Category: Sport

Source: Radio New Zealand

Boom Otago rookie Lucas Casey has been handed a start for the Highlanders for Friday night’s opening clash with the Crusaders. The 22-year-old will run out at number eight, with Sean Withy and TK Howden with him in the loose forwards. The home side has already been rocked by the serious injury to All Black lock Fabian Holland, with Oliver Haig partnering Mitch Dunshea in the second row.

Angus Ta’avao will run out for his fourth Super Rugby side, the Highlanders prop previously representing the Blues, Waratahs and Chiefs.

Meanwhile, the Crusaders have kept All Blacks Codie Taylor and Will Jordan on the bench for the game. George Bell and Chay Fihaki start at hooker and fullback respectively, while Ethan Blackadder makes a welcome return at flanker.

Other selection notes

Ngani Laumape will debut for Moana Pasifika at second five, for their match in Lautoka against the Drua. Miracle Faiilagi will lead the team in their first hit out of the post-Ardie Savea era.

Bradley Slater and Pita Ahki go straight into the starting lineup for the Blues after signing in the off season. Torian Barnes goes onto the blindside in his debut, after being part of the wider training group at the start of preseason.

Their opponents, the Chiefs, have handed Kyren Taumoefolau a debut on the right wing. Josh Jacomb will start at first five with Damian McKenzie not considered after the birth of his first child last week.

Team lists

Highlanders v Crusaders

Kick-off: 7:05pm Friday 13 February

Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin

Live blog updates on RNZ

Highlanders: 1 Ethan de Groot, 2 Jack Taylor, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 4 Oliver Haig, 5 Mitch Dunshea, 6 Te Kamaka Howden, 7 Sean Withy, 8 Lucas Casey, 9 Folau Fakatava, 10 Cameron Millar, 11 Jona Nareki, 12 Timoci Tavatavanawai, 13 Jonah Lowe, 14 Caleb Tangitau, 15 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens

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

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

Bench: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 George Bower, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Tahlor Cahill, 20 Corey Kellow, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Taha Kemara, 23 Will Jordan

Fijian Drua v Moana Pasifika

Kick-off: 4:35pm Saturday 14 February

Churchill Park, Lautoka

Live blog updates on RNZ

Moana Pasifika: 1 Tito Tuipulotu, 2 Millennium Sanerivi, 3 Chris Apoua, 4 Tom Savage, 5 Allan Craig, 6 Miracle Faiilagi (c), 7 Semisi Paea, 8 Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa, 9 Jonathan Taumateine, 10 Patrick Pellegrini, 11 Solomon Alaimalo, 12 Ngani Laumape, 13 Lalomilo Lalomilo, 14 Tevita Ofa, 15 William Havili

Bench: 16 Samiuela Moli, 17 Abraham Pole, 18 Feleti Sae-Ta’ufo’ou, 19 Ofa Tauatevalu, 20 Dominic Ropeti, 21 Siaosi Nginingini, 22 Denzel Samoa, 23 Glen Vaihu

Blues v Chiefs

Kick-off: 7:05pm Saturday 14 February

Eden Park, Auckland

Live blog updates on RNZ

Blues: 1 Joshua Fusitu’a, 2 Bradley Slater, 3 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 4 Sam Darry, 5 Josh Beehre, 6 Torian Barnes, 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 James Mullan, 17 Mason Tupaea, 18 Marcel Renata, 19 Laghlan McWhannell, 20 Anton Segner, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Xavi Taele, 23 Codemeru Vai

Chiefs: 1 Jared Proffit, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 3 George Dyer, 4 Josh Lord, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 6 Kaylum Bosher, 7 Jahrome Brown, 8 Luke Jacobson, 9 Xavier Roe, 10 Josh Jacomb, 11 Liam Coombes-Fabling, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 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 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Tepaea Cook-Savage, 23 Kyle Brown

Also this weekend:

Waratahs v Reds

Kick-off: 9:35pm Friday 13 February

Allianz Stadium, Sydney

Force v Brumbies

Kick-off: 9:35pm Saturday 14 February

HBF Park, Perth

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

For Kennedy Cherrington, nothing in rugby league carries more weight than the Māori jersey.

