Category: Sport

Source: Radio New Zealand

A State of Origin game will be played at Eden Park next year, according to reports in Australia.

The Australian and Code Sports report that a deal, worth about $5 million, has been finalised, with game two of rugby league’s State of Origin series between Queensland and NSW to be held in Auckland in 2027.

The game will reportedly kick off at 9.30pm NZT to suit Australian viewers in Queensland and NSW.

Last October it was reported that the New Zealand Government was in talks with the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) to bring a game to Aotearoa.

The deal is reportedly part of the $70m Events Attraction Package.

ARLC boss Peter V’landys last year said New Zealand was a possible future venue.

“Next year we’re going to the MCG and then 2027 is available, so Origin in New Zealand is on our hit list,” he said.

State of Origin is an annual three match series between Queensland and New South Wales.

It has been held at neutral venues in recent years with Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne all hosting games.

The last time an Origin match was played outside of Australia was in 1987 when an exhibition game was played in Los Angeles, California.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand snowboarder Dane Menzies admits the hype at the Winter Olympics is something special.

Menzies will be one of the first Kiwi athletes in action on Friday morning in qualifying for the Big Air.

“It’s kind of like a world championships on crack,” Menzies told First Up.

“There is a lot of excitement around this one, it was a bit of a gong show when we rocked in, but it has been good.”

Menzies was born in Calgary to a Canadian mother and a New Zealand father.

He initially trained at the Calgary Olympic Park, but his allegiance was with New Zealand and he was now based in Wānaka.

The 20-year-old had been competing globally since late 2022 and was at his first Olympics.

He was enjoying the experience in northern Italy and had nothing to complain about with the accommodation, which did not include the cardboard beds that were a feature of the Tokyo and Paris Summer Olympics.

“Yeh we lucked out hard, we all got our own rooms with non-cardboard beds which is epic – and mine could even be king-sized.”

However there were some rules.

“We’ve been told we’re not allowed to trade clothing yet, which is a bit of a bummer.”

While some Canadian gear would be nice, Menzies said: “Mongolia has a crazy looking jacket which would be cool.”

Menzies, Rocco Jamieson and Lyon Farrell were all competing on the Livigno Snow Park on day one with three runs of Big Air qualifying.

“We’ve been training on it for two days and we’ve had some feedback meetings afterwards, so it is shaping up to be a nice one, for sure.”

Slopestyle was Menzies’ preferred event, but he was excited about the Big Air competition.

In slopestyle, athletes slide down and perform acrobatic manoeuvres on a course that contains various features like jumps, boxes and rails.

“I like the steel for sure, it is nice to have jumps in there too as I do like getting in the air, but I am a big fan of rails.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

2026 Winter Olympics

6-22 February

Milano and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

Live blog updates on RNZ Sport

History

The inaugural Olympic Games were created by Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1894, inspired by the ancient Greek Olympics held at Olympia.

The first summer games were held at Athens 1896 and the winter version was introduced at Chamonix 1924. The five original sports consisted of bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, Nordic skiing (military patrol, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined and ski jumping) and skating (figure and speed).

Like the Summer Olympics, the winter event is held every four years and, until 1992, they held in the same year. In 1994, the Winter Olympics skipped out of sequence and are now held between summer games.

Historically, Norway has been the most successful nation in terms of medals, with 148 gold, 134 silver and 123 bronze, 405 in total, with United States next (114 gold/330 total) and Germany (105 gold/267 total).

‘Miracle on Ice’

Perhaps the most famous Winter Olympics event was the men’s ice hockey clash between USA and Soviet Union at Lake Placid 1980.

Played against a political backdrop of the long-running Cold War and the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which would later spark a boycott of the summer games at Moscow, this clash between the hardened Soviet pros and US amateurs would become the subject of two documentaries and two movies.

The Soviet Union had won five of the previous six gold medals and were favourites to win again, with a team consisting of essentially fulltime athletes at a time when the Olympics still had an amateur-only policy.

