Category: Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Former Olympic champion Emma Twigg has set herself up for yet another tilt at the games after winning the women’s title at the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in Turkey.

38-year-old Twigg won gold in the women’s solo event.

She beat defending champion Magdalena Lobnig of Austria to reclaim the title she won at the world championships in Wales in 2022.

Twigg can now set her sights on contesting the LA 2028 games, where coastal rowing will be included for the first time at the Olympics.

 ”My commitment is that I’m going to keep going if I keep enjoying it and I keep winning,” Twigg said.

“LA seems like a long way away to me, especially at my age, but I’m loving it. I’m loving being part of the team.  I’m loving the challenge of something different.”

Twigg has competed at five Olympics in flat water rowing, winning gold in Tokyo in 2021 and silver in Paris in 2024.

The beach sprint format of 500 metres racing, as opposed to the 2000m of flat-water, is part of the appeal.

 ”We’re just scratching the surface really, because I think physiology is so different. The skills are so different – the way you have to be able to get around buoys and use different forces – it’s all a challenge that I’m enjoying trying to master.

“I’m happy to be at the front of the pack and so long as I’m there and enjoying it, why not give it a nudge?”

Twigg came out on top in a gruelling morning session of sudden death racing, outclassing Lithuania’s Raminta Morkunaite in the quarter-final, then Great Britain’s Laura McKenzie in the semi-final before taking on Lobnig.

Her ability at the turning buoy proved decisive on the final day of the championships.

Meanwhile, Finn Hamill was eliminated in the first round of the men’s solo and Erin James and Matt Dunham were eliminated in the first round of the mixed double sculls.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The world champion Australian women’s rugby league team have trounced the Kiwi Ferns 40-8 in the Pacific Championships final in Sydney.

Scoring four unanswered tries in the first half, the Jillaroos raced to a big 24-point lead at halftime.

The seven-try demolition capped a dominant campaign for Australia, who go back-to-back as Pacific Championships winners.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Black Caps have held their nerve to claim a tense nine-run T20 win against the West Indies in Nelson.

The West Indies fell short of the 178 target in a dramatic final over.

A late partnership between West Indies tailenders Sharmar Springer and Romario Shepherd wasn’t quite enough.

New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson dismissed Shepherd on 49 runs in the final over, as he skied a ball to Daryl Mitchell on the boundary.

Batting first, the Black Caps they may have felt they left a few runs out on Saxton Oval, after a late-innings collapse.

Devon Conway topscored with a fluent 56 off 34 balls, before he was run out by a brilliant throw from the deep.

Mitchell blasted 41 from 24 deliveries, including a huge 80-metre hit for six.

New Zealand lost wickets cheaply late to end on 177/9, with Sharmar Springer bowling two tidy overs at the death.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Hopes of a historic win have been denied, after the All Blacks managed to maintain their unbeaten record against Scotland.

The Murrayfield game had the Edinburgh crowd on the edge of their seats, with the second-half being one to remember – or world media sure thought so.

New Zealand’s dominant first half, up 17-0, stepped onto shaky ground early in the second half, with Scotland’s Ewan Ashman and Kyle Steyn both scoring tries.

That wasn’t enough, with the All Blacks momentum building, resulting in a 25-17 score favouring the New Zealanders.

Damian McKenzie’s gravity-defying try, the All Blacks surviving three yellow cards and Scotland’s struggle to capitalise have been deemed the game’s top talking points.

International media had plenty to say – from praise to disbelief. Here’s how the world media reacted to the All Blacks’ win over Scotland.

BBC Scotland

BBC Scotland honed in on the home side’s heartbreak, after trailling by three points at 51 minutes.

“All Blacks shatter Scotland’s hopes of historic win,” its headline reads.

The outlet’s post-match piece goes on to list the yellow-carded All Blacks – Leroy Carter, Ardie Savea and Wallace Sititi. It takes aim at Carter’s player trip, describing it as “cynical”.

However, it goes on to acknowledge the skill and dominance of replacement fullback Damian McKenzie.

“Damian McKenzie – a dazzling presence when he entered the game – had the last say, touching down under pressure late on then adding a penalty to ensure Scotland’s long wait for a win against the All Blacks goes on.”

Guardian

The theme of “McKenzie magic” continues in the UK’s Guardian newspaper.

Labelled “deadly, deadlier than Scotland”, the paper attributes the All Blacks point of difference to McKenzie.

“His stunning 50-22 with 10 minutes remaining and the scores still locked at 17-17 set up pretty much New Zealand’s first attacking position of the half. His brilliant finish in the corner a couple of minutes and a couple of attacking lineouts later gave the All Blacks the lead just when it matters.

“Then, with a minute to go, he landed a penalty from an angled 45 metres or so to put them more than a score ahead. Crushing. Or, more accurately, piercing, agonisingly, fatally piercing.”

