Magpies: Prop Joel Hintz retires after one too many head knocks
Hawke's Bay Magpies prop Joel Hintz says his sudden retirement has come after one too many 'head knocks'.
A Nash Cup club match for Central in front of the home Waipukurau crowd in April was the 28-year-old's last game.
While he'd never been 'knocked out', there'd been several concussion

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Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Otago to open 100th Plunket Shield season against Wellington
The Plunket Shield hits a ton. Well, sort of. The shield was introduced in 1906, and was competed for on a challenge basis similar to the Ranfurly Shield. But it was put on the line for the inaugural first-class season in 1921-22. First-class cricket was played in New Zealand well before that date, but a structured competition was introduced only that summer. Five seasons were wiped out during World War 2, which makes the 2025-26 season the 100th. Happy birthday. New Zealand Cricket statistician Francis Payne said it was "a significant milestone for the game in this country and one worth celebrating". The opening round in the centennial season gets under way on November 18. Otago will travel to the capital to play Wellington at the Basin Reserve, Central Districts will host Auckland in Palmerston North, and Canterbury will play Northern Districts in Rangiora. Otago's first home game is against arch rivals Canterbury. The game begins on November 26. The Volts have two more games before Christmas, including a home fixture against Central Districts beginning on December 13. The competition goes into hiatus during the traditional holiday period when the Super Smash will take place. It returns in late February and March for four more rounds. Otago's final two games of the season will be hosted at the University Oval. The Volts have not won the Plunket Shield since 1987-88. Northern Districts are the defending champions, but there have been five different winners in the past five seasons. Otago are certainly due. Plunket Shield — Otago's draw • Wellington, Basin Reserve, Nov 18-21 • Canterbury, University Oval, Nov 26-29 • Northern Districts, Seddon Park, Dec 5-8 • Central Districts, University Oval, Dec 13-16 • Canterbury, Hagley Oval, Feb 28-March 3 • Auckland, Eden Park Outer Oval, March 9-12 • Northern Districts, University Oval, March 18-21 • Wellington, University Oval, March 27-30


Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Spirit score late to take thriller
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NZ Herald
08-08-2025
- NZ Herald
NPC: Magpies aim to defend proud record under the roof in Dunedin
The Magpies have dominated in recent times, winning 10 of 13 matches dating back to a Ranfurly Shield challenge win in Dunedin in 2013, half of those wins being in Dunedin. Other important Magpies wins were a championship division semifinal a week later, another championship semifinal win, by 44-39 in Napier in 2019, after it had been 31-31 at the end of the first 80 minutes, and a 28-9 result in another Ranfurly Shield challenge in Dunedin, in 2020. The most recent match was Hawke's Bay's 33-32 win in Napier two years ago. The Magpies head to Dunedin on Saturday with no injury issues hanging over from the game against Counties-Manukau, although James conceded on Friday morning there were still two training sessions to go, including the captain's run in Napier. Last Sunday's squad of 23 has been retained. Asked about needing to keep his squad's feet on the ground after an eight-tries performance rated as one of the best of the first weekend, James said: 'Every week's a new challenge, and Otago play a very different game than Counties-Manukau'. 'They've got a good 15 around the park,' he said. Established forward pack members Pouri Rakete-Stones, Jacob Devery, Geoff Cridge, Tom Parsons and Devan Flanders have about 370 Magpies appearances between them, highlighting the 'consistency' James rates as a key factor in the team's hopes. Meanwhile, two Hawke's Bay sides play NPC Heartland teams on Saturday. The Hawke's Bay Development team plays an annual match against Poverty Bay at Park Island on Saturday, at 1pm, and Te Matau-a-Māui Hawke's Bay Māori play Wairarapa-Bush in Masterton. The Central Hawke's Bay sub-union ended its season being beaten 66-26 by Heartland side Ngati Porou East Coast last Saturday at Takapau, and on Sunday, the Wairoa sub-union's Barry Cup reign ended with a 21-10 loss to Ruatoria in Wairoa. Meanwhile, the Napier Boys' High School First XV has a big job ahead in a Hurricanes region national secondary schools championship playoff against Super 8 winners Palmerston North BHS, in Palmerston North, on Saturday. Hastings BHS has a home game against Gisborne BHS. The Lindisfarne College First XV's hopes of winning the Central North Island (CNI) Schools competition ended with a 29-20 loss to Feilding Agricultural High School in Feilding last weekend. The team now has a playoff against Wesley College on the finals day in Taupō on Saturday. The Magpies' next game will be against North Harbour, at McLean Park, Napier, on August 16, starting at 7.10pm, with the Hawke's Bay Tui playing on the same pitch beforehand in their first Farah Palmer Cup women's championship match this season. Doug Laing has been a reporter for more than 52 years, more than 40 of them in Hawke's Bay, at the Central Hawke's Bay Press, the Napier Daily Telegraph and Hawke's Bay Today, since its establishment in 1999. He has covered most aspects of general news and sport, and is based in Napier.