Category: Sport

Source: Radio New Zealand

Analysis – Scott Hansen has become the most talked-about man in the All Blacks, which is somewhat fitting given he isn’t short of a word himself when he wants. Back in March 2019 he gave one of the more memorable post-match press conferences, after his Sunwolves side hadn’t just caused an upset in Hamilton but given the Chiefs an absolute hiding.

It was no surprise that Hansen was more than happy to answer any questions about the result, but in what is probably a first for rugby coaches, he decided that not enough questions had been asked and offered to keep the microphones rolling while he talked through just what the win meant.

Fast forward six years and Hansen is now the All Black staff’s second in command. The somewhat convoluted way in which that’s been made official has certainly garnered headlines, exposing the knowledge gap between those in the know and the common fan, but also called Hansen’s credentials into question.

Then there’s the radical calls for Scott Robertson and Hansen to be replaced, with the sole name being bandied about that of Jamie Joseph.

But here’s the thing that ties that last two points together. Probably due to the fact that Hansen’s coaching career has been so massively overshadowed by Robertson, no one seems to have remembered that Hansen was part of Joseph and Tony Brown’s Japan coaching staff during their historic 2019 World Cup run, then for four years afterwards.

So you can’t really tell the story of Joseph’s greatest achievement, which is what is being held up as the main credential over Robertson’s relative inexperience at test level, without acknowledging Hansen’s role in it.

The power Joseph had in Japan was arguably even greater than what Rassie Erasmus enjoys with the Springboks now, which was understandable at the time given they were determined to make an impression as World Cup hosts. Joseph was able to control every aspect of his player’s schedules in the lead up to the tournament, keeping skipper Michael Leitch in cotton wool and using the Sunwolves reserve team as a shadow national selection for live training exercises.

The delegation to Hansen even extended to Tony Brown handing over the Sunwolves coaching duties, which resulted in the aforementioned win over the Chiefs in his first game in charge. The rest of the Sunwolves’ season only garnered one more win, admittedly, but Hansen returned to the Japan national team to help engineer landmark wins over Ireland and Scotland at the World Cup.

A lesson in clarity

If nothing else, this has been a lesson in clarity for Robertson and NZ Rugby. Around the time Hansen was being given the Sunwolves job, Robertson was making his ultimately unsuccessful play to be the next All Black coach. His ticket was clear: he would be the head coach with Leon MacDonald as his assistant, which made perfect sense given their long history of first teammates and then coaching together.

Robertson was ultimately passed over for Ian Foster. But at some point, in the dramatic next four years while Foster dealt with the massive on and off field pressures, the dynamic between Robertson and MacDonald changed. Just exactly when that was is a bit of a mystery, but it’s clear that also at some point the relationship between Hansen and Robertson formed into one that not only led to an employment arrangement, but a role for Hansen as the 2IC.

The theory goes that while the situation wasn’t made official publicly, by the time the arrangement got put into practice it wasn’t to MacDonald’s liking and led directly to his exit after only three tests.

Since then we’ve had Hansen, Jason Ryan, Jason Holland and Tamati Ellison as assistants, with Ryan likely the one that more than a few All Black fans would’ve presumed would be the right hand man given he’d already been in the set up before Robertson arrived. That sort of misconception should’ve been cleared up, especially as problems with the wider coaching staff was one of the major things hindering Foster’s time in charge.

Is it that bad?

It’s exactly that comparison that does put the current situation into perspective, though. Hansen’s role isn’t even the most pressing issue, it’s that MacDonald and Holland have left. It’s obviously not great, but even then, they weren’t fired like John Plumtree and Brad Mooar were.

In fact, as far as All Black coaching dramas go, this isn’t even really on the first page and not just because it’s come after the Foster era. John Mitchell made himself so unpopular he got let go after one of the most successful records in history, Grizz Wyllie and John Hart got made co-coaches despite hating each other, and Fred Allen quit in part because NZRFU chairman Tom Morrison allegedly tried to influence selections – only for Allen to be succeeded by Ivan Vodanovich, a co-owner of Morrison’s Wellington menswear shop.

