Category: Sport

Source: Radio New Zealand

Pre-season for A-League clubs Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix will look different after Football Australia move to kick them out of the Australia Cup competition.

The Australia Cup is a domestic knockout competition pitting amateur club sides against A-League teams and was played last year from July to October, during the A-League pre-season.

A revamped model for the Cup will come into play this year and Auckland and Wellington are not part of the new-look structure.

Auckland made their debut in the latest edition of the Cup making it as far as the semi-final stage, while the Phoenix had to go through qualifying to get into the competition and lost at the quarterfinals.

The Phoenix and Auckland both said participation in the the Cup was expensive for the clubs and disruptive to pre-season plans.

Auckland FC chief executive officer Nick Becker said he would “not lose any sleep” over being omitted from the Australia Cup.

He said he was neither “blindsided” or “bothered” by Football Australia’s decision.

“It cost us money to do it, any pre-season is going to cost a bit of money, but all our games were in Australia, because of the knockout nature of the tournament you wouldn’t know who you were playing until a week out or two weeks out so it made it incredibly difficult to plan a proper pre-season.”

The the club now had different pre-season plans to play opponents close to home and from further afield.

“It gives us a real opportunity to plan a pre-season where we can actually get some quality opposition, we know what’s happening… create our own little tournaments down here or there will be Premier League teams that are touring that might be interested in coming to Auckland.

“I think it’s more exciting for us than anything else.”

Becker felt that Football Australia wanted to keep the ‘Australia’ in the Australia Cup but also believed Auckland FC’s involvement in the OFC Pro League was a factor in the club being left out.

Auckland’s team in the Pro League is not the A-League side.

“For us the OFC Pro League is a huge opportunity if we win it we qualify for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup each year and if we’re the most successful team over four years we end up going to the FIFA Club World Cup.

“If you win Australia Cup you get something like Australian $25,000, you go to the Intercontinental Cup it’s more like $1.5 million and Club World Cup is a $10 million plus pay day so for us we know where our priorities and our focus lies.”

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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 basketballer Steven Adams will sit out the rest of the NBA season after the Houston Rockets centre had ankle surgery.

Adams injured his left ankle late in the game against the New Orleans Pelicans on 19 January while attempting to block a layup. He had to be helped from the court by medical staff as he could not stand unassisted.

Immediately after the game, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka gave a brief update on Adams’ condition.

“Nothing broken, not a high ankle sprain, not sure about anything as far as time wise but quite a bit of swelling and pain and obviously couldn’t put much weight on it,” Udoka said.

However, Adams has reportedly since had surgery and will not take the court again this season.

The 32-year-old posted on social media: “All went well. Grateful for all your thoughts and prayers.”

Adams has had a tough run of injuries – he missed a few games earlier this season with a right ankle injury and missed the entire 2023-24 season with a knee injury.

The Rockets are currently fourth in the Western Conference.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

While he is set to share halfback duties with one of the top number nines on the planet, Jordi Viljoen is not content with a spot on the bench.

The second generation Hurricane is looking to nip at the heels of incumbent and All Black Cam Roigard, who has rapidly risen to be regarded among the world’s best.

“I’m a competitive human and player, I want to be the best in the world as well. I don’t ever try and take a back seat, it’s in my nature to push everyone and I want to be the best in any team, it doesn’t matter who’s there.”

Viljoen said it was a privilege to compete with Roigard.

“If you are always trying to compete with the best, that’s going to accelerate your game and I don’t think there’s another halfback going around that you’d want to be alongside, learn from, or pick the brains of, he’s a great player and I’m lucky to have him here.”

However, should he get his chance, Viljoen is ready to prove his worth.

“I’m just trying to be the best version of myself, focus on what I can, and when there’s an opportunity, take it.”

Now in his third season of Super Rugby, the 22-year-old said he is feeling far more at home and finding his voice with the Hurricanes.

“Time helps with that, so I definitely feel a lot more comfortable and I’ve been able to speak up at times.”

With the likes of Jordie Barrett returning to the capital, Viljoen said there was plenty of depth in the ranks.

