England Women secured victory in their IT20 opener against New Zealand, winning by 27 runs at University of Otago Oval, Dunedin. Maia Bouchier hit 43, while captain Heather Knight scored 63 as England finished their innings on 160/4. Bowler Lauren Bell took two wickets, her first off just the third ball of the innings while
Family-friendly afternoon kick offs are the feature of an extended 2024 Sky Super Rugby Aupiki draw announced by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and the Super Clubs today. Players are already immersed in a newly extended pre-season training window ahead of a season and with every match played at 2.05pm or 4.35pm the 2024 season promises
We’ve reached a break in major test rugby. The WXV, completed in November, meant no autumn tests and shunted the start of the European leagues back a month or more. HSBC Sevens have got under way in Dubai, but Super Aupiki in New Zealand won’t start till March next year. That’s when the Six Nations
New Zealand The four franchises of Super Aupiki have announced their squads of 30 for the new competition starting in March 2024. Carlos Spencer, head coach of the Blues, has expressed his concerns: though the programme now extends an extra two weeks to seven, he feels it still lags a distance behind its European equivalents.
Rising sevens star Jorja Miller has committed to New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and the Black Ferns Sevens through to 2027. The four-year contract is the longest to be signed by a women’s player in New Zealand, with professional contracts introduced just over ten years ago for the Black Ferns Sevens. It is the first of
England v New Zealand England were the overwhelming victors of the final game in the WXV series. At last the Red Roses were able to answer all the lingering doubts about their pre-eminent place in world rugby. They beat the Black Ferns on their own patch by five tries to two. They took control from
For anyone who is strictly neutral, it’s a pity that these two old warhorses are once more sparring for a top place. For them and their supporters it is another final match of a series devoutly to be wished. The selections are shown below. The Permutations Almost inevitably, given the condensed nature of the competition,
France v Australia, New Zealand v Wales The Wallaroos produced the shock of the tournament by outplaying France from start to finish. The two tries they scored in the first 20 minutes were a pointer to their form. Though Les Bleues showed more than mere flashes of brilliance, they were far too error-prone, losing line-outs
The Squads revealed Ioan Cunningham has made seven changes to the side that faced Canada in the first round. In that respect he follows the pattern of other head coaches in ensuring that as many players as possible have the opportunity to see action on the field of play. In the background lurks a secondary
The Black Ferns coaching group of Allan Bunting, Steve Jackson, Mike Delany and Tony Christie have announced the team to take on Wales in their second match of the inaugural WXV1 Tournament this Saturday afternoon (4.00pm), in Dunedin at Forsyth Barr Stadium. Following their intense clash against France last weekend, seven changes have been made
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