This has been a thing of beauty for a long time and, despite personnel changes and the departure of twogreat locks, it reigned supreme against weak England and Argentina scrums.
Significantly, the only test loss so far this season – to Argentina – came in a strange test in which scrums were not a factor at all.
The likes of Sam Darry, Asafo Aumua and maybe Tamaiti Williams face massive scrum assignments against the Springboks in Johannesburg and Cape Town. They’ll be all the better for the experience, whatever the outcome.
But the Springboks’ ability to sometimes pressure the All Blacks scrum will send shockwaves through a team that still has a lot of questions hanging over it, despite 40 minutes of fabulous festival rugby against the passive Pumas at Fortress Eden Park.
WINNER: Sam Darry
The find of the year for the All Blacks. The Blues lock has looked the part in the heart of the pack. But is he a potential legend in the class of Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock? That is still the question. Great test teams have great locks.
Toyed with the Wallabies via their team selections and still won the second test comfortably in Perth. Joe Schmidt’s arrival has done nothing obvious to turn around the Wallabies’ fortunes.
LOSER: This Warriors side... and this bad superstar signing
The 2024 NRL season has turned into a massive failure for the over-hyped “Wahs”.
The season has been a mess from the first night when a brilliant opening stanza against Cronulla descended into an unfathomable defeat at Mt Smart.
Shoehorning the once-mighty Roger Tuivasa-Sheck into the centre has been a horrible misfire. Photo / Jason Oxenham
The significant 2024 snafus have included the return of the once-mighty Roger Tuivasa-Sheck from rugby.
RTS operates best in the middle of the field. Shoehorning him into the centre has been a horrible misfire that may have disrupted the successful 2023 formula.
WINNER: Support for the Warriors in Australia... a new Kiwi NRL star
The great work of 2023 wasn’t completely wasted, with Warriors fans in excellent form across the ditch.
Meanwhile, Auckland-raised Keano Kini – a Northcote junior – is emerging as a potential star at the Gold Coast Titans. The 20-year-old fullback ran for a staggering 344 metres against the Dragons on Sunday. Parramatta’s Clint Gutherson holds the NRL record of 370 metres.
WINNER: Chris Wood... the EPL favourites... super strikers
The lanky Kiwi footballer scored on the opening day of the English Premier League season, helping Nottingham Forest draw with Bournemouth. Commentators described it as a classic “poacher’s” goal, as Wood stayed in the hunt to stab home a rebound.
Kiwi striker Chris Wood celebrates scoring for Nottingham Forest against Bournemouth. Photo / Getty Images
A few other parts of his game weren’t as flash, but an early goal will give Wood a lot of confidence for the new season in the world’s most glamorous football league.
EPL heavyweights Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool got off to winning starts without conceding a goal. Superstar strikers Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland were among the scorers.
WINNER: Great cycling
Kasia Niewiadoma, of Poland, won the women’s Tour de France by four seconds over Demi Vollering of Holland. It is the narrowest margin of victory in the history of the men’s or women’s event.
A moment of truth arrives for Rees-Zammit this week, when veteran coach Andy Reid names his 53-man squad for the season, after Friday’s final pre-season game against the Chicago Bears.
Former Wales rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit is chasing his NFL dreams with the Kansas City Chiefs. Photo / Getty Images
Significantly, Rees-Zammit took a kickoff in one game.
The Chiefs’ Harrison Butker is the highest-paid kicker in NFL history, after recently negotiating himself a $42.3m extension.
But new rules mean players taking kickoffs may be forced into making tackles, and the Chiefs will be reluctant to risk Butker in that capacity.
It could give Rees-Zammit an extra string to his bow.
WINNER: Finn Butcher
Which Kiwi is making the most of their Olympic success? Maybe it is kayak gold medallist Finn Butcher, who feels like a media favourite for now.