They also beat the Americans 10-3 in an exhibition game in the lead-up to the Olympics, but during the medal rounds at Lake Placid, USA turned the tables for a 4-3 victory. Under the round-robin format, the home team still needed a win over Finland to secure gold and trailled 2-1 after two of the three periods.

They scored three unanswered goals in the final period to win, while the Soviets overwhelmed Sweden 9-2 for silver.

Winter Kiwis

Assembling a team for the Winter Games has historically been difficult for a nation better know for its maritime legacy. The Games have never been staged in the southern hemisphere, which means NZ athletes have also had to compete out of season.

New Zealand first appeared at Oslo 1952 – the sixth Winter Olympics – where we were represented by alpine skiers Herbert Franklin, Bill Hunt and Annette Johnson.

Teams were made up exclusively of skiers until Calgary 1988, when New Zealand first fielded teams in the two-man and four-man bobsleigh.

Skier Annelise Coberger claimed our first medal, when she finished second in the women’s slalom at Albertville 1992, and she would remain our only medallist for quarter of a century, until snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (women’s big air) and freestyle skier Nico Porteous (men’s halfpipe) won bronze on the same day at Pyeongchang 2018.

At 16 years 353 days, Sadowski-Synnott became New Zealand’s youngest-ever Olympic medallist, eclipsing swimmer Danyon Loader (17 years 100 days), but she later lost that distinction to Porteous (16 years 91 days).

Both returned four years later at Beijing to win gold – Sadowski-Synnott in slopestyle and Porteous in halfpipe, while ZSS also took silver in big air.

New Zealand now has two Winter Olympic golds, two silver and two bronze.

Milano Cortina 2026

The joint Italian bid was awarded hosting rights, beating out another joint proposal by Stockholm and Are (Sweden) in 2019.

It will become the first Winter Olympics hosting by two cities, but in reality, events will be spread over a variety of venues, with Milan staging ice events, and the others in clusters around Cortina, and the Valtellina and Fiemme valleys.

Cortina d’Ampezzo previously hosted the 1956 Games. Italy has now hosted three Winter Olympics, as well as the 1960 Rome summer games.

Events

The 2026 Winter Olympics will be contested across 16 sports and 116 medal events.

The new sport is ski mountaineering, contested in men’s and women’s sprint, and a mixed relay.

New Zealand will only be represented in three sports – snowboarding, freestyle skiing and alpine skiing.

Alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, luge, Nordic combined, short-track speed skating, skeleton, ski jumping, ski mountaineering, snowboarding, speed skating

NZ team schedule

Friday, 6 February

7.30am

Men’s big air snowboard qualifying – Lyon Farrell, Rocco Jamieson, Dane Menzie

Saturday, 7 February

10.30pm

Women’s slopestyle freestyle skiing qualifying – Ruby Star Andrews, Sylvia Trotter

Sunday, 8 February

2am

Men’s slopestyle freestyle skiing qualifying – Lucas Ball, Ben Barclay, Luca Harrington

7.30am

Men’s big air snowboard final

11.30pm

Women’s downhill skiing final – Alice Robinson

Monday, 9 February

8.30am

Women’s big air snowboard qualifying – Lucia Georgalli, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott

Tuesday, 10 February

12.30am

Women’s slopestyle freestyle skiing final

7.30am

Women’s big air snowboard final

Wednesday, 11 February

12.30am

Men’s slopestyle freestyle skiing final

Thursday, 12 February

7.30am

Men’s halfpipe snowboard qualifiers – Campbell Melville Ives

11.30pm

Women’s Super-G final – Alice Robinson

Saturday, 14 February

7.30am

Men’s halfpipe snowboard final

Sunday, 15 February

7.30am

Women’s big air freestyle skiing qualifying – Ruby Star Andrews, Sylvia Trotter

10pm

Women’s giant slalom final – Alice Robinson

Monday, 16 February

7.30am

Men’s big air freestyle skiing qualifying – Lucas Ball, Ben Barclay, Luca Harrington

10.30pm

Women’s slopestyle snowboard qualifying – Lucia Georgalli, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott

Tuesday, 17 February

2am

Men’s slopestyle snowboard qualifying – Lyon Farrell, Rocco Jamieson, Dane Menzie

