Smith slots seamlessly into quality punditry
The Week That Was and the Weekend That Will Be
Wayne Smith saw one too many lineout drives and long-armed advantages during a rugby match and switched over to watch the lions of the Serengeti. In the process he annoyed Joe Moody and league fans who noted there was some perfectly acceptable NRL on if he wanted to see the ball actually in play.
As a fan of both Smith and of prodding the establishment in general, I am thoroughly looking forward to the “grumpy old man” phase of this rugby genius’s life.
It’s close to impossible to see Smith as truly grumpy and cloud-shouty, though. He’s got too much of the avuncular uncle about him to pull it off, but grousing about the lineout drive - described fairly accurately in The Roar as “the most boring piece of play that can be witnessed on a rugby field” - and refereeing is a bloody good start.
I hope the brushback he’s received from those who are paid handsomely to engage in rugby’s version of trench warfare doesn’t put him off commenting further.
The sport needs more people challenging its accepted norms and you don’t come with any more credibility than Smith. I could see him as an analyst in the thinking-man’s-JK mould. That’s not a knock on JK, either. The rugby punditry zone would be a hellishly boring place without him, but I can see a potentially brilliant double act where JK argues his point in a reactive and emotive way, while Smith forensically breaks down the details.
They need their own primetime show. It would definitely work, even if they had to start on wildlife programmes because Smith needs a bit more time before he re-engages with the national sport.
JK: “It’s unforgivable that the lioness has left her cubs there outnumbered by hyenas.”
Smith: “If you roll the tape, what you’ll see is the mother creating a diversion, a dummy run if you like. It hasn’t worked on this occasion, but I like the thinking.”
JK: “All I can see is blood and entrails and two cubs who won’t be available next weekend.”
Make it happen Sky, or National Geographic.
THE WEEK THAT WAS
I wrote earlier this week about the frailty of the once-mighty Otago Metropolitan club competition, where the annual influx of students essentially props up the entire competition, not just the famous University club1. Just to the north there lies an antidote to pessimism.
It was pointed out by Hayden Meikle, sports editor of the Otago Daily Times, perhaps the only metropolitan masthead in the country still properly covering club rugby, that the North Otago club competition still has six teams and also six teams in the Senior Bs, this despite its major urban centre, Oamaru, being home to about 14,000 people. Three of those clubs - Athletic-Marist, Excelsior and Old Boys - are within spitting distance of each other. It helps that Oamaru Meats is a big recognised seasonal employer, which attracts a number of Fijians in the winter months.
It also helps that the local union is pretty flexible when it comes to ensuring the important things in life are not ignored.
From the ODT’s intro (emphasis mine): Valley remains top dog in the Citizens Shield after running riot against the defending champion. Its 57-14 thrashing of Kurow on Thursday night, played earlier to allow players to attend the opening weekend of duck-shooting, was its fourth win from four games.
David White announced he is calling bad light on his tenure at New Zealand Cricket. There’ll be more time to properly analyse his reign closer to his departure date in August but whoever steps into his shoes will be doing so at a time of massive change in the sport.
As Tanya pointed out in yesterday’s comments (in response to the interview with the Rajasthan Royals owner Manoj Badale who said tests should be confined to Wimbledon-sized windows played only between countries who can afford it): “If you combine his approach to international cricket (which appeared to be that it’s played to funnel the best players into the IPL and associated franchises) and the news today of the proposed ICC revenue distribution model, one might as well forget about countries playing cricket against each other outside of ICC World Cup tournaments. Associate countries basically get nothing, and the West Indies, South Africa, Bangladesh and others including us get a bit more than nothing. Not enough to have contracts for men’s players to keep them nationally contracted and happy, let alone the women’s team, development squads and any other teams that might expand our pool of talent.”
May we live in interesting times.
THE WEEKEND THAT WILL BE
What I will attempt to park myself in front of this weekend.
Because of all the previous drama surrounding the coaching set-up of the national side from 2024 onwards, a really curious sub-narrative has emerged regarding what the current Super Rugby coaches, particularly those who will be moving on to pastures new, should be seen to be doing in the interim. The apotheosis of this can be read in this Stuff headline: “Why Leon MacDonald, Scott Robertson will barely speak after Blues-Crusaders Super Rugby showdown.”
There is a short and possibly too pithy an explanation, but it still seems worth pointing out: because they coach different teams.
Richard Irvine nicely skewers the whole business in this piece headlined: “Scott Robertson won’t stop leaving Post-it notes on Ian Foster’s stuff.”
