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The Crusaders have run in seven tries to defeat the Queensland Reds in Christchurch. All Blacks Sevu Reece and Will Jordan each scored doubles as the Crusaders eased clear for a 43-19 win at Orangetheory Stadium on Sunday afternoon to launch into the top-six after Round 4 of Super Rugby Pacific. LATEST HEADLINES: Coll defends New Zealand Squash Open title Black Caps lose ICC Champions Trophy final Kiwi Tyler Hodge holds on for NZ PGA victory Wellington Phoenix lose fourth straight match Rise of the Pacific as Chiefs, Canes go down The home side took advantage of a wasteful performance from the Reds, who perhaps had Cyclone Alfred, which struck south-east Queensland on Friday, on their mind, taking an early lead and never letting it slip. Reece and Jordan both crossed for two tries as the Crusaders raced to a 29-14 halftime lead, then extended the gap soon after the break. Les Kiss' men ended a 12-year losing streak in the Garden City last year and returned confident of improving to 3-0 in 2025. But they were made to pay for overplaying their hand, often while attempting to run out of their own territory, as the hosts punished them with six tries inside 42 minutes. Levi Aumua (second right) completed the Crusaders scoring against the Reds. PHOTO: SUPER RUGBY The Reds will attempt to return to Brisbane on Monday. Weather permitting, their next assignment will be the unbeaten NSW Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday. Cullen Grace opened the scoring with a clever raid straight through the centre of the ruck as the home side improved to 2-1 after a Round 3 bye. There were flashes of brilliance when forwards Josh Canham and Alex Hodgman found open space and set up tries that kept the Reds in the hunt. But they were offset by errors and cheap turnovers, as Crusaders fullback Will Jordan scored twice in four minutes before halftime to open a 29-7 lead. Harry Wilson's try before the break was cause for optimism but it was erased immediately after the restart. Reds No 10 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips's clearance kick was smothered and Christian Lio-Willie showed good hands to grab a loose ball and spin over for a 36-14 lead that all-but shut out the Reds. Reds wing Lachie Anderson scored down the right edge after setting up the play with a deft chip and chase down the left flank. The visitors had a chance to edge closer but there was no way through the Crusaders' defence, with Levi Aumua icing the performance with an 80th-minute try converted by former Reds playmaker James O'Connor. "The way the game's being refereed and played ... high tempo, there's a lot of back and forth, turnovers, big efforts required," Jordan said. "I love playing open, free-flowing footy. The standard so far, the competition among the team's been great, it's great to be a part of it." Crusaders 43 (Cullen Grace, Sevu Reece 2, Will Jordan 2, Christian Lio-Willie, Levi Aumua tries; Taha Kemara 3 con, James O'Connor con) Queensland Reds 19 (Filipo Daugunu, Harry Wilson, Lachie Anderson tries; Harry McLaughlin-Phillips 2 con). HT: 29-14

Paul Coll (right) wins the NZ Squash Open title over Marwan ElShorbagy in Christchurch PHOTO: SQUASH NZ SUPPLIED Kiwi squash pro Paul Coll has defended his New Zealand Open title with a dominant win over England’s Marwan ElShorbagy in Christchurch. Coll quickly set the tone with a strong start to the match, tearing into ElShorbagy and providing himself a perfect platform with an 11-5 win in the opening game of the men's final. LATEST HEADLINES: Black Caps lose Champions Trophy final Kiwi Hodge holds on for NZ PGA victory Alker in the top-20 on PGA Tour Champions Wellington Phoenix lose fourth straight match Rise of the Pacific as Chiefs, Canes go down ElShorbagy found the perfect response in game two, with the second seed fired up and at his explosive attacking best as he hit back 11-8 to set nerves fluttering inside the Isaac Theatre Royal. Game three was a brutal affair for both men, with Coll and ElShorbagy putting a number of lengthy rallies into each other’s legs in front of the 