7.30am

Women’s big air freestyle skiing final

Wednesday, 18 February

1am

Women’s slopestyle snowboard final

7.30am

Men’s big air freestyle skiing final

Thursday, 19 February

12.30am

Men’s slopestyle snowboard final

10.30pm

Men’s halfpipe freestyle skiing qualifying – Luke Harold, Ben Harrington, Finley Melville Ives, Gustav Lagnavsky

Friday, 20 February

7.30am

Women’s halfpipe freestyle skiing qualifying – Mischa Thomas

Saturday, 21 February

7.30am

Men’s halfpipe freestyle skiing final

Sunday, 22 February

7.30am

Women’s halfpipe freestyle skiing final

Kiwi medal hopes

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott enters these games as reigning champion in slopestyle and a big air medallist at the last two Winter Olympics.

She took some time off in 2024, but returned last year to win her third world crown and fifth X Games title at slopestyle, and tuned up for the Olympics with second at the X Games last month.

Despite Porteous’ retirement from competition, New Zealand still has a freestyle skiing halfpipe medal contender in Finley Melville Ives, who won the world championship at Engadin last year and underscored his form with X Games gold last month.

He also currently leads the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup halfpipe standings with victories at Secret Garden in December and Aspen in January.

Big air exponent Luca Harrington is another worth watching in freestyle skiing, with three podium finishes in as many events on the World Cup. He briefly led the standings after finishing second at Beijing in December, but now trails American Troy Podmilsak on a countback.

He is also reigning world champion.

Alpine skier Alice Robinson has also been in hot form on the World Cup circuit, with three wins and two other podiums across giant slalom and super-giant slalom. She currently sits second on the super-G rankings and fourth on overall prizemoney for the season.

Robinson finished second in giant slalom at last year’s world championships.

Event descriptions

Alpine skiing – the traditional form of skiing and one of the original Winter Olympics sports. Contested over downhill, slalom, giant slalom and super-giant slalom (Super-G).

Downhill is the fastest of the disciplines, reaching speeds of up to 130km/h, as athletes assume aerodynamic positions for maximum velocity.

Slalom involves skiing between poles or gates, which are spaced closer than the other alpine events, requiring tighter turns. Men traditionally negotiate 55-75 gates, women 40-60.

Giant slalom has poles set wider apart and Super-G is wider still, although it is regarded as a speed event, as opposed to slalom and giant slalom, which are more technical.

Super-G and downhill competition consists of just one run each, while slalom and giant slalom are contested over two runs for a combined time.

Snowboarding – contested across slopestyle, big air, halfpipe, parallel slalom and snowboard cross, although the Kiwis are only entered in the first three.

Slopestyle sees athletes travel down a course of obstacles, including rails, jumps and other features, with points awarded for amplitude, originality and qualify of tricks.

Big air is an extreme version of slopestyle, with bigger jumps and more hangtime to perform tricks, but bigger landings.

As the name suggests, halfpipe is contested on a course with steep curved walls, with athletes using the walls to gain height and perform tricks.

Big air consists of three runs, with the best two counting towards final placings. Halfpipe also has three runs, but only the best counts, as with slopestyle.

Freestyle skiing – contested over aerials, moguls, cross, halfpipe, slopestyle and big air, although New Zealand only has entries in halfpipe, slopestyle and big air. Basically the same format as snowboarding.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Super Rugby Pacific is back after a real return to form last year, with the competition kicking off in Dunedin on 13 February. As usual, each team has gone through an eventful off season, so today we’re checking in on the Highlanders.

Overview

The Highlanders certainly started last season well, winning two out of their first three games, but then fell off a cliff and only managed one more victory in the next 10. That meant they finished outside the playoffs in a very disappointing 10th spot. Right now the most pressing concern is if they’ll have a coach for much longer, with Jamie Joseph now strongly linked to the vacant All Blacks job.

The Good

There’s certainly enough talent in this side to trouble the other teams with the likes of Finn Hurley, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens and Caleb Tangitau, while Fabian Holland now brings his experience as an All Black back to pass on to fresh players.

