Five things from the weekend

Wellington’s problems sorted

It has been a real challenge putting Wellington’s ignominious defeats in the 2014 ITM Cup into some kind of order.  But going down to Counties Manukau 55-7 on Saturday probably raises the bar just that little bit higher.

It’s not all doom and gloom though.  Murray Mexted has come out and solved the problem as being not having enough Murray Mexted involved.

Meanwhile, there is a Shield Challenge on Wednesday night.

Some clubs are more equal than others

There is that theory that in the English Premier League some clubs get preferential treatment from the referees; especially when playing at home.  These clubs are said to be the larger clubs, and are often based in the north of England.

Without naming names, here is the pass that led to what should have been Kevin Nolan’s equaliser at Old Trafford over the weekend.

The Instagram Test

Some people are increasingly questioning Argentina’s value as part of the Rugby Championship.  But on top of the variety they bring, there is the undervalued bonus of giving us an annual test match on a Sunday morning at a time perfect for a decent brunch.  If nothing else, this is good news for New Zealand producers of eggs, bacon and mushrooms.

No rugby test has ever been Instagramed quite like this one.

Argentina knows how to do a decent confetti bomb too.

The Ryder Enigma

No, this is not about Jesse Ryder, and a potential return to the New Zealand cricket team; that is getting enough attention as it is.  This is about the Ryder Cup; a bi-annual golfing tournament with its curious attempt at quasi-nationalism.

On one hand you have a nation, with a side full of modest journeymen.  On the other side you have a disparate continent comprised of people from a bunch of nations and semi-nations that traditionally hate each other.  And that team is littered with prissy little upstarts with clashing egos.

Yet it is the latter group that New Zealanders seem to get behind; often from a misguided view that Europe are the plucky underdogs.

It is now eight losses out of the past ten for the USA, yet that aspect seems to get overlooked.  Who knows how we will watch the 2016 edition, but no doubt it will be Europe all the way.

Northern Bloody Districts

There has been talk about where the Champions League T20 competition sits in the consciousness of New Zealand sport, and the performance of Northern Districts over the last couple of weeks has pretty much nailed it.

While they were storming their way through the preliminary rounds they were New Zealand’s Northern Districts Knights, Kane Williamson was one of the all-time greats, how amazing is Scott Styris, 47, and Trent Boult is now a short-form option.  Following a couple of heavy losses they reverted to plain old Northern Districts, and were relegated to the end of the sports news.

This was a tournament where Corey Anderson did not take the field.  If ever you want an example of how ridiculously stacked the rules are, you have got it right there.