Latest news with #TanahBoyd

NZ Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Warriors v Dragons live updates: Warriors look to end losing run
Live updates of the NRL clash between the Warriors and Dragons as Andrew Webster's side look to end a three-game losing run. Warriors coach Andrew Webster has recalled halfback Tanah Boyd and hooker Wayde Egan as the side looks to break a three-game losing streak when they face the St George Illawarra Dragons. Boyd, 25, was dropped to the club's reserve grade NSW Cup side last week after originally being named as a starter for the top grade team 24 hours out from their 32-14 loss to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. Webster instead called on Te Maire Martin to fill in at No 7 for his second start of the season, but the utility left the field 22 minutes into the game after suffering a concussion. Boyd has been named to return in the halfback jersey against the Dragons at Auckland's Go Media Stadium on Friday night in what will be the Warriors' penultimate home game of the NRL regular season. Meanwhile, the Warriors will be without veteran second-rower Kurt Capewell, who also suffered a head knock against the Bulldogs. Leka Halasima moves from the bench into the starting lineup to replace him. Egan returns to the starting side after missing the last two games because of a head knock and shoulder injury. He has replaced rookie Samuel Healey, who will shift back to the interchange bench. The two sides last met in round 10 at Wollongong's WIN Stadium, when the Warriors won 15-14 after a 69th-minute Luke Metcalf field goal. Metcalf, the favoured halfback for the opening 17 rounds of the Warriors' campaign, was ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL against the Brisbane Broncos in June. With four rounds remaining before the finals series, the Warriors hope to revive their top-four aspirations after three consecutive losses – against the Bulldogs, Redcliffe Dolphins and Gold Coast Titans – pushed them into fifth on the NRL ladder, one point behind the Penrith Panthers. The Warriors have lost five of their last seven games, three of those in front of sold-out Go Media Stadium crowds. The Dragons, meanwhile, sit in 11th place, four points behind the eighth-placed Dolphins. They have to win their remaining four games and have results go their way to have a chance of qualifying for the finals. However, the Warriors won't be expecting an easy win after the Dragons have upset top-of-the-table Canberra Raiders and seventh-place Cronulla Sharks in the past two rounds. Warriors team to face Dragons, kickoff 8pm Warriors team: 1. Taine Tuaupiki, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Adam Pompey, 4. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7. Tanah Boyd, 8. James Fisher-Harris (c), 9. Wayde Egan, 10. Jackson Ford, 11. Leka Halasima, 12. Marata Niukore, 13. Erin Clark. Interchange (from): 14. Samuel Healey, 15. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, 16. Demitric Vaimauga, 17. Tanner Stowers-Smith, 18. Freddy Lussick, 20. Edward Kosi, 21. Tom Ale, 22. Kayliss Fatialofa, 25. Bunty Afoa.

