New Run It competition makes NZ debut, fears over brain injury risk
The Run It Championship League took inspiration from the physical collisions seen during rugby league or union games as two participants – a runner and tackler – stand at each end of a 20m by 4m field and run toward each other at speed.
Event organiser Billy Coffey said the goal was to "either run over your defender or take out the ball runner".
"There's nowhere to hide, it's you one-on-one. And usually as a player you have 13 or 15 other people on the field, not anymore," he said.
It had held several events in Australia offering thousands of dollars in prize money to the winners, and has gained social media attention and endorsements from former players.
Former NRL player George Burgess told 1News when he stepped away from rugby, he felt like he had lost something.
"With Run It, it gives retired athletes like me [a way] to tap in to that thing you love about sport," he said.
However, Auckland University neuroscientist Helen Murray said the likelihood of injury was "much higher" in a sport where the intent was to collide.
"When you have these sorts of collisions, even if your head isn't directly involved, we have what you call a head acceleration event.
"So the brain is bouncing around in your skull [and] the risk of that causing damage, concussion or worse is even higher," she said.
Coffey said there were strict measures in place to keep people safe.
"Everyone signs a waiver, everyone gets a medical check, there's doctors on site and you know that risk. But it's also the daring nature of it."
He said he doesn't want to see competitors knocked out.
"It's really brought the community together everywhere we go, and that's why we do it."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- RNZ News
NRL: NZ Warriors v Dolphins - what you need to know
Warriors v Dolphins Kickoff 8pm Friday, 1 August Go Media Stadium, Auckland Live blog updates on RNZ Sport The Warriors have already beaten their rivals once this season at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium. In the three years since the Dolphins entered the NRL, the Warriors have compiled a 3-2 winning record against the club that hosted their stay at Redcliffe during the Covid pandemic. For the first two years, those results went the ways of the home teams, but the Warriors broke that string, when they accounted for their rivals 16-12 at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium in May. On that occasion, the visitors led 16-0 with 10 minutes to go, but conceded two late tries and ultimately held on short-handed, after co-captain James Fisher-Harris was sin-binned. The Warriors' biggest win was 30-8 in their 2023 first encounter, when Shaun Johnson scored 18 points - two tries and five conversions - while the Dolphins prevailed 34-10 in the return game that season. Halves Te Maire Martin and Isaiya Katoa will square off in Warriors v Dolphins. Photo: Photosport Halves Te Maire Martin and Isaiya Katoa will square off in Warriors v Dolphins. The Warriors currently sit fourth on the NRL table with 12 wins and six losses, but seem to have hit the wall, with the playoffs in sight. Two weeks ago, they needed a last-gasp miracle try from teenage second-rower Leka Halasima to edge Newcastle Knights, who are currently tied for last in the competition, and then lost to Gold Coast Titans, who are also on the same points as cellar dwellers South Sydney. They have struggled for any kind of points-differential traction all season - it reached a high of just 36 after the Knights win, but is now at 28. Meanwhile, the Dolphins have been erratic all season, with big wins over contenders Penrith Panthers, Melbourne Storm and Canterbury Bulldogs, but defeats to the Rabbitohs, Knights (twice) and Wests Tigers among those scrambling to avoid the wooden spoon. They're coming off their third bye of the season - they are 1-1 after their previous two. They lost 24-12 to Cronulla Sharks three weeks ago, but subsequently beat North Queensland Cowboys 43-24. The Dolphins currently sit eighth on the table, with the same points as ninth-placed Manly Sea Eagles and two ahead of Sydney Roosters. Only competition leaders Canberra Raiders and third-placed Melbourne have scored more points this season, and only the Storm have a better points differential. Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Adam Pompey, 4 Kurt Capewell, 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6. Te Maire Martin, 7. Tanah Boyd, 17. Tanner Stowers-Smith, 9. Sam Healey, 10. Jackson Ford, 11. Leka Halasima, 12. Marata Niukore, 13. Erin Clark Interchange: 14. Taine Tuaupiki, 15. Jacob Laban, 16. Freddy Lussick, 20. Bunty Afoa Reserves: 18. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, 21, Ed Kosi Coach Andrew Webster was forced into change through injuries to co-captain James Fisher-Harris, five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita and hooker Wayde Egan - three core members of his team. Twenty-four hours out from kickoff, he had to make another, with Demitric Vaimauga - who had been promoted into the starting front row for Fisher-Harris - also withdrawing. Tanner Stowers-Smith gets the start at prop now, Te Maire Martin will partner Tanah Boyd in the halves and Sam Healey deputises for Egan for the second time this season. Tanner Stowers-Smith is a late inclusion in the starting line-up. