Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Shaun Johnson of the Warriors. Photo / Photosport
Chris Rattue has been a journalist since 1980 and is one of the most respected opinion writers in New Zealand sports journalism.
OPINION
LOSERS: Andrew Webster and the Warriors.
The first big mistake of Andrew Webster’s reign at the Warriors.
That’s how I’d describe the recall of Shaun Johnson for what turned into a disastrous performance against the magnificent Jahrome Hughes and the Melbourne Storm.
Yet again, the Warriors started superbly at Mt Smart - looking like they could put the NRL table toppers to the sword - only to collapse in a mess.
Webster stumbled upon a winning formula when Te Maire Martin was given control from halfback after Johnson was injured, leading to wins over the Panthers, Dolphins and an admittedly tired Cowboys outfit in Townsville.
With Johnson running the show earlier this season, all the good work from 2023 was going down the drain.
Unfortunately, it was gurgle, gurgle gurgle again against the Storm on Saturday night.
Johnson was sensational last year, an advanced version of the youngster who wowed fans with his special brand of magic many years ago.
But this year he’s reverted to the gun-shy, erratic player who put a handbrake on the Warriors prospects for so many years.
Johnson spent much of Saturday night lobbing kicks to the Storm outside backs and added little else.
With Dylan Walker starting, there were too many playmakers on the field at times. The combination between Martin and Johnson doesn’t look good.
When the home side did launch a belated bid for victory, it was the likes of Jazz Tevaga and Martin who provided the spark. Johnson was notably absent, and was caught in possession twice.
At one point, trapped near the sideline, it looked as though he wanted to unleash one of those amazing sidesteps of yesteryear, but couldn’t find the move.
WINNER: Jahrome Hughes.
The Kiwi halfback was sensational in the way he engineered the Storm’s comeback victory against the Warriors.
WINNER: Super Rugby…because of this.
A Blues v Chiefs final is as good as it gets because the visitors will be able to get plenty of fans to Eden Park, a relief for rugby after embarrassingly poor semifinal crowds in Auckland in particular but also Wellington.
And it is shaping as a brutal final.
The Blues are smashing the ball upfield through their forwards and have built an awesome scrum reputation.
The Chiefs are taking no prisoners and two dubious incidents over the past couple of weeks have involved captain Luke Jacobson, which is a physicality statement in itself. Stand by for carnage.
LOSER: Coaches’ hypocrisy
Samipeni Finau’s yellow card tackle on veteran Hurricane TJ Perenara was an appalling act for my money. The big Chiefs forward had a free run at Perenara from behind, plenty of time and target to aim at, and no excuse for going anywhere near the back of Perenara’s head. (If anything deserves a red card, it is a tackle like that).
Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan then “blew up” in the coaching box when Perenara escaped sanction for a dangerous front-on tackle.
This is the Clayton McMillan who reckoned Luke Jacobson’s head butt on two Blues players a fortnight earlier wasn’t even worth a penalty.
Wise to take virtually everything that coaches say with a huge grain of salt. Just about all of it involves manipulating the truth for their own team’s advantage.
WINNER: The Chiefs
My pick to win a very close final.
The Chiefs’ greater belief in some kind of expansive rugby, as much as that is possible these days, would make them popular winners.
Vern Cotter has done a magnificent job reshaping the Blues, instilling a hard edge that has been missing for decades. He deserves all the plaudits.
But the decision to stick with Harry Plummer at No 10, leaving Stephen Perofeta to languish at fullback, says a lot about the methods.
Hopefully, the Blues of 2024 will come to be seen as a necessary stepping stone towards a more flamboyant game.
It is shaping as a gripping final - the absence of Blues powerhouse Patrick Tuipulotu tips the balance the Chiefs’ way for my money.
WINNER: Wallace Sititi
The Chiefs No. 8 was a runaway wrecking ball against the Hurricanes. Sititi, a former Blues junior captain, is just about a sitter for the new All Blacks era under Scott Robertson.
WINNER: Golf
The US Open at Pinehurst No 2 in North Carolina provided one of the great major shootouts.
The tournament was as good as golf gets, even involving a LIV v PGA finish as Bryson DeChambeau pipped Rory McIlroy.
Muscle-man DeChambeau scrambled superbly, helped by fortuitous lies in the wicked rough. McIlroy’s fabulous putting faltered at the end as he sought his first major win in a decade.
DeChambeau’s jubilation, and the devastation on McIlroy’s face as he sat off stage, said it all about the ups and downs of sport. The Irishman will have nightmares about missed short putts.
A stats guru revealed afterwards that McIlroy had sunk 496 putts from 496 attempts within a metre this season. On the last three holes at the open, with victory in sight, he missed one from that distance, and one from a touch further.
He looked crushed after watching DeChambeau win the tournament on TV, and was last seen roaring out of the car park, any media duties bypassed.
WINNER/LOSER: Women’s basketball/the reality of success.
The WNBA attendance figures in America are soaring, with emerging stars like Caitlin Clark, of course, and Angel Reese getting the credit.
It is sure to increase scrutiny on what the players are paid.
WINNER: American reversals
The Dallas Mavericks found victory to keep the NBA finals series alive against the Boston Celtics. The Edmonton Oilers did the same by smashing the Florida Panthers in ice hockey’s Stanley Cup.
WINNER: American cricketer Aaron Jones.
Leading the batting averages in the T20 World Cup, and talking up the future of American cricket. We shall see…but the rise of American cricket doesn’t feel like the impossibility it once was.
WINNER: Jude Bellingham
The boom superstar of world football - the young man who could finally take England back to the top - scored the only goal in a Euro 2024 victory over Serbia with an expertly taken header.