Portia Woodman on the charge against Wales. Photo / photosport.nz
Portia Woodman on the charge against Wales. Photo / photosport.nz
OPINION:
Phil Gifford presents his five talking points from the weekend of rugby.
It's not an illusion
The progress of the Black Ferns has been one of the great feel-good stories in New Zealand sport this year.
There were some uncomfortable moments last weekend against Australia when in the earlystages I wondered if there had been an overreaction to the thumping of the Aussies in August.
But with their 56-12 thrashing of Wales in Waitākere the Ferns showed they are capable of tearing defences to shreds, and will be a problem even for the giants of the game from the north.
There were so many good touches to enjoy. There were pinpoint pass-kicks from captain and first-five Ruahei Demant to Renee Wickliffe on the right wing. Teenage centre Sylvia Brunt fired out passes so long and fast that Portia Woodman was given the tiny amount of room she needed to wreak havoc.
Ruby Tui took over the fullback jersey as if she'd played in it all her life. And when Krystal Murray took the field as a replacement prop the Welsh found themselves trying to tackle a 97kg powerhouse, who brushed off, or just ran through, battered defenders.
Bring in the guru
The one problematic area was the scrum, where Wales won penalties and gained glimmers of hope, as they were too strong and efficient for the Ferns.
There will no doubt be some more sessions with Mike Cron, the man whose intricate knowledge of exactly how a scrum works is revered by those whose lives are spent in the hard, dark depths of international scrummaging.
Portia Woodman on the charge against Wales. Photo / photosport.nz
Spotlight time
The NPC is basically the poor relation of Super Rugby, and has the double whammy of hitting its peak in the shadow of the Ferns and the World Cup.
But the final in Christchurch on Saturday night, when Canterbury will face a Wellington team who were electrifying as they thrashed Auckland 54-19 in their semifinal, deserves a big audience.
How tough the final will be was perfectly illustrated by the way Canterbury handled a fearless, determined Bay of Plenty side, in winning their semifinal 24-10.
There was brute force from Luke Romano, who at 36 still never seems to have seen an opposing player he doesn't want to smash to bits, icy cool direction from first-five Fergus Burke, and moments of inspired attacking brilliance from fullback Chay Fihaki, a 21-year-old destined for stardom from the time he captained the Sacred Heart College First XV in Auckland.
You can't turn the clock back, but there's something fitting about the final being between two of rugby's most traditional rivals.
Local heroes
An oddity of provincial rugby in the cities is that what used to be the normal progression from club rugby to a provincial team is now a distant speck in the rearview mirror.
You can count on one hand the number of players in the Canterbury or Auckland squads who played in the local club competition. The teams in Saturday's final will be, as they have throughout the season, a mixture of veteran former All Blacks, like Julian Savea and Owen Franks, young Super Rugby academy squad members, and a scattering of Super Rugby and All Blacks XV players like Canterbury prop Tamaiti Williams and Wellington hooker Asafo Aumua.
The disconnect between club play and professional rugby has probably never been as great as it is now. Rugby here needs a genius who can work out how to keep the amateur game strong, while at the same time, with a tiny population base, somehow be capable of pouring enough money into the professional game to fend off club owners in Europe and their massive bank accounts.
I've heard many rugby fans bemoaning the problem. Sadly I've yet to meet one with a guaranteed solution.
Money doesn't talk, it swears
Between the Australian netball team taking a stand over a mining sponsor and Manly league hero Des Hasler being dumped over a rainbow jersey scrap, what a team has on their uniform is suddenly in the spotlight.
By an unfortunate coincidence the All Blacks will be in Europe next month when a French court will announce whether Mohed Altrad, whose company's name is splashed across the front of the All Blacks jerseys, will be convicted on bribery charges.
How awkward could it get? The Altrad deal with New Zealand Rugby isn’t due to expire until 2027.
