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RNZ News
01-08-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
The Warriors' defeat to the Dolphins endangers NRL playoff hopes
Analysis: NZ Warriors are in NRL freefall, after suffering a fourth defeat in their last six outings. Their last-gasp 20-18 loss to the Dolphins at Go Media Stadium was reminiscent of their last-gasp win over Newcastle Knights two weeks ago - except with the opposite emotions. Kiwis winger Jamayne Isaako raced over for the Dolphins' winning try with seconds remaining on the clock, after the Warriors seemed to control much of the second half and had a numerical advantage, with veteran prop Felise Kaufusi serving time in the sin bin. "The game was in our hands at the end, we turned the ball over in two really good spots late and we left them out," Warriors coach Andrew Webster said. "That's the frustrating bit. "We gave ourselves an opportunity to win the game and didn't find a way in the end." Already reeling from the loss of co-captain Mitch Barnett and Dally M-leading halfback Luke Metcalf to season-ending knee injuries, and a neverending midfield crisis, they were forced to make three injury-related changes in their initial team announcement and then another later in the week, before Webster reshuffled his line-up for kickoff. The result now puts their top-four hopes in serious jeopardy and even their playoff position may be under threat, as teams behind them make up ground. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow celebrates the Dolphins' late win over the Warriors. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Here's what this defeat means for the Warriors: With co-captain James Fisher-Harris sidelined by a calf strain, young forward Demitric Vaimauga was initially named for his first start in the front row, but withdrew with injury 24 hours out. Tanner Stowers-Smith was installed as his replacement, but there was always the sense that Webster had something else up his sleeve. Word filtered out - actually, prop Jackson Ford let it slip in the midweek media opp - that Kurt Capewell was training in his preferred second-row spot and Webster was obviously considering his options at centre. Before kickoff, he moved Marata Niukore into the front row, Capewell to the pack, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad to centre and Taine Tuaupiki to fullback, with Stowers-Smith shifted back to the interchange and Eddie Ieremia-Toeava replacing Bunty Afoa on the bench for his debut. "We had to get the best players on the field that we could," Webster explained. "Whatever the positions was, we found the best solution that suited the team and not always the individual. "Charnze had a great mentality towards that. Having no Fish or Demitric, we needed minutes back in the forward pack and Kurt was going to give us that. "He could 80 minutes, so you don't have to make a sub for him, and if something went wrong on the edge, we could move him out there during the game. Leka Halasima scored his fifth try in five games to extend his lead atop the team standings. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ "Most of the decisions this week, there weren't many I had to think about, because they were the options in front of us." Nicoll-Klokstad has the ability to play anywhere in the backline - he has played at centre for the Kiwis and started at five-eighth in a 'Magic Round' win over Penrith Panthers last season - so that was an option that probably should have been tried earlier, given the glut of midfield injuries this season. Ieremia-Toeava became Warrior No.294, logging 25 minutes, running for 58 metres and making 20 tackles. Nominating the last-minute, matchwinning try would seem a little obvious, so let's go back a bit to the 74th minute, when Dolphins prop Felise Kaufusi was binned for a vicious hipdrop tackle on second-rower Jacob Laban and the Warriors had a penalty just left of the posts. A successful kick at goal would have given them a four-point buffer and burnt some time off the clock, but instead, they opted to tap, the subsequent set came to nothing and the rest is history. "That was my call," Webster admitted. "If you kick that goal and get a lead, then they go short, get the ball back and score, you'd never forgive yourself. "You want to put them there [on their goal-line] for the rest of the game. Just put them in the corner, keep them there and don't let them out. "I'll stick by that decision." Instead, Webster pointed a finger at the high tackle from Dallin Watene-Zelezniak that set the Warriors back on their heels in the dying moments and opened up the field for Isaako's heroics. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak was back to his tryscoring best against Dolphins. