Category: Sport

Source: Radio New Zealand

Blues v Chiefs

Kick-off: 7:05pm Saturday 14 February

Eden Park, Auckland

Live updates on RNZ

Can the Chiefs overcome three straight years of heartbreak and finally win a Super Rugby Pacific title? Their quest starts tonight at Eden Park, where they face another team with redemption on their minds in the Blues.

New Chiefs coach Jonno Gibbes inherited a very strong squad from Clayton McMillan, one that most people tipped to win the competition last year. They made it all the way to the final, before losing to the Crusaders in Christchurch. The reason they had given up home ground advantage for that final was because of a loss to the Blues in the first round of the playoffs, so there’s definitely still some feeling over that one you’d think.

Team lists

Blues: 1 Joshua Fusitu’a, 2 Bradley Slater, 3 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 4 Sam Darry, 5 Josh Beehre, 6 Torian Barnes, 7 Dalton Papali’I (c), 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 9 Finlay Christie, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 11 Caleb Clarke, 12 Pita Ahki, 13 AJ Lam, 14 Cole Forbes, 15 Zarn Sullivan

Bench: 16 James Mullan, 17 Mason Tupaea, 18 Marcel Renata, 19 Laghlan McWhannell, 20 Anton Segner, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Xavi Taele, 23 Codemeru Vai

Chiefs: 1 Jared Proffit, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 3 George Dyer, 4 Josh Lord, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 6 Kaylum Bosher, 7 Jahrome Brown, 8 Luke Jacobson, 9 Xavier Roe, 10 Josh Jacomb, 11 Liam Coombes-Fabling, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 13 Daniel Rona, 14 Kyren Taumoefolau, 15 Etene Nanai-Seturo

Bench: 16 Tyrone Thompson, 17 Benet Kumeroa, 18 Reuben O’Neill, 19 Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Tepaea Cook-Savage, 23 Kyle Brown

Blues team news

Vern Cotter has sprung a bit of a surprise by selecting Torian Barnes at blindside, the Christchurch product set to make his Super Rugby Pacific debut. That moves Anton Segner to the bench, but Cotter explained that was part of a plan to negate the Chiefs’ ruck speed at the back end of the game. New signing Pita Ahki starts at second five, while Stephen Perofeta gets the first five spot for at least a month or so before Beauden Barrett becomes available.

Chiefs team news

No Damian McKenzie, so Josh Jacomb steps up for a good chance at 10. Xavier Roe is inside him as Gibbes continues McMillan’s policy of bringing All Black halfback Cortez Ratima off the bench. Kyren Taumoefolau debuts on the right wing after his shift from Moana Pasifika, Quinn Tupaea and Daniel Rona will be looking to continue their excellent form from last season too.

Key stats

The Chiefs will be aiming for consecutive wins against the Blues at Eden Park for the first time since July 2014.

This is set to be the fifth meeting between the Blues and Chiefs in round one of a Super Rugby season, the Chiefs have won the last three encounters.

Dalton Papali’i was the player to make first contact on 132 tackles in the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season, the most of any player in the competition. His 212 tackles completed were the third most of any player across the campaign.

What they’re saying

“We’re very conscious of the Chiefs’ ability to go 60 minutes and apply pressure to have a very good 20 minutes at the end. I think the bench represents what they intend to do. So locking in for 60 and having players with experience and energy is going to be important to finish this game.” – Vern Cotter.

“I think one of the really pleasing parts is our utility factor in our backline. So we have a number of players who can play a number of positions, so that helps later on down the line, and squad health has a massive impact, there’s a lot of competition for the back three, and Kyren’s right in the middle of that.” – Jono Gibbes.

The last time they met

Blues 20 – 19 Chiefs

[embedded content]

A try after the hooter by Josh Beehre sealed an upset win in Hamilton for the Blues, after an incredibly physical and tense match. The result meant that the Chiefs lost home ground advantage for the eventual final but also made up for the very poor start the Blues had to the 2025 season.

