OCTOBER
2
All Blacks back Roger Tuivasa-Sheck shuts down speculation over return to NRL's Sydney Roosters
All Blacks midfielder Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has put the final nail in the coffin over speculation of a return to the NRL's Sydney Roosters.
Last week, All Blacks legend Sir John Kirwan sparked the rumour mill, suggested the national team needed to give Tuivasa-Sheck more opportunities on the test stage or risk losing him back to the NRL club where he first shot to superstardom, claiming the Roosters had an offer ready and waiting for the former Dally M Medal winner.
The Otahuhu product began his NRL tenure with the Roosters in 2012, playing 84 games for the Syndeysiders, before signing on with NZ Warriors in 2016.
Kirwan's comments left pundits across the ditch scratching their heads, considering the wealth of talent the Roosters currently have at fullback. Fox League's NRL 360 reported the Roosters had "distanced themselves" from the rumours.
3
Kiwi Ryan Fox claims Alfred Dunhill Links Championship for biggest career win
Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox has claimed the biggest victory of his career, taking out the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Starting the day four shots off the pace, Fox, 35, pipped England's Callum Shinkwin and Sweden's Alex Noren by a solitary shot at the iconic St Andrews Links - the 'Home of Golf' - in Scotland.
His final round 68 saw Fox finish at -15 for the tournament, with seven birdies on his way to victory, before sinking a high-pressure putt for par on the 18th.
Fox is the first New Zealander to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Immediately after his victory, Fox has paid tribute to former Australian cricketer Shane Warne, who died in March. Fox and Warne shared the course in the 2021 pro-am at St Andrews.
5
Pumas star Pablo Matera reveals why he snubbed All Blacks hooker Dane Coles handshake
Pumas star Pablo Materea has revealed the reason behind his handshake snub of All Blacks hooker Dane Coles, after their heavy Rugby Championship defeat at Hamilton.
As part of the standard post-match ritual, New Zealand and Argentina players embraced each other, until Matera crossed paths with Coles.
Instead, the former Pumas loose forward ignored the All Black's gesture for a handshake and shoved his opposite with a look of contempt.
But the Crusaders No.8 has shed light on the incident, after a comment about his time in Christchurch and New Zealand irked him.
"I think he came in with 10 minutes left, and just continued picking on me in every ruck and every scrum, saying some things that really hurt, some strong things," Matera told James Marshall on the What a Lad podcast.
"I just didn't understand why he continued picking at me and he said things I'm sensitive about, like me being in New Zealand… 'You don't belong here'."
7
Kiwi icon Greg Murphy beats his own 'Lap of the Gods' time on Bathurst return
Kiwi motorsport icon Greg Murphy has bettered his Bathurst personal best, registering a faster time than his famous 'Lap of the Gods' during Thursday's practice session.
Murphy, 50, is back behind the wheel for Sunday's great race, teaming up with compatriot Richie Stanaway and Erebus Motorsport as a wildcard.
Hitting the Mount Panorama track for the first time since 2014, the four-time Bathurst champion wound back the clock.
In 2003, Murphy's career-best lap time of 2m 6.8594s went down in Bathurst folklore, dubbed the 'Lap of the Gods', as the first time any driver clocked a time under 2m 7s.
While the record has been broken several times since, with Chas Mostert clocking 2m 3.373s in 2021, the Kiwi's display years after his competitive retirement was one for the fans.
8
Champion Black Ferns rally to topple Australia in Eden Park World Cup opener
Trailing by 17 points after half an hour, the champion Black Ferns have fought back to overturn Australia in their Rugby World Cup opener at a soldout Eden Park.
After watching nearest rivals England and France run rampant over tournament outsiders Fiji and South Africa, the NZ women had to contend with the pressure of defending their crown on home soil in front of a record crowd - and didn't handle the occasion that well to begin.
But once they found their feet - and held some passes - they were able to run in seven unanswered tries to overturn the trans-Tasman challenge 41-17, with seven speedsters Portia Woodman and Ruby Tui accounting for five tries between them.
Australia had never beaten the Ferns before, but threatened to break that duck at the most inopportune moment for the 40,000 expectant fans crammed into the Auckland fortress.
10
Kiwi Bathurst champ Shane van Gisbergen bails on live TV to vomit
A night of raucous celebrations appeared to catch up on newly crowned Bathurst champion Shane van Gisbergen at the most inopportune moment.
On Sunday, the Kiwi won his second title in the iconic Supercars race, moving to the brink of consecutive Supercars crowns.
During his live appearance on Australia's Today Show on Monday morning, the 33-year-old made a hasty exit to vomit, leaving co-driver Garth Tander awkwardly alone on screen to conduct the rest of the interview solo.
Host Karl Stefanovic could only laugh and offer a nod of sympathy, saying: "I understand how you feel after a big night."
13
Mad Butcher sends warning to thieves of prized NZ Warriors jerseys
Sir Peter Leitch - better known as 'Mad Butcher' - hasn't minced his words, when asked to send a message directly to those responsible for the theft of several prized NZ Warriors jerseys from Mt Smart Stadium.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, 14 jerseys from Sir Peter's collection of memorabilia on display at the team's Auckland headquarters were stolen in a ram raid.
