All Blacks-Pumas test and Warriors' NRL battle create dilemma for sport lovers on both sides of footy divide. Photos / Photosport
All Blacks-Pumas test and Warriors' NRL battle create dilemma for sport lovers on both sides of footy divide. Photos / Photosport
Rugby or League - it is the question sure to divide television sports fans tonight when two huge footy games kick-off within minutes of each other.
At 7.35pm, the All Blacks look to continue their, seemingly unstoppable, march to yet another Rugby Championship title when they host Argentina's Pumas inthe men in black's first test appearance in Nelson.
Meanwhile, across the Tasman in Sydney, the unpredictable Warriors enter their first NRL finals campaign in seven years as underdogs when they kick-off against the Penrith Panthers at 7.30pm NZ time.
Warriors try-scoring machine David Fusitu'a will play in his first finals series for the Warriors tonight. Photo / Andrew Cornaga
So which game will captivate New Zealand - another predictably slick All Black's performance or the unpredictable sporting drama that follows the Warriors?
"Obviously I'll be watching the All Blacks, but I guarantee you I will also be flicking the channel to see how the Warriors are going," said former All Black captain and ex-record try-scorer Stu Wilson.
"We are talking about a well-oiled machine that has an over 120 year history of winning games versus a 25-year-old club that hasn't won a championship yet."
"The Warriors have good momentum and most in New Zealand will want to see them do well and will watch because of that.
"Will they get up for this one or will they put up a performance like they did against the Panthers last time – I don't know?"
"With the All Blacks you know generally what you are going to get – a slick, professional, well oiled winning machine that the world is envious of. That beautiful rugby holds my attention."
The Warriors' No 1 fan 'Mad Butcher' Sir Peter Leitch will also have remote in hand in his Waiheke Island lounge room, but will only flick away from the NRL during the quiet moments.
An Argentinian fan cheers the Pumas against the All Blacks. Photo / Glenn Taylor
"My priority will be to watch the Warriors because it is a major game, win this and we are on the way to the grand final," he said.
Once the Warriors' match finishes, however, he will be quick to watch a full replay of the All Blacks.
League had become much more accepted in New Zealand than 10 or 15 years ago, he said.
At a Rugby Foundation fundraiser earlier in the week, where Leitch spoke with former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry, most in the audience admitted they would also be flicking between the games.
It's this dual interest that Auckland pubs, like The Fox Sporting Bar and Restaurant in the city's waterfront district, are counting on.
An All Black full house at the Fox Sports bar in Auckland's Viaduct Harbour. Photo / Nick Reed
"We think it is gonna be a pretty big night, huge," said owner Patrick Lopez.
The Fox will screen the All Blacks in its main room for 150-200 people, while the Warriors will show in a separate room for 80-100 people with Lopez also among those keenly watching.
"I'm more a union person but will keep an eye on both games," he said.
Parnell's The Paddington will also show both games but will have more screens on the Rugby as the pub fills up every time the All Blacks play, no matter where it is in the world, said assistant manager Julie Edwards.
All Black supporters at the Paddington Pub In Parnell. Photo / Greg Bowker
As for Edwards herself: "I'm a union girl so it is definitely gonna be the All Blacks for me."
In South Auckland, the Mangere Bridge Tavern has a proud history with both codes.
Owner Mark Walsh's dad was legendary All Black character Pat Walsh and the tavern was set up as an All Blacks sports bar.
However, Mangere is also a league heartland with a number of the current Warriors players living nearby.
After thrashing the Wallabies in the Bledisloe Cup, the All Black machine moves on to take on the Pumas tonight. Photo / Brett Phibbs
"I'm a dollar each way, my father was an All Black and the pub is all about the All Blacks but the Warriors are so integral to Mangere," Walsh said.
Warriors fans will be at one end of the tavern and All Blacks fans at the other - a set up that "works well because you get a bit of competition around who can turn the sound up loudest", he joked.
Clash of the Codes: Rugby v League
What: All Blacks v Argentina, 7.35pm, Trafalgar Park, Nelson Penrith v Warriors, 7.30pmANZ Stadium, Sydney
Weather: Nelson: Fine, 7C at kick-off Sydney: Possible showers, 16C at kick-off
TAB odds: Rugby: All Blacks $1.01, Argentina $15 League: Penrith $1.70, Warriors $2.05