1,200 spectators. The long games appeared to take their toll on ElShorbagy and the New Zealander moved away from 5-5 to regain his lead with an 11-6 win. ElShorbagy appeared to be feeling the effects of game three at the beginning of the fourth, as Coll stormed to a 5-1 lead. The Englishman desperately tried to go on the attack to rattle off quick points, but Coll was simply too good, throwing his arms into the air in triumph as he powered home with an 11-3 victory in front of a jubilant crowd. The final score 11-5, 8-11, 11-6, 11-3 in 59 minutes. “It's been an unreal week,” said Coll. “I really went out with the mindset of trying to enjoy this week. This is pretty much my hometown and so many friends and family came out to support me. “I never dreamed of this, to play such a big event here, to have so many people turn out today, it was pretty unreal. I'm so filled with emotion.” In the women’s final 17-year-old Egyptian Amina Orfi won her third title of the season as she put in an incredible performance to defeat Japan’s Satomi Watanabe. Orfi was magnificent early on, with the young Egyptian dominating proceedings to earn a 7-2 lead in the opener. Watanabe began to chip away at Orfi’s lead, but the World No.8 was simply too far ahead, taking the first game 11-5. Watanabe hit her lengths better in game two, recovering from 0-4 down to take an 8-6 lead. Orfi was unrattled as she calmly notched up points, eventually working her way to an 11-8 win. Flowing with confidence, Orfi never let her energy or commitment drop, and she took a huge lead at 9-4 in the third game. Watanabe took the next point to briefly threaten a comeback, but was no match for Orfi’s unnerving accuracy, with the teenager winning her third title of the season with an 11-5 victory.

The Wellington Phoenix have had an unhappy first visit to Ironbark Fields in Melbourne’s west. The Phoenix were beaten 4-1 by Western United at their new home on Saturday after trailing 2-0 at halftime. LATEST HEADLINES: Paul Coll into decider at the NZ Squash Open Rise of the Pacific as Chiefs, Canes go down Kiwi Harlock surprise leader at the NZ PGA Lulu Sun into third round; Routliffe wins too Hawks win at buzzer; Bulls Jets get on board Nathan Walker’s maiden A-League goal was scant consolation for the Nix, who were second best for most of the match. Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano said it was an unacceptable performance. “I’m hurting as much as the fans are,” Italiano said. “We had our fans come today all the way out here. I don’t even know where we are! They expected more [and] I expected more.“I’m not fazed by losing games, but the way we’re losing games. “Today just felt like an unacceptable performance for the first 60. The last 20 was okay when we made the subs. They gave us some good intent.” Wellington remain 11th on the ladder and Italiano conceded their hopes of making the top-six are now over. “Finals are done. We’re not going to make the finals even if we win all seven games. We still need a lot of things to work for us mathematically. “Now we’re playing for the pride of the club for the last seven games, and I expect the boys to lift and give something for the fans to be optimistic about. “I want to see good performances from now until the end of the season.“We have to dig deep now as a group and show what we’re really made of.” Alex Rufer's Wellington Phoenix are now 12 points outside the A-League's top-six. PHOTO: WELLINGTON PHOENIX Italiano made two changes to the XI which started last week’s home defeat to Melbourne City, with Corban Piper and Marco Rojas returning to the starting line-up. It was just Rojas’ second start of the season, while young goalkeeper Dublin Boon was named on the bench for the first time in the absence of Josh Oluwayemi (illness). The Phoenix found themselves a goal down little over two minutes into the match when diminutive Western midfielder Rhys Bozinovski headed home the first corner of the match. The hosts dominated the first 20 minutes and Alby Kelly-Heald made saves to deny Riku Danzaki, Matthew Grimaldi and Hiroshi Ibusuki. Kosta Barbarouses had Wellington’s