South Africa v Australia: Springboks move captain Siya Kolisi to No 8 for Rugby Championship opener
The 34-year-old double Rugby World Cup winner, who makes his 94th Test appearance, is usually to be found on the
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Scoop
16 hours ago
- Scoop
New Conference To Share Game-Changing Business Insights From The All Blacks Rugby Team
In a bold crossover between elite sport and world-class business, the first-of-its-kind All Blacks Conference in Chicago, USA will unlock the winning mindset, performance frameworks, and strategies behind one of the most successful sports organisations on the planet. Taking place on Friday October 31, 2025, ahead of the highly anticipated All Blacks v Ireland Test Match at Soldier Field, the conference will bring business leaders from across New Zealand, the United States and the world together to explore tools and insights used by the All Blacks to drive sustained excellence, resilience under pressure, and winning results. Hosted at the iconic Northern Trust building in downtown Chicago, the event will feature a behind-the-scenes view of the All Blacks, featuring All Blacks Rugby World Cup winning coach and Black Ferns Women's Rugby World Cup winning Head Coach Sir Wayne Smith. Attendees will also hear from All Blacks Head Coach Scott Robertson, All Blacks Head of Leadership and Mental Performance Dr Ceri Evans, and hear strategic insights from Dr Anita Sands, a distinguished board-director, investor, advisor, speaker and former Fulbright Scholar. The event will be led by All Blacks Performance Labs executive coach Simon Curran, with additional speakers from across elite sports and business to be announced in the coming weeks. Yarnie Guthrie, General Manager Commercial at New Zealand Rugby said 'the organisation is proud to be delivering this event for the first time in a growing rugby market like the USA'. 'We're excited to open the playbook for business leaders who want to understand how to create sustainable success and learn more about the All Blacks high-performance approach. We know participants will find the day transformative, including the chance to then attend what promises to be a historic game of rugby between the All Blacks and Ireland the following day.' Drawing parallels between the pressure of test matches and boardroom decisions, this conference promises to deliver practical, transferable strategies that drive transformation, growth, and performance in fast-moving commercial environments. Guy Gibson, Global Head of Banking and Markets at Northern Trust, said, 'It's a privilege to partner with New Zealand Rugby and host the inaugural All Blacks Conference at our Chicago headquarters. We are excited to welcome the All Black's Conference team and gain valuable insights from their high performing culture". The conference features a half day of senior leadership development with powerful insights, proven high-performance mindset principles, and tools on how to effectively apply these strategies to lead and thrive in the workplace. Attendees will then experience the All Blacks final training session, known as a Captains Run at Soldier Field, the perfect setting for networking with other conference leaders and delegates. Registration is now open at with limited in-places available. This conference is tailored to executive coaches and senior business professionals.
Otago Daily Times
17 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Dangerous Pumas ready to build on progress
Argentina have grown more competitive in the Rugby Championship in recent years, and with key players back, they're set to open this year's campaign at home against the All Blacks with renewed confidence. Argentina won six matches in their first 10 seasons competing in the southern hemisphere championship, but have claimed as many victories again in the last three years alone. That includes their best ever campaign in 2024, when they won in New Zealand for the first time, beat the world champion Springboks and claimed a record 67-27 victory over Australia. They have gone from whipping boys to a team that, while perhaps not feared yet, has gained huge respect and on their day are a match for anyone in the competition. Recent form has been mixed, including a 2-0 home series loss to a severely under-strength England in July, but coach Felipe Contepomi had rested several players for those matches too. He has recalled Juan Cruz Mallía, Santiago Chocobares, Marcos Kremer, Bautista Delguy, Mateo Carreras and Ignacio Ruiz in what is a significant bolster to the squad for Sunday morning's match (NZ time) in Córdoba against the All Blacks. The likes of Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo Garcia, Franco Molina and Joel Sclavi, who all featured in the 28-24 win over the British & Irish Lions in Dublin, but missed the England series, are also back. Kremer says the experience built up over the last few years in the Rugby Championship has given the team confidence. "The team has been doing things very well, the staff has been doing things very well," he told reporters. "We have to put nerves aside and dedicate ourselves to playing rugby, we know how to do it and what to do with the players (we have). "The work that the forwards have to do is to try to give those opportunities to the three quarters, those fast balls or those balls advancing. We know that if the forwards work and are going well, then behind we have things to fly a little more." Argentina host New Zealand in their first two Rugby Championship matches in Córdoba (9.10am on Sunday) and Buenos Aires (August 24) before a two-match trip to Australia. They then face the Springboks in Durban and finish their campaign in London on October 4 - the first time a Rugby Championship game will be played in the northern hemisphere.
