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/ 26 November 2007
All Blacks coach Graham Henry has re-applied for his job following the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) decision to make the position contestable after the team’s failed World Cup campaign. Henry (61) had until 5pm on Monday to apply for the job after the NZRU rejected a proposal to reappoint his coaching team.
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/ 22 November 2007
A New Zealand father has been convicted of assault for smacking his eight-year-old son on the bottom in what is believed to be the first case under a controversial new law. "One time, maybe you could have got away with this, but you can’t do that now," Judge Anthony Walsh told the 33-year-old man on Wednesday.
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/ 21 November 2007
All Black winger Doug Howlett was found guilty of serious misconduct by the New Zealand Rugby Union on Wednesday following an alcohol-fuelled incident in London. The 29-year-old apologised last month after he was seen jumping on two cars outside a hotel at Heathrow Airport after drinking with teammates in the wake of the All Blacks’ shock World Cup quarterfinal loss to France.
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/ 17 November 2007
The Spar Proteas netball team suffered a painful 52-49 loss against Malawi in the play-off for fifth and sixth place at the World Championships on Saturday. After crashing out of the quarterfinals earlier this week, the Proteas side set their sights firmly on holding on to fifth place on the world rankings.
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/ 15 November 2007
The All Blacks coaches have blamed English referee Wayne Barnes for their World Cup failure, it was reported on Thursday as the New Zealand Rugby Union deliberated on the future of the coaching panel. Head coach Graham Henry and his assistants Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith have maintained a diplomatic silence about Barnes’ performance in the World Cup quarterfinal.
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/ 14 November 2007
Former South African and current New Zealand netball shooting superstar Irene van Dyk is showing her former team some respect ahead of their World Championship quarterfinal clash set for Thursday, so she refuses to talk up the Silver Ferns’ chances.
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/ 31 October 2007
Canterbury Crusaders coach Robbie Deans has confirmed the worst-kept secret in New Zealand rugby — he is keen to take over as All Black coach from Graham Henry. Henry is likely to be replaced following the All Blacks worst-ever World Cup showing this month when they were knocked out by France in the quarterfinals.
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/ 23 October 2007
New Zealand on Tuesday recalled all-rounder James Franklin and named wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins as a batsman in a new-look one-day squad for next month’s trip to South Africa. Opener Jamie How was also recalled for the first time since early 2006 in the 14-man squad as New Zealand rebuild after a series of retirements.
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/ 20 October 2007
Dejected All Blacks were reported on Saturday to be undergoing grief counselling to help them come to grips with their shock loss in the rugby World Cup quarterfinals. New Zealand Rugby Union chairperson Jock Hobbs said it was imperative steps were taken to ensure the players were able to move on mentally as soon as possible.
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/ 18 October 2007
A boutique brewery in New Zealand was reported on Thursday to be offering a lifetime supply of beer in return for a stolen laptop. The computer, containing designs, creative work, contact details and financial information, was stolen from the Croucher Brewing Company in the central North Island city of Rotorua.
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/ 10 October 2007
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New Zealand coach Graham Henry admitted the All Blacks were scarred for life by their agonising World Cup exit as the team received an unexpectedly warm welcome home on Wednesday. About 1Â 000 fans broke into chants of ”All Blacks, All Blacks” as 17 of the 30-man squad arrived at Christchurch airport.
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/ 10 October 2007
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All Blacks winger Doug Howlett was arrested in London and may face charges after an incident at the team’s hotel near Heathrow Airport, the New Zealand Rugby Union said. The union is investigating the incident at the Hilton Hotel in which two cars were damaged.
Zimbabwe’s opposition parties will pull out of South African-brokered talks with the government of President Robert Mugabe if violence against them is not halted. Zimbabweans are still being beaten and killed by Mugabe’s militias despite negotiations between his government and opposition parties, said a senior member of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
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/ 27 September 2007
Daniel Vettori was confirmed as New Zealand’s 26th Test captain when he was chosen on Thursday to lead the New Zealand cricket team on next month’s two-test tour to South Africa. Vettori replaces Stephen Fleming, New Zealand’s captain for the past decade, who was dropped from the position earlier this month.
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/ 4 September 2007
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Rugby World Cup favourites New Zealand have turned to the heavens for help in ending their 20-year quest for victory at the sport’s most prestigious tournament. Ken Ring, a New Zealander who produces weather forecasts based on the movements of the moon and planets, has provided the All Blacks with weather predictions for the Cup.
<a href="http://www.mg.co.za/specialreport.aspx?area=rugbyworldcup07_home"><img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/317644/icon_rwc_03.gif" align=left border=0></a>The All Blacks pleaded with New Zealanders to "keep the faith" at an emotional farewell on Wednesday as they left for France, intent on snapping a 20-year Rugby World Cup drought. To the strains of a stirring haka, the World Cup favourites made clear their determination to erase the chokers’ tag that has dogged them ever since they won the inaugural cup in 1987.