It’s also worth taking into account that Robertson has been open about his grand strategy of creating depth for the 2027 World Cup, although probably not open enough about just how much of his role is doing that. Without knowing the exact inner workings of the team, it feels like Robertson is more of a director of rugby. Which in itself might not be a bad thing given the development success so far, but he should’ve just given himself that title up front.

But the key thing here, as always with the All Blacks, is results. If Robertson is in strategic command, Hansen is the tactical leader and that’s where the team has been found wanting in three very different but all completely disappointing losses this season. Had those been wins, we likely wouldn’t even be talking about this.

If he is head coach in all but name, Hansen should be the one fronting after those results, or at least sit next to Robertson post-match the same way Foster would as assistant to Steve Hansen, so that tactical questions can get addressed. At the very least, he should be up for media and therefore answering to the public as the official 2IC on a weekly basis.

The big unknown here is just exactly what the most important people in all of this, the players, feel about this situation. There’s been plenty of conjecture and very little of it good, but the only way those stories are getting told any time soon is through the official team review.

That’s due sometime in January. If there are more departures from the coaching staff, we’ll know exactly what was 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

New Zealand football great Ivan Vicelich says the All White’s best shot at World Cup glory will come early at next year’s FIFA tournament.

Vicelich whose international career spanned two decades, says it’s crucial New Zealand hits peak form in the opening clash.

New Zealand will take on Iran, the World No. 20 ranked side, on June 16 at the vast Los Angeles Stadium, with a capacity of over 70,000.

“Look, the beauty for us is that we’re at the World Cup. We’ve got top quality players in there who can change a game,” Vicelich said.

“We have to focus on one or two teams and get results the best we can.

“It’s great to see Ryan Thomas back and Sarpreet Singh. As a group the team looks like they’re in sync. There’s the odd goal conceded that’s not a good way to concede – hopefully they can iron that out.”

Drawn into Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt, and Iran, New Zealand (ranked 86th) will play two games in Canada, and one in the United States.

Their final two group games will be played at BC Place Vancouver, against Egypt on June 22, and Belgium on June 27 – another large stadium with a capacity of around 55,000.

While not the hardest of the 12 pools, all three nations are ranked more than 50 places higher than New Zealand.

Belgium are ranked eighth in the world and qualified for the World Cup by topping their European qualification group.

Ominously, Iran and Egypt also topped their groups in qualifying.

Former All Whites defender Ben Sigmund says that with a bit of fine tuning, the opener against Iran is there for the taking.

But he’d urge New Zealand to play a more attacking style.

“Iran is probably our best chance, that’s the one you want to focus on – that’s your focus point,” Sigmund said.

“Egypt you’d probably want to get that draw, but they’re a very good side.”

“We’ve got the players, we’ve got the team. You never know?

“If you can take away those odd one percenters, this team has a really good chance.”

World Cup mania has arrived early, with friends texting Sigmund to find tickets to the All Whites matches.

“I’m getting messages as everyone’s asking me how to get tickets, but it’s not that easy,” he laughed.

TVNZ has secured every All Whites match to be broadcast live and free on TVNZ1 and TVNZ+.

New Zealand’s FIFA World Cup 2026 match schedule:

June 16: Iran vs New Zealand – Los Angeles Stadium

June 22: New Zealand vs Egypt – BC Place Vancouver

June 27: New Zealand vs Belgium – BC Place Vancouver

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Queenstown skier Alice Robinson has continued her top form on the World Cup circuit.

Robinson followed up her giant slalom victory at Tremblant in Canada on Sunday with a third place finish on the same course on Monday.

The result marks the 20th World Cup podium of her career and her third in four rounds this season.

The 24-year-old remains top of the giant slalom standings, eight points ahead of Austrian Julia Scheib who won Monday’s race.

Robinson was quickest after the first run but a tiny error on the second run meant she was a second slower than Scheib and finished 0.78 seconds behind the Austrian with Sara Hector of Sweden second.

Robinson leads the giant slalom standings with 292 points, with Scheib in second with 280 points and Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutic in third with 178 points.

The Giant Slalom World Cup Tour will now take a break until 27 December.

Robinson will now turn her attention to World Cup speed events starting with the Downhill and Super G races in St. Moritz, Switzerland, next weekend.

