Category: Sport

Source: Radio New Zealand

Liam Lawson showed some racing maturity and survived a clash with his team-mate to pick up valuable points at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil.

Lawson finished seventh after starting in the same position, but avoided some carnage on the track and for once came out on the right side of a Racing Bulls change of strategy.

Two safety cars in the first ten laps ended Ferrari’s race, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri copped a 10 second penalty for causing a collision, ending any hope he had of challenging team-mate and championship leader Lando Norris.

However, Lawson managed to avoid the crashes and complete his third best finish of the season (fifth in Azerbaijan and sixth in Austria).

“We made the one stop work…. just,” the 23-year-old Kiwi said afterwards.

The soft compound tyres proved ineffective on the Interlagos circuit and so Racing Bulls pitted both cars early to change to mediums.

Lawson then raced the remaining 50 laps on the same set of tyres and managed to hold off Nico Hulkenberg and team-mate Isack Hadjar.

“It was very tough towards the end, the tyres were in good shape at that point, but it’s super sensitive around here,” he said.

“If you push too much in one corner, you pay the price in the next one, therefore tyre management was key.

“On top of that, I was trying to manage energy to make sure I had power down the straights. The strategy worked well for us, so a big congratulations to the team – it’s been a massive effort to have both cars in the points today.”

With Hadjar making a second pit stop, he was on fresher soft tyres at the end and he and Lawson came together at a corner on the final lap. Fortunately both still managed to finish with the Frenchman eighth.

“It’s the last lap of a race, I don’t think anyone can expect, as much as it’s the ideal thing to do, there is no way that we weren’t going to race for a position like that,” Lawson said.

“I respect it, we’re lucky that we came out of it, but it’s been a great weekend for the team.”

The result moves Lawson up one spot to 14th in the Drivers’ Championship and he is now just seven points behind ninth placed Nico Hulkenberg.

Top ten finishes for both cars also meant Racing Bulls ended a streak of three Grands Prix without points.

“It’s been a barren spell for us, so to come back here and qualify so well, to then having both cars in the points is a superb effort,” said team principal Alan Permane.

“We outscore all our rivals in the Championship and give ourselves a healthier gap to 7th in the constructors championship.

“It was very close between both Liam and Isack; we split the strategies, and they ended up racing each other, which we trusted them to do, and Liam came out on top with an excellently managed one-stop strategy.”

Norris won the race to extend his championship lead to 24 points over McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri who finished fifth.

Kimi Antonelli was second, while Max Verstappen was third after starting the race from pit lane.

The next round is in Las Vegas in a fortnight with the final two rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Pacific Championship (men) – NZ Kiwi v Toa Samoa

Kickoff: 6.05pm Sunday, 9 November

CommBank Stadium, Sydney

Live blog updates on RNZ

History

Toa Samoa have never beaten NZ Kiwis in six previous meetings.

That said, they have come very close a couple of times and probably should have won their last meeting three weeks ago, when they bombed at least two prime scoring opportunities in the final 10 minutes of a 24-18 defeat at Go Media Stadium.

In 2014, New Zealand needed a late try from centre Shaun Kenny-Dowall to scrape past 14-12 at Whangārei, en route to claiming a Four Nations crown.

There have been some big margins along the way.

In the 2023 Pacific Championships, the Kiwis inflicted a 50-0 pounding on their rivals, with wingers Jamayne Isaako and Ronaldo Mulitalo grabbing try doubles, and Isaako converting seven of the nine tries scored.

Historically, Samoa have been used as warm-up opponents before more meaningful fixtures against major rugby league powers, but the exodus of top players to their Pacific roots has brought new meaning to this rivalry.

Form

The Samoans really announced themselves as bona fide contenders on the world state, when they reached the final of the 2022 Rugby League World Cup, losing 60-6 to England in poolplay, but turning the tables 27-26 in the semis, before losing 30-10 to Australia in the final.

Like Tonga before them, their programme has undoubtedly benefited from the decision by NRL stars to pledge allegiance to their heritage, rather than New Zealand or Australia.

Strangely, Samoa’s 34-6 win over Tonga two weeks ago was their first win since that World Cup semi-final three years ago.

They were out of their depth against the Kiwis and Kangaroos in the 2023 Pacific Championships, and then lost two tests on their England tour last year.

New Zealand also looked better against Tonga last weekend than they did against Samoa in their tournament opener.

After inflicting a record defeat on Australia in the 2023 final, the Kiwis were understrength last year, under new coach Stacey Jones, losing to Australia and Tonga, and having to defend their place in the top flight against Papua New Guinea.

