Category: Sport

Source: Radio New Zealand

Analysis: It’s hard to know which team this morning’s test in Cardiff said more about.

The 52-26 result saw Wales rightfully given plaudits, despite it only being a penalty goal away from their highest score ever conceded in the fixture. Meanwhile, the All Blacks scored seven tries and put the game away long before full-time, but left a lot of the same questions hanging that have followed them all season.

For Wales to still be in the game at halftime was probably about the best result they could’ve hoped for, plus they can boast four excellent tries in front of a typically raucous home crowd. Three of them went to wing Tom Rogers, who joins Greg Cornelsen (4), Ray Mordt and Marius Joubert an extremely select club of test players who have scored hat-tricks against the All Blacks.

The All Blacks were clinical at times, frustrating in others. Their discipline was almost perfect, but they allowed Wales into their 22 almost as many times as they visited the other end. The bench once again added a lot, but the standout performer was Sevu Reece – a player that had dropped out of the squad entirely only two weeks ago and almost surely wasn’t part of any long-term strategy.

In the old days, this would’ve been an ‘oh well, let’s enjoy the summer’ kind of performance, but that’s not going to happen. If anything, the test itself felt like a curtain-raiser for the upcoming end of season review, something Scott Robertson is acutely aware of.

He was candid in his feelings post-match, saying “human spirit’s an amazing thing” when asked about the Welsh performance.

“The guys that got an opportunity stood up….it was a hell of a year, wasn’t it? An interesting year,” said Robertson.

Meanwhile, Scott Barrett didn’t exactly give a ringing endorsement for his own continuation as All Black captain, saying afterwards he’s “not going to look too far back or too far forward.”

Review time

Attention now turns to what the NZ Rugby board makes of the All Blacks’ 10-win, three-loss season. On the surface, that doesn’t seem that bad – until you remember that one was the first ever loss to the Pumas in Argentina, another was the heaviest defeat in team history and at home, and the most recent shot a Grand Slam bid to bits.

“I sit with the leaders and players (for the review). You look at key moments and fine margins…you play really good rugby but what are the fine margins that are critical moving forward,” said Robertson.

Robertson has been open about his grand plan, which is to create a four-man depth chart for every position in his squad. One of the things that will be taken into consideration is how that’s going, and in his defence most of the players he’s debuted in the last two seasons have been success stories. World Rugby certainly thinks so, with Fabian Holland joining 2024 winner Wallace Sititi as their Breakthrough Player of the Year.

“We feel like we’ve slightly turned a corner, 45 with a lot of exposure this year. We feel like the four deep project is coming along well,” said Robertson.

However, the same can’t be said of the wider coaching group. Jason Holland’s departure marked another reshuffle and has created serious questions around the overall chemistry, whether job titles are being retrofitted rather than defined and what’s going to happen next.

“We wanted to get this season out of the way so Jason could leave on a really high note. Then we’ll look at the market, what we need and go through the review to find exactly what this team needs.”

It is times like these that All Blacks fans should realise just how good this team has historically been that we are having these conversations after a 10-win season. Also, what a massive draw they remain after well over a quarter of a million spectators yet again filled up every stadium on this tour.

But if the All Blacks are going to continue to draw on their legacy to motivate and market themselves, this is the sort of introspection it demands. Especially since next season looks like the hardest in a long, long time.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Analysis – It’s hard to know which team this morning’s test in Cardiff said more about. The 52-26 result saw Wales rightfully given plaudits, despite it only being a penalty goal away from their highest score ever conceded in the fixture. Meanwhile, the All Blacks scored seven tries and put the game away long before full-time, but left a lot of the same questions hanging that have followed them all season.

For Wales to still be in the game at halftime was probably about the best result they could’ve hoped for, plus they can boast four excellent tries in front of a typically raucous home crowd. Three of them went to wing Tom Rogers, who joins Greg Cornelsen (4), Ray Mordt and Marius Joubert an extremely select club of test players who have scored hat-tricks against the All Blacks.

The All Blacks were clinical at times, frustrating in others. Their discipline was almost perfect, but they allowed Wales into their 22 almost as many times as they visited the other end. The bench once again added a lot, but the standout performer was Sevu Reece – a player that had dropped out of the squad entirely only two weeks ago and almost surely wasn’t part of any long-term strategy.

In the old days, this would’ve been an ‘oh well, let’s enjoy the summer’ kind of performance, but that’s not going to happen. If anything, the test itself felt like a curtain-raiser for the upcoming end of season review, something Scott Robertson is acutely aware of.

He was candid in his feelings post-match, saying “human spirit’s an amazing thing” when asked about the Welsh performance.

“The guys that got an opportunity stood up….it was a hell of a year, wasn’t it? An interesting year,” said Robertson.

