Category: Sport

Source: Radio New Zealand

Black Ferns loose forward Layla Sae will miss much of the 2026 season after suffering a serious knee injury on duty for her English club Harlequins.

The 25-year-old’s anterior cruciate ligament injury is likely to see Sae spend the first half of next year recuperating, with a possibility of returning for international duty late in the season in home tests against Australia and France.

The Hurricanes Poua confirmed in a statement their hard-running No.8 will miss the Super Rugby Aupiki season.

There is no chance she will play for New Zealand in the preceding Pacific Four series in April, the first matches under the eye of newly-appointed coach Whitney Hansen.

“Layla’s injury is a massive loss to the Hurricanes club. Her energy, relentlessness, humility, and openness have been – and continue to be – a cornerstone of the Poua,” said Poua head coach Hayden Triggs.

“Layla’s contribution and fight for the Poua in the past have been a driver for the changes the club and the team are hoping to build on in Super Rugby Aupiki 2026.

“The club will support her rehab and provide everything she needs to come back the dominant force she aims to be. She will continue to play a big part in our 2026 campaign in a support capacity, which will help the club achieve our goals next year.”

In October, Sae and Black Ferns team-mate Liana Mikaele-Tu’u signed a short-term contract to play for Harlequins in the English Premier Women’s Rugby championships, scheduled to finish in March.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow all the cricket action, as the third in the five-test series between archrivals Australia and England continues at Adelaide Oval in Adelaide.

Australia currently has a 2-0 lead in the series, after successful campaigns in both Perth and Brisbane.

First ball is scheduled for 12.30pm NZT.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow all the action on day three of the Black Caps’ third test against the West Indies at Bay Oval in Mt Maunganui.

First ball is scheduled for 11am.

Black Caps squad: Tom Latham (captain), Tom Blundell (wicketkeeper), Michael Bracewell, Kristian Clarke, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Daryl Mitchell, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Will Young

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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 Breakers failed to halt the scoring wizardry of Taipans star Jack McVeigh as they crashed to a 99-95 defeat in Cairns to drop out of the top NBL top six.

McVeigh poured in a career-high 47 points in his 200th NBL game to sink the visitors who led by three points going into the final quarter but couldn’t tighten their defence sufficiently over the closing minutes.

It was an emotional night for McVeigh, whose wife gave birth to their first child earlier in the week.

McVeigh, who landed six of his eight three-pointers, was supported Sam Waardenburg, who produced 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, although Cairns remain last on the standings.

The Breakers drop to seventh courtesy of a second-straight defeat, following a three-game winning streak.

Sam Mennenga was their most impactful player, mixing 24 points. while Izaiah Brockington contributed 17 points and Parker Jackson-Cartwright, 12.

The Breakers led 23-19 after the first quarter but trailed 48-43 at the main break as the lead changed hands several times.

Their next two games are also across the Tasman, against the Brisbane Bullets on Monday and the Tasmania JackJumpers on Boxing Day.

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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 reclaimed top spot in the A-League and Sam Cosgrove stormed to the top of the Golden Boot goal-scoring race after the visitors downed Western Sydney Wanderers 2-0 in Sydney.

The Wanderers created more chances in the scoreless first spell but the Black Knights proved more clinical in the second, scoring through Cosgrove and Lachlan Brook soon after the interval to clinch an even contest.

It was a third straight win for Auckland FC, who sit two points clear of Sydney FC, although the second placed side have a game in hand.

Cosgrove’s goal was slightly fortunate, coming from a deflection off the foot of teammate Jesse Randall, but it was enough to lift the lanky English front man to five goals in his maiden campaign, one more than any other player in the league.

Brook’s goal soon afterwards was more decisive soon afterwards, forcing the defence to back-pedal on a fast break before unleashing a bullet-like shot with his left foot to sink the hopes of his former club.

Auckland’s fightback coincided with the second-half introduction of playmaker Guilermo May, who brought variety to their attack.

It was the first home defeat this season for the ninth-placed Wanderers.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

It didn’t take long for the fact that Whitney Hansen was following in her father’s considerable footsteps to be brought up, as the newly announced Black Ferns coach faced the media for the first time. However, Hansen couldn’t speak highly enough of the support and guidance of father Sir Steve, who coached the All Blacks from 2012-2019.

“He’s just been super supportive and backing myself to be me and the best version of that. We always have some really cool conversations around the rugby, and we’ll continue to do that,” said Hansen at NZ Rugby’s Auckland office.

