He may be the most polarising figure in modern New Zealand rugby but Sonny Bill Williams is a big deal, and the Blues have made the right call in signing him, writes Scotty Stevenson. Never before has a player split the nation like Sonny Bill Williams. His arrival in New Zealand in 2010 led to … Read more
New Zealand may finally be moving past its fixation on the All Blacks and Madeleine Chapman is bloody excited about it. This morning on Stuff, an opinion piece by Cas Carter mourned the impending loss of New Zealand’s identity as a rugby-loving country. “Our image as a hard core rugby loving nation is under threat,” … Read more
It’s been fun going crazy for any Steven Adams news over the last couple of weeks but the time has come to bid farewell to our national NBA team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who will definitely lose Game 7 of the NBA’s Western Conference finals today. This Oklahoma City Thunder season has been a hell … Read more
Round 14 of Super Rugby channeled the 2002 Olympic speed skating final as the Highlanders and Chiefs fell on the final turn and allowed the Crusaders to cruise into the break at the top of Scotty Stevenson’s power rankings. 1. Crusaders Rd 14: 26-21 v Blues Last week: 2 (up 1) I’ve said it before … Read more
After Sunday’s devastating defeat to the Golden State Warriors, can the Oklahoma City Thunder come back to claim Game 7 in the NBA Western Conference finals? The outcome, writes Madeleine Chapman, may already have been spelled out in the final of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. While anyone who has ever gotten angry during a … Read more
Given his track record on social media it was only right that we would learn of Konrad Hurrell’s new NRL club via Facebook post, writes Ben Stanley. But will the Gold Coast prove boom or bust for the mercurial former Warrior? There would be no scoop by a Sydney tabloid. No official release timed by … Read more
Using Tinder for its original intended purpose only brought Jamie Wall bad times, so he deleted it. But with the Warriors’ latest calamity weighing heavy on his mind, he decided to reinstall – this time to try and crowdsource a solution to the rugby league club’s woes. (All correspondents have given permission for their replies … Read more
Delaney Mes looks back at short but exhilarating history of netball’s ANZ Champs, the end of which was announced this week after nine sweet seasons. One of the most harrowing things I’ve ever witnessed occurred on a Monday night in July 2013. I was on my parent’s couch, watching the Northern Mystics lose to the Waikato/Bay of Plenty … Read more
The Crusaders legend’s 150th game celebrations have been cut short by a controversial power ranking decision by Scotty Stevenson. 1. Highlanders Rd 13: BYE Last week: 1 (N/C) I thought long and hard about this ranking for the Highlanders and then came to this conclusion: they spent their fortnight before the bye beating up on … Read more
Steven Adams was considered a risky choice when the Oklahoma City Thunder selected him with the 12th pick of the 2013 NBA draft. Now he’s a pivotal player in their ongoing Western Conference finals series against the Golden State Warriors. Ben Stanley drove seven hours for five minutes with New Zealand’s rising basketball superstar. “Raindrop!” … Read more
Former world champion kickboxer ‘Lightning’ Mike Angove will be in the best seat in the house tomorrow night when he calls Parker vs Takam. Here he provides an exclusive preview and breakdown of the richest fight in New Zealand history. Kiwi heavyweight hope Joseph Parker has skipped a year in his boxing education in an attempt at graduating … Read more
Fingerless gloves. Those distinctive mitt-warmers were once the height of rugby haute couture. Then they inexplicably vanished without a trace. Can Aaron Smith work his magic, and bring them back? The biggest story out of Super Rugby over the last couple of weeks wasn’t the Highlanders’ timely return to form, with wins over the Chiefs and Crusaders. Rather, … Read more
Highlanders fans’ campaign of bullying against Scotty Stevenson finally pays off with a top ranking in the latest Super Rugby power rankings. 1. Highlanders Rd 12: 34-26 v Crusaders Last week: 2 (up 1)) Okay, okay! Here’s why everyone loves the Highlanders: every time they have the ball, they think they can score a try. I blame Tony Brown … Read more
With the NBA playoffs well underway, our very own Steven Adams is taking the world by storm with a potent mixture of talent and loveliness and, writes Katie Parker, he’s not the only one. Things are going so very well for Steven Adams. In just this past week he was deemed the third best player … Read more
