Sports News for 19 June 2025
Queensland held off a NSW comeback to win game two of rugby league's State of Origin and level the three-match series 1-all.
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A dispute over school boy rugby is kicking off; with claims a proposed new competition is discriminatory and could lead to an arms race where colleges aggressively recruit top players to the detriment of the game. A collective of South Island boys' schools confirmed they're looking to launch a new first XV competition as part of wider efforts to improve educational outcomes for young men. Dozens of other principals are rallying against the plan. Darfield High School principal Andy England spoke to Lisa Owen. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
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4 hours ago
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Paul Gallen calls Sonny Bill Williams a 'dropkick', disliked by the All Blacks
Paul Gallen and SBW will finally square off in Sydney on July 16. Photo: Photosport The war of words has gone nuclear. Paul Gallen is looking to inflict as much damage on Sonny Bill Williams (SBW) as possible before the pair finally square off in the ring on 16 July in Sydney. Unleashing a barrage towards his opponent, Gallen said that there is nothing to respect about Williams, and said most New Zealanders want to see SBW lose the highly anticipated fight. However, despite appearances, the former Kangaroo said the feud is not personal. "I don't care. he's just someone in front of me I need to beat. That's all it is. I don't like him, I don't respect him, but I don't care about him. He's got no influence over me. I'm not concerned about what he says or what he does." Traditionally not a fan of trash-talk, SBW has uncharacteristically shown plenty of vitriol towards Gallen, labelling him a "narcissistic p**k," and even accusing him of using steroids. Gallen insisted he's been unaffected by the barbs Williams has thrown. "You've got to respect the person to worry about their opinion and there's certainly no respect for that bloke. He's a drop kick." He alleged that even SBW's fellow countrymen will be rooting against him. "I just think the way he holds himself, the way everything's about Sonny. The amount of Kiwis that I met over in Perth actually during origin that want me to beat him. I just really want to hurt this bloke, I don't like him. There's nothing about him I like. Nothing." A fight ten years in the making, Gallen said his disdain for Williams started even earlier in 2008, when the young prodigy dramatically left the NRL and switched codes to Toulon. "This hasn't started just because of this fight. I haven't liked him for a very long time. Dating right back to what he done at the Bulldogs, he's not a good person and I get to sort that out in a month's time." The pair have been trading verbal barbs for over a decade. Photo: Photosport Gallen has even implied that Williams was not liked during his time with the All Blacks from 2010-2019. "I don't know what happened with him and the All Blacks. I'm not a rugby man. I know the All Blacks is your pride and joy, but I get the feeling that he wasn't the most liked person within the All Blacks arena either. I think when you look at something successful as the All Blacks when they don't like him, I think it says a hell of a lot about who the person is." The 43-year-old admits while his fitness may not be what it once was, he hasn't lost any power. "We all know his chin's not great but I have to get him first, it's easier said than done. Everyone wants to knock someone out, everyone wants to think, they're a fighter. If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it at the end of the day. And then obviously we know people can't, so I'll get to get in there and have a good red crack, and see what happens." Gallen is planning to stand and trade leather with Williams should the Kiwi look to engage in close. "Look, that's my natural type of fighting anyway. I've got to go forward now. He's obviously six four. I'm 5'11'', so I've got to go forward and draw him anyway, so that's the way it's going to be. That's why I've always bought, that's my style of fighting. So, that's what will happen." So will the pair bury the hatchet after meeting in the ring? "There's not a chance mate. I've got no respect for the bloke. I don't want to shake his hand. If he wants to put his hand out I'll shake it out of sportsmanship, but that'll be it."
