The top 5 best sporting rivalries since 1970

nickoldschool Thanks mate for your thoughts, , When factoring , in my top 5 , I took in an important component, appealing to a wider audience beyond local borders,. All 5 on my list did. Some great local derbies there, but reality is even today many sports fans wouldn't even know about local derbies like Boca VS River Plate, or say a Benfica VS Porto. Prost VS Senna was a special rivalry, completely dangerous at times, and so compelling watching 2 F1 drivers of such high class, go head to head, in such fast cars, it's as good as it gets. I agree I liked F1 in the 80's and 90's, the drivers really thrived on the rivalries big time and it was very personal good and bad moments,as all good rivalries are, or become. And F1 is still dangerous today, but back in the 80's it was more dangerous for multiple reasons, it heightens the rivalry even more. And the AB'S VS France , I stand by to, the last 25 years for me the best clashes or some of the best clashes have involved AB'S VS France. I researched various websites, to find out All Blacks and French feelings about playing each other, and the feeling i share about the rivalry is mutual. The AB'S describe the French as a classic rivalry and love playing them. Grahame Henry said the boys love playing the French, and always get fired up playing them, and Dan Carter was the same. So many reasons why AB'S VS France is a special rivalry, on so many levels, you being French would understand the rivalry. But for the big 1 is the, ability, as Grahame Henry said , the French have the ability to make the AB'S bring out the best and worst in them, and that's what makes it compelling, it unnerves the AB'S playing the French which is a rare thing , for the AB'S the most successful sports side ever in any national team. And the French play with unpredictably, amazing and awful ,and flair ,and passion and love of rugby, all rolled into one. And like South Africa, both gave proud domestic competitions with rich histories. But the French are a thorn in the AB'S side , and will continue to do so. Jonah Lomu made his test debut vs the French in the 2-0 series loss in 1994 in NZ, and said he still rates Émile N'Tamack, the best winger he played against. Some good ones, you added thanks nickoldschool.

Allanthus some great ones. AFL is not global enough, so doesn't have wider audience, a bit like GAA sports in Irleand , but some great rivalries there. Collingwood VS everyone else is a good start. Crows VS Power is biitter, tracing back to formation of SANFL as Power under Port Adelaide group came in later. Damien Martyn VS Hayden didn't know that one. Good one. Cricket is littered with rivalries. ASHES, India-Pakistan, Aust VS West Indies in there prime. Viv Richards VS Lillee, Richard Hadllee VS NZ, Imran Khan VS India, Kapil Dev VS India . Tendulkar VS Pakistan -For mine the 2 best civil war rivalries were Mark VS Steve Waugh. While both were moving up the ranks competing for aussy spots, fancy getting dropped in the test team in 1990 , by none else than your twin brother, take that Steve. Hayden VS Slater was also a compelling rivalry, which Slats one hands down in all fairness in the 90's. -Flintoff VS Ponting had brief moments. Some great ones Allanthus. -Broncos VS Canberra in the 90's 91-94 had some great memories and tension, 2 amazing rosters test standard sides, had some great battles. Would loved them to of been a grand final, never happened but had some good finals battles. Bulldogs VS Eeels is as bitter as they come in NRL, as is Eeels VS Storm,Manly VS Storm.

Lancey5times, I thought about and did some research but there were some actual better ones in golf, Arnold Palmer was biit older than Nicklaus,. Where as Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino , Trevino was only 1 moth older, they had a better rivalry , one of all time best. My best golf 3 Jack Nicklaus - Lee Trevino Four times, Nicklaus finished second in major championships to Trevino, who was pushed to the greatest performances of his career by his burning desire to beat the Golden Bear. Jack Nicklaus - Tom Watson Like Trevino, Watson thwarted Nicklaus in four different majors, including the famed "Duel in the Sun" at the 1977 British Open, the greatest head-to-head battle in golf history. Think about that for a second. If not for Trevino and Watson, Nicklaus would have 26 major titles. Nick Faldo - Greg Norman This rivalry bridged the gap between the Nicklaus and Woods eras in golf. Faldo frequently got the better of Norman, drubbing him in a head-to-head pairing at the 1990 British Open at St. Andrews and taking advantage of Norman's epic collapse at the 1996 Masters. Nicklaus-Trevino for min was the best as both players were the same age basically, Watson was 9 years younger than Nicklaus, but they went for it too. Faldo-Norman were great. BUt Nicklaus-Trevino great, but still my top 5 is my top 5. Still stubbornly holding on to it for now lol. But great 1 you said, Lancey5times.