D'arcy And Goran

Kieran Read will walk away from the All Blacks after this year's World Cup, and take up a short stint in Japan.The All Blacks captain made the announcement today and will front a press conference in Christchurch.Read, 33, has played 118 tests in the black jersey and has captained the team in 49 tests.He was part of the victorious 2011 and 2015 teams and was named World Player of the Year in 2013.He will join Toyota Verblitz in Japan next year after reported interest from French side Racing 92 and at least one unnamed English club.That would mark the end of 13th season of professional rugby in New Zealand."Every young rugby player in New Zealand dreams of the opportunities I have had to represent the All Blacks and the Crusaders, and I know I'll look back at the end of the year with a great deal of pride to have worn those jerseys for as long as I have," Read said."My family and I are looking forward to an overseas experience and Japan presents an awesome opportunity to immerse ourselves in Japanese culture as

The Kiwis will get their long awaited re-match against Mate Ma'a Tonga at Mt Smart Stadium next June and will play the first of two home tests against Great Britain in a triple-header clash at Eden Park in November.New Zealand will face off against Tonga mid-season in the opening game of the inaugural Oceania Cup tournament on June 22, in the first meeting between the two sides since Tonga's upset quarter-final win over the Kiwis in Hamilton at the 2017 World Cup.The match will be a double-header with the Kiwi Ferns women's side also set to take on a yet to be confirmed Pacific Island team.Following the end of the NRL season, the Michael Maguire-coached Kiwis will head across to Australia to play the world champion Kangaroos at Wollongong's WIN Stadium on October 25.That test will be the first transtasman clash since New Zealand scored a boil-over victory against their green and gold rivals in Auckland last October. The double-header bill will also feature a test between the Kiwi Ferns and Australian Jillaroo

Veteran Football Ferns defender Abby Erceg has opened up on her 'traumatic' time under former coach Andreas Heraf.Erceg came out of international retirement for the second time in January after taking a stand against the former Ferns coach and NZF Technical Director Heraf, who she labelled a 'bully'.The 29-year-old retired from international football in May after being left disillusioned with the team environment under Heraf, who resigned in July and was later found to have engaged in bullying behaviour while in charge. "I had really quite an emotional experience when I came back to work under Andreas, it was traumatic to be honest," Erceg told Radio Sport's D'Arcy Waldegrave. "I know it's a strong word but that's what it was. I can see how the public sided with the team on that one."I think there's been a lot of speculation around retiring twice, but I'd like to clear it up. Rather than retiring, it was more of a refusal to play for a bully."An independent review into Heraf's tenure found the complaints rais

The USA is becoming a semifinal roadblock for the All Blacks Sevens this season.New Zealand squandered an early lead to lose to hosts 24-19 at the Las Vegas Sevens this morning, the third time they've been defeated by the USA at the semifinal stage this season.Sione Molia and Kurt Baker scored first half tries to put New Zealand 12-0 up as they dominated the opening five minutes of the semifinal.However Clark Laidlaw's side trailed 14-12 at the break when Folau Niua and then Carlin Isles both scored late in the first half.A second Isles try after halftime extend the USA's lead before New Zealand captain Tim Mikkelson levelled the scores at 19-19 with four minutes remaining following a classy lineout move.The USA controlled possession for the closing stages as New Zealand were consistently penalised giving away territory. The hosts turned down two penalty chances in the final minute close to the posts before Isles completed a hat-trick after the hooter.The victory will put USA at the top of the sevens series s

Listen to the audio above as Black Caps wicket-keeper BJ Watling speaks to D'Arcy and GoranThe Black Caps, newly promoted to second in test cricket's world rankings, don't have to look far to see the perils of their new position.It's been a summer of upsets in cricket's longest format – starting with the Black Caps toppling Pakistan overseas for the first time since 1969, and followed by the West Indies stunning England. But, the biggest surprise of them all came earlier this month, when Sri Lanka visited South Africa and shocked everyone to claim a 2-0 series win.At the risk of this becoming one of those bleedingly obvious "the Black Caps won't be taking [Weaker Opposition X] lightly" pieces that get penned far too often, when taking those recent results onboard, there is perhaps more merit than usual to the publicly-stated caution Black Caps captain Kane Williamson likes to administer.Black Caps captain Kane Williamson. Photo / GettyConsidering how unappealing Sri Lanka looked on these shores, it's a remind