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7 hours ago
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Coroner takes aim at Runit as man dies after rugby league tackle
Photo: 123rf A Coroner has taken aim at Runit competitions saying they should not be recognised as an official sport. Coroner Bruce Hesketh slated the competition as having "all the hallmarks of perilous activity that makes no attempt to mitigate head injury". He made the comments in a finding into the death of 32-year-old Pāpāmoa man Tere Livingstone, who died from a severe head injury sustained in a tackle during a game of rugby league in June 2023. Livingstone suffered a concussion in an earlier, pre-season game on 27 May which he didn't tell anyone in the team about. However, two days after he was hit in the jaw by an opposing player's forearm, he began suffering a severe headache in the back of his head, and nausea. The young dad went to his GP who advised him not to play contact sport for three to four weeks and that he should discuss the situation with his team's physiotherapist. She also advised him to return immediately if his symptoms, which by the time of the appointment had largely reduced, returned and she would refer him for a CT scan. Livingstone played down the doctor's concern with his partner however he did not play league the next weekend due to being out of town for a family event. Coroner Hesketh said Livingstone did not appreciate the seriousness of his condition because on 6 June he wanted to go to training but his partner convinced him to stay home and rest. The following weekend, on 10 June, Livingstone played another game in a pre-season tournament in Tauranga. In the first half he was tackled, landing on his back and his head hit the ground in a whiplash movement. He went off the field and knelt down on one knee, saying he was fine but within seconds he fell forward and suffered a seizure. An off-duty nurse came to his aid and an ambulance was called. Livingstone was transferred to Tauranga Hospital where he was diagnosed with swelling and a brain bleed. He was flown from there to Waikato Hospital in Hamilton for nuerosurgery but his condition deteriorated and after five days he was declared brain dead. His life support was switched off after organ donation. Coroner Hesketh said although the family objected to a post-mortem, he was satisfied after receiving expert advice, that Livingstone developed a rare condition known as second impact syndrome (SIS), when a person suffered a second head injury before fully recovering from a previous one. "The athlete will rapidly develop altered mental status and a loss of consciousness within seconds to minutes of the second hit, resulting in catastrophic neurological injury," the Coroner wrote. "SIS is described as acute brain swelling and bleeding that occurs when a second concussion is sustained before the first one has healed properly. This can be difficult to treat and can be fatal." In 2021 there had only been 45 cases of SIS recorded - all boys and men between the ages of 10 and 29 with the period between the first and second concussions ranging from one hour to five weeks. Eleven of the injured recovered and 19 died. Coroner Hesketh said if Livingstone had told his coach, team manager or referee about the first head injury, he would have been stood down for the mandatory 21 days required in sports. "Had that occurred and had he followed the graduated recovery and return stages set out on the NZRL (New Zealand Rugby League) website I am satisfied from the literature I have read and the advice I have received, he would not have experienced second impact syndrome." He said Livingstone's death was preventable. Coroner Hesketh was critical of Runit competitions, saying they should not be recognised as an official sport. "As a matter of public interest I record my concern about a developing contact competition in New Zealand called 'Runit'. "There appears to be no governing body, the activity is not regulated, and has no written publicly accessible rules of participation. "Neither is there any information to players around the signs and dangers of concussion or concussion management." He noted the competition was said to be built around the actions seen in rugby union, league, the NFL (American National Football League) and the AFL (Australian Football League). "However, those sports have invested heavily in concussion prevention, identity, and management. The same cannot be said for this latest trending competition. "The principle of operation in Runit requires two opposing individuals, one being the ball carrier and the other the tackler. "The two stand at opposite ends of a 20 metre by 4m field and run full speed at each other and colliding to try and knock each other over." Hesketh said "understandably", medical specialists and organisations assisting those in hospital or in the community recovering from head trauma had expressed concern about the dangers these competitions gave rise to traumatic brain injury and/or chronic traumatic encephalopathy - a brain disorder caused by repeated head injuries. "Runit competitions are attempting to set up in New Zealand as a legitimate sport." However, he said in the sports Runit copied, the object was to avoid being tackled, or to be tackled in a way that the player carrying the ball could protect themselves by side-stepping or turning into the tackler to lessen the blow. There were also strict rules around high tackles. "Furthermore, all the applicable team sporting bodies involved have invested heavily in concussion awareness, prevention, identity, and management." He recommended athletes take head injuries seriously. "This unfortunate and sad case emphasises the need for those who play approved team contact sports to adhere to the concussion guidelines. "Both the NZRL and NZRU websites have significant information around concussion prevention, identification, and management. Significantly more can be found on the ACC website." Symptoms of concussion included:
