Category: Sport

Source: Radio New Zealand

Liam Lawson got through 61 laps on the opening day of the second Formula 1 pre-season test in Bahrain.

The Racing Bulls driver shared the car with rookie Arvid Lindblad on the first day and managed the 12th fastest time.

His best lap was 2.3 seconds slower than that of Mercedes driver George Russell.

Lindblad had the 19th fastest time.

Oscar Piastri in a McLaren was the second fastest today, followed by the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and the McLaren of world champion Lando Norris.

Lawson will drive the full day on day two with Linblad in the car on day three.

The 24 year old voiced some concerns about the new 2026 car in last week’s opening test session in Bahrain.

The only driver not to take to the track today was Max Verstappen.

The first round of the 2026 championships is in Australia on 8 March.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

NRL pre-season: Warriors v Dolphins

Kickoff: 8pm Friday, 20 February

Leichhardt Oval, Sydney

Live blog updates on RNZ

An old, familiar face made a rare appearance at NZ Warriors training this week, as coach Andrew Webster faced early test of depth among his halves to start the coming NRL season.

Club legend Shaun Johnson, who retired to a media career last year, was throwing his weight around without actually putting his TV face at risk with any contact drills.

“We sent an SOS out, but I think he brushed us,” Webster quipped. “He just wanted to come and watch – I didn’t see him tackling those boys on the pads today.

“It was good to have an old boy around – he would say not so old. He’s obviously a big part of our path and done so much for our club.

“Any time he wants to come, he’s welcome.”

Webster could use some Johnson magic right about now, with an injury crisis among his inside backs just two weeks out from round one against Sydney Roosters.

As it stands, Luke Hanson may be winning a battle of attrition for his first-grade debut, as he lines up alongside Tanah Boyd – a combination that guided the Warriors reserves to glory last year – for their second pre-season trial against the Dolphins on Friday.

Last year’s incumbents – Luke Metcalf and Chanel Harris-Tavita – are both nursing niggles that could impact their availability during the opening weeks of the schedule.

Metcalf is still rehabbing from knee surgery that ended his 2025 campaign midway through and will likely miss a couple of months of the coming season. Harris-Tavita – along with second-rower Marata Niukore – has picked up a calf complaint that has kept him out of the pre-season.

“They’re minor, but they haven’t progressed as quickly as we’d like,” Webster explained. “I’m assured they’ll be up for selection for round one, but that could change.

“They will have to tick every box from here, but they’re only light injuries.

“The reason we haven’t announced them as injuries is, at a push, they could have played, but there’s no point in risking it.”

Meanwhile, the Warriors have suffered a major blow, losing utility Te Maire Martin for 12-14 weeks with a broken leg suffered during his stint with the Māori All Stars on Sunday. While he was used as a Swiss Army Knife off the bench last year, Martin is primarily a half and would have been third or fourth on the pecking order.

“He’ll get operated on tomorrow,” Webster said. “Really frustrating.

“As we’ve learnt with fractures, they’re really slow early and we’re not going to know when he’s back until we start seeing big chunks of improvement.”

Up-and-comer Jett Cleary – son of former Warriors coach Ivan and brother of Penrith Panthers star Nathan – was another bolter, but has had to deal with his own health challenges during the off-season.

“Jett’s just completed his first full session with the squad,” Webster said. “He had osteitis pubis [inflammation of the pubic joint] over the break and a long recovery.

“He did warm-ups the last couple of weeks, 80 percent of the session today and he’ll start progressing over the next two weeks to get ready for round one. He’s not available for selection this week.”

The other bolter is former Newcastle Knights junior Jye Linnane, who is also returning from anterior cruciate ligament knee surgery last year.

Boyd stepped into Metcalf’s vacant spot for the latter stages of 2025 and, with 76 first-grade games to his name, will probably start the season in the No.7 jersey.

Hanson was signed from the Penrith system two years ago and has played 35 games for the Warriors reserves, playing a key part in their NSW Cup and NRL State Championship triumphs last season.

The ‘other’ Luke seemingly has his nose ahead of the pack right now.

