Latest news with #Tupaea
1News
4 days ago
- Sport
- 1News
The big winners from the first three All Blacks Tests of the year
Analysis: Lock Fabian Holland was the best of the new crop, while a super-sub midfielder proved he is too valuable for the bench, writes Patrick McKendry. The hard data on the first three Tests of the year is in for All Blacks coach Scott Robertson, who will have seen several newcomers repay his faith, including Fabian Holland and Du'Plessis Kirifi, and several veterans enhance their reputations, most obviously Beauden Barrett and younger brother Jordie. Holland, the 22-year-old Netherlands-born lock with one of the better backstories at this level, looked every inch the international second-rower over three 80-minute Tests, with Kirifi displaying an impressive maturity in adapting to his late call-up to start Saturday's 29-19 victory over France in Hamilton. Beauden Barrett's stocks, meanwhile, probably rose after the weekend despite not being involved in the Test due to a hand fracture which Robertson is confident will heal in time for the start of the Rugby Championship next month. Barrett brought a calmness to the first two Tests that was not evident at Waikato Stadium under Damian McKenzie's stewardship, although that should be mitigated by the experimental look to the All Blacks line-up which clearly exacerbated the lack of cohesion. ADVERTISEMENT There is no doubt either than Jordie is by far the nation's best second-five and, if anything, his sabbatical at Irish club Leinster appears to have moulded him into a more complete Test player. Used to running against big European defenders, Jordie, who replaced Quinn Tupaea ahead of the final quarter, was the perfect player to break down the stubborn French resistance due to his willingness to charge headlong into metaphorical brick walls. It took bravery to consistently do that and also sent a message that Jordie, a late inclusion to the bench due to Rieko Ioane's hamstring issue on the eve of the match, was a threat every time he got the ball. It was Jordie's decisiveness to take on France replacement lock Romain Taofifenua – all 2.0m and 135kg of him – which led to Brodie McAlister's game-sealing try. His scramble back on defence to close out the flying Emilien Gailleton in the corner when his team was defending a 22-19 lead should not be underestimated either. Jordie Barrett, left, and brother Beauden after the first Test in Dunedin. (Source: Photosport) Tupaea, in his first Test in three years, appeared stretched at times as he re-adjusted to the pace of Test rugby. The All Blacks squad dispersed yesterday but one of Tupaea's review clips will likely feature an attack in the first half when his side, trailing 10-16 at the time, won excellent ball from a quick lineout in their own territory and McKenzie found him in a lot of space with Anton Lienert-Brown, Ruben Love and Will Jordan outside him. ADVERTISEMENT It was a four-on-two situation but, rather than exploit that with the array of attacking talent at his disposal, Tupaea cut back in, was tackled, and then penalised for not releasing the ball. French captain Gael Fickou showed his experience at the breakdown by coming in from the side and disrupting the All Blacks' support players. Robertson was clearly happy with the impact of his bench in Hamilton, and rightly so given the physicality of prop George Bower, hooker Brodie McAlister and loose forward Dalton Papali'i, but Jordie made the largest contribution and a problem for the head coach is that the 28-year-old is too valuable to be on the bench for the biggest Tests. Veteran hooker Codie Taylor's performances over the first two Tests also underlined his importance to the side, while Ardie Savea, installed as captain after Scott Barrett's calf tear in Dunedin, was his usual inspirational self. Will Jordan, who scored his 41st Test try in his 43rd Test at the weekend, is clearly the nation's best outside back – no matter where he plays in the back three. A word, too, on Tupou Vaa'i, the converted blindside flanker who was missed by his team in Hamilton. He may have been a reluctant convert from lock when first asked to play in the black No.6 jersey at the 2023 World Cup but he proved in Dunedin and Wellington that he has the instincts to excel there. With prop Tamaiti Williams (knee) and Wallace Sititi (ankle) to return, the All Blacks' pack will feature, power, pace and creativity for the upcoming Tests against Argentina, South Africa and Australia, starting with the Pumas in Cordoba on August 17. ADVERTISEMENT Look out, too, for the inclusion of the returning Leicester Fainga'anuku, a midfielder or wing who possesses all of the above qualities, for the Rugby Championship squad of 36 that Robertson will name on August 4.