Everyone’s hailing Leicester City’s amazing Premier League victory as a one-in-a-million sporting tale, but James McOnie argues it was plagarised from the Highlanders’ 2015 season. While everyone thinks Leicester City’s fairytale Premier League victory will be turned into a movie, let’s just remember this rags-to-riches tale involves some players* who earn more in a fortnight than many All Blacks do … Read more
The corruption allegations levelled at French club Racing 92 could be a sign of things to come in world rugby, says professional player-turned-journalist John Daniell. In 2012 I was tipped off about a story at Racing Metro, a French rugby club I used to play for, now renamed Racing 92 and home to half a … Read more
While most rugby pundits talk up the return of Waisake Naholo, the true catalyst for the Highlanders’ Super Rugby resurgence flies under the radar, writes Scotty Stevenson. In most people’s eyes there was only one star of the show for the Highlanders last weekend in Hamilton, a large Fijian-born winger called Waisake Naholo who returned … Read more
Dan Carter’s Racing 92 is battling Saracens for the European Champions Cup this weekend. But would either side make the playoffs in Super Rugby? And what does this have to do with dog racing? In the 1980s, dog racing would often, unbelievably, be the first sport covered on the BBC’s flagship midweek sports show, Sportsnight (best theme … Read more
Kiwi basketball legend Sean Marks has taken charge of a terrible NBA team with virtually no assets, and somehow has to find a way to avoid getting fired. Mate Vella delivers a few suggestions. The Brooklyn Nets are going through a sour patch, and their outlook is only looking worse. Over the past few years, … Read more
The Crusaders once again show that they’re a force to be reckoned with in Scotty Stevenson’s latest Super Rugby power rankings. 1. Crusaders Rd 11: 38-5 v Reds Last week: 3 (up 2) The Crusaders decided it would be best if they used Friday night as an opposed training session. Did this team really ever get … Read more
Michael Field covered Tony Veitch’s original trial and reported on the release of his police file. He writes that the broadcaster’s column yesterday was just another instance of his abdicating responsibility for his actions. A long time ago I sat in a court as a judge pulled a black handkerchief over his white wig and passed a sentence … Read more
Pushbike hardouts rejoice: Giro D’Italia is nearly upon us. Cycle correspondent Joseph Harper could’ve droned on about pelotons, but instead he got got right down to business with the content all of us secretly desired. There’s a lot to love about the Giro. The world loves the Tour de France and its maillot jaune, but honestly, the Giro’s maglia rosa is … Read more
The NRL may or may not be the greatest sports competition on Earth, but it is definitely home to the greatest fan-made banners. James Dann selects six of the best. Rugby league has given so much to our culture over the years. Mullets. Russell Crowe. The term “Hopoate”. But what has often been overlooked is its contribution to … Read more
The Blues hold their breath for a win against the Rebels and the Hurricanes come back with a vengeance in South Africa. Scotty Stevenson brings us the latest Super Rugby power rankings. 1. Chiefs Rd 10: 24-22 v Sharks Last week: 2 (up 1) You have to hand it to the Chiefs – they have … Read more
The NRL set up the @NRLBunker Twitter account in an attempt at transparency. Instead it has become a multi-media sideshow brimming with fan fury. Calum Henderson scoured the account for this list of devastating burns. Getting absolutely fuming mad and shouting at the ref every time he makes what you perceive to be a wrong decision is a hugely important … Read more
This Warriors season seems to be shaping up as a disaster, but still has a way to go before it’s officially worse than 2004, writes Andrew Mulligan. When you lose an NRL game 42-0, it’s bad. When you have to discipline six players for getting so hammered they couldn’t crawl out of bed, pop a … Read more
The Warriors lost badly on ANZAC Day, and now they’re being accused of disrespecting the combatants in a military campaign that happened 101 years ago. That’s dumb, writes Jamie Wall. April 25th, 2016 won’t go down as a day to remember for the Warriors. Not only was the team’s 42-0 loss devoid of any positives, it was … Read more
Complaining about the boring Super Rugby season? An English rugby fan writes in to remind us how lucky we are. Southern Hemisphere rugby is, usually, the best rugby on planet. There, I’ve said it. Often, as a person from the Northern Hemisphere and an Englishman to boot this is not an easy thing to let pass your … Read more
Beauden Barrett is bad at kicking, but there’s no rule saying he has to keep doing it. Why can’t his teammates step up? The Hurricanes lost to the Chiefs on Saturday in what is being called one of the better games this Super Rugby season – I was there and do not agree. Beauden Barrett … Read more