Once again, they’ve gone outside the box with recruitment, bringing in Pumas hard man Tomas Lavanini and All Blacks Sevens rep Andrew Knewstubb, while Stanley Solomon has massive potential after having two seasons in the NZ Under 20s.

The Bad

The Highlanders once again will be praying for no serious injuries as their depth will be ruthlessly exposed. They’ve already suffered one major blow, losing halfback Dylan Pledger for the season, also like Moana Pasifika they need results to shed the tag of simply being a place for players to sign before they move on to bigger and better things.

That may well be the case for Joseph soon though, which will leave the Highlanders with their second in-season coaching change in five years.

Big boots to fill

Folau Fakatava was probably thinking he’d be in a tight race with Pledger for the starting halfback spot, now he’s facing the possibility of having to do it all himself. With Sam Gilbert gone, Fakatava is now easily the most experienced player in the backline, so plenty will be riding on him to be the general.

What makes Highlanders fans different

They’re mostly students, which gives Forsyth Barr Stadium the most unique atmosphere when they’re there and a very different one when they go home for the holidays. ‘The Zoo’ is the only place where the music keeps going throughout the game, and while a lot of the track choices seem pretty old fashioned, it seems to be the most direct connection rugby has with a Gen Z fanbase right now.

Big games

They have the Crusaders twice in the first five rounds, so the Highlanders can gain some serious confidence if they can jag a win in one of them. Three out of the last five weeks should be targeted as wins against Moana, the Drua and the Waratahs, before a tough last couple against the Chiefs and Hurricanes.

Highlanders 2026 squad

Props: Angus Ta’avao, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Ethan de Groot, Josh Bartlett, Saula Ma’u, Sosefo Kautai

Hookers: Henry Bell, Jack Taylor, Soane Vikena

Locks: Fabian Holland, Mitch Dunshea, Tai Cribb, Tomas Lavanini, Will Stodart

Loose forwards: Hugh Renton, Nikora Broughton, Oliver Haig, Sean Withy, Te Kamaka Howden, Veveni Lasaqa

Halfbacks: Adam Lennox, Folau Fakatava

First fives: Andrew Knewstubb, Cameron Millar, Taine Robinson

Midfield: Jake Te Hiwi, Josh Whaanga, Reesjan Pasitoa, Tanielu Tele’a, Timoci Tavatavanawai

Outside backs: Caleb Tangitau, Finn Hurley, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, Jona Nareki, Jonah Lowe, Stanley Solomon, Xavier Tito-Harris

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The news that the Wallabies will be kicking off the World Cup against tournament newcomers Hong Kong China was met with a collective groan across the rugby world.

While the team’s inclusion marks a significant expansion of the sport as just the second Asian country to appear, fans couldn’t help but feel an opportunity had been missed.

From a showpiece perspective, a blockbuster match-up between two of the world’s most storied rugby rivals appeared a gimme.

Alas, organisers have opted to save the All Blacks vs Australia clash for week two in Sydney.

Wallabies fullback Tom Wright said the decision was always going to divide opinion.

“Oh, it’s hard, right? Do they want to put the fireworks at the start and then maybe it’s lesser spectacle for the next two? I don’t know what their thinking was. We all know that we were going to be playing those three sides anyway, so when we play them you could make a case for it being better, worse or the same, whatever order it ended up being in.”

The Brumbies flyer did feel for the Western Australian supporters.

“What I do know is a lot of friends and family that get to see the Wallabies versus All Blacks game in Sydney were pretty happy. But all the people that live in Perth that wanted to see that first game as well will also be disappointed. You can never really appease everyone.”

Wright also weighed in on the drama surrounding Scott Robertson’s sacking as All Black coach.

“You’ve given the word drama to me, it’s part of the game, right? I’ve had less than a handful of interactions with Scott as a coach and as a man. Shared a really nice conversation with him last year and he was lovely to me, gave me his time. He’s not the first coach to go, and I’m assuming he won’t be the last coach to go. But sad to see him go after a short stint, he’s a good man.”