What’s going to happen

The Blues basically need to not be beaten at their own game like they were last season here at Eden Park. That night, the Chiefs simply rolled up their sleeves and did the dirty work, so this time around the Blues should show a bit more in the first half rather than simply relying on their heavy ball carriers. The Chiefs do have a great ability to switch up on the fly, if Jacomb can get front foot ball that will make that option far easier.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/14/blues-v-chiefs-what-you-need-to-know/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Jamie Joseph may well have a new job next by weekend, but he can enjoy a brilliant start to his unfancied Highlanders side’s season for now. They scored a thoroughly deserved 25-23 win over the defending champion Crusaders at Forsyth Barr Stadium, first five Cam Millar ice cold when he knocked over a 50m penalty goal in the 78th minute.

It was sweet redemption for Millar, who missed a similar shot the last time these sides met that would’ve sent the game to extra time. He wasn’t alone in his heroics, with the entire Highlanders squad playing their part in an outstanding defensive effort.

The first half featured some big plays from the home side, who effected crucial turnovers through Jack Taylor, Lucas Casey and Timoci Tavatavanawai to snuff out some excellent Crusaders’ chances close to the tryline.

Down the other end, the one real chance the Highlanders had was taken when Caleb Tangitau showed his pace to burn around two defenders, after a messy move in midfield saw space open up out wide.

The Crusaders’ only first half try came off a fair bit of luck, after Millar spilled the ball only for it to fall for Sevu Reece. One good pass and a quick ruck later Noah Hotham saw an empty blindside to scoot away and score in the corner.

A Rivez Reihana penalty goal on the stroke of halftime gave the Crusaders the lead, but that only lasted a few minutes after the break when the Highlanders scored back to back tries. Angus Ta’avao first found himself far too much space after a Jonah Lowe break, then Lowe got in on the act himself when he finished off a sweeping move from inside their own half.

The Crusaders hit back with a try to Will Jordan after Rob Penney elected to make six substitutions at once, but even the injections of key All Blacks couldn’t crack the resolute Highlanders defence again.

The defending champs had to settle for a Taha Kemara penalty to edge out in front, which only set up Millar’s big kick at the end to give the Highlanders a morale-boosting win. They came in with a cloud over Joseph’s future, plus the loss of All Black lock Fabian Holland for the season. It will still be an uphill battle for the traditional strugglers, but they certainly showed what they’re capable of when in the mood.

It won’t get any easier next weekend, when the Highlanders host the Chiefs. Meanwhile, the Crusaders will be licking their wounds before a meeting with the Brumbies in Christchurch.

Read how the game unfolded here:

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/13/super-rugby-pacific-highlanders-v-crusaders/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Super Rugby Pacific opens with a southern clash under the roof, with the banged up Highlanders taking on the defending champion Crusaders. Kick-off is at 7:05pm NZT.

Follow all the action with RNZ’s live blog:

Team lists

Highlanders: 1 Ethan de Groot, 2 Jack Taylor, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 4 Oliver Haig, 5 Mitch Dunshea, 6 Te Kamaka Howden, 7 Sean Withy, 8 Lucas Casey, 9 Folau Fakatava, 10 Cameron Millar, 11 Jona Nareki, 12 Timoci Tavatavanawai, 13 Jonah Lowe, 14 Caleb Tangitau, 15 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens

Bench: 16 Henry Bell, 17 Josh Bartlett, 18 Rohan Wingham, 19 Will Stodart, 20 Veveni Lasaqa, 21 Adam Lennox, 22 Reesjan Pasitoa, 23 Tanielu Tele’a

Crusaders: 1 Finlay Brewis, 2 George Bell, 3 Seb Calder, 4 Antonio Shalfoon, 5 Jamie Hannah, 6 Dom Gardiner, 7 Ethan Blackadder, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 9 Noah Hotham, 10 Rivez Reihana, 11 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 12 David Havili (c), 13 Braydon Ennor, 14 Sevu Reece, 15 Chay Fihaki

Bench: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 George Bower, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Tahlor Cahill, 20 Corey Kellow, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Taha Kemara, 23 Will Jordan

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/13/super-rugby-pacific-highlanders-v-crusaders-live-updates/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Blues v Chiefs

Kick-off: 7:05pm Saturday 14 February

Eden Park, Auckland

Live blog updates on RNZ

Cody Vai doesn’t take the slow road.

