter a World Cup year shrouded in intrigue. Photo / Photosport
NZME’s stable of sport journalists preview the 2023 sporting year..
Liam Napier: There’s four World Cups to come in another hectic sporting year but it has to be the All Blacks’ fortunes. Following a rollercoaster year like no other in 2022 that featured two assistant coaching changes, can they pull it all together on the ultimate stage? This is the first World Cup in recent memory the All Blacks do not start favourites. For good reason, too. Internally, though, they remain quietly confident.
Christopher Reive: Everything about this year for the All Blacks is going to be box-office viewing. This is a team coming into a World Cup year after some struggles in 2022, with their head coach and captain both under fire, and many of the veterans confirming their departure from Kiwi shores after the tournament in France. This has a very ‘one last ride’ feel to it and I can’t wait to see how it all plays out.
Jason Pine: The makeup of the Black Caps’ 15-man ODI World Cup squad. Will uncontracted Trent Boult lead the attack? Who opens the batting with Devon Conway? Who bats at number four? Is there enough room for three spinners? Is there a place for Martin Guptill or Jimmy Neesham? And are they good enough to emulate - or go one better - than 2019?
D’Arcy Waldegrave: NZR’s handling of the long-running All Blacks coaching saga, as the ABs crawl toward an intriguing tournament, the most contestable in history. Their super-cautious attitude to protecting their succession plan, without finding themselves in the same no-win situation they were in after the 2019 Cup, will be fascinating. The building fanbase fear and anxiety as the team attempt to manoeuvre their way to France will be at the fore and the player load management will be contentious as NZR try really hard not to cannibalise themselves. Popcorn heaven.
Bonnie Jansen: New Zealand is bored of the All Blacks. The All Blacks have bored and angered Kiwis in the past 18 months with their inconsistent performances and results, and the endless debate over who should coach the side. The Black Ferns won people over in 2022 with their character and grit on and off the field – something we haven’t seen from the All Blacks in a long time. In such unsettled times, more Kiwis might turn to teams like the Black Caps, Football Ferns or Silver Ferns to get their sporting fix in 2023.
Napier: Get behind the tournament. Record-breaking crowds for the two blowout Football Ferns losses against the US this month signal interest amid something of a groundswell building for female sport in New Zealand. While football doesn’t command the same profile as rival codes here, participation remain strong. The hope will be that transfers to attendance.
Reive: Rally around the Football Ferns, with the support of the nation lifting the team to an appearance in the knockout stages. The world No 24 Ferns have found themselves in a very competitive pool alongside Norway (13), Switzerland (21) and the Philippines (53), and have every chance of coming out of it.
Pine: Be blown away by the quality of football on show. The recent visit by the United States gave us a taste of just how good the top women’s sides in the world are and they’ll be joined by the likes of England, Germany, Canada, Sweden and France, all of who are packing out stadiums with their free-flowing, eye-catching football.
Waldegrave: Ask every foreign journo and player what they think of New Zealand. NZ will also rise to the occasion and use this event as the best tourism promotion. We won’t find any success on the pitch, but will so in every other aspect. Except maybe public transport, this may make us the laughing stock of the world.
Jansen: Get out of their group — it’s never been done. Four points should be enough for New Zealand to progress out of the group. One win, one draw. One point (or more) will be clinched in the opener at Eden Park against Norway, where the occasion, the crowd and a little bit of luck could make all the difference. Then they chase the crucial three points against the Philippines, in Wellington at Sky Stadium — the spiritual home of New Zealand football.
Napier: The Silver Ferns have flown under the radar and as this year’s Netball World Cup in South Africa coincides with their football counterparts on home shores, that is likely to continue. Noeline Taurua is an astute operator who knows how to target major events. Despite their loss to Australia in the Quad Series final, with the influential Ameliaranne Ekenasio and Jane Watson returning from pregnancy at the right time, I’m predicting the Silver Ferns defend their world title.
Reive: Kyle Glogoski being picked up by the Cincinnati Reds from the Philadelphia Phillies could help him on his way to being the first New Zealand-born MLB player. The Reds do not have a ton of established starting pitching depth and although Glogoski is expected to start in Double A (two steps down from MLB), he is also expected to be moved through the ranks quickly if he does enough to impress the powers that be. He’s found himself in a great situation and I look forward to tracking his progress.
Pine: Golfer Daniel Hillier. Having earned his full European Tour card, he’s got the opportunity to play some big tournaments in 2023 and showed last year he has the game, and importantly the temperament, to consistently nail the clutch moments.
