NZ Sporting History: Grant Elliot aka the Hairy Javelin
The enduring image of Grant Elliott hitting a six to send New Zealand into their first ever One Day Cricket World Cup Final in 2015 - brought many New Zealanders to tears. Also making headlines in the aftermath of that historic victory - the sportsmanship he displayed in extending a hand to the South African bowler he had just dispatched - Dale Steyn - as he lay devastated on the ground. Nicknamed the Hairy Javelin, Grant began his cricketing career in his native South Africa. But a move to New Zealand would set up him up for an international career that saw him compete in all formats of the game. He chats to Jesse.
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7 hours ago
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Netball: Silver Ferns Coach Dame Noeline Taurua Faces Selection Dilemma
The Silver Ferns coach has a dozen matches to test players ahead of two big years - how will that be reflected in her first squad selection of the year? Netball New Zealand's confirmation last week of a Northern Hemisphere tour in November would have come as a relief to Dame Noeline Taurua. The Silver Ferns will play two tests against Scotland and three much-needed internationals against England. Without the tour to the UK, the Silver Ferns would have finished the year with just seven tests, nowhere near the international exposure they need. The next two years are huge for netball, with the Commonwealth Games in 2026 and World Cup the following year. The Silver Ferns will be desperate to get better results, having finished third at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and fourth at the 2023 World Cup - their worst result at the pinnacle event. On Monday, Dame Noeline is set to name a squad of 16 to 18 players for the Taini Jamison series against South Africa in September. The 2025/26 Silver Ferns and Development squads will then be announced on the 11th October, before the four-Test Constellation Cup against Australia starting on the 17th October. Shooters The biggest issue facing the Silver Ferns right now is a lack of depth in the goal attack position and that is been brought to the fore with captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio taking a break from internationals. Dame Noeline will be crossing her fingers that Ekenasio's break is temporary and that the 79-Test veteran will be raring to go for next year's Commonwealth Games. With Grace Nweke likely to become eligible for the Silver Ferns under new criteria, the goal shoot position looks very solid. Amelia Walmsley, this year's top scorer in the ANZ Premiership, will be named but will not be available for the South Africa series as she is representing New Zealand at the Youth World Cup. 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Vui was named in the Silver Ferns for a series in early 2022 but did not take the court. Georgia Heffernan, who made her New Zealand debut in January last year, had a better season with the Steel this year so could get a recall. Martina Salmon is an attractive prospect because of her height, her long-range shooting, and the fact she can cover both shooting positions. Aliyah Dunn has not played for the Silver Ferns in seven years but could be a left-field selection. The high volume goal shoot was impressive in her return to the Southern Steel this year but the mandatory fitness tests have cost her a place in the Ferns in the past. Midcourt The midcourt is the hardest area to narrow down, with several players in the mix. The first two names Dame Noeline Taurua will want to write down are Maddy Gordon and Kate Heffernan. Gordon again showed how versatile she is, taking up the wing attack bib with aplomb in the last few rounds of the ANZ Premiership, when Whitney Souness was unavailable. 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RNZ News
14 hours ago
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NZ Warriors lose grip on NRL top four with third straight defeat
Freddy Lussick reflects on the Warriors' loss to Canterbury Bulldogs. Photo: Analysis: After back-to-back losses to teams they should really have rolled over, NZ Warriors took on Canterbury Bulldogs needing to make a statement about their NRL championship aspirations. The Bulldogs had been among the competition frontrunners all season, but were vulnerable after slipping up against rebuilding Wests Tigers in the rain last week. There were also some doubts about their ability to perform in inclement conditions, so the rugby league gods seemed to smile on the Aucklanders, when they opened up the heavens shortly before kickoff. Ultimately, the only statement made by the Warriors was that they did not deserve to return to the top four on the ladder - a spot they lost on Friday, when four-time defending champions Penrith Panthers won their ninth in a row. "A lot of stuff was self-inflicted, though errors or lack of concentration," reflected coach Andrew Webster. "We had intent… but we just weren't thinking correctly and the 'Dogs suffocated us with great tactics. "They kicked early, got a lot of repeat sets and made us come out of the corner." While other results fell their way this weekend, the Warriors may be lucky to even stay among the playoff eight. Here's a post-mortem on the 32-14 loss to the Bulldogs , their third straight defeat. Sometimes the most important things to come from weekly media sessions are those that remain unsaid. This week, co-captain James Fisher-Harris tried to cool speculation that he would take the field against the Bulldogs , insisting his niggly calf injury was progressing, but he would come back when the time was right. The very fact he stood in front of TV cameras and voice recorders was virtual confirmation he would suit up, albeit in the unfamiliar No.23 jersey, and he was duly included 24 hours out from kickoff. The other unspoken truth came from utility Te Maire Martin, who had filled in at five-eighth last week against the Dolphins , but seemed destined to return to the interchange, with Chanel Harris-Tavita also due back from calf injury. Asked if he had any clarity about his role against the Bulldogs, Martin replied he didn't, because some players still had to pass fitness tests - which was true. On Saturday afternoon, his status became much clearer, as halfback Tanah Boyd, named for his fifth game in the jersey, turned out for the reserves instead, as they extended their unbeaten NSW Cup run to 16 games with a late comeback. An hour before kickoff, Webster confirmed Martin would replace Boyd in the halves. Since replacing Luke Metcalf , who tore up his knee six weeks ago, Boyd had performed adequately, without making anyone forget how great his predecessor had been , as he made his way to the top of the Dally M Medal voting. Boyd's kicking game was spot on against Wests Tigers in his Warriors debut, but he just wasn't the same open-field threat as Metcalf and Martin's full game in the halves last week may have convinced Webster the change was worth making, after consecutive defeats. Ironically, Boyd's boot may have been better suited to the terrible conditions in Sydney. Warriors scramble to defuse a kick behind their goal-line. Photo: AAP/Photosport Then, 23 minutes into the contest, Martin suffered a head knock in a tackle and was immediately ruled out with concussion. "Everything's tough when you lose your playmaker," Webster said. "We had a really good week at training. "He forced his way into the team with some good performances and his training all year." Specialist fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad - already filling in at centre - was moved to the halves, with second-rower Kurt Capewell - finally back in his rightful place - consigned back to the midfield. 