The Auckland flyer was signed straight out of school to travel the World Sevens circuit as an 18-year-old.

His rapid ascent continued at his first event in Hong Kong, opening the scoring for New Zealand in the final after just 25 seconds.

The teenager was suddenly surrounded by his idols, including one who had been on the circuit since Vai was a toddler.

“I can’t really put it into words just how amazing it was. I watched those guys as a kid and to get to play with the likes of Joe Webber, Regan Ware, Scott Curry, Tim Mikkelson, it was pretty unreal. Tim started he debuted in 2007 or something like that, and I was only three years old, which is pretty funny.”

After three years ripping it up on the sevens scene, Codemeru ‘Cody’ Vai is back in Tamaki Makaurau, and has been quickly thrust into the 23 for the Blues as they open their season against the Chiefs at Eden Park tomorrow night.

“The end goal is to be in that All Blacks jersey.”

Vai never had to look outside his family for inspiration, with his brother Kitona also an All Black Sevens member, sister Corina Nanai-Vai a former Auckland Storm player, and father Kitiona Nanai Vai, a Samoan international who played at the 1991 World Cup.

However, the biggest influence came via former Blues star Melani Nanai, who played 64 times for the franchise between 2015-19.

“My older brother came through here as well. So it’s always been a dream of mine to be here and I watched some of these guys as well. And then getting the chance to put the jersey with them is obviously going to be special as well.”

Vai recalls playing in the backyard as a teenager with Nanai and his Blues teammates such as AJ Lam, whom Vai will line up alongside this weekend.

“I always grew up watching them and they used to come over to the house and play a bit of games as well. So yeah, it was pretty cool that now that I’m getting to play with them, it’s a crazy full circle moment.”

Vai said Nanai instilled a strong work ethic in him.

“He always told me to train hard, learn as much as you can. I take a lot of things as a joke and I like to have fun, but he told me you can have fun as long as you’re still 100 percent in the mind.”

Vai admits the shoulders are still getting used to the transition.

Getting back into 15s, in preseason, that’s where you find your true self with the hard fitness and all the contact with the boys as well. The difference is the contact with tackling the big boys, but that’s another part of rugby and my favourite part of rugby is the contact part as well. So I enjoy getting some shoulders into the props, even if they can’t feel it.”

Named to wear the 23 jersey on Saturday night, Vai said his ultimate ambition is number 13.

“My end goal is probably around centre this year, but right now, I’m still learning the game.”

The Blues will be plugging a hole at centre in 2026 in the wake of Reiko Ioane’s sabbatical in ireland.

“Reiko was probably some of the players that I loved watching most, Beauden Barrett as well, so it’s actually an unreal experience coming in and just they’re really down to earth people and just so easy to talk to as well.”

Upon Ioane’s return however, Vai is excited to tussle for the start with his idol.

“This part of rugby is just that competitive side. And I love it. Obviously that’s their goal but I want to be there as well. “

Teams

Blues: 1 Joshua Fusitu’a, 2 Bradley Slater, 3 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 4 Sam Darry, 5 Josh Beehre, 6 Torian Barnes, 7 Dalton Papali’I (c), 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 9 Finlay Christie, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 11 Caleb Clarke, 12 Pita Ahki, 13 AJ Lam, 14 Cole Forbes, 15 Zarn Sullivan

Bench: 16 James Mullan, 17 Mason Tupaea, 18 Marcel Renata, 19 Laghlan McWhannell, 20 Anton Segner, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Xavi Taele, 23 Codemeru Vai

Chiefs: 1 Jared Proffit, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 3 George Dyer, 4 Josh Lord, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 6 Kaylum Bosher, 7 Jahrome Brown, 8 Luke Jacobson, 9 Xavier Roe, 10 Josh Jacomb, 11 Liam Coombes-Fabling, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 13 Daniel Rona, 14 Kyren Taumoefolau, 15 Etene Nanai-Seturo

Bench: 16 Tyrone Thompson, 17 Benet Kumeroa, 18 Reuben O’Neill, 19 Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Tepaea Cook-Savage, 23 Kyle Brown

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/13/super-rugby-pacific-cody-vai-set-to-fly-for-the-blues/

Source: Radio New Zealand

SailGP’s fastest may just have found even more speed.

