Basketball: New Zealand reach semifinals at U19 World Cup
New Zealand trailed by six points at half-time, but a dominant third quarter saw the Kiwis take the lead and hold on for a famous win.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
6 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Kiwis, NRL Rabbitohs hooker Brandon Smith questioned by police at Queensland airport ahead of 150th NRL game
Kiwis and South Sydney Rabbitohs hooker Brandon Smith has been stopped and questioned by police at a Queensland airport ahead of his 150th NRL game. Australian media have reported the 29-year-old was pulled aside and interviewed by police shortly after landing at Gold Coast Airport on Saturday ahead of the
NZ Herald
8 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Flag football in New Zealand: The growing sport pushing for LA Olympics 2028
Flag football is a condensed, five-a-side version of American football. Blockers and contact tackles are replaced with rippa-rugby style tags, but the foundations of the game, such as set plays and the forward pass, are still hallmarked. The five-a-side version is taking off in New Zealand. Kiwis who grew up playing rugby or touch possess transferable skills, but the key for international success is to improve the foundations and professionalisation, Fabela said. It's a journey with many steps, the first stop being the Intercontinental tournament in China, spanning from October 23-27. '[There's] no choice but to win the gold medal to secure our spot,' Fabela said, referring to qualification in the 2027 World Championships in Finland. These two events and another Intercontinental in 2027 are the side's best hopes of securing a top-six world ranking and a place in the 2028 Olympics. New Zealand currently rank 13th in the world. 'Some would say it's impossible – I don't believe that. I believe we have the right coaches and athletes to compete,' Fabela said. 'We need to treat ourselves as high-performance athletes and act like we're going to the Olympics.' Coach Myke Fabela. It's a challenge Fabela has already begun to address, including through holding a camp at Wellington's New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport (NZCIS), the nation's premier high-performance training facility. 'If we want to win, this is where we need to be. This is where all the best athletes in our country at their craft are preparing.' Defender Tom Rance has been part of the national set-up since 2023 and said Fabela's new approach has elevated the team to new heights. 'I think the team's definitely got a lot more professional and the programme which Myke's taken over this year – he's really lifted it.' Rance highlighted the importance of the NZCIS experience for the players, given the purely amateur nature of the sport. 'As a small sport, it's all self-funded. It is hard for some of us to keep making these commitments, and the last thing we want to do is price out players.' And the top side have an increasingly large pool of talent from which to draw from. From just 16 teams competing in a national tournament in 2020, this year there were 50. 'I think it's grown massively because people have experienced the culture, and it just feels like you're one huge community,' Fabela said, adding that the code has grown three to four times faster than he thought it would, 'and now that the Olympics have happened, that growth will be extraordinary'. Women's side have bigger mountain to climb The men aren't the only team striving for Olympic glory. The head coach of the national women's flag football side, Jono Entwistle, said it's a 'long shot' for his side (currently ranked 15th) to make the cut, but he believes his team has the ability and the want to perform. 'What's super cool about these wāhine is their hunger to learn,' Entwistle said. 'They want every part of it; they want the film study, they want the technical breakdown, and they want the written feedback.' The New Zealand women's squad. Like the men, it's a 'year-on-year' process in terms of qualification, with the biggest work-on being installing the finer, more technical sides of the game. 'We don't have some of those fundamentals that really translate,' Entwistle said. 'We do have a long-term plan, but right now we're really focusing on the short-term plan of performing at continentals so the campaign can keep rolling.'
