One-Off Jonah Lomu Broke Barriers and Tackles
It is exactly 25 years since Jonah Lomu flattened Mike Catt to score at the Rugby World Cup, where the All Black transformed into a superstar, Paul Rees writes for The Guardian. “When Lomu arrived…
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Sam Cane is Ready for New Zealand’s Top Rugby Job
Like former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, who learned his craft on the pastoral planes of the Mackenzie Country, the freshly appointed Sam Cane’s rural background in Reporoa, Waikato has become a fundamental part…
Fiji Names Vern Cotter Rugby Head Coach
Former Scotland coach New Zealand-born Vern Cotter, 58, has been named the new head coach of the Fiji rugby team, Associated Press reports in a story published by The Japan Times. Cotter succeeds Australian John…
Gatland’s Gate Honours Former Wales Coach
New Zealander Warren Gatland says he is “humbled” to have been honoured by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) after having a gate at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium named after him, ITV News reports. The main vehicle…
Wallabies Appoint Dave Rennie Coach
New Zealander Dave Rennie has been tasked with resurrecting the Wallabies, replacing Michael Cheika as head coach in a deal that will take him through to the 2023 World Cup, Pascal Guyot reports in…
Sonny Bill Williams’ Toronto Signing Makes Waves
A long-time member of the famed All Blacks, who has won the Rugby World Cup twice and represented New Zealand at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Sonny Bill Williams is a superstar of the highest…
Irish Rugby Bids Farewell to Coach Joe Schmidt
Failing a second time to lead Ireland to a first Rugby World Cup semifinal will haunt New Zealander Joe Schmidt, who steps down as coach following six transformative years, AP journalist Foster Niumata writes…
All Blacks Torch Ireland to Reach World Cup Semis
Two-time defending champion New Zealand cruised into a Rugby World Cup semifinal matchup against England after dismantling Ireland 46-14 at Tokyo Stadium, Japan Times’ staff writer Andrew McKirdy reports. Ireland had beaten the All Blacks…
Dan Carter Explains New Zealand’s Cup Success
Legendary former All Black fly-half Dan Carter tells ESPN that while the physical challenge of seven weeks of fierce competition at the Rugby World Cup sets it apart as the sport’s ultimate test, it…
Looking Back at Our Rugby Heritage
“New Zealand’s pride for its team reflects generations of history and tradition, going back to 1903,” Jamie Tarabay writes in a story for The New York Times, entitled: ‘What Makes the All Blacks So…
Departing Warren Gatland Out for Perfect End
New Zealander Warren Gatland has achieved almost everything during his tenure as Wales coach over the last 12 years, Steve Douglas writes in a story published in The Washington Post. Four Six Nations titles, including…
ABs Deliver Bledisloe Pain With Wallaby Whitewash
“New Zealand secured the 2019 Bledisloe Cup with a resounding 36-0 victory against Australia at Eden Park to dent any hopes of a Wallabies resurgence ahead of next month’s Rugby World Cup,” Australian Associated…
Black Ferns Hand Wallaroos a Reality Check
Australia’s Wallaroos “were drowned” 47-10 by World Champions New Zealand in the first of two women’s Tests in front of 30,142 fans at Optus Stadium in Perth. Sam Worthington reports on the heavy loss…
Why New Zealand’s Other All Blacks Matter
“The Māori All Blacks are a source of rugby-playing pride in a community that has struggled economically,” The Economist reports in a sports feature. “The team … is an enduring oddity.” “In late 2018, as…
New Zealand’s Best Coaches All Have One Unheralded Skill In Common
Exceptional technical skills, an in-depth understanding of the sport and astute strategic knowledge are table-stakes for New Zealand rugby coaches at all levels of the game. What sets the truly accomplished coaches apart from…
1905 All Blacks Shirt to be Auctioned in UK
An historic 114-year-old All Blacks shirt worth tens of thousands of pounds is being sold by Falmouth Rugby Club, writes Marco Ferrari for The Falmouth Packet. The All Blacks top was swapped for Falmouth’s Edward…
Rugby Australia’s Raelene Castle on Equality
In a perfect world there would be no need for this conversation and the role women play in sport would not be addressed as a separate issue, “but we’re still about 10 years away…
Warren Gatland’s Wales Reflect Image of Its Leader
“For all his success in his coaching career, Warren Gatland is no José Mourinho peering into the mirror all the time and trading on past glories. He looks ahead rather than back, plotting the…
Kieran Read to Play for Japan After World Cup
“All Blacks captain Kieran Read has signed up to play with Japanese club Toyota Verblitz after this year’s World Cup, bringing an end to 13 seasons as a professional…
Rugby Star Sene Naoupu Takes Strength from Family
Spend any length of time with New Zealander Sene Naoupu, 35, and her love for friends and family will be palpable. But she doesn’t just value that ancestral bond, she cherishes it and is…
Upbringing Helped Turn Barrett Trio Into All Blacks
Running around frost-covered coastal Taranaki fields in their bare feet was indicative of the sort of grounded upbringing that former captain Richie McCaw believes helped the three Barrett brothers – twice World Player of…
New Zealand Twice Victorious in Sevens Final
For the second time this season, New Zealand got the better of the American Eagles in a World Rugby Sevens Series gold medal encounter. The 21-5 victory for the All Blacks sees them tie…
Why Dan Carter Is Still the Main Man in World Rugby
Dan Carter led Japanese team, the Kobe Kobelco Steelers to victory in the Top League final recently, and with that victory the former New Zealand fly-half wins over the hearts of yet another nation….