Despite playing at a World Cup, in State of Origins, and an NRLW grand final, Cherrington said the Māori jersey sits above them all.

She said the it connects her to something far bigger than the game.

“This kaupapa is everything to me. The Māori jersey is the pinnacle in the game for me personally and I know that’s a shared common feeling by my team-mates. I’ve been fortunate enough to play at World Cups and Origins and Grand Finals, but the Māori jersey is the pinnacle.

“I get to represent not just myself and my whanau, but my ancestors and everything we’ve worked towards being Māori in the land of today. So I just want to take back that narrative and show people that we can showcase our culture and game in one.”

Cherrington will run out alongside younger sister Ruben for the Māori vs Indigenous All Stars clash in Hamilton on Sunday.

“It’s not just a selection of random players. You have to be Māori to play here. So I think that’s the special thing and being surrounded by your own is such a wholesome feeling.

“It’s like all the whanau coming together and you just get to be yourself. This is probably one of the most well connected teams that I’ve been a part of because you share the same heritage.”

Despite growing up more than 2000km from her ancestral home, Cherrington’s connection to her whakapapa remained strong, thanks to her parents.

“They’ve always instilled confidence in us being Māori and learning the Māori way, they always reminded us, showed us where we come from, so we pay homage to our parents and all they had to sacrifice being away from their home because they miss it just as much.

“But obviously everything happens for a reason. We had to come over there for a fresh start and we’ve just harnessed that opportunity that they’ve sacrificed for us. But obviously not having our kapa haka or kohunga growing up has been kind of deflating because that’s what we kind of mourn for being in Australia.”

Cherrington said Māori representation is crucial for young wahine.

“You can’t be what you can’t see. and there’s so many little eyes, both Māori, non-Māori, watching us, looking at us going, ‘I want to be there. I want to be like them.’ And in a world full of a lot of negative things, we just want to be the positivity and the positive role models that they look to, leading the forefront and changing the narrative of how Māori are to be seen.”

Joining the NRLW in 2020, Cherrington has seen a clear shift in the women’s game, most notably in the support they get from young fans.

“That’s probably been a bit of a pinch me moment, it’s been really, really noticeable. I was once that young girl looking up to people who I wanted to aspire to be like.

“So if someone says hello, I’ll always say hello back. If someone asks for a photo, I’ll always say yes and have a big smile on my face. I’m here, I’m a role model, whether I like it or not, well, I like it. So little eyes are watching you and monkey see monkey do, right? So yeah, that’s what you want to do, inspire the next generation because you were that young person.”

The Parramatta centre is also ensuring the women’s game has a strong players voice, having recently been appointed to the Rugby League Players Association as a player director.

“I’ve just been a big believer in standing up for change and using your voice when others don’t have a voice. So it’s just something that’s been in me since high school, speaking up. So I guess it’s kind of just transcended into rugby league world as well. I love seeing avenues of the game and how things roll and advocating for change.”

That change has been significant in the past six years.

“Some of the girls that have been around since those early days have just seen like, wow, we’ve gone to be basically afterthought to actually being in the forefront of the game itself here in Australia and New Zealand.

“We didn’t even have lockers or proper changing rooms, we were wearing men’s playing gear, had no maternity leave, and none of us having that well-being support. They were expecting a professional product, but not treating us like professionals. So that conversation has changed and it’s just come such a long way.

However Cherrington said more still needs to be done to get on equal footing with the NRL.

“Obviously, a fully professional schedule, that’s a big one. I’d love to see us finally transition slowly into the full-time space. It’ll take some time because I know a lot of the girls have still got full-time jobs, but I think we’d see a massive reflection of quality. I love our game and I just want to see a positive change for our future for our women.”

