#All Black

So is ex-All Black Tawera Kerr-Barlow a realistic chance to play for the Wallabies? The short answer is no: it's theoretically possible, but long odds of happening. The 27-Test halfback made waves this week by telling a French news outlet he was willing to pull on the gold jersey, and Dave Rennie revealed they'd spoken earlier this year.…

Stan "Tiny" Hill, who has died aged 92, was one of the toughest All Blacks of his era, and was once dropped from the side for being "too physical" when he knocked out a South African opponent; when New Zealand lost the next Test match, he was swiftly restored to the team and his abrasiveness helped them to win the series. He played 19 times for the…

Aidan Ross has been working hard since his season-ending injury earlier this year. Photo / Getty Images He was up on stage three times at the Bay of Plenty Rugby Awards on Wednesday night. That's pretty good for a guy who broke his ankle playing for the Chiefs against the Hurricanes in April and as a consequence hasn't played since. But Aidan Ross…

By Alex McLeod of RugbyPass.com Ian Foster's 35-man All Blacks squad will assemble for the first time today in Whakatane as preparations for the upcoming Bledisloe Cup series get underway. Plenty of anticipation has arisen since last week's confirmation that the All Blacks and Wallabies will do battle with each other for the first time in over a…

No self-respecting tour would be complete without some frivolous awards, so without further ado, here are RW's Alternative Lions awards... At the end of an emotional, roller-coaster of six weeks on tour, it's time for Rugby World to hand out a few tongue-in-cheek gongs to a few individuals, highlights and lowlights that caught our…

Andy Haden, who has died of leukaemia aged 69, was one of the biggest, toughest and most controversial of All Black forwards, winning 117 caps for New Zealand between 1972 and 1985 (41 in Tests) and captaining his country eight times; but his reputation was overshadowed by accusations of cheating on the field and racist and sexist remarks off…

We asked our sports reporters at Stuff to say what they think the new year will bring and we'll be holding all of them accountable by seeing how right, or wrong they were, when we review their picks in 12 months' time. ANDREW VOERMAN The Football Ferns get their first Fifa Women's World Cup win against the Philippines at Sky Stadium in Wellington…

Queensland Reds 15 (Richie Asiata try 56m, Lawson Creighton try 71min; con, pen) HT: 21-3 Yellow card: Pablo Matera 55min The early exit of Sevu Reece and Pablo Matera's yellow card were the biggest concerns for Scott Robertson as the Crusaders spluttered their way to an unconvincing 28-15 win over the Queensland Reds in Christchurch on Friday…

All who have played the great game of rugby knows that until you've acquired an official nickname within the club you play, you've not really yet made it. A nickname is the rugby equivalent of a made man in the Mafia; it means acceptance by your peers, it is a mark of respect that allows you full'banter rights' with the senior members of the team…

Despite the World Cup drawing to a close many southern hemisphere stars who lit up the tournament will be staying on European shores. The French Top 14 and England's Aviva Premiership are set to be flooded with household names, with many looking for a well-paid swan-song to end a glittering career. Here are some of the best names staying on the…

Lineen played for the Scots from 1989 and 1992, sharing in their 1990 Five Nations grand slam. There has since been a continuous Kiwi influence in the Five Nations/Six Nations since 1994. This year's tournament kicks off this weekend, with seven New Zealand-born players and two Kiwi head coaches involved. Some - notably French prop Uini Atonio -…

Friday's Rugby News sees Super Rugby AU Week 4, Super Rugby Aotearoa, The Weekend Ahead in Club rugby and World Rugby Sets International Window Last week brought us two tight games, probably tighter than a lot expected on paper. While the results were what the odds-makers had predicted they certainly got the margins wrong, having used the goat…

With World Rugby currently fighting brush fires on multiple fronts - high contact laws and sanctions, TMO involvement, intentional knock-ons, concussion and global season just some of the main issues - it seems both crazy and inevitable the game is about to stumble into another morass of its own making. A combination of the introduction of private…

The Hurricanes have today named their 38-man squad for the 2023 DHL Super Rugby Pacific season. While the core of the squad is maintained from 2022, five new signings have been named, with four players in line to make their Hurricanes debut when the competition kicks off on February 25. Waikato outside Dan Sinkinson, Taranaki's Kini Naholo and…

Beauden Barrett is expected to make an impressive sweep of the NZ rugby awards, to be held in Auckland tonight. Photo / Photosport Beauden Barrett should be a lock-in for the big prize and the Super Rugby player of the year gong at tonight's ASB Rugby Awards in Auckland. Aside from two less than stellar outings against Australia in October (when…

The one-test All Black (against Japan in 2018) and Super Rugby title winner (with the Highlanders in 2015) will gallop onto his home ground at McLean Park, Napier, to face the Western Force after playing 30 minutes off the bench in the 35-13 win over the Rebels. Evans' previous Hurricanes start was the Super Rugby Aotearoa opener against the Blues…

