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Shane van Gisbergen will be hoping to give Pukekohe Raceway a fitting and Kiwi send-off. Photo / Photosport
OPINION:
Chris Rattue ranks the eight best sports to watch this weekend and beyond.
The legends have departed, with Serena Williams and, more surprisingly, Rafael Nadal eliminated.
The women’s
The new American Football season kicks off on Sky just after noon on Friday, when the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams play the Buffalo Bills.
The Rams have lost key players, the Bills are highly fancied this year.
Having negotiated the opening game, you can do some fancy footwork yourself because Spark will be hosting three Monday games throughout the season.
Sky will probably remain the main NFL place for most floating voters though, and they have one particularly interesting edge.
Their ESPN Monday Night Football coverage (Tuesday NZ time) includes the parallel broadcast by Super Bowl winning quarterback brothers Peyton and Eli Manning.
You’ll never see an NFL game the same after listening to their insights, and the Mannings also have some great guests.
They kick off by mulling over the Seattle v Denver match, where the Seahawks’ brilliant Super Bowl winning quarterback Russell Wilson makes his debut for the Broncos.
There’s only one big-name Kiwi in this – fiery Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves – but don’t let that put you off.
Of the four finals games this weekend, this sudden death clash stands out as the tastiest.
It might even be more volatile than the golf.
Forget the majors. Forget the Ryder Cup. This is the historic golf punch-up some of us can’t wait to witness.
Officially, this is Europe’s “flagship event”, the BMW PGA at Wentworth.
Unofficially, it’s a stoush between players remaining “loyal” to the traditional tours and those who have joined the Saudi Arabia-backed Liv outfit headed by the shark himself, Greg Norman.
Tension is so high that Germany’s Martin Kaymer, a former world number one who has joined Liv, withdrew from this tournament.
Rory McIlroy, an outspoken backer of the established tours, admitted he didn’t really want to line up against the Liv golfers in Surrey.
One golf writer opined that the game needed to retain decorum in the face of fire. Where’s the fun in that?
We’re about to find out if a sport steeped in rules and etiquette can sneak out of this rough.
A reminder of how important the departing Kendra Cocksedge has been to New Zealand rugby.
Cocksedge plays her 100th game for Canterbury in this Christchurch final, before her swan song leading the Black Ferns’ World Cup tilt.
She is bound to star in this final. Wayne Smith and co. will pray she gets through unscathed.
Transtasman hostilities recommence in Melbourne where anything could happen, given the topsy-turvy world of international rugby contests right now.
The great unknown in rugby these days is just where the red and yellow cards will fall.
And helping to even up the contest, the heavily favoured All Blacks will be without their best forward Ardie Savea, who is on family duty.
The big question: are Ian Foster’s All Blacks really on an upward curve? Or is there still some life in the All Black coaching debate?
The game is being played on Thursday apparently to avoid clashing with the Aussie Rules and NRL finals. This represents a bit of a comedown for an international code which has opted for the role of a curtainraiser to the weekend’s big domestic semifinals.
And the scheduling will make for some unusual Friday conversations, being post-match rather than pre-match.
The last midweek Bledisloe Cup game made for decades of chat, thanks to George Gregan’s famous match winning tackle on Jeff Wilson in 1994.
Watch the great Scott Dixon go for yet another title and listen to the commentators rave about Scott McLaughlin, although the rising Kiwi star is only a longshot among the five remaining contenders lining up in the California showdown.
The title is Aussie Will Power’s to lose on the Laguna Sec pavement in the culmination of a fascinating season which has produced eight different winners.
It has fallen on south Auckland’s Shane van Gisbergen to farewell the Pukekohe motor racing track in Kiwi style.
The iconic motor racing circuit is giving way to horse power – as in the thoroughbred horse racing industry, which owns the ground.
From a neutral corner, it’s an odd looking result, vibrant motor racing having its nose bloodied by the hobbling horse racing scene.
But there you go, and the arena is seen as a big part of an attempt to revive horse racing around Auckland.
This weekend’s Auckland three-race SuperSprint marks the big-time motor racing farewell for a track that has been a significant part of New Zealand sport for 60 years.
Defending Supercars champion van Gisbergen – who grew up on a Manukau farm – is smashing it in the Australasian series, with 16 wins from 26 races so far. He is also closing in on fellow Kiwi McLaughlin’s record of 18 wins in a season.
Old names and cars will help wave Pukekohe goodbye.
Leading the charge down the memory lane will be Pukekohe specialist Greg Murphy, Steven Richards and Paul Radisich in historic touring car races.
The place will be packed. The TV coverage starts on Friday afternoon.
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