first shot of note midway through the half when he got in behind the Western defence courtesy of a quick clearance from Kelly-Heald. But he was unable to test goalkeeper Matt Sutton, with Dylan Leonard blocking his shot. Chico Geraldes dragged a free-kick narrowly wide of the left-hand post soon after as the Nix attempted to snatch an equaliser. However, it was United who looked more likely to score next. Kelly-Heald did well to keep out a dangerous in-swinging corner from Angus Thurgate half an hour into the match, but soon after he was picking up the ball from the back of his own net. Ibusuki doubled Western’s lead, sweeping home from six yards out after Kelly-Heald was unable to hold on to Danzaki’s dangerous cross. The Phoenix finished the half the better of the two sides but were unable to test Sutton in United’s goal. Sam Sutton came closest to pulling a goal back for Wellington when he smashed a volley into the side netting in the 41st minute. Alex Rufer earlier volleyed well over the bar, while Rojas pulled a left-footed shot wide of the right post shortly before halftime. United reasserted their dominance at the start of the second half and Grimaldi made it 3-0 in the 51st minute when he squeezed a shot past Alby Kelly-Heald after the Nix coughed up possession in midfield. The Phoenix struggled to play through the Western press and Grimaldi scored his second shortly after the hour mark when United pounced on a defensive error. Kelly-Heald made a good save soon after to prevent golden boot leader Noah Botic scoring the hosts’ fifth. Italiano made a quadruple change midway through the half, bringing on Nathan Walker, Hideki Ishige, Paulo Retre and Kazuki Nagasawa in place of Piper, Geraldes, Rufer and Matt Sheridan. Luke Brooke-Smith had earlier replaced Rojas. The Nix had their first shot of the second half in the 74th minute when Isaac Hughes headed well wide from a corner. Wellington had a couple of promising attacks beforehand but were unable to pick out the final pass. Walker pulled a goal back for the Phoenix in the 82nd minute when he squeezed a shot past Matt Sutton after Tim Payne slipped the 19-year-old in behind the United defence. Western had numerous opportunities to add to the scoreline but were wasteful in front of goal. The Phoenix return home on Sunday before heading back across the Tasman next weekend to play Sydney FC.

Steven Alker went two-under in the first round of the Cologuard Classic on the PGA Tour Champions. PHOTO: PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS New Zealand golfer Steven Alker has made a modest start to the latest PGA Tour Champions tournament. Alker carded a two-under 69 in the opening round of the Cologuard Classic in Tuscon, Arizona on Friday (Saturday NZ Time) to be tied for 15th, five strokes behind the leader, Australian Greg Chalmers. LATEST HEADLINES: Wellington Phoenix lose fourth straight match Paul Coll into decider at the NZ Squash Open Rise of the Pacific as Chiefs, Canes go down Kiwi Harlock surprise leader at the NZ PGA Lulu Sun into third round; Routliffe wins too The 53-year-old Kiwi managed three birdies at the fourth, 11th and 12th, and one bogey at the eighth at the La Paloma Country Club. He was super accurate, hitting 11-of-13 fairways and 15-of-18 greens in regulation, both in the top-10 for the opening round, but the putts just did not fall, requiring 32. Alker, the 2023 Charles Schwab Cup Championship winner, has finished tied for fifth and runner-up in his two appearances on the PGA Tour Champions in 2025. Meanwhile, at the LIV Golf Hong Kong tournament, NZ golfers Danny Lee and Ben Campbell went in different directions during the second round. Lee carded an even-par 71 featuring three birdies and three bogeys to drop out of the top-10 into a share of 32nd at three-under, eight shots back of the leader, Peter Uihlein. Campbell is also tied for 32nd after a two-under 69 that included five birdies and two bogeys. Starting at the eighth hole, he got to three-under for the round with birdies at the eighth, 13th and 17th, before closing his round with back-to-back birdies, then back-to-back bogeys.

