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NZ Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
All Blacks 2025: NZ rugby coach Scott Robertson's revolution enters decisive stage
The All Blacks' story has certainly followed a revolutionary path in that there was a seismic cleanout of personnel after the 2023 World Cup – a grand toppling of the previous regime that felt brutal and public in the way so many lost their jobs, and lost them while they were still in them. And then came the period of unrest, the uncertainty in the aftermath of the blood-letting that saw Robertson suffer upheaval in his own coaching team after assistant Leon MacDonald quit after five tests. It saw Robertson pick an unwinnable fight with his employer by regularly protesting existing All Blacks' eligibility policies and advocating for change. Then in the final test of the year there was TJ Perenara's politicised haka, which caused significant angst and upset among the senior playing group. There was also an at-times bitter and toxic battle between warring factions trying to amend New Zealand Rugby's constitution to change the way directors were appointed. Damian McKenzie was given sporadic opportunities at first five-eighths last year. Photo / Photosport Last year was turbulent, and there was an air of volatility about the All Blacks in their chop-and-change selections (Robertson was unable to commit to Damian McKenzie as chief playmaker), their up-and-down performances, and their failure to deliver a transformational brand of rugby that was cohesive and enlightened. If there was a revolutionary tactical blueprint, a bright new vision for how players are presented to the public, and an intent to unearth a cohort of emerging superstars, it never materialised amid the constant upheaval. But 2025 should be the year that stage two of the revolution begins. Robertson now has his coaching team set up how he wants, and with MacDonald gone there is no longer ambiguity about the axis of power and who is playing Trotsky to his Lenin. Scott Robertson and Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. Photos / Getty Images; Supplied Graphic / Herald This is the Robertson-Scott Hansen regime and, despite the clamouring for the captaincy to be shifted to Ardie Savea, Scott Barrett is the third member of the inner sanctum. The power base has been established inside the team, and so too has it been fortified within NZR. In February, a significantly more competent and focused board of directors, led by former All Blacks captain David Kirk, took their seats. They made their presence immediately felt by getting chief executive Mark Robinson to publicly align Robertson with the eligibility policy. This effectively ended what was increasingly being seen as less of a broadly principled quest to update a no longer fit-for-purpose law regime, and more a thinly disguised attempt to bend the rules to select the Japan-based Richie Mo'unga. The greater stability in the wider rugby landscape and the confidence that may have grown within Robertson and his coaching team because of that greater stability could potentially see stage two of the revolution begin with a more radical lens applied to selection this year. Super Rugby has shifted into the playoffs to provide a more intense environment. Perhaps Robertson will be using these next few weeks to decide whether there is room in his 35-man squad for new players, and indeed whether there are some potential unexpected twists in the way some already identified talents could be utilised. Top of the list as a possible new cap will be Chiefs loose forward Simon Parker, whose work this season has been unmissable. He may well be the thundering big lump the All Blacks are constantly hunting for. At 1.97m and 117kg, he's a unique beast in New Zealand. Athletes of these dimensions roam all over Europe, but in New Zealand it is rare to find someone of this size capable of playing in the back-row and able to live with the high-paced, aerobic demands of Super Rugby. Parker may be the player the All Blacks can develop into becoming their version of South Africa's Pieter-Steph du Toit – a feat which would effectively be revolutionary in itself. As a positional twist, perhaps these next few weeks could provide reason for Robertson to double down on using Ruben Love as a wing in the test arena. The 24-year-old won his solitary cap playing on the right wing last year (after running at fullback for the Hurricanes) and has this season shown himself to be a more than capable first five-eighths. Is Love the sort of multi-skilled all-rounder the All Blacks could park in the No 14 jersey to replace the departing Mark Tele'a and give themselves three play-makers on the field at any one time? As revolutionary concepts go, having two natural No 10s in the back three is as radical as they come and would align strongly with Robertson's desire to have his All Blacks play a sweeping style of rugby based on the accuracy of their pass and catch. The revolution did begin last year, just not in the way everyone expected or wanted. But this year, the people need to see what they thought they were going to get in 2024 – a new-look All Blacks team that justified the decision to topple the previous regime. Gregor Paul is one of New Zealand's most respected rugby writers and columnists. He has won multiple awards for journalism and has written several books about sport.
