CONFESSION time ... this is probably not the best place to admit it but I have been re-watching the best rugby match I have seen this year.

Fast, open, risky, where forwards looked and played like forwards, backs sprayed their passes far and wide, tackling was fierce and the kicking .... well that was different class.

It was played in front of a full house; it produced nine tries, 84 points and a nail-biter of a finish. One problem – it was a Rugby UNION match. England and Australia serving up the sort of entertainment that actually lived up to its hype.

I know it was two of the world’s best teams and not all RU matches are like that (Scotland’s 21-16 win in Japan on the strength of seven penalties sounds like a right bore-fest) but Sydney was certainly an eye-opener alongside the present one-size-fits-all mindset that prevails in Super League.

The only comfort for a RL die-hard was that two of England’s star cast were sons of League-born-and-raised dads who were big successes in the 13-a-side version, Andy Farrell and Mike Ford.

And their sons were both given some pre-match tuition by an Aussie League legend Andrew Johns. “They were like kids on Christmas morning,” said the Sky commentator.

So, putting shoulder chips aside, this was some game for a so-called dead rubber and for somebody who regularly regarded the 15-a-side code as the modern-day version of the Emperor’s New Clothes, I am no longer the little boy in the crowd. Not exactly an Owen Farrell-like conversion but getting close.

WEEKEND TV is never short on variety with the usual parade of football, rugby, cricket and golf making up the bulk of the choices.

And since Sky added the Gaelic Games to their list – in case you are wondering Gaelic football and hurling have not just been invented for Sky – there’s even more to keep you in on a wet day.

If you just happened to be fidgeting with the remote on Sunday you may have hit upon another Sky Scoop. Kabaddi. I did my best – honest – but all the best intentions were no help at all.

I had to give up without having the faintest idea of what was going on with one set of players (are they called players?) linking hands trying to stop another guy trying to get somewhere.

Maybe it will catch on – after all many sports that are a mystery to people like me are really very popular. Formula One for instance.

RORY McIlroy’s decision to stay away from the Olympic Games because of fears over the Zika virus puts him in the same group as a number of big-name golfers who would rather run a marathon than attend the Rio event. Golf has not been part of the Olympics for 112 years.

It should have been left there. The Olympic Games have long since abandoned any pretense of being an amateurs-only occasion but professional golfers already have four competitions that will be considered far more important than an Olympic medal.

Royal Troon or Rio, gents? The same goes for tennis. Wimbledon or Rio, Andy? An Olympic gold used to be recognised as the pinnacle of athletic achievement.

Now it is just another bauble to put in a drawer. That is a sad fact of 21st century sport and by adding even more to the list only adds to the belief that it is becoming a second rate fun fair.

PETER WILSON