#Ranfurly Shield

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…

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…

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…

Crusaders and Taniwha speedster Jone Macilai will return for Northland once he shakes a foot injury. Photo/ Duncan Brown The dawn of a new-look Northland ITM Cup outfit has risen with Taniwha selectors settling on a well rounded 32-man squad to tackle the 2015 provincial season. New coaches Richie Harris and Dale MacLeod will have 13 debutants…

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 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…

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…

It's crunch time in the Bunnings NPC with just four teams remaining to challenge for the title of 2022 champions. The first semifinal pits traditional rivals Wellington and Auckland against each other at Sky Stadium on Friday night. The action moves to the South Island on Saturday with Canterbury hosting the Bay of Plenty Steamers at Orangetheory…

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…

Who can catch competition front runners Waikato and Canterbury with just three rounds remaining in the Bunnings NPC? Waikato are unbeaten and have a six-point advantage over second placed Hawke's Bay in the Odds Conference. Despite dropping a game to Taranaki in round three, Canterbury has an even bigger stranglehold on the Evens Conference. They…

An emerging horse racing hero will headline the field for the $300000 first race of Hawke's Bay Racing's Spring Racing Carnival triple crown in Hastings on Saturday. The warm favourite for the $300000, 1499-metres TarzinoTrophy race, the feature of the Daffodil Raceday, is Imperatriz, a four-year-old mare boasting nine wins in 12 starts dating back…