Todd Blackadder is leaving to coach Aviva Premiership side Bath after eight seasons in charge of the Crusaders. Will his tenure be remembered as a success? Scotty Stevenson looks back on the career of a Crusader Man. Langford’s Store is rusting away in the summer heat of Golden Bay. The remaining paint clings to the rough-sawn … Read more
Where will the Super Rugby semifinals be won and lost? Scotty Stevenson breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of each of the four remaining teams. How do we judge which of the four Super Rugby semifinalists put up the best performance last week? For sheer scoreline, it’s hard to look past the Hurricanes who, in … Read more
People said it couldn’t be done. That it was impossible for even the most loud-mouthed rugby player to achieve. Last night, Aaron Smith proved the doubters wrong. Plaudits are flowing freely for Highlanders and All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith, who last night managed to pull off the most elusive feat in rugby union. After exactly 83 minutes … Read more
In May this year, The Spinoff was granted unprecedented access into the inner ranks of Team Parker. Fight sports fanatic Don Rowe followed Joseph Parker during his time in New Zealand as part of a content partnership with Barkers, and recounts some of that experience here. Kevin Barry stands close and maintains eye contact. His breath smells … Read more
A team who lost to the Jaguares last weekend remains the team to beat in the Super Rugby playoffs – at least according to Scotty Stevenson’s final playoffs edition power rankings. 1. Lions Last week: 1 (N/C) You can’t judge the Lions playoff team on the result of last week’s game against the Jaguares because … Read more
Hayden Donnell spoke to the captain of New Zealand’s only gay rugby team – the NZ Falcons – about the worst 10 minutes of sports radio in history, and what the NZRU and the All Blacks can do to make things better. On Monday, Mark Watson announced Controversy Corner is no more. By all accounts, … Read more
Shane Archbold has been a surprise standout for New Zealand at this year’s Tour de France. He talks to Joseph Harper about what life’s like inside the peloton, and how to keep your hair clean while competing in the world’s most gruelling race. The New Zealanders have had a mixed bag so far at this year’s Tour … Read more
A shock new leader emerges at the top of Scotty Stevenson’s Super Rugby power rankings heading into the final round of the regular season. 1. Lions Rd 16: 57-21 v Kings Last round: 2 (up 1) Johannesburg is not the place any team other than the Lions wishes to find itself for the next few … Read more
It was one of the greatest things that has ever happened in a game of rugby league, but at what cost, asks Calum Henderson. Fullback Ben Barba scored two first half tries to lead the Cronulla Sharks to a 26-10 victory over the Penrith Panthers at Pepper Stadium on Sunday afternoon – the team’s 13th … Read more
In 2014, Jarryd Hayne left the NRL to pursue his dreams of NFL stardom. Two years later, he’s retired from the NFL and trying to reinvent himself as a sevens player. He tells Scotty Stevenson it’s all part of God’s plan. The Uprising Resort is 45 minutes up the coast from Suva City. It is a laid … Read more
American college super-coach John Calipari talks to Ben Stanley about the progress and NBA prospects of Kentucky’s new Kiwi basketball recruit Tai Wynyard. He has coached four No. 1 overall NBA Draft picks, led two different schools to three NCAA Division I Championship Finals in the last eight years, and last year he was inducted into … Read more
Scotty Stevenson awakes from a long and disorientating slumber to continue the unforgiving weekly task of ranking every team in Super Rugby from best to worst. Sweet Lord, that break was so long I had actually forgotten which team was last top of the Power Rankings. Worse, I am now reminded of how much can … Read more
The Press Council has upheld a complaint about the comment relating to Miles Davis and homophobia contained in this article. The full decision is available here or at www.presscouncil.org.nz Somewhere in a darkened studio a few weeks ago, two men unleashed the world’s most powerful tsunami of terrible radio. Hayden Donnell dug up the recording. … Read more
Our Olympic uniforms have rightly been savaged from all angles. But research by The Spinoff’s crack intern team suggests that rather than a design disaster, they were in fact a successful online bargain hunt. The New Zealand Olympic uniforms were revealed on Wednesday. Athletes said they were “comfortable” and “practical”, while others said they were an … Read more
Out of nowhere, England are challenging the All Blacks for the title of ‘Best Side in Rugby’. Rugby bosses need to strike while the iron’s hot and schedule an emergency test match between the two sides, writes Jamie Wall. Even if you’ve been saving for an Auckland house by giving up Sky, you’ll know there’s only … Read more
