Category: Sport

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Football Ferns have notched another landslide win at the second round of World Cup Oceania qualifying in Honiara to ensure they’ll line up in the semi-finals on home soil.

Striker Hannah Blake scored a hat-trick as New Zealand dismantled the host nation Solomon Islands 8-0, matching the scoreline from their opening win over Samoa.

Victory ensures coach Michael Mayne’s team will contest the third round of qualifying – comprising semi-finals and final – in New Zealand in April.

They needed to finish in the top two of their pool in Honiara and will achieve that regardless the result of their final pool match against unbeaten American Samoa on Thursday.

Mayne was delighted with the form of his side and pleased they’ve been able to develop elements of their attacking game.

“This team’s been waiting to get back home and get back in front of our community and our supporters. To tick that off after our second game is great,” Mayne said.

“And I’m really proud of the performance, it was an enjoyable one for me.

“I think we knew this tournament would give us the opportunity to work a few different ideas in how we want to play, particularly in possession. The intent was just superb from the players.”

Mayne was also pleased Durham Women FC striker Blake could show her wares, having made sporadic appearances for the national side since her debut nine years ago.

Milly Clegg bagged a double while Indiah-Paige Riley, Grace Jale and Pia Vlok also found the net.

The Oceania semifinals will be played in Hamilton on April 12, followed by the final at North Harbour Stadium three days later.

The winners will qualifying automatically for next year’s World Cup in Brazil while the beaten finalists will contest an inter-Confederation play-off process.

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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 Football Ferns crushed the Solomon Islands 8-0 at National Stadium in Honiara for their second World Cup qualifying match win.

They have officially qualified for Round 3 of the OFC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers.

New Zealand’s other Group A opponents in the Oceania Qualifiers for next year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup in Brazil are America Samoa, with the top two teams from the pool advancing to the semi-finals and final, hosted by New Zealand in April.

The Football Ferns play American Samoa on Thursday afternoon.

Follow how the game unfolded in the live blog below:

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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 Tall Blacks have beaten hosts Guam 99-67 to go two-from-two in their second window of qualifiers for next year’s World Cup in Qatar.

Reuben Te Rangi started the game with the Tall Blacks first five points, before Jack Andrew scored four of his own.

New Zealand’s up and in defensive scheme seemed to be doing the job as Guam struggled to put points on the board early.

Keanu Rasmussen entered the game, knocking down a corner three ball to score his first points as a Tall Black as the visitors extended their lead.

New Zealand’s defensive intensity continued to cause troubles for the Guam players, as the Tall Blacks continued to make baskets with regularity, opening up a 20-point lead halfway through the second quarter.

Guamanian guard, Takumi Simon, was doing everything he could to keep his side in the hunt, finishing the first half with 13 points, but it was the Tall Blacks who’d take a 51-34 lead into half time.

The Tall Blacks didn’t take long to get back into their work at the start of the second half, with Andrew continuing to lead the way down low, taking his tally to 16 points with another putback half-way through the third quarter.

Britt started to get going with six the the third, while the Tall Blacks continued to extend their lead to 19 points.

It was more of the same in the fourth quarter, as New Zealand continued to tack on points and further their lead.

Andrew finished with 20 points while Te Rangi had 15 and Rasmussen 14.

Flavell was happy with the team’s performance.

“We watched the Australian game the other day, so we came in with full respect for this Guam team,” Flavell said.

“For us it was all about our defensive mindset, two guys in particular, Simon and Freeman. We really obviously concentrated on those two in particular and tried to keep them quiet. For the most part I thought we did a pretty good job. Simon got going in the second half but for the most part, really happy with our team’s performance on the defensive end.”

Flavell also very happy with the way the team’s new additions.

“Jack Andrew, Sam Timmins, Kruz Perrott-Hunt and Jackson Ball – they just arrived the other day. I said to them, you’re gonna make mistakes, we’re going to be somewhat rusty here and there on the offensive end.

“But they came straight in and added to our side. For us, that’s our identity.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

picture id=”4JSEOEB_AFP__20260228__2263973903__v2__HighRes__NttIndycarSeriesFirestoneGrandPrixOfStPeters_jpg” crop=”16×10″ layout=”full”] Scott McLaughlin was runner-up at the Indycar Grand Prix in St Petersburg.

Kiwi polesitter Scott McLaughlin has clawed his way onto the podium at the Indycar season opener in the United States, but was ultimately defeated by Spain’s Alex Palou.

Four-time defending champion Palou took the victory defeating the New Zealand driver by 12.49 seconds on the St Petersburg street circuit. Christian Lundgaard finished third.