sul Coll (left) is one step closer to defending his NZ Open title PHOTO: SQUASH NZ Paul Coll is set to defend his 2025 New Zealand Open title, qualifying for tomorrow’s final following a 3-1 victory over France’s Baptiste Masotti. Competing at the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch, world No 4 Coll had his home crowd on edge as he dropped the first game 9-11 to the Frenchman. LATEST HEADLINES: Kiwi Harlock surprise leader at NZ PGA Lulu Sun into third round; Routliffe wins too Hawks win at buzzer; Bulls Jets get on board Danny Lee in top-10 at LIV Golf Hong Kong ACT Brumbies snatch victory at Eden Park Coll rectified the situation in game two, looking more relaxed on court as he pulled away from 4-4 to win 11-7. From there Coll continued to apply pressure and although Masotti did his best to stay with him, Coll had the momentum to take the last two games for an eventual score of 9-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-8 in 71 minutes. “I knew I was in for a battle today. It was a bit annoying in the first game when I let the lead slip, but I was very happy with my squash overall,” said Coll. “I think more than 1,000 tickets were sold for today and that’s unreal, it’s so cool to play in front of this crowd at home. It’s the most incredible place I’ve played and to have over 1,000 people here I can’t believe it.” Coll will face No.2 seed Marwan ElShorbagy in the final after the Englishman comfortably saw off Malaysia’s Ng Eain Yow in three straight games in his semi final. The women’s final will see seventeen-year-old Amina Orfi from Egypt take on Japan’s Satomi Watanabe. No.2 seed Orfi was in top form as she took down Egyptian national teammate Rowan Elaraby in straight games. The teenager outclassed Elaraby, converting two close games before dominating game three. In the other women’s semi-final Watanabe made a lightning start to her match against Egypt’s Salma Hany. The No.6 seed played attacking squash from the outset, taking the first two games before Hany bounced back to take the third. Watanabe refound her rhythm again in game four, rattling off the points needed to record an 11-5 win and reach the final.

The Fijian Drua have continued their hot streak, handing the Super Rugby Pacific-leading Chiefs their first loss of the season.. The Drua braved the wet conditions at Churchill Park in Lautoka on Saturday afternoon and a strong Chiefs first half to take their maiden win over the Hamilton-based team 25-17. LATEST HEADLINES: Kiwi Harlock surprise leader at the NZ PGA Lulu Sun into third round; Routliffe wins too Hawks win at buzzer; Bulls Jets get on board Danny Lee in top-10 at LIV Golf Hong Kong ACT Brumbies snatch victory at Eden Park Wing Ponepati Loganimasi was the difference maker for the Drua, scoring and setting up a second half try for their first win of the season. All Black Samisoni Taukei’aho was strong in his return to the starting side for the Chiefs, scoring the opener in the first three minutes. The wet conditions dictated the flow of the game early as both sides dropped the ball. The Drua settled the game with a penalty from Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula before Jimmy Tupou charged over from close. Armstrong-Ravula’s second penalty of the afternoon reduced the margin to six before the clearer conditions allowed the Drua to work their way into the game after the break. The Fijian Drua handed the Chiefs their first loss in wet conditions in Lautoka. PHOTO: SUPER RUGBY No 8 Meli Derenalagi gave the hosts the perfect start after diving over from close range for the 13-12 lead. The lead did not last long after centre Anton Lienert-Brown continued his strong season with his third try of the year. The All Black won the race to the loose ball after Leroy Carter’s kick ahead allowed the centre to skid onto the ball and score. Unfazed, the Drua mounted a charge close to the hour mark that decided the game