Though still a long way out, Wright felt Australia would be competitive on home soil as they looked to lift their first World Cup since 1999.

“It’s not long ago it feels like the Lions tour was upon us and that came and went pretty quickly after such a big build-up, the atmosphere and it lived up to every sort of hype and expectation that I had for it. The experience is something I’ll never forget and now the sort of attention turns to Super Rugby and laying a foundation into the World Cup.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The depleted NZ Breakers are short on time and fit players.

The end of the ANBL season is quickly approaching – with four regular season games to play – and after the club’s sole training session of the week on the eve of Thursday’s home game against South East Melbourne Phoenix, coach Petteri Koponen had resorted to relying on hope.

He had just held a session without star import guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright who was not at the club’s headquarters due to illness, as blossoming Next Star Karim Lopez sat out with a strapped lower right leg, back up point guard Alex McNaught took a blow to his hand late in the scrimmage and Sam Mennenga, Rob Baker and Izayah Le’Afa were only at the practice court as observers after their own season-ending injuries.

“I just hope we’ve got some of the guys ready to go and they will be there… I’d be much happier if [the injured players] were with the group,” Koponen said about what could be an under-manned roster for the upcoming two games in three days.

“It’s a difficult moment but we have to have that next man up mentality and no excuses.”

Koponen often put a positive spin on the situations the Breakers found themselves in during the season but it was obvious things out his control were playing on his mind.

Travel and double-header weekends had limited the Breakers’ opportunities to spend time on the practice court in the last few weeks.

After winning at home last Friday against Melbourne United, a trip to Tasmania ended in a potentially season-defining two-point loss to the JackJumpers on Sunday.

Needing to get on winning streak to have any outside chance of making an appearance in the post-season, Koponen was wary of the team being under-prepared.

Koponen said the JackJumpers game was an example of what could happen when training opportunities were stymied by the schedule.

“We couldn’t prepare and some of the things in the game looked exactly like that.

“I told the group ‘when you are not perfect and you’re not feeling great how do you respond’ and Rob Loe with his 27 minutes on Friday and 27 minutes on Sunday he showed if he can do it everybody else can.

“I think especially for our younger players it’s a great learning experience because maybe they haven’t been there too much yet in their careers but when you are tired you have to do the little things with even more focus and also mentally get your mind ready and your body ready to fight.”

Koponen characterised the performance against the JackJumpers as “flat” – something he wanted the players to avoid with a game against the Illawarra Hawks coming less than 48 hours after the game against the Phoenix on the North Shore is over.

Import shooting guard Izaiah Brockington said the game against the JackJumpers would not be moved on from easily.

“That loss definitely hurt because of the play-off implications so we definitely felt it but we’re at the point in the season where it didn’t completely derail our chances so we’re on to the next one,” Brockington said.

The next challenge was against a Phoenix side that had won nine of their last 12 games and beaten the Breakers three times this season.

Brockington did not think the Phoenix would show them anything they had not seen before but he had heard Koponen’s message about being “mentally sharp”.

“Our biggest challenge is just going to be on the defensive end. They’ve been scoring really well for the past few games so our main thing is just figuring out how we get stops and turn those stops into points.

“We feel like they pressure a lot but we saw a few openings last game where they were over helping or they were a little wild but we’ve just got to stop them from getting threes, getting offensive rebounds, getting whatever they want on that end.”

Brockington might be one of the few Breakers players feeling fit and healthy at the back end of a season that started in September but he still saw the benefit of his hobbled team mates, Baker, Mennenga and Le’Afa, offering their insights.

“Those guys watch the game on TV so we get to hear what they saw and their perspectives of each game so it’s definitely been good having them around.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Black Foils skipper Peter Burling is supremely confident his boat will be back on the water for SailGP Auckland next week, after suffering significant damage at the league’s season-opening regatta at Perth last month.

New Zealand and Switzerland collided in the opening race at Fremantle, shearing the transom at the back of Amokura and sidelining the Kiwis for the rest of the weekend.