Locked in at the Eels until 2027, Cherrington did not rule out a potential move to Aotearoa and switch to the Warriors.

“I grew up supporting the Warriors and I do have a special place for them in my heart, beyond 2027? Who knows?”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Auckland FC have parted ways with their inaugural head of performance midway through the A-League season.

Australian Elias Boukarim was credited with establishing a high-performance unit and running pre-season training sessions that players described as “hardest I’ve ever had”.

Boukarim left the club last week.

He had previously worked in the A-League with Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC before arriving in Auckland.

Last year Auckland FC director of football Terry McFlynn told A-League media players took a while to get used to Boukarim.

“I think the first two, three weeks, the boys absolutely despised him, hated him. But once you get to know him and know that everything he’s doing is coming from a good place, and it’s to make you better, they all love him.”

The club said after Boukarim’s sudden departure he had returned to Sydney to be with family and would not discuss his exit further.

Boukarim’s role with Auckland FC involved fitness and injury prevention.

The club said the “wider coaching team” was filling Boukarim’s duties and recruitment for a replacement would happen at “some stage soon”.

The fitness of the Premiers Plate-winning playing squad last season was often referred to as a reason that the team could be competitive late in games.

Despite Auckland dropping competition points by conceding late goals in their second season in the league, coach Steve Corica brushed off suggestions fitness was a contributing factor to the lapses.

“That’s a tiring period for a team but I think we’re fit enough, it’s a mentality thing not to want to concede and be in the right spot, everyone working hard for each other I think is very important I think that’s part of our motto from the start and if everyone does that I think we start winning games again and get back to the top as soon as possible hopefully,” Corica said before Saturday’s 1-0 win over Sydney FC.

Last season the club had one major injury, with defender Dan Hall breaking his ankle in training and being sidelined for months.

This season captain Hiroki Sakai has battled with a hamstring injury that has kept him out of the side over two stints and Guillermo May has worked back from a knee injury.

Among the latest injuries are goalkeeper Oli Sail who has had season-ending knee surgery and defender Nando Pijnaker who was also injured in the same game as Sail and has a leg injury that prevented him playing last week.

Auckland are currently second on the A-League ladder and play Sydney FC in Sydney on Tuesday in a catch-up game for a match that was postponed in December due to poor pitch conditions.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

While the country has been dragged into a devastating war, two Ukranians are ensuring that rugby stays alive in their home, and that young players have a potential path to safety.

Anton Shashero is coach of Ukraine’s national under-16 side, and thanks to a collaboration between some prominent rugby minds in Aotearoa, he and best friend Maksym Dulia have spent the past week in the country learning from some of the best in the business.

Shashero said the invasion has had an horrific impact on players and the sport in Ukraine.

“A lot of players from the senior national team and from the under-18 team have already died. A lot of them are in the war. In almost in every family now in Ukraine, someone have lost someone. It’s huge. It’s huge.”

He said rugby acts as a beacon for young men during dark times, and for Shashero and Dulia, it had a significant impact.

“When we were kids, rugby was everything for us. You can travel, you can have friends, you can share your moments with boys on the field and it’s the values rugby which rugby gave us.”

That path was able to be extended across the other side of the world,

“We knew that we wanted to come to New Zealand and try to learn from the best. So it was our dream.

“When our boys see that we’re here with the All Blacks, it has a huge impact for them, for their families and for everyone in Ukraine, when they see that we here, it’s big moment now for Ukraine.”

Upon arrival, the pair spent time with Sir Graham Henry, the Hurricanes and at the IRANZ institute.

The initiative is part of a broader plan to bring Ukrainian youth boys and girls teams to play in Aotearoa a joint effort between IRANZ, Henry and Brent Impey of Kiwi KARE, a foundation which provides New Zealand aid to Ukraine.

