Once upon a time the 1st of April marked an important day in many New Zealand towns.  It was the day that parks were handed from the summer codes (cricket or sofball usually) to the winter codes (rugby or soccer most likely). Who knows it may well still happen in some places, but believe it or not next weekend Super 14 (or is it 15) rugby will start for the year, and with it the saturation coverage on Sky Sport and elsewhere.

Am I alone in thinking this has got completely out of hand?  I understand the pressure to fit in various pieces of the puzzle that make up a rugby season in a professional era, but we are not quite halfway through the international cricket season.  The biggest tour of the year (Australia) is yet to happen. 

Well, let it be known that this lifetime rugby fan is following in the footsteps of Mils Muliana and Richie McCaw and I will be delaying my start to the season, by about six weeks or so.  Maybe by that stage of the competition they will have worked out the tackle ball rule for this season.