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With veteran Wayde Egan rested another week to rehab a shoulder niggle, understudy Sam Healey was named in the starting line-up, after two bright performances in his previous two opportunities. In the hours before kickoff, he was also relegated to the interchange, with Freddy Lussick - who has backed up Healey in reserve grade, often forced to play at prop for game-time - promoted in his place. Whether the change was linked to the Martin-Boyd move or the conditions, Healey's ball-running presence was sorely missed. Within a few minutes of checking into the game, he manufactured the Warriors' first and only real try, when he grubbered to the ingoal, chased and won the race to touch down, giving his team a sniff at 24-8 with 25 minutes to play. The score was locked at 2-2, when Bulldogs five-eighth Matt Burton snapped an audacious clearance kick from his own 20 to inside the Warriors 20. On the subsequent possession, the Warriors barely sent Burton's dangerous grubber-kick dead, but conceded a penalty, when Tuaupiki's dropout went into touch on the full. Skipper Stephen Crichton put his team ahead for the first time from the tee. Although they were only two points up, that passage of play showed the Bulldogs had the gameplan and the personnel for the conditions. Burton is known for his booming boot, especially his towering spiral bombs, and he tormented the Warriors with a kicking game they simply could not hope to emulate without Boyd or Martin. Hard to sift through the debris to find a Warriors player that acquitted themselves with merit. Sam Healey scores a try for the Warriors. Photo: Even winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who had previously been in redhot form, blotted his performance, when he spilled a high kick in his redzone and Crichton score a try from the subsequent possession. Tuivasa-Sheck scored a late consolation try himself and still led his team with 155 running metres, but less than half his haul against the Dolphins. Second-rower Demitric Vaimauga made 36 tackles and revelled in the extra workload, while Lussick managed 35, but there were plenty of tackles to make and plenty were missed. Front-rower Jackson Ford has been a tower of strength all season, but missed eight tackles by himself. The Bulldogs made 46 tacklebreaks to 13, but perhaps the most telling stat of the game saw both teams completing 91 percent of their sets in the first half, despite the pouring rain. Bulldogs were 22/24, Warriors were just 11/12. After spending 14 weeks in the top four, with playoff home advantage on offer, they finally lost that benefit on Friday, when four-time defending champions Penrith Panthers won their ninth in a row. Victory over the Bulldogs would have propelled the Warriors back to fourth, but now they risk being left in the dust by those above them. "We wish we were winning at the moment, but there's a lot to build off and a lot of spirit in that group," Webster said. "We'll keep fighting." Behind them, some of those in pursuit also suffered defeats that should help them stay in the playoff hunt. Brisbane Broncos (sixth), Cronulla Sharks (seventh), the Dolphins (eighth) and Manly Sea Eagles (10th) all went down, with only ninth-placed Sydney Roosters making ground on the Warriors. Still six points behind, Sydney's 50-point win over the Dolphins certainly boosted their points differential in the event of a countback. St George-Illawarra Dragons have been in the doldrums all season and seemed well out of contention for the post-season, but in successive weeks, they have accounted for top-of-the-table Canberra Raiders and Cronulla. They seem on an opposite trajectory to the Warriors, who needed a late Metcalf field goal and some desperate defence to hold the Dragons at bay 15-14 at Wollongong in May. "We've got to get back to playing our best football and the rest will take care of itself," Webster offered. "We're confident we can get it together." They face off at Go Media Stadium on Friday. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
14 hours ago
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Solomon Islands U-16 Women's Team Advance Into The Semi-finals For The First Time At The OFC U-16 Women's Championship
8 August 2025 A brilliant finish from Angie Ragaruma 16 minutes from time, proved the difference in a game where Tonga will be rueing, failing to convert numerous clear-cut chances to take the lead. Needing a win to reach the last four for the first time, the Solomon Islands looked to press players forward from the outset, but that left them vulnerable on the break. Liani Vaha had two great chances early on to put Tonga in front. Bursting through in the 9th minute she couldn't beat Maria Selestina in the Solomon Islands goal and then in the 16th minute, a beautiful through ball from Melia Manning saw Vaha get a better connection, beating Selestina, but seeing her effort rebound off the post. Vaha hit the post for the second time in the first half with a powerful shot from outside the box just before the break, and immediately after the restart, she had another effort from close range cleared off the line by the Solomon Islands defence. Vaha will be wondering how she didn't get on the scoresheet after another close call in the 58th minute, finding space down the right and firing a shot across the goal that beat Selestina, but went wide of the left hand upright. Eight minutes later she rose to float a header goal bound, but it was again cleared by desperate Solomon Islands defending. Then in the 74th minute and against the run of play, Ragaruma brilliantly took down a high through ball from Rose Aba inside the box, and with her third touch she riffled the ball past a despairing Temaleti Taufaao in the Tonga goal. The Solomon Islands held on over the closing minutes to complete the win and set up a semi-final against hosts Samoa on Monday. New Zealand and New Caledonia will meet in the other semi-final. The two semi-final winners will qualify for next year's FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco. Solomon Islands 1 (Angie RAGARUMA 74') Tonga 0
