I decided to be a spectator on Sunday for the Blues vs Hurricanes and enjoyed the simple pleasures of sport; A sold out crowd and the beauty of camaraderie, as Beauden Barrett on failing to tackle Dane Coles on his way to the try line was wrapped up in the celebration of his ex-teammates and took it with a grin. Perhaps feeling that he would indeed have the last smile. And the Blues looked the real deal upon domestic return. Rieko Ioane was tearing things up at outside centre and they looked cohesive and confident, even with Dan Carter not yet in the match 23.
Sunday morning made for a lovely morning of viewing, but thankfully off the back of a lovely Saturday of betting. I put a meaty bet on under 75.5 points at halftime of the Chiefs vs Highlanders game, and it paid off better than I imagine a bet on the final result would have. MoneyBoy took a hit in this regard, calling the Chiefs by 7.5 and probably feeling similarly sunken to Warren Gatland post his son’s decisive drop goal. I believe he made up for some of his losses though, correctly calling the Blues to win by over 5.5.
This weekend was never going to be a liberal one betting-wise, and for both myself and MoneyBoy it was definitely a test of the Super Rugby Aotearoa waters. But what a pleasure to watch quality sides hammering it out to cheering crowds and reminding us of all that is beautiful about sport.
Happy Sunday folks
MoneyMan