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Dunedin-Auckland flights boost welcomed
A boost in seats to flights between Auckland and Dunedin will help stimulate spending across the city in time for key events, an industry leader says. Air New Zealand announced yesterday its Auckland-Dunedin route was among three southern connections that would receive a boost in capacity later this year. Between June 28 and October 25, select services across the three routes would operate using the larger Airbus A321, adding more seats to the network at a time of strong seasonal demand, it said. A total of 46 existing flights on the Auckland-Dunedin route would be upgauged from the Airbus A320 to the A321, adding a total of 2100 new seats. This would support key student movement dates and special events, including the All Blacks' game in Dunedin in July and the Big Sing finale in August. The Auckland-Christchurch and Auckland-Queenstown routes comparatively would receive a combined total of 570 upgauged flights — or approximately 34,000 new seats. Chief commercial officer Jeremy O'Brien said the airline was thrilled to be able to connect more customers over the winter season. "Whether they're heading back to university, to a special event, or to the slopes this winter, these seats will mean more choice and opportunity to fly and more flexibility to plan travel around the moments that matter," Mr O'Brien said. "This isn't just about adding flights, it's about supporting our regions." Business South chief executive Mike Collins said the changes were "definitely positive". "We've been advocating to Air New Zealand on behalf of business for additional capacity, so any additional seating that is going to provide some more volume to the business community is something we've seen as favourable." Aligning the boost in capacity with key events would be advantageous to businesses in the city as it would stimulate spending on accommodation and hospitality. He was surprised Air New Zealand had made a change in the short term, but he believed it was a sign the airline was listening to and monitoring the demand for services in the region, Mr Collins said. "There's a lot of investment going on in Dunedin at the moment and a lot of activity. "So if that's flowing through to contractors coming into town and on flights and a lot more passenger travel between Dunedin and Auckland, that wouldn't surprise me, because there is quite a lot of activity going on in the city ... from an investment perspective."
The Advertiser
15-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
McIlroy falters in PGA while Aussies struggle too
Masters champion Rory McIlroy has quickly found himself on the back foot in his quest to follow up his historic Augusta triumph with victory in the season's second major at the 107th US PGA Championship. Fresh from achieving his career slam of winning all four majors, the Northern Ireland ace provided an anti-climactic opening at his banker Quail Hollow course in Charlotte, struggling to a three-over par 74 among the early wave on Thursday. It already left the 36-year-old having to play catch-up as surprise American leader Ryan Gerard set a hot pace, recording a five-under 66 to hold the early clubhouse lead by a stroke. Behind the 25-year-old came a quartet on four under - veteran European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, New Zealander Ryan Fox, American Alex Smalley and Germany's Stephan Jaeger. While McIlroy already lies eight adrift, the early Australian contingent also didn't have a great morning, with former champ Jason Day ending up with a two-over 73, while Min Woo Lee shot 74 and Karl Vilips a poor 78. McIlroy's play-off victory over Justin Rose at Augusta in April made him just the sixth man to complete the career grand slam and it was expected to free him up for a spectacular assault at the venue where he has enjoyed so much success and holds the course record. But at the North Carolinan course where he won his first PGA Tour title in 2010 and has since claimed three more victories, including last year, the man of the moment could only hit three fairways in regulation and flirted with the water with pulled tee shots in an uncharacteristically sluggish display. His playing partners in an early morning 'super group' Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler, also made hard work of it as they started from the 10th tee, with the remarkable sight of all three suffering double bogeys on the 16th, where the two American luminaries both found the water. World No.1 Scheffler, though, battled back to finish handily placed at two under while defending champ Schauffele was one over. The 47-year-old Donald showed them the way with a splendid bogey-free 67 while there was delight too for Fox, son of former All Blacks' World Cup winner Grant Fox, who capitalised in grand fashion after securing his place in the field last Sunday by winning his first PGA Tour title at Myrtle Beach. Gerard, who played collegiate golf for North Carolina, was left a mite frustrated after his lead could have been ever bigger if not for dropping shots at his last two holes after having recorded four straight birdies and an eagle in his first six holes after the turn. With agencies Masters champion Rory McIlroy has quickly found himself on the back foot in his quest to follow up his historic Augusta triumph with victory in the season's second major at the 107th US PGA Championship. Fresh from achieving his career slam of winning all four majors, the Northern Ireland ace provided an anti-climactic opening at his banker Quail Hollow course in Charlotte, struggling to a three-over par 74 among the early wave on Thursday. It already left the 36-year-old having to play catch-up as surprise American leader Ryan Gerard set a hot pace, recording a five-under 66 to hold the early clubhouse lead by a stroke. Behind the 25-year-old came a quartet on four under - veteran European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, New Zealander Ryan Fox, American Alex Smalley and Germany's Stephan Jaeger. While McIlroy already lies eight adrift, the early Australian contingent also didn't have a great morning, with former