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Despite the Warriors's rusty form, Webster made no changes on form and chose to keep stand-in captain Kurt Capewell at centre, rather than return him to the pack in Vaimauga's absence. Dolphins: 1. Hamiso Tabui-Fidow, 2. Jamayne Isaako, 3. Max Feagai, 4. Herbie Farnworth, 5. Jake Averillo, 6. Kodi Nikorima, 7. Isaiya Katoa, 8. Francis Molo, 9. Jeremy Marshall-King, 10. Felise Kaufusi, 11. Connelly Lemuelu, 12. Oryn Keeley, 13. Kurt Donoghue Interchange: 14. Ray Stone, 15. Aublix Tawha, 16. Mark Nicholls, 17. Josh Kerr Reserves: 18. Harrison Graham, 20. LJ Nonu Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf gets former Warrior half Kodi Nikorima back from a hamstring injury, along with veteran prop Felise Kaufusi and bench forward Mark Nicholls. Jake Averillo stepped in for Nikorima against the Cowboys, but will now return to wing. Prop Francis Molo will make his 150th NRL appearance, after previous stints with Brisbane Broncos, North Queensland and St George Illawarra Dragons. Fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow is one of the most dangerous attacking weapons in the NRL and is the competition's leading tryscorer with 17 from 15 appearances, but has only scored one in four previous games for the Dolphins against the Warriors. Winger Jamayne Isaako leads the competition in scoring, with nine tries among his 212 total points. He also leads in goals kicked (88) and has an 87 percent success rate for conversions. Warriors desperately need to restore some momentum to their season, but hard to see them overcoming this many injuries. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Cool the jets: Warriors rule out imminent Cleary NRL debut
Warriors v Dolphins Kickoff 8pm Friday, 1 August Go Media Stadium, Auckland Live blog updates on RNZ Sport NZ Warriors coach Andrew Webster is desperate to turn down the volume on calls to hand Jett Cleary an NRL debut this season. As the season has progressed, injuries have taken a toll on the club's first-grade squad, which has had to dip deep into its reserves to cover key absences. Webster has lost starting halfback Luke Metcalf to a season-ending knee injury, while five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita will sit out this week's encounter with the Dolphins , nursing a calf niggle. These setbacks have co-incided with a spike in form from Cleary - youngest son of former Warriors coach, now Penrith Panthers mastermind Ivan and younger brother of Panthers superstar Nathan. All eyes are on Cleary, playing the first season of a three-year contract at Mt Smart, with many - especially across the Tasman - expecting him to force his way into first grade at any time. Webster insists that just isn't going to happen. "Jett's played five reserve grade games this season, but the last two weeks have been his best," he said. "He's had his best two weeks at training, but to be honest, Jett's a long way away. "We believe Jett will be first-grade player at our club, but we're not going to put pressure on him by throwing him in sooner. "If I answer that strongly, everyone hopefully will stop asking." Given his pedigree, Cleary's decision to join the Warriors attracted considerable attention, with the anticipation he would eventually follow his dad and brother into the NRL. Ivan Cleary played 53 games for the Warriors and coached them for six seasons, playing a part in both grand final appearances in the club's history. Jett Cleary scores a try for Warriors reserves against South Sydney. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Nathan Cleary was a Warriors ballboy as a kid, but has grown into one of the game's greatest-ever players, combining with his father to help the Panthers to four straight premierships. Jett Cleary, 20, has spent most of this season in the Warriors Jersey Flegg (U21) side, but with injuries higher up the depth chart, he has progressed into the reserves side, currently riding a 14-game winning streak in NSW Cup. Last week, he scored two tries and added two conversions, after taking over goalkicking duties from Taine Tuaupiki, in their 68-6 win over South Sydney Rabbitohs. That performance has tongues wagging about his inevitable promotion to the top level. Cleary began the season behind Metcalf, Harris-Tavita, Tanah Boyd, Te Maire Martin and Luke Hanson among the club's halves. Metcalf is gone for the season and the next three are now on first-grade duty - Martin primarily as a utility - while Hanson is also injured. "Everyone likes to put pressure on Jett for obvious reasons and we love him, he's going great, but he's got a lot to work on and he knows that," Webster emphasised. "He's had a terrific couple of weeks and he's building confidence, but you don't need to ask if he'll be playing seniors - we just wouldn't do that." With the injury toll mounting in first-grade, a depleted reserves side face a major challenge to their unbeaten run, when they visit Wollongong to face St George Illawarra Dragons in a top-of-the-table encounter on Saturday. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
