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The Warriors women seen here in 2018 are back in the competition in 2025 and playing several games in Hamilton PHOTO: SIMON WATT/LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY The Warriors are returning to the NRLW this season after a five-year absence, and will play the majority of their home games in Hamilton. Three stand-alone NRLW matches from their five home games will be played at FMG Stadium Waikato late in the season. LATEST HEADLINES: Car damage ends SVG hopes at Daytona Sun loses singles, wins doubles at Dubai Another Challenge Tour top-5 for Jones Hayden Wilde sprints to win in Abu Dhabi Own goal costs Phoenix Women vs Glory   LIV Golf's Danny Lee to play at NZ Open Their first game in the Waikato will be their round seven fixture against the Canberra Raiders August 16, followed a week later by their round eight contest against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks August 24, and the round 10 encounter with the powerful Brisbane Broncos on 7 September. Warriors NRLW head coach Ron Griffiths welcomed the opportunity to promote the team and the competition in the region. "I believe the NRLW is a unique product, thus I applaud the decision by our club to work collaboratively with Hamilton council and take our stand-alone games to the region," he said. "What we are embarking on is unparalleled in the NRLW. Furthermore, playing in the mighty Waikato is pivotal for our female pathway and player development." The Warriors' men's side played a pre-season fixture against the Melbourne Storm in Hamilton on Saturday in front of a crowd 23,344 - a record for a Warriors trial match. Warriors CEO Cameron George was thrilled to take the women's game there too. "It's a huge opportunity to put the spotlight on the NRLW side and the game as a whole at a time when women's playing numbers are booming in New Zealand. "There's also tremendous value taking our team to the Waikato region and giving fans a great opportunity to get in behind the players, a number of whom come from the area." The Warriors kick off their NRLW return against the Sydney Roosters July 6. The club has signed 22 of its top 24 players so far, including big names such as Black Ferns superstar Michaela Brake (née Blyde), Kiwi Ferns fullback Apii Nicholls and a host of players with international rugby league and rugby union experience. As a foundation club, the Warriors played in the NRLW in 2018, 2019 and 2020. They had one standalone home match in that time, hosting St George Illawarra at Go Media Stadium in 2019. The 12 teams in the 2025 NRLW are: Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders, Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs, Cronulla Sutherland Sharks, Gold Coast Titans, Newcastle Knights, North Queensland Cowboys, New Zealand Warriors, Parramatta Eels, St George Illawarra Dragons, Sydney Roosters and Wests Tigers..

An unhappy Finn Fisher-Black after being impeded on the stage one finish of Tour UAE PHOTO: RED BULL BORA HANSGROHE New Zealand cyclist Finn Fisher-Black has been promoted to second on the 138km first stage of the Tour of UAE. The 23-year-old riding for Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe crossed third but was impeded by Jasper Philipsen during a sprint finish won by Italian, Jonathan Milan . LATEST HEADLINES: Williamson for Middlesex county cricket Warriors women to make Hamilton home Car damage ends SVG hopes at Daytona Sun loses singles, wins doubles at Dubai Another Challenge Tour top-5 for Jones Milan claimed victory on the challenging finish at Liwa Palace, securing his first-ever win at the UAE Tour.event. Lidl-Trek rider Milan, timed his sprint perfectly to edge out Philipsen – later relegated to 52nd place for irregular sprinting something Fisher-Black was not happy about in a sometimes heated sprint to the line. Fellow Kiwi Aaron Gate riding for the Astana team was sixth. Reuben Thompson 37th and Logan Currie further down the standings.

Sophie Devine won't play the home short-form series against Sri Lanka next month PHOTO: LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY White Ferns captain Sophie Devine will not take part in the series against Sri Lanka in March as she continues to prioritise her well-being. The news follows Devine’s decision last month to withdraw from the Dream11 Super Smash and the 2025 Women’s Premier League after receiving professional advice. LATEST HEADLINES: Another Challenge top-five for Sam Jones Hayden Wilde sprints to win in Abu Dhabi Own goal costs Phoenix Women vs Glory   LIV Golf's Danny Lee to play at NZ Open Fin Melville Ives wins Freeski World Cup Liz Green, NZC’s Head of Women’s High Performance, reiterated the importance of player well-being. “We are fully supportive of Sophie’s decision to not take part in the upcoming series,” said Green. “Player well-being is our highest priority and it’s important Sophie feels fit and well before returning to professional cricket.” The White Ferns squad for the ODIs andt T20Is against Sri Lanka will be named later this month

