The Black Ferns, Phoenix Men, Black Caps, Kiwi Ferns, Kiwis, Joseph Parker and the All Blacks in a Rugby World Cup final are all on within 24 hours this weekend, which begs the question - with only one set of eyes and the need to sleep at some point, how
New Zealand sport this weekend: How to plan your viewing, how to watch and how much sleep you’ll get
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Kickoff: 8am
Device: Primary
How to watch: Sky Sport 1
The Rugby World Cup has just two matches to play - the first of those being the dreaded Bronze final. England and Argentina have the honour (or possibly dishonour) of playing in this one after England were edged in a slogfest by South Africa and Los Pumas were dismantled by the All Blacks in the semis.
Sleep: A leisurely 8am start means you should be well-rested and raring to go as the weekend kicks off.
Black Ferns v Wales - WXV1
Kickoff: 4pm
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Device: Primary
How to watch: Sky Sport 2
The Black Ferns’ WXV1 campaign didn’t start the way they wanted as France gave them a dose of Rugby World Cup revenge in an 18-17 loss. A bounceback is needed against sixth-ranked Wales, but the Ferns ought to be wary after the Welsh were pumped 42-22 by Canada and are also looking for their first win of the tournament.
Sleep: An afternoon nap would be wise before this one - it’s a marathon, not a sprint and there’s no shame in resting those eyes before you put them through the ringer later in the evening.
Wellington Phoenix v Perth Glory - A-League Men’s
Kickoff: 5.30pm
Device: Primary
How to watch: Sky Sport 7
Another Kiwi team looking for their first win in a competition are the Phoenix Men. They were held to a 0-0 draw by Western Sydney in their A-League opener and while they looked solid defensively, they’ll be keen to get one in the back of the net and kickstart their season.
Sleep: If you took an afternoon nap before the Ferns you should be fine to roll straight into the Nix.
Black Caps v Australia - Cricket World Cup
First ball: 6pm
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Device: Secondary then Primary
How to watch: Sky Sport 1
The Black Caps were well beaten by a strong Indian side at their home tournament so a win against the Aussies would not only put them back on track but put one foot in the semifinals. A much friendlier 6pm start rather than the usual punishment of 9.30pm means you can start this one off on the secondary device, particularly if Australia are batting first, then switch over once the Nix game has finished.
Sleep: Cricket gives plenty of opportunity to catch a few winks - look for any rain delays or at the break of innings, although that’ll be at about 10pm and as you’ll see, there’s still plenty on then.
NZ Breakers v S.E. Melbourne Phoenix - NBL
Tipoff: 7.30pm
Device: Secondary
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How to watch: Sky Sport 3
At 1-2 after three games of the NBL season, the Breakers have a chance to get back to .500 against the Phoenix - who have played four more games than the Breakers, owing to the NBA road trip the Kiwis undertook. There’s a real opportunity here for the Breakers to get their season firing against a mid-table South East Melbourne outfit.
Sleep: Masters of the power nap can sneak one in at halftime here but with rugby league about to hit you, pushing on is your best bet.
Kiwi Ferns v Jillaroos - Pacific Championships
Kickoff: 8pm
Device: Primary
How to watch: Sky Sport 4
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The Kiwi Ferns looked comfortable against Tonga in their second Pacific Championships match after going down to the Jillaroos in the opener. They will have to lift again if they are to go one better with their second crack. Get this one on the big screen and flick the cricket back to your secondary.
Sleep: We’re entering tactical territory here. You still have another game of league to go but there will be a decent opportunity to sleep following that, so proceed as you wish.
Kiwis v Kangaroos - Pacific Championships
Kickoff: 10pm
Device: Primary
How to watch: Sky Sport 4
If the All Blacks weren’t playing in a Rugby World Cup final, this would be the match of the weekend. The Kiwis outclassed Toa Samoa at Eden Park so like the Ferns have a big chance against their Aussie counterparts. International rugby league simply doesn’t get better than the Anzac rivalry, strap yourselves in.
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Sleep: You’ve made it this far - one more game won’t hurt, right? It’ll finish about midnight and the cricket will be entering the latter stages of the second innings - if all has gone according to plan, the Black Caps will be thrashing Australia and you can get to bed and check the score in the morning. Sleep is highly recommended at some point from now until the World Cup final as you’d not want to fall asleep during that one, not sure how you could, though...
Sunday
All Blacks v Springboks - Rugby World Cup final
Kickoff: 8am
Device: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary
How to watch: Sky Sport 1
Here it is, you’ve been waiting all week and all this sleep-deprived weekend for New Zealand and South Africa in a repeat of the 1995 final - need we say more? One nation will emerge above the other as the first to win four men’s World Cups. Put this one on your big screen and fire up the live updates on nzherald.co.nz - yours truly will be in the hot seat with the rest of the team to guide you through arguably the biggest game of rugby in All Blacks history.
Sleep: If you haven’t yet, you’re hardly going to now, are you? If you’ve followed the advice above, you should have hit the sack at about 12.30pm - which means you can be up at 6.30am to tuck into the live-blog build-up courtesy of the Herald.
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Joseph Parker v Simon Kean - Heavyweight boxing
Ring walks (approx): 8.35am
Device: Secondary
How to watch: DAZN Pay Per View
Joseph Parker finds himself on the undercard of the Tyson Fury v Francis Ngannou mega-fight in Saudi Arabia. Times for boxing cards can vary and Parker’s PPV numbers from New Zealand will no doubt take a hit with the World Cup final on, but fight fans would do well to get this one on the second device if you can spare half an eye.
Sleep: Not a chance.
Phew...
There you have it - what to watch, where to watch it and when to catch a few winks for a simply delectable sporting smorgasbord this coming weekend. By my count, you should have at least an arvo nap on Saturday plus circa six hours before the Rugby World Cup final. That, and a few wins for New Zealand sports teams, should be more than enough to carry you through.
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