The best matchup in rugby is a long way from the field

With the acquisition of global rugby streaming leader RugbyPass, Sky might have just secured its future, writes Trevor McKewen. For several months now, the war between Sky and Spark Sport for the peerless prize of All Blacks and New Zealand rugby rights from 2021 onwards has been escalating. Every week, one of the two corporate … Read more

Referees talk for 80 minutes a match. Then, silence.

Regardless on where you stand on the Owen Farrell Incident, the last 72 hours demonstrate one thing: rugby union revels in confusing its own fans. “Almost everyone believes that should have been a penalty.” This is as close as one can get to the definitive word from World Rugby when it comes to that Owen … Read more

A free rugby final in a classic match-up. It’s a risky move. Over to you, Aucklanders

Last year Auckland won just three games in the National Provincial Championship, recording their worst finish in the history of the National Provincial Championship. Twelve months on, the famous blue and white hoops are on the cusp of winning the title. It has been a dramatic turnaround for a provincial side that has put respect … Read more

League of Nations could be a gamechanger for international rugby

In what could be World Rugby’s most game-changing play since the introduction of the Rugby World Cup in 1987, plans for an annual ‘League of Nations’ tournament show the governing body’s intent to keep the international game on top, writes Scotty Stevenson.  According the reports out of France, the days of the Southern Hemisphere’s annual … Read more

Sky and the limit: Can NZ’s pay-TV giant ever rediscover its glory days?

After decades spent botching every one of its online products, Sky has just unveiled a bold new strategy which appears to answer its critics. Duncan Greive surveys its tumultuous history and asks CEO John Fellet whether this time really will be different. By the mid-1990s, Sky TV had become a bonafide media phenomenon in New … Read more

Scotty Stevenson: Ben Lam is good enough to make the All Blacks

Hurricanes winger Ben Lam has been a revelation this season, but looks unlikely to be in the All Black’s thinking for June. Scotty Stevenson discusses the reasons why, and what it says about how tough it is to make the team. In Wellington, at least, they love him. Ben Lam, the big winger on the end of a … Read more