Rockwool Denmark have never won the professional sailing league, but have the distinction of clocking the fastest-ever speed in the F50 boat, when they reached 103.93km/h at Sassnitz, Germany, last August.

In the process, they became the first team to top 100km/h.

As the fleet prepares for the New Zealand SailGP at Auckland this weekend, the Danish have confirmed they will join forces with American Magic in a deal reportedly worth US$60 million (NZ$99.3m), as they strive for more consistency in their racing performance.

American Magic founder Doug DeVos is one of the world’s leading investors, with ownership of the Orlando Magic NBA basketball franchise, but the organisation is perhaps best known to Kiwis as a challenger for the America’s Cup at Auckland and Barcelona.

At Auckland 2021, their boat ‘Patriot’ capsized and almost sank during round-robin stages of the Prada Cup. While they returned to competition for the challenger semi-finals, they were quickly dispatched by Italians Luna Rossa.

Four years later, they suffered an identical fate and, last October, announced they would not contest the next America’s Cup off Naples in 2027.

Instead, the organisation has created a new training facility at Pensacola, Florida, where the Danish SailGP outfit will now develop their programme.

“It’s super exciting,” driver Nicolai Sehested. “I think it’s a vote of confidence that such a cool team as American Magic believe in our team and what we’ve built over the last few years.

“It gives us the opportunity to go all the way, which we’ve dreamt of since we started.”

“We’ve been watching SailGP grow in terms of the excitement, the fans, the number of teams and incredible venues, but also the product is incredibly compelling,” said American Magic chief executive Mike Cazer.

“We’ve been rooting for it and, along the way, we said we needed to be part of this incredible league.

“We believe in this team and what Nicolai and his team have developed is a high-performance platform on the water, but also their values off the water. We’re embracing the Danish character of the team, we’re investing in it and we’re developing it.”

NEW SPEED RECORD!! 103.93KM/H@SAILGPDEN officially break both racing and overall F50 speed record!#SailGP pic.twitter.com/Y4wktdvJUX

— SailGP (@SailGP) August 16, 2025

SailGP boss Russell Coutts hinted that American Magic’s interest may accelerate the creation of a second-tier ‘minor league’ to the professional sailing competition.

“American Magic bring a lot of expertise, not just in the sailing field, but in the business field,” he said. “To have them involved in the league and driving the league forward is enormous.

“The training centre at Pensacola is a state-of-the-art facility. They have an objective to train young talent, we obviously have a need to train young talent, so those goals are aligned.

“We are looking at a smaller catamaran, probably 25-30 feet [7.5-9 metres] long.

“We think there’s a model similar to other minor leagues in professional sports. We can develop a product that allowed the top young athletes in the world to develop their skills and be drafted into the top teams.”

That’s a hugely exciting pathway going forward, he said.

Denmark joined SailGP in 2021 and won their first event at Abu Dhabi last November.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/13/american-magic-team-with-denmark-sailgp-as-fastest-get-faster/

Source: Radio New Zealand

All Whites captain Chris Wood’s road to recovery from a knee injury has taken many routes, but the striker has had positive news as he looks ahead to the path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Wood suffered the injury in mid-October while playing in the English Premier League for Nottingham Forest and had surgery in December.

While he has been sidelined, Wood has watched Forest slip towards the relegation zone and fire a third manager this season.

“The easiest thing to say would be it’s part and parcel of football, but it’s been frustrating,” Wood said of his recovery in an interview recorded by Nottingham Forest.

“The manner of the injury has not been perfect because we’ve tried different things, had setbacks, having to go down different routes with surgery and things like that. It’s not been smooth sailing.”

Wood said by “suffering through the lows” of this season it would help him “come back stronger and better”.

“It’s getting better day by day, which is great. Had some positive news yesterday from the surgeon to say I can get on to the next stages and things like that, so it’s better for my rehab now.

“I’ve got to do the right things to get back fit and ready.”

