Maybe it was fitting, in this of all seasons, that a New Zealand team should carry off the glory at the end against a side playing in red called the Lions, after a first half red card.
A version of this story happened somewhere else, recently, with very different results.
It was harsh on South Africa’s version of the Lions that they were the ones who the Crusaders, on behalf of New Zealand rugby, avenged.
The Christchurch franchise won out 25-17, which was comfortable enough despite a courageous late onslaught by the 14 men, in the Super Rugby final.
It finally quietened an Emirates Airline Park that had had every ticket sold since Monday. There was even a fly-past before kick off, evoking memories of 1995, Nelson Mandela, Francois Pienaar, and all that.
The Crusaders were deserving champions, given the season they have had. Famously, they were undefeated for most of it, until the other Lions in red, those representing the best of Britain and Ireland, broke their winning streak.
And yet there was a reason they had had to travel to Johannesburg for the final. South Africa’s Lions, full of verve and youthful enterprise, had matched the Crusaders’ regular season record of one lone defeat – but bettered their bonus points tally by two.
Even though it was a second successive final for the home side, though, they remain a side light on household names, at least beyond their own shores. They might have been the hosts, but they were definitely the underdogs.
Fair to say that is not the only reason the neutral spectator might have erred towards the Johannesburg side.
This was the 15th title to have ended up in New Zealand in 22 seasons of Super Rugby. The Crusaders have won eight times themselves, even if it was eight years since they last tasted victory. South Africa, by contrast, have just three titles between them.
It rarely feels like a fair fight when New Zealand teams are involved, so good are they.
At least the South Africans put up some resistance. Australian sides won none of the 26 matches they played against those from New Zealand this season.
The much-needed redesign of this competition, cutting it by three from an unwieldy 18, and hopefully making the format moderately comprehensibly, from next season is unlikely to arrest the monopolisation too much.
Picking a winner at the start of the Super Rugby season usually just feels a case of plumping for one of the New Zealand teams.
The Crusaders would not have been the universal choice at the start of this one, though, as Sam Whitelock, the victorious captain, acknowledged in his post-match TV interview.
“No one had us picked from the word go,” Whitelock said. “It was awesome, we just believed in ourselves and it has just been an amazing year.”
Against such domination, giving up a man makes it more or less mission impossible.
In truth, Smith’s red card was merely a distraction from the inevitable. The Crusaders already had a snug lead by the time, after 38 minutes, Smith dangerously upended David Havili in the air.
Like Sonny Bill Williams in the second Test of the British & Irish Lions series, testimonies to his good character counted for nought. Jaco Peyper’s decision was a clear one. Red was the only possible outcome.
It was a bleak way for Smith to end a long season that started with a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics and then a winners’ one at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in December.
And now the Lions will be broken up, with a variety of their players, as well as coach Johan Ackermann, heading overseas.
“It’s not the way we want to send them off, but we tried our best,” a tearful Jaco Kriel, the Lions captain said.
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
PULITZER PRIZE 2020 WINNERS
JOURNALISM
Public Service
Anchorage Daily News in collaboration with ProPublica
Breaking News Reporting
Staff of The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.
Investigative Reporting
Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times
Explanatory Reporting
Staff of The Washington Post
Local Reporting
Staff of The Baltimore Sun
National Reporting
T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Faturechi of ProPublica
and
Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times
International Reporting
Staff of The New York Times
Feature Writing
Ben Taub of The New Yorker
Commentary
Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times
Criticism
Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times
Editorial Writing
Jeffery Gerritt of the Palestine (Tx.) Herald-Press
Editorial Cartooning
Barry Blitt, contributor, The New Yorker
Breaking News Photography
Photography Staff of Reuters
Feature Photography
Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin of the Associated Press
Audio Reporting
Staff of This American Life with Molly O’Toole of the Los Angeles Times and Emily Green, freelancer, Vice News for “The Out Crowd”
LETTERS AND DRAMA
Fiction
"The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)
Drama
"A Strange Loop" by Michael R. Jackson
History
"Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America" by W. Caleb McDaniel (Oxford University Press)
Biography
"Sontag: Her Life and Work" by Benjamin Moser (Ecco/HarperCollins)
Poetry
"The Tradition" by Jericho Brown (Copper Canyon Press)
General Nonfiction
"The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care" by Anne Boyer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
and
"The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America" by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan Books)
Music
"The Central Park Five" by Anthony Davis, premiered by Long Beach Opera on June 15, 2019
Special Citation
Ida B. Wells
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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1971: The Year The Music Changed Everything
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4/5
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On sale: October to December
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