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ "We just didn't really do our job on that last set, we gave that head-high penalty away and what happened happened," captain Kurt Capewell rued. After the intense scrutiny on his defensive work on the right edge , Watene-Zelezniak reminded everyone why he is regarded as one of the NRL's best finishers, grabbing a try double that must give him confidence going forward. Unfortunately, he undid some of that good work with his late indiscretion and still managed to miss four tackles, one of which allowed Dolphins centre Herbie Farnworth to score the opening try. Moved back to his preferred position in the second row, Capewell produced probably his best performance for the Warriors this season, running for 126 metres and making 31 tackles, but could not get across in cover defence with his despairing dive to stop Isaako at the death. Winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck broke eight tackles and ran for 331 metres, more than 100 after contact, while lock Erin Clark also cracked 200, along with 35 tackles. Prop Jackson Ford led his team with 40 tackles and ran for 144 metres. Teenager Leka Halasima added another try to this team-leading season tally and has now scored in the last five games. The margin for error is surely gone. They still sit fourth on the table, but are rapidly losing ground on those above them, although they can make some of that up next week, when they visit Canterbury Bulldogs. Penrith Panthers face Gold Coast Titans on Saturday, gunning for an eighth-straight win that would bring them within a point of the Warriors. Behind them, the Dolphins, Brisbane Broncos and Cronulla Sharks are lining up. The Sharks still have North Queensland Cowboys this weekend and may close within two points of the Warriors. In ninth, Manly Sea Eagles may close to within four points with victory over Sydney Roosters, with five rounds remaining, and a third straight loss to the Bulldogs could put the Warriors at risk of missing out on playoffs altogether. Jacob Laban suffered a leg injury from a dangerous tackle by Felise Kaufusi. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Given the adversity they faced during this encounter, the visitors were overjoyed at walking away with two valuable competition points. Farnworth has been the form centre of the competition this season and they lost him to a hamstring injury, as he broke clear with speedy fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow unmarked beside him. They lost Kaufusi to the bin, after his ugly tackle on Laban, and had another certain try disallowed for a knock-on by five-eighth Kodi Nikorima. Farnworth is probably gone for a few weeks, while Kaufusi has already served two weeks for dangerous contact this season and may be lucky to avoid more. "To win the way we did, that second half, I thought we were so brave," coach Kristian Woolf reflected. "We did so much defence in our own half and on our own line, we had blokes playing out of position and blokes playing bigger minutes than they're used to. "To hang in like we did and come away with the win at the end, I'm just really proud of them." The Dolphins have the Roosters next and the Warriors' best hope now may be that some of their playoff rivals will start eliminating each other, as they scramble for spots in the eight. After opening the season with six straight wins, the Bulldogs sat atop the table until Round 17, when they lost to the four-time defending champion Panthers. They lost the following week to the Broncos, but have righted the ship with three straight victories and face Wests Tigers on Sunday. They are the toughest team left on the schedule, but a Warriors win may yet turn around their season. Fisher-Harris is unlikely to return, but hooker Wayde Egan will be back from concussion protocols and five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita's niggly calf may also pass. Vaimauga's injury and prognosis is unknown at this stage, but Laban reported a pop in his leg, as Kaufusi landed on it, so that doesn't sound good. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
25-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Warriors match first major sports game to be mainly solar powered
The Warriors play at Go Media Stadium on Saturday night. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Saturday night's Warriors match is the first major sports game in New Zealand to be primarily solar powered. An enormous array of solar panels on the roof of Auckland's Go Media Stadium are estimated to cut the facility's energy costs by $150,000 annually, and their first major stress test would be at the sold out match between the Warriors and Titans. Auckland Stadiums director James Parkinson said the panels had been soaking up the winter sun and would provide most of the stadium's electricity. "We've got the solar panels on the roofs of both the east and west ends of Go Media Stadium, and in total there's over 1600 panels up there," he said. "It's a significant installation and they can power over 60 percent of our annual energy needs." Parkinson noted the array of solar panels was unlike any other stadium in New Zealand, and gave the Australians a run for their money. "We believe this is the first of its kind in terms of a stadium in New Zealand, and even in an Australasian context our understanding is the scale of the installation we have here in significant relative to what exists elsewhere." And he said the cost would be recouped quickly. "The modelling that was done suggested a payback period of between six and eight years, and the early data that we're getting suggests it could even be shorter than that," he said. "There's that financial benefit that sits right alongside the environmental sustainability benefits as well."