Palou was leading on 59 of 100 laps. With six laps to go McLaughlin’s overtaking skills saw him move up the field in the battle for second with Lundgaard.

McLaughlin was more than pleased with the “good start” for the season, but conceded he’d hoped for more after qualifying at the front of the grid.

“Look, Alex was super fast, but you know I think it’s just a mixed bag on what tyre you start on,” he told SkySport.

“Maybe we come back here again and maybe you start on reds, and you just get them out of the way.

“We made the passes we needed to make at the right times, and I thought we maximised our day which is what we needed to do.”

Fellow Kiwi Sir Scott Dixon had a weekend to forget, crashing out in the opening practice when he hit the wall. And in a further setback in today’s Grand Prix he lost a tyre on lap 40 and took no further part in the race.

New Zealand’s Marcus Armstrong was 11th after starting seventh on the grid.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

All Blacks halfback Cortez Ratima has re-signed with New Zealand Rugby and the Chiefs to the end of 2028.

The 24-year-old said it was an easy decision, especially after the recent birth of his second son.

“I have a new baby at home and being in one place and having a stable home life is good for our family,” Ratima said.

“I love this club and how they have supported me and my family. I’m loving what [Chiefs coach] Jono [Gibbes] and the other coaches are doing and there’s no place I’d rather be.”

Ratima has played 38 games for Waikato and 60 for the Chiefs since his Super Rugby debut against the Crusaders in 2022.

He has played 21 tests since making his All Blacks debut against England in 2024.

Ratima said with the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia getting closer, competing for a place in the All Blacks was a huge motivator.

Gibbes was delighted Ratima was staying with the side.

“It’s great to have a player of Cortez’ ability stick with us. It shows his faith in what we are doing and where we are heading, which is terrific. It’s also a reflection on the culture we have here at the club.

“Cortez is a talented young man and it is exciting to know he and his whānau will be a part of the Chiefs for another three years, at least.”

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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 worldwide search for the next NZ Breakers head coach could end closer to home.

Breakers president of basketball operations Dillon Boucher said the club would advertise globally to replace Petteri Koponen, who left at the end of their recently completed Australian NBL season to continue his coaching career closer to his family in Finland.

In 23 seasons, the Breakers have had nine head coaches and only two of them have been New Zealanders.

Despite limited opportunities in the main job, top New Zealand talent has occupied assistant coach roles in a couple of NBL teams who could step up, should the Breakers come calling.

Current Tall Blacks head coach Judd Flavell is very familiar with the NBL, after 17 seasons in assistant roles.

Flavell spent 13 seasons with the Breakers, followed by three seasons with South East Melbourne Phoenix, before re-joining the Breakers coaching staff at the start of the 2025/26 season.

Aaron Young is another who has worked with national age-group teams and is a current Perth Wildcats assistant coach.

His first role in the NBL in 2014 was as the Breakers’ video co-ordinator, before going on to coaching roles in New Zealand.

Flavell and Young have both worked closely with up-and-coming local talent, as well as some of the NBL’s biggest stars during their time in the league.

Short-lived stints

The Breakers owners, who took control in March last year, have backed bringing New Zealand talent back to the club, on and off the court, but having a local coach has not ended well in the past.

The club’s inaugural coach in 2003, Jeff Green, lasted just two months, before resigning.

Former Tall Black and Breakers captain Paul Henare coached the team for the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons, and left in murky circumstances, when he turned down a contract extension, following an ownership change.

In the last seven seasons, the club has had three different head coaches, but none had worked in the NBL, before arriving at the Breakers.

Koponen spent two seasons with the Auckland-based club in his first professional head coaching gig. He was signed at short notice, when Israeli-American Mody Maor quit during the 2024/25 pre-season for a big-money contract coaching in Japan.

Maor had stepped up from an assistant role to coach the team in the 2022/23 season, following a three-season stint by Israeli Dan Shamir.

The Breakers’ longest-serving coach, Australian Andrej Lemanis, was in the role for eight seasons from 2005 and won three championships.

Americans, Australians and the Finn

Across the NBL, which enters the post-season this week, seven of the 10 head coaches were not born in Australia.

Other than Koponen, the remaining six were born in America.

However, Sydney Kings coach Brian Goorjian has been involved with Australian basketball since the late 1970s, and Brisbane Bullets interim coach Darryl McDonald has been a player and then coach since the mid 1990s, so could be considered Australian-Americans.

The NBL is both a stepping stone to other coaching roles and a place experienced coaches return to.