IRANZ general manager Wayne Taylor said it felt like the right thing to do.

“The country has been through a lot of hardship and sport can be something really positive, obviously the timing wasn’t great though with the war but it’s still something we are really keen to do, we are hoping to still get some funding and that it will still happen in the future.”

Impey said that despite everything going on in Ukraine, their passion for sport persists as the five team senior mens rugby competition continues to run.

“Their goal is to reach the 2032 Olympics in sevens, so i thought how can New Zealand help make that happen? We can be a part of reconstruction through sports diplomacy. It represents an opportunity, for New Zealand to be a visionary. “

Infrastructure in Ukraine has been significantly compromised as a result of Russian strikes, forcing Shashero to host junior camps to be held outside of the country.

“We usually do camps outside of Ukraine, in Poland and Georgia and now we go to Portugal for international tournament,” Shashero said.

Shashero and Dulia will take what they have learned home as his young side prepare to take on the best in the Northern Hemisphere.

“We have been given some fundamental things which we implement, now we have to fight to try to become the best team in the Europe. We want to show we can win against the best teams like France, Ireland, England.”

The game has come a long way in Ukraine, as Shashero vividly recalls his first trip to the European champs as a youngster where his team was soundly beaten.

“All we did was trained one week and went there and we couldn’t play well against them.”

Shashero said he has been blown away by the passion for rugby in New Zealand.

“I was at a rugby club and saw a boy maybe one years old, he cannot speak now but he already passing the ball and it’s amazing.”

Having seen some secrets behind competing on the global stage, Shashero also hopes to one day bring a Ukrainian side to Aotearoa.

“I hope that one day one will come in the future. I hope and I believe that if we prepare them for such long period, they can be on the same level with them, especially with New Zealand specialists helping us with this. I hope that it’s going to rise.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Luca Harrington has claimed New Zealand’s second medal at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy, taking bronze at the men’s freestyle skiing slopestyle event.

Norway’s Birk Ruud took gold, while silver went to American Alex Hall.

Harrington – one of the youngest competitors at 21 – was fourth on course, followed by fellow New Zealander Ben Barclay in sixth. Each had three runs to post their top score.

Barclay was the first competitor to land a complete run, earning a solid first run score of 69.40. Harrington came out swinging and was lacing together a super stylish run, but came unstuck on the switch triple cork 16 on jump two.

Run two was a throwaway for both Kiwis, with the triple cork 1620 continuing to give Harrington trouble, and Barclay coming off a rail early at the top of the course.

That left Barclay sitting in fifth place and Harrington in ninth going into the third and final run.

Harrington managed to clean up in run three, this time stomping his landing on the triple cork 1620 and finishing off with a clean 1440 on the third and last jump.

His score of 85.15 took him to third place, and earned New Zealand’s second medal of the games.

Barclay dropped in for his third run but once again came off a rail too early, finishing eighth overall.

Harrington said the day had been “a battle” for all competitors.

“We didn’t get perfect conditions, but that’s part of our sport. I was feeling a lot of pressure, a lot of crazy emotions going on being here at the Olympics, being in the finals and wanting to do everyone proud. Putting something down that you’re proud of was hard. I did not land my first two runs, which made that even tougher, but on that final run, I took a step back and kind of embraced the moment and managed to gain that confidence and managed to go through my full run clean,” he said.

“Standing at the top, representing New Zealand, representing my family, wearing an Olympic bib in the finals, that was such a special moment. I think that’s what motivated me to really embrace that and land that last run. To get rewarded with a haka from my team was such an honour.”

Barclay had been hoping to put down cleaner runs based on the tricks he had trained, but was happy enough with the outcome, adding that he was “over the moon to see Luca Harrington on the steps at the end”.

“To get a front row seat the last few years to the amount of hard work, dedication and sacrifice that Luca and his coach Hamish MacDougall have both put in with the sole goal of this, to see it pay off for them – I can’t even describe how that feels. They worked so hard, put so much blood, sweat and tears and true mahi into it. He really clutched up in the end and he got it. I genuinely don’t think anyone deserves it more.”