The 34-year-old said he was looking forward to returning to play before the end of the Premier League in May and the World Cup, which kicks off in June.

“There is a lot on the horizon which will be fantastic to be a part of, and the World Cup is definitely one of them.”

He will miss the All Whites’ FIFA Series in Auckland next month.

The All Whites’ last warm-up game before the World Cup is against England.

“Coming up against England will be a great occasion, a tough opponent for us… we’ve always wanted to pit ourselves against the best and England is definitely one of the best and one of the favourites for the World Cup, so it will be a good experience, for sure.”

Wood was recognised with The New Zealand Society’s inaugural Pride of New Zealand award in London last week.

Aware of the influence he had on the next generation of football players in Aotearoa, Wood said he wanted to be an inspiration.

“We’ve had a lot of Kiwis playing across the world at great levels but we’ve only ever had six ever play in the Premier League, and that’s something you’ve got to be extremely proud [of].

“We want more Kiwis playing in the Premier League or playing at high levels around the world, and we’ve got quite a lot who do it, but hopefully there can be a lot more coming after seeing what can be achieved with Kiwis around the world.”

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/13/football-injured-all-whites-star-chris-wood-get-positive-news/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Liam Lawson got through 50 laps in the morning session on day two of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain admitting they had a few issues.

The 24 year old spent much of the session sporting an aero rack on his new 2026 Racing Bulls car.

He recorded a best time that was 3.7 seconds slower than Charles Leclerc, who was the quickest in the session in his Ferrari.

Lawson spent his first session in data gathering mode for the team with the aero rack placed in front of the rear wing collecting information on air flow.

The information can be used for the front wing set-up and also for future car upgrades.

“We had a few little issues today that stopped a bit of running so early days. We’re learning as fast as we can, it’s obviously all very new,” Lawson said.

There are significant changes in 2026 with the cars smaller and lighter and no longer running DRS while half of their power is now electrically generated.

“It’s very new, it’s very different, a different driving style and it is more sensitive so we have to be a lot more aware behind the wheel.

“It is definitely something I haven’t mastered yet so we’ll spend the next few weeks trying to be as prepared for Melbourne as we can.”

Lawson will spend all day in the car on Friday with another test session again in Bahrain next week.

“Coming into the test we know to try not to be frustrated when we have these small things that stop runs, but the main thing is to try and put the car in a good place today and we have tomorrow to learn a lot more.

“Next week is probably when we spend a lot more time on performance rather than anything else.”

Lawson’s new team-mate Arvid Lindblad drove the car in the afternoon session and got through another 82 laps and went slightly faster than Lawson.

Leclerc completed 139 laps with the fastest time ahead of world champion Lando Norris in a McLaren and Oliver Bearman in a Haas.

Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri were among the seven drivers who didn’t take part in testing today.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/13/issues-for-liam-lawson-at-f1-testing-something-i-havent-mastered-yet/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Highlanders v Crusaders

Kick-off: 7:05pm Friday 13 February

Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin

Live blog updates on RNZ

And we’re back. Super Rugby Pacific returns with a southern derby between the Highlanders and the Crusaders, two teams coming in with very contrasting situations right now. The home side has arguably their best player ruled out for the whole season this week, while coach Jamie Joseph may only have that title for a few more weeks. Oh, and the Highlanders came dead last in 2025.

Meanwhile, the Crusaders are defending champions after a remarkable comeback season last year. They tipped over the Chiefs in a tense final, after a highly entertaining Super Rugby Pacific competition.

Team lists

Highlanders: 1 Ethan de Groot, 2 Jack Taylor, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 4 Oliver Haig, 5 Mitch Dunshea, 6 Te Kamaka Howden, 7 Sean Withy, 8 Lucas Casey, 9 Folau Fakatava, 10 Cameron Millar, 11 Jona Nareki, 12 Timoci Tavatavanawai, 13 Jonah Lowe, 14 Caleb Tangitau, 15 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens

Bench: 16 Henry Bell, 17 Josh Bartlett, 18 Rohan Wingham, 19 Will Stodart, 20 Veveni Lasaqa, 21 Adam Lennox, 22 Reesjan Pasitoa, 23 Tanielu Tele’a