RNZ News
5 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
NZ Warriors turn to jilted halfback Tanah Boyd against St George-Illawarra Dragons
Tanah Boyd waited half a season for his club debut, after arriving from Gold Coast. Photo: Brett Phibbs/ NZ Warriors v St George-Illawarra Dragons 8pm Friday, 15 August Go Media Stadium, Auckland Live blog updates on RNZ Sport Less than a week after dropping Tanah Boyd from his line-up against Canterbury Bulldogs, NZ Warriors coach Andrew Webster has had to go back to his jilted halfback , asking him to come back. Last Tuesday, Webster named Boyd for his fifth straight game in the No.7 jersey, but made the late call to replace him with Te Maire Martin, who had served as an interchange utility through most of the season, but played at five-eighth - outside Boyd - the previous week. "I thought Te Maire forced his way into the team," Webster said. "He had played good football and Boydy was very hard done-by by myself. "He had done some very good things in first grade, but I thought it was a good opportunity to reward Te Maire for his efforts. "At the same time, I got it wrong, didn't I, because Te Maire got injured and we only had one half. That's life. "Boydy's a fantastic part of the direction we want to go and it was a hard, hard call, but something I thought was best for the team." The first inkling anyone outside the club had that a change was afoot came when Boyd surprisingly suited up for the reserves in NSW Cup on Saturday afternoon. The switch became official an hour before kickoff, when coaches must confirm their playing squad. Depending on his team's practice schedule for the week, Webster admitted he was unlikely to make big selection calls public when the team was announced each Tuesday. Last week, several injured players faced fitness tests to confirm their availability, so that also played a part in the late decision to drop Boyd. "I'm not going to drop them through the media and I'm not going to pick them through the media," he said. "It's actually landed a lot this year. "I know what the 22 looks like, but I'm not going to ring them up and tell them they are or aren't playing on the phone, out of respect to the player. "We made it clear to the halves that we would go with two hookers, so one of them wouldn't play. As soon as we knew they all came through training OK, we would make a call." Tanah Boyd offers a skillset based on a strong kicking game. Photo: Brett Phibbs/ Boyd, 25, came to the Warriors this season, after logging 69 games across six seasons with Gold Coast Titans. He was a big reason the reserves are top of the NSW Cup table and currently on a 16-game unbeaten stretch that includes one draw. He waited more than four months , before finally getting his club NRL debut, when incumbent Luke Metcalf suffered a season-ending knee injury. Boyd offered a very different skillset, based on a strong kicking game, and his first outing against Wests Tigers was on point . His second was a last-gasp win against Newcastle Knights, where he missed two field goals and a penalty that could have clinched victory in the dying moments, then ironically, the winning try came from a third dropkick that was charged down into the hands of teen sensation Leka Halasima , who raced 40 metres to score. Then came losses to Gold Coast Titans, sitting last on the NRL table , and the Dolphins, battling to make the playoffs . Neither were directly Boyd's fault, but there was a sense that something needed to change to shake the team out of their doldrums. "I went through it blow by blow each week - what he was doing well and what he needed to work on," Webster said. "There were things we wanted to celebrate with him, things we needed to work on. "There were things he needed to go back to Cup and work on, but it wasn't a case of, 'You've been crap, I'm dropping you'. "He took it like a man and it was a hard conversation. When you get your chance and, after four games, you're told you're not playing this week, that's obviously disappointing - and you want them to be disappointed, because that means they care. "He was awesome. We went out and trained that day, and he trained in the other team and was really hard to handle for us." With Martin now sidelined under concussion protocols, Webster had to turn back to Boyd to fill the vacancy against St George-Illawarra Dragons on Friday. "I said, 'Mate, do you want to play this week?' and of course he says yes," Webster said. "It's a no-brainer. "Those conversations aren't easy, but they're fine to have, when you have a good relationship with the player." Boyd signed for one season with the Warriors, plus a player option, which he took up even before stepping into first grade. This week, Martin also signed a one-year extension with the club, which already had Metcalf and Chanel Harris-Tavita on its books for 2026, and highly touted Jett Cleary lurking in the wings, so Boyd faces plenty of competition in the halves. Once Martin clears protocols, Webster faces a tough decision over who fills those halves positions this season, with four games remaining and a pack of playoff hopefuls now breathing down their necks. "I'm not going to pick next week's team this week," he chuckled. "I've got complete clarity over the way we want to play and whoever fits that will get the nod." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

1News
5 days ago
- Sport
- 1News
Capewell out, Boyd returns for NZ Warriors against Dragons
State of Origin star Kurt Capewell will miss NZ Warriors' crucial home game against St George Illawarra Dragons on Friday with concussion, but halfback Tanah Boyd is back in the starting line-up. Boyd was a last-minute drop from the team that fell to Canterbury Bulldogs last weekend, but has been ushered back into the line-up to replace the man who replaced him — Te Maire Martin — who lasted just 23 minutes, before also succumbing to concussion. Capewell left the field in the 60th minute for a head check and was cleared to return, re-entering the game with five minutes left on the clock, but has apparently not recovered as hoped afterwards. His place in the second row will be filled by teenage sensation Leka Halasima, with rookie Eddie Ieremia-Toeava promoted to the interchange. Hooker Wayde Egan also returns from a shoulder niggle, replacing Freddy Lussick in the playing line-up. Meanwhile, the Dragons have tweaked the team that defeated Cronulla Sharks last week, with Hastings-born centre Mat Feagai returning from a groin injury to replace Moses Suli, who has injured a knee. ADVERTISEMENT Prop Michael Molo is back from an ankle injury, while Auckland-born youngster Loko Pasifiki Tonga is named for the first time since Round 18. The Warriors sit fifth on the NRL table, but just two points clear of Brisbane Broncos and Cronulla Sharks, with eighth-placed Dolphins and ninth-placed Sydney Roosters another two back. St George are 11th, four points outside the playoff eight, but have accounted for tabletoppers Canberra Raiders and Cronulla in their last two outings. Warriors v Dragons, Go Media Stadium, 8pm, Friday, August 15 Warriors: 1. Taine Tuaupiki, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Adam Pompey, 4. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7. Tanah Boyd, 8. James Fisher-Harris, 9. Wayde Egan, 10. Jackson Ford, 11. Leka Halasima, 12. Marata Niukore, 13. Erin Clark Interchange: 14. Sam Healey, 15. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, 16. Demetric Vaimauga, 17. Tanner Stowers-Smith Reserves: 18. Freddy Lussick, 20. Ed Kosi, 21. Tom Ale, 22. Kayliss Fatialofa, 25. Bunty Afoa ADVERTISEMENT Dragons: 1. Clint Gutherson, 2. Tyrell Sloan, 3. Hayden Buchanan, 4. Mat Feagai, 5. Corey Allan, 6. Lyhkan King-Tongia, 7. Kyle Flanagan, 8. Emre Guler, 9. Damien Cook, 10. David Klemmer, 11. Luciano Leilua, 12. Hamish Stewart, 13. Jack de Belin Interchange: 14. Jacob Liddle, 15. Michael Molo, 16. Hame Sele, 17. Loko Pasifiki Tonga Reserves: 18. Ben Murdoch-Masila, 19. Lachlan Ilias, 20. Jacob Halangahu, 21. Nathan Lawson, 22. Christian Tuipulotu By Grant Chapman for