RNZ News
25-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
NRL: NZ Warriors v Gold Coast Titans - what you need to know
Former Titans half Tanah Boyd will face off against former Warriors half Kieran Foran - but for opposite teams. Photo: RNZ/Liam Swiggs NZ Warriors v Gold Coast Titans Kickoff 5pm Saturday, 26 July Go Media Stadium Auckland Live blog updates on RNZ Sport Of all the current NRL clubs, only the Dolphins (3-2) and Wests Tigers (23-16) have provided NZ Warriors with better winning records than Gold Coast Titans (20-14) at 58.8 percent. The Warriors have a 9-5 advantage at their Go Media Stadium home, but haven't enjoyed success there since 2019. In fact, now-Warriors halfback Tanah Boyd has brought agony on his current team in the last two outings at Mt Smart, kicking a field goal for victory in 2022, while scoring a try, and kicking three conversions and a field goal on Anzac Day last year. Despite their struggles, the Titans have won five of their last six meetings with the Warriors, including a 66-6 whitewash across the Tasman in their last meeting, when winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira scored four tries. They also prevailed 44-0 at C'bus Stadium in 2021 and those two results stand as the club's biggest-ever wins. The Warriors' best result was a 42-0 win in 2014, when English fullback Sam Tonkins scored two tries, and Shaun Johnson had a try and kicked 7/7 from the tee. After recording back-to-back losses against Penrith Panthers and Brisbane Broncos, the Warriors have emerged from a bye week with back-to-back wins over Wests Tigers and Newcastle Knights. They needed a miraculous last-ditch, 40-metre solo try from teenager second-rower Leka Halasima to secure a 20-15 win over the Knights, but are now on a countdown to secure a playoff berth, with seven games remaining and six points clear of ninth-placed Cronulla Sharks. They'll likely need four more wins, and their run to the post-season includes Gold Coast twice, St George-Illawarra Dragons and Paramatta Eels, all outside the top eight. The Titans sit bottom of the NRL table with 14 points - two behind the Knights, South Sydney Rabbitohs and Paramatta Eels. They have suffered four straight defeats, the most recent a heart-wrenching 21-20 loss to the Tigers, with lock Adam Douehi kicking a field goal for victory. On paper, they have a talented roster, which has just not produced to its potential this season. Only North Queensland Cowboys have conceded more than their 503 points, an average of 29.6 points per game. Only the Cowboys have a worse points differential (-157). Warriors: 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3 Adam Pompey, 4 Kurt Capewell, 5 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6 Chanel Tavita-Harris, 7 Tanah Boyd, 8 James Fisher-Harris, 9 Wayde Egan, 10 Jackson Ford, 11 Leka Halasima, 12 Marata Niukore, 13 Erin Clark Interchange: 14 Te Maire Martin, 15 Jacob Laban, 16 Demitric Vaimauga, 17 Tanner Stowers-Smith Reserves: 18 Taine Tuaupiki, 20 Sam Healey Fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad is the big return for coach Andrew Webster, after nursing a knee injury back to health over the past four weeks. He replaces Taine Tuaupiki in the No.1 jersey, while Kurt Capewell retains his spot in the midfield, despite leaving the field with a knee complaint against Newcastle last week. Titans: 1 AJ Brimson, 2 Jaylan de Groot, 3 Brian Kelly, 4 Jojo Fifita, 5 Phillip Sami, 6 Kieran Foran, 7 Jayden Campbell, 8 Moeaki Fotuaika,19 Sean Mullany, 10 Jaimin Jolliffe, 11 Chris Randall, 12 Beau Fermor, 13 Klese Haas Interchange: 14 Jacob Alick-Wiencke, 15 Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 16 Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui, 17 Josh Patston Reserves: 18 Arama Hau, 20 Tom Weaver After his spectacular locker-room blow-up last week, when he dragged his players out of the showers for a dressing down, coach Des Hasler gets to celebrate his 500th game as an NRL, amid speculation over his future at the helm of the bottom-placed team. He's lost the services of superstar forwards Tino Fa'asuamaleaui (knee) and David Fifita (ankle) through injury, with Klese Haas promoted to the starting line-up. On Friday, Hasler made a later change at hooker, with Sam Verrills remaining in Australia for the birth of his first childe and Sean Mullany taking his