Australian exploits stick in the memory
1. Favourite rugby memory?
There are probably two that really stand out (as a player). Winning the grand final in '86 for Souths in Brisbane and then winning the Australian club championships in '87.
2. Hardest opponent?
Currently you'd have to say that Upper Clutha are probably the benchmark at the moment. Although I highly rated the Matakanui and Cromwell scrum, they've got very good front rows both those teams.
3. What rugby coach do you admire and why?
I think Wayne Smith if you look at it from an overall point of view. He's one that's very thought provoking as a coach . . . and is a great thinker of the game.
But more on a club level, I had a coach called Murray Page who lives in Christchurch. He was again a coach that made me as a young player really think about the game.
4. What do you do to relax?
I've taken up lawn bowls and it turns out I'm pretty good at it.
5. If Ken Wills is cooking, what are we eating?
I've got lamb shanks in the slow cooker at the moment. But I really love Asian food.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
10 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Heffernan confirms move to Australia
Thunderbirds are go; Southern Steel co-captain Kate Heffernan is spreading her wings after signing with the Adelaide Thunderbirds for the 2026 season. The midcourter is the latest Silver Fern to be granted an exemption by Netball New Zealand to play in Australia's Super Netball next season. The 25-year-old is the Thunderbirds' final signing for 2026, making them the second team to finalise their roster after the Melbourne Vixens. 'I'm incredibly proud to play all of my ANZ Premiership games for my home team and this decision to take my netball in a new direction has not been made lightly," Heffernan said. "It will be so tough to leave my Steel family and I am grateful for everything the franchise has done for me. 'On the other hand, I am excited to see what the future holds in a new environment with the Thunderbirds. "The opportunity to experience the intensity of a new competition and different opponents can only enhance my netball even further and I'm ready to embrace the challenges ahead.' Heffernan will be out the front of the league's most formidable defensive circle in Jamaican internationals Latanya Wilson, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey — who is currently expecting her first child but is confirmed for 2026 — and Australian Diamond Matilda Garrett. Earlier this week, the Thunderbirds signed South African shooter Elmere van der Berg, and are also home to Diamonds attacker Georgie Horjus. The Thunderbirds, coached by incumbent Tania Obst, were back-to-back champions in 2023 and 2024 and finished third in the regular season this year. Heffernan has been an integral part of the Steel, playing 101 games since her debut in 2018. Originally stepping up as an injury replacement, Heffernan soon cemented herself as the starting wing defence, later shifting to centre. She stepped up as captain last season and has been co-captain alongside Silver Fern Kimiora Poi in 2025, where the Steel finished fourth. She debuted for the Silver Ferns in 2022 and has earned 39 caps, including playing at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the Netball World Cup in South Africa. Heffernan is the fourth Silver Fern confirmed to play in Australia next year. Midcourter Maddy Gordon has signed with the Queensland Firebirds and goal keep Kelly Jackson signed with the Brisbane team earlier in the week. Shooter Grace Nweke had re-signed with the NSW Swifts for 2026, after being named the team's MVP in her inaugural Super Netball season this year.
Newsroom
a day ago
- Newsroom
The razzmatazz of a bullseye sport
When Australian darts champion Damon Heta aka The Heat does his 'walk-on' to the oche for tonight's New Zealand Darts Masters title in Auckland, he'll be rarking up the fans to a different tune. The Perth-based world number 10 will be tapping into his kiwi roots when he walks on to The Exponents' smash hit Why Does Love Do This To Me. The walk-on theme music is a vital part of the razzmatazz of the World Series of Darts tour and Heta, with his trademark handlebar moustache, is famous for his whacky dancing and headdress of flames. He loves the crowds and the crowds love him. Damon Heta, The Heat (R) and Ben Robb aka Big Rig. Photo: Supplied Usually on the world tour, Heta gets the fans chanting to Bruce Springsteen's Dancing in the Dark, but this weekend he hopes he can win over the famously boisterous crowd with a tried and true Kiwi crowd pleaser. 'It's the rugby one, isn't it, that everyone sings to,' says Heta, who is proud of his local connections. 'It's crazy. Today I'm going to meet some family that I've never met before.' Heta hopes the Auckland fans will be on his side as he vies for the championship against the world's best, including teen sensation Luke Littler. He's beaten 'the young punk' once and reckons he can put him back in his place again. 'It's like he doesn't have a care in the world, like most teenagers, you know what I mean,' he jokes. 'No, fair play to him, he's brought the sport along in leaps and bounds … so yeah, it's getting good knowledge and expanding the game.' Darts legends, commentator John McDonald and referee Russ Bray tell The Detail how they've watched it go from a boozy pub game to a global event . 'I go to Mongolia and do darts in Mongolia,' says Bray. 'The change is massive.' 'It's grown beyond anyone's comprehension now,' says McDonald. 'It's a major sport, second to only the Premier League Football in the United Kingdom, with television ratings that most sports would be envious of. 'So it's grown into this enormous global brand and a very, very exciting night out.' Heta says when he played his first darts match in a pub at the age of 15, he had no idea that he could make big money from it. 'It wasn't until the big boys came over and then finding out that I could compete and from then on I just went on and on and did all the protocols that you need to do to become professional and sure enough I'm back here and I'm one of the big dogs,' he says. New Zealand amateur favourite Ben Robb, aka Big Rig, says the game has developed in the years since he first played in a pub. Top level darts now attracts all ages and women, and the money is so 'grand' there is a professional mindset. Robb reckons mental strength makes the difference at competitions. 'Once everyone learns how to throw a dart it's about being composed, handling big moments, owning the stage and being the big guy. ' Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here. You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Living life to the fullest after transplant
Golfer Natalie Brown is heading to the World Transplant Games in Dresden, Germany. PHOTO: GERARD O'BRIEN Natalie Brown never takes for granted her second chance at life. Thirty-one years ago she received a life-changing kidney transplant when her brother, Alan Penny, stepped up as her donor. That is far higher than the average life expectancy for recipients — "I like to advertise that fact, so that it gives people a lot of hope" — and had made her passionate to advocate for others. "I feel fortunate to be honest, because I think people that don't go through that process don't appreciate good health and don't appreciate every day what they can do," she said. "Every day's been a bonus and I've done the most amazing things. Life's been fabulous." That includes returning to the World Transplant Games in Dresden, Germany, next week, where she will pick up the golf clubs. The Games, which are held every two years, are for transplant recipients, donors and donor families to compete across a range of sports. Since her transplant, Ms Brown — who is the only golfer in the 11-strong New Zealand team — always wanted to compete at the Games and was lucky enough to play alongside her brother at the Games in Perth, where he lives, in 2023. After winning gold in the singles and bronze in the pairs two years ago, she will compete in the singles in Dresden and is looking forward to being surrounded be like-minded people on the course again. Knowing how a transplant can transform someone's life has made Ms Brown a passionate advocate. She is involved with the Otago Kidney Society, the Australasian Kidney Trials Network, the Australian and New Zealand data registry and the George Institute for Global Health. "It is a second chance at life. When I got diagnosed, and had to go on dialysis, I went '50 years ago, I'd be dead'. "At the moment there's huge statistics ... if early detection comes along then you can stop kidney disease. "There's a big push ... to get people that have got like high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, to go and get checked." She considered herself lucky to have a "fantastic" renal team in Dunedin, including Prof Rob Walker.
