Sports Chat for 8 July 2025
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RNZ News
5 hours ago
- RNZ News
NZ Warriors rookie Maarire Puketaphu choses league career over softball
Maarire Puketapu enjoys family support at her Warriors NRLW debut against Sydney Roosters. Photo: Mark Kolbe/ Maarire Puketapu can probably thank the Covid pandemic for diverting her sporting career towards the NZ Warriors NRLW programme. As a teenager, she represented New Zealand as a softball centrefielder and even had a US college scholarship lined up at Division II Florida Tech. "I played softball my entire life and was supposed to head over to America on a two-year scholarship, but unfortunately, because of Covid, I wasn't too keen on heading over there. "I didn't think softball was going to be the sport for me." Ironically, the very phenomenon that forced the Warriors women's team into a five-year hiatus was also the thing that steered Puketapu down that sporting pathway. In 2021, while visiting relatives in Queensland, she played a game for the local Kawana Dolphins, whose coach invited her to move back for the entire season. The following year, she chalked up air miles back and forth across the Tasman, sharing time between her Te Aroha Eels club and Wellington reps, and Kawana in Queensland. Last year, Puketapu secured a fulltime spot at Sunshine Coast Falcons in the second-tier Queensland BMD Premiership, where she popped up on the radar of new Warriors coach Ron Griffiths. "After some time, I got the big phone call and I was in shock," she said. "I hung up and screamed, 'F**k, I'm going to be a Warrior!', but I was at work, so I had to tone it down real quick." While the nuggety second-rower began this season with zero NRLW experience, her efforts at the next level down at least put her ahead of those arriving from local clubs or other codes. "Coming from BMD, I was only in that competition for one year, so I only got a small taste of how the competition can be," Puketapu said. "Taking that next step up to NRLW was pretty massive. "I knew it was going to be hard, so before I came here, I just trained as hard as I could to the standard I thought would be similar to NRLW. I was training with our local boys team in Australia, hoping to up my skills and fitness. "Obviously, I still died in pre-season, because that's what it's all about, but if I hadn't had that training prior, I wouldn't have been as good or I would have had injuries." During her stay with the Warriors, she has been housed with sevens superstar Michaela Brake and former Black Fern Shakira Baker, who are both still feeling their way into rugby league and admit to picking their flatmate's brain. That education cuts both ways. "Honestly, it's been a big learning curve for me and I've added so much to my basket since being here," Puketapu said. "I'm learning so much from our Black Fern girls and grateful to be living with two of them, so every day, I'm learning and growing as a player and a person." "The biggest thing I've learnt is coming across the professional girls and seeing them on TV all my life... we're all on the same level. They didn't give off this energy that they're too cool or too good for us - you really do feel like you're part of the whānau here." Puketapu doesn't lack for whānau of her own, many of whom made the trip across the ditch to witness her NRLW debut against Sydney Roosters. "Running out of the tunnel and seeing my family there is a feeling you can't really describe." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
7 hours ago
- RNZ News
All Blacks complete clean sweep against France
Du'Plessis Kirifi scores the go-ahead try against France, on Saturday night. Photo: Brett Phibbs/ France opened the scoring, with halfback Nolann Le Garrec diving over from close range, after a lineout drive near the All Blacks tryline. They extended their lead to 10-0 with a penalty goal midway through the first half, but the All Blacks struck back almost immediately, with halfback Cortez Ratima kicking into space and wing Will Jordan winning the race to the ball to score next to the posts. Du'Plessis Kirifi after scoring a try. Photo: Brett Phibbs / The try was converted, reducing France's lead to 10-7, but the tourists snapped a drop goal to make it a six-point game. The All Blacks were the next to score with a penalty goal, but the visitors soon restored their advantage with a penalty of their own, before kicking another to go ahead 19-10. The hosts would score a controversial try to midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown well after the halftime hooter to cut France's lead to 19-17 at the break. There looked to have been a clear forward pass in the lead-up to the try, but the referee and touch judges missed it, much to the annoyance of French fans at FMG Stadium The first points of the second half weren't scored until the 58th minute, when All Blacks flanker Du'Plessis Kirifi dotted down for a try, after Sevu Reece stripped a French player of the ball in the in-goal area. The All Blacks led for the first time, with the unconverted try putting them ahead 22-19 with 20 minutes to go. They extended their lead to 29-19 with a converted try to debutant and reserve hooker Brodie McAlister, and the score wouldn't change from there, as the hosts claimed a scrappy victory at Kirikiroa. See how it unfolded: All Blacks: 1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Samisoni Taukei'aho, 3. Tyrel Lomax, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu (vc), 5. Fabian Holland, 6. Samipeni Finau, 7. Ardie Savea (c), 8. Luke Jacobson, 9. Cortez Ratima, 10. Damian McKenzie, 11. Rieko Ioane, 12. Quinn Tupaea, 13. Anton Lienert-Brown, 14. Sevu Reece, 15. Ruben Love. Bench: 16. Brodie McAlister, 17. George Bower, 18. Fletcher Newell, 19. Dalton Papali'i, 20. Du'Plessis Kirifi, 21. Noah Hotham, 22. Timoci Tavatavanawai, 23. Will Jordan France : 1. Baptiste Erdocio, 2. Pierre Bourgarit, 3. Rabah Slimani, 4. Hugo Auradou, 5. Matthias Halagahu, 6. Alexandre Fischer, 7. Joshua Brennan, 8. Mickaël Guillard, 9. Nolann Le Garrec, 10. Antoine Hastoy, 11. Gabin Villière, 12. Gaël Fickou (c), 13. Nicolas Depoortère, 14. Théo Attissogbé, 15. Léo Barré Bench: 16. Gaëtan Barlot, 17. Paul Mallez, 18. Demba Bamba, 19. Romain Taofifénua, 20. Killian Tixeront, 21. Pierre Bochaton, 22. Thibault Daubagna, 23. Émilien Gailleton
RNZ News
7 hours ago
- RNZ News
Rugby live updates: Wallabies v British & Irish Lions
British & Irish Lions Captain Maro Itoje and Wallabies Captain Harry Wilson. Photo:The much-awaited first test between Australia and the Lions is here, in front of a big crowd in Brisbane. The home side are up against it, with the tourists showing great form in the lead up games. Kickoff is at 10pm NZT.