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
All Blacks v France: Quinn Tupaea's resilience on path to homecoming test in Hamilton
Quinn Tupaea knows more than most the resilience required to ride the rugby wave. Tupaea starts his first homecoming test in Hamilton as the All Blacks seek to finish off the French on Saturday. Running out at Waikato Stadium surrounded by Chiefs teammates – five in the starting backline
7NEWS
29-06-2025
- Health
- 7NEWS
Patients seek reassurances after IVF mix-ups at Monash
Alarms firing off in an IVF lab as work grinds to a halt may sound like the start of a technology meltdown but at many of Australia's major fertility clinics it's actually a sign safety systems are kicking into gear. Known as electronic witnessing, the mechanism prevents tissue mix ups and involves multiple layers of identity-document checks by humans and computers. While rarely needed, it's a safeguard standard that's becoming the norm in an industry suddenly needing to win back public trust following revelations of two devastating errors at one of Australia's biggest facilities. The first saw a mother give birth to another couple's biological child after she was impregnated with the wrong embryo at Monash IVF in Brisbane some years ago. The other involved a woman incorrectly receiving her own embryo instead of one from her same-sex partner as requested, which happened at the company's Melbourne clinic earlier in June. Trust 'eroded' The bungles have sparked a rush of patients reaching out to fertility clinics seeking reassurances about their own sperm, eggs, embryos and children. 'At the moment, the trust in the industry has been eroded,' says Connect IVF scientific director Lauren Hiser. 'It certainly opened up the conversation again. 'I do believe those questions inherently are always there but it's probably made patients verbalise it a little.' She's found explaining electronic and human witnessing practices at her own facility in Sydney have put patients' minds at ease but knows it will take time for confidence to return. Monash IVF has repeatedly apologised and vowed to introduce additional verification processes over and above normal practices. About 40 IVF-related rules Official probes into what happened are under way, with the company yet to offer explanations for how the mix ups occurred beyond two ASX announcements. Pink Elephants Support Network chief operating officer Jen Tupaea is among many Monash IVF patients wanting to know more. She's noticed a general sense of uneasiness set in among IVF parents across Australia and believes patients need more reassurances that all due diligence is done. 'There's already a lot of uncertainty and worry and sort of lack of control and I think this just adds another element to that,' Ms Tupaea says. 'Patchwork' is a term often used to describe the 40-odd pieces of legislation affecting IVF in Australian states and territories. There's variations on anything from how long embryos can be stored to how many families can use the same sperm donor and even certain states banning overseas donor eggs. Until now, the industry has largely been left to regulate itself through yearly accreditations but the mix ups spurred health ministers including Victoria's Mary-Anne Thomas to unite behind a push to explore national regulation. It's something Pink Elephants supports, with Ms Tupaea describing IVF regulation as 'a bit of a black box'. Add-on treatments She's aware of parents worried about what would happen if a similar devastating mix up occurred at a smaller clinic that doesn't have ASX reporting requirements. 'The main concern when something like that comes up is, why are we hearing about it now, and what are we not hearing about?' she says. Australia's first IVF baby was born 45 years ago and now some 20,000 babies conceived through IVF are born here each year. Greater regulation is also something clinicians want, Ms Hiser explains. 'We regulated ourselves because no one enforced it upon us and because we saw the need for patient safety,' she says. 'We've done a very good job of that up until now, and that's why I'm very curious to find out exactly what went wrong (at Monash IVF) because we're having a hard time ... understanding how it did happen.' IVF researcher and University of Melbourne Senior Research Fellow Sarah Lensen wants any future regulation to also include greater monitoring of 'add-on' treatments. She specialises in evaluating their safety and effectiveness, saying for the most part there isn't a lot of good evidence they help patients. 'The banking industry is highly regulated and I think for the better, so I don't know why we wouldn't accept independent regulation in this space,' Dr Lensen says. City Fertility Group's Victorian Scientific Director Jayne Mullen wants patients to have confidence regardless of how big a clinic is, professionals are bound by strict accreditation and licensing requirements so any mistakes must be reported to health authorities. 'We're continuously monitored and audited, we are obliged to report any serious adverse event,' she says. The scientist is also fielding more calls than usual from concerned parents, offering to take them through laboratories. While fully confident in their use of electronic witnessing and human verification, she says the Monash IVF mix ups still cause her to pause and review protocols. 'Doctors, nurses, scientists, everyone that's working in our IVF industry, we have the best of intentions, we want everyone to walk away with a happy, healthy baby,' she says. 'Mistakes are so rare.' Both Ms Mullen and Ms Hiser find explaining safety controls has put many patients at ease, urging anyone still feeling nervous about treatments to reach out to their providers. 'If they don't, say, have an electronic witnessing system in place ask them why don't you, why do my fees not cover you having this extra layer of security?' Ms Hiser says. 'If you don't have that, fine, that's okay but tell me how you control (safety). 'If you still have questions after that, then maybe ask yourself are they the people that I want to be doing my IVF journey with?'