The Olympics are in Italy in February.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Northern Districts pace bowler Kristian Clarke has joined the Black Caps squad ahead of this week’s second Test against West Indies in Wellington.

Clarke is the second uncapped player to join the squad after Canterbury fast bowler Michael Rae.

New Zealand’s lead pace bowler Matt Henry, along with Nathan Smith and Mitchell Santner have been ruled out of the rest of the series with injuries.

Henry suffered a calf injury during the first Test in Christchurch, while Smith suffered a side strain. Both players were unable to bowl in the West Indies’ second innings.

Santner is recovering from abdominal surgery in August.

The New Zealanders had a patched-up team complete the first Test at Hagley Oval with Tom Latham forced to take over the wicketkeeping gloves from an injured Tom Blundell, while Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips, who were also both recovering from injuries, were called on to be substitute fielders.

With Jacob Duffy and Zak Foulkes forced to get through a lot of overs at Hagley Oval, they will be monitored over the next couple of days.

Blair Tickner is the other bowling option. He has played three tests for New Zealand.

Clarke was called in as cover for the ODI series against England in October when Matt Henry went down with a calf strain.

He and Rae now come into contention to make their Test debuts as the Black Caps face a stern test of their bowling depth.

Mitch Hay is expected to keep wickets in the second Test, while Blundell could be considered fo the third Test at Bay Oval.

Hay is poised for his Test debut but is already capped in white ball cricket.

New Zealand Cricket said they would update their squad Monday night.

The first Test ended in a draw with the second Test starting on Wednesday.

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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 women are closely monitoring the fitness of Nepal international Sabitra ‘Samba’ Bhandari after an injury scare in Melbourne.

Bhandari limped off the field during Wellington’s 1-0 A-League loss to Melbourne City yesterday in the Phoenix’s first match on the road in their A-League season.

Wellington’s import striker returned from a knee injury to the starting XI.

Bhandari’s comeback however was short-lived as she went down clutching her lower leg in the 58th minute.

She was assisted off the field with an apparent lower leg problem.

Wellington headed into the match brimming with confidence after beating heavyweight’s Melbourne Victory last round.

The Phoenix held Melbourne City until the 86th minute when City captain Rebekah Stott unleashed the game-winning goal for the reigning premiers.

Phoenix coach Bev Priestman told media her side dominated in the box but was unable to break City’s defence.

“I’m frustrated and I think the team are but this game can’t define us. We did a very good job against a very good Melbourne City team and now we have to grow from this,” she said.

“We have to put the ball in the back of the net and that’s a different game.”

The Wellington Phoenix will stay on the other side of the Tasman to prepare for Friday night’s match against Perth Glory.

The Phoenix, sitting 8th on the standings after four games, will be looking to rebound from their first loss of the season.

The experienced Football Fern CJ Bott said she will continue to lead by example for Wellington after she was confirmed before the last match as the team’s fulltime captain.

– RNZ

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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 Ferns Sevens have been crushed by Australia in the Cape Town World Rugby Sevens series decider, unable to back up their victory in Dubai.

After tasting success in the opening round last week, New Zealand were beaten by Australia overnight, with their green and gold rivals leading 19-0 at halftime.

Heidi Dennis, Teagan Levi and Isabella Nasser ran in three tries for Australia in their emphatic 26-12 win.

In the overall standings the Black Ferns Sevens are second on the leaderboard after the opening two rounds.

In the men’s decider, South Africa secured back-to-back titles on home turf beating Argentina 21-19.

Early in the second half, Argentina looked to have the gold-medal match sewn up to complete a remarkable turnaround after finishing eighth in Dubai last round.

But the Blitzboks hit back with two tries in the last four minutes as the excited crowd ramped up the volume.

Like the New Zealand women, the All Blacks Sevens also failed to follow up their win in Dubai last round, slumping to fifth.

The New Zealand men missed the the semi-final stage after a heavy 35-5 loss to Fiji.

They rallied back to beat Australia 28-21 in the 5th place semifinal and then overcame Great Britain 27-12 to secure fifth behind Fiji and France.