“He’s going to play big minutes this week,” Webster said. “We’ve got options and people will stand up.

“We’ve got faith in those guys and Luke Hanson has had a great pre-season. He just keeps doing his job each day and putting himself one step closer.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has won silver in the women’s Snowboard Slopestyle event, in a final run that left viewers on the edges of their seats.

The win secures New Zealand’s third medal of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy.

After topping the qualifying round, Sadowski-Synnott was up last in the line-up of 12 women. Her run one score of 73.01 immediately took her to third place, despite coming off early on one of the rails.

She dropped to fourth during round two, where she remained after her 77.61-scoring run when, despite some impressive jumps, she again came off early on the second rail.

However, the 24-year-old managed to turn the competition around in her last attempt, with a clean run bringing her up to second place with a score of 87.48 – just 0.35 points behind Japan’s Mari Fukada, who took home gold.

The win marks Sadowski-Synnott’s fifth Olympic medal.

It was a longer than expected wait for competitors, after heavy snow saw the event postponed on Tuesday (local time).

Earlier, Dane Menzies missed out on a medal in the men’s Snowboard Slopestyle final.

The 20-year-old from Wanaka was also 12th in the line-up after placing first in the qualifier, and got off to a strong start.

Run one earned him a solid score of 76.10, his best in the event, but run two saw him drop to fifth place with a score of 21.03.

Menzies was unable to up his score with a clean run on his last attempt, scoring 34.61, leading to a seventh place finish.

He only needed another three points to crack the top three.

China’s Su Yiming won the event with a top score of 82.41.

New Zealand has now secured three medals in this year’s games.

Luca Harrington brought home bronze at the men’s Freestyle Skiing Slopestyle event last week, while Zoi Sadowski-Synnott claimed New Zealand’s first medal of the games, taking silver in the Big Air event.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Dane Menzies has missed out on a medal in the Snowboard Slopestyle final at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy.

The New Zealander was 12th in the line-up and got off to a strong start.

Run one earned him a solid score of 76.10, but run two saw him drop to fifth place.

Menzies was unable to up his score with a clean run on his last attempt, leading to a seventh place finish.

He only needed another three points to crack the top three.

The women’s Snowboard Slopestyle final, where Zoi Sadowski-Synnott will bid for another medal, is due to kick off at Thursday 2.30am NZT.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

NRL pre-season: Warriors v Dolphins

Kickoff: 8pm Friday, 20 February

Leichhardt Oval, Sydney

Live blog updates on RNZ

Still smarting from a subpar performance in their first pre-season hitout, NZ Warriors will seek a drastic improvement, when they take on the Dolphins at Sydney’s Leichhardt Oval on Friday.

Coach Andrew Webster was probably eight players short of his top starting line-up against Manly last weekend, but still expected more than the disorganised 33-18 defeat to a makeshift Sea Eagles outfit in Napier.

“Parts were disappointing, definitely,” he said. “We would have liked to represent our fans a bit better, particularly down the road.

“I thought our tackling and our contact was really good, but was disappointed in our tryline defence – I thought we leaked some simple points there. Our attack was probably a bit clunky, we had some missing pieces.

“We trained 28 guys that week to give them all a go.”

His players were just as frustrated.

“You obviously want to go into a game, whether it’s a trial or a round game, and you want to win,” lock Erin Clark reflected. “We had a tough pre-season and wanted to put into play what we’d been practising.

“It felt like, in patches, defensively we did, but I felt we missed the mark on attack and that’s definitely something we have to work on this coming week.

“We’ve got a few new players and need to get combinations going. Pre-season is about getting fit and game fitness only comes from playing footy, but it’s mainly about combos.”

For his second team of the year, Webster will welcome back several players from Māori-Indigenous duty to a gameday squad much closer to his round one selection in two weeks.

No-one wins a championship before round one, so it’s way too early to sound alarm bells, but winning is also a habit that requires practice and no time is too early to establish that routine.

“We want to win everything we do,” Webster insisted. “We talk about winning every day.

“You’re always going to have that scenario at the back of your mind, but never at the cost of subs and how many minutes people play and how we do it – we’ll always stick to that.