Perth Now
28-06-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Patients seek reassurances after IVF mix ups
Alarms firing off in an IVF lab as work grinds to a halt may sound like the start of a technology meltdown but at many of Australia's major fertility clinics it's actually a sign safety systems are kicking into gear. Known as electronic witnessing, the mechanism prevents tissue mix ups and involves multiple layers of identity-document checks by humans and computers. While rarely needed, it's a safeguard standard that's becoming the norm in an industry suddenly needing to win back public trust following revelations of two devastating errors at one of Australia's biggest facilities. The first saw a mother give birth to another couple's biological child after she was impregnated with the wrong embryo at Monash IVF in Brisbane some years ago. The other involved a woman incorrectly receiving her own embryo instead of one from her same-sex partner as requested, which happened at the company's Melbourne clinic earlier in June. The bungles have sparked a rush of patients reaching out to fertility clinics seeking reassurances about their own sperm, eggs, embryos and children. "At the moment, the trust in the industry has been eroded," says Connect IVF scientific director Lauren Hiser. "It certainly opened up the conversation again. "I do believe those questions inherently are always there but it's probably made patients verbalise it a little." She's found explaining electronic and human witnessing practices at her own facility in Sydney have put patients' minds at ease but knows it will take time for confidence to return. Monash IVF has repeatedly apologised and vowed to introduce additional verification processes over and above normal practices. Official probes into what happened are under way, with the company yet to offer explanations for how the mix ups occurred beyond two ASX announcements. Pink Elephants Support Network chief operating officer Jen Tupaea is among many Monash IVF patients wanting to know more. She's noticed a general sense of uneasiness set in among IVF parents across Australia and believes patients need more reassurances that all due diligence is done. "There's already a lot of uncertainty and worry and sort of lack of control and I think this just adds another element to that," Ms Tupaea says. 'Patchwork' is a term often used to describe the 40-odd pieces of legislation affecting IVF in Australian states and territories. There's variations on anything from how long embryos can be stored to how many families can use the same sperm donor and even certain states banning overseas donor eggs. Until now, the industry has largely been left to regulate itself through yearly accreditations but the mix ups spurred health ministers including Victoria's Mary-Anne Thomas to unite behind a push to explore national regulation. It's something Pink Elephants supports, with Ms Tupaea describing IVF regulation as "a bit of a black box". She's aware of parents worried about what would happen if a similar devastating mix up occurred at a smaller clinic that doesn't have ASX reporting requirements. "The main concern when something like that comes up is, why are we hearing about it now, and what are we not hearing about?" she says. Australia's first IVF baby was born 45 years ago and now some 20,000 babies conceived through IVF are born here each year. Greater regulation is also something clinicians want, Ms Hiser explains. "We regulated ourselves because no one enforced it upon us and because we saw the need for patient safety," she says. "We've done a very good job of that up until now, and that's why I'm very curious to find out exactly what went wrong (at Monash IVF) because we're having a hard time ... understanding how it did happen." IVF researcher and University of Melbourne Senior Research Fellow Sarah Lensen wants any future regulation to also include greater monitoring of 'add-on' treatments. She specialises in evaluating their safety and effectiveness, saying for the most part there isn't a lot of good evidence they help patients. "The banking industry is highly regulated and I think for the better, so I don't know why we wouldn't accept independent regulation in this space," Dr Lensen says. City Fertility Group's Victorian Scientific Director Jayne Mullen wants patients to have confidence regardless of how big a clinic is, professionals are bound by strict accreditation and licensing requirements so any mistakes must be reported to health authorities. "We're continuously monitored and audited, we are obliged to report any serious adverse event," she says. The scientist is also fielding more calls than usual from concerned parents, offering to take them through laboratories. While fully confident in their use of electronic witnessing and human verification, she says the Monash IVF mix ups still cause her to pause and review protocols. "Doctors, nurses, scientists, everyone that's working in our IVF industry, we have the best of intentions, we want everyone to walk away with a happy, healthy baby," she says. "Mistakes are so rare." Both Ms Mullen and Ms Hiser find explaining safety controls has put many patients at ease, urging anyone still feeling nervous about treatments to reach out to their providers. "If they don't, say, have an electronic witnessing system in place ask them why don't you, why do my fees not cover you having this extra layer of security?" Ms Hiser says. "If you don't have that, fine, that's okay but tell me how you control (safety). "If you still have questions after that, then maybe ask yourself are they the people that I want to be doing my IVF journey with?"