The paper acknowledged Scotland’s bravery, but said: “There remains a dimension of performance when it matters to which the All Blacks have long held a key.”

Daily Record

Scottish newspaper Daily Record places Scotland’s comeback centre frame.

Tries from Ewan Ashman and Kyle Steyn, both converted by Finn Russell, gave the Scots a level scoreboard at 17-17.

“It was a different Scotland that emerged after the break, while three yellow cards for the Kiwis saw the momentum swing towards the hosts,” the paper wrote. “It seemed as if the Scots were about to claim a first ever win over the Southern Hemisphere powerhouse.”

However, the historic comeback was stopped in its tracks by what the article described as an “outrageous finish” from McKenzie – noting his last-minute penalty and try.

RugbyPass

RugbyPass honed in on Scott Robertson’s response to his side’s “ill-discipline and yellow cards”.

“Couple yellow cards, like you’re playing with 14 men defending, like there was some amazing efforts on defence, wasn’t there?

“Like, we were so proud of that and we could have just rolled over and gave up on one of the efforts, but we didn’t,” the article read, quoting Robertson.

It said Robertson went on to acknowledge the game “wasn’t perfect” and highlighted the “clutch” efforts from McKenzie.

The All Blacks will face off against England at Twickenham next week, followed by Wales in Cardiff.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A massive second half has seen NZ Kiwis defeat Toa Samoa 36-14 at CommBank Stadium in Sydney.

The result means coach Stacey Jones’ side has lifted the Pacific Championship title, after an unbeaten campaign.

Tries to second-rowers Isaiah Papali’i and Erin Clark were the turning point in the match, as both scored within 10 minutes of each another before the hour mark.

Both former Samoan internationals made big impacts, benefitting from a smooth halves pairing of Dylan Brown and Kieran Foran.

Earlier, Samoa took the lead through wing Brian To’o after 10 minutes and then Simi Sasagi raced almost the length of the field, after intercepting a Foran pass.

Interchange forward Naufahu Whyte answered back for New Zealand to make it 14-6 at the break.

The Kiwis came out with a mission to simply hang onto the ball and it worked, utterly dominating proceedings, until they were able to unlock the Samoan defence for tries to Papali’i and Clark.

By the time Brown danced his way through the left edge to set up Casey McLean to score, the momentum was so well and truly with the Kiwis that they’d completed a full 10 sets more than the Samoans.

Meanwhile, Keano Kini was outstanding at fullback, enduring some rough treatment at the hands of the Samoan defence.

Jamayne Isaako – another former Samoan player – knocked over a penalty goal with seven minutes to play, adding a little insurance, allowing Foran to relax and enjoy the final moments of his long career.

The veteran half was retiring at the end of this season and his partnership with Brown during the tournament had been very good, with Brown playing a massive role in the Kiwis’ win.

He played a hand in the last couple of Kiwis tries, first smashing To’o to jar the ball loose for Papali’i to eventually score out wide, then stepping and offloading for Charnze Nicoll-Klockstad to complete the 30-point swing.

Read how the game unfolded here:

Kiwis: Keano Kini, Jamayne Isaako, Matthew Timoko, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Casey McLean, Dylan Brown, Kieran Foran, James Fisher Harris (captain), Phoenix Crossland, Moses Leota, Briton Nikora, Isaiah Papali’i, Joseph Tapine. Interchange: Te Maire Martin, Naufahu Whyte, Erin Clark, Xavier Willison, Scott Sorenson, Zach Dockar-Clay, Josiah Karapani.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Some races end at a finish line – instead, the Arrowtown Backyard Ultra is all about how many times runners can cross the start line.

On Saturday, 150 competitors lined up to see how many laps of the 6.7 kilometre loop alongside the Arrow River they could complete, on the hour, every hour, until they could go no further.

Race organiser Brandon Purdue said the sold-out event was designed to test the grit and resolve of even the most determined runners.

“One of the catchphrases is ‘it’s easy until it’s not’ – so runners might do the first 3-6 laps, thinking ‘this is super easy, I can go all day,’ and then you get to like 12, 18 laps and slowly but surely it wears you down and it just gets harder and harder,” he said.

Wānaka runner Dan Hammett made it right through the first night and found his breaking point at 27 laps.

He said his knees were seized up, and he “couldn’t think straight anymore”.

“A tough day, a tough night, but a great bunch of people. I’m just knackered,” he said.

Nick Doig from Christchurch said the key was in the precious minutes of recovery in his tent between laps.

“Legs up, fuelling, salt pills, whatever I need,” he said.

Last year’s event was won by Paul Maxwell from Waitati, who clocked up 302 kilometres over 45 laps.

Christchurch runner Hadani Woodruff – last year’s women’s winner – was aiming to beat her previous record of 37 laps partly to “beat the boys”.