“It’s about a little bit of practice, but more about getting ready for game one.”

Among the rubble were a handful of individual performances that gave hope for the coming season.

Young forward Tanner Stowers-Smith came off the interchange to lead most of his team’s statistical categories, notably tackle count (39) and run metres (134).

“Tanner’s probably been our best trainer this off-season,” Clark observed. “He’s grown in confidence, after getting that taste last year.

“He was good last year, but far out, the way he has come back to pre-season has not surprised everyone, but he’s gone to a new level.

“I reckon he was our best player on the weekend. He just came on and did all the tough stuff well.

“We’ve got to take a leaf out of his book, a few of us this week, get over the [advantage] line and be tough.”

Stowers-Smith, 21, made his debut last May against the Dolphins and logged 13 games to earn a contract extension through the 2028 season.

Another to show out was centre Ali Leiataua, who promised so much in 2025, but could not shake off an injury bug that limited him to just eight games. Against Manly, he scored two first-half tries to open his account for the season and his presence will be important, as midfield partner Rocco Berry recovers from two off-season shoulder surgeries.

“I’ve got a lot of time for Ali,” Webster admitted. “He hasn’t had much luck, but he’s had a good pre-season and put a lot of sessions together now, so I’m really happy for him.”

Perhaps the biggest silver lining to come from defeat were the final moments, when a long bench filled with age-group and reserve-grade prospects had a chance to show their wares.

Winger Motu Pasikala was called into the starting line-up, after veteran Roger Tuivasa-Sheck tweaked a hamstring in training, while fellow winger Harry Tauafiafi-Iutoi scored a late try and hooker Makaia Tafua also bamboozled the defence with a weaving 30-metre run to cross.

“I thought our regular first-graders put a lot into it, but you could see the kids’ spirit and how much it meant to them,” Webster said. “They were playing like it was their grand final and they did a great job.

“I said to them before the game, this is an opportunity for every single person in the room to elevate their career, either cementing a spot in round one, being closer to round one or, if you’re a young guy, showing ‘Oh, he’s got something’. I think they learnt a lot and I loved the way they went about it.”

Clark was even more impressed.

“We get to see a few of those boys, when they come in and help us out at training,” he said. “My mum texted me after the game and said the Warriors are in a good place.

“The future is so bright and I was so proud of them, just the simple things they did really well.”

Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Ali Leiataua, 4. Adam Pompey, 5. Haizyn Mellars, 6. Luke Hanson, 7. Tanah Boyd, 8. Tanner Stowers-Smith, 9. Wayde Egan, 10. Jackson Ford, 11. Kurt Capewell (c), 12. Jacob Laban, 13. Erin Clark

Interchange: 14. Sam Healey, 15. Morgan Gannon, 16. Leka Halasima, 17. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava

Reserves: 18. Taine Tuaupiki, 21. Kayliss Fatialofa, 22. Jack Thompson, 23. Makaia Tafua, 24. Motu Pasikala, 25. Sio Kali, 26. Caelys-Paul Putoko, 27. Geronimo Doyle, 28. Rodney Tuipuiotu-Vea, 29. Paea Sikuvea

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The Hurricanes have entered the chat.

After sitting out round one with the bye, the Canes will open their campaign in the capital on Friday night against a buoyant Moana side bringing Pasifika bragging rights back from Lautoka. Jordie Barrett is back after a sabbatical in Ireland while Japan captain Warner Dearns makes his Super Rugby debut. Coach Clark Laidlaw will also have plenty of fire-power from the pine in the form of All Blacks Cam Roigard and Billy Proctor.

For Moana, it was a case of ‘Ardie who? as Tana Umaga’s men pulled off one of the toughest tasks in Super Rugby, victory in the sweltering fortress of Lautoka over the Drua in round one. They return to Wellington for the first time since the Canes crushed them 64-12 to close out their 2025 campaign.

Umaga has opted to give seven debutants a run at the caketin, while Sam Moli will lead the team with Miracle Faiʻilagi to bring impact from the bench.

