Portia Woodman-Wickliffe on life after rugby and her King's Birthday honour
Little did she know, 18 years later, she would receive a King's Birthday honour.
'It's such a crazy, crazy idea,' Woodman-Wickliffe told the Herald. 'I'm extremely
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NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
PGA Tour: Ryan Fox makes competitive return Downunder for BMW Australian PGA Championship
'I did it in ′22 after a really big year and was absolutely shot and kind of struggled early ′23 [with] not having enough of a break. Then in ′23, it was, I tried to learn my lesson and say, well, hey, taking those two weeks off might make a difference, then obviously last year I had an injury and was basically advised not to play for as long as possible to give it a rest,' he said. 'Now, with the PGA Tour season how it's been, it's a lot easier to make that decision to come back. Knowing I've got status next year, knowing I can pick my schedule for the PGA Tour next year and I've got a nice little eight-week break, I really wanted to come back and play. 'I know it's a great event, you get great crowds there and I'm looking forward to playing pretty close to home. It's tough to go to South Africa, say, for the DP World Tour that time of year from New Zealand, that's a long way to go, but, you know, a little three-hour hop across the pond is really nice for some golf and some sunshine and to get the competitive juices flowing after a couple of months off.' Fox is yet to commit to the Australian Open, held at Royal Melbourne a week later, but remains a chance to join Northern Irish star Rory McIlroy in that field as well. As for the New Zealand Open, which Fox hasn't played in since 2020, the door remains open; however with that tournament falling in late February and during the PGA Tour season, it is dependent on what else lies on the schedule. 'It's obviously pretty high on my priorities list, but I haven't seen a PGA Tour schedule for 2026 yet. I have heard rumours of everything getting switched up a little bit – you know, a bit of change in dates and events – so obviously if it clashes with a signature event or something like that, it would be pretty hard to come back to the New Zealand Open,' Fox admitted. 'But I'm obviously in a good place knowing I've got status going forward as well for a long time on the PGA Tour. It's been a tough decision the last couple of years to not come back and play and put keeping a card on the PGA Tour above everything else. 'In hindsight, I think I made the right decision there. I know everyone involved with the New Zealand Open really wants me to come back, and I do as well, it's a tough time of year playing on the PGA Tour ... that early season on the PGA Tour is just so busy and it's just been a tough decision.' Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
NZ Herald
5 days ago
- NZ Herald
New stars of jumps racing light up Riccarton as Nationals loom
Fannin got Jesko over the second last efficiently enough, then balanced him up and asked for a better jump at the last. He got it, pushed the turbo button and in three strides the 4250m race was over. Jesko showed the speed of a horse who was able to place in a 2200m flat race just eight days earlier and was simply too fast for Captains Run and West Coast. Those two were brave, but heart and stamina were no match for sheer leg speed on a day when Riccarton basked in sunshine rather than producing a winter bog. The question now for the army of punters in love with Jesko is how much harder the 5600m of next Saturday's Grand National Steeplechase will be? And whether Jesko's younger legs can still outsprint his rivals, especially if the weather changes and the track is deeper? Fannin, who trains Jesko with his wife Hazel, thinks the horse can handle the more daunting challenge, especially as Jesko can't be re-handicapped for Saturday's win. 'The way he got to the line today gives me confidence he can win again next week,' said Fannin. Jesko is now $1.50 with the TAB to win the National, pushing West Coast out to $4.20 as he attempts to win the race for the fourth straight year. Earlier in the programme, Dictation suggested he is the horse to beat in next Saturday's Grand National Hurdles when he bolted away with the Sydenham Hurdles. It was redemption for the Hastings jumper as he had led and was about to win the same race last year before dislodging his jockey at the last fence, allowing Berry The Cash to win. A week later Berry The Cash went on to win the Grand National for the second time with Dictation's co-trainer Paul Nelson opting to bypass the iconic race. That won't be the case this year. Dictation had already shown he has improved since last season when he won the Waikato Hurdles two starts ago and the ease of his victory yesterday will worry connections of his rivals next week. He was bold in front, relaxed after chancing two consecutive fences down the back straight and never really looked in danger of defeat. He and Berry The Cash now share $2.60 equal favouritism for the Grand National Hurdle. 'I think he will improve with that run too,' said Nelson. 'He missed a little bit of work after he banged a leg following that Te Rapa win [Waikato Hurdles] so this will bring him on.' Helping Dictation further is the fact he won't be re-handicapped for Saturday's race, which means he will still have a 7kg swing in the weights over Berry The Cash when they go an extra 1100m. Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald's Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world's biggest horse racing carnivals.
NZ Herald
5 days ago
- NZ Herald
Game on: Lotto seeks Powerball rule change by 2027 - will Govt play ball?
'I will be presented with the proposed changes for approval later this year.' The current odds of winning Lotto Powerball are 1 in 38m. Should Lotto add one extra Powerball number, the odds would decrease to 1 in 42.2m. Every extra ball added would lower the odds. Lotto NZ wouldn't be drawn on how many extra balls it wants to add to the draw. Lotto NZ's new Statement of Performance Expectations for 2026 says game bosses aim to make the change at the start of the 2027 financial year - delayed from their original date of January 2026. Under the heading 'Performance Drivers' it said updating Powerball would be a key focus for the next year. 'Powerball has not changed since 2017, despite population growth, player behaviour changes and the erosion of prize value in real terms,' the document read. Lotto players are expected to play for more regular top-dollar Powerball jackpots should a matrix change come into force in 2027. Photo / Ben Fraser 'We are therefore reviewing how this game is structured to ensure it will continue to drive sales, engage customers and support our strategy of responsible and stable growth. 'A 'matrix change' would increase the number of Powerballs in the draw, increasing the likelihood of higher average jackpots.' Lotto NZ's proposed Powerball change needs sign off from its Government stakeholders. Photo / Michael Bradley Lotto NZ told the Herald ticket sales are the highest they've ever been - meaning Powerball is being struck more regularly. More regular wins means fewer of the more exciting mega-jackpots - like the $50m draws that attract 'exponential' ticket sales. What will the proposed change mean? To win Lotto Powerball, players currently have to get all six first division numbers - and the Powerball. There are 10 balls in the Powerball draw, numbered one to 10. The current odds of winning Lotto Powerball are 1 in 38m. Should one extra Powerball number be added, the odds would decrease to 1 in 42.2m. Adding two balls would see the odds drop to 1 in 46m, while increasing the size of the Powerball draw to 15 balls would see the odds dwindle to 1 in 57.5m. Current soaring sales are seeing Powerball being struck more regularly, which has reduced the frequency of high-stakes mega draws. The matrix change would decrease the number of wins, increasing the frequency of $50 million draws, lotto said. 'It's important that lottery games continue to evolve so that games remain compelling to players, prize value is not eroded through inflation, and the odds of winning move in line with population growth,' Lotto NZ chief innovation and product officer Ben Coney told the Herald. 'Our enduring interest is in having a Powerball game that is appealing to our customers, generates consistent profit for distribution to the community and allows for responsible growth over time.' Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 33 years of newsroom experience. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