NZ Herald
21 hours ago
- NZ Herald
All Blacks v Argentina: Kendrick Lynn - the Kiwi helping the Pumas plot the All Blacks' downfall
After transitioning from playing to coaching in Lyon, Lynn returned home to link with the Highlanders in 2023 alongside southern All Blacks Ethan de Groot and Fabian Holland. Helping plot the All Blacks' downfall one year later was not on his radar. 'It was amazing to be a part of. That was a huge result,' Lynn recalls of the Pumas' triumph in Wellington. 'I always thought it would be great to coach internationally but never thought Argentina would be an option. It's very different, very unique, in that the vast majority of the team play in Europe. 'Felipe has done really well in establishing core values with how we behave. That really helped us have that season last year. 'It's certainly different being a Kiwi coaching against the All Blacks. It probably felt the most strange in the lead-up to the game but once you're into it, it's your role and I'm doing everything I can to help the Pumas win. It felt great. 'It was really good to back the win over the All Blacks up and beat the Springboks and we had a really good performance in Aussie, where we had a record score [67-27] against them but our next level is being able to do it game after game. We had ups and downs. Every time we beat the top guys we lost the next game.' The Pumas' struggles for sustained success were, indeed, illustrated by their one-sided loss to the All Blacks at Eden Park - yet their victory the previous week was no aberration. Three times in the past five years – in Western Sydney, Christchurch and Wellington – the Pumas savoured similar success. Their last frontier, though, is to achieve that feat at home, with the 21-21 draw in 1985 in Buenos Aires against Sir Brian Lochore's All Blacks the closest in 16 attempts. One reason the Pumas start heavy outsiders in Cordoba and Buenos Aires in the next two weeks is that they must prove they can cope with a level of expectation and pressure they are not burdened by on the road. 'If we can rise to the occasion at home, it would be huge for the team and the country,' Lynn said. 'Rugby in Argentina is in an interesting spot. There was a rocky period five or six years ago but now it's moving in a positive direction. Amateur rugby is thriving. The club scene is awesome. 'What we did last year, the style of play we're trying to bring in, will keep growing that. To beat a team like the All Blacks at home would back up what we did last year and solidify what we're trying to achieve as we build in the next few years.' To target the All Blacks and continued improvement in the Rugby Championship, the Pumas rested many of their frontline European-based players from their July series. Results reflected that strategic approach as England, missing many of their incumbents selected for Lions duties, won both tests in Argentina. 'We made the conscious decision as a staff to give those top players a rest in July. With the unique situation of them playing in Europe, they don't get rested compared to Super Rugby or in Ireland. We don't have any control of how much the guys are playing. 'We knew it was going to be a tougher series against England but we need to be blooding more depth. Performance-wise it wasn't great, but long-term it was positive. 'These guys are now going to be coming back fresh – we've had 11 guys who had time off, a little mini preseason – and now it's a matter of getting them up to international footy speed.' Kendrick Lynn on the attack for the Highlanders in 2011. Photo / Photosport Lynn follows a well-trodden path of Kiwis immersing themselves with the Pumas. Sir Graham Henry and David Kidwell, the latter joining the Highlanders as defence coach next season, are other high-profile New Zealanders to coach against the All Blacks. Before accepting the Pumas attack coach role, Lynn spoke with former head coach Michael Cheika to ensure he would fit in. 'Culturally, the Pumas are used to having a foreign coach. The language is fine because their English is really good. My Spanish is a work on. I got a tip from Michael Cheika to watch Nachos. He reckons that's how he learned with English subtitles. Because I can speak French I can pop in and out of that if I need to as well. 'Argentina in a lot of ways can be everyone's second favourite team. They've had that underdog status in the past. They've been capable of pulling off big performances and they play a style of rugby people enjoy so I wanted to be part of that and see what I can do to keep growing it. 'With a lot of 25, 26, 27-year-olds who have played together a lot, especially for the Jaguares, there's potential to keep improving.' Stylistically, the Pumas can hurt any team in multiple ways. Loose forwards Pablo Matera, who won a Super Rugby championship under Robertson at the Crusaders, and Marcus Kremer are among the world's best breakdown exponents. Defensively, the Pumas have proven difficult to penetrate, too. But it's their creative, open, attacking intent that appealed to Lynn. 'There's certainly an element of unstructured play the Argentinians really enjoy which is playing fast, keeping it alive, running into space. It's harnessing that. We're really strong on the guys being brave and freeing them up so they can have a crack. 'It's about giving them the detail they need in the international game to break down defences, understanding how we play and their roles and getting them to that stage where they can look up and play whatever is in front of them to get that Argentinian flair. 'The good thing about the team is they're capable of emotionally getting up. We're working on making sure we can get that right balance between being in the right emotional headspace to rip right in but not let it go over where it can lead to ill-discipline or errors.' Treading that fine line balance could determine whether the Pumas break their last glass ceiling against the All Blacks. All Blacks v Argentina 9.15am, Sunday For live commentary join Elliott Smith on Newstalk ZB, Gold Sport and iHeartRadio. Or catch the ACC commentary on their iHeartRadio stream. Live updates: Liam Napier is a Senior Sports Journalist and Rugby Correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. He is a co-host of The Rugby Direct podcast.