through explosive wing Loganimasi. The former Sevens star threw a lovely basketball-style pass inside to fullback Vuate Karawalevu, diving over to put them back in front. Loganimasi then produced some magic after collecting a chip kick from halfway, chipping and chasing before soccering ahead for himself to extend the margin. The Drua held onto their lead until the end when Armstrong-Ravula booted another penalty to put the result out of doubt. Tupou Vaa’i ensured the Chiefs would not leave empty-handed, charging over well after the full-time siren for a losing bonus point. It ensures the Chiefs remain on top, barring a Reds bonus point win, having played one more game than their Queensland counterparts. Meanwhile, the win vaults the Drua into seventh for the time being, now set to head to Canberra to face the ACT Brumbies.  Later on Saturday, Moana Pasifika have produced an unbelievable 40-31 win over the Hurricanes to get their maiden win of 2025. It ensured All Blacks loose forward Ardie Savea earned bragging rights over his old team in their first meeting since he joined the expansion side. However, it was fellow back-rower Miracle Faiʻilagi who stole the show with a hat-trick. The Samoan international answered Brayden Iose’s opener with their first points of the game as they came out firing. Returning star Ruben Love capitalised on some in-decision from a loose ball to hit straight back in the corner. This inspired Moana Pasifika, who scored 28 unanswered points. Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa barged over to give them the lead before it unravelled for the visitors, losing Iose for 10 minutes. This is where Moana Pasifika punished the Hurricanes, with breakout star Kyren Taumoefolau winning the race to the ball to give them a 21-12 lead at the break. Faiʻilagi’s second to start the second half gave them a 16-point lead as the Hurricanes had little answer. Not even Tom Savage’s yellow card could slow them down, with Mills Sanerivi extending the lead in the 58th minute. Peter Lakai got the Hurricanes firing for a brief moment with a close-range try, only for  Faiʻilagi to complete the hat-trick minutes later. The game was well out of reach when the Hurricanes mounted a late change. Tries to Ngatungane Punivai and Jone Rova made the game closer than it was as the hosts celebrated their first win of the year in style. Savea's win was marred after the All Black went off right before the break with an apparent injury. Fijian Drua 28 (Meli Derenalagi, Vuate Karawalevu, Ponepati Loganimasi tries; Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula 2 con, 3 pen) Chiefs 24 (Samisoni Taukei’aho, Jimmy Tupou, Anton Lienert-Brown, Tupou Vaa'i tries; Josh Jacomb 2 con). HT: 6-12 Moana Pasifika 40 (Miracle Fai’ilagi 3, Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa, Kyren Taumoefolau, Millennium Sanerivi tries; Patrick Pellegrini 5 con) Hurricanes 31 (Brayden Iose, Ruben Love, Peter Lakai, Ngatungane Punivai, Jone Rova tries; Harry Godfrey 3 con) . HT: 14-12

Kiwi Cameron Harlock leads the NZ PGA Championship by one shot after three rounds. PHOTO: PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALASIA Unheralded Kiwi rookie Cameron Harlock has turned a tournament invitation into a potential maiden professional win at the New Zealand PGA Championship at Hastings Golf Club. On a Saturday in which the leaders stalled and contenders came from the clouds, Harlock’s eagle on the par-five 17th in his five-under 67 was enough to nudge one clear of a congested leaderboard at 14-under. LATEST HEADLINES: Lulu Sun into third round; Routliffe wins too Hawks win at buzzer; Bulls Jets get on board Danny Lee in top-10 at LIV Golf Hong Kong ACT Brumbies snatch victory at Eden Park Coll reaches semifinals at NZ Open squash Queensland’s Shae Wools-Cobb (67) and Kiwi left-hander Tyler Hodge (70) share second at 13-under, with 16-year-old amateur Cooper Moore (71) and another