place. Literally one of the Titans' favourite sons, Jayden Campbell, is the offspring of the club's inaugural signing, Preston Campbell, and inherits many of his dad's off-the-cuff instincts for the game. Campbell Jr was a major inflictor of pain in last year's 60-point thrashing of the Warriors, scoring a try and kicking 11/11 from the tee for 26 points. Veteran five-eighth Kieran Foran chalked up 17 games for the Warriors in 2017, but has signalled this will be his last NRL campaign in a 17-year career that has seen him log more than 300 games, despite persistent injuries. The Warriors can't afford to sleepwalk through this game, like they did last week, and expect to grab the two competition points. Hopefully, the desperate nature of the Knights win will act as a wake-up call. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
22-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad back for NZ Warriors against Gold Coast Titans
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad has recovered from a knee injury suffered four weeks ago. Photo: Brett Phibbs / Photosport Fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad will return from injury, when NZ Warriors take on Gold Coast Titans at Go Media Stadium on Saturday. Nicoll-Klokstad, 29, suffered the knee against Brisbane Broncos four weeks ago, but has made a timely recovery to reclaim his No.1 jersey from Taine Tuaupiki for the encounter against the NRL cellar dwellers. His inclusion is the only change to the squad that barely overcame Newcastle Knights last weekend, with a last-ditch try to second-rower Leka Halasima. Veteran Kurt Capewell has been named to start at centre, despite leaving the field 20 minutes before the end of that encounter, while second-rower Marata Niukore will bring up 150 NRL games - 96 for Parramatta Eels and 54 for the Warriors, after beginning his career in the junior programme at Mt Smart. Former Titans Tanah Boyd and Erin Clark will line up against their old team, which they helped to two wins over the Warriors last season - the first an Anzac Day fixture in Auckland and the second a 60-point drubbing across the Tasman. In his 500th first-grade game in charge, under-siege Titans coach Des Hasler won't have the services of star forward Tino Fa'asuamaleaui with a knee injury and David Fifita, who has re-aggravated an ankle injury. Former Warrior Kieran Foran will start at five-eighth for Gold Coast. Warriors: 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3 Adam Pompey, 4 Kurt Capewell, 5 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6 Chanel Tavita-Harris, 7 Tanah Boyd, 8 James Fisher-Harris, 9 Wayde Egan, 10 Jackson Ford, 11 Leka Halasima, 12 Marata Niukore, 13 Erin Clark Interchange: 14 Te Maire Martin, 15 Jacob Laban, 16 Demitric Vaimauga, 17 Tanner Stowers-Smith Reserves: 18 Taine Tuaupiki, 20 Sam Healey, 21 Bunty Afoa, 22 Ali Leiataua, 23 Eddie Ieremia-Toeava Titans: 1 AJ Brimson, 2 Jaylan de Groot, 3 Brian Kelly, 4 Jojo Fifita, 5 Phillip Sami, 6 Kieran Foran, 7 Jayden Campbell, 8 Moeaki Fotuaika, 9 Sam Verrills, 10 Jaimin Jolliffe, 11 Chris Randall, 12 Beau Fermor, 13 Klese Haas Interchange: 14 Jacob Alick-Wiencke, 15 Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 16 Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui, 17 Josh Patston Reserves: 18 Arama Hau, 19 Sean Mullany, 20 Tom Weaver, 21 Ryan Foran, 22 Alofiana Khan-Pereira Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
12-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Benji Marshall's Wests Tigers silence critics with onfield defiance
Benji Marshall has been under siege since taking the coaching reins of the Tigers last season. Photo: Alan Lee/ Warriors v Tigers Kickoff 4pm Sunday, 13 July Go Media Stadium, Auckland Live blog updates on RNZ Sport Depending on who you believe, Wests Tigers are either an NRL club imploding or slowly bringing about a culture change that has shaken a few reluctant passengers to the kerbside. Kiwi legend Benji Marshall has been under siege since the day he took over the coaching reins of the joint-venture club last season, guiding them to just six wins and the wooden spoon in his debut. Mind you, the Tigers also finished bottom of the table the two previous seasons and last reached the playoffs in 2011, when Marshall was still on the playing roster. Ironically, that post-season campaign ended with