LIV Golf Tour player Danny Lee is returning to Queenstown to play the New Zealand Open PHOTO: PEDRO SALADO/LIV GOLF LIV golf tour player Danny Lee is set to make a highly anticipated return to tee it up in Queenstown and the New Zealand Open next week. Lee became the youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Amateur in August 2008, aged 18 years and one month, six months younger than Tiger Woods when he won in 1994. He became No 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in August 2008 and remained number one until he turned pro in April 2009. LATEST HEADLINES: Melville Ives wins Freeski World Cup NZ drivers down in Jeddah Formula E Auckland FC continue leading A-League Chiefs, McKenzie too strong for Blues Crusaders win: Highlanders late loss Lee represented New Zealand at the Eisenhower Trophy in 2008 and the World Cup of Golf in both 2009 and 2016. He was also part of the New Zealand Olympics team in 2016 alongside Ryan Fox and Lydia Ko. In his professional career, Lee has played on the Web.com tour, DP World Tour and PGA Tour. Lee now plies his trade as part of the Iron Heads GC team in the LIV Golf League. Lee, whose career highlights include wins on the PGA Tour and the LIV Golf League, as well as, a top-10 finish at the U.S. Open, is “excited to be coming home.” This marks his fourth appearance in the New Zealand Open, but his first as a professional. “It will be great to be playing back on home soil in front of my family, friends, and the New Zealand fans. New Zealand holds a special place in my heart, and I am proud to represent New Zealand. I am looking forward to reconnecting with so many people who have supported me over a number of years,” said Lee. New Zealand Open Tournament Director, Michael Glading is delighted that Danny is coming home to play in his national Open and is looking forward to watching the fans out in force to watch him in action. “It’s great that Danny is making his long-awaited return to the New Zealand Open, it will be a special moment for him, the tournament and the golf community here in New Zealand.” “Danny has had an incredible career from being the number one amateur golfer in the world, playing at the Olympics, and winning on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the LIV Golf League. We are excited to have him back, and we know the energy from the crowd will make it a truly memorable experience for everyone.” The 104th New Zealand Open will tee off at Millbrook Resort in Queenstown between 27 February and 2 March 2025.

Shane van Gisbergen ran in the top-10 at one stage before a nose-to-tail collision on lap 71 ended his competitive involvement in the Daytona 500. PHOTO: @SVG97 New Zealand driver Shane van Gisbergen has learned some harsh realities of driving in Nascar's Cup Series. In his first race as a full-time Nascar driver, van Gisbergen finished 33rd, eight laps down, in his debut Daytona 500 on Sunday (Monday NZ Time) after front-end damage decimated his track speed. LATEST HEADLINES: Sun loses singles, wins doubles at Dubai Another Challenge Tour top-5 for Jones Hayden Wilde sprints to win in Abu Dhabi Own goal costs Phoenix Women vs Glory   LIV Golf's Danny Lee to play at NZ Open Fin Melville Ives wins Freeski World Cup Kiwi drivers down at Jeddah Formula E Auckland FC continue leading A-League Van Gisbergen was running 17th on lap 71 when Joey Logano's car coughed on the throttle, causing nose-to-tail collision concertina on the second row and causing a crash involving six cars further back. The Giz's rear-ender looked innocuous enough and allowed him to continue to race, although he went down two laps immediately and was off the pace for the rest of the race. " Big nose damage,” van Gisbergen said over the Trackhouse Racing team radio. “The steering feels fine. The steering is okay.” With a compromised car, van Gisbergen continued to lose ground on the track and by the end of the second stage (lap 132), he had dropped back to 35th and six laps down. Earlier, the three-time Supercars champion and Nascar rookie had ran up front after starting 26th, but being bumped to the rear due to using a backup car. He was positioned as high as fifth early on, joining teammate and defending series champion Ross Chastain on the high line during three-wide racing. He remained around the top-10 before dropping out of the top-20 as the third line against the wall lost momentum. Van Gisbergen ended the first stage (lap 66), which included a more than three-hour red flag delay due to rain, in 12th, just outside the points. The next race on the Nascar schedule is the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway next Sunday (Monday NZT).

Lulu Sun was beaten by top 10 player Paula Bardosa, but won her doubles in an upset in Dubai PHOTO: WTA A first round singles loss for Lulu Sun but a nice bounce back in doubles with Peyton Stearns at the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai. Sun was beaten by ninth seeded Spaniard Paola Badosa in the first match on Centre Court but was competitive in the 6-4 6-3 defeat. LATEST HEADLINES: Devine out of White Ferns home series Another Challenge top-five for Sam Jones Hayden Wilde sprints to win in Abu Dhabi Own goal costs Phoenix Women vs Glory   LIV Golf's Danny Lee to play at NZ Open She had her serve broken twice in the opening set, while Badosa was broken once. In the second set, Sun saved nine of the 10 break points against her and she also had Badosa in trouble on her serve early in the second set, but the Spaniard was able to pick up the only break, to advance to the second round. Later the same day 23-year-old Sun was back on court with the American Stearns for a 3-6 6-2 10-5 win over Leylah Fernandez from Canada and highly respected Ukrainian doubles player Nadiia Kichenok. It was an upset for Sun and Stearns over Fernandez, who is world class in both forms of the game, and Kichenok, who is ranked 38 in the world in doubles. In the next round Sun and Stearns take on the top seeds Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova.