Adding insult to injury, the race umpire adjudged the Foils at fault and docked them seven race points, which became academic, when they weren’t able to take the water again.

They arrive at their home event at the foot of the league table and a slight question mark over the seaworthiness of their boat.

“We’ve always been very confident we’d be on the water here,” Burling insisted. “SailGP Technologies and the whole tech team have done an amazing job keeping all the boats in one piece and back together.

“That confident is growing as well. We’ve seen the boat arrive and get shipped out to C-Tech, where they’ll put the new piece on. The stern is already here – that arrived a couple of days ago.

“It’s cool to see it all happening. There’s some complication around getting the physical parts to New Zealand in time, so that part’s all gone well and I’m sure the team will do an awesome job finishing it off now.”

Under the SailGP agreement, all replacement parts are produced by the organisers and shipped from their innovation centre at Southampton. Amokura has been transported to Avondale, where the new piece will be fitted.

The hardest part of that equation has already been achieved.

“It’s been pretty impressive to see them build the whole thing from scratch and turn it around in a 10-day period, then shipped down to New Zealand to meet the boat,” Burling said.

With no practice scheduled until Friday next week, the Kiwis are under no pressure to take to the water until then, with racing on the Waitematā Harbour beginning the next day.

“We won’t get any additional hours and I don’t think we should need any additional hours,” Burling said. “There’s nothing from an electronics/hydraulics point of view, where you normally need time commissioning.

“There’s not a massive amount attached to the back of the boat. There will definitely be a fair bit of checks going on in the shed and we’ll go through a process on that first day to load it up reasonably slowly, but that’s about all we can do.”

While all teams have been idle since the Perth stopover, the damage hasn’t inconvenienced the Kiwis unduly since.

“The biggest thing was we missed two days of racing in Perth, which is never ideal,” Burling said. “You learn a lot during the race weekends, and every weekend you go into with parts you want to practice, parts you want to improve.

“SailGP is very much about evolving, while you’re racing, so there’s definitely a cost to the team for missing that racing. We were in really great shape going into that weekend and it was tough getting taken out in the first race, but that’s part of sport.”

Burling still doesn’t agree with the penalty slapped on his team, but is resigned to the outcome.

“I’ve definitely seen [the incident] a few more times – it seems to pop up everywhere. We still don’t really agree with the call, but we have to live by what the umpires say.

“Tough break in that regard, but also we’re hoping the league can learn from the incident, in terms of how we can keep the boats apart… we hope there’s some good change in that regard.”

New Zealand are now on the backfoot, as they pursue an elusive SailGP crown. They have contested the last three finals, topping the table in 2024, but have managed just second and two thirds.

With 12 more events on the calendar, the Kiwis still have plenty of time to chase down their rivals, but Auckland did not prove a happy hunting ground for them 12 months ago, when they failed to make the final.

“Last year, we had a lot of gremlins with the boat, with the electronics, and hopefully we’ve managed to get them behind us,” Burling said. “Everyone has a few waves, where they have things go wrong with the boat and they struggle to get to the bottom of quickly at times.

“Hopefully, we’re clean on that part of the boat and we can put on an awesome show.

“It’s a little too far out for long-range forecast, but we’re really excited with the preparation we’ve done and the consistent line-up we’ve managed to keep.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) has decided not to proceed with a proposed kick-off rule change but fans will notice other on-field rule changes for the 2026 NRL season.

The ARLC confirmed rule changes on Wednesday following a consultation process with clubs, players, coaches and key stakeholders.

“After careful consideration of feedback received during the consultation period, the ARLC has decided not to proceed with the proposed kick-off rule change, which would have allowed the conceding team the option to kick off or receive the kick-off following a try.

“The ARLC acknowledged the strong engagement from stakeholders and noted that, while the proposal was initially supported in principle, consultation identified a number of concerns.”

The commission endorsed a trial of a proposed rule regarding the non-scoring team having the option of kicking-off or receiving from the restart. The change will be trialled in games with no bearing on the finals at the back end of the 2026 season before further consideration.

Chairman Peter V’landys said the decisions reflected the commission’s commitment to a consultative approach to rule changes.