Listen to the audio above as Hurricanes hooker and captain Dane Coles speaks to D'Arcy and GoranAfter two unconvincing performances to kick off their season, the Hurricanes have brought reinforcements into the squad.Beauden Barrett will make his first appearance of the season, taking his regular spot in the No.10 jersey alongside halfback TJ Perenara, while younger brother Jordie has been left out of the squad.The Hurricanes have made seven changes in total after being humbled at the hands of the Crusaders last weekend, which sees Ngani Laumape and Chase Tiatia move into the starting squad.It's been a tough start to the year for the Hurricanes, who needed a late charge to beat the Waratahs in their opening fixture before being dealt to in Christchurch last time out.However, with the return of a number of veterans and All Blacks, the side head to Palmerston North to take on the Brumbies with a more experienced and stronger squad.Head coach John Plumtree said the squad was desperate to put in a better performan

Former Lions lock Andries Ferreira could be about to join the Hurricanes for the Super Rugby season.Ferreira took part in the Lions 2019 pre-season preparations. His contract ended last season and negotiations had stalled because of injury struggles.The 28-year-old was set to come to a new agreement with the Lions, but Hurricanes coach John Plumtree's inside knowledge of South African players might secure his signature in New Zealand, South African media are reporting.The Hurricanes locking stocks took a hit with the pre-season injury to Sam Lousi who suffered a pectoral injury.The 1.97m Ferreira has previously played for the Cheetahs along with brief stints in France, Italy and Japan.LISTEN TO THE AUDIO ABOVE AS HURRICANES PLAYER GARETH EVANS SPEAKS TO D'ARCY AND GORANSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All Blacks first-five Beauden Barrett is back training with the Hurricanes and could be a surprise addition to the team who will face the Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday.Barrett returned to the squad yesterday after an extended break following his wedding in Auckland last month and honeymoon overseas.As a senior All Black he has had a late start to this season written into his contract but he said it was touch and go as to whether he will play against younger brother Scott, who had a big game for the defending champions in round one against the Blues in Auckland."I'm not sure if I'm playing this week – we're still going through that," Barrett told Radio Sport's D'Arcy Waldegrave. "I returned to training on Monday so I'm still pretty fresh. It has been a good time off."Barrett, facing up to a long and important season with the Hurricanes and All Blacks, will make the decision as to whether he is ready to play alongside head coach John Plumtree. Crusaders All Blacks Sam Whitelock, Kieran Read and Codie Ta

Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson has confirmed his plans to remain in New Zealand, announcing he has re-committed to the Crusaders and New Zealand Rugby for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.Robertson is now in his third season as Head Coach of the BNZ Crusaders, with a win-loss record of 35-3 since his first season in charge back in 2017. He secured back-to-back Investec Super Rugby titles in the 2017 and 2018 seasons.The announcement comes after the defending Super Rugby champions opened the 2019 season with a 24-22 win over the Blues at Eden Park on Saturday."I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue to lead a group of incredible players, alongside a coaching staff and management group who are passionate about what we do and the organisation we represent," Robertson said."My family and I are really settled here and when my wife Jane and I talked about it, this is ultimately where we wanted to be. I had already signalled my commitment to New Zealand Rugby and this 2019 campaign with the Crusaders, but this a

Hurricanes captain Dane Coles is gearing up for a new season underneath a new coach.Coles returns to the Super Rugby championship with a match against the Waratahs in Sydney on Saturday.It will be the first match with new coach John Plumtree. Plumtree, former assistant coach, succeeded Chris Boyd at the end of the last season.Coles told D'Arcy and Goran that Boyd was more laid back compared to Plumtree, who is more "intense"."On that field, he has expectation of us working hard, he's made that known during pre-season."At the same time, Coles says that Plumtree gives people the time of day and has done a good job of pitching the young and old players together.Coles is still hopeful to one day return to the All Blacks, describing it as a "good challenge" to prove himself.He is also looking at potential replacements for Sam Lousi.The lock has been ruled out of a large part of the Super Rugby season with a pectoral injury.Coles says Manawatu's Liam Mitchell has impressed him in the pre-season."He's just got a big