Birk Ruud of Norway earned the gold medal after an impeccable first run. Alex Hall, the gold medallist four years ago in Beijing, won silver under cloudy skies on the slopes in the mountain town of Livigno to extend Team USA’s remarkable run in the event over the years.

The slopestyle event features skiers who slide across rails and perform aerial tricks to impress the judges with difficulty and originality. The best score from each skier’s three runs determines the rankings. Ruud’s superb first run put him at the top of the leaderboard from the start. Hall tried to catch him but fell backward after coming off a rail in his third run.

Final scores came in at 86.28 for Ruud, 85.75 for Hall and 85.15 for Harrington. Ruud, 25, pumped his fists and hugged the other medallists as he took the podium. Hall, 27, clapped his hands and smiled. Team USA have earned a slopestyle medal in every Olympics since the event was introduced to the schedule in 2014. Jesper Tjader, the bronze medallist in Beijing, was in medal contention going into his third run of the day but crash-landed off a rail, sending one of his skies flying.

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott earlier claimed New Zealand’s first medal of the games, taking silver in the Big Air event on Tuesday.

It was a record third medal in the event for Sadowski-Synott, who took silver in Beijing in 2022 and bronze in Pyeongchang in 2018.

Like Harrington, she was also honoured by her teammates with a haka following her win.

– RNZ / Reuters

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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 snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has joined an elite club of Olympians – those who will be bringing home broken medals.

After a rough start, Sadowski-Synnott earned her second consecutive silver medal in the Big Air event at the Winter Olympics in Italy, matching her result from four years ago.

“You set goals and you dream about it, and when it actually happens, you still can’t really believe it,” the 24-year-old told Morning Report.

“But yeah, I’m really grateful that I was able to put it down when it mattered and just thankful for all the support from back home and grateful to have my family out here too.”

There have been reports of medals from this year’s Games breaking easily – including from American downhill skiing champion Breezy Johnson, Swedish cross-country skier Ebba Andersson and United States figure skater Alysa Liu.

Asked if she had kept hers safe, Sadowski-Synnott admitted “not exactly”.

“Mine actually broke. But it’s chill. It whacked my snowboard and fell off the thing, but it goes right back in. It’s all good.”

It was suspected the fault stemmed from the medal’s clasp and ribbon, which are designed to split if pulled with force to prevent strangulation.

Organisers on Thursday (local time) said they had found a fix.

Sadowski-Synnott, who has won five Olympic medals in her career, was going to cherish her latest prize regardless.

“It’s pretty sick. It’s pretty special, so beautiful and can’t really believe that I’m holding another Olympic medal.”

She next competes in slopestyle, where she will be defending the gold she won in Beijing in 2022.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Blues v Chiefs

Kick-off: 7:05pm Saturday 14 February

Eden Park, Auckland

Live blog updates on RNZ

Dalton Papali’i has kept his cards close to his chest regarding his relationship with former All Black coach Scott Robertson.

Speaking to 1News at Blues training on Tuesday, Papali’i said there was a “big difference” in Robertson’s coaching style to previous regimes.

“I was there when Shag (Steve Hansen) and Fozzie (Ian Foster) were there holding the helm. Seeing it change to Razor’s agenda – you could see there was a big difference,” said Papali’i.

“People spoke up and they had to have a review. We followed that process … I don’t really want to speak too much on that. What happened, happened.”

Papali’i only played one test in 2025, off the bench in the third test against France. He was selected for the All Blacks XV for their successful three-match end of year tour, being named captain by coach Jamie Joseph.

“I really had a good relationship with Jamie Jo and … I felt like I was back to my old self,” he said.