Still, it should be a good game.
Crusaders v Blues, Christchurch, tomorrow 7.05pm, Sky Sport 1
While the NRl rages at Jason Paris’ incendiary comments about the referees, Ginnane should be congratulated for putting the dissatisfaction into a wider context.
“This is a feeling going across all of New Zealand rugby league fans — is that they have been dudded for a long time,” he said on The Back Page, referring to the sacrifices the club made by being based in Australia during Covid and then not getting any compensatory ‘gifts’ in this year’s draw.
“It just speaks to the idea that they’re just indentured servants to rugby league and Australia.
“Then they were dudded, they think they were dudded, by the referees in that game [against the Storm]. Now the pot was boiling. Then there were a few decisions in this game [against Penrith] and now it’s overflowing... and that’s why this guy is a hero, because he’s on the front line saying what every New Zealand sporting fan thinks.”
Canterbury-Bankstown v NZ Warriors, Sydney, tonight 8pm, Sky Sport 4
Is there anybody who doesn’t want another best-of-enemies Celtics/Lakers finals? These two franchises first met in 1959 when Boston beat Minneapolis 4-0, and last met in 2010 when the Lakers, who have moved to La-La Land in the meantime, beat the Celtics 4-3.
In total the two franchises have met in the finals 12 times - including the fabulous Larry and Magic era - and there’s a razor-thin margin between them. The Celtics only lead 9-3. Ha ha! They both have a bit of work to get there, starting this weekend.
Lakers v Golden State Warriors, Gm 6, Los Angeles, tomorrow 2pm, ESPN
Celtics v Philadelphia 76ers, Gm 7, Boston, Sunday TBD
There’s a whole lot of golf on this weekend, from Lydia Ko in the Founders Cup (tied for 46th after one round), to Steven Alker in the first of the Champions Tour majors, The Tradition (tied for 14th). Meanwhile Ryan Fox has been confirmed for the PGA Championship next week, the season’s second men’s major being played at Oak Hill, New York. Check your listings for times but Sky is using channel 6 for the seniors and 9 for the LPGA.
The IndyCar series moves to the Indianapolis Speedway, where it uses its infield for the fifth race of the season. Scott McLaughlin is coming off a win and sits in fourth in the standings, while Scott Dixon occupies a grumpy eighth place and Marcus Armstrong, who is not racing ovals this year, in 17th. With four different winners in four races, this is so much more exciting than F1, which has all the suspense of your average episode of Dora the Explorer.
GMR GP, Indianapolis, Sunday 7.30am, Sky Sport 5
There’s a bunch of “nearly” vital games as the Premier League winds down. The weekend’s early game sees Newcastle United, who have “nearly” secured a top four place and Champions League qualification, travel to Leeds United, who are “nearly” relegated. Quite how Leeds, darlings of the league when promoted two years ago under the guidance (“spell?”) of Argentine Marcelo Bielsa, a mentor regarded as one of the most influential coaches in football history, got stuck in 19th place with three matches to go is a subject of much fascination (The Athletic $).
From the outside, the events of the past 14 months appear utterly bewildering, with many wondering quite how a team that had become arguably the division’s most watchable under Bielsa careered so spectacularly off course that they have now reached for Allardyce, a manager of substantial talent and experience but who could not seem less in-keeping with the brand of football to which Leeds supporters had become accustomed.
Leeds v Newcastle, Elland Rd, tomorrow 11.30pm, Sky EPL
I should have mentioned that along with the demise of the historic Pirates club, which operates a junior programme only, Alhambra-Union, a merged club whose branches have close to 150 years of history, lost 0-99 to Dunedin recently and is yet to hold an opposition to under 50 points.
A few quick thoughts:
Wayne Smith surely has few peers as a rugby thinker in NZ. He’s one of those people who’s managed to stay respected for a huge period of time for both his skills and his integrity. Would be great to hear more from him. As an aside, really not a JK fan - apart from the trendy garb I think he brings nothing at all, and the more I listen to him the more I understand why the Blues were a disaster under him. When he provides “analysis” I honestly wonder sometimes if I watched a different game.
Dylan, be interested to get your musings on David White’s reign in due course. I have nothing to go on except a view from the outside where on the one hand he was there for a period of unprecedented success but on the other I really don’t know what he contributed to that, and when the gloss started to fade I don’t feel I saw any real leadership from him. He comes across as austere and unimaginative, but I’m not sure if that’s fair.
Anyone else think the Warriors got the rub of the green last night? Coincidence? Long may it last I say