Winners & Losers: All Blacks v Springboks flyover and Warriors $200k dilemma - Christopher Reive

For venue purposes, finishing first or second doesn’t exactly matter. In the NRL, the grand final is held in Sydney, regardless of who competes in it.

In a competition such as the A-League, where the winners of the Premier’s Plate – effectively the football competition’s minor premiership – also get hosting rights for as long as they last in the finals, it’s an advantage to win it.

The NRL’s minor premiership does, however, come with a cash prize of A$200,000 ($242,000) – half going to the club and the other half to the players.

With both the Panthers and the Warriors a chance for the minor premiership, the question becomes one of priorities: do you play for the prize or allow those who have carried a heavy load over the last two months a week off to come into the playoffs fresh? The end goal is, after all, a full premiership.

For the Warriors, the question extends to those just becoming available again. Halves pairing Te Maire Martin and Chanel Harris-Tavita were late omissions in the scratchy win over the Newcastle Knights on Sunday. Martin hasn’t played since round 22. If he’s fit, would the Warriors rather him have a game under his belt before the finals, or give him the extra week and let Jett Cleary have another run after a decent NRL debut against the Knights?

Even if they beat Manly, they would have to wait on the result of the Panthers’ clash with Wests Tigers on Sunday.

Penrith did thrash the Tigers 68-0 earlier in the year, but Panthers coach Ivan Cleary will be facing the same question as Webster and could choose to rest players as well.

These are the kinds of positions you can only hope to find yourself in as a top-level coach.

Winner: Aviation nerds

When was the last time a flyover overshadowed a test match?

Coming into the office on Monday morning after the All Blacks’ loss to the Springboks in Cape Town, I heard more comments along the lines of “how about that flyover?” than about the game itself.

To be fair, the two Airlink Embraer 190s soaring low over the top of DHL Stadium were spectacular enough to have me immediately messaging the Herald’s man at the ground, Liam Napier, to make sure it wasn’t just CGI.

The display certainly sparked discussions, with many questioning the legality and safety of the planes flying so low over the stadium, especially with one shooting through a plume of smoke just after fireworks were let off.

In a widely reported statement, Airlink said the flyover had been carefully planned and the planes stayed within permitted limits.

They certainly got the people going.

Loser: New Zealand’s netball exodus continues

It was expected that some of New Zealand’s top netballers would look for work offshore again for next season, with little clarity around whether or not New Zealand will even have a top competition in 2027.

The number that have signed deals abroad, however, might be higher than anticipated.

After announcements that Kate Heffernan (Adelaide), Grace Nweke (Sydney) and Amelia Walmsley (Melbourne) were leaving, there are now 18 players confirmed to be taking their talents offshore – more than two starting line-ups worth of talent.

As it stands, the only option for a 2027 competition in the public discourse is a proposal from Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams – a stopgap measure before a fully privatised competition in 2028.

RNZ reports Netball New Zealand is now working on finalising the Mowbray-Williams bid for 2027, but the clock continues to tick.

Winner: Alker goes back-to-back

Steven Alker continues to be a force on the PGA Tour Champions.

After winning the Rogers Charity Classic in a playoff last week, the 55-year-old has backed it up with a three-shot win in the Ally Challenge on the senior tour. A run of four birdies in a row gave the Kiwi plenty of room to breathe in his final round, after taking the lead.

Alker has been incredibly successful in his time on the senior tour, now with 13 event wins and just one missed cut in 113 starts.

A little closer to home, fellow Kiwi Rebekah Blackwell-Chin took out the PNG Women’s Open on the WPGA Tour of Australasia.

Losers: Finals teams take a hit

The Newcastle Knights’ clash with the Warriors went from good to bad very quickly. After a hot start to take a double-digit lead, they lost prop Jacob Saifiti to a pretty sickening high shot on Warriors winger Luke Laulilii, then lost impressive young second-rower Francis Manuleleua to an elbow injury which saw him leave the field on a medicab. The Knights can’t finish lower than eighth so will be in the playoffs, but these are not the sort of issues you want to be dealing with at this time of the year.

The same goes for the Sydney Roosters, who suddenly find themselves sweating on a return date for halfback Sam Walker after he required surgery on an ankle injury suffered in the side’s loss to the Dolphins.

The Roosters have been among the form teams in the competition through the second half of the season and will finish in the top four, but Walker likely now racing the clock to play a part in their title charge is a massive blow.

Losers: A new area of concern for the All Blacks

In the first test, it was the first-half scrum. This time around, the lineout was an area where the Springboks challenged the All Blacks with great success.

South African lock Eben Etzebeth made a real nuisance of himself at the set piece, constantly contesting – and often disrupting – the All Blacks’ throw. Coupled with the continued struggles under the high ball, the Springboks had two clear areas where they could put the All Blacks under pressure and they executed well.

What has become clear across the two tests is the areas in which each team have the wood over the other – the All Blacks finding success when they create space to move the ball while the Springboks have their best moments when they can make the All Blacks uncomfortable in scrums and under the high ball.

Roll on Johannesburg and the third instalment of what has been a great series so far.

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