“It’s like another coach going around, his presence on the field helps as well. It’s pretty fresh squad. Some new faces coming in, some returning, some international players coming over. New and returning coaches, it’s a fresh feeling and I think there’s really something special here.”

It was a special off-season for Viljoen, who got married during the Christmas break.

“It was just a small wedding. Both of our families are quite extended so we just wanted to have it nice and intimate, it was a perfect day for us.”

A third generation player, Viljoen’s connection to South Africa is well documented.

He is the son former Hurricanes and Springboks halfback Joggie Viljoen, who played for Manawatū in the mid-2000s when Jordi moved to Aotearoa.

With both his father and grandfather having played for the Boks, Viljoen is open to either a black or a green and gold jersey in the future.

“I’m just taking each year as it comes, trying to focus on the present and just allow those pathways to open and whatever’s meant to happen will happen.”

A third generation halfback, Viljoen’s younger brother has bucked the family trend by not only playing first five, but signing with the Chiefs development side.

Jordi was hopeful though that Jamie would one day make the move to the ‘Canes.

“I’m just happy that he’s happy and he’s got an awesome opportunity there if the Chiefs and Taranaki, but never say never. Obviously the goal is to play together one day and that’ll be amazing, but I’m just happy that he’s got an opportunity and he’s going to really thrive there in that environment.”

After finishing fourth in the 2025 Super season, Viljoen believes the ‘Canes can go deep and win their first title since 2016.

“With the new faces here, and a lot of experience, I think we can definitely go all the way.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Andrew Webster knows there’s one thing even he can’t coach and he’s added to his stocks of this precious commodity for the upcoming NRL season.

Pure, unadulterated speed.

Last season, before his untimely knee injury, halfback Luke Metcalf reportedly held bragging rights over his NZ Warriors teammates in this regard, but as he rehabs towards a competitive return maybe seven rounds into the schedule, he may have lost his crown.

The arrival of fleetfooted winger Alofiano Khan-Pereira from Gold Coast has added a whole new dimension of velocity to the roster.

“He is very fast,” the Warriors mentor marvels.

Faster than Metcalf?

“Definitely,” Webster insists. “That will upset Luke.

“Fast guys, it’s effortless for them. It’s really easy and they’re gliding, then they just put their foot down and run away from everyone.”

Khan-Pereira, 24, is in that class.

In 2023, his NRL rookie campaign, he became the first Gold Coast player to score 20 tries in a season. The following year, he crossed 24 times to lead the competition in four-pointers.

Along the way, he equalled the club single-game record, when he piled on four against the Warriors in a 66-6 rout.

Last season, Khan-Pereira seemed to fall off coach Des Hasler’s selection radar, playing just 10 games, and became a player desperately seeking a fresh start.

The Warriors may have let their share of homegrown talent slip through their fingers over the years, but they have also proved a fertile environment for outcasts needing to resurrect careers.

Khan-Pereira has followed the trail of breadcrumbs left by former Titans teammates Erin Clark and Tanah Boyd. Back at his junior club, Clark emerged from last season as the Dally M Lock of the Year, while Boyd was NSW Cup Player of the Year, leading the Warriors reserves to an interstate championship.

“I didn’t have one of the best years, I really wanted to turn that around and try somewhere new,” Khan-Pereira says. “I was fortunate to end up talking to Webby.

“It was a great chat and not too much about rugby – he just really wanted to know me as a person first. I really respect that and he got me excited about where the club was headed.”

Last season, the Warriors were stretched for depth along their backline, with a revolving door at centre and back-up fullback Taine Tuaupiki also the next best option on the wing.

Both Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak missed games through injury, and by the end of the year, DWZ copped much of the blame for a leaky right-edge defence destabilised by the constant changes further infield.

Webster insists his new recruit has the ability to snatch a starting spot off his two veterans.

“Lofi’s obviously very fast and the boys are loving how he plays,” he says. “He’s been exceptional and gives us plenty of competition in that area.

“It allows us a little bit of X factor – he can make a break and turn a half chance into a full chance.

“It’s up to him and it’s up to the other two not to let him in the door.”