Sam Jones tied for third at the HotelPlanner Tour's NTT Data Pro Am in South Africa. PHOTO: SAM JONES Kiwi golfer Sam Jones continues to climb in early tournaments on Europe's second-tier tour. Jones finished tied for third at this week's NTT Data Pro Am in George, South Africa, following a T4 finish the previous week, to move up two places to fourth in the HotelPlanner Tour, formerly Challenge Tour, season-long Road to Mallorca rankings. LATEST HEADLINES: Hayden Wilde sprints to win in Abu Dhabi Own goal costs Phoenix Women vs Glory   LIV Golf's Danny Lee to play at NZ Open Fin Melville Ives wins Freeski World Cup Kiwi drivers down at Jeddah Formula E Auckland FC continue leading A-League The Taranaki left-hander posted four-under rounds on day one and three, sandwiching a bogey-free seven-under 65 in the second round, before a three-under 69 to close the tournament at the Fancourt Golf Estate. With just five bogeys over 72 holes, Jones finished at 18-under, in a three-way share of third, still nine strokes behind the winner, South African Wilco Nienaber. The 28-year-old will return home to play the New Zealand Open and NZ PGA Championship as the HP Tour takes a break until two tournaments in India next month. On the LIV Golf Tour, Ben Campbell finished tied for 23rd and Danny Lee in a share of 37th at the LIV Adelaide tournament. Campbell posted rounds of one-over 72, two-under 69 and one-under 70 to finish at two-under, 11 shots adrift of the winner, Chilean Joquin Niemann, who held off Torque GC teammate Carlos Ortiz and Abraham Ancer by three strokes. Lee managed rounds of two-under 69 and a pair of two-over 73s to end at two-over. His Iron Heads GC team finished 10th, 26 shots off the pace, while Campbell's RangeGoats team was 11th, another stroke back. Meanwhile, on the Ladies European Tour, Kiwi Momoka Kobori finished tied for 27th at the Saudi Ladies International. Kobori, with younger brother and fellow pro Kazuma Kobori on her bag, carded rounds of one-over 73, three-under 69 and two-under 70 to close at four-under, 12 strokes behind the winner, Thai Jeeno Thitikul. Together with German Esther Henseleit, Moroccan Ines Laklalech and Spaniard Fatima Fernandez Cano, Kobori finished tied for third in the teams event at 31-under, three shots off the pace.

Oliver Fergusson celebrates after her goal against Perth Glory PHOTO: A-LEAGUE Another narrow loss for the Wellington Phoenix, this time beaten 2-1 by Perth Glory at the Sam Kerr Football Centre in Perth. An unfortunate Nix own goal midway through the second half was ultimately the difference after the two sides were locked at 1-1 at halftime. The result leaves Wellington eighth on the ladder, four points adrift of the top six with seven matches remaining. LATEST HEADLINES: Danny Lee to play New Zealand Open Melville Ives wins Freeski World Cup NZ drivers down in Jeddah Formula E Auckland FC continue leading A-League Chiefs, McKenzie too strong for Blues Paul Temple made one change to the XI which started last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Melbourne Victory, with Daisy Brazendale returning in midfield in place of Alyssa Whinham (concussion). McMeeken was reinstated to the bench. It remained scoreless at the first cooling break midway through the first half, but it could have quite easily been 1-1. Perth midfielder Isobel Dalton rattled the crossbar with a sliding shot in the 14th minute and moments later Phoenix striker Olivia Fergusson dragged a gilt-edged chance wide after captain Annalie Longo slipped her through on goal. Both goalkeepers were also called into action in the opening quarter of an hour, with Carolina Vilão turning away a shot from former Nix forward Kelli Brown before Miranda Templeman held onto a curling left-footed effort from Manaia Elliott. The Glory took the lead half an hour into the match with Dalton tucking her shot inside the right post after Perth pounced on a wayward clearance from Vilão. Perth struck the crossbar a second time in the 39th minute. This time it was Catilin Doeglas with a shot from the edge of the box that skimmed off the woodwork. Wellington finished the first half strongly. Elliott forced another save from Templeman in the 41st minute after Maya McCutcheon had a powerful shot blocked outside the box. Fergusson then drew the Phoenix level in the first minute of stoppage time, making no mistake this time after again being slipped through on goal by another perfectly weighted Longo through ball. Elliott came within an inch or so of giving the Nix the lead with the final kick of the first half. Unfortunately for her and Wellington the winger’s powerful shot from the edge of the Perth penalty area struck the top of the crossbar. Glory goalkeeper Miranda Templeman almost gifted the Phoenix their second three minutes into the second half when she gave away possession in her penalty area, but she made amends by partially saving Fergusson’s shot and Perth cleared the rebound. The Nix carried on where they left off before halftime and Fergusson shot over the bar in the 54th minute. