Sorry story of players who didn't even front up

When Taranaki Sharks coach George Luke mentioned he had lost a couple of players, I thought he meant through injury.

How wrong was that?

Turns out two players didn't front up at the airport for the flight north to Auckland on Sunday morning.

Maybe they knew something, with the Sharks thumped 74-16 in the national provincial premiership rugby league match.

But I'm picking Luke, if he's coaching Taranaki again next season, won't have a bar of the two who missed the flight . . . and rightly so.

You can't beat pace and Canterbury had plenty of it out wide, causing Taranaki all sorts of bother in last Friday's Ranfurly Shield rugby clash.

Whenever Canterbury moved the ball wide, there was the inevitable danger and with it came panic in the Taranaki defensive line . . . players rushing up when they shouldn't have.

Three of Canterbury's four tries were the result of players with speed creating space, with fullback Sean Maitland and wing James Paterson both having speed to burn.

Taranaki needs to be targeting a couple of speedsters now for next year's competition.

Some people are getting too carried away with the All Blacks rugby win over Australia in Wellington on Saturday.

From all reports, the All Blacks have turned the corner and in the process unearthed a star in Cory Jane.

But let's put the win in context.

The Aussies aren't that good and the final score, boosted by a couple of late tries, flattered the All Blacks.

A team like South Africa wouldn't have let the All Blacks play the style of game they adopted against Australia.

And South Africa has a back three who can catch the ball, tackle and make all the right decisions. The Boks certainly wouldn't have folded the way the Australians did in the final 20 minutes.

As for Jane, one piece of genius doesn't make him a star. He's got talent and plenty of pace, but let him play a couple of games first.

Taranaki rugby fans have plenty to look forward to over the next three weeks.

It's been a difficult season for fans with only one home game match in the first five rounds, followed by another against Wellington before last Friday's away match against Canterbury in Christchurch.

With Waikato on Friday, followed by Otago and Auckland at home, it's a good chance for fans to enjoy some live rugby rather than sitting in front of the telly.

Friday's game against Waikato looms as the most difficult of the season for the amber and blacks coming a week after a shield match and against a side on a high after resurrecting its season with a win against Wellington.

If Taranaki can edge past Waikato, the opportunity is there to claim the scalps of Otago and Auckland, both teams struggling to gain any momentum this season.

- © Fairfax NZ News