“The consultation process was thorough and constructive, and while there was initial support for the kick-off proposal, stakeholders raised legitimate concerns,” V’landys said.

“After weighing that feedback carefully, the commission determined that it was not in the best interests of the game to proceed with that particular change at this time.

“The changes that are being implemented are intended to build on the success of the 2025 season by enhancing the entertainment value for fans, while also providing additional tactical options for coaches.”

The ARLC approved the following on-field rule changes

Trainer rules

Trainers will be restricted from entering the field of play to prescribed and clearly defined circumstances. This will ensure player safety remains the priority while reducing unnecessary intrusions by trainers carrying messages.

Interchange rules

Teams may interchange four players, up to eight times per match, from a squad of six players (players 14 to 19 inclusive).

Accidental breach (“zero tackle”) in-goal

There will be no seven-tackle set following a knock-on in-goal by the attacking team.

Restarting the tackle count

For certain infringements beyond the 20-metre line, the tackle count will restart, replacing the current 40-metre threshold.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Senior All Blacks have closed ranks around Ardie Savea after the superstar flanker bore the brunt of public backlash for Scott Robertson’s sacking.

Rumours of a Savea-led revolt against Robertson have been rife but firmly rejected by both players and NZ Rugby.

All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor staunchly hit back at the criticism of Savea.

“The way the narrative has been put onto Ards is totally unfair. When someone of his calibre goes away to a different comp, it’s easy to point fingers but that’s not the case at all. I know for a fact he wants the best for this team and he really respected Razor.”

Patrick Tuipulotu said Savea was an easy target.

“He’s been used as a scapegoat where he’s just expressed his views in a review where everyone on the team does. I suppose it’s just easy to latch onto him because he is probably the best player in the world at the moment. So yeah, bit disappointing, but people are going to say what they say.

“It won’t bother him. He’s the type of guy just carry on.”

Fellow loose forward Wallace Sititi reiterated that Savea will be unfazed by the speculation.

“He’s my brother, so yeah it’s a bit disappointing, but the fans are passionate about their footy, but we all know who Ardie is as a person and that’s the main thing.”

Sititi said putting the politics aside, the reality of the saga is that a man has lost his job.

“We’ve got to acknowledge the human factor of it. The jersey demand’s the best but I just wish Razor and his family the best.”

Having worked closely with Robertson with the Crusaders, Taylor said it was a hard personal pill to swallow.

“It was pretty tough. Came as a bit of a shock. I have got a lot of respect for Ray as a person, as a coach, what he’s achieved and for with what’s happened I feel for him and his family but I suppose from a high performance point of view, they’ve made the decision and now it’s looking to the future.”

Taylor said Robertson was incredibly passionate about the position.

“I know he gave everything, and wanted to give everything for the All Blacks every week and he wanted the best of the players, and for a coach to be like that, I know he was good for the group and there’s just some things that probably haven’t shaped up the way they should have.”

Having reached out to Robertson to offer support, Taylor said the enigmatic Robertson was struggling.

“He’s not great as anyone would expect when you get the honour of his job and then it’s taken away, and he’s feeling it. New Zealand’s a small place, so I feel for him, I feel for Jane (his wife), and his kids.”

Tuipulotu said there was also a real feeling of indecision amongst the players.

“Especially with the head coach vacancy. I suppose it’s the chance for players to step up and keep the group gelled. A lot of unknown and interesting times. Not knowing what’s going to happen, that’s the uneasy bit. However, in this day and age, high performance sport [is] really cut-throat and it just shows how it cut-throat it is. So it just means we have to be on our game a bit more.”

The injured Blues lock said senior All Blacks have been sure to stay connected during the fallout.

“After it was announced about Razor, we had a team Zoom to sort of make it clear what happened and what the decision was, and it was important for the playing group to focus on Super Rugby, play well, and then hopefully by the time Super Rugby’s done, there’s a new coach and something in place for them and for us to come into.”

As for whether change was needed?

“Yes and no. I think there’s always change for improvement and certainly probably felt there was improvement needed.”