New Zealander Denzel Ieremia (66) tied for fourth at 12-under. Nineteen players will start Sunday within five strokes of the lead, Harlock suddenly thrust to the front in just his second start on the PGA Tour of Australasia. Out in three-under, Harlock made bogey at the par-four 11th for the second straight day before forging to the front-running position with a birdie at 14 and eagle at 17. “I felt like I had a good number and it came out pretty awfully to be honest,” Harlock said of his second shot into the par-five. “It surprised me a little bit but was probably one of those ones where it was so bad that it was actually in an OK spot. “I had about 40 metres left and it wasn’t an easy shot but just tried to hit the best shot that I could and it just dropped in the front edge.” After playing his way into the Vic Open last month by winning the Monday qualifier at Curlewis, Harlock was given a crash course in professional golf education during a practice round with Australian veterans Sam Brazel, Marcus Fraser and Matt Millar. Although he would miss the cut at 13th Beach, Harlock said it was an invaluable learning experience less than a year after graduating from Boston College. “Getting those guys to steer me around and just see how they worked and their practice round was actually a massive benefit,” said the Auckland native Another with limited playing opportunities of late has been Wools-Cobb. Due to his current category, Wools-Cobb has played just two events since the start of the year, a heart-to-heart with coach John Wright unlocking his love for the game again. The biggest moves on Saturday came from Newcastle rookie Jye Pickin and perennial contender this season, Jake McLeod. Pickin and McLeod both shot seven-under 65s in Round 3 to be tied for sixth and just three strokes off the lead. Pickin has missed the cut in each of his previous three starts, while McLeod’s runner-up finish to Nick Voke at the Players Series Sydney tournament was his third top-five finish of the season. One-under playing the back nine on Friday, McLeod went three-under in his final eight holes to make the cut. He intends to carry through a ‘nothing to lose’ mentality as he chases a first win since the 2018 NSW Open. “If you just made the cut, you can’t really go backwards so there’s only forwards,” said McLeod, who had six birdies and an eagle in his round of seven-under. “Obviously running down the leaderboard here is not going to do anything on the Order of Merit so you need to try your luck and push pretty hard I reckon.” The final round of the NZ PGA Championship tees off at 10.15am.

Lulu Sun has won her way into the third round of the WTA 1000 Masters in Indian Wells PHOTO: WTA New Zealand's Lulu Sun has scored one of the better wins since Wimbledon last year with a second round defeat of the Czechia's Linda Noskova. The 6-1 6-4 win in 1 hour 16 minutes for Sun was her third of the year and came in one of the biggest events, a WTA 1000 tournament, at Indian Wells. LATEST HEADLINES: Danny Lee top-10 at LIV golf Hong Kong ACT Brumbies snatch victory at Eden Park Coll reaches semifinals at NZ Open squash Kiwi teen amateur tied for lead at NZ PGA White Ferns cruise to victory over Sri Lanka Big rule changes for ANZ Premiership netball The Te Anau left-hander, ranked 49th in the world, defeated Noskova, 31st, breaking the Czech's serve on three ocassions from her six opportunities. Sun held off Noskova on the two break points on her serve. Sun, 23, beat Slovak Rebecca Sramkova in round one, a player she had lost to in her previous tournament. In the third round she will play either former World No 1 Victoria Azarenka or Qinwen Zheng, the eighth seed. Prizemoney for the third round is US$60,400 and 65 valuable ranking points. Meanwhile, in women’s doubles, second seeds Erin Routliffe and Canadian Gaby Dabrowski beat Leylah Fernandez (Canada) and Luisa Stefani (Brazil) 5-7, 6-3, 10-1 in the first round.