Hansen laughed off a request to do an impression of her often imitated father but said that the World Cup winning coach wasn’t alone in backing her for the job.

“I have a lot of awesome people I’ve got in my corner, I feel privileged really.”

The connection between father and daughter so early on wasn’t a surprise, but Hansen’s appointment isn’t a massive one either as she had been earmarked as only the second female Black Ferns coach after Vicky Dombrowski. There was some speculation that one of the existing staff would step into the role left behind by Allan Bunting, after the Black Ferns’ World Cup semifinal exit resulted in him not seeking reappointment. However, Hansen said that her arrival won’t result in any sort of hard reset.

“That team didn’t get some of the outcomes that they were working towards. But what I do know, from the information I’ve been given so far and from I guess being a bit looking on from the outside is we’ve had incredible growth in the Black Ferns, around culture, around athleticism, and playing the way we’re playing the game, so I’m just excited to build on it.”

In a broader sense, she did acknowledge that developing test level players remains an area of concern, given how short the Super Rugby Aupiki season currently is, which means that Hansen will oversee players coming through that pathway.

“That absolutely could be better, and I think if we look worldwide I would say that probably for everywhere,” admitted Hansen.

“But I’m super excited about how we do that.”

It’s fair to say that 2025 was a challenging year overall for the women’s game in New Zealand, with much hinging on the ultimately unsuccessful World Cup campaign and patchy form in the Pacific Four Series. There’s been a shakeup in the domestic game too, with the Farah Palmer Cup cut down to a regional competition with a six game regular season.

“One of the things in my appointment was about the rugby vision and where that’s going to go. But also, we’re in a really special time where we’re still developing the pathway professionalism. And the women’s game is still very much in its infancy.”

Nonetheless, Hansen will oversee another landmark year for the Black Ferns, with the team set to visit South Africa for the first time ever. There’s also the start of the new WXV Global Series, with the world’s top 12 teams set to play in a home-and-away, cross-regional tournament.

There is no doubt that Hansen will have a fair bit of pressure on her due to the Black Ferns entering into what can only be described as a rebuild, however she said she can always count on her father for advice.

“My dad is an amazing supporter of who I am as a human being. I think regardless of what I was doing and when my whole family is like that, they’re just so proud to see me to achieve some success and love what I do.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Jake Paul v Anthony Joshua

Main event around 4pm Saturday 20 December

Kaseya Center, Miami

Live blog updates on RNZ

Farce or fight? We’re going to find out on Saturday afternoon when internet personality-turned boxer Jake Paul faces easily the toughest test of his life against former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. Both men have predicted knockouts, which is certainly more believable coming from Joshua considering not only his extensive experience in the division but also weight advantage.

There are some concerns over just how legitimate the action will be, given the fact that Paul is such a massive underdog and Joshua is still very much in the proper heavyweight title picture. But this is boxing, it’s not like any of this is particularly new and the interest is certainly there given there is no big Riyadh Season card happening now like in previous years.

Why is this even happening

Aside from the aforementioned lack of heavyweight action since Oleksandr Usyk defended his titles against Daniel Dubois in July, the main motivation for many watching is to see Jake Paul get beaten up. Along with brother Logan, who has fashioned himself a very successful career as a professional wrestler, Paul has very successfully leveraged his persona as a loathsome ‘influencer’ into the sports world.

Of course, this ultimately comes down to money and whatever you think about him, Paul is a major draw. His bout last year against Mike Tyson generated an estimated 78 million viewers on streaming service Netflix.

Meanwhile, the lure of a massive payday has obviously been too much for Joshua to turn down. He is purportedly on a trajectory to face Tyson Fury in the long-awaited next instalment of the ‘Battle of Britain’ at some point next year, despite Fury being currently retired, and this will at least serve as a useful tuneup before the build towards that gets underway.

Jake Paul’s record

Paul’s most notable victory was last year against heavyweight legend Mike Tyson, although it’s worth noting that not only was Tyson 58 at the time, but there have been numerous claims that the fight was rigged anyway.

It’s not like Paul is a complete bunny. He has had an active heavyweight career since 2018 and has beaten a serious of UFC fighters in Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz and Mike Perry. However it is telling that the only proper boxer he’s faced, Tommy Fury, won their eight round bout in a split decision.