West Australian
28-06-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Patients seek reassurances after IVF mix ups
Alarms firing off in an IVF lab as work grinds to a halt may sound like the start of a technology meltdown but at many of Australia's major fertility clinics it's actually a sign safety systems are kicking into gear. Known as electronic witnessing, the mechanism prevents tissue mix ups and involves multiple layers of identity-document checks by humans and computers. While rarely needed, it's a safeguard standard that's becoming the norm in an industry suddenly needing to win back public trust following revelations of two devastating errors at one of Australia's biggest facilities. The first saw a mother give birth to another couple's biological child after she was impregnated with the wrong embryo at Monash IVF in Brisbane some years ago. The other involved a woman incorrectly receiving her own embryo instead of one from her same-sex partner as requested, which happened at the company's Melbourne clinic earlier in June. The bungles have sparked a rush of patients reaching out to fertility clinics seeking reassurances about their own sperm, eggs, embryos and children. "At the moment, the trust in the industry has been eroded," says Connect IVF scientific director Lauren Hiser. "It certainly opened up the conversation again. "I do believe those questions inherently are always there but it's probably made patients verbalise it a little." She's found explaining electronic and human witnessing practices at her own facility in Sydney have put patients' minds at ease but knows it will take time for confidence to return. Monash IVF has repeatedly apologised and vowed to introduce additional verification processes over and above normal practices. Official probes into what happened are under way, with the company yet to offer explanations for how the mix ups occurred beyond two ASX announcements. Pink Elephants Support Network chief operating officer Jen Tupaea is among many Monash IVF patients wanting to know more. She's noticed a general sense of uneasiness set in among IVF parents across Australia and believes patients need more reassurances that all due diligence is done. "There's already a lot of uncertainty and worry and sort of lack of control and I think this just adds another element to that," Ms Tupaea says. 'Patchwork' is a term often used to describe the 40-odd pieces of legislation affecting IVF in Australian states and territories. There's variations on anything from how long embryos can be stored to how many families can use the same sperm donor and even certain states banning overseas donor eggs. Until now, the industry has largely been left to regulate itself through yearly accreditations but the mix ups spurred health ministers including Victoria's Mary-Anne Thomas to unite behind a push to explore national regulation. It's something Pink Elephants supports, with Ms Tupaea describing IVF regulation as "a bit of a black box". She's aware of parents worried about what would happen if a similar devastating mix up occurred at a smaller clinic that doesn't have ASX reporting requirements. "The main concern when something like that comes up is, why are we hearing about it now, and what are we not hearing about?" she says. Australia's first IVF baby was born 45 years ago and now some 20,000 babies conceived through IVF are born here each year. Greater regulation is also something clinicians want, Ms Hiser explains. "We regulated ourselves because no one enforced it upon us and because we saw the need for patient safety," she says. "We've done a very good job of that up until now, and that's why I'm very curious to find out exactly what went wrong (at Monash IVF) because we're having a hard time ... understanding how it did happen." IVF researcher and University of Melbourne Senior Research Fellow Sarah Lensen wants any future regulation to also include greater monitoring of 'add-on' treatments. She specialises in evaluating their safety and effectiveness, saying for the most part there isn't a lot of good evidence they help patients. "The banking industry is highly regulated and I think for the better, so I don't know why we wouldn't accept independent regulation in this space," Dr Lensen says. City Fertility Group's Victorian Scientific Director Jayne Mullen wants patients to have confidence regardless of how big a clinic is, professionals are bound by strict accreditation and licensing requirements so any mistakes must be reported to health authorities. "We're continuously monitored and audited, we are obliged to report any serious adverse event," she says. The scientist is also fielding more calls than usual from concerned parents, offering to take them through laboratories. While fully confident in their use of electronic witnessing and human verification, she says the Monash IVF mix ups still cause her to pause and review protocols. "Doctors, nurses, scientists, everyone that's working in our IVF industry, we have the best of intentions, we want everyone to walk away with a happy, healthy baby," she says. "Mistakes are so rare." Both Ms Mullen and Ms Hiser find explaining safety controls has put many patients at ease, urging anyone still feeling nervous about treatments to reach out to their providers. "If they don't, say, have an electronic witnessing system in place ask them why don't you, why do my fees not cover you having this extra layer of security?" Ms Hiser says. "If you don't have that, fine, that's okay but tell me how you control (safety). "If you still have questions after that, then maybe ask yourself are they the people that I want to be doing my IVF journey with?"
