Supersport's Good Week / Bad Week: Fingers' new game?

Good week for...

Fingers' new game?
As his boxing career seems to be faltering, perhaps John "Fingers" Hopoate might consider a new sport. We've found one that would suit his dextrous little pinkies. Kung fu master Ho Eng Hui, 55, set a new record for piercing coconuts with his index finger. He jabbed his way into the Malaysian records book after, er, penetrating four coconuts in a little over 30 seconds. "Now, I will start preparing myself to get into the Guinness Book of World Records," Master Ho said. "I am able to do this after mastering the Chinese martial art technique of using the strength of my finger, from a martial arts master in Singapore." Fingers! Get training!

Bastard indeed
Who do those French rats think they are? The Kiwi cops ought to charge Mathieu Bastareaud with wasting police time and being an arrogant French arse.

Andy's true colours
SuperShorts salutes true Counties legends such as Jim Coe who have lined up to buy season ticket passes at Growers Stadium in support of the heartland union. But has Andy Dalton forgotten the black, white and red jersey that made him great? Many were surprised to hear the head of Auckland rugby wouldn't stump up for a $50 season ticket.

Metal Cowboy
A trio of Dallas Cowboys linemen have formed a heavy metal group. Leonard Davis, Marc Colombo and Cory Procter have formed a band called Free Reign and signed a record deal with Australia's Riot Entertainment. With all three players weighing over 135kg, they are being referred to as "heavier than metal".

Singing for supper
Former Kangaroo league star Matt Sing has a comeback lined up this weekend. Gone is the superstar lifestyle and big-money contract - Sing is taking the field for the Central Comets against Redcliffe for "a pie and a coke" as payment.

Bad week for...

Buon giorno, mates
It's truly an international game: Of the 15 players who take the field in Italian colours in Christchurch tomorrow, just four are Italian-born and still playing in Italy.

Rowntree foils whingers
There was, predictably, a ton of moaning from the English press after the Beast put Phil Vickery to the sword in the scrums in last weekend's opening Boks-Lions test match. Kiwi ref Bryce Lawrence bore the brunt. "Kiwis can't referee scrums properly," grizzled Stephen Jones.

Enter Lions forwards coach Graham Rowntree who rather cut short the complaints by saluting Lawrence's efforts - after all, the Lions said before the game that they wanted the ref to let the strongest scrum get on with its job. He did that.

"There was one particularly uncomfortable scrum on nine minutes when we got lifted off the floor," said Rowntree. "If I was their scrum coach watching that I would have retired to Panama by now with a cigar."

Good man.

Oi! Fernando!
The Spanish press indulged in much smug glee while writing about the All Whites 5-0 whipping by Fernando Torres and Co last week. We played soccer from a different age they said, chortling into their paela. So we indulged in a wry smile yesterday as the Spaniards tumbled out of the Confederations Cup, losing to a bunch of baseball-playing, soda-slurping Yanks. So Fernando, send your rugby players down here sometime and we'll see how you lot go at our game.

Game, shot and missed
Is TVNZ missing a trick? The state-owned broadcaster shelled out good sheckles for the rights to screen Wimbledon, but through week one we were left wondering if they're making best use of the package. Midnight-to-5am is all well and good, but where were the afternoon replays of the best matches from the overnight action? Where were the extended highlight packages?