After surviving gruelling New Zealand derbies in round one, the Highlanders and Chiefs will collide in another all-kiwi clash under the roof in Dunedin. A clutch Cameron Millar penalty and gutsy defence in the dying stages saw the Highlanders earn their first win since May of 2025 as they upset the defending champion Crusaders in round one.

The Chiefs’ win came in far more controversial fashion, with All Blacks lock Tupou Vaa’i’s early try against the Blues awarded at the time, later ruled to constitute an illegal action as he left the ground to launch over two defenders. The result struck however, unlike many passes in a clunky display by both sides. The same fixture closed out the regular 2025 season with the Chiefs taking a 41-24 victory.

Closing out the weekend is one of Super’s greatest rivalries. The Crusaders and Brumbies have engaged in several iconic battles over 30 seasons, including the 2000 and 2004 deciders. It was a typically thrilling encounter the last time these sides met, the Crusaders snatching a 33-31 win courtesy of a late George Bell try. Round one brought contrasting fortunes for both teams, the defending champion Crusaders edged by their southern rivals while the Brumbies battered the Force 56-24 in Perth.

Elsewhere, the Blues head across the Tasman to meet the Force with both teams searching for their first wins of the season and the Waratahs host the Drua in Sydney.

Other selection notes

A big weekend for Japanese rugby with both Dearns and Mamoru Harada making their debuts, Harada named on the bench for Moana Pasifika.

Also joining Super Rugby ranks will be newcomers Alefosio Aho, Faletoi Peni, Simon Peter Toleafoa, Lolani Faleiva Konrad Toleafoa former Brisbane Bronco Israel Leota, all earning callups for Moana.

Cortez Ratima will sit out the trip to Dunedin for the birth of his second child while Emoni Narawa will play his 50th match for the Chiefs. Jona Nareki will also notch his half century for the Highlanders.

Injury ward

The Chiefs will be without bruising flanker Samipeni Finau who is recovering from while Wallace Sititi is out for the week with a hamstring niggle. Du’Plessis Kirifi misses the next fortnight for the Hurricanes as he manages a calf complaint while Ruben Love’s ankle will keep him out of action for the next month at least.

Moana are still without former All Black Augustine Pulu, lock Jimmy Tupou and the promising young Niko Jones. For the Highlanders, Finn Hurley is still at least three weeks from a return while Xavier Tito-Harris and Andrew Knewstubb could be back for round three.

The Blues are down their two top locks with Sam Darry out with concussion and Patrick Tuipulotu still recovering from a shoulder injury, targeting a round six return.

Team lists

Hurricanes vs Moana

Kick-off: 7:05pm Friday February 20

Sky Stadium, Wellington

Live blog updates on RNZ

Hurricanes: 1 Xavier Numia, 2 Asafo Aumua, 3 Siale Lauaki, 4 Hugo Plummer, 5 Warner Dearns, 6 Devan Flanders, 7 Peter Lakai, 8 Brayden Iose, 9 Ereatara Enari, 10 Brett Cameron, 11 Fehi Fineanganofo, 12 Jordie Barrett (c), 13 Bailyn Sullivan, 14 Josh Moorby, 15 Callum Harkin

Bench: 16 Jacob Devery, 17 Pouri Rakete-Stones, 18 Tevita Mafileo, 19 Matolu Petaia, 20 Brad Shields, 21 Arese Poliko, 22 Cam Roigard, 23 Billy Proctor

“It was a huge crowd against Moana last year, so hopefully we can create that again and put in a performance that gets our fans excited and gets them coming back for the rest of the season.” – Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw

Moana Pasifika: 1 Abraham Pole, 2 Samiuela Moli (c), 3 Feleti Sae-Ta’ufo’ou, 4 Veikoso Poloniati, 5 Alefosio Aho, 6 Semisi Paea, 7 Konrad Toleafoa, 8 Dominic Ropeti, 9 Siaosi Nginingini, 10 Patrick Pellegrini, 11 Tuna Tuitama, 12 Faletoi Peni, 13 Glen Vaihu, 14 Israel Leota, 15 Simon Peter Toleafoa