“I feel like I play better with the weight of being a leader. Going into the ABs XV, I got that role back again, the captaincy, and I took it with both hands. I enjoyed it and felt like I played well again. Everyone bought into the culture and it was a credit to Jamie Jo and the coaches. They set up the environment for everyone to be at their best and I loved it.”

The 28-year-old became a father last year, and said that new responsibility is shaping his thinking around seeing out the last two seasons of his contract with NZ Rugby.

“I’ve been here for nine years or so … I have a lot of things in perspective now,” he said.

“I want to grow the family, and you hear a lot of people heading overseas to help their financial side out. This is home for me, where I grew up and I want to leave the jersey in a better place. I’m still weighing it up.”

The Blues open their season on Saturday night against the Chiefs at Eden Park.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

While the country has been dragged into a devastating war, two Ukranians are ensuring that rugby stays alive in their home, and that young players have a potential path to safety.

Anton Shashero is coach of Ukraine’s national under-16 side, and thanks to a collaboration between some prominent rugby minds in Aotearoa, he and best friend Maksym Dulia have spent the past week in the country learning from some of the best in the business.

Shashero said the invasion has had an horrific impact on players and the sport in Ukraine.

“A lot of players from the senior national team and from the under-18 team have already died. A lot of them are in the war. In almost in every family now in Ukraine, someone have lost someone. It’s huge. It’s huge.”

He said rugby acts as a beacon for young men during dark times, and for Shashero and Dulia, it had a significant impact.

“When we were kids, rugby was everything for us. You can travel, you can have friends, you can share your moments with boys on the field and it’s the values rugby which rugby gave us.”

That path was able to be extended across the other side of the world,

“We knew that we wanted to come to New Zealand and try to learn from the best. So it was our dream.

“When our boys see that we’re here with the All Blacks, it has a huge impact for them, for their families and for everyone in Ukraine, when they see that we here, it’s big moment now for Ukraine.”

Upon arrival, the pair spent time with Sir Graham Henry, the Hurricanes and at the IRANZ institute.

The initiative is part of a broader plan to bring Ukrainian youth boys and girls teams to play in Aotearoa a joint effort between IRANZ, Henry and Brent Impey of Kiwi KARE, a foundation which provides New Zealand aid to Ukraine.

IRANZ general manager Wayne Taylor said it felt like the right thing to do.

“The country has been through a lot of hardship and sport can be something really positive, obviously the timing wasn’t great though with the war but it’s still something we are really keen to do, we are hoping to still get some funding and that it will still happen in the future.”

Impey said that despite everything going on in Ukraine, their passion for sport persists as the five team senior mens rugby competition continues to run.

“Their goal is to reach the 2032 Olympics in sevens, so i thought how can New Zealand help make that happen? We can be a part of reconstruction through sports diplomacy. It represents an opportunity, for New Zealand to be a visionary. “

Infrastructure in Ukraine has been significantly compromised as a result of Russian strikes, forcing Shashero to host junior camps to be held outside of the country.

“We usually do camps outside of Ukraine, in Poland and Georgia and now we go to Portugal for international tournament,” Shashero said.

Shashero and Dulia will take what they have learned home as his young side prepare to take on the best in the Northern Hemisphere.

“We have been given some fundamental things which we implement, now we have to fight to try to become the best team in the Europe. We want to show we can win against the best teams like France, Ireland, England.”

The game has come a long way in Ukraine, as Shashero vividly recalls his first trip to the European champs as a youngster where his team was soundly beaten.

“All we did was trained one week and went there and we couldn’t play well against them.”

Shashero said he has been blown away by the passion for rugby in New Zealand.

“I was at a rugby club and saw a boy maybe one years old, he cannot speak now but he already passing the ball and it’s amazing.”

Having seen some secrets behind competing on the global stage, Shashero also hopes to one day bring a Ukrainian side to Aotearoa.