After falling out of favour with Hasler, Khan-Pereira knows his attacking prowess won’t be enough to earn a regular role under Webster.

“I’ve really been nailing my focus down to getting a really good defence and good combinations with the boys I’ve been working with,” he says.

“Nothing’s ever given, you’ve got to earn it and that was one of the chats I had with Webby. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy and I can only put my best foot forward.

“You’ve got Dall and Roge there, two experienced wingers and two great wingers in my eyes. I’ll definitely be trying to push my way up there.

“I really want to become a consistent first-grader and get out of my comfort zone. My defensive movements and my decision-making are something I want to work on.”

Khan-Pereira – who is Samoan/Māori on his father’s side and Indigenous/Pakistani on his mother’s – adds to an already eclectic cultural mix at the Warriors.

He’s arrived at Mt Smart with a big reputation, but insists he hasn’t gone looking for early scalps on the training field.

Khan-Pereira has taken some time to scope out his new running mates, and with Metcalf still finding his way back to full fitness, he’s identified Watene-Zelezniak and teen sensation Leka Halasima has worthy rivals.

“I’m more like someone who sits back and scans the area for a bit,” Khan-Pereira grins. “It is great to have that skill, that speed, but you’ve got boys like Dall and Roge, when you try to run around them, their experience comes into play as well.

“I think they’ve caught on a bit and they’ve taken an extra step to the outside – it does get harder and harder for me to get around them.”

Webster warns of another newcomer that may yet challenge for speed honours – former Newcastle Knights half Jye Linnane.

“I reckon Jye is close,” he reveals. “I think he’s faster than Luke.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A young Northland woman has made history as part of the first all-female crew to sail non-stop around the world.

Rebecca Gmuer-Hornell, of Ōpua, in the Bay of Islands, is also believed to have broken the New Zealand record for circumnavigating the globe by any sailor, male or female.

Her time, of 57 days, 21 hours and 20 minutes, is more than 16 days faster than the previous 74-day record set by Sir Peter Blake in 1994.

The 26-year-old was competing for the Jules Verne Trophy, awarded for the fastest circumnavigation of the world, and crossed the finish line off the French coast around midnight Monday New Zealand time.

Gmuer-Hornell told RNZ the race was a huge mental and physical challenge.

“But it’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a little girl, to finally get it done for myself and for the sport. I don’t think I actually realised the magnitude of what we were doing until we came back, the amount of support we’ve had and congratulations from everyone has been insane, and we are super grateful for it,” she said.

“I think it shows that women around the world have been following it and looking up to us. And I hope it inspires young girls to think they can do it, because we were finally able to put this record in the books for women.”

Gmuer-Hornell was part of the eight-strong Famous Project crew sailing on a 31.5-metre maxi trimaran, IDEC Sport.

The vessel was captained by sailing legends Alexia Barrier (France) and Dee Caffari (UK), both of whom had sailed around the world multiple times, solo and crewed; while her crewmates included Olympians Tamara Echegoyen (Spain) and Annemieke Bes (Netherlands).

Gmuer-Hornell said she was surprised an all-female, non-stop circumnavigation had not been done before.

“But it’s just because there hasn’t been the opportunity for women to sail these boats that do high-speed records. It’s definitely a male-dominated thing. So it’s really cool to have been given the opportunity to sail a maxi trimaran for starters, let alone take it around the world.”

She was still trying to take in breaking Sir Peter Blake’s New Zealand record.

“Sailing has come a long way since then, and innovation has been huge since Peter Blake went around the world, but being up in the leagues with him is something I never, ever dreamed of. I think I’m slowly getting my head around it, but it’s been such a whirlwind over the last couple of days, it’s going to take a little while to sink in.”

Gmuer-Hornell was the boat’s rigger and port pitman, and at the last minute was also tasked with the job of drone operator.

Ahead of their 28 November departure, she anticipated the Southern Ocean would be the scariest part of the voyage.

“But it’s such a quick boat we were able to outrun all the low pressure systems. You can position yourself in the Southern Ocean in places that are better for the wind and waves, but coming back up the Atlantic, now it’s winter, there’s a lot of low pressures coming into Europe from the west, and that’s a lot harder to navigate,” she said.