The All Blacks Sevens are third overall behind South Africa and Fiji after two rounds on the leaderboard.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Hallyburton Johnstone Sports Club – home to lawn bowling, croquet, and tennis in Auckland’s Point Chevalier – has used the same block of land for almost 100 years, but there are now fears for the future after an Anglican Trust raised questions about who owns that land.

Members of the community sports club, including Kiwis head coach Stacey Jones, have said it is an important space for the entire community.

Bowling club President Simon Munro said the land was donated by farmer Hallyburton Johnstone in 1927.

A New Zealand Herald article from 3 August of that year spoke of the “generous gift of Johnstone’s fine old home and over four acres of property”.

Munro said the farmer wanted the land – where he once lived – to be used as a community sports area, administered by a public club.

Since then, generations have enjoyed the beloved green space in the central west suburb.

“It’s not just playing bowls, playing croquet, playing tennis, even though we’ve got about 1000 members across all three clubs, but it’s the wider benefits that we’ve been providing the community,” said Munro.

“Since the local RSA closed down a few years ago, their members now use our club rooms for their veterans days, committee meetings, and we hold the Anzac Parade every year as well.”

There was also a volunteer-run community garden at the site, which was used by local schools.

So he was shocked to learn the Anglican Trust for Women and Children, which he said was a beneficiary of Hallyburton Johnston’s estate, was questioning whether it was also entitled to the sports club land.

He believed the trust was considering developing the land, which had a council capital value of $5.15 million, for a purpose other than community sports.

“It was a big shock. You know, you go through all of the emotions, and anger is certainly one of them.

“What we now know is that the Anglican Trust for Women and Children potentially wants to develop the land for housing, which goes completely against what Hallyburton Johnstone intended for this land to provide, which is the benefits of sports and recreation.”

He said Johnstone also gifted part of his Point Chevalier land to the Anglican Church, which sold it in 2017.

New Zealand Kiwis head coach Stacey Jones was a frequent flyer at the club, coming most weeks.

He supported keeping the site the way it was.

“I just enjoy the social part, I go down there and watch the sports. I like to have a quiet beer. I don’t have to go down there with any friends or ring them up, I can go on my own and just enjoy a quiet space.

“It’s such a wonderful place and creates a really good vibe for the community. Every generation of people can enjoy that space, not just the bowlers and the older people, but the young ones.

“It just needs to stay.”

Long-time bowling club member 75-year-old Kevin Morris said the club was a popular place for families as well.

“In terms of the bowling club, we’ve got a huge social membership because it’s the hub of the community.

“The demographics of the area have changed in recent years, with families coming in with young children. We’re a welcoming club with a children’s playground, and we never ban children. We’re more likely to ban adults generally because of intoxication, but that doesn’t happen very often.”

The bowling club’s hospitality manager Krystal Stevens said knowing they could lose their space had been difficult.

“It kind of hits you more in the heart because you know how much this place means to the locals, to the community.

“To see that being threatened is quite sad because there’s nowhere else in Point Chev or the surrounding areas quite like this.”

The Anglican Trust declined RNZ’s request for an interview, but confirmed it was “seeking clarification on the ownership of the land”.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

McLaren’s Lando Norris sobbed tears of joy and relief as he won the Formula One championship for the first time and ended Max Verstappen’s four-year reign with a nervy third place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Red Bull’s Verstappen, who ended the campaign with the most wins (eight), triumphed in the season-ender with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri second and 12.5 seconds behind at the chequered flag.

Norris, Britain’s 11th Formula One world champion at the age of 26, took his points tally to 423 with Verstappen on 421 and Piastri third with 410.

McLaren, who secured the constructors’ championship in October for the second year in a row, won both titles in the same season for the first time since 1998.

New Zealand Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson finished 18th, his worst result of the season when finishing a race and the worst result of his F1 career.

After starting 13th on the grid, the New Zealand driver made up a couple of places but was handed a 5 second penalty for erratic driving which dropped him to the back of the field.

He finished just behind his Racing Bulls team-mate Isack Hadjar who is moving up to Red Bull next season.

Lawson finished 14th in the Drivers’ Championship and Racing Bulls sixth in the Constructors’ Championship.