“I hope that one day one will come in the future. I hope and I believe that if we prepare them for such long period, they can be on the same level with them, especially with New Zealand specialists helping us with this. I hope that it’s going to rise.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Black Caps spinner Michael Bracewell won’t play any part of the T20 World Cup after being ruled out with injury.

Bracewell suffered a calf injury during the ODI series against India last month and while he had recovered from that he reinjured it ahead of Sunday’s game against Afghanistan.

Subsequent scans confirmed the injury is expected to require approximately three weeks recovery before returning to play.

Off-spinning all-rounder Cole McConchie will travel to India to join the squad as a travelling reserve alongside pace-bowler Ben Sears.

Canterbury Kings captain McConchie last represented New Zealand in April 2024 and joins the squad off the back of a successful domestic T20 campaign as the Kings leading wicket taker with 14 wickets at an economy rate of 7.71.

“It’s really tough to get ruled out of a World Cup and I know how much playing for New Zealand means to him (Bracewell),” said Black Caps coach Rob Walter.

“Michael worked incredibly hard to give himself a chance but unfortunately has had this set back.

Walter said McConchie, who has played 145 T20s (12 of them internationals), would bring valuable experience.

“Cole is a seasoned campaigner.

“He brings a great all-round skillset to the group along with a lot of T20 experience.

“It’s great to be able to lean on an experienced head especially for a World Cup.”

The Black Caps beat the UAE by 10 wickets on Wednesday and play South Africa on Sunday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The 2026 Formula 1 season will feature some of the biggest technical changes in the history of the sport, since the inaugural season in 1950.

The cars get an overhaul with the two testing sessions in Bahrain in February critical in preparation for the start of the new championship in early March.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season.

2026

The new championship will hopefully provide a much needed spark which 2025 lacked until Max Verstappen’s late run for a fifth title.

Lando Norris is the defending champion and McLaren can expect to be among the frontrunners again. His team-mate Oscar Piastri faded in 2025, but will be hoping to be the front-runner this time while Verstappen can never be discounted.

However, new car regulations mean there is some unpredictability as to which teams will be the strongest.

With Andrew Newey in charge at Aston Martin it is hoped that they can be contenders with new engine supplier Honda, while Red Bull will debut their new power units in association with Ford.

Mercedes are expected to have their power unit up to speed at the start of the season.

There is one new driver – Arvid Lindblad at Racing Bulls, the return of another two – Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas at Cadillac, and plenty of experience with Fernando Alonso, 44, and Lewis Hamilton at 40 the two oldest drivers.

Throw in a new track, new team, and 2026 is shaping up to be a good one.

Cars

Formula 1 fans will be hearing a lot about Boost, Overtake, Active Aero and Recharge in 2026.

The changes to the regulations are the first since 2022, when aerodynamic designs were overhauled to promote closer racing.

The aerodynamics get another overall with the Drag Reduction System (DRS) replaced by a manual override engine mode.

At top speeds the hybrid engines will get a boost of electric power. It can only be used when a car is within one second of another.

The engines themselves remain a 1.6-litre V6 turbo but there is a significant increase in electrical energy meaning a 50-50 split between electric power and the energy produced by the internal combustion engine.

The cars will be slightly smaller and weigh about 30kg less, while tyres will also be slightly smaller in width.

Each team will use 100 percent sustainable fuel.

There is a significant increase in the team budget cap in 2026, rising from NZ$230 million to NZ$370m, primarily to cover the research and development costs for the new technical regulations.

Schedule

There is just one new Grand Prix in 2026 with Madrid replacing Imola, however there is a shift in scheduling.

The Madrid race will be held on a hybrid street/permanent circuit in September. The Canadian Grand Prix moves from June to May and will follow the race in Miami.

There are six sprint races in Shanghai, Miami, Montreal, Silverstone, Zandvoort and Singapore.

The Dutch Grand Prix will be run for the last time in August under its current contract.