“You have to go through them, you have to be in those eight-metre swells, liquid Himalayas we call them, and you have to be in that 50 knots of breeze. That was probably the most challenging part, the last 1000 miles.”

As for the most memorable part of the journey, Gmuer-Hornell said it was rounding Cape Horn.

“We call it the Everest of sailing. Someone came out with a statistic that only 25 women have rounded Cape Horn, and that fewer people have gone around the cape than have gone up Mount Everest. So it was a pretty big milestone for me.”

Gmuer-Hornell said conditions were “pretty good” with a three-metre swell and 25 knot winds, giving her a chance to fly the drone around the infamous cape.

“That was another really cool thing to do. Not many people have flown drones from maxi trimarans around Cape Horn. It was amazing.”

Gmuer-Hornell said there were several sailing legends and seven nationalities on board, which made for some “cool cultural dynamics”.

“It worked really well. The boat language was English, so that made it quite easy for me, but communication was easy. We all got on super well.”

Gmuer-Hornell said her advice to girls and young women who wanted to take up sailing was to seize every opportunity that came their way.

“You miss 100 percent of the opportunities that you don’t take. This opportunity was the biggest one I’ve ever been given, and it was one that seemed near impossible, and we managed to pull it off, even though we had a lot of technical issues, and there were a lot of times we thought we wouldn’t make it. But we overcame all of them. You’ve just got to keep trying.”

After 57 days at sea, the first thing she ate in the French port city of Brest was an oyster.

“Freeze-dried food does get pretty mundane after a while. Alexia [Barrier] and I are obsessed with oysters, so we requested that, and our wish came true.”

The Famous Project crew had only been back on land a few days but Gmuer-Hornell said they were already planning their next attempt at the trophy, on another boat.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to push the boat a bit harder than we were this time. We had a lot of technical difficulties, we know where we lost time, and we think we can beat our current record.”

The Jules Verne Trophy course starts and finishes at a line between Cornwall in England and Brittany in France, and takes sailors around the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), Cape Leeuwin (Western Australia) and Cape Horn (Chile).

There are no restrictions on the type of yacht or number of crew, but the race must be completed non-stop with no outside assistance.

The last attempt to claim the trophy by an all-female crew, led by British sailor Tracy Edwards in the year 2000, came unstuck when her vessel lost its mast in the South Pacific.

The current Jules Verne Trophy holder is Frenchman Thomas Coville, who set a time of just over 40 days on the trimaran Sodeno Ultim 3 earlier this year.

The trophy is named after the French writer Jules Verne, who penned the 1872 novel Around the World in Eighty Days.

Gmuer-Hornell is the daughter of Ōpua couple Manuela Gmuer-Hornell and Chris Hornell, a sailor and outboard mechanic who has driven chase boats in multiple America’s Cup campaigns and more recently with SailGP.

She trained as a yacht rigger in Auckland and recently relocated to the UK, where she finished second in the 2025 Admiral’s Cup, representing the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, and competed in the Ocean Race Europe aboard Team Amaala.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington Phoenix A-League women’s player Ella McMillan is passionate about helping the next generation step into the space she is in at the moment.

The 20-year-old is juggling two fledgling careers – as a professional footballer, and a second-year sports scientist.

McMillan moved to the capital at the start of 2022 when she was just 16 to join the Wellington Phoenix Academy.

The young centre-back was a mainstay of the women’s reserves side for the 2023 and 2024 seasons before the academy graduate signed a two-year scholarship contract with the Wellington Phoenix in August 2024.

McMillan grew up in Hamilton so leaving home so young was a huge step. When Ella’s younger sister Libby joined the academy a year later McMillan’s parents moved to Wellington in 2023 to support her and her sibling.

“It was a big decision but really grateful that I did make the move and when I moved down to join the academy, I also started my studies as well,” McMillan said.

McMillan had been interested in sports science for some time, so jumped at the chance to sign up for a Bachelor of Sport, Exercise and Health degree at Auckland University of Technology, majoring in sport and exercise science.