Tuipulotu said players have shared their hopes for the new man to take the reins.

“There’s a list there, but none of us know who the shortlist is. So I think we’re sort of asked what we see in a coach, what we want in a coach personally. So I think that was delivered to a panel.”

He said the reaction to the news by the public was just part and parcel for the All Blacks.

“I think we just have some die-hard fans who want to see us do well and that’s all part of the game.”

Taylor reiterated this notion.

“I think it’s sort of expected, right? It’s a high performance environment. It’s pretty ruthless. A process was played out and this is the outcome of it, It’s been done now, we just have to look forward to what’s ahead and hopefully we get back on that stage and be dominant.”

While a turbulent time for the team, Sititi believes the All Blacks remain a force in world rugby.

“I think we’ve still got our aura. I’m going to back my brothers, and back the black jersey.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Fresh from scoring Wellington Phoenix’s first hattrick in the A-League Women, Pia Vlok will make her senior debut with the Football Ferns as the team begins the qualification process for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.

Head coach Michael Mayne has named two new faces in the 23-player squad for this month’s qualifying journey in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

Seventeen year-old Vlok, who captaining New Zealand at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup last year, is joined by Newcastle Jets’ standout Charlotte Lancaster in a new cycle for the Football Ferns.

Lancaster is having a breakout A-League season and has scored three goals in eight games from midfield.

Goalkeeper Maddie Iro is also selected as part of the initial squad for the first time after joining as an injury replacement for October’s games in Mexico and the USA.

“It is great to get this group together ahead of an important year and start the journey to achieve the first of our goals, qualifying for Brazil in 2027,” Mayne said.

“This tour presents some different challenges, especially with the global nature of our squad and players both in the middle of competitive seasons or in preseason and looking to establish themselves, so we have had to account for a number of factors when selecting the final 23.

“I am confident we have the right balance of those who were available for selection and a group that are able to get straight to work when we arrive in Honiara to secure our qualification for the semi and finals back in New Zealand.”

Mayne said he wanted competition to be high in every position but was also working to ensure players “can thrive mentally and physically at this level with the high demands to perform as a cohesive team”.

“What has been exciting to see, and aligns with our strategy to build capability, is seeing players performing well and consistently in their leagues, so rewarding Pia and Charlotte, who have earned call ups after making a big impact in the A-League Women, is great to be able to do.”

The Football Ferns will begin their FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 qualifying journey, as part of Group A at the Oceania Qualifiers, on 27 February against Samoa, before facing hosts Solomon Islands on 2 March and American Samoa on 5 March.

All games will be played at the National Stadium in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

The top two sides in Group A will then take on the top two from Group B, played in Fiji, in the Semi-Final and Final of the Oceania Qualifiers, played in New Zealand, to secure a place in Brazil for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.

The full squad is:

• Liz Anton (25 caps/0 goals) Canberra United, Australia
• Mackenzie Barry (22/1) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
• Hannah Blake (8/0) Durham FC, England
• Kelli Brown (9/0) Newcastle Jets, Australia
• Claudia Bunge (38/0) Melbourne Victory, Australia
• Milly Clegg (20/2) Vittsjö GIK, Sweden
• Manaia Elliott (5/0) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
• Victoria Esson (31/0) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
• Michaela Foster (30/1) Durham FC, England
• Maya Hahn (8/1) FC Viktoria Berlin, Germany
• Maddie Iro (0/0) Hills United, Australia
• Deven Jackson (7/0) Melbourne City, Australia
• Grace Jale (35/8) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
• Katie Kitching (23/6) Sunderland AFC, England
• Charlotte Lancaster (debut) Newcastle Jets, Australia
• Meikayla Moore (75/4) Calgary Wild, Canada
• Emma Pijnenburg (8/0) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
• Indiah-Paige Riley (34/3) Crystal Palace, England
• Alina Santos (1/0) University of Denver, USA
• Rebekah Stott (108/4) Melbourne City, Australia
• Pia Vlok (debut) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
• Lara Wall (2/0) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
• Grace Wisnewski (5/0) FC Nordsjælland, Denmark

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