The All Blacks have been the dominant team of world rugby yet again in 2012. With their season having drawn to a close, it's now time to rate each players performance. Israel Dagg: 7.5/10 Dagg looked dangerous every time he touched the ball, was lethal on the counterattack and very good under the high ball. He was also outstanding in clearing the…

Wisconsin football is coming off their most turbulent season in decades, one that saw three head coaches and a head-spinning, complete rebuild of the staff. There were highs, like the Badgers manhandling eventual Big Ten West champion Purdue at home. Then there were lows, like dropping two of three trophy games, including the Axe for a second…

Frankie Dettori in the type of face mask that has become a familiar sight in racing Jockeys will no longer be required to wear a face covering while riding in a race, the BHA has announced in its latest guidelines. Riders are required to wear a mask before and after the race, but are now permitted to pull down the face covering in the moments prior…

IT'S now or never for Daryl Gibson. Since taking the reins from Wallabies coach Michael Cheika in 2016, the Waratahs have plummeted down the Super Rugby ladder at a rate of knots. There's a plethora of reasons why - injuries and a player exodus for starters - but after missing the finals in both seasons and finishing 16th last year, the former All…

The latest Rugby World Cup betting odds have been released as the tournament kicks off in Japan. The hosts take on Russia in the opening match, with Wales playing their first game against Georgia on Monday. You can follow all the latest live updates from the World Cup here. As the tournament begins, New Zealand will start as favourites to lift a…

Now that the 2022 international season has been wrapped up, we delve into the state of affairs in each of the competing nations. Next up, England. To find the right adjective to describe England's 2022 Autumn Nations Series campaign is hard. Dismal would be at one extreme, underwhelming might be somewhat kinder, but one thing is for sure - rather…

South Africa's Northern Hemisphere tour continues when their second string take on Munster in a challenge match this week. Here's all you need to know about the game. Where and when is it on? Thursday's match takes place at the Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork with a 7.30pm kick-off. Where can I watch the match? The game will be shown live on Virgin Media…

After two makeshift seasons, Super Rugby is about to get a whole more super as the competition moves to a full-fledged Pacific competition. Making it all the more appealing for fans - and administrators - is that the competition's future will be announced Friday, with the competition to be set in stone until 2030. That will be music to the ears of…

The four nations of the clunkily named Rugby Championship do battle after dodgy July series. Argentina nipped a depleted Scotland at the last moment. South Africa laboured to a brutal win over a limited, dour Wales. Australia was overpowered by England after a hopeful first Test. New Zealand lost every facet of their series against Ireland. With…

It was no surprise to find Conrad Smith, on the morning of the recent Bledisloe Cup match in Melbourne, in the company of the man with whom he formed what is widely regarded as the best centre combination in the history of rugby, Ma'a Nonu. Along with ex-All Blacks captain Tana Umaga, Nonu had wowed a sell-out audience the night before at Bells…

The last time South Africa toured New Zealand, from June-August 1994, they played 14 matches; 11 against provincial rugby teams and three against the All Blacks. South Africa won 10 of the 11 provincial matches,losing only to Otago, before losing the first two tests against New Zealand and drawing the third. This was also their first tour to New…

In the latest chapter of his widely acclaimed series recalling his personal favorites, Jay Hovdey tells the story of an unsung hero who ran in four different races in four years at the Breeders' Cup Let's hear it for the unsung heroes. The anonymous donor. The unnamed benefactor. The Good Samaritan who was first to help at the scene of the crash,…

The port city of Marseille is no stranger to debate. Each election cycle this ancient place is used by the governing and the challenger to prove a point. Ask a hundred French what they think of Marseille and at least seventy will mention crime, with a generous dose of'code words.' To critique Marseille as a seething hotbed of vice, contraband, turf…

IS it just me or does it leave a sour taste in everyone's mouth that Gregor Townsend dropped Finn Russell out of the Scotland squad altogether, offering an excuse that no one bought, before throwing him straight back into the starting XV in a crude attempt to salvage his own coaching reputation with that long awaited inaugural win over New…

Rugby Union comes to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London as the star-studded Barbarians take on a team of All Blacks bolters, all of whom are hoping to be amongst the runners and riders in New Zealand's squad ahead of next year's World Cup. While the Baa-Baas are yet to play this autumn, the All Blacks XV have already enjoyed a run-out…

The Black Ferns have now sold out Eden Park twice in two months. Duncan Greive asks what will NZ Rugby do with its new smash hit rugby product? For years the argument has been made with monotonous regularity - that women's sport cannot justify the salaries and investment that men's commands because it simply isn't as popular. It's done with a…

It's a mouth-watering prospect, despite the very real chance that it may never see the light of day. The best of the Wallabies and All Blacks, playing in a combined ANZAC team, in a one-off match against the British & Irish Lions at the MCG? To borrow a line from recent KFC, "shut up and take my money!" It appears, however, that Rugby Australia…