The Wellington Phoenix have a partnership with Auckland University of Technology (AUT) through the School of Sport and Recreation, which provides courses for many academy footballers in Wellington.

McMillan said the academy’s head of performance at the time, Steve Coleman, and technical director Paul Temple were integral in helping her get into the course.

“I ended up actually dropping out of school a year early to join the programme … I was always really interested in going down the sports pathway and being able to continue working in sport alongside playing. I’m really passionate about that kind of stuff so really grateful they let me into the course.”

As part of her course, she completed a 350-hour placement at the Phoenix academy, working alongside head of female sport science Issy Coombes.

McMillan finished the three-year degree at the end of 2024 and was appointed the academy’s youth female sport scientist at the start of 2025.

“It was a great opportunity. I’m really grateful the club was able to take me on, especially knowing they would have to be flexible with my training schedule. I’ve learnt so much over the past year and I just really enjoy working with the players on a day-to-day basis.”

McMillan said opportunities in women’s football had improved significantly over the past decade.

“There is a pathway … when I was younger there was no Phoenix women’s team, now I’m playing and working for the academy.”

McMillan said she liked to take a holistic approach as a sports scientist.

“…On helping the players be the best athletes they can but also the best people, so working with them in the gym, on the pitch, finding what areas of their game, their strengths and weaknesses and how we can look to improve that from a physical perspective. Looking at the mechanics, the technique, and especially with the younger players, that movement base and ensuring that we can reduce the risk of injuries from a young age.”

The Wellington Phoenix women have been hit with three season-ending ACL injuries so injury prevention is top of mind.

“It’s absolutely gutting for those three girls … I just feel for them, it’s a sucky situation to be in. I want to try and do everything in my control to hopefully reduce the risk of players being out for long periods of time. There’s more and more research coming out around that kind of stuff so we’ll just continue to keep learning more.”

At just 20, McMillan is barely older than the athletes she’s working with at the academy, but she sees that as a strength.

“I’m able to relate to them and connect to them better so I don’t think my age has really come into play a huge amount, especially not in this environment. I hope I can use that as a strength, rather than people viewing it as a negative thing.”

McMillan represented New Zealand at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India in 2022 and was a key member of the Junior Football Ferns side at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.

She made two appearances off the bench in her first season as a professional in the 2024-25 summer and admits her first year in the A-league was tough.

“I didn’t get a huge amount of minutes but I learnt so much from a training perspective but also how to handle myself off the pitch and how to continue to be a professional and do everything I can to help the team even if that doesn’t require me on the pitch.”

Opportunities have again been limited in her second season but patience is key for McMillan.

She also wants to utilise her knowledge around strength and conditioning to improve her physical capabilities.

“That was always a bit of a weakness of mine so using my knowledge in that aspect to try and better myself from a physical performance stand point.”

In the off-season the Phoenix recruited the highly credentialed Bev Priestman, who guided Canada to gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“She’s outstanding, her communication is top of the line and her knowledge is really good so I feel like I’m able to learn so much off her to be able to progress as a player and to continue to develop.”

McMillan flats with a couple of team-mates and her sister Libby, who still plays for the Reserves team, lives with her parents in Wellington.

McMillan said the Phoenix women, who sit second on the A-league ladder, were buoyant about their prospects.

“We’ve come into this season with a fresh mindset and we’ve got to see ourselves as title contenders. We’re all really confident in the team and the way we’re playing, I’m really excited for what the rest of the season has install for us, results are starting to click now so really exciting times ahead.”

The Phoenix Women head across the Tasman this weekend, to meet the Newcastle Jets on Sunday.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Timaru-born French test prop Uini Atonio has suffered a heart attack, according to a statement released by his club La Rochelle. Atonio in a stable condition in intensive care after being admitted to hospital following the event.

After initially retiring from test rugby after the 2023 World Cup, the 35-year-old tighthead was selected for the French squad for the upcoming Six Nations tournament. However La Rochelle have said the event will mean the end of Atonio’s playing career.

“Uini Atonio was admitted yesterday to the La Rochelle Hospital Centre following a suspected heart problem,” read La Rochelle’s statement.