Looking down the barrel of an AM camera, Sir Peter has laucnedh into his plea.
"Listen, if you went to Mt Smart and stole those jerseys, give them back and I'll forgive you," he began. "We just want the jerseys back, be nice.
"If you don't give them back, I'll hunt you down."
While there's an obvious sense of jest in the 78-year-old's warning, it's clear exactly how much the jerseys mean to him.
18
Sean Wainui's widow Paige pays touching tribute to late rugby star on one-year anniversary
Sean Wainui's widow has paid tribute to her late husband on the one-year anniversary of the former rugby star's tragic death.
The Māori All Blacks, Chiefs and Crusaders player died in a single-vehicle crash at Tauranga, sending shockwaves throughout the rugby community.
Wife Paige and family have visited Te Wainui Marae at Gisborne, where he was laid to rest.
Paige posted the outing on Instagram, paying tribute to her late husband with photos of the pair, son Kawairiki and video of their family.
"One year ago today, our world, my life, the person I was, everything me and my babies knew changed forever," she captioned.
23
World reacts to 'Superman' catch from New Zealand's Glenn Phillips as Blackcaps beat Australia
The Blackcaps victory over Australia in the T20 World Cup opener might've been impressive - but Glen Phillips' outfield catch was "outrageous".
Phillips, 25, is one of New Zealand's best fielders, and is known for his speed and acrobatics, with a history of taking spectacular catches.
The 25-year-old added another "outrageous" catch to his resume, when he caught Australian allrounder Marcus Stoinis during the Blackcaps' 89-run demolition of the home team in the T20 World Cup at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Australia were already in trouble at 50/3 in the ninth over and behind the asking rate, when Stoinis lofted spinner Mitchell Santner over the infield to a seemingly empty deep cover position, but Phillips sprinted from deep point and launched himself to grab a spectacular midair catch.
"You've got to be kidding me, Glenn Phillips," cried former New Zealand bowler Simon Doull in commentary. "How good is that?"
23
Stunning final round fires Lydia Ko to victory at LPGA's BMW Ladies Championship
Kiwi Lydia Ko has produced an almost perfect final round to take victory in the LPGA's BMW Ladies Championship at Wonju, South Korea.
Beginning the day one shot behind the leader - Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand - at 14-under, Ko made eight birdies to take her second victory of the year, after taking out the Gainbridge LPGA event in January.
Ko's final round of 65 saw her finish at 21-under for the tournament, four shots clear of American Andrea Lee in second.
In a blistering start to her final round, Ko made two birdies on her first four holes, as Thitikul dropped down the leaderboard with three bogeys on her front nine.
Ko dropped a shot on the seventh, but immediately made up for it on the eighth with her third birdie, as part of a two-under front nine that moved her to 16-under and the outright lead.
25
Black Ferns call for Kiwi fans to pick World Cup quarter-final over All Blacks v Japan clash
Come Saturday evening, New Zealand rugby fans face a difficult choice over who should occupy their evenings - All Blacks or Black Ferns?
Rugby World Cup seedings have pitted the Black Ferns against Wales in a knockout encounter at Whangārei, creating a direct scheduling clash with the men's test against Japan at Tokyo.
The All Blacks' northern tour opener kicks off at 6:50pm, while the Black Ferns quarter-final begins at 7:30pm.
About 19,000 can attend the Ferns fixture at Northland Events Centre, leaving fans around the country with an unenviable choice to make, but for the team riding a wave of support during their home World Cup, there's no doubt where the eyeballs should be.
"It's a silly question, isn't it?" joked halback Kendra Cocksedge.
30
All Blacks coach Ian Foster fires back at Jamie Joseph's parting shot after Japan's narrow loss at Tokyo
Coach Ian Foster has fired back at Jamie Joseph's parting shot at the All Blacks, after their narrow 38-31 victory over Japan at Tokyo.
The 'Brave Blossoms' coach delivered a brutal assessment of their opposition after the test match, and questioned whether the All Blacks have lost their aura.
Joseph's Japan will take on England at Twickenham in two weeks, which he believes are a "better side" than New Zealand.
"Everyone is thinking about the All Blacks and that's part of their armour, really," Joseph said post-match.
"Having played for the All Blacks, one of the things we used to talk about 25 years ago was that everyone was a wee bit scared of us. Perhaps that's not the case anymore, I'm not sure."
31
Kiwi triathlete, Olympian Shane Reed passes away, aged 49
Kiwi triathlete and former Olympian Shane Reed has died of brain cancer, aged 49.
Reed competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where teammate Bevan Docherty claimed bronze.
Reed also won three ITU Aquathlon world titles, with his last being in 2004.
"This devastating news has shattered the triathlon and multisport community," said World Triathlon.
"Shane, a quiet achiever, has had multiple sporting achievements to his name over the years, including representing New Zealand at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, claiming many ITU [as World Triathlon was formerly known] World Cup medals and earning three World Aquathlon titles."