Anthony Joshua’s record

This will be Joshua’s first fight since being knocked out by Daniel Dubois in September of last year. That result sent shockwaves through the heavyweight division, propelling Dubois to an ultimately unsuccessful title shot, and also leaving Joshua in limbo till now.

Before then, the Briton was seen as the potential face of the sport after racking up a 22-0 record and taking the WBO world title off Joseph Parker in 2018. Attempts to unify the titles in a blockbuster fight with Deontay Wilder never materialised and then Joshua suffered a shock loss to Andy Ruiz in 2019.

Since then, Joshua has lost twice to the unstoppable Usyk, then looked to have regained momentum before losing to Dubois.

Tale of the tape

‘The Problem Child’ Jake Paul

Record: 13-1 (7 KO)

Age: 28

From: Cleveland, Ohio

Height: 6’1″ (186cm)

Anthony Joshua

Record: 28-4 (25 KO)

Age: 36

From: Watford, UK

Height: 6’6″ (201cm)

What they’re saying

“I’m a very respectful guy, brought up by a good family, but if I can kill you, I will kill you. That’s just how I am. This is just the job I do, so let’s go.” – Anthony Joshua.

“Let’s put on a show for the fans. Let’s go to war. Men have done crazier things throughout human history. This is a modern-day gladiator sport. This is what we’re here to do is f*** each other up and I’m ready. I want his hardest punches. I want there to be no excuses when it’s all said and done and let’s kill each other.” – Jake Paul.

‘I think the fight is scripted, I think his [Paul’s] fights in general have been scripted before. That’s just my strong opinion. It could be what it is and what we see is what we get. But I really think it’s scripted, you know.’ – Former world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

What’s going to happen

Great question. If the claims about fixing are true then we should get something similar to last year’s Paul v Tyson fight, albeit with the result reversed as Joshua cannot afford to have another loss.

But if this is for real, there better be some paramedics on standby because this could get dangerous for Paul. Joshua has 25 knockouts against serious opponents so Paul’s gameplan should just be to survive more than anything else, and potentially score some points if Joshua lowers his guard.

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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 Bay Oval pitch is proving to be batter-friendly during the third and final Test between the Black Caps and the West Indies.

The West Indies openers have made a dent in the Black Caps’ first-innings total late on day two at Mount Maunganui.

The home side’s dominance over the West Indies bowling attack continued from the opening day of the test, before New Zealand declared less than an hour after the tea break at 575/8.

In reply, the West Indies were 110 without loss at stumps, with John Campbell (45) and Brandon King (55) surviving the latter part of the last session.

The Black Caps called on four bowlers to close out the day with pace dispatched by the visitors, spinner Ajaz Patel

New Zealand started the day on 334/1 and, after serving his duty as nightwatchman, Jacob Duffy was the first wicket to fall for 17 to Jayden Seales, bringing Kane Williamson to the middle, after a 93-over wait to bat.

Devon Conway reached his second test double-ton from 318 balls and, soon after, brought up the 50 run partnership with Williamson and the team’s total of 400 with the same stroke.

Justin Greaves found Williamson’s edge and he was caught behind for 31.

After a dominant first session of the day, in which the Black Caps scored 90 runs for two wickets, they were 424/3 at lunch.

Conway was dismissed leg before wicket to Greaves in the fourth over after lunch for 227 to bring up his highest test score. It was Conway’s second three-figure score in eight innings in 2025 and saw him at the crease for 508 minutes.

No.6 batter Daryl Mitchell had a short stay, gone for 11, and returning wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell only scored four, before he was caught behind off the bowing of Seales. At tea, the hosts were 508/6.

Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips brought up a 61-run partnership for the seventh wicket, before Phillips was caught in the slips for 29.

Ravindra was on 72, when captain Tom Latham called them in, and tailender Ajaz Patel had a cameo at the end with an unbeaten 30 off 30 balls.

The first ball of day three is scheduled for 11am Saturday.

Follow all the action from day two here:

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow all the cricket action as the third in the five-test series between arch rivals Australia and England continues at Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, and England are staring down the barrel of a third Test defeat.

Australia currently has a 2-0 lead in the series, after successful campaigns in both Perth and Brisbane.

First ball is at 12.30 NZT

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow all the action on day one of the Black Caps’ third test against the West Indies at Bay Oval in Mt Maunganui.

First ball is scheduled for 11am.

Black Caps squad: Tom Latham (captain), Tom Blundell (wicketkeeper), Michael Bracewell, Kristian Clarke, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Daryl Mitchell, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Will Young

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