She said her feet “felt like a big hammer had been mashing into them,” and she was trying to eat around 250 calories each hour to keep going.

On the upside, by the second day, the course took on a meditative quality, she said.

“It’s a bit like mindfulness, actually. You just go into quite a calm, relaxed state when you’re running. You follow the path, you chat to people. It’s a cool experience – until it hurts.”

That was an experience shared by Cromwell’s Kieran Philip.

“You kind of learn where your walk spots are, where your running spots are. You get all these little characteristics you get familiar with. I haven’t named everything yet, but that will come later,” he said.

He said he was driven by a need to see how far he could push himself.

“You don’t know until you try,” he said.

Behind each stubborn runner was a patient support crew – including, in Kieran’s case, his parents.

Lynne Philip said she was enjoying being part of the race, and fielding requests for different supplies and food.

“Kieran tells us basically what he thinks he will want next time when he comes in. So we make sure it’s here, instantly ready for him so all he has to do is sit down and grab it, eat it, drink it, whatever.”

Backyard Ultras began in Tennessee in 2011 and have since amassed a global following.

Over the next year, at least 16 races following the same format were scheduled across New Zealand.

Brandon Purdue said the community and atmosphere were what made them special.

“If you think about a marathon – it’s amazing that feeling you get when you cross the finish line. Now our runners get to do that on the hour, every single hour,” he said.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The Silver Ferns tipped off their Northern Tour with a comfortable 63-41 win over Scotland in Glasgow.

New Zealand won all four quarters and led 33-22 at half-time.

Amelia Walmsley and Martina Salmon were the shooters for the Ferns with Salmon shooting 33 goals from 37 attempts to be named player of the match.

She said it was a pleasing first up effort but there are plenty of things for the Silver Ferns to work on ahead of the second test.

“We just went out there and did our best, but we can lift it to a whole other level. Lots of mistakes and a lot of learnings (sic) to take into the next game,” Salmon said.

“Just the finishing touches, balls that went out of court, little mistakes. We’ll come together and figure out where we need to improve for the next game.”

The test was New Zealand’s first in Scotland since the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The Silver Ferns second and final test against Scotland is on Wednesday morning (NZT) at the same venue.

New Zealand then take on England in a three-test series starting in London on Sunday.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Blair Tickner retains his place in the Black Caps one-day side, after taking successive four-wicket hauls against England.

The Central Districts paceman was called into the squad last month for the first time in two years, as injury cover for Kyle Jamieson.

Both Tickner and Jamieson have been named in the ODI squad to face the West Indies, but Kane Williamson remains sidelined with a groin injury.

Tickner took his chances, claiming figures of 4/34 and 4/64 in his two matches.

He steered New Zealand home with the bat in the third ODI in Wellington, as the team sealed just their second-ever ODI series win over England.

“We couldn’t have asked for more from Ticks against England,” said New Zealand coach Rob Walter. “He brought plenty of energy, and his pace and bounce proved to be a big test for some of the best batters in the world.

“It was pleasing to see him come in at short notice and perform at that level, and that’s a testament to the hard work he’s been putting in.”

Matt Henry returns to action, after missing the final two one-dayers against England with a calf strain.

The pace-bowling group also includes Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes and Nathan Smith, with captain Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell and Rachin Ravindra providing spin options.

The squad assembles in Christchurch on 14 November, before the series-opener at Hagley Oval on 16 November.

Williamson, who is recovering from injury, will not take part in the series, but he is preparing for the test series against the West Indies, starting in December.

New Zealand squad for West Indies ODI

Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Will Young.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Despite being reduced to 14 players, the Springboks have pulled off a remarkable 32-17 win over France in Paris. Lock Lood de Jager was shown a straight red card by referee Angus Gardner just before halftime for a clumsy shoulder to the head of Thomas Ramos, however the underhanded world champions kept the home side to just a penalty goal from then on.

The match was billed as a rematch of the epic World Cup quarterfinal two years ago that saw the Springboks break French hearts, as well as being talismanic Springbok captain Siya Kolisi’s 100th test match. However, it was the hosts who started in perfect fashion with a try to Damian Penaud after only four minutes.

Sacha Feinburg-Mngomezulu struck back with two penalties, before Penaud scored his second to give France a 14-6 lead. France looked to be in control of the game before Cobus Reinach scored a brilliant individual try to pull the Springboks back within three points.

De Jager was marched just before the break, then Ramos extended France’s lead after the resumption. After that, it was all one way traffic as the Springboks silenced the Stade de France crowd with tries to Andre Esterhuizen, Grant Williams and a stunning individual effort to Feinburg-Mngomezulu to make the score a veritable blowout.

It’s a big statement for Kolisi and Rassie Eramus’s side, who have won the Rugby Championship this season and now have knocked off the Six Nations champions at home. They face Italy next weekend, while France take on Fiji.

Read how the game unfolded here:

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