“Medical examinations confirmed a cardiac event. His condition is now stable, and he remains in intensive care under observation. Following his hospitalisation, Uini will have to undergo a long period of recovery. It is now established that he will not be able to continue his playing career.

“Uini holds a special place in the history and in the heart of our club. This news deeply saddens us. The entire club wishes to express its unwavering and total support to him and his family during this difficult time.”

After growing up in Timaru, Atonio’s family moved to Auckland and he attended Wesley College. At 21 he moved to France and joined La Rochelle after being spotted at in the Hong Kong 10s tournament and has played a remarkable 319 games for the two-time European champions.

In 2014 he became eligible to play for France. At 149kgs and standing 1.96m, Atonio is among the largest players to ever take the field in a test match, having represented his adopted nation 65 times including the French Grand Slam-winning side of 2022.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Heat preparedness actions that might have seemed unnecessary a couple of weeks ago could save Auckland FC as soon as this weekend.

Even before the temperatures in Australia were rising to record levels, at their training base in Albany Auckland FC players were training in jackets, reminiscent of raincoats, while the sun shone to ready themselves for hot temperatures during A-League games across the Tasman.

The “heat exposure” jackets and three times a week sauna sessions are part of what the players are doing this season to bridge the gap between home and away conditions.

When the players were spotted in training wearing the jackets earlier this month they understood why they were doing it but with temperatures forecast to be in the early 20 degrees Celsius for that weekend’s games a couple of players were also slightly scoffing at why it was necessary that week.

At the time coach Steve Corica explained the jackets were “to acclimatise to the heat in Australia” and acknowledged it was part of a broader plan that looked beyond just the next game.

On Saturday Auckland are away to Perth Glory where the team believes temperatures could be in the early thirties when they kick off at 6.45pm local time.

This week the preparations for warmer weather have continued and on the eve of leaving for the 13 hour trip to Perth (via a stop-off in Melbourne) defender Louis Verstraete explained that Wednesday was a sauna day – one of at least three they would have in a week.

“We do 30 minutes sauna exposure so we try to get as much heat exposure as possible… we started doing it last year and this is a big help for us.

“We re-create a little bit of the same conditions as in Australia.”

For everything done before game day, Nando Pijnaker said the players also had to pay attention to what they did when the first whistle blew.

“We speak a lot about managing the game because sometimes when the temperature is so hot you can’t be running hard for 90 minutes, there’s got to be times where we play a little bit at a lower intensity but we still want to go out there and we still want to score goals we still want to perform really well and that’s the plan.”

Some weeks multiple A-League games can be impacted extreme heat conditions.

Playing in hot temperatures is not new and in 2017 then Wellington Phoenix captain Andrew Durante questioned the league organisers after the Phoenix had played in 39C.

The A-League has a current heat policy that allows for cooling breaks, better known as drinks breaks, that can last up to three minutes and allow players to leave the field of play to seek shade during the break, take on fluid and other heat management strategies in order to mitigate exposure to heat like wet towels or ice vests.

Breaks are implemented if the ambient temperature is measured at 31C or higher and/or when the Wet Bulb Globe temperature is measured at 26C or higher prior to kick-off, according to the APL who run the A-League.

The number and length of cooling breaks is decided by the match commissioner with team doctors and match officials before the start of the game.

The APL said the heat policy was recognised “as a conservative policy by international standards”.

A ‘Summer Period’ from early December to the end of March is recognised by the league with no kick-offs until 5pm to avoid teams playing through the hottest part of the day in the cities prone to extreme heat across these months.

This season after an off-season analysis on weather patterns across Australia and New Zealand, the ‘Summer Period’ is slightly shorter in Newcastle and Victoria running from Round 7 to 18, where temperatures historically do not exhibit extreme temperatures for as long, the APL said pre-season.

Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix and home games do not fall into this ‘Summer Period’ due to the cooler climate.

“Last season we were quite lucky I don’t know if we had any [cooling] breaks, there were some difficult games regardless Brisbane away was really tough, Western Sydney away was really tough they were close to 30 degrees so I have an idea of what to expect. It’s difficult for us but it’s difficult for the opposition as well,” Pijnaker said.