England Crazy Not to Hire Warren Gatland
“At the end of Rugby World Cup 2019, we can expect a fascinating merry-go-round of experienced Test coaches,” according to the Telegraph’s Charlie Morgan. “Should England underperform, Eddie Jones’ two-year contract extension will be…
Warren Gatland Potential Successor to Eddie Jones
Britain’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) interim chief executive, Nigel Melville, is planning to speak to New Zealander Warren Gatland OBE as part of his search for Eddie Jones’s successor as England head coach, The…
Steve Hansen to Step Down After 2019 World Cup
“Steve Hansen’s all-conquering reign as the New Zealand coach will end after the 2019 World Cup. The 59-year-old, who has been in charge of the All Blacks since 2012 and has had 16 years…
Rugby Star Jordan Roberts Wins Plaudits in Canada
New Zealander Jordan Roberts’ play on the pitch for the St. Albert Rugby Football Club (SARFC) spoke volumes as the modest and unassuming captain of the Labatt’s Cup provincial champions was honoured as this…
Why Tyrel Lomax Chose the ABs over the Wallabies
Tyrel Lomax, 22, grew up with a dream to play for the ACT Brumbies and Wallabies. But the closer he got, the more he realised he couldn’t ignore the black feeling in his stomach….
All Blacks Sevens Clinch Emirates Trophy
Clark Laidlaw, the All Blacks Sevens coach, said the team’s success at the Emirates Airlines Dubai Rugby Sevens was an achievement that ranks alongside winning the World Cup and Commonwealth Games last season. The team…
Sean Fitzpatrick’s First View of Twickenham
Former All Black captain, Auckland-born Sean Fitzpatrick, 55, looks back at the games he played at Twickenham, in a piece for the Guardian. “I remember arriving at Twickenham for the first time, for a game…
England Denied Victory over All Blacks
“The All Blacks looked a shadow of their usual selves in the first half but eventually fought back as Damian McKenzie and Beauden Barrett cut the deficit,” the Independent’s deputy sports editor Jack de…
Joe Schmidt Shares Wisdom with Limerick Students
When New Zealander Joe Schmidt, 53, talks, people sit up and listen. So when a group of aspiring rugby stars got the chance to hear Ireland’s greatest ever coach speak, you could hear a…
Secrets Behind the World’s Most Successful Team
The All Blacks jersey carries with it an aura of invincibility. Their starting 15 could be injured and the next 15 would still stand head and shoulders above the rest of the world. How…
Kieran Read Suggests Retirement Plans
All Blacks captain Kieran Read, 33, has said he is likely to quit international rugby after next year’s World Cup in Japan, his third Webb Ellis campaign, and take a contract overseas. “So for me…
Steve Hansen Suggests 16-Week Off-Seasons
“Steve Hansen has called for a mandatory 16-week off-season, days after an 11-month campaign was announced in England. The New Zealand head coach said England were still counting the cost of having 15 players…
All Blacks Complete Sweep of Australia in Japan
World champions New Zealand crushed old foes Australia 37-20 at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, Japan, where the 2019 Rugby World Cup final will be held, to complete a 3-0 Bledisloe Cup series whitewash win,…
England Announce John Mitchell in Defence Role
England have appointed New Zealander John Mitchell as their defence coach until the end of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Mitchell was England’s assistant coach under Clive Woodward between 1997 and 2000 before he went…
All Blacks Win Over Pumas in Nelson
Coach Steve Hansen gave his rearranged All Blacks a pass mark after their 46-24 victory over a much-improved Argentinian side in Nelson, but conceded they weren’t as good as they…
ABs Lift Bledisloe Cup for 16th Consecutive Year
New Zealand has won the Bledisloe Cup for a 16th consecutive year with a 40-12 victory over Australia at Eden Park in Auckland. Beauden Barrett scored four tries and kicked five conversions, while Joe Moody…
All Blacks Dismantle Stunned Wallabies