Teams

Most notable in 2026 is the arrival of Cadillac with the General Motors brand the first new constructor since Haas in 2016. They will use Ferrari power units initially but the team hopes to be manufacturing their own in 2029.

Cadillac signed experience drivers Valterri Bottas and Sergio Perez.

Sauber becomes Audi this year with Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg retained from 2025 with the team using Audi engines instead of Ferrari.

Aston Martin changes to Honda engines, while Red Bull and Racing Bulls are now producing their own engines in association with Ford.

There is just one new driver to the F1 grid in 2026 with Arvid Lindblad promoted from F2 to join New Zealand’s Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls.

World champion Lando Norris has taken over number 1 for his car in 2026, while former champion Max Verstappen is switching to number 3.

Teams (engine, drivers and numbers)

Alpine – Mercedes, Pierre Gasly (10), Franco Colapinto (43)

Aston Martin – Honda, Fernando Alonso (14), Lance Stroll (18)

Audi – Audi, Gabriel Bortoleto (5), Nico Hulkenberg (27)

Cadillac – Ferrari, Sergio Perez (11), Valtteri Bottas (77)

Ferrari – Ferrari, Charles Leclerc (16), Lewis Hamilton (44)

Haas – Ferrari, Oliver Bearman (87), Esteban Ocon (31)

McLaren – Mercedes, Oscar Piastri (81), Lando Norris (1)

Mercedes – Mercedes, George Russell (63), Andrea Kimi Antonelli (12)

Red Bull – Red Bull-Ford, Max Verstappen (3), Isack Hadjar (6)

Racing Bulls – Red Bull-Ford, Liam Lawson (30), Arvid Lindblad (41)

Williams – Mercedes, Alex Albon (23), Carlos Sainz (55)

Qualifying

Battery power is set to make an impact in qualifying with fastest laps likely to be determined by preparation laps where drivers will endeavour to charge their batteries as much as possible.

Extra speed will be determined by the battery power so drivers will not want to use that any more than necessary as they build up to their quick lap, but that could be affected by traffic.

The driver controls the car’s battery, not the software.

Drivers use and charge battery energy as they accelerate and brake so they will have to manage their way around a lap knowing when to push and when to conserve so they can keep enough in the battery.

Liam Lawson

After making his debut in 2023, Lawson has now raced in 35 Grand Prix.

He had a torrid 2025 after starting the year in Red Bull before being demoted to Racing Bulls after two rounds. Lawson finished 15th in the driver standings with seven top 10 finishes, his best was fifth in Azerbaijan.

However, he also had five DNF’s and will need to be more consistent this year.

With Isack Hadjar now promoted to Red Bull, Lawson is the senior driver at Racing Bulls, who have promoted Arvid Lindblad from F2.

Lawson believes he will be better.

Calendar

1/ March 6-8 Australian Grand Prix

2/ March 13-15 Chinese Grand Prix

3/ March 27-29 Japanese Grand Prix

4/ April 10-12 Bahrain Grand Prix

5/ April 17-19 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

6/ May 1-3 Miami Grand Prix

7/ May 22-24 Canadian Grand Prix

8/ June 5-7 Monaco Grand Prix

9/ June 12-14 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix

10/ June 26-28 Austrian Grand Prix

11/ July 3-5 British Grand Prix

12/ July 17-19 Belgian Grand Prix

13/ July 24-26 Hungarian Grand Prix

14/ Aug 21-23 Dutch Grand Prix

15/ Sept 4-6 Italian Grand Prix

16/ Sept 11-13 Spanish Grand Prix

17/ Sept 25-27 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

18/ Oct 9-11 Singapore Grand Prix

19/ Oct 23-25 United States Grand Prix

20/ Oct 30-Nov 1 Mexican Grand Prix

21/ Nov 6-8 Brazilian Grand Prix

22/ Nov 19-21 Las Vegas Grand Prix

23/ Nov 27-29 Qatar Grand Prix

24/ Dec 4-6 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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