defeat to NZ Warriors. This week, they arrive to face the Warriors at Go Media Stadium off the back of a morale-boosting victory over Sydney Roosters in a contest devoid of Origin stars. The result has - temporarily at least - muted the critics. With two months remaining in the regular season, Wests already have as many wins as they managed all last season - they're only two points off the bottom of the table, but only four points outside the playoffs on a congested table. Bolstered by several high-profile recruits - particularly former Penrith Panthers half Jarome Luai and controversial prop Terrell May from the Roosters - the Tigers seem to be turning a corner, but their cause hasn't been helped by the loss of talented youngsters Lachlan Galvin and Tallyn da Silva to rival clubs. Last week, Marshall also had to defend himself against media reports that he had fallen out with veteran centre Adam Doueihi at training. "There was a lot of s**t that happened during the week that was just not true and unfair, and starts because we're losing," he said. "Then it gets reported, then every podcast jumps on it and every news article jumps on something that isn't true. Like the thing with me and Adam was crazy, and we had to defend that. "It just puts pressure on the club that we don't need." Outsiders claim Marshall has struggled to establish appropriate boundaries with his players in his new role as coach, and his close bond with some of his roster has fractured the squad. If nothing else, the unwanted attention has motivated those players that remain loyal. "It started with Benji," said stand-in captain and former teammate Alex Twal, after the Roosters result. "We showed today how much he means to us. "Everyone really wanted to win today." Warriors coach Andrew Webster knows the political landscape all too well, after playing through the junior grades at Balmain Tigers and later returning to coach those same teams, guiding their U18s to a national championship. He began the 2017 season as assistant to first-grade coach Jason Taylor, but was temporarily promoted to the top job, when Taylor was sacked just three games in. Webster guided the team to two losses, before Ivan Cleary was installed as his replacement. "I think they're used to that external pressure," Webster said. "If you coach or play or live in Sydney rugby league, you're going to get hammered every day, and I think they're used to that. "They're a resilient bunch at the moment. They're always looking for the weak link - the team that probably hasn't played as well. "They were all saying how good they were when they were winning at the start - they were amazing - but the media are really quick to jump on their backs. I just think they're a resilient group and showed that on the weekend." The Tigers took back-to-back wins into their March meeting with the Warriors, who needed a late penalty from Luke Metcalf to emerge victorious 26-24. Wests subsequently strung together wins against Cronulla Sharks and St George Illawarra Dragons, but their result over the Roosters probably ranks as their best performance of the season. "They looked like a team that was really well bonded and looked, internally, like there were no cracks, while externally, everyone's trying to find them," Webster observed. "That backs-to-the-wall, no-one-likes-us mentality… Queensland use it every year, so someone else may as well use it." Much like their coach in his heyday, the Tigers play an unorthodox, off-the-cuff style that can often be difficult to plan against. "They're a dangerous team with a lot of dangerous ballrunners and ballplayers on attack, so we'll have to be on our game defensively to limit their opportunities down our end," Warriors hooker Wayde Egan said. "Guys like Luai and [fullback Sunia Turuva] bounce around the middle of the field with footwork and stuff, so we have to be honest defensively all game and not take a play off. That's what those guys rely on." Webster echoed that warning. "If your standards hold up, and you play the way you want to and defend the way you want to, then whatever they throw, you'll be ready for it," he said. "Their unpredictability is definitely their strength, but they also play very well off structure. They certainly play what they see and [Turuva] at fullback has added a lot for them last week." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