Crusaders: 1 Finlay Brewis, 2 George Bell, 3 Seb Calder, 4 Antonio Shalfoon, 5 Jamie Hannah, 6 Dom Gardiner, 7 Ethan Blackadder, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 9 Noah Hotham, 10 Rivez Reihana, 11 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 12 David Havili (c), 13 Braydon Ennor, 14 Sevu Reece, 15 Chay Fihaki

Bench: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 George Bower, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Tahlor Cahill, 20 Corey Kellow, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Taha Kemara, 23 Will Jordan

Highlanders team news

Fabian Holland is the big name missing, with the All Black lock suffering a shoulder injury that’ll keep him out of rugby till the test season. Pumas import Tomas Lavanini has not been adjudged fit to take his place so Mitch Dunshea and Oliver Haig pair up in the second row.

All eyes will be on young number eight Lucas Casey after his standout NPC season last year, while the backline has Timoci Tavatavanawai and Jonah Lowe pairing up in midfield.

Crusaders team news

The depth that Rob Penney has available to him is on show in this Crusaders side, with Codie Taylor and Will Jordan set to come off the bench. Ethan Blackadder is the most intriguing starter in the pack, can he stay injury free and regain his spot in the All Blacks? He’ll have the help of a dependable crew around him, George Bell is coming off a big NPC season and test recall, while out in the backs Noah Hotham has been given the start at halfback over Kyle Preston.

Key stats

The Crusaders have won four of their last five matches against the Highlanders at Forsyth Barr Stadium, with the only blip being a 32-29 defeat in their horror 2024 season.

The Highlanders have lost their last six Super Rugby Pacific matches against New Zealand opposition teams by an average of 15.8 points per game.

Crusaders wing Sevu Reece has been directly involved in 23 tries across his last 23 Super Rugby Pacific games (16 tries, seven assists).

What they’re saying

“I’m thinking about the Highlanders, that’s been my focus. The publicity around the (All Black) job has been surprisingly simple for the players, there hasn’t been a lot said. This is my first game this season, I’m really focused on the Highlanders.” – Jamie Joseph.

“I hope (the starting players) are relishing it deeply. It’s a great opportunity for them, in a number of areas. For them to get this much time to play, it’s awesome for us to see how they cope with it … it’s up to them to take it.” – Rob Penney.

The last time they met

Crusaders 15 – 12 Highlanders

[embedded content]

After a wretched season, the Highlanders almost pulled off a massive upset in Christchurch. Unfortunately, Cam Millar’s usually dependable kicking form deserted him on the last play of the game, as he pushed a penalty attempt that would’ve sent the game to extra time wide of the posts.

What’s going to happen

The Crusaders will probably win, and comfortably too, but this still stands as the Highlanders’ best chance to pull off an upset. They started the season well last year but now have to contend with injuries and the Joseph situation, so that will be playing on their mind. The Crusaders just need to pick up where they left off, with Leicester Fainga’anuku and Sevu Reece sure to come off the wings and cause havoc.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/13/highlanders-v-crusaders-what-you-need-to-know/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Alpine skiier Alice Robinson’s hopes of securing a medal at the Super Giant Slalom finals have been dashed after a great start to the season.

However, Robinson did manage to compete the run – a feat which eluded favourites like Germany’s Emma Aicher and Italy’s Sofia Goggia – on Thursday night at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

The 24-year-old is competing in her third Olympics, securing her first career win in the opening event of the season in St Moritz, followed by a second-place finish a week later in Val d’Isère.

She became New Zealand’s youngest-ever Winter Olympian when she attended the 2018 games in South Korea at the age of 16.

Italy’s Federica Brignone sealed an astonishing comeback from career-threatening injury to win gold on home snow.

Known as the “Tiger” for her ferocious determination, the 35-year-old had looked doubtful for the Games after a crash last April but fought back to fitness and produced one of her greatest runs on a foggy Olimpia delle Tofane piste.

France’s Romane Miradoli took silver, 0.41 of a second slower, with Austria’s Cornelia Huetter third, according to provisional results.

– RNZ / Reuters

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