New Zealand delivered a clinic of counter-attacking in Sydney, scoring five second-half tries to blow away their hosts in this season’s Rugby Championship Bledisloe Cup opening encounter, rugby reporter Charlie…
Raised on Rugby
“In sports, few teams have dominated their competition the way the New Zealand All Blacks of rugby union have,” writes David Maurice Smith in an article for The New York…
Blues Man John Mitchell Favourite for England Role
New Zealander John Mitchell, Blue Bulls executive of rugby, has emerged as the latest candidate to become England’s new defence coach, The Telegraph reports. Last week, England head coach Eddie Jones confirmed that he wants…
Portia Woodman Makes Top 10 Most Influential
Black Ferns winger Portia Woodman, 27, has made the top 10 on a list of rugby union’s most influential people, ahead of any of her male All Blacks counterparts and two spots below All…
Double World Champions: Men Match Women’s Achievement
For only the second time in world rugby sevens history, the New Zealand men’s and women’s teams have won their respective World Cups, with the men sealing the rare accomplishment with a 33-12 win…
Finding Keith Murdoch Four Decades On
His closest friends in a remote town in the Australian outback had no idea who he was. Now that former All Black Keith Murdoch is dead at 74, the story of the man who…
Why New Zealand “Still Rules the High Seas of Rugby”
“The flag which flutters highest on the masthead of world rugby is still all black in colour. It does not have a skull-and-crossbones on it, but when it hoves into view everyone knows its…
Wayne Pivac to Succeed Warren Gatland as Wales Coach
“Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac will succeed Warren Gatland as Wales coach on a four-year deal.” BBC reports. “Gatland is stepping down after the 2019 World Cup in Japan and…
Raelene Castle Riding the Wave
In Raelene Castle’s six months at the helm of Rugby Australia, Australia’s men and women sevens teams triumphed on home soil, Israel Folau plunged the sport into controversy with a single Instagram comment, Super…
Rugby Player James Lowe on Food for Performance
He’s played for the Māori All Blacks and he’s currently signed to European champions Leinster, so if there is anyone who can talk about fuelling their body for optimal performance it is 25-year-old professional…
Scots 20 Years Behind NZ in Rugby Psychology
Scottish rugby is 20 years behind New Zealand when it comes to sports psychology, according to Glasgow Warriors assistant coach New Zealander Jason O’Halloran, 46, who has also found that players in Scotland are…
New Zealand Wins Kitakyushu Sevens
“New Zealand won the women’s Kitakyushu Sevens for the second straight year Sunday, beating France 24-12 in the final on another disappointing day for host Japan,” as reported in an article in
Why Wayne Pivac Is Most Sought-After Coach in Rugby
Under New Zealand-born coach Wayne Pivac, there is a resurgence in Llanelli rugby. The Scarlets have been flying, according to Sunday Times rugby correspondent Stephen Jones. Recently, Stradey Park was packed to the rafters and…
Joe Schmidt Turns Ireland into Formidable Machine
During this year’s Ireland Grand Slam tournament, Joe Schmidt has been the master of almost everything he has surveyed. At times during his five-year tenure as Ireland head coach, the New Zealander has been…
World Cup-Winning Coach Graham Henry Joins Auckland
The mastermind of the 2011 Rugby World Cup success, Sir Graham Henry, has returned to the side where he first came to prominence joining provincial side Auckland to assist head coach Alama Ieremia, the…
Raelene Castle Named New Rugby Australia Chief
Former Netball New Zealand and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs National Rugby League chief executive Raelene Castle is excited by the challenge of turning around rugby’s fortunes in Australia, but doesn’t believe her appointment as Rugby Australia…
Sunwolves Coach Jamie Joseph Eyes Top Five
The new coach of the Tokyo-based Sunwolves Super Rugby side, New Zealander Jamie Joseph has said he was targeting a top-five finish next season, despite the team being on the wrong end of multiple…
