Joe Schmidt New Wallabies Coach
Former Ireland coach New Zealander Joe Schmidt has vowed to “get Australia up and running” after being named as the new Wallabies boss, replacing Eddie Jones, AFP reports in a story published online at…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Warren Gatland Embodies a Great Coach
What makes Warren Gatland arguably one of rugby’s greatest coaches of all time – and, to many, the greatest? Most pundits and observers, professional or armchair, will give their reasons, but if we are…
Sevens Coach Andrew Douglas Has Big Plans
Hong Kong Sevens head coach New Zealander Andrew Douglas has said that two recent matches against Germany represented the first step towards “re-establishing Hong Kong in international rugby”, South China Morning Post journalist Paul…
Glasgow’s Tom Jordan Looks Ahead to Scottish Side
After a breakthrough season with Glasgow Warriors, New Zealander Tom Jordan, 25, now has his sights set on international honours for his adopted country, Graham Bean writes for The Scotsman. The Auckland-born stand-off will become…
New Zealand Concede Cup in Epic Contest
“It was always going to be thunderous. These two fiercely proud nations have been playing rugby union against each other for 102 years but some games are bigger than others. You could see it…
Tilt at a Record Fourth World Cup Crown
“To think New Zealand had entered this tournament with questions about their ability to assert themselves up front; this was a frightening display of forward strength, leaving Argentina’s Rugby World Cup dreams buried beneath…
New Zealand Hold off Ireland in Titanic Battle
“The agony goes on. Ireland must wonder what they have to do to break this quarter-final curse, how long to spend as No 1 in the world, how many grand slams to win, how…
Aaron Smith Hat-Trick Inspires Italy Demo Job
“There had been pre-match speculation that Italy might prove more than just a speed bump to All Black ambitions. So much for that cosy theory,” The Guardian’s Robert Kitson reports from OL Stadium in…
New Zealand Trying to Shake Off Losses
In recent weeks, a mood of cautious optimism swept through rugby fans and sports analysts in New Zealand. After a year of dismal performances, the All Blacks seem at times to have regained the…
Wallabies Thrashed by Clinical All Blacks
“For a hot half-hour the Wallabies were golden. After two dismal defeats, they had rolled the dice in the biggest game of the year,” The Guardian’s Angus Fontaine reports from Melbourne. “This Bledisloe clash…
ABs Set for Drastic Overhaul under Scott Robertson
“Sea change in the form of Scott Robertson’s eccentric new era will soon envelope the All Blacks. Just as the pre-World Cup timing of his national head coaching anointment shatters long-standing New Zealand rugby…
Scott Robertson to Succeed Ian Foster
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson will succeed Ian Foster as head coach of the All Blacks after this year’s World Cup, the BBC reports. Robertson has been appointed on a four-year deal which will run to…
Brendon McCullum Embraces Rugby Roots
Brendon McCullum’s former rugby coach and mentor at Kings High School, Darryl Paterson, reveals the ‘incredible self-belief’ the England cricket coach showed as a six-hitting, hard-partying youngster, Ali Martin reports for The Guardian. From a…
Wales Rugby Welcomes Back Warren Gatland
New Zealander Warren Gatland made a sensational comeback as Wales head coach replacing fellow New Zealander Wayne Pivac after a disappointing year, Ben Coles reports for The Telegraph. “The very nature of a change-over at…
Black Ferns Star Ruby Tui Wins Again
Black Ferns wing Ruby Tui can now celebrate her World Cup victory with a new winner’s medal after she was recently named World Rugby breakthrough 15s player of the year at the World Rugby Awards…
New Zealand Win Women’s Rugby World Cup
“This was the biggest game of women’s rugby ever played and, somehow, it exceeded even that lofty billing. New Zealand are the Rugby World Cup champions but only after a quite stunning contest that…
ABs Redress Christchurch Defeat with Win over Pumas
“New Zealand avenged their humbling of the previous weekend by eclipsing Argentina in emphatic fashion in Hamilton, a comprehensive 53-3 victory keeping their hopes of claiming this compelling edition of The Rugby Championship alive,”…
World Media Reacts as Wallabies Crushed by ABs
The All Blacks clinched the Rugby Championship title after once more dishing up a dose of misery to the Wallabies at fortress Eden Park, Stuff sports reporters write. The media website provides reactions to…
Gender Revolution Brewing in New Zealand Rugby
One in five rugby players in New Zealand are now women, and their numbers are rising. But persistent stereotypes are proving hard to dismantle, Pete McKenzie reports for a feature in the print issue…
Silver Lake to Invest in New Zealand Rugby
Silver Lake has agreed to invest NZ$200 million in the organisation behind New Zealand’s legendary All Blacks rugby team, as the US private equity firms continue to buy into sport amid the coronavirus pandemic,…
Sonny Bill Williams Our Very Own Antihero
From Iverson and Kyrgios to Vick, Zidane, and New Zealander Sonny Bill Williams, GQ magazine presents the greatest male renegades, rebels, and mavericks in global sports. “As long as there have been sports, there have…
How the All Blacks Handle Public Expectation
Every sports team has an expectation to succeed, but few do like the All Blacks, CNN reports. The burden of public opinion – as well as the high standards set by the players themselves –…
ABs Top Rankings with Win over Pumas
New Zealand snatched South Africa’s world No 1 ranking and placed one hand on the Rugby Championship trophy after subjecting Argentina to a second successive heavy defeat in Brisbane, Reuters reported in an article…
All Blacks Seal Series Win in Bled-Bath
“The Wallabies admit they ‘didn’t respect the ball’ enough against a potent All Blacks outfit that scored more points than ever before against Australia and only increased its aura in a one-sided Bledisloe II…
Family First for All Black Great Dan Carter
Former All Black fly-half Dan Carter “recalls his torturous relationship with the World Cup and reflects on a family-filled retirement” in an interview with Guardian rugby union writer, Michael Aylwin. Do Carter’s three boys have…
Spectacularly Good Dan Carter Calls it Quits
“News of Dan Carter’s retirement sends me back to that match, the second Test against the British and Irish Lions at Wellington in 2005, the greatest he ever played. Watching it…
All Blacks Face Hosts in Blockbuster ‘23 Cup Opener
“The 2023 Rugby World Cup will open on a Friday night in Paris when France, the hosts, take on New Zealand, at the very least the sport’s most famous team, and usually its best….
Richie McCaw World Rugby Player of the Decade
New Zealand’s two-time Rugby World Cup-winning captain Richie McCaw has been named men’s player of the decade by World Rugby, Reuters reports in an article published online by The Guardian. McCaw, 39, who led…
All Blacks Inflict Record Defeat on Wallabies
“New Zealand served up a Halloween nightmare for an inexperienced Wallabies side by romping to a record 43-5 victory in the Tri-Nations opener and claiming the Bledisloe Cup for an 18th successive year,”…
Scarlets Names Sean Fitzpatrick Board Member
Welsh rugby team Scarlets has appointed legendary former New Zealand captain and World Cup winner Sean Fitzpatrick, 57, as a new board member, the BBC reports. Fitzpatrick joins as a non-executive director and global ambassador. “I’m…
All Black Beauden Barrett Signs with Suntory
All Blacks flyhalf Beauden Barrett, 29, will play for the Suntory Sungoliath in Japan’s Top League next season, which starts in January 2021, Japanese newspaper The Yomiuri Shimbun reports. Barrett, a two-time recipient of the…
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…
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…
