On playing fields, in classrooms and at workplaces across the country, the colloquial Kiwi nickname once ruled the roost. But now, writes John ‘Nick’ Harnett, those who go by a nickname are members of a dying breed. What happened to nicknames? Almost everyone had one when I went to school and, most of the time, they … Read more
The Wellington Sevens that took place this weekend was a noticeably less raucous party than tournaments of years gone by. Ruined by the ‘Fun Police’? Emily Writes isn’t buying it. The Sevens is no longer a drunken mess, she says – and that’s a good thing. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but The Fun … Read more
World Rugby recently introduced new tackle ball laws, and everyone’s arguing about whether they’re good or bad. Hayden Donnell attempts to settle the debate with a binding legal judgement. One of the greatest things about rugby is being allowed to assault people without going to jail. Every rugby field is a 100m-long amnesty zone where … Read more
What do you see when you look at the Canterbury logo? If you’re one of the estimated 50% of New Zealanders who are oblivious to its true meaning, sit down, take a deep breath, and prepare to have your world turned upside down. Hayden Donnell reports. You’ve probably looked at the Canterbury logo thousands of … Read more
Scotty Stevenson spent the weekend in the company of rugby players who’d just been on the receiving end of heartbreaking losses, and he loved every minute of it. I sat and drank with losers all weekend. Absolute losers. They had given their all for their teams, and their provinces and they had come up short … Read more
As the goalposts are taken down and cricket pitches mowed across the country, Scotty Stevenson reflects on the continued importance of provincial rugby in New Zealand. A lad had a question for me this morning. He asked: “How do we make provincial rugby important again?” I looked at it and sighed. I sighed for two … Read more
The weather at North Harbour Stadium on Wednesday afternoon was almost as bleak as the Wallaroos’ first performance against the Black Ferns at Eden Park – a 67-3 hammering that would have sent a lesser team packing. But a four-day break makes a massive difference it seems, and the home side were made to work … Read more
What really made the pugnacious Wallabies coach lose his rag after the Bledisloe Cup loss to the All Blacks on Saturday? Surely it can’t have just been that cartoon. Guy Montgomery investigates. It has now been four sleeps since the All Blacks set a new world record for consecutive test match wins by beating the … Read more
The new breakdown laws currently being trialled in the Mitre 10 Cup have found little favour with World Rugby’s law committee, according to sources close to the latest meeting. Scotty Stevenson assesses their impact on the numbers after six weeks of competition. First trialled in club rugby competitions earlier this year, new breakdown law interpretations … Read more
Wellington Rugby seems determined to say the bare minimum about Losi Filipo’s assault case. Jamie Wall says it’s time for rugby to stop looking the other way. It was somewhat telling that the Wellington Rugby Football Union’s official statement regarding the Losi Filipo assault case and subsequent discharge without conviction was released at 10pm Monday night. … Read more
The 2017 Super Rugby draw is out today. To mark the occasion Scotty Stevenson has power ranked every round of the upcoming season, from 1 to 16(B). Click here to see the full 2017 Super Rugby season schedule 1. Round 14 I like this round. All 18 teams are playing and it is the Pascall … Read more
Australian rugby teams have been mostly awful this year, but there’s a plan to turn things around, and it starts with a Super Rugby overhaul. Tim Murphy reports. Don’t feel sorry for Australian rugby. Don’t feel pity for its pitiful season. Don’t give the buggers a break. Because they’re already plotting their comeback. Root, branch and Aussie ruthlessness. Having … Read more
“Chris, all we can hope really is that you die in a car accident or in some other similar way. Regards, Dave Smith.” This is an email that arrived in the inbox of New Zealand Herald sports critic Chris Rattue a few days ago. Dave’s oddly polite “regards” aside, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. … Read more
Rugby is getting a new festival event next year to kick-off the season in style – in the scorching hot league paradise of Brisbane. But what’s it all about, and why do we need it? Tim Murphy spent 48 hours among the tatts, T-shirts and thongs to find out. They don’t do things by halves … Read more
The Ranfurly Shield contest between the Waikato and Manawatu men’s teams may have been a dud, but the warm-up match was a game for the ages, says Scotty Stevenson. Michelle Montague lay on the halfway line at Waikato Stadium, in the rain, in agony. Her braided hair rested on the wet grass, her leg rested in the hands … Read more
For over 16 years one of New Zealand’s greatest trans-Tasman triumphs has been overshadowed by one of our most crushing rugby losses. Jamie Wall remembers the day TrueBliss absolutely owned Bardot in a pre-Bledisloe Cup national anthem sing-off. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game … Read more
The New Zealand men’s sevens Olympic campaign was given a raw deal by a rugby union which still sees the seven-a-side game as a poor relation to 15s, writes Scotty Stevenson in Rio de Janeiro. It was a salty old hot take-o-rama after the New Zealand Men’s sevens team was bundled out of the Olympic … 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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