After one of the most dramatic runnings of the New Zealand Grand Prix at Manfeild, Liam Lawson has won both a maiden NZGP crown, the rookie of the year title, and the 2019 Toyota Racing Series championship simultaneously. He's the first Kiwi to win the Grand Prix since Nick Cassidy in 2014, and the first to win the series since Cassidy again in 2013.It was a chaotic race packed with red-flag periods, and underlined by a critical penalty for Lawson's leading rival Marcus Armstrong. The penalty, a five-second time addition post-race, came after the title rivals made contact with each other while wrestling for first.Armstrong's penalty scored mixed reactions. It followed similar lines to the penalty Armstrong incurred in race two, but — ironically — Nick Cassidy was among those to think it was a harsh call at the end of the five-week series. Armstrong ended the race second but dejected for a second year running.After getting a few average race starts, Lawson made a cracking jump off the line to kick off the Gran

Stephen Donald is back from the New Zealand rugby wilderness.The All Blacks folk hero has signed with the Chiefs as injury cover ahead of the 2019 Super Rugby season, returning to the franchise after two years away.Chiefs coach Colin Cooper confirmed the signing today, with Donald replacing young first-five Tiaan Falcon, who will miss the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon."We had a good look around and he was pretty keen, he was pretty keen last year too," said Cooper."We felt with Tiaan going [down injured], one of our young 10s, that we needed a more experienced 10 so he was keen, and we were keen to bring him back."He's like another coach. We will be managing [his workload], but with his knowledge, his mana that he has within the group, the passion that he has for the Chiefs, it was a no-brainer to bring him in."Donald, 35, said he was stoked to be returning."There is a great group of lads to work alongside and I hope I can play my part in supporting the team both on and off the field."The man who str

It might not be the series win that New Zealand cricket fans were hoping for when India landed on these shores, but that doesn't make the Black Caps' Twenty20 triumph any less impressive.A four-run victory at Seddon Park in Hamilton tonight sealed a 2-1 series win, as New Zealand bounced back from their ODI humbling to become the first team to beat India in a Twenty20 series in 11 attempts.Yes, this was an achievement that no team had managed since 2017, and while India weren't at full strength, the destructive batting on show by some versatile players is something that should provide some confidence as the ODI World Cup looms.While neither will feature in the first two ODIs against Bangladesh this week, Colin Munro and Tim Seifert both made their cases as potentially devastating squad options to take to the World Cup, once again combining for an innings-defining stand at the top of the order.Considering the Black Caps can't buy an opening partnership in ODI cricket, it's curious, though likely coincidental,

The White Ferns have caused a massive Indian collapse to claim a superb win in their Twenty20 series opener.Chasing 160 for victory, India were cruising at 102-1 halfway through the 12th over, but an Amelia Kerr breakthrough and a Lea Tahuhu barrage sparked a meltdown, and they were eventually rolled for 136.Kerr took the big wicket of Smriti Mandhana, the batswoman who had given New Zealand so many problems in the ODI series. She again was in excellent touch to begin India's chase, blasting ten boundaries in 58 off 34 balls, while fellow young star Jemimah Rodrigues compiled a 33-ball 39 as the pair added a record-tying 98 for the second wicket.However, just as all looked lost, Kerr had Mandhana caught in the deep; Hannah Rowe holding onto a smart catch, before Tahuhu drew three consecutive loose shots to rip through the middle order. Rodrigues flayed at a ball outside off and got an edge through to Katey Martin behind the stumps, and two overs later, two more wickets fell to the seamer, with Kerr claiming t