Bench: 16 Mamoru Harada, 17 Tito Tuipulotu, 18 Lolani Faleiva, 19 Allan Craig, 20 Miracle Faiilagi, 21 Melani Matavao, 22 William Havili, 23 Tevita Ofa

“It’s a great opportunity to showcase the depth within our group, if we want to get all the way to the end of this competition, we’re going to need everybody.” – Moana coach Tana Umaga

Highlanders vs Chiefs

Kick off: 7.05pm Saturday February 21

Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin

Live blog updates on RNZ

Highlanders: 1 Ethan de Groot, 2 Jack Taylor, 3 Rohan Wingham, 4 Oliver Haig, 5 Mitch Dunshea, 6 Te Kamaka Howden, 7 Sean Withy (VC), 8 Lucas Casey, 9 Folau Fakatava, 10 Cameron Millar, 11 Jona Nareki (50th Highlanders Game), 12 Timoci Tavatavanawai (C), 13 Jonah Lowe, 14 Caleb Tangitau, 15 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens

Bench: 16 Henry Bell, 17 Josh Bartlett, 18 Sosefo Kautai, 19 Will Stodart, 20 Veveni Lasaqa, 21 Adam Lennox, 22 Reesjan Pasitoa, 23 Tanielu Tele’a

“The Chiefs are a bit like the Crusaders, stacked with All Blacks and have performed very well in recent seasons, so another huge challenge for us and one we are looking forward to.” – Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph

Chiefs: 1 Jared Proffit, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 3 George Dyer, 4 Josh Lord, 5 Tupou Vaa’i (vc), 6 Kaylum Boshier, 7 Jahrome Brown, 8 Luke Jacobson (c), 9 Xavier Roe, 10 Josh Jacomb, 11 Leroy Carter, 12 Quinn Tupaea (vc), 13 Daniel Rona, 14 Kyren Taumoefolau, 15 Etene Nanai-Seturo

Bench: 16 Tyrone Thompson, 17 Benet Kumeroa, 18 Reuben O’Neill, 19 Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Simon Parker, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Tepaea Cook-Savage, 23 Emoni Narawa

“These local derbies are brutal. There is no inch given and it will go up another notch against the Highlanders who are coming off an equally tough win against the defending champions Crusaders.” – Chiefs coach Jonno Gibbs

Force vs Blues

Kick off 9.35pm Saturday February 21

HBF Park, Perth

Blues: 1 Joshua Fusitu’a, 2 Bradley Slater, 3 Marcel Renata, 4 Laghlan McWhannell, 5 Josh Beehre, 6 Anton Segner, 7 Dalton Papali’i (c), 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 9 Finlay Christie, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 11 Caleb Clarke, 12 Pita Ahki, 13 AJ Lam, 14 Cole Forbes, 15 Zarn Sullivan

Bench: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 Mason Tupaea, 18 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 19 Che Clark, 20 Torian Barnes, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Xavi Taele, 23 Codemeru Vai

“Going over there, we know we need to be at our best. We’ve taken a lot of lessons from last week and the focus is on being accurate, disciplined, and connected for the full 80 minutes.” – Blues coach Vern Cotter

Crusaders vs Brumbies

Kick off 3.35pm Sunday February 22

Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch

Live blog updates on RNZ

Crusaders: 1 Finlay Brewis, 2 George Bell, 3 Fletcher Newell, 4 Antonio Shalfoon, 5 Jamie Hannah, 6 Dom Gardiner, 7 Ethan Blackadder, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 9 Noah Hotham, 10 Rivez Reihana, 11 Sevu Reece, 12 David Havili (c), 13 Braydon Ennor, 14 Chay Fihaki, 15 Will Jordan

Bench: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Seb Calder, 19 Tahlor Cahill, 20 Corey Kellow, 21 Louie Chapman, 22 Taha Kemara, 23 Leicester Fainga’anuku

“We always look in the mirror first. Collectively, we could have done some things a little differently, but it is what it is. We’ve got to look forward now and take what we learned into the game we’ve got at home on Sunday.” – Crusaders coach Rob Penney

Waratahs vs Fijian Drua

Kick off 9.35pm Friday February 20

Allianz Stadium, Sydney

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The outgoing Netball New Zealand chairperson says changes at the top will help inject new energy into a sport that is facing significant challenges.

