Yours Please 8

“Yours Please” asks three Sportsfreak affiliates their thoughts on what has happened – and what may happen – in the sporting world over the last week or so.

This week, @Girvana, @bopman1 and @ArtGuyNZ give us their thoughts on the weekend’s events.

1) What was your sporting highlight of the weekend?

@Girvana – The Crusaders getting off to a winning start – RUGBY IS BACK!

@bopman1 – Pretty unimaginative but for me it was the return of Super Rugby. Five games, two of them decided by the last play, biggest winning margin of 11 points, the Chiefs getting up. What’s not to like?

@ArtGuyNZ – Spoilt for choice this weekend to some degree.  A great Warriors first half (albeit against a severely weakened Storm team), Auckland FC win yet again, but for me it was the Canada v USA ice hockey game.  Absolute insanity.

 

2) How excited (or otherwise) were you to see Super Rugby kicking off?

@Girvana – I only really watched some halves of games but thought the Aussie teams looked sharp regardless of opposition. Is this their year to be title competitive? As for the reigning champs……

@bopman1 – Given my answer to one, I was clearly pretty fizzed. I thought the competition did a good job building some buzz in the weeks prior. I couldn’t move on social media without content being thrown at me by various entities. Then the rugby backed it up. It’s helped by the utter disaster that’s been the New Zealand “home” summer of cricket being a non-event.

@ ArtGuyNZ – Didn’t get to see more than few minutes of one game.  I am not a Super Rugby fan to any great degree, so I can take it or leave it.  More often than not, I leave it.

 

3) What is your stand on Caleb Clarke’s (amongst others) withdrawal from Fantasy Rugby?

@Girvana – I find it odd and as a NFL Fantasy Football player, there is no way any player in that league would be allowed to decline. Rugby needs as much fan engagement as possible and having players opt out is not a great look. It should be in their contracts. If players are starting to focus on their fantasy stats and feel they will be impacted, then something is wrong.

@bopman1 – It’s a bit strange, isn’t it? Many people, myself included, probably assumed it was a religious thing which I guess would have been fair enough. But then he came out with a statement saying it wasn’t religion but not really clearing up why he isn’t participating. It seemed like he was saying it’s an extra burden he could do without…for me it doesn’t change the players job in any way. Organisers must have been pulling their hair out with one of their superstars taking focus away from the launch of the product especially when these products are in place to actually support players. More engaged fans = better atmospheres in stadiums and better revenues to pay players with.

@ArtGuyNZ – I just don’t understand the reasoning – I find it feeble.  They will be doing nothing additional to what they are already doing on the field anyway, and if that adds to the “pressure” of performing, they need to learn how to cope with it.  There shouldn’t even be an option to withdraw.  It sets a very strange precedent – what next, backing out of photo shoots for programmes?

 

4) What is your prediction for the BlackCaps in the ICC Champions Trophy?

@Girvana – The standard getting to a semi-final, then disappointment.

@bopman1 – Two weeks ago I wouldn’t have given them much of a chance. Three sub-continent opponents on the sub-continent doesn’t really scream success but given results in Pakistan maybe we’re a chance? Winning the thing would be a pretty big shock but a semi-final certainly seems very possible.

@ArtGuyNZ – It could be anything.  Their lead in form has been very promising, and they will see themselves as possible finalists, but gut feel is yet another semi-final.  If things go their way, who knows what could happen?  Never change New Zealand Cricket.

 

5) Has there been a more bizarre start to a sporting contest than the Canada/US ice hockey game?

@Girvana – I am not a hockey fan but have seen the start of that game. To me it was a set up from a pure entertainment perspective and it was all about setting the scene for the game. Do hockey players in fights actually land any punches?

@bopman1 – Thanks to our friend @HDiddyNZ’s piece on the site on Friday I’d swatted up on some of the background to this.  But even then, three fights in nine seconds is terrific stuff. Nothing stranger immediately comes to mind and how peak 2025 does the whole thing feel? Canada and USA hating on each other because of tariffs and politics. It made for great TV and a fascinating contrast to whatever the NBA were up to over the same weekend.

@ArtGuyNZ – Utterly bonkers – the only thing I can recall that is similar is a couple of AFL Grand Final brawls before the start of the game in the 1980’s, but this was next level.  Three separate fights in the first nine seconds, followed by an incredible atmosphere as Canada scored the opening goal.  With the bad feeling revolving around tariffs and the subsequent disrespect shown at anthem time, we finally have one thing to thank Donald Trump for (likely to be the first and last time I will ever say that).