champ Jason Day ending up with a two-over 73, while Min Woo Lee shot 74 and Karl Vilips a poor 78. McIlroy's play-off victory over Justin Rose at Augusta in April made him just the sixth man to complete the career grand slam and it was expected to free him up for a spectacular assault at the venue where he has enjoyed so much success and holds the course record. But at the North Carolinan course where he won his first PGA Tour title in 2010 and has since claimed three more victories, including last year, the man of the moment could only hit three fairways in regulation and flirted with the water with pulled tee shots in an uncharacteristically sluggish display. His playing partners in an early morning 'super group' Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler, also made hard work of it as they started from the 10th tee, with the remarkable sight of all three suffering double bogeys on the 16th, where the two American luminaries both found the water. World No.1 Scheffler, though, battled back to finish handily placed at two under while defending champ Schauffele was one over. The 47-year-old Donald showed them the way with a splendid bogey-free 67 while there was delight too for Fox, son of former All Blacks' World Cup winner Grant Fox, who capitalised in grand fashion after securing his place in the field last Sunday by winning his first PGA Tour title at Myrtle Beach. Gerard, who played collegiate golf for North Carolina, was left a mite frustrated after his lead could have been ever bigger if not for dropping shots at his last two holes after having recorded four straight birdies and an eagle in his first six holes after the turn. With agencies Masters champion Rory McIlroy has quickly found himself on the back foot in his quest to follow up his historic Augusta triumph with victory in the season's second major at the 107th US PGA Championship. Fresh from achieving his career slam of winning all four majors, the Northern Ireland ace provided an anti-climactic opening at his banker Quail Hollow course in Charlotte, struggling to a three-over par 74 among the early wave on Thursday. It already left the 36-year-old having to play catch-up as surprise American leader Ryan Gerard set a hot pace, recording a five-under 66 to hold the early clubhouse lead by a stroke. Behind the 25-year-old came a quartet on four under - veteran European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, New Zealander Ryan Fox, American Alex Smalley and Germany's Stephan Jaeger. While McIlroy already lies eight adrift, the early Australian contingent also didn't have a great morning, with former champ Jason Day ending up with a two-over 73, while Min Woo Lee shot 74 and Karl Vilips a poor 78. McIlroy's play-off victory over Justin Rose at Augusta in April made him just the sixth man to complete the career grand slam and it was expected to free him up for a spectacular assault at the venue where he has enjoyed so much success and holds the course record. But at the North Carolinan course where he won his first PGA Tour title in 2010 and has since claimed three more victories, including last year, the man of the moment could only hit three fairways in regulation and flirted with the water with pulled tee shots in an uncharacteristically sluggish display. His playing partners in an early morning 'super group' Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler, also made hard work of it as they started from the 10th tee, with the remarkable sight of all three suffering double bogeys on the 16th, where the two American luminaries both found the water. World No.1 Scheffler, though, battled back to finish handily placed at two under while defending champ Schauffele was one over. The 47-year-old Donald showed them the way with a splendid bogey-free 67 while there was delight too for Fox, son of former All Blacks' World Cup winner Grant Fox, who capitalised in grand fashion after securing his place in the field last Sunday by winning his first PGA Tour title at Myrtle Beach. Gerard, who played collegiate golf for North Carolina, was left a mite frustrated after his lead could have been ever bigger if not for dropping shots at his last two holes after having recorded four straight birdies and an eagle in his first six holes after the turn. With agencies Masters champion Rory McIlroy has quickly found himself on the back foot in his quest to follow up his historic Augusta triumph with victory in the season's second major at the 107th US PGA Championship. Fresh from achieving his career slam of winning all four majors, the Northern Ireland ace provided an anti-climactic opening at his banker Quail Hollow course in Charlotte, struggling to a three-over par 74 among the early wave on Thursday. It already left the 36-year-old having to play catch-up as surprise American leader Ryan Gerard set a hot pace, recording a five-under 66 to hold the early clubhouse lead by a stroke. Behind the 25-year-old came a quartet on four under - veteran European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, New Zealander Ryan Fox, American Alex Smalley and Germany's Stephan Jaeger. While McIlroy already lies eight adrift, the early Australian contingent also didn't have a great morning, with former champ Jason Day ending up with a two-over 73, while Min Woo Lee shot 74 and Karl Vilips a poor 78. McIlroy's play-off victory over Justin Rose at Augusta in April made him just the sixth man to complete the career grand slam and it was expected to free him up for a spectacular assault at the venue where he has enjoyed so much success and holds the course record. But at the North Carolinan course where he won his first PGA Tour title in 2010 and has since claimed three more victories, including last year, the man of the moment could only hit three fairways in regulation and flirted with the water with pulled tee shots in an uncharacteristically sluggish display. His playing partners in an early morning 'super group' Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler, also made hard work of it as they started from the 10th tee, with the remarkable sight of all three suffering double bogeys on the 16th, where the two American luminaries both found the water. World No.1 Scheffler, though, battled back to finish handily placed at two under while defending champ Schauffele was one over. The 47-year-old Donald showed them the way with a splendid bogey-free 67 while there was delight too for Fox, son of former All Blacks' World Cup winner Grant Fox, who capitalised in grand fashion after securing his place in the field last Sunday by winning his first PGA Tour title at Myrtle Beach. Gerard, who played collegiate golf for North Carolina, was left a mite frustrated after his lead could have been ever bigger if not for dropping shots at his last two holes after having recorded four straight birdies and an eagle in his first six holes after the turn. With agencies