Some of the youngsters blooded in that campaign have continued to develop, particularly centre/winger Casey McLean and fullback Keano Kini in the backs, and Naufahu Whyte in the forwards.

They have certainly been better this year under Jones’ continued stewardship and should go into the final as favourites on the basis of their earlier win.

Teams

Kiwis: 1. Keano Kini, 2. Jamayne Isaako, 3. Matt Timoko, 4. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 5. Casey McLean, 6. Dylan Brown, 7. Kieran Foran, 8. James Fisher-Harris (captain), 9. Phoenix Crossland, 10. Moses Leota, 11. Briton Nikora, 12. Isaiah Papali’i, 13. Joseph Tapine

Interchange: 14. Te Maire Martin, 15. Naufahu Whyte, 16. Erin Clark, 17. Xavier Willison

Reserves: 18. Scott Sorenson, 19. Zach Dockar-Clay, 20. Josiah Karapani

Jones has named the same line-up that took the field against Tonga last week, although that wasn’t the one he originally named.

Before kick-off, he lost Mulitalo and reserve forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona to injury, and had to reshuffle his backline, moving McLean to the wing, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad to centre and bringing Kini into fullback.

That configuration performed well, so it stays intact.

Veteran half Kieran Foran, 35, will make his final appearance for his country, 16 years after debuting as a teenager, after already retiring from the NRL at the end of last season.

Brisbane Broncos forward Xavier Willison made his Kiwis debut last week against Tonga and will again come off the bench.

Isaako, Erin Clark, Moses Leota and Isaiah Papali’i have all turned out for Samoa previously, while several others are eligible.

Player to watch

The injury that brought Keano Kini into last week’s starting line-up may have saved the Kiwis’ Pacific Championship hopes. Not that Nicoll-Klokstad deserves to be dropped and thankfully he is versatile enough to find a place in the centres, but Kini provides the x-factor that may make a difference, as the big Samoan forwards tire.

Samoa: 1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 2. Brian To’o, 3. Izack Tago, 4. Deine Mariner, 5. Murray Taulagi, 6. Blaize Talagi, 7. Jarome Luai (captain), 8. Francis Molo, 9. Jazz Tevaga, 10. Payne Haas, 11. Jaydn Su’A, 12. Simi Sasagi, 13. Junior Paulo

Interchange: 14. Chanel Harris-Tavita, 15. Benaiah Ioelu, 16. Terrell May, 17. Josh Papalii

Reserves: 18. Ata Mariota, 19. Ativalu Lisati, 20. Clayton Faulalo, 21. Lyhkan King-Togia

The only change from the team that beat Tonga sees Su’A replace second-rower Jeremiah Nanai, who suffered a shoulder injury in that encounter.

Coach Ben Gardiner originally named Tevaga and Papalii to start at hooker and prop for that game, but switched them back to the bench before kick-off, replaced by Ioelu and Molo. Tevaga has again been named to start at dummy half, but Papalii remains on the interchange.

Tuivasa-Sheck has previously captained the Kiwis, before switching international allegiances. Taulagi, Haas and Papali’i have all represented Australia, while several others have played State of Origin for NSW or Queensland.

Player to watch

Front-rower Payne Haas is a force of nature and one of the main reasons Brisbane Broncos took out the NRL premiership this season. The last meeting between these two teams was his Samoan debut and the Kiwis will need to neutralise him to win the forward battle.

Venue

When the Pacific Championship draw was announced, New Zealand was allocated two blockbuster games against Samoa and Tonga in Auckland, but the final was strangely scheduled for Sydney.

With the Kangaroos currently touring England, Australia would be unrepresented in the men’s showcase and, given the three teams in contention, it seemed weird that the decider shouldn’t also be held in the city with the world’s largest Polynesian population.

Brisbane hosted the Samoa v Tonga clash, with about 45,000 cramming into Suncorp Stadium. Given the patronage, commentators wondered aloud if the NRL had undersold the competition final by staging it at a venue with only 30,000 capacity.

“CommBank Stadium is one of those stadiums where you’re right on top of it and the sound doesn’t get released anywhere, it just bounces off the walls,” former NZ and Samoa international, and now Kiwis selector, Monty Betham told RNZ’s Midday Report. “The atmosphere will be unbelievable – you’ll be able to hear it at home.”

What will happen

Both teams took a step up in their respective games against Tonga, with Samoa (28) enjoying a better points difference than the Kiwis (24).

The winners will be the team that finds another gear and adjusts better from their previous meeting.

The speed of Kini and McLean in the open field could prove the difference in a Kiwis victory.

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

Follow the action here:

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

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

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