The national body last night confirmed that chairperson Matt Whineray and three appointed board members had decided to step down.

It followed the resignation of CEO Jennie Wyllie in December after a disastrous year for the sport, which included the suspension of Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua, who was later reinstated.

The story dominated headlines for weeks and calls for “heads to roll” at Netball NZ were loud.

Whineray denied anyone felt pressure to step down but said the board accepted the netball community expected some changes at the top after a difficult 2025 and new blood would be beneficial.

“It really came out of individual reflections on what was right for them personally and what we think is right for Netball New Zealand going forward. So the opportunity to get some new perspectives, new capabilities, some new energy and really reset the momentum and focus on the really important next couple of years is what we’re all thinking about,” Whineray said.

The national body was working in an environment that had changed rapidly in the past decade, including greater competition from other female codes. The future of the ANZ Premiership was still up in the air, with no broadcast rights agreement in place from beyond 2026.

While participation rates at grass roots are pleasing, Whineray believed the next CEO has a tougher job than what it entailed a few years ago.

“The media landscape, broadcast rights opportunities, and commercial environment has all changed. The person who is heading up a national sporting organisation has to be able to manage the commercials on one hand and balance that with the delivery of the community game and high performance programmes and that’s a challenging space to be.”

There were eight members on the Netball NZ board, split between four elected members and four appointed members, including Whineray.

Aliesha Staples, Stephen Cottrell, and Pavan Vyas are the other appointed members leaving their roles. Appointed members help ensure a board has a range of skills and experience to call on across a number of fields including commercial, legal, IT and tech.

Cottrell for instance brought 25 years of experience, including strategy and project management roles for New Zealand Rugby. He currently works for a global events and entertainment company, and is a principal in his own sports advisory law firm.

The Netball NZ constitution sets a maximum of three terms of three years. With Whineray’s nine year limit on the board due to finish at the start of next year, he said stepping down now made sense as his replacement will be in charge of recruiting the next CEO.

Jane Patterson was brought in as interim CEO but the board will advertise for a permanent boss in a few months.

The board positions will be advertised soon and an appointment panel will be made up of a couple of board members and one external member, expected to be veteran administrator Kereyn Smith.

Netball NZ has called in Smith, who in recent years has helped cycling and yachting with their issues.

“Kereyn’s been giving us a hand on a number of fronts and helping both within Netball New Zealand but also with our connections with the wider netball community so it’s been very helpful to have her in there, given her really deep experience in sports administration but also really great connections across the netball system.”

Whineray said Smith had been involved in looking at some high performance changes but said that was now largely being run by Chelsea Lane, who was appointed as Head of Performance – Silver Ferns, in the new year.

The decision to suspend Dame Noeline and her coaching team in September was met with widespread shock in the netball community. The lack of information led to a lot of speculation and fans vented their frustrations on social media, mostly directed at Wyllie and the board.

Whineray emphasised that the decision to suspend the Silver Ferns coaching team, was a board decision, not driven by any individual.

“The board made that decision on advice from our legal advice.”

He said the board can not make decisions on how the public might react.

“That’s the board making a decision about what’s in the best interests of the Silver Ferns environment and of the players and all of those who are working in the environment. Ultimately we have to wear the public response but you shouldn’t be making decisions like that with an eye on how the public is going to react.

“The board were all involved in this, we were supporting Jennie and working with Jennie through this process and I think the personal insults and the abuse were awful for all involved.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand’s Luca Harrington has finished sixth in the men’s big air final at the Milan Winter Olympics, missing out on a medal.

Harrington, the reigning big air World Champion, had a great first run to sit fourth after the first round, but failed to land his second run and had a sloppy landing in his third attempt to slip down the leaderboard.

The Wānaka freeskier won bronze in last week’s men’s slopestyle.

New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott’s will try to defend her women’s slopestyle title tomorrow morning after today’s final was postponed due to heavy snow.

