If only Richie McCaw could go out with a footy bang - although not on the head - rather than a talk-fest whimper.
It would be brilliant to see one of those old fashioned concepts where the All Blacks play a World XV, or something like that, at Eden Park then in Christchurch. I seem to remember a farewell game of that ilk - between two New Zealand selections - for Colin Meads at Eden Park, more than 40 years ago.
Such festivities don't have much of a place in the overly-long professional rugby seasons but why not? Bring the world together in some sort of harmony, early next season, and send him out in style. No, maybe it's not really practical. But worth a thought.
The Eden Park crowd did get a chance to rise in appreciation when McCaw was replaced near the end of the crushing win over Australia before the World Cup. So that was it, an impromptu and fleeting home soil farewell which doesn't feel like it reflects his influence and achievements.
It is definitely time for McCaw to retire if that needs to be stated, the announcement expected to be made on Thursday. He has had, by my count, six major concussions including a recent one. It's time to put the feet up, and it's definitely time to put the noggin in cotton wool.
Will we see a crazy, funny, effusive McCaw at the top table when he does announce his retirement? Unlikely. The rather stoic McCaw we've seen down the years is not an act by all accounts. What you see is what you get with him.
He doesn't strike me as coaching material either. He's got nothing left to prove. So this is really it, from a rugby and spotlight perspective. Hard to believe, but life always moves on. A man of remarkable action will go out with a few words.
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The impending Phoenix disaster is actually another New Zealand stadium disaster.
The Wellington A-league club drew a crowd of nearly 14,000 to Westpac Stadium when they beat bottom-placed Adelaide on Friday.
As rearguard actions go, it was a stirring show of support for a club which faces the axe, its eviction notice set to come in the form of a uselessly short licence extension.
Pound for pound, the supporters who do regularly turn up are maybe the best sports fans in the country. They do everything in their power to recreate the vibrant scenes that we see from football crowds around the world. It may be a little contrived, but they give it a decent crack. They don't need netball-style thunder sticks, or old Jordan Luck songs to do it.
Even though the crowds have been disappointing, Wellington's average is not far below what most of the other clubs experience, and was a little better than the Mariners last season.
The FFA does have a right to ask where all those additional fans appeared from on Friday, why it has taken an SOS for them to turn up, and what has gone wrong since the magical season about five years ago.
Here's one answer: that round yellow Wellington stadium is another football lemon. It provides hopeless viewing, and struggles to inspire a decent atmosphere that encourages supporters back.
It's not the total answer. But it is a significant part of it.
Bottom line: the FFA wants to get another Sydney team in the competition and the Phoenix have not done well enough to save themselves from being the obvious fall guy.
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As bad as most of the New Zealand cricketers have been against Australia so far, they can still win the return two-test series here next year.
Home sides dominate world cricket, and our new ball bowlers Tim Southee and Trent Boult suit New Zealand conditions where the ball is more likely to swing.
On another good if incongruous note given the circumstances, Kane Williamson has cemented his place as one of the greats in world cricket right now. All is not lost.
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As for the balls themselves, there needs to be an inquiry. The constant examining, questioning and changing of the balls is causing unacceptable delays and I'm not convinced it isn't a case of gamesmanship.
From this layman's point of view, there seems every chance that the fielding team is simply rifling through the possibilities until they happen upon a ball which behaves the way they want it to. But if there is a problem with the manufacturing process, it needs to be sorted out and quick.
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Brett Lee, the former Aussie paceman, is dead right. Speaking in the TV commentary box, Lee said that if ball-tracker technology showed a delivery was going to proceed into the stumps, the batsman should be given out lbw no matter what the original umpires' call. That makes much more sense to most of us compared to the current review rules which come up with different outcomes for the same delivery. Surely.
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Steve Kearney's Kiwis were extremely disappointing in defeat against England in Wigan, handing the home side a 2 - 1 series victory.
Firstly, congratulations to England, who are usually seen as the poor cousins quality wise in league's little backyard. They showed a lot of grit, although I don't think they produced much in the way of great football even if the final test was by far the best of the series.
The Kiwis were a shambles and are very erratic. They pull off terrific victories now and then against Australia, but always seem on an up and down ride.
Here's the rub: with all due respect to England, man for man the Kiwis were marginally but definitely the better side. But their discipline was horrible at Wigan and once again they had virtually no direction from five-eighth.
I'm delighted for the England league fans though. They are the most warm hearted, genuine and passionate supporters you could meet.
And was one having a little laugh at union's expense after the rugby World Cup disaster and subsequent bagging of code switcher Sam Burgess? As England charged towards victory at Wigan, a lone voice started singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariots, the famous but mysterious Twickenham anthem.
As many as four rookies could force their way into Scott Robertson's All Blacks squad.