Black Ferns coaches Allan Bunting, Steve Jackson, Mike Delany and Tony Christie have named their 30 player squad to compete at home in front of their Black Ferns fans for their final Test match of the O'Reilly Cup, presented by Ryman Healthcare and the inagural WXV1 tournament.
Blindside flanker Ethan Blackadder has answered the SOS from the All Blacks at the Rugby World Cup and will arrive at the team base in Lyon as a replacement for injured wing Emoni Narawa, who is to return home.
Spring was in the air in the sixth round of the Bunnings NPC play over the weekend, with high scoring a feature, including three try-scoring hat-tricks, two of them in the Counties Manukau-Southland game in Pukekohe.
Northland is headed to the Premiership in 2024 after a stunning upset of unbeaten Manawatū in a wild Championship final at Central Energy Trust Arena, Palmerston North.
The Front Row Daily Show launched into Rugby World Cup 2023 this week as All Blacks George Bower and Andy Ellis boarded their all black bus to take fans on a joyride through France.
In postcard conditions at Rugby Park in Christchurch a Strom called Auckland upset the apple cart to win the Farah Palmer Cup Premiership presented by Bunnings Warehouse for the first time since 2015 with a thrilling 39-27 victory over Canterbury.
All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith said despite their 13-27 loss to France in the World Cup opener on Saturday (NZT), there were positives for the side to develop as they now aim to secure their quarterfinal place over the next few weeks.
Successful France coach Fabien Galthie said after his side's Rugby World Cup 27-13 opening win over the All Blacks in Paris on Saturday that New Zealand did not feel like a side with much more experience than his players.