NZ Herald
16 hours ago
- NZ Herald
‘Run it straight' $200k Dubai winner apologises after Kiwi teen's death linked to controversial sport
Speaking to the Herald five weeks after winning the Dubai event, Olosoni said Satterthwaite's death 'hurt me so much'. Ryan Satterthwaite, 19, died from serious head injuries suffered during a copycat run it straight game in Palmerston North in May. Photo / Instagram 'It made me think about life. Imagine being so young and you could've been something, then that happens to you... It's pretty rough [and] I feel sorry for the family that is enduring that pain,' he said. 'I apologise for that as well... influencing the younger generation to do that type of thing.' Olosoni said the incident made him rethink his participation in the sport and prompted Runit organisers to hold a string of meetings with competitors. 'They had a few conversations about it, making sure the boys understood what we were getting into, because it [death] is a possibility. 'In anything you do, you are at risk... Everything's risky, and the thing is we have to manage risk. 'One thing could happen inside the contact where if you're not trained enough, it could affect you long term. If you have constant concussions, you'll have dementia down the line.' Vulangi Olosoni, 26, took home A$200K after winning the Runit Championship League's Dubai-based final in June. Photo / Sylvie Whinray But Olosoni said the sport is helping people's lives, with life-changing sums of money up for grabs. 'This sport is going to help people who love contact, but also who would love to be in a contact sport where it can help their family long term. 'This income has helped my family, but also helped many others create income for their families as well.' He urged against copying the sport in an unprofessional setting like a backyard, over fears of another death. 'We had everything, that's why we were safe. We had doctors, nurses, a physio and made sure the referees were well trained in CPR and stuff like that. We had everything we could to give our best.' Despite the safety measures in place during the Dubai final, three competitors were forced to retire after displaying symptoms of a concussion – including former NRL veteran and Kiwis representative Kevin Proctor, who suffered a serious head injury and subsequent seizure after a collision. 'Run it straight' and other emerging combat sports are now at the centre of top-level Government discussions, with a decision on their futures in New Zealand set to be reached in the next six months. Concussion to Runit champion Olosoni, who grew up in rural South Auckland's Waiau Pa, said he was first told about the new sport by one of his closest friends – whom he used to 'run it straight' with in the backyard growing up. His background in sport includes 1st XV rugby at Rosehill College and a stint at premier club level in the Counties Manukau region, but he hung up the boots in 2022. 'The curious person I am, I went online and started searching run it straight up. I was like, 'Wait, I've done this many of times in rugby'.' His fears of getting seriously injured were put aside after he prayed and decided to throw his name in the hat. 'When I'm old, say for instance 65, would I regret not taking a chance that I could've? And that's what made me choose it myself.' Vulangi Olosoni: 'You feel like you have something to prove to everybody, that you should be there... I had to remember why I was there, to win for my family.' Photo / Sylvie Whinray Despite not playing any form of contact sport for three years, Olosoni was accepted to compete at the second Auckland trial night at Trusts Arena in front of hundreds of spectators. 'When I was there preparing, all these negative thoughts came to me. It was like 'You're not good enough, you won't achieve it, you won't win, you won't succeed'. 'My head space was cooked.' Olosoni ended up having only one run on the night after copping a shoulder to the head while he was tackling, causing him to stumble around and struggle to stay on his feet. He was forced to retire from the event. 'I wanted to make sure I kept my head away but I still got smacked in the head and that impact caused me to have a concussion.' Vulangi Olosoni was forced to retire during the Auckland trials after suffering a concussion while tackling. Photo / Photosport Two weeks after his concussion, he was contacted by the organisers asking him to compete in the final as a wildcard – bringing with it a free trip to Dubai, with Runit covering costs of flights, accommodation and giving the eight competitors spending money. 'You feel like you have something to prove to everybody, that you should be there. I had to remember why I was there, to win for my family.' As he stood 20m away from his opponents, Olosoni said there was 'a lot of fear that came over my body'. Despite this, he won two match-ups to qualify for the final against Australian Samuel Suamili. 'Everyone knows him as the 'Iceman', because he freezes bodies, and I was just like, 'Whoa, calm down'.' The final was called off after three of the six runs, when it was determined Suamili was too dazed to continue. Emotion overcame Olosoni, who burst into tears as his arm was raised in victory. 'It felt like the weight off my shoulders was lifted. I was just relaxed and tears were coming down my eyes. I was just appreciative to the people who were right by my side, my wife and God, as well as my little sister who flew out too. 'Wouldn't you regret not reaching your potential? Imagine that you reach 70-years-old and you think, 'I should've done this'. The worst thing [that could happen] is that you learn from it.' As for his A$200,000 prize, Olosoni said he's given away about $32,000 to family and friends, but hasn't touched the rest, and had enlisted the help of financial advisers to help him long term. Vulangi Olosoni said he's given about $32k of his prize to family and friends, but hasn't touched the rest. Photo / Sylvie Whinray The Herald understands Runit's next event will be held in the United States in the coming months, but organisers say it is yet to be confirmed. Olosoni said they were trying to push the next event further out so competitors would have more time to prepare. He hadn't decided if he would compete at the next event. 'My biggest choice that I'm thinking about right now is if it's worth it. If I did get chosen again, I would have to make sure that I get income before I even go. I've got to make sure that my family is looked after.'
