Rugby: Magpies coaching staffer Bryn Evans joins the All Blacks panel
It was a Black Friday with a difference for Hawke's Bay Magpies coaching assistant Bryn Evans: he's been appointed lineout coach for the All Blacks with head coach Scott Robertson.
While the 40-year-old former Magpie, Blues, Hurricanes and Highlanders Super Rugby player and All Black is being congratulated by
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RNZ News
5 hours ago
- RNZ News
Stu Wilson remembered: All Blacks star farewelled at funeral
Stu Wilson during his time as a rugby commentator for Sky Sport Photo: Photosport Former All Blacks captain Stu Wilson had an energy that made him unforgettable, mourners were told at his Tauranga funeral. All Blacks teammates joined family and friends at the service at Bethlehem Baptist Church this afternoon. Wilson, 70, died peacefully in his sleep at his home last weekend. Mourners heard of a vibrant personality, who had an innate ability to connect with people, as well as reaching the top of the rugby world, with his extraordinary ability as a player. He played 34 tests for the All Blacks, with 85 games in all for the national side, scoring 50 tries, 19 of them in tests. He also played 89 matches for Wellington, forging a dynamic partnership with fellow winger Bernie Fraser. Daughters Kristy and Livvy, New Zealand Rugby president Matthew Cooper and former Wellington and All Blacks teammate Murray Mexted were among the speakers at the service. A family eulogy detailed a sporting career, with a young Wilson excelling in several sports, including rugby, cricket, golf and athletics. He was born in Gore, but raised mostly in Wairarapa. In form two at Masterton Intermediate, he took part in the Wellington regional athletics champs, winning five titles - the 100m, 200m, 800m, high jump and long jump. After leaving school, he tossed up between cricket and rugby as his main sport, choosing the latter. Cooper, who also played for the All Blacks eight years after Wilson's retirement in 1984, recalled watching him play for Wellington College Old Boys in the 1970s, saying he was like a ''puppet master at the fair". Stu Wilson played 34 tests for the All Blacks, scoring 19 tries. Photo: photosport "They only needed a forward pack, a first-five and a halfback and Stu Wilson, and still would have cleaned up.'' Wilson was the "best rugby player on the planet'' in his prime, Cooper said. "Beyond the statistics, beyond the commentary, beyond the tries and many highlights, Stu carried an energy that made him unforgettable. His half-glass-full personality, always with a smile, always bringing joy, was as much a part of his legacy as his talent as a rugby player." Mexted said he had been good mates with Wilson for 50 years. On the rugby field, Wilson had a great feel for the game. "He was an international rugby star and, as the years go by, we tend to forget about how good players were, but I will never forget how good Stu was. "What I loved about him too was how much he appreciated people and how good he was to people that felt uncomfortable, and I saw examples of that throughout my years with him." He said he had a coffee with Wilson the day before his death. "He was so full of life, and he had this smile on his face and he had no inclination he was about to pass." The family eulogy emphasised his ability to connect with and help people, with plenty of mentions of his recent job as an orderly at Tauranga Hospital. "He will be admired for his talent, humour, humility and kindness. His big laugh, the glint in his eye, his fast stride and his constant smile.'' Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
20 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Hard call to say which Fox greater star
The Fox ... Ohhhhh, Foxy. Foxy, Foxy, Foxy. We knew Ryan Fox was good. We knew he could beat anyone on his day. We knew he had all sorts of Kiwi muscle and composure and class and brilliance. But winning two PGA Tour titles in the space of a month is pretty special. So was the way he claimed his most recent victory at the Canadian Open, when he showed unbelievable mental strength to triumph on the fourth playoff hole. That 3-wood he played with his second shot on that final hole was some kind of thrilling. Golf is a difficult sport. Golf can be a cruel sport. But golf can also deliver the best type of drama, and can reveal the deepest levels of character. Our boy Foxy is up to No 32 in the world and remains box-office gold. The annual Otago Daily Times sport power rankings are out in a few weeks and you can be sure the big man will be rising up the list. ... and the old man There is, of course, one extremely important question left to address in the wake of our star golfer's victory in Canada. Who is the supreme sportsman in the Fox family? Is it the son, the brawny, big-hitting, magnificent golfer who is on a winning tear? Or is it the father, who was the much smaller (but hardly tiny for his time) rugby player and super boot? This is a tough one. Ryan is the flavour of the month, for sure. He is shining in a (relatively) global sport, mixing it up each week with genuine superstars. And he's just darn cool. Grant, to be fair, was a heck of an All Black, who might have been ranked our greatest first five before that chap Carter and that lad Barrett came along. He also won a Rugby World Cup. Hmm. Tough one. But I wonder if Ryan needs to win a couple more professional tournaments before he slips into top spot. A major would catapult him into the distance. Vale, Stu Speaking of rankings, where would you have the late Stu Wilson on the list of All Blacks wingers? Wilson, who died on Sunday, was a huge crowd favourite and a marvellous attacking player. The great David Campese told Planet Rugby his All Blacks rival was the "benchmark in world wing play" and had "a swerve to beat