Meanwhile, Scott Barrett didn’t exactly give a ringing endorsement for his own continuation as All Black captain, saying afterwards he’s “not going to look too far back or too far forward.”

Review time

Attention now turns to what the NZ Rugby board makes of the All Blacks’ 10-win, three-loss season. On the surface, that doesn’t seem that bad – until you remember that one was the first ever loss to the Pumas in Argentina, another was the heaviest defeat in team history and at home, and the most recent shot a Grand Slam bid to bits.

“I sit with the leaders and players (for the review). You look at key moments and fine margins…you play really good rugby but what are the fine margins that are critical moving forward,” said Robertson.

Robertson has been open about his grand plan, which is to create a four-man depth chart for every position in his squad. One of the things that will be taken into consideration is how that’s going, and in his defence most of the players he’s debuted in the last two seasons have been success stories. World Rugby certainly thinks so, with Fabian Holland joining 2024 winner Wallace Sititi as their Breakthrough Player of the Year.

“We feel like we’ve slightly turned a corner, 45 with a lot of exposure this year. We feel like the four deep project is coming along well,” said Robertson.

However, the same can’t be said of the wider coaching group. Jason Holland’s departure marked another reshuffle and has created serious questions around the overall chemistry, whether job titles are being retrofitted rather than defined and what’s going to happen next.

“We wanted to get this season out of the way so Jason could leave on a really high note. Then we’ll look at the market, what we need and go through the review to find exactly what this team needs.”

It is times like these that All Blacks fans should realise just how good this team has historically been that we are having these conversations after a 10-win season. Also, what a massive draw they remain after well over a quarter of a million spectators yet again filled up every stadium on this tour.

But if the All Blacks are going to continue to draw on their legacy to motivate and market themselves, this is the sort of introspection it demands. Especially since next season looks like the hardest in a long, long time.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The New Zealand Breakers have scored a second win in three games as their Australian basketball league season continues.

The Breakers eked out the victory, beating the bottom-placed Cairns Taipans in their own arena 102-96, despite a 35-point haul by local favourite Jack McVeigh.

It wasn’t a comfortable win for the Breakers, but they did lead for most of the contest, starting with a solid first quarter in which they outscored the Taipans 25-17.

Cairns closed that gap to three at halftime, but a dominant third quarter from the Breakers, which saw them pull clear by 11, enabled them to create the scoreboard pressure they’d been looking for, and close out the game.

Izaiah Brockington, Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Sam Mennenga were all outstanding for the Breakers.

In his 26 minutes on court, Brockington accumulated 22 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, to lead with way, while Mennenga also scored 22 points, while contributing eight rebounds and two assists.

Point guard Jackson-Cartwright was also his lively self, with 20 points, six assists and three steals.

The win for the Breakers has them on a five-win, ten-loss record, in seventh place in the ten-team league, while it was a fourth straight loss for Cairns who remain in last place with just three wins from their fifteen games.

They’ve been hit hard with injuries with Sam Waardenburg, Reyne Smith, Kody Stattmann and Alex Higgins-Titsha all out, while Tall Blacks guard Mojave King also not on court as much as he would have liked, after getting a head knock.

The Breakers now have a short break in the league due to an upcoming FIBA international window, with their next match on 3 December in Hamilton against the fifth-placed Sydney Kings.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

It was billed as the most anticipated match of the northern autumn, but no one could have anticipated the flurry of cards dished out in the Springboks’ 24-13 win over Ireland.

The home side was reduced to 12 men at one stage, as referee Matthew Carley was kept extremely busy during a wild first half. In all, five Irish players were carded, including a red to lock James Ryan for a dangerous cleanout on Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx after 19 minutes.

Earlier, Damian Willimse had put the Springboks ahead with a sweetly taken try in the third minute. It was relatively even until the cards started getting dished out, ironically Sacha Feinburg-Mngomezulu was lucky not to be binned for a no-arms tackle while Ireland were hot on attack.

Cobus Reinach continued his fine season with a try after Ryan’s red, then Ireland found themselves down to 12 after Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley went to the bin for professional fouls.

The Springboks seemed intent to punish Ireland in a highly charged atmosphere, subjecting them to a series of scrums designed more to demoralise rather than inflate the scoreboard. Prop Andrew Porter eventually cracked and was yellow carded for collapsing after halftime, however Ireland fought back and Prendergast kicked a penalty despite the numerical disadvantage.

Feinburg-Mngomezulu then showed his class with his second try in two tests, which seemingly made the game safe, especially after Paddy McCarthy decided to get in on the act and become the fifth Irishman to be binned – a test record.