Thames Valley flanker Laulea Mau scored for the third straight game in the comeback win over South Canterbury in a eventful seventh round of the Heartland Championship. Photo by Getty Images. It wasn't a New York minute, more of a honest country 80, but everything has changed on the Mitre 10 Heartland Championship points table, after South…

Week two went next level in the drama and force of the north-south conflict. Despite the win-loss count, the south made some ground back. North No. 1 (Ireland) struggled to put an experimental version of South Africa (south No. 2) away, their attack stymied and depending on marginal passes, looking spent in the last ten minutes and like the final…

The spring-autumn tours ignite in earnest this week as the unlucky Scots accept a different challenge from Fiji, the perpetually dinged up Welsh host presumably fired up New Zealand, the confident Irish clad in blue welcome swaggering South Africa in green, the highly touted French invite the Wallabies to a late night rugby discotheque and the…

ANALYSIS: Culturally and temperamentally, Rugby Australia chair Hamish McLennan is so far removed from rugby administrators in New Zealand that he might as well come from Mars. A product of elite Shore School on Sydney's affluent North Shore, the 56-year-old currently chairs two multibillion-dollar companies listed on the Australian Securities…

Anyone who says they know for sure who'll win the Super Rugby Pacific final at Eden Park is dreaming, kidding, or chasing clicks online. The TAB fractionally favours the Blues, $1.80for the win to the Crusaders' $1.92. Here's why I think it's an even-money punt. Home ground advantage? Eden Park will be packed, and quite rightly Auckland fans love…

Tennessee is going'Dark Mode' for its Halloween-weekend game against longtime border rival Kentucky. The Vols are wearing all-black uniforms -- including a black helmet -- for the first time in the program's modern era. Beyond the threads, Tennessee has flat-out been an incredible nemesis for Mark Stoops & Co. -- even as Stoops has taken the…

Jimbo Fisher's (lack of) performance has been the talk of college football this season, and rightfully so. After starting 2021 ranked No. 6, the Aggies finished unranked. Despite that underperformance, the Aggies again started No. 6 this fall, and at press time it looks like Texas A&M will not only finish out of the rankings come January, they…

The Autumn Nations Series is set to begin, where the best teams in the world are primed to face off in what will almost definitely be a thrilling month of action. There are a variety of intriguing subplots and this delves into the big talking points ahead of the action starting. Just under four points separates the top five teams in the…

Former Blues wing Melani Nanai has signed with the Crusaders for next season. Nanai, who spent five seasons at the Blues, has more recently been playing in England for Worcester. He spent three seasons there before signing with Bay of Plenty for this year's NPC. However, injury prevented him from playing. Other notable signings for the defending…

New Zealand visit the fortress of Ellis Park this Saturday, and if last week was difficult, this week promises so much more. But the All Blacks have been successful at Ellis Park on a number of occasions so they can handle the pressure. South Africa vs New Zealand Predictions Head to Head South Africa Form South Africa Injuries & Team News New…

Basketball. NBA. Preseason Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks Stadium: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (Cleveland) 13.10.2022. 02:00 (UTC+3) Odds Bet Type Bookmaker Claim Bonus! Odds1,90 Bet TypeH1 (-2) Bookmaker Bet Now! There's a reason the NBA brought Atlanta and Cleveland together in a preseason game, as the Hawks knocked the Cavaliers out of the…

The UCF football team will be taking on a new look when it plays Temple on Thursday night. In their sixth annual "Space Game," the Knights - well, the Citronauts, unofficially - will be in all black "Space U" uniforms in their American Athletic Conference showdown with the Owls. UCF will be looking to extend its three-game winning streak, while…

Here we go then, The Rugby Championship kicks off for 2022 this weekend, and it feels like the tournament may be a bit wider than the last few seasons. If it feels like South Africa starts as favourites this year, it might just be because they are. Enviable depth building, New Zealand coming to them to start the tournament, and few major injuries…

The bulk of the Rugby Championship squad has been retained as the All Blacks set their sights on the Northern Tour whilst a number of players from the Ireland series have returned to the squad. Props Nepo Laulala and Ofa Tuungafasi along with winger Leicester Fainga'anuku return to Foster's squad after missing The Rugby Championship following the…

Black Ferns Arihiana Marino-tauhinu, Kendra Cocksedge, Amy Du Plessis & Santo Taumata along with coaches Wayne Smith & Sir Graham Henry reveal both the nerves and excitement ahead of the Rugby World Cup on Saturday. Video / NZ Herald All you need to know ahead of the kickoff of the women's Rugby World Cup at Eden Park (kickoff at 2:15pm): It's been…

The Magpies will play Wellington in a quarterfinal this weekend. Photo / Paul Taylor By Thomas Airey The Hawke's Bay Magpies have the perfect opportunity to avenge their Ranfurly Shield loss in an NPC quarterfinal in Wellington next week. Hawke's Bay will play the current holders at Sky Stadium after finishing a topsy-turvy final weekend of the…