The Hawke's Bay Hawks went 3-0 at the NBL's Westside Blitz preseason tournament. PHOTO: NBL The Hawke's Bay Hawks have capped a perfect National Basketball League (NBL) preseason with a buzzer-beater. Junior Tall Blacks star and recent Tall Blacks call-up Jackson Ball hit the game-winning three as time expired in an 83-82 win over the Otago Nuggets on day four of the Westside Blitz in Greymouth on Friday. LATEST HEADLINES: Danny Lee in top-10 at LIV Golf Hong Kong ACT Brumbies snatch victory at Eden Park Coll reaches semifinals at NZ Open squash Kiwi teen amateur tied for lead at NZ PGA White Ferns cruise to victory over Sri Lanka Big rule changes for ANZ Premiership netball Ball has been a standout on the South Island's West Coast, with the game-winner giving him 21 points (6/15 FG, 7/9 FT), along with seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks against the Nuggets, following a 27-point outburst on Thursday night. The Hawks new import Darnell Cowart scored a team-high 23 points (8/15 FG, 6/11 FT) to go with eight boards and three assists, while Campbell Scott had 18 points (6/14 FG, 4/11 3pt) and four boards. The Nuggets' lone import in Greymouth, Jose Perez, again impressed with a game-high 35-point explosion (13/23 FG, 9/13 FT), supported by 15 points from Patrick Freeman and 11 points from Darcy Knox. The Franklin Bulls got their first win of the Westside Blitz, routing the Southland Sharks 108-62 , thanks to a balanced offence. Tobias Cameron top-scored with 20 points (8/9 FG), seven rebounds and four assists, while Christian Vano put up 19 points (6/13 FG, 3/6 3pt) and four boards off the bench, and German import Till Gloger put up 16 points (6/9 FG, 4/5 FT). American guard Tae Hardy added 15 points (5/10 FG) and six boards, while KC Nwafor pulled down 14 rebounds as the Bulls outrebounded the Sharks 59-29. Captain Alonzo Burton, import guard Caleb Asberry and Tukaha Cooper all had 12 points for Southland, who were without their third import Josiah Allick. After two previous losses at the Westside Blitz, the Manawatu Jets posted their first win with a 90-82 victory over the Auckland Tuatara . Miles Gibson, the only of the Jets' three imports to play significant minutes, scored a game-high 31 points (12/22 FG, 4/7 3pt), also grabbing 12 rebounds for a double-double. Tinashe Matambanadzo put up 23 points (7/12 FG, 4/4 3pt, 5/8 FT) and five boards. The Tuatara had four players in double-digits, led by import Charles Pride’s 16 points (5/14 FG) and five rebounds.

Paul Coll wins his quarterfinal at the NZ Squash Open PHOTO: SQUASH NZ Paul Coll is through to the semifinals of the 2025 NZ Squash Open following a 3-0 victory over France’s Sébastien Bonmalais at the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch. World No.4 Coll has never dropped a game to Bonmalais on the PSA Squash Tour, and continued that record taking the first game 11-8. LATEST HEADLINES: NZ amateur teens tied for lead NZ PGA White Ferns cruise to victory over Sri Lanka Big rule changes for ANZ Premiership netball Fox takes net title at pro-member in Florida Close wins for Saints, Hawks, Sharks, Whai Coll continued to dominate the court in the second, profiting from his short game as Bonmalais struggled to get in front of him. Having won the second 11-6, Coll faced a resurgent Bonmalais in the third who pushed the home favourite all the way to the wire and had three game balls. However the Frenchman wasn’t able to convert, with Coll fighting back and only taking his chance to seal the match 12-10 in the third set. “I’m very happy with that,” said Coll.“It was a high paced game. Seb’s extremely quick across the court and on the volley. And in the third game the ball dropped off and it was bloody hard to get it past him, so I'm very happy with how I dug in and closed it out.” Coll will take on France’s Baptiste Masotti in his semifinal. Earlier in the day women’s top seed and World No.5 Nele Gilis was knocked out of the competition in a shock defeat to Egypt’s Salma Hany. Gilis took the first two games before Hany inched ahead in the third, winning 11-9. Hany then found her rhythm, forcing a number of errors from the Belgian to level the game score at 2-all. The final game saw Hany reach match ball with a narrow 10-9 lead. In a brilliant final rally, the Egyptian sent Gilis all over the court before sending a perfect drive beyond her opponent’s dive to seal the upset win.

