All Blacks v Springboks clashes have restored some mystique – Chris Rattue’s Watchlist

Chris Rattue has been a journalist since 1980 and is one of the most respected opinion writers in New Zealand sports journalism.

OPINION

Chris Rattue runs through the sporting events on his radar over the next few days.

All Blacks v Springboks

There’s been hand-wringing during the week over South Africa’s exclusion from Super Rugby, with All Black Ethan Blackadder leading the charge by saying players miss the joys of playing there more often.

But there is another way of looking at it.

Separating the rugby behemoths has restored some mystique to their test clashes. Last week’s epic at Ellis Park had a fresh feel.

Moving on to Cape Town, Sunday morning...

The first kickoff is at 3am. The second is about an hour later, when Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus will send his bomb squad into action.

Former test halfback Justin Marshall, for one, believes All Blacks coach Scott Robertson should employ a six-two (forwards-backs) split on the bench as a counter to South Africa’s deep reserves of power.

As Marshall rightly pointed out, with so many multi-skilled backs in the squad there was no real need to have Anton Lienert-Brown and Mark Telea as backs reserves at Johannesburg.

Bottom line – Robertson needs to respond to the famous Erasmus replacement tactic. He will look naive if the All Blacks are blown away by another second-half Boks Blitz. Stand by for more magnificent drama.

Coverage: Sky

Boxing... at no extra cost

Northlander Lani Daniels defends her IBF light heavyweight title against Bolatito Oluwole in Hamilton on Saturday night.

While the 30-year-old Oluwole is inexperienced, she is reputed to have plenty of power and has been preparing in New Zealand for the past week.

Like Oluwole, 36-year-old Daniels’ last fight was in December.

Sky subscribers will get automatic access, no extra pass required, from 7.30pm.

The card is an eclectic mix, including Joseph Parker’s younger brother John in a cruiserweight bout.

Daniels v Oluwole should begin around 10pm, but with this event being an extensive mix of boxing, kickboxing etc... who knows?

Coverage: Sky

The NFL is back

Patrick Mahomes and the champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens (today, 12.20pm) to kick off a new season.

NFL fanatics can go down the subscriber pass route if they want their pick of any game to watch, while the rest of us accept whatever the mainstream Sky service throws at us.

The well-rated Ravens, with outstanding quarterback Lamar Jackson, play in the tough AFC North division, and will be desperate to hit the ground running.

Over in Kansas, Mahomes fights for air with Taylor Swift, whose partner is the great Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Stay tuned for an endless supply of Swift-related stories, and the NFL will love this incredible boost to its profile, as if it needed any.

The game is also on a roll if cyberspace is any indication, with more than 60 million Americans playing NFL Fantasy Football.

Mahomes, meanwhile, will be doing his thing on terra firma as he chases a fourth Super Bowl ring using evasion skills that have redefined the quarterback position.

Which leads the conversation to this.

Netflix has just released Untold: The Murder of Air McNair, a tragic tale but also a reminder that Mahomes’ style came from somewhere.

Steve McNair was a spectacular and successful quarterback who would dance away from trouble to pull plays out of thin air.

The documentary is far from perfect – the flaws are obvious. But well worth a watch, and a nice way to warm up for the new season.

Coverage: Sky, TVNZ+, DAZN

NRL: Must watch... Knights v Dolphins, and more

Talk about timing. The final NRL regular season game of 2024 (Sunday 6.05pm) determines who gets the remaining playoff place. Incredible.

Coaching maestro Wayne Bennett hid a revamped line-up before his Dolphins smashed the Broncos last week. The 74-year-old returns to another of his former clubs, the Knights, who will wonder what tricks he has up the sleeve this week.

But wait, there’s more. The battle for the dreaded wooden spoon comes down to the Tigers v Eels on Friday night (8pm). The Benji Marshall-coached Tigers will be desperate to avoid a third straight last-place finish.

A couple of cut-throat thrillers in store.

Coverage: Sky

US Open tennis

The finals weekend is upon us.

Coverage: TVNZ+/Duke

Tip of the Week

Are you searching for new oval ball energy?

Try the women’s NRL, which includes a sprinkling of New Zealand players, like the tireless Kiwi Ferns star Georgia Hale of the Gold Coast Titans.

The women’s league premiership throws up loads of quality action. It’s not without the odd confrontation either. The competition will be even better next year when the Warriors jump back in after a five-year absence.

Coverage: Sky