It may have been his ninth Twenty20 international, but Tim Seifert truly introduced himself on the world stage on Wednesday night.Seifert smacked a stellar 84 from 43 balls to lead the Black Caps to an 80-run victory — the largest defeat in India's Twenty20 history, and one that puts them on the precipice of a rare series defeat.Elevated to the top of the order, Seifert made the most of an opportunity he hadn't received in his international career to date. Of his seven Twenty20 knocks for the Black Caps before tonight, five saw him bat at seven or lower in the order, and he had compiled just 42 runs.On Wednesday night, he doubled that, in a splendid knock reminiscent of Brendon McCullum. It's somewhat an easy comparison – they're similar in stature, and both wicketkeepers, but Seifert was also just as aggressive, charging down the crease and flat-batting screaming sixes to all corners of Westpac Stadium.With support from Colin Munro (34 from 20 balls) and Kane Williamson (34 from 22), Seifert set a platform t

He has been a world endurance champion behind the wheel and now expat Whanganui driver Earl Bamber can add victorious team owner to his resume as Earl Bamber Motorsport won the Bathurst 12 Hour on Sunday evening.Bamber, 28, led the two-car operation that has given his Porsche factory one of the few endurance crowns the motorsport giant had yet to win.It was also the final race victory for this generation of Porsche GT3 R car, which the factory will soon replace, as Australian Matt Campbell drove the wheels off it in the last 30 minutes of the race to get up from fifth to first place.Campbell shared the podium with his EBM co-drivers Dennis Olsen and Dirk Werner, as the 2019 edition of the Bathurst race will go down as one of the most exciting.The distance record was smashed due to long green flag runs earlier in the day, while the late race restart meant there were seven cars on the lead lap, respresenting six different brands, when the time limit expired and it was time to race for the checkered flag.Porche'

The Black Caps and White Ferns will wear their 'Te Reo' shirts in their Twenty20 series against India.Rather than having New Zealand emblazoned across their front, their shirts will instead say Aotearoa.Both teams will wear them tomorrow on Waitangi Day, as well as the other games in their respective series.The Black Caps previously wore shirts with Aotearoa across their front in their 2015 ODI series against Zimbabwe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Ferns Sevens were out for revenge. So were the All Blacks Sevens. Both got what they were looking for.The Sydney Sevens turned into a New Zealand clean sweep, as both the men's and women's side claimed dominant victories in their respective finals tonight.The Black Ferns Sevens continued their absolute domination of the Women's World Series, claiming gold with a 34-10 win over Australia. The result was their 48th straight win, with the side having not lost since their 31-0 humbling at the hands of the Australians in Sydney last year.The All Blacks Sevens, meanwhile, bounced back from a semifinal defeat to the USA in Hamilton last week to defeat the same opponent in the Sydney final, 21-5.New Zealand now lead the World Sevens standings in both formats, with the women 12 points ahead of the USA, while the men are tied on points with the same foe, but lead on the tiebreaker."To beat Australia at home nails it on the head," Black Ferns Sevens captain Sarah Hirini said."We're a very competitive side, we

The Wellington Phoenix have snared their second defensive signing in the space of 24 hours after agreeing to terms with Antony Golec.[golick]The 28 year old centre back joins his sixth A-League club after he was released by Central Coast.He played 31 games for the Mariners but only nine this season in his return from a broken leg.Before that, he played for Sydney FC, Adelaide United, Western Sydney Wanderers and Perth Glory, and has 90 A-League games to his credit.It comes one day after they signed Team Wellington captain Justin Gulley until the end of the A-League season.The All Whites defender who brought up 100 appearances for Team Wellington earlier this month, played eight games for the Phoenix in the 2015-16 A-League season.LISTEN TO COMMENTATOR FRED DE JONG TALK ABOUT THEIR SIGNINGS WITH D'ARCY AND GORAN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Chiefs hope to have injured All Black flanker Sam Cane back on the field by round 10 of Super Rugby.Cane and lock Brodie Retallick have been named co captains for the season.Coach Colin Cooper says the two will be sharing the workload."So while Sam is not playing, he'll be doing a lot of the captaincy work off the field, and Brodie will be leading the team on the field."Cooper says Cane is making good progress in his recovery from neck surgery."He goes back to professionals early April, and hopefully is given the green flag at the end of April, May."The Chiefs play their first pre season game against the Blues in Kaikohe this weekend.LISTEN TO COLIN COOPER TALK WITH D'ARCY AND GORAN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.