NZ Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Warriors v Dragons: Tanah Boyd, Wayde Egan return to side in bid to break losing streak
Warriors coach Andrew Webster has recalled halfback Tanah Boyd and hooker Wayde Egan as the side looks to break a three-game losing streak, against the St George Illawarra Dragons. Boyd, 25, was last week dropped to the club's reserve grade NSW Cup side after originally being named as a starter

NZ Herald
09-08-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Warriors v Bulldogs: Live updates from the crucial round 23 NRL clash
Advertise with NZME. All the action as the Warriors travel to Sydney to take on the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in a crucial NRL Indigenous Round clash. In a bombshell late change to his side's starting lineup to take on the Bulldogs, Warriors coach Andrew Webster has dropped halfback Tanah Boyd. Boyd was named in the No 7 jersey for the top grade team 24 hours out from the game, but surprisingly played 80 minutes in the club's reserve grade NSW Cup side. The Warriors have not given a reason for the 25-year-old's relegation, but have instead called upon Te Maire Martin to fill in at halfback. Meanwhile, the Warriors welcome back skipper James Fisher-Harris and five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita for Saturday night's clash. Both players missed last week's 20-18 loss to the Dolphins with calf injuries but have been named in the Warriors squad as the side looks to snap a two-game losing streak. Captain Fisher-Harris was originally named on the extended bench, but was brought into the starting 13 by Webster on Friday night. His inclusion sees Marata Niukore move into the second row, Leka Halasima pushed to the interchange bench and last week's debutant Eddie Ieremia-Toeava into the reserves. Te Maire Martin has been named on the interchange bench at the expense of Freddy Lussick. Prop Demitric Vaimauga, who also missed the loss to the Dolphins, is also on the interchange, replacing Jacob Laban, who has been ruled out for six weeks with a broken leg. Laban was on the wrong end of a hip-drop tackle at the weekend and the culprit, Felise Kaufusi, has been slapped with a two-match ban. Hooker Wayde Egan has overcome his head knock but Webster is using the match to help the 28-year-old rest a persistent shoulder injury. That gives Samuel Healey a start in the No 9 jersey for his fourth NRL appearance. For the Bulldogs, Lachlan Gavlin has been named at halfback despite fracturing his hand in their 28-14 loss to the Wests Tigers. The Warriors have lost four of their past six matches, including the last two, and sit in fifth place after a strong Penrith Panthers showing against the Newcastle Knights on Friday. The Bulldogs beat the Warriors twice last season, a golden point 13-12 thriller in Sydney and a 34-18 win in Auckland. Warriors team: 1. Taine Tuaupiki, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Adam Pompey, 4. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7. Tanah Boyd, 10. Jackson Ford, 9. Samuel Healey, 23. James Fisher-Harris (c), 8. Marata Niukore, 12. Kurt Capewell, 13. Erin Clark. Interchange (from): 11. Leka Halasima, 14. Te Maire Martin, 16. Demitric Vaimauga, 17. Tanner Stowers-Smith, 18. Freddy Lussick, 15. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava.