And while there is, as always, a lot of athletic prowess in the New Zealand game, the demise of the Crusaders means the All Blacks have lost the heart of New Zealand’s rugby IQ.
Robertson will have to engineer a major rebuild.
WINNER: Asafo Aumua
The power-packed Hurricanes hooker might finally be delivering on all of that junior promise. Aumua, briefly an All Blacks hooker, was a star as the Hurricanes continued their unbeaten run, with a late surge to beat the Chiefs.
The 26-year-old Aumua has the sort of X-factor the All Blacks desperately need.
Asafo Aumua had another impressive outing against the Chiefs. Photo / Photosport
LOSER: Super Rugby
It says something about the state of the national game when players praise a crowd of around 15,000 turning up for the glamour Hurricanes-Chiefs game in Wellington. The stadium should have been packed.
It was a terrific clash, as was the see-saw Waratahs-Crusaders battle in Sydney. But rugby at this level has lost its mojo. All those empty seats are a terrible look.
LOSER: Another rugby competition
Excuse the yawn... the lack of fanfare and reaction to a new Club World Cup says it all.
The new tournament, featuring six Super Rugby teams, was announced last week, I think.
The first one, in 2028, occurs in Europe. Given that it takes place a year after the World Cup, there might be a few recent All Blacks figuring in the two teams from Japan.
The new comp will take place in June, meaning an even earlier start for Super Rugby (from what I can make out).
Sounds like a confusing dud.
WINNERS: The Warriors/this scary Manly forward/nailbiters
The Warriors were below par and often outplayed by the Sea Eagles at Mt Smart Stadium. Under those circumstances, the draw was a good result, even if captain Tohu Harris looked befuddled afterwards.
But the Warriors couldn’t handle a lot of what Manly threw at them, particularly when Haumole Olakau’atu had the ball. Warriors fans will be a little concerned at what they saw.
The Warriors celebrate Shaun Johnson's try against Manly. Photo / Getty Images
The 27-year-old Scheffler is so good I reckon he could become just the fourth player to crack the 10 major victory mark.
The American is far and away the best golfer in the world. He destroyed the challengers on the final day of the Masters. It gave him his second green jacket - surprisingly it is the only major tournament he has won so far.
Those to fall away at Augusta included Kiwi Ryan Fox, who had a spell at the top of the leaderboard during the first round and opened day three with a burst of birdies. Given that he figured so highly for a while, Fox will be disappointed in how it turned out and he looked pretty annoyed with himself after a bad shot during the final round.
LOSER: These late bloopers
The Warriors’ incredible NRL comeback draw against Manly might have turned out even better but for an extra-time fumble from captain Tohu Harris, which ruined a great field goal position. Harris went into a tackle too upright and paid the price.
Crusaders lock Quinten Strange botched a regulation kickoff reception, handing the ball back to the Waratahs, who went on to score a last-gasp victory.
And Chiefs replacement Chelsea Semple took on the Blues chasers and paid the price, spilling the ball and enabling the home side to triumph in the Super Rugby Aupiki final at Eden Park.
WINNER: Shohei Ohtani
The Japanese baseball superstar, who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has reportedly emerged unscathed from the gambling controversy surrounding his former interpreter, who managed to pinch a mere $27m from his boss.
“Exoneration is seemingly at hand” is how a headline in The Athletic put it.
The charges against the interpreter are said to be damning. Ohtani, it is presumed, was extremely lax with his money.
All very strange.
WINNERS: Olympic winners... and this theory about it
The 48 Paris track and field gold medallists will get US$50,000 ($84,000) each this year after a surprise move by World Athletics. Silver and bronze winners will get scaled-down amounts from 2028.
It’s been described as a “landmark” move, but will the prizemoney actually change much?
Legendary British rower and Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave criticised the prizemoney, saying it smacked of elitism.
He’s probably on the money. This looks like an effort by athletics to promote itself as the premier Olympic sport by flashing its cash about.
WINNER/LOSER: This conviction
An Aussie has been convicted of online abuse aimed at a referee, relating to a Rugby World Cup match between England and Samoa last year. It might give others pause for thought, but it will take a lot more than that to deal with this awful problem afflicting sport.
WINNER: This quote...
... from 1976 Olympic gold medallist Caitlyn Jenner, who reckoned “good riddance” after O.J. Simpson passed away.
How on earth did the legendary American football player get away with a double murder 30 years ago, the victims including his ex-wife Nicole Brown?
Maybe it was such an open-and-shut case that the prosecution didn’t take enough care.
The infamous "bloody gloves" were a key piece of DNA evidence in the prosecution's case against O.J. Simpson in the double-murder trial. Photo / AP
More than anything, it showed what a crock of you-know-what the justice system can be.
WINNER: Teenage footballers
Very young players are showing extraordinary skill and confidence in the world’s top leagues. And they aren’t just dazzling attackers.
Barcelona’s defender Pau Cubarsi, who recently turned 17, was exceptional against Paris St Germain and their star striker Kylian Mbappe in the Champions League quarter-final clash, in Paris. One of his fellow starters, Lamine Yamaj, is only 16.
WINNER: This groundbreaker
Hawaiian Chad Rowan - or Taro Akebono - became the first non-Japanese wrestler to reach the highest sumo ranking.
Rowan, who passed away last week aged 54, weighed over 230kg during his career yet an uncle remembered him as a skinny kid.
WINNER: Winx
The Aussie superhorse is five years retired, but she can still make a headline. Her first foal was bought for a staggering $10.9m, double the previous Aussie record. And there’s another foal on the way.
Attendee panel closed
Chris Rattue has been a journalist since 1980 and is one of the most respected opinion writers in New Zealand sports journalism.