Corica said he was happy with the A-League heat policy.

“If it’s really hot over there we might have drinks breaks which will help us a little bit more than them I think because they will be used to the heat over there and we haven’t had that kind of heat here at the moment.”

Getting captain Hiroki Sakai back

Auckland’s club captain Hiroki Sakai has missed several matches as he recovers from a hamstring injury but will take part in Saturday’s game.

Sakai, 35, has travelled to Perth a day earlier than the rest of the squad to give the defender the best chance of getting on the field

Unlike his team mates Sakai had a direct flight to Western Australia.

“So far he has done two sessions fully with the team and he’s got through really well so he’s happy with where he is,” Corica said.

“We’ve got a lighter session in Perth on Friday providing he gets through that I’ll have a conversation with him and then we’ll make some decisions from there. I thought Jake Girdwood-Reich was excellent last week as well so if [Sakai] was to come in it would be a bit tough on him but these are the decisions I have to make.

“[Sakai] is an older player, experienced player and knows his body pretty well so we’ve given him that extra day to travel straight after training [on Wednesday].”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand Rugby has locked in one of its best talents for the next four seasons.

Cam Roigard has recommitted to the All Blacks, Hurricanes and Counties Manukau through to the end of 2029.

Roigard, whose current contract expires in 2027, said the opportunity to be part of a British & Irish Lions tour was one of several key drivers in his decision.

“I’m loving my rugby right now and the opportunity to represent the All Blacks, the Hurricanes and Counties Manukau here in New Zealand is something I don’t take for granted. It has always been a dream of mine since I was a kid to play Super Rugby and be an All Black, and I want to continue living that dream”.

The 25-year-old made his All Black debut against Australia in 2023 and has played 17 tests, scoring 12 tries to establish himself as a regular starter in the number nine jersey.

He’s played five seasons for the Hurricanes, making the first of 47 appearances in Super Rugby Pacific against the Crusaders in 2021, and has represented Counties-Manukau since 2020.

NZR General Manager Professional Rugby & Performance Chris Lendrum said Roigard was already one of the best halfbacks in world rugby.

“We’re thrilled he’s committed through to 2029 and that he’ll to continue to play in New Zealand through the prime of his career. It’s encouraging to see our top players recognising the challenge and opportunity of the global calendar over the next period and choosing to continue their rugby in our environments.”

Hurricanes Head Coach Clark Laidlaw said Roigard had gone from a wildcard pick in his squad just a few years back.

“Both the Hurricanes and Cam have done a lot of work to get to that point, and we can’t wait to continue that journey with him as he continues to improve his game and grow his experience and leadership.

“He’s a strong character within the group, an outstanding professional, and we really look forward to having him with the team and the club over the next few years.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A crash involving new Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar ended testing early on day two of Formula 1’s Barcelona Shakedown.

Adverse weather meant just a couple of teams took part as they run their new 2026 cars.

Cars this year are smaller and lighter and no longer use the Drag Reduction System. Fifty percent of the power output will be from battery with the other half from the internal combustion engine.

New Zealand’s Liam Lawson did not take to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after completing 42 laps in his Racing Bulls car the previous day.

Ferrari were involved for the first time with Charles Leclerc running in the morning and Lewis Hamilton in the afternoon.

Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, who was promoted from Racing Bulls at the end of the 2025 season, also shared time in the new Red Bull car.

In wet conditions Hadjar spun at turn 14 and hit the barriers which prompted a red flag.

Kicking up the spray #F1 pic.twitter.com/8gGEEClE7k

— Formula 1 (@F1) January 27, 2026

The French-Algerian, who also ran on the first day, completed another 51 laps before his accident.

McLaren were expected to have their first run but did not take part.

Each team is permitted three days of running during the five-day ‘shakedown.

Williams had said they wouldn’t be involved this week, while Aston Martin is yet to confirm their involvement.

There is another three days of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya before the teams head to Bahrain for two testing sessions ahead of the season opening Grand Prix in Australia in early March.

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