Most New Zealanders believe winning the Rugby World Cup is their destiny, but one glaring hole in their packed trophy cabinet and the taunts of George Gregan say otherwise. Instead, the All Blacks are saddled with the twin tags of being the world’s top-ranked side and top-ranked chokers.
Leading New Zealand rugby referee Paul Honiss says the All Blacks should chat more to referees, believing it would boost their chance of winning tight Tests. Honiss encouraged senior All Black players to follow the lead of veteran Wallaby halfback George Gregan, who has a reputation for persistently getting in the ear of referees, writes the New Zealand Herald.
The All Blacks eased a public crisis of confidence on the weekend when they beat Australia 26-12 to win rugby’s Tri-Nations title. Until Saturday’s match at Eden Park, New Zealand had appeared to struggle under the weight of favouritism for this year’s Rugby World Cup in France, compiling a series of lacklustre performances.
Flyhalf Daniel Carter kicked seven penalties around a solitary try to prop Tony Woodcock as New Zealand beat Australia 26-12 on Saturday to win the Tri-Nations rugby series. Carter landed four goals in the first half, three in the second and missed only one of eight attempts to lift the All Blacks to a win over a dogged Australian team.
The All Blacks and Wallabies line up in Auckland on Saturday in an all-or-nothing Tri-Nations finale, a showdown which the All Black see as a perfect dress reheasal for the Rugby World Cup. Both the Tri-Nations crown and the Bledisloe Cup — the symbol of Trans-Tasman rivalry — are on the line.
Australia have brought back fullback Chris Latham for the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup showdown against the All Blacks in Auckland on Saturday. Latham has been bracketed with Adam Ashley-Cooper and could be played off the bench if coach John Connolly judges he is not yet ready for the starting lineup.
Springbok captain Johann Muller said referees are afraid of sin-binning All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw following his team’s 33-6 Tri-Nations defeat on Saturday. He said referee Stuart Dickinson should have yellow-carded the All Black captain for an identical offence to one that later led to the sin-binning of South Africa’s Pedrie Wannenburg.
Three converted tries in the final 12 minutes carried the All Blacks to a 33-6 win over the Springboks in their Tri-Nations rugby Test in Christchurch on Saturday. The win put New Zealand level with Australia at the head of the championship and set the stage for a classic showdown when the two teams meet in Auckland next week.
Springbok captain Johann Muller did well to keep his calm on Friday in the face of some fairly stinging questions from the New Zealand press, who are anticipating a big win against the Boks in the Tri-Nations on Saturday. Muller was asked first if he thought he would concede a point for every preceding Bok captain — 52.
Southern hemisphere rugby bosses pledged on Friday never again to field weakened teams in the Tri-Nations and Super 14. ”It’s fair to say that it will never happen again,” John O’Neill, chief executive of South Africa New Zealand and Australia Rugby (Sanzar) told a media briefing in Christchurch.
The Rugby World Cup’s dominance of the international calendar has turned Saturday’s Tri-Nations Test between New Zealand and South Africa in Christchurch into little more than a glorified warm-up match. South Africa have fielded a weakened team for the meeting between two of the sport’s fiercest rivals, while New Zealand made seven changes.
All Black midfield back Luke McAlister confirmed on Wednesday he is seriously considering a move to English club Sale following this year’s World Cup. But the 23-year-old denied a British report that he has already signed a £250 000 contract and said he would not make a decision until the end of the month.
South Africa have made four changes, as well as appointing a new captain, for Saturday’s Tri-Nations match against New Zealand at Christchurch. Lock Johann Muller will skipper the Springboks after Bob Skinstad was sent home when he broke a rib in last weekend’s 25-17 loss to Australia in Sydney.
New Zealand selectors have made seven changes to the All Blacks team to play South Africa in the Tri-Nations at Christchurch on Saturday. Coach Graham Henry made four changes to the backline and three to his forward pack from the starting side that was beaten by Australia in Melbourne on June 30.
The All Blacks left for South Africa on Sunday and a telling Tri-Nations clash with the Springboks feeling more contrite than confident after a stumbling 64-13 win over Canada. New Zealand looked anything like world champions in waiting as they took a 26-13 lead into half-time at Hamilton.
Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, who staged a bloodless coup in 2006, expelled New Zealand’s ambassador on Thursday saying he was interfering in Fiji’s domestic affairs. But New Zealand, which has been a strong critic of the coup and reports of human rights abuses in Fiji, said its high commissioner had done nothing wrong.