Hamiltonians disappointed French rugby team not hanging around
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RNZ News
21 minutes ago
- RNZ News
New Manu Samoa head coach eyes strong start against Scotland ahead of PNC campaign
Manu Samoa players at training ahead of their Test match against Scotland in Auckland. 12 July 2025 Photo: Facebook / Manu Samoa Manu Samoa vs Scotland Kickoff: 3pm Friday, 18 July Eden Park, Auckland New Manu Samoa head coach Lemalu Tusi Pisi wants Friday night's one-off Test match against Scotland to set the pace for their 2025 Pacific Nations Cup (PNC) campaign. The Samoans host the touring Scots at Eden Park in Auckland due to their home ground, Apia Park, undergoing major renovations. Pisi, a former Manu Samoan captain, told PMN this week that his coaching team's focus in the past few weeks has been on setting the standards they want for the players, as they work towards securing a spot at the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. The coaching panel includes former prop Census Johnston, who is scrum and overall forwards, Kane Thompson, assisting with the lineouts and contact skills and Tai Lavea, head coach of Toshiba Brave Lupus, who is their defence coach. Samoa lost out of automatic qualification for the world cup because they did not make the top eight at the 2023 event in France. World Rugby has since expanded the number of teams to compete in Australia, going four teams up from 20 to 24. The PNC series, which kicks off on 23 August, will double as a Rugby World Cup qualifier. Manu Samoa, the 'Ikale Tahi of Tonga, Canada, Japan, the American Eagles and Fiji are all in the series this year. However, Fiji and Japan are the only teams that have qualified for the world cup, with the three top teams from the series advancing to the world meet. "The immediate goal is to qualify for the World Cup," Pisi said, adding building habits that would help them achieve that is important. "Being with the previous two coaches they have laid a really good platform for me. There are things they have done that I can carry on doing. Also things I can bring my own flavour to. "For this game coming up, it is going to be about instilling habits we want to see, being consistent in what we are trying to build our game on." Pisi said the fact that players have come from different systems and competition makes their job challenging. But he believes the leadership of their senior players plus the coaching staff have helped in making things work. Manu Samoa head coach Tusi Pisi Photo: AFP / Sameer Al-Doumy "They have come from different systems and different ways of doing things," Pisi said. "We are working on our habits, what we want to play in our game. All these little things we are wanting to instil now as Test rugby is you win by margins or lose by margins. "So the first 20 minutes are key for our game drivers and also our set piece to get parity in there." Manu Samoa will be without some of their top players, with some opting to focus on their clubs at the moment. That includes Moana Pasifika trio, flanker Miracle Failangi, centre Danny Toala and halfback Jonathan Taumateine, who all have opted for the National Provincial Championships competition in New Zealand. Pisi said that is understandable and he has applauded those who have opted to join the team for the campaign. He said "this is the opportunity for them", adding those who perform will be first options for the next campaign. For Friday's clash against Scotland, Pisi said they will just go out and test what they have been building on. He said a balance of the starting lineup and the players on the bench is crucial, especially with Scotland having shown in their two matches so far that they still contest for the ball and points in the last quarter of the game. Scotland beat the Maori All Blacks in their first game two weekends ago but lost to Fiji in Suva last Saturday. "My stance is really clear: whoever comes in and performs, those guys are moving on to the next campaign," Pisi said. "All of them are leaders of men. It's their standard on and off the field that drives this team; their habits off the field reflect their habits on the field." The Manu Samoans have been in Auckland for the past week. They will be led by captain Theodore McFarland and have experienced hands in Michael Alaalatoa, Samuel Slade, Taleni Seu, Meilani Matavao, Alai D'angelo Leuila and Henry Taefu.
