Jamison Gibson-Park (No 9) celebrates scoring Ireland’s first try with Bundee Aki in their Six Nations win over England. Photo / ©INPHO, Dan Sheridan
Chris Rattue runs through the best and worst from the sporting weekend.
WINNER: Ireland’s Kiwi connection
Where would the mighty Irish rugby side be without its New Zealanders? Or to put it another way, where would the All Blacks be if they had spotted and developed Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe and Bundee Aki?
They were central to Ireland’s eventual demolition job on England, as the magnificent Six Nations rugby tournament kicked off over the weekend.
Wing Lowe was in particularly awesome form, at one point smashing through England halfback Alex Mitchell to set up Gibson-Park, who produced a long and clever run to reach the tryline.
As for this England team, if you keep knocking on their door, they will eventually let you in. Lowe and Aki knocked with pretty big hammers in Dublin.
WINNER: Antoine Dupont
The French halfback is constantly referred to as the best rugby player in the world, and he deserves it.
There are periods when there probably isn’t a player who stands out from the rest on the world stage.
But when Dupont gets flowing, he’s a class apart.
He destroyed Wales before being replaced after 50 minutes, cutting them apart with runs, a cross-field kick and a long pass.
WINNER: Miracle kid Sam Ruthe ... a career to watch ... what a family
The 15-year-old from Tauranga blitzed the senior 3000m field at the Potts Classic in Hastings, in a race where his 44-year-old dad Ben was the pacesetter.
There is a huge running pedigree in the family, starting with Sam Ruthe’s maternal grandparents.
Trevor Wright was a European marathon silver medallist. Rosemary (Stirling) Wright won a Commonwealth 800m gold and made the 1972 Olympic final, competing for Scotland.
Now Sam Ruthe has been setting junior world marks. This could be a superstar career in the making, yet it is one that is lucky to exist at all.
He nearly died at birth. Delivered by caesarean, he was on life support for the first five days after suffering respiratory distress caused by a chemical deficiency.
In 2009, Sam’s mother Jess – a top long distance runner and national cross country representative – was also incredibly honest when she told me about her postnatal depression for a New Zealand Herald story.
She said the condition could be particularly bad for a new-mum athlete who could not do her usual running, because of the chemical imbalance in the body.
“I didn’t want Sam, I wanted to give him away to start with. A lot of mothers go through the same thing,” she said.
“You feel like a failure, that you are a failure because you can’t even care for your own child.
“When I opened up to other people ... I got the medication and counselling. I love my little Sam so much.”
It made watching Sam and his dad line up in the Potts 3000m race on Sunday feel all that more special.
WINNER: This quote (more about Sam Ruthe)
TV commentator and top athlete Holly Manning reckoned “my jaw is on the floor” when 15-year-old Sam Ruthe stormed to the senior 3000m victory. Love it.
Athletics meetings are great to watch. The shoestring coverage on Sky did an enthusiastic, top job.
WINNER: Chris Wood ... but what to say?
We’re running out of superlatives for the All Whites captain, whose hat-trick for Nottingham Forest against Brighton took his English Premier League tally to 17 this season.
They were typical Wood goals, a header from about a metre out, a tap-in and a penalty in the 7-0 rout. He’s a man with a knack.
WINNER: Football
And what more can you say about Auckland FC, who scored yet another crucial late goal to beat Macarthur FC. The buzz at Mt Smart Stadium (via TV in my case) is tremendous.
LOSER: Our Olympic obsession
There was some excitement around Dame Lisa Carrington’s suggestion that her magnificent canoeing career will live on to the next Olympics, when she will be 39.
What bugs me about Carrington is the way she hides out of sight for so long.
The announcement was made via a social media post.
Yes, Olympians give to the country. But they are doing it on our money.
And it’s so boring.
The great Olympians of the past (showing my age) were entwined in national life. They were fascinating people. They fought with officialdom, each other, the opposition. We revelled in their triumphs and failures along the way.
Those were the days. Truly.
WINNERS/LOSERS: The Afghan women’s cricket team
The players fled for their lives when the brutal Taliban – which outlaws women’s sport – regained control in 2021.
Last week, they played their first match for their country, an exhibition game in Melbourne.
Australian sports lawyer Dr Catherine Ordway led a high-powered team that helped 130 people escape.
Yet international bosses won’t formally recognise them.
“The ICC has shown a distinct lack of leadership,” Ordway said.
“There are Afghan women all around the world, young girls that are desperate to play cricket.”
Opening batter Sofia Yosofzai told ABC News: “We want a chance to show the world that we exist.”
WINNER: Rugby’s Fantasy Rugby ... but do they know that?
Typical rugby ... the sport has been stuffing about with its new fantasy competition, which is being introduced long after other sports realised the potential.
The scheduled January launch date has come and gone. Super Rugby Pacific was still unable to confirm a new date when quizzed by NZME.
But CEO Jack Mesley reckoned the product was “looking unreal”.
Hopefully so.
Fantasy rugby could be the saviour of a game that must reconnect with modern fans.
There should have been a longer lead-in to build interest, but better late – even very late – than never.