anyone, extreme pace, intellect and power, making him a try-scoring machine". Any greatest All Blacks XV has to start with Jonah Lomu on the left wing. But there is no unanimous choice for the other wing. Wilson, who played 34 tests and 85 All Blacks matches in total, is in or near the conversation with the likes of John Kirwan, Bryan Williams, Jeff Wilson, Will Jordan, Doug Howlett, Julian Savea, Joe Rokocoko and Ron Jarden. Honours and Hall Hat tip to one of the opposition, Stuff and former ODT sports reporter Tony Smith, for a thought-provoking column following the annual King's Birthday Honours. Smith wrote of his desire to see honours spread a bit more widely among the sports following another year in which rugby, cricket and Olympic codes featured prominently. They have always been a bit weird anyway, these honours. For every genuine community stalwart honoured, there is a millionaire rewarded for being wealthy, or a sportsperson rewarded for playing sport. And, as Smith highlighted, why do All Blacks and Silver Ferns coaches get knighthoods/damehoods for winning world cups but coaches in other sports do not? I am still probably more interested in the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. There were no inductions this year, and it remains scandalous that some sports have a swag of inductees while two football greats, Ryan Nelsen and the 1982 All Whites, remain in the cold. Level playing field? These facts are all you really need to know about the World Test Championship and why the supposed pinnacle of long-form cricket is kinda weird. South African qualified for the final without having to play Australia or England. Australia are scheduled to play 22 tests and England 21 in the 2025-27 cycle. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will play only 12. Semi stuff-up Super Rugby Pacific got a lot right this year. But this is one thing they got badly wrong. The Chiefs should not be hosting a semifinal tonight. They lost their qualifying final, the Brumbies won theirs, yet the Chiefs get home advantage. Eh? It should have been the Crusaders-Chiefs last night, and the Brumbies-Blues tonight. The Chiefs got a reward — a life — for being the top qualifiers. They did not need to get home advantage for a semifinal as well. Birthday of the week Steffi Graf is 56 today. The German tennis star was so great to watch. And it is hard to see anyone matching her "Golden Slam", when she won all four grand slam singles titles and Olympic gold in 1988. Graf and fellow tennis great Andre Agassi had two kids, Jaden and Jaz. Google tells me Jaden played baseball at college, and Jaz is a dancer and horse rider.
1News
a day ago
- 1News
McLaughlin on Indy 500 crash: 'I still am a little bit perplexed'
Scott McLaughlin doesn't mince words about the moment that derailed his Indianapolis 500 dream. The Kiwi IndyCar driver crashed out before the race had even started, spinning on the warm-up lap and slamming into the wall in a rare, rattling mistake. "I still am a little bit perplexed about what happened in that scenario and how it did," he told 1News. "Never sort of done that before in my career." It capped off a nightmare month that began with promise and ended with wrecked cars, lost opportunity, and questions he was still attempting to answer. ADVERTISEMENT "That whole month was pretty tough. It started really well and then obviously ended in a couple of bad ways with my crash before that, and then crashing another brand new car. "Yeah, look, it was definitely one of, if not the lowest point of my career, but there's something that I'll learn from. McLaughlin's response was immediate: get back behind the wheel. Kiwi IndyCar driver Scott McLaughlin. (Source: 1News) "The best thing for me, after a week after that, was getting back in the race car. And, you know, felt really good even if it wasn't the most ideal result either.' While Indy was the most public blow, it had been a turbulent season all round. His team, Penske, was hit with a cheating scandal for illegal use of engine software. He's also been at the centre of social media run-ins, including one with former IndyCar champ Tony Kanaan. Still, McLaughlin's belief hasn't wavered. ADVERTISEMENT "We've had the pace to win races we just haven't put it together. A little bit of luck, little bit of making mistakes, bits and pieces." He opened the year with a pole position in St. Petersburg, grabbed a podium at Barber, and now turns his focus to this weekend's Bommarito 500 in St. Louis a track where he won pole and finished second last year. "I truly believe we have a fast car. I feel really strong on ovals. Do I enjoy ovals more? And I have to say, I do now. It's such a refreshing change for me in my career. Every time I go on an oval, I feel really confident and definitely feel like that's my kettle of fish." Scott McLaughlin opened up about his horror run at the Indy 500. (Source: 1News) He would enter the race sitting eighth in the standings, with championship leader Alex Palou well ahead but not out of reach. "I've been in this sport long enough not just IndyCar but Supercars as well. Sometimes you can have a fast car and you just don't put it together. It's not your year. I don't believe it's not my year yet." "I certainly need to get on the train and start winning races or, you know, getting some consistency back." ADVERTISEMENT There's added pride behind the wheel, too. McLaughlin's long-time sponsor, Gallagher Insurance, has partnered with the All Blacks — a team he had supported since childhood. "It's full circle. They've sponsored me here in America and now they're an associate of the All Blacks. I'd love to try get some of the boys out to a race vice versa." After a month of setbacks, McLaughlin was focused on the one thing that matters now — turning pace into results. Watch the full interview on TVNZ+