Speaking to media after his victory, Norris said “I’ve not cried in a while. I didn’t think I would cry but I did,” said an emotional Norris in a post-race interview, after also shedding tears inside his helmet on the slowing down lap around the floodlit Yas Marina circuit.”

“It feels amazing. I now know what Max feels like a little bit.

“I want to congratulate Max and Oscar, my two biggest competitors the whole season. It’s been a pleasure to race against both of them. It’s been an honour, I’ve learned a lot from both,” he added.

No five titles in a row for Verstappen

Norris’s mother Cisca gave Piastri a consoling hug while both Verstappen and the Australian congratulated the new champion in a show of sportsmanship.

The victory denied Verstappen the achievement of five titles in a row, something only Ferrari great Michael Schumacher has managed so far.

“The way we fought back in the second half of the season, we can be really, really proud of that,” said the Dutch driver, who was 104 points behind then-leader Piastri at the end of August, over the radio to his team.

“So, don’t be too disappointed. I’m definitely not disappointed. I’m really proud of everyone for not giving up.”

Charles Leclerc finished fourth in Sunday’s race for Ferrari with George Russell fifth for Mercedes and Fernando Alonso sixth for Aston Martin.

Esteban Ocon was seventh for Haas, ahead of Ferrari’s seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton — who failed to stand on the podium all year in a career low for the 40-year-old who joined the Italian team this year from Mercedes.

Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg was ninth in the German’s 250th race and Lance Stroll 10th for Aston Martin.

Verstappen, who needed to win with Norris off the podium, led away from the start with Norris fending off Piastri to retain second while Russell dropped from fourth to sixth.

Piastri, the only driver apart from Tsunoda in the top 10 to start on the hard tyres with the rest on mediums, overtook Norris on lap one to drop the Briton into jeopardy with Leclerc close behind.

Norris appeared to be managing his tyres, and pulled out of DRS range, before pitting on lap 19 at the same time as the Ferrari driver.

The championship leader rejoined in ninth with Tsunoda leading a train of traffic and posing a threat to Norris, with Leclerc again closing in, but the McLaren driver overtook four cars in quick succession.

Esteban Ocon’s Haas then peeled into the pits, leaving the Japanese next.

“(Do) all you can when he catches,” Red Bull told Tsunoda, who replied “I know what to do, leave it to me.”

Norris ran wide, Tsunoda handed a penalty

Norris scythed past, running wide onto the dirt as Tsunoda moved twice in defence — a move that earned the Japanese a five second penalty with the Briton cleared of gaining an advantage by leaving the track.

Verstappen pitted on lap 24, immediately after Norris passed his teammate, to hand the lead to Piastri.

Leclerc pitted for a second time on lap 40, followed in by Norris for a second set of hards, with Piastri ending his mighty opening stint to switch for mediums on lap 42.

The Australian rejoined in second, 24.5 seconds behind Verstappen who passed him just before the stop, with Norris third.

“It’s not just this year or the last seven or eight years I’ve been with McLaren, but the last 16 or 17 years of my life trying to chase this dream,” said Norris afterwards.

“Today we all did it, so I’m pretty happy.”

– Reuters with additional reporting from RNZ

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Australia beat England by eight wickets in the second Ashes test in Brisbane on day four on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Australia, who won the series-opener in Perth by eight wickets, need only draw the next test in Adelaide to retain the urn.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Danish golfer Rasmus Neergaard-Peterson has claimed the Australian Open, winning by just one shot over home favourite Cam Smith.

Kiwi Daniel Hillier shared sixth place with rising Spanish golfer Jose Luis Ballester.

Neergaard-Peterson, 26, carded a final-round 70 to prevail in a tight finish at Royal Melbourne.

Smith was denied a maiden title with a bogey on the last hole, while Neergaard-Peterson sank an impressive up-and-down putt to secure victory.

Hillier came within touching distance of the leaders during his final found, sitting just two shots back on the 16th.

The Kiwi unleashed four birdies in his Sunday round and looked poised for a strong payday, but a double-bogey on the 18th proved costly.

He had started the day in sixth, four shots off the lead, and finished five back on 71.

New Zealand’s Ryan Fox was further down the leaderboard in 14th.

– RNZ

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