West Australian
15-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
McIlroy falters in PGA while Aussies struggle too
Masters champion Rory McIlroy has quickly found himself on the back foot in his quest to follow up his historic Augusta triumph with victory in the season's second major at the 107th US PGA Championship. Fresh from achieving his career slam of winning all four majors, the Northern Ireland ace provided an anti-climactic opening at his banker Quail Hollow course in Charlotte, struggling to a three-over par 74 among the early wave on Thursday. It already left the 36-year-old having to play catch-up as surprise American leader Ryan Gerard set a hot pace, recording a five-under 66 to hold the early clubhouse lead by a stroke. Behind the 25-year-old came a quartet on four under - veteran European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, New Zealander Ryan Fox, American Alex Smalley and Germany's Stephan Jaeger. While McIlroy already lies eight adrift, the early Australian contingent also didn't have a great morning, with former champ Jason Day ending up with a two-over 73, while Min Woo Lee shot 74 and Karl Vilips a poor 78. McIlroy's play-off victory over Justin Rose at Augusta in April made him just the sixth man to complete the career grand slam and it was expected to free him up for a spectacular assault at the venue where he has enjoyed so much success and holds the course record. But at the North Carolinan course where he won his first PGA Tour title in 2010 and has since claimed three more victories, including last year, the man of the moment could only hit three fairways in regulation and flirted with the water with pulled tee shots in an uncharacteristically sluggish display. His playing partners in an early morning 'super group' Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler, also made hard work of it as they started from the 10th tee, with the remarkable sight of all three suffering double bogeys on the 16th, where the two American luminaries both found the water. World No.1 Scheffler, though, battled back to finish handily placed at two under while defending champ Schauffele was one over. The 47-year-old Donald showed them the way with a splendid bogey-free 67 while there was delight too for Fox, son of former All Blacks' World Cup winner Grant Fox, who capitalised in grand fashion after securing his place in the field last Sunday by winning his first PGA Tour title at Myrtle Beach. Gerard, who played collegiate golf for North Carolina, was left a mite frustrated after his lead could have been ever bigger if not for dropping shots at his last two holes after having recorded four straight birdies and an eagle in his first six holes after the turn. With agencies
Perth Now
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
McIlroy falters in PGA while Aussies struggle too
Masters champion Rory McIlroy has quickly found himself on the back foot in his quest to follow up his historic Augusta triumph with victory in the season's second major at the 107th US PGA Championship. Fresh from achieving his career slam of winning all four majors, the Northern Ireland ace provided an anti-climactic opening at his banker Quail Hollow course in Charlotte, struggling to a three-over par 74 among the early wave on Thursday. It already left the 36-year-old having to play catch-up as surprise American leader Ryan Gerard set a hot pace, recording a five-under 66 to hold the early clubhouse lead by a stroke. Behind the 25-year-old came a quartet on four under - veteran European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, New Zealander Ryan Fox, American Alex Smalley and Germany's Stephan Jaeger. While McIlroy already lies eight adrift, the early Australian contingent also didn't have a great morning, with former champ Jason Day ending up with a two-over 73, while Min Woo Lee shot 74 and Karl Vilips a poor 78. McIlroy's play-off victory over Justin Rose at Augusta in April made him just the sixth man to complete the career grand slam and it was expected to free him up for a spectacular assault at the venue where he has enjoyed so much success and holds the course record. But at the North Carolinan course where he won his first PGA Tour title in 2010 and has since claimed three more victories, including last year, the man of the moment could only hit three fairways in regulation and flirted with the water with pulled tee shots in an uncharacteristically sluggish display. His playing partners in an early morning 'super group' Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler, also made hard work of it as they started from the 10th tee, with the remarkable sight of all three suffering double bogeys on the 16th, where the two American luminaries both found the water. World No.1 Scheffler, though, battled back to finish handily placed at two under while defending champ Schauffele was one over. The 47-year-old Donald showed them the way with a splendid bogey-free 67 while there was delight too for Fox, son of former All Blacks' World Cup winner Grant Fox, who capitalised in grand fashion after securing his place in the field last Sunday by winning his first PGA Tour title at Myrtle Beach. Gerard, who played collegiate golf for North Carolina, was left a mite frustrated after his lead could have been ever bigger if not for dropping shots at his last two holes after having recorded four straight birdies and an eagle in his first six holes after the turn. With agencies
