OPINION: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, but Emirates Team NZ's response in Bermuda this morning far outweighed yesterday's defeat at the hands of Oracle Team USA.
The Kiwis sailed to a pair of wins over Oracle to move within one race of America's Cup victory (link to today's yarn).
It wasn't just the fact Team NZ bounced back from their first loss in the cup match; it was the manner in which won. Peter Burling had the better of Jimmy Spithill in the start box of both races - the young helmsman was superb in race seven, while an Oracle error handed them a 14-second lead off the line in race eight.
That race was as good as over by mark three, with the New Zealand boat more than half-a-minute ahead and on the foils for the entire race.
Oracle did close up the first race of the day on the final run - cutting a 40-second lead down to 12 seconds at the gun - but Team NZ kept their composure and never let the defenders stray too far.
Composure was a key word for today. With the events in San Francisco four years ago the topic de joir, the performances today clearly defined the differences not the similarities in the storyline.
Team NZ took some important lessons from that experience in San Francisco and used them as a starting point for this campaign. In a similar way, Burling said they learned from yesterday's loss to be better prepared for today.
They may have been surprised by Oracle's imrpoved performance, but the Kiwis reacted accordingly, kept their composure and kept doing what they've been doing. And doing it well. They didn't make the kind of mistakes that cost them the race yesterday, and even with a good advantage Burling says they're still looking for improvement and boat speed.
The only similarity to San Francisco is the position Oracle are in - behind on the scoreboard and facing match point. And that is where it ends.
Spithill is lacking the same confidence he rode to victory four years ago, and is instead being peppered with questions about whether he'll be replaced on the helm.
The brash Aussie took to Dean Barker like a pinata in the San Francisco press conferences, but this time is sat next to a laidback figure in Burling, who's forced a rise out of Spithill more often than the Oracle skipper's managed to get one back.
History might be on Spithill's side but confidence and momentum are both favouring Team NZ. They've done everything they can to make sure history doesn't repeat, and today's performance was a clear message that it won't
Greg Pearson is a Newshub producer and sports reporter