By the time the game entered its final stage, it had been going for well over two hours. However, there was one last act of drama as Ireland ended the game hot on attack. There was time for one last card, however much to the big crowd’s delight it was to Springbok replacement Grant Williams.

Ireland couldn’t turn the pressure into points and the bizarre test ended as yet another Springbok victory, their 11th of the season.

Read how the game unfolded here:

Team lists

Ireland: M Hansen, T O’Brien, G Ringrose, B Aki, J Lowe, S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park, A Porter, D Sheehan, T Furlong, J Ryan, T Beirne, R Baird, J van der Flier, C Doris (capt).

Bench: R Kelleher, P McCarthy, F Bealham, C Prendergast, J Conan, C Casey, J Crowley, T Farrell.

South Africa: D Willemse, C Moodie, J Kriel, D De Allende, C Kolbe, S Feinberg-Mngomezulu, C Reinach, B Venter, M Marx, T du Toit, E Etzebeth, R Nortje, S Kolisi (capt), PS du Toit, J Wiese.

Bench: J Grobbelaar, G Steenekamp, W Louw, RG Snyman, K Smith, A Esterhuizen, G Williams, M Libbok.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Ireland take on South Africa in the Autumn Internationals at Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6.40am NZT.

Team lists

Ireland: M Hansen, T O’Brien, G Ringrose, B Aki, J Lowe, S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park, A Porter, D Sheehan, T Furlong, J Ryan, T Beirne, R Baird, J van der Flier, C Doris (capt).

Bench: R Kelleher, P McCarthy, F Bealham, C Prendergast, J Conan, C Casey, J Crowley, T Farrell.

South Africa: D Willemse, C Moodie, J Kriel, D De Allende, C Kolbe, S Feinberg-Mngomezulu, C Reinach, B Venter, M Marx, T du Toit, E Etzebeth, R Nortje, S Kolisi (capt), PS du Toit, J Wiese.

Bench: J Grobbelaar, G Steenekamp, W Louw, RG Snyman, K Smith, A Esterhuizen, G Williams, M Libbok.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Ireland take on South Africa in the Autumn Internationals at Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6.40am NZT.

Team lists

Ireland: M Hansen, T O’Brien, G Ringrose, B Aki, J Lowe, S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park, A Porter, D Sheehan, T Furlong, J Ryan, T Beirne, R Baird, J van der Flier, C Doris (capt).

Bench: R Kelleher, P McCarthy, F Bealham, C Prendergast, J Conan, C Casey, J Crowley, T Farrell.

South Africa: D Willemse, C Moodie, J Kriel, D De Allende, C Kolbe, S Feinberg-Mngomezulu, C Reinach, B Venter, M Marx, T du Toit, E Etzebeth, R Nortje, S Kolisi (capt), PS du Toit, J Wiese.

Bench: J Grobbelaar, G Steenekamp, W Louw, RG Snyman, K Smith, A Esterhuizen, G Williams, M Libbok.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow all the UFC action, as Kiwi Dan Hooker takes on Arman Tsarukyan at Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena in Doha, Qatar.

Tsarukyan is the second-ranked lightweight in the division.

Hooker (24-12) has not fought since August 2024, a split-decision win over Mateuesz Gamrot at UFC 305.

Gamrot was also the last man to defeat Tsarukyan (22-3) in June 2022.

Main card starts approximately 7am NZT.

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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 All Blacks held off a brave Wales for a 52-26 win in Cardiff on Friday morning.

While the scoreline was ultimately comfortable, the home side was more than up for the challenge for long periods of the game.

Caleb Clarke showed early just how much he was missed last weekend against England, with some very strong carries and the opening try after only four minutes. Things were looking bleak for Wales, who had only won one test at their iconic home venue in the last two seasons, but they admirably threw themselves at the All Blacks off the kick-off.

Wing Tom Rogers, who was selected after a suspension to Josh Adams, then hit back with a well-constructed try only moments later. Damian McKenzie settled things down with a penalty before Ruben Love scored a brilliant try to push the All Black lead out.

However, a common theme of the test was the receiving team botching the resulting kick-off, with Wales taking advantage and sending Rogers over in the same spot as his first. Tamaiti Williams then bulldozed his way over to push the lead out to 24-14 for the All Blacks at the break.

Rogers scored his third and best try after the break to give the 70,000-strong crowd some hope, but a double to replacement Sevu Reece and another to Rieko Ioane made the game safe. Clarke and Louis Rees-Zammit traded tries in the dying stages to make the total by all the wingers to eight before the full time whistle.

Wales did make history though, Rogers joined a very select group of test players that have scored a hat trick against the All Blacks alongside Greg Cornelson, Ray Mordt and Andre Joubert. They spent an awful lot of time on defence, making 228 tackles to the All Blacks’ 85 and only had a third of the total possession.