Replacement Ryan Lonergan has stepped up to be the hero for the ACT Brumbies, slotting a last-minute penalty for a 21-20 win over the Blues. Lonergan's 80th-minute penalty gave the Brumbies their first victory at Auckland's Eden Park since 2013 as they rallied from 10 points down at halftime in Round 4 of Super Rugby Pacific on Friday night. LATEST HEADLINES: Kiwi teen amateur tied for lead at NZ PGA White Ferns cruise to victory over Sri Lanka Big rule changes for ANZ Premiership netball Fox takes net title at pro-member in Florida Paul Coll starts NZ Open title chase with win It was their scrum that proved the hero, turning the Blues inside out to force James Doleman no option but to award the penalty from right in front. Lonergan made no mistake, allowing the visitors to close it out for an emotional win. Despite winning 23 of their past 24 games against Australian opposition, the Blues could not deny the Brumbies a spirited comeback. The hosts led 20-10 at the break after two runaway tries in the space of two minutes just before halftime to prop Angus Ta'avao and centre Rieko Ioane.  The lead would have been larger had All Black Beauden Barrett not missed two conversion attempts and a routine shot at a penalty goal. Angus Ta'avao scored one of three Blues tries in the one-point loss to the ACT Brumbies. PHOTO: SUPER RUGBY NZ But the Brumbies fought back doggedly in the second half, with a penalty goal from Declan Meredith reducing the deficit to seven points before the halfback crossed out wide for his side's second try of the night. Meredith missed the conversion attempt to leave the Brumbies trailing by two. The Brumbies dominated at scrum, lineout and breakdown time, and their loose forwards kept the pressure on with several turnovers before one final penalty with two minutes remaining. After dominating the scrum, lineout and breakdown, the Brumbies secured a decisive penalty with less than two minutes left, allowing Lonergan to boot the Canberrans to a famous victory. The match had been all locked up at 10-10 through 35 minutes, after Brumbies captain Allan Alalatoa's pick-and-drive effort cancelled out Barrett's early strike for the Blues. But Ioane's first try since May 2023 in 50th Super Rugby match, looked to have given the Blues all the momentum entering the second half. It leaves the Blues struggling at 1-3 and set for a nervous wait on the fitness of Barrett, who did not return after the break after a hand injury. ACT Brumbies 21 (Allan Alaalatoa, Declan Meredith tries; Declan Meredith con, 2 pen, Ryan Lonergan pen) Blues 20 (Beauden Barrett, Angus Ta'avao, Rieko Ioane tries; Beauden Barrett con, pen). HT: 10-20

Danny Lee is three shots off the lead at the LIV Golf Hong Kong tournament. PHOTO: IRON HEADS GC New Zealand golfer Danny Lee sits inside the top-10 after the first round of the LIV Golf Hong Kong tournament. Lee fired a bogey-free four-under 66 at the Hong Kong Golf Club on Friday to join major winners Bryson DeChambeau and Henrik Stenson in a share of eighth, three strokes behind the leader, Englishman Paul Casey. LATEST HEADLINES: ACT Brumbies snatch victory at Eden Park Coll reaches semifinals at NZ Open squash Kiwi teen amateur tied for lead at NZ PGA White Ferns cruise to victory over Sri Lanka Big rule changes for ANZ Premiership netball Fox takes net title at pro-member in Florida Starting at the 14th hole, Lee got into red numbers on his first hole, before another birdie at the par-four 17th. He made another at the par-five third, before eight straight pars and a birdie at the par-five 13th, his closing hole. It was a less productive day for fellow Kiwi Ben Campbell, who produced three birdies and two bogeys in a one-under 69 to be tied for 29th along with Jon Rahm, Cam Smith and Patrick Reed. Lee's Iron Heads GC team is tied for fourth and Campbell's RangeGoats GC seventh ahead of Saturday's second round (5.15pm NZ Time). Another pair of NZ golfers - Kazuma Kobori on the DP World Tour and Fiona Xu on the LPGA Tour - missed the cut at respective tournaments on Friday. Kobori had one birdie, four bogeys and two double-bogeys in a seven-over 77 at the Joburg Open in Johannesburg, South Africa, finishing tied for 141st at seven-over, eight shots below the cut-line. Xu managed two birdies, six bogeys and a double-bogey in a six-over 78 at the Blue Bay LPGA tournament in Hainan, China, dropping her to eight-over, four strokes short of playing the weekend.