Waldegrave: Liam Lawson. He needs to convert his undeniable pace into race wins in the Japanese Super Formula. He’ll get his first run in an F1 race too, and give it a bloody good shake.
Jansen: New Zealand Davis Cup tennis players, Kiranpal Pannu and Ajeet Rai. Following a bumpy, Covid-blighted, couple of seasons the boys are back and causing upsets. Already this year they’ve made a mark in the tennis world during Auckland’s ASB Classic. Rai, world No 455, upset Japan’s Taro Daniel, the world No 94, in the qualifiers. Rai almost then repeated that success in the qualifying final, falling in three close sets to world No 77 Thiago Monteiro.
Pannu, who played in the main draw, lost his opening match to eventual champion and former world No 7 Richard Gasquet, but showed potential. The pair will play for the Davis Cup team against Bulgaria in February and are hungry to get themselves Grand Slam ready for 2024.
Napier: The quarter-final carnage. Two of the world’s four top-ranked nations will exit at this juncture. With the All Blacks expected to face Ireland or South Africa, progression is far from guaranteed. On the other side of the draw two of England, Argentina and Japan will bid to push beyond the pool stage and take on Wales, Australia or Fiji.
Reive: There’s a lot to pique the interest at this year’s tournament, but I can’t go past the opening match - France against the All Blacks at Stade de France. There is a lot of expectation on this French team, and the All Blacks are perennial contenders. It’s a big opportunity for one of the two to make an early statement in a blockbuster.
Pine: The quarter-finals. New Zealand, France, South Africa and Ireland are all on the same side of the draw, meaning two contenders won’t even make the semifinals. My tip is the two winning teams from this quartet will meet in the final, following the crossover semis.
Waldegrave: The morning of the 15th of October. A new government and a defeated All Blacks side? The same government and a victorious All Blacks side? Sweet and sour? Double happy? Misery amplified? We’ll see.
Jansen: The All Blacks do really well and maybe win it. The inglorious 2022 season was disappointing, with seasoned ABs fans turning their focus to the world champion Black Ferns. But the All Blacks can find a way to claim centre stage again and win the World Cup. Whether it’s the top opposition teams reading too much into last season, or coach Ian Foster turning things around, the All Blacks can do it.
Napier: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott increasingly commands a star lure to see which trick she will pull off next. Ruben Love has a bit about him, too. The 21-year-old plays with a refreshing, inherent freedom to evoke throwbacks to the great Christian Cullen. This World Cup cycle is probably too soon but Love is certain to don the black jersey in the not-too-distant future.
Reive: Israel Adesanya was quick to embrace the idea of the hunted becoming the hunter after losing his UFC middleweight title late last year. I’m looking forward to watching how his loss to Alex Pereira motivates him and if it forces him to get to another level in his mixed martial arts game. Special mentions to Marcus Armstrong (IndyCar) and Liam Lawson (Super Formula) in their moves away from Formula 2.
Pine: Sarpreet Singh. Injury wrecked his chances of being involved in the All Whites’ big games last season, but with a number of international matches set to be announced soon, it’s time for him to show us exactly why he’s often described as a generational talent.
Waldegrave: Finn Allen’s coming of age, if NZ Cricket do the right thing and persevere with him at the top of the order. The ODI World Cup will be his launch pad.
Jansen: Grace Nweke’s athletic ability, prowess, and consistency was why she became a key player in 2022 for the Silver Ferns and Northern Mystics. While her 1.93m height is a huge advantage, she often produces perfect shooting displays, something the Ferns haven’t always managed. Only 20 years old, the goal shoot has an incredibly bright future and will be a pillar of strength under the hoop for the Silver Ferns - during the World Cup in South Africa this September, and many years to come.
Napier: With a decision on the next All Blacks coach expected before the World Cup, the chips fall in favour of Scott Robertson.
Reive: Scott Robertson. Yes, his only international coaching experience is with an under-20s side who failed to make it to the knockout stages of the 2016 World Cup, but since then he has found nothing but success with the Crusaders; the Crusaders have won a title every year since he came aboard in 2017. He’s earned his opportunity at the top job.
Pine: Razor, right? Right?
Waldegrave: It has to be Scott Robertson doesn’t it? NZR can’t wait around, their confidence in Foster isn’t great, I think they’re backing into a corner. Ian Foster will then win the World Cup and all hell will break loose. Popcorn again....
Jansen: New Zealand Rugby has hung on to Ian Foster through many blunders, constantly dishing out second chances. If they can win the World Cup — and surely they can — then isn’t it only fair that Foster keeps the job?
Mike Thorpe argues the numbers suggest that they are.