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
All Blacks: Ryan hints at new faces for final test against France
All Blacks v France Kick-off: 7:05pm Saturday 19 July FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton Live blog updates on RNZ All Blacks forwards coach Jason Ryan has hinted at changes to the team for Saturday's final test against France. Head coach Scott Robertson had vowed before the series started that he would use all 33 of his initial squad, and with the attrition rate high already, his hand may be forced anyway. "I think it's an opportunity to have a look at a few, there's been some older players that haven't had a crack," said Ryan today at a wet team training in Hamilton. "They've trained extremely well and done their job setting up the test team that's had the opportunity on Saturday. So I think that that gives us an opportunity to have at a look a few and trust that our whole squad of who we pick can do a job. So we're excited by that." The changes will likely give the team a very Chiefs-like feel, appropriate given that the game is in Hamilton. Hooker Brodie McAlister, midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown and loose forward Luke Jacobson are likely to rotate in. None of those players have featured so far, but the Chiefs connection might be extended with a recall of Quinn Tupaea and a start for Damian McKenzie. Naitoa Ah Kuoi of the Chiefs during a line out. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Also, lock Naitoa Ah Kuoi may be in line for a test debut after injuries to Scott Barrett and Tupou Vaa'i, and Fabian Holland's heavy workload in the first two matches. Ah Kuoi was brought in as an emergency replacement during the build up to the first test and has been with the squad ever since. Emoni Narawa was in the same boat, with the winger already starting a test and putting in a solid display in the 43-17 win in Wellington. Halfback Noah Hotham and prop George Bower from the Crusaders are the other players to have not featured yet in the series. Meanwhile, one player who will almost certainly back in the starting lineup is Sevu Reece. The winger's first test involvement ended after only a couple of minutes when he was forced from the field with an HIA, but says he is ready to go - which is just as well as the All Blacks have lost Caleb Clarke for up to eight weeks with an ankle injury. Sevu Reece of New Zealand celebrates a try 1`before the Bledisloe Cup - New Zealand All Blacks v Australia Wallabies at Sky Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand on Saturday 28 September 2024. Copyright photo: Masanori Udagawa / Photo: Masanori Udagawa "We've got an opportunity now to really put a statement that this is our 2025 season and that's how we're going to roll out, All Blacks 2025," said Reece, who said the team was preparing for anything from the unpredictable French team. "Nothing to lose mindset like, you know, will we let's be expecting anything and everything from them. They'll throw everything at us. So we're preparing like it's the first test. We know how they play, they won't go away and will stick in there till the 80th minute." The test at FMG Stadium Waikato is sold out, the third test in a row to achieve the feat. After this weekend the All Blacks will prepare for The Rugby Championship, where they start their campaign with two tests in Argentina.
RNZ News
12 hours ago
- RNZ News
Auckland more dependent on cars, less density than its peers, report finds
Traffic on Rimu Rd, Mangere Bridge, as morning commuters try and find a way to get on the motorway. Photo: RNZ/Nicky Park Auckland's strengths are its quality of life and diversity, a new report has found, but these aren't enough to keep the city competitive. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi Auckland is more dependent on cars and has less housing density than its peers, a new report says. The State of the City report, conducted by Deloitte for the Committee for Auckland, compared Auckland to Vancouver, Portland, Austin, Dublin, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Tel Aviv, Fukuoka and Brisbane. Committee for Auckland director Mark Thomas told Morning Report prosperity had declined the most in the past three years partly due to housing. "The report says that we are much less dense than our peers, now that's not to say we need to be dense everywhere, what it's saying is we don't have the same degree of mixed housing that other cities do. "We also are more car dependent because we don't provide other transport options. So that's an example of one of the big consequences of our inability to solve this land use planning challenge." Thomas said the report mentioned that Brisbane had managed to book hosting the Olympic Games. File in Māngere, Auckland. Photo: RNZ/Nicky Park "We won't have the Olympic Games in Auckland, but a Commonwealth Games for example is an example of a catalytic event that peer cities are doing and we can't even work out where to build a stadium." Interest in hosting the 2034 Commonwealth Games was first floated by the New Zealand Olympic Committee in April 2023. The NZOC says its expression of interest still stands and work around a potential bid is ongoing. At the time, the government said if a bid was to go ahead, the event would be nationwide - not confined to one city. The third annual State of the City benchmarking report identified strengths in sustainability, resilience and culture but also highlights disadvantages in opportunity, experience and location. " Weak economic performance , inadequate skills and innovation development, and disjointed and delayed planning are causing Auckland to lose ground, with the risk of falling further behind," Committee for Auckland director Mark Thomas said in a statement. "We must fix the productivity problem, back high-growth industries and innovation, actually deliver better transport and housing, and rebuild Auckland's reputation." He endorsed an "Auckland deal" under the government's City and Regional Deals programme . Auckland's strengths were its quality of life and diversity, the report found, but these were not enough to keep the city competitive. "This latest report shows Auckland isn't keeping up in key areas, but the green shoots of innovation and growth are a sign of what's possible if the city can drive higher productivity and create business conditions for sustained success," Deloitte chief executive Mike Horne said. "Auckland's productivity sets the pace for the rest of the country , so it has an opportunity - and a responsibility - to be bolder in lifting it." The report recommends the central and local governments address land use, housing, transport and regulatory settings which hindered productivity. It also recommended the council strengthen Auckland's international brand, and "develop a compelling story about Auckland's past, present, and future that communicates its values, culture, and ambitions to the world". Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
