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Thirty two. That’s the number on the Wellington Lions’ mind as they lick their wounds (literally if you’re James O’Reilly) and prepare to face the Hawke’s Bay Magpies in this coming Saturday’s major NPC semi-final down at Wellington Stadium. The Lions survived 32 phases of heated Waikato attack in the red minutes
Lions off to Mooloo Safari and Heartland Championship semi-finals tomorrow
Rob Law Max flanker Du Plesssis Kirifi takes on Waikato's halfback Xavier Roe when the Lions and Mooloo met in Wellington last year. The two teams return to the same venue tomorrow in their quarter-final. The Wellington Lions will be hoping to put the disappointment of losing their 21-match unbeaten streak
Aisle be Back: All Blacks v Uruguay (the wash-up)
By Kevin McCarthy My family used to live in the Falkland Islands, and politics being politics, if they needed better medical care, they’d take the slow boat to neighbouring Uruguay, rather than Argentina. The said ship, the Montevideo, was legendary for making people violently sick in the wild South Atlantic seas. I
Ranfurly Shield broken, give it to the Heartland
By Adam Julian It’s only recently the Ranfurly Shield has been publicly labelled a taonga. Taonga is a Māori word to describe treasured items or possessions that hold cultural, spiritual, historical or personal significance. These can include physical objects such as artwork, carvings, jewellery or heirlooms, as well as intangible concepts
Roman Tutauha proud centurion on the Meads Cup march
By Adam Julian - this story was written for NZRU channels this week and has been republished here with permission. It took some persuasion for Roman Tutauha (Ngāti Ruanui) to speak publicly about his 100th match for Whanganui. This coming Saturday the stoic, sturdy, and softly-spoken hooker will become the 15th