Joseph Harper loves nothing more than watching strangely shaped men pump their huge quadriceps in pursuit of cycling glory. You can start sharing some of his joy by boning up on this cheat sheet to the Tour de France. Sport’s greatest spectacle begins this weekend. 3,519 kms over 21 stages, from the shores of La Manche, … Read more
The New Zealand Olympic team uniforms were unveiled earlier this week, and the sight of them sent Robyn Gallagher into a long spiral of sadness. She explains her profoundly negative reaction. Every four years the New Zealand Olympic team unveils their uniform, usually a combination of black and fern motifs, and you look at it … Read more
Why does golf still exist, but Cricket Max doesn’t? How does Strip Date make the primetime schedule at TV2 when we can’t even get a half-hour slot for Clash of the Codes? Sam Parsons goes on a quest to restore justice to the world. Cricket Max The short-lived game was basically one day cricket on steroids and a … Read more
The Warriors (probably) hold the NRL record for getting their hearts broken by their former players, with James Maloney’s golden point field goal the most recent incident. Jamie Wall recounts the most traumatic ex-Warrior revenge missions. As far as losses go, the Warriors’ latest to the Sharks would have been relatively easy to take, had it not been … Read more
In sport, there are winners and losers. Joy and disappointment. But in the coaching boxes for the Welsh and All Blacks sides, there is only darkness, misery, and despair. Hayden Donnell reports. The All Blacks cruelly trashed Wales’ dreams for the second time running on Saturday, allowing their opponents a sliver of hope before crushing … Read more
The wily old Aussie has done a number on his home country in the current test series, and it started before he even stepped on the plane, writes Scotty Stevenson. It won’t matter what happens in the third test between Australia and England in Sydney this weekend. England has already won the series and anything … Read more
The All Blacks bench has been given plenty of praise for its performance against Wales last week, but as Scotty Stevenson discovers, it’s not just about the final twenty minutes. It starts much earlier than that. So much has been said about the final twenty minutes of the first test between the All Blacks and … Read more
Appearing every few years when New Zealand needs him most, Stephen Donald once again struck fear into the hearts of our enemies last night. Don Rowe considers the Beaver’s leadership, and places him amongst the finest we’ve ever seen. Last night Stephen Donald drew a line in the turf over which the entire nation of Wales … Read more
The fastest man in world rugby was on the field as Wales played the All Blacks on Saturday. He just wasn’t where you’d expect. It all happened in 15 seconds. Ryan Crotty, a bank teller moonlighting as an All Black, was tackled. The ball burst free. A Welshman kicked it upfield, sending a stampede of professional … Read more
It’s EURO 2016 eve, the most beautiful time of the football year: a carnival of early morning starts, low-key sports betting addiction and extremely niche memes is nearly upon us. Get match-fit with James Beavis’ essential group-by-group breakdown. Group A (aka The One Where France Maybe Won’t Succumb To Infighting This Time) Teams: Albania, France, … Read more
From Memphis, sports writer Ben Stanley reflects on the enduring social impact of Muhammad Ali, who died last week aged 74. “I am America,” legendary boxer Muhammad Ali once declared. It was 1970. He had been convicted evading the draft to serve in the Vietnam War, and was losing the prime years of his boxing … Read more
Everybody loves a good bandwagon, and the Warriors one is once again pulling into the station. Experienced bandwagonner James Dann has some sage advice for those thinking of jumping aboard. So the Warriors pulled out their best performance of the season on Saturday, demolishing last year’s beaten finalists the Brisbane Broncos at Mt Smart Stadium. … Read more
The heroic image of Richie McCaw chugging an ice cold bottle of Powerade has been blamed for ruining kids’ teeth, but as Jamie Wall finds, it’s far from the first troubling endorsement in All Blacks history. First published in June 2016. Richie! All this stuff about you being responsible for destroying a poor little kid’s … Read more
Their rugby and league career paths are strikingly similar, writes Jamie Wall, so why does Sonny Bill Williams get so much grief when Brad Thorn is universally admired? SBW is back, but in blue this time. His form on the field will be the subject of much conjecture, but one thing will be for sure: … Read more