Coaches usually arrive with varying experience in Europe or America.

Like Koponen, Illawarra Hawks coach Justin Tatum had no head coaching experience with professional teams, before he took over the Hawks in 2023 and ultimately guided them to last season’s championship.

Former NBA player Scott Roth was the inaugural coach of the Tasmania JackJumpers in the 2021/22 season and was recognised as the NBL Coach of the Year that season, before the team won the championship in 2024.

Roth had years of experience in both America and Europe, before joining the NBL.

Coaches also bounce around the league, with 72-year-old Goorjian first coaching the Kings in the early 2000s, before switching to the now-defunct South Dragons for a season, returning from Asia to coach the Hawks and then moving on to his current role with the Kings.

Australian Adam Forde, currently the Cairns Taipans head coach, has also had involvement with the Kings and Perth Wildcats.

The Breakers want to winning more NBL titles and securing the right coach will be crucial, but in the NBL, there is no one pathway to getting a winning coach on board.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Kiwi golfer Daniel Hillier has won the NZ Open for the first time, finishing two shots clear of Australian Lucas Herbert.

The 27-year-old Wellingtonian handled gusty and cool conditions at Arrowtown’s Millbrook Resort, near Queenstown, to secure the title.

Hillier led by one shot heading into Sunday’s final round, finishing at 22-under par for the tournament.

He takes home prize money of NZ$360,000 and becomes the first New Zealander since Michael Hendry in 2017 to lift the silverware.

Hillier said winning the New Zealand Open capped an incredible week of celebration.

“Oh, mate, that is the second best day of my life behind my wedding last week,” he told SkySport.

“It’s a lot more stressful coming down the stretch there, but this has just been the absolute best week of my life.

“To break the Kiwi drought is pretty special and to do it in front of my family, all my friends, my wife.

“I’ve been dreaming this for a long time and I knew I had the game to do it.

“It was a matter of not getting ahead of myself and I’m pretty proud.”

LIV golfer Herbert was second at 20-under. New Zealand’s Kerry Mountcastle finished in a tie for third, with Japan’s Tomoyo Ikemura, on 17-under.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Kiwi Scott McLaughlin has grabbed pole position for the IndyCar St Petersburg Grand Prix in Florida on Monday NZT.

After a horror 2025 campaign that saw him finish 10th in the standings, with no race wins and just one pole, McLaughlin was quickest around the 2.9km street circuit, clocking 1m 00.5426s to edge Swede Marcus Ericsson (1m 00.5621), who will join him on the front row for the main race.

“Raul [Prados], my new engineer, gave me a great car, but we have a lot of experience here with a great car, as well,” McLaughlin said.

“Just really pumped. Everybody knows the slog we went through last year, so to start on this note is fantastic.

“Bloody good, bloody good.”

The three-time Australian Supercars champion had shown good form throughout the weekend, finishing fastest in the first practice session (1m 01.1020s) and seventh in practice two (1m 01.7921s).

After putting his car into a wall during practice, Kiwi veteran Sir Scott Dixon (1m 01.2109s) will start 16th on the starting grid, while countryman Marcus Armstrong starts seventh, recording 1m 00.7820s in qualifying.

McLaughlin has won pole position on two previous occasions at St Petersburg, winning in 2022 and finishing fourth last year.

The 290km race begins at 6am Monday NZT.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Hurricanes have lost one of their lynchpins for the rest of the Super Rugby season.

First-five Brett Cameron is due to undergo surgery after sustaining a significant knee injury during last week’s match against Moana Pasifika.

“It’s obviously hugely disappointing to lose one of our best players in game one, especially given it comes after an ACL injury on his other knee,” Hurricanes head coach Clark Laidlaw said.

“We’re here to support and help him through it, initially with the surgery and then with the rehab.

“We know it’s a tough road ahead, but we also know that he’s up for it and we’re up for it to support and rehab him so he can get back to playing as soon as possible.

“As tough as it is, we have amazing medics, a great facility and we know how to rehab players really well, so we’ll get on with that once the surgery has been done,” Laidlaw said.

Cameron has been a Hurricanes player since 2023, after being at the Crusaders between 2017 and 2020.

He played one test for the All Blacks in 2018.

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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 Wellington Phoenix host Sydney FC in their first A-League match coach Giancarlo Italiano sensationally quit after a 5-0 defeat to rivals Auckland FC.

Chris Greenacre steps into the role as the 11th-placed Phoenix play third-ranked Sydney at Sky Stadium in Wellington.

Kickoff is at 3pm.

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