NRL veteran Kurt Capewell backs Warriors defensive partner Dallin Watene-Zelezniak on right edge
Warriors v Dolphins Kickoff 8pm Friday, 1 August Go Media Stadium, Auckland Live blog updates on RNZ Sport NRL veteran Kurt Capewell has pledged his undying support to under-siege Warriors teammate Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, as the pair try to mend the team's leaky right-edge defence. "I know, when my back's against the wall and I need anyone beside me, I'd pick Dallin," says the stand-in captain, as he prepares to lead an injury-depleted side against the Dolphins on Friday. The centre-wing combination has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks, as opposition teams seem to target their side of the defensive line, with Watene-Zelezniak often scrambling to cover his counterparts. In their 24-16 loss to Gold Coast Titans last weekend , the Warriors flyer was twice left floundering by long passes that gave Titans winger Phillip Sami ample space to score in the corner. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak remains one of the most exciting tryscorers in the NRL. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ "I wouldn't say it's particularly just the right edge," Capewell insisted. "It's more of a team defensive thing - it usually takes two or three things to go wrong for a try. "It's a team outlook, not just the right edge." Sami's first try put Gold Coast ahead late in the first half and began with a lead runner that froze two interior defenders. From that stage, the Warriors struggled to number up along the backline, not helped when Capewell was caught between fullback AJ Brimson and centre Brian Kelly, and slipped, ultimately covering neither. Watene-Zelezniak came in from his wing trying to cover Kelly and Brimson found Sami out wide with a delightful pass. The second featured two runners close to the ruck that slowed the Warriors middles, then a third that arguably impeded second-rower Marata Niukore, before Titans half Kieran Foran floated the ball over Watene-Zelezniak, again hunting infield, to put Sami away. "It can be difficult at times," Capewell acknowledged. "Obviously, there's lead runners, and there's setplays to create and take advantage of an overlap or a one-on-one. "Unfortunately, that's been happening too often on our right edge. "I know it can be frustrating for all the fans at home, but stick with it. We're working hard at training." Coach Andrew Webster insisted three common things went wrong in the lead-up to a try. "Play-the-ball could be too fast, which means someone else hasn't done their job," he said. "Spacing's too tight and that creates an overlap - that's two things. "Three, we don't find a way to stop it on the edge. Everyone's got a role to play." Ironically, with the spotlight on missed tackles, Watene-Zelezniak landed in hot water against Gold Coast for one he made, taking Kelly off the ball and earning a trip to the sin bin for a professional foul. From the subsequent set, the Titans exploited the shorthanded defence to send centre JoJo Fifita over for his second try of the night, finally putting the contest beyond the Warriors' reach. Kurt Capewell, Jacob Laban ande Jackson Ford tackle Phillip Sami against Gold Coast. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ "I think Dallin's going well," Capewell said. "I'm not too heavily into the comments section on social media, but he's been in the game a long time and probably dealt with it before. "We have full confidence in Dallin - he's a tremendous player. When he came back on the weekend… the way he runs that ball, as a teammate, it gets me fired up." Webster confirmed defence across the park had been a focus at training. "Confidence comes from good reps at training," he said. "That's the best way to get it back. "You just can't wait or hope it will come back. We have to make it work and make it happen ourselves. "The boys bounce back well, they learn well and I'm confident they will work at it this week. Always got faith in these boys." Capewell starred as a second-rower in Queensland's State of Origin series win, but has been posted to the Warriors midfield, as injuries sideline specialists Rocco Berry (shoulder) and Ali Leiataua (calf). While Webster has named him in the No.4 jersey against the Dolphins, that may not be where he lines up. "Not too sure yet," Capewell admitted. "Trained today at both back row and centre, had a few reps at both, but we've got a few injuries, so not sure what the team will look like this week." Fullback/winger Taine Tuaupiki lurks on the interchange, so the most obvious replacements at centre would be Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, who has played there for the Kiwis, or Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who played there almost exclusively last season. "We don't know ourselves yet," Webster said. "We'll know in the next 24 hours." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
