New All Blacks skipper Sam Cane. Photo / Photosport
New All Blacks skipper Sam Cane. Photo / Photosport
COMMENT:
The mind has plenty of time to wander, and hardly a day goes by when I don't think about Jonah Lomu during this sporting hibernation.
Superstardom didn't come any bigger, rugby-wise, and when the national sport re-emerges it will look paler and paler in comparison to the days whenthe big man ran amok.
What a character and through the ups and downs, he had two great World Cups. The man - his rampaging style and his life - held us captivated. Oh for another Jonah Lomu right now -New Zealand Rugby need him, like the NBA needed Michael Jordan.
Sam Cane's elevation to the All Black captaincy is an iconic moment, a good keen man elevated to a job enhanced by the test greats Tana Umaga, Richie McCaw and Kieran Read for so long.
He is a default option in desperate times, when star power, vitality and charisma have never been so low.
New All Blacks skipper Sam Cane. Photo / Photosport
Cane represents a sport which has turned into a system, one obsessed with churning out versatility and dependability, where centrally controlled succession planning was touted as a cure-all but has turned into a sickness.
The game has become so divorced from its public that many fans would struggle to know why Cane is valued so highly. Amongst the wider community I would suggest that the overlooked All Black coaching candidate Scott Robertson is better known.
In the true sense, there is hardly a household name in the All Blacks any more.
Cane is a terrific footballer, no doubt about it, but not a publicity magnet or guaranteed starting selection even.
Captaincy was once a matter of hot debate, particularly when Taine Randell, Todd Blackadder, Reuben Thorne and Anton Oliver failed to reign supreme about two decades ago.
Those sort of invigorating arguments seem to have gone out of the window but I'm picking Cane might find himself in a very hot seat when tests resume.
The Warriors are big in New York.
Or make that the New York Times. A photo of the Warriors arriving in Tamworth sits atop a story about the difficulties all sports face when trying to restart under social distancing and other health guidelines.
An Associated Press story about the Warriors, which nicknamed them the Nomads, has also appeared in publications around the world, including the influential Washington Post.
The Melbourne Storm have struck problems over permission to use a council training venue, and had to move to a private facility. Odds are that the NRL restart will face a serious hurdle or two, despite the current optimism.
Crowd control
One of the interesting aspects for sports returning to empty stadiums will be the influence - or lack of influence - on referees.
It is generally accepted that refs are influenced by hometown crowd reactions, even if this is hard to truly gauge.
I also wonder if coaches, the media and public will give referees a break from the usual ruthless assessments in these tough times.
The lockdown will always mean…
Michael Jordan. ESPN's series on him contains one endless insight or revelation on Jordan, fame, basketball and the world of sport after another. Fabulous.
But…
A BBC feature on the Pakistan Muslim squash player Maria Toorpakai Wazir was almost as memorable. The lockdown gives the space to hear new things. Maria Wazir, who rose to 41 in the world, dressed as a boy into her teens in order to play competitive sport including weightlifting. Scary threats came from the Taliban. She lives in Canada but seems willing to consider a return to her homeland in order to keep promoting women's rights.
