Chris Rattue’s Watchlist: The best sport to watch this weekend and beyond (ranked)

OPINION

Chris Rattu counts the best things to see in esports this weekend and beyond.

7) League All-Stars, Saturday – SKY

The next seven days are peppered with sport at the highest level
as more of a pre-season oddity.

Māori and Aboriginal Australian teams battle it out in Rotorua, three weeks before the opening round of the NRL.

Not all intended NRL stars will be there, with many defectors.

But past experience says the game might be worth a look, and the lineups are still decent when Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker, Joseph Tapine and James Fisher-Harris are involved.

The Wāhine Toa begin at 3:30 p.m., and the Tāne at 5:45 p.m.

6) Ireland v France, Six Nations, Sunday 3.15pm – SKY

The standout among European rugby matches this weekend.

After the historic series victory in New Zealand, Ireland is building up steam towards the World Cup.

World Cup hosts France confused the pundits with a scratchy opening win over an improved Italy. Expect a fiery French response.

5) New Zealand Breakers NBL semi-final game one, Sunday 6pm – SKY

The hottest ticket in town… Spark Arena will bring basketball back to life when the Kiwi team returns to the playoffs after a few lean years.

4) T20 World Cup New Zealand vs Australia, Sunday 6am – SKY

A smart move, scheduling the Trans-Tasmanian women’s cricket match to help kick off the World Cup in South Africa.

If anyone can upset the Aussies, it’s probably the in-form Kiwis.

The problem is that Meg Lanning and her fellow stars look almost unbeatable and Australia are dominating this tournament. And New Zealand’s T20 World Cup record has recently been disappointing.

But Sophie Devine and Co. was able to snag out the mighty green and gold. It would be a huge boost to the tournament if they did this at the 10,000 capacity Boland Park in Paarl. However, Devine’s injury battle won’t help.

3) Cricket: New Zealand v England, first test starts Thursday 2pm – SPARK

New Zealand versus Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, England leaders with key Kiwi connections.

The highly anticipated two-test series begins with a day-night competition at Mt. Maunganui.

New Zealand will be without Trent Boult’s class for the series, but the aggro factor goes up a notch as the great Kyle Jamieson is back for one of the Tests after suffering a serious injury.

In fairness, a visiting cricket coach has never come close to the level of interest that McCullum, the former New Zealand captain, will spark. He has always been a sporting character and his impact on England has been remarkable.

This series also helps mark the beginning of the end for Spark Sport, a subscriber platform that has kept Sky on its toes without standing itself out.

Memory Lane: England were also present in New Zealand’s first day-night friendly in 2018. In a stunning opening session at a sparsely populated Eden Park, Boult and Tim Southee threatened to sack England below the Test record 26, an afternoon that would never be forgotten for those of us lucky enough to be there.

2) Arsenal v Manchester City, Thursday 8.30am – SKY

Things are not going well for Manchester City, once the overwhelming EPL title favorites who have been charged with financial crimes against football.

They continue to follow Arsenal in the title race and Horror of Horror, the resurgent Manchester United are also knocking on the title door.

Manchester City’s lawyers are now as important to their title hopes as Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.

If City have a lot of points docked, an Arsenal win would be a big step towards the title.

This is a must-see football match in the world’s biggest league, between the kings and those ready to claim the crown. The tension can already be felt.

1) Super Bowl LVII, Monday 12:30 p.m. – SKY (ESPN)

The Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs go head-to-head in the world’s most famous sports show.

Even Chinese spy balloons will take a back seat as the world joins America in drooling over this unique sporting extravaganza, a tribute to excess.

The Eagles’ feared quick defense against the Chiefs’ agile star quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be crucial to the Arizona outcome.

But the match will also feature a historic confrontation between Jason and Travis Kelce, the first brothers to face each other in the Super Bowl.

They will be central characters in the game, although they are not on the field at the same time.

The Eagles’ older brother Jason is one of the best centers in NFL history. Travis, experts believe, could become the greatest tight end of all.

Fun fact: Travis wears jersey number 87 in honor of his brother, who was born in 1987.