More to come…

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The Black Caps have comfortably chased down Canada’s total in their T20 World Cup clash.

Canada scored a respectable 173 in the match at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, with batsman Yuvraj Samra scoring 110 in 65 balls.

But the Black Caps chased the total down with 29 balls remaining – Glenn Phillips top scored with 76 runs off 36 balls, while Rachin Ravindra also reached a half-century, scoring 59 in 39 balls..

The win has secured the Black Caps a place in the Super 8s, where they will be divided into two groups of four each, and play each other in a round-robin format.

The top two teams from each Super 8s group will progress to the semi-finals.

See how all the action unfolded with our live blog:

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NRL pre-season: Warriors v Dolphins

Kickoff: 8pm Friday, 20 February

Leichhardt Oval, Sydney

Live blog updates on RNZ

NZ Warriors have suffered their first significant injury of the 2026 NRL campaign, with the loss of utility Te Maire Martin to a broken leg.

Martin left the field during the first half of last weekend’s Māori v Indigenous All Stars clash at Hamilton and has been diagnosed with a fractured fibula (lower leg) that keep him out of action for about 12 weeks.

Martin was a key component of the Warriors interchange last season, with his ability to cover a variety of positions off the bench. He will now join halfback Luke Metcalf, who continues to rehab his knee, after season-ending surgery last July.

The Warriors had seven players involved in the pre-season spectacle and have named four to return for their second trial against the Dolphins on Friday.

The other absentees are co-captain James Fisher-Harris, who is given the week off, and winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira, who suffered concussion in action for the Indigenous side.

Coach Andrew Webster fielded a makeshift line-up against Manly Sea Eagles last Saturday, with several untested at first grade, and watched them tumble to a 33-18 defeat at Napier.

Six days later, his team is much closer to full strength, with the addition of fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, centre Adam Pompey and second-rower Jacob Laban.

Young forward Demetric Vaimauga has also been given a rest, while veteran winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is still nursing the hamstring twinge that forced him out of the Manly fixture.

Second-rower Marata Niukore and five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita are other notable omissions, but back-up fullback Taine Tuaupiki has been named 18th man, after an off-season leg injury delayed his return to training.

Five-eighth Luke Hanson and winger Haizyn Mellars are the only players named yet to play first grade.

Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Ali Leiataua, 4. Adam Pompey, 5. Haizyn Mellars, 6. Luke Hanson, 7. Tanah Boyd, 8. Tanner Stowers-Smith, 9. Wayde Egan, 10. Jackson Ford, 11. Kurt Capewell (c), 12. Jacob Laban, 13. Erin Clark

Interchange: 14. Sam Healey, 15. Morgan Gannon, 16. Leka Halasima, 17. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava

Reserves: 18. Taine Tuaupiki, 21. Kayliss Fatialofa, 22. Jack Thompson, 23. Makaia Tafua, 24. Motu Pasikala, 25. Sio Kali, 26. Caelys-Paul Putoko, 27. Geronimo Doyle, 28. Rodney Tuipuiotu-Vea, 29. Paea Sikuvea

Meanwhile, the Dolphins have added several frontliners, including former Warriors Kodi Nikorima at five-eighth, after suffering a 24-12 loss to Gold Coast Titans last week,

Dolphins: 1. Trai Fuller, 2. Jamayne Isaako, 3. Jake Averillo, 4. Herbie Farnworth, 5. Selwyn Cobbo, 6. Kodi Nikorima, 7. Isaiya Katoa (c), 8. Francis Molo, 9. Bradley Schneider, 10. Tom Gilbert, 11. Connelly Lemuelu, 12. Oryn Keeley, 13. Morgan Knowles

Interchange: 14. Tevita Naufahu, 15. Thomas Flegler, 16. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, 17. John Fineanganofo

Reserves: 18. Sebastian Su’a, 19. Elijah Rasmussen, 20. Brian Pouniu, 21. Zac Garton, 22. Brent Woolf, 23. Adquix-Jeramiah Watts-Luke, 24. Sangstar Figota, 25. Noah Fien, 26. Elijah McKay

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