Damian McKenzie was perfect off the tee, landing eight shots at goal.

The All Blacks can certainly take a bit out of this one, given that they only conceded four penalties in the entire match. In contrast, Wales gave up 14 and lost two men to the sin bin, which will be immensely frustrating as that effectively cost them any chance of getting close to an elusive first win over the All Blacks in seven decades.

Read how the game unfolded here:

Team lists

Wales: 1. Rhys Carre, 2. Dewi Lake, 3. Keiron Assiratti, 4. Dafydd Jenkins, 5. Adam Beard, 6. Alex Mann, 7. Harri Deaves, 8. Aaron Wainwright, 9. Tomos Williams, 10. Dan Edwards, 11. Tom Rogers, 12. Joe Hawkins, 13. Max Llewellyn, 14. Louis Rees-Zammit, 15. Blair Murray

Bench: 16. Brodie Coghlan, 17. Gareth Thomas, 18. Archie Griffin, 19. Freddie Thomas, 20. Taine Plumtree, 21. Kieran Hardy, 22. Jarrod Evans, 23. Nick Tompkins

All Blacks: 1.Tamaiti Williams, 2. Samisoni Taukei’aho, 3. Pasilio Tosi, 4. Scott Barrett, 5. Fabian Holland, 6. Simon Parker, 7. Du’Plessis Kirifi, 8. Wallace Sititi, 9. Cortez Ratima, 10. Damian McKenzie, 11. Caleb Clarke, 12. Anton Lienert-Brown, 13. Rieko Ioane, 14. Will Jordan, 15. Ruben Love

Bench: 16. George Bell, 17. Fletcher Newell, 18. George Bower, 19. Josh Lord, 20. Christian Lio-Willie, 21. Finlay Christie, 22. Leicester Fainga’anuku, 23. Sevu Reece

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

By Joel Dubber, for Reuters

Makeshift opener Travis Head scored a brilliant 83-ball 123 to lift Australia to an astonishing eight-wicket victory inside two days against England on Saturday, powering his side to 205-2 late in the final session of the Ashes opener at Perth Stadium.

The manic style of cricket, which produced the shortest Ashes test by overs-bowled to deliver a result since 1888, kept the crowd enthralled as both sides gained and relinquished the ascendancy throughout.

England had set Australia a target of 205 after being bowled out for 164 by tea on day two, losing nine second-session wickets in the wake of a Scott Boland seam masterclass of four for 33. The tourists had made 172 in their first innings.

Head, taking the place of opener Usman Khawaja, who gingerly left the field in England’s 27th over with back trouble, got Australia’s run chase off to a rollicking start, giving England a taste of their own ‘Bazball’ medicine in the third session.

The near 50,000-strong crowd came to life when Head slashed Brydon Carse (2-44) for six over third man to bring up 50 for his side, and later roared their approval when he peeled four boundaries off Ben Stokes’ second over.

Marnus Labuschagne added an impressive 49-ball 51 after debutant Jake Weatherald (23) had fallen to Carse, but the moment belonged to Head, who brought up Australia’s equal-third fastest century with a risky upper-cut and a scurried single.

The fourth innings raced to a conclusion, with Head clubbing four sixes and 16 boundaries before launching Carse to Ollie Pope at deep midwicket, hugging Labuschagne and soaking in the applause as he walked off.

Stand-in skipper Steve Smith, unbeaten on two, hit the winning run with a single punched to the off-side.

More to come …

See how it unfolded, in the play-by-play blog:

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Mark Chapman and Michael Bracewell have steadied a shaky Black Caps batting effort, guiding them to a one-day series sweep of West Indies at Hamilton.

Chasing a target of only 162 for victory, New Zealand were staggering at 70/4, but Chapman and Bracewell combined for a 75-run partnership off 48 balls that steadied the ship.

Chapman was eventually dismissed for 64 off 63 balls, including two sixes, with the home side needing only 17 runs to win. Bracewell was unbeaten on 40 off 31 balls at the end, after bowler Zak Foulkes struck the winning runs, lapping a delivery over the wicketkeeper for two runs.

Earlier, New Zealand had bundled their rivals out for 161 in the 37th over, with fast-bowler Matt Henry doing most of the damage, taking 4/43. Foulkes captured the crucial scalp of West Indies captain Shai Hope, who scored a century in a losing effort three days earlier.

This time round, Hope followed a loose delivery down legside, tickling a catch to keeper Tom Latham for only 16.

The tourists appeared dead in the water at 95/7, but their tailenders put on 66 runs for the last three wickets, anchored by allrounder Roston Chase’s 38 runs.

The international rivals now turn their attention to the red ball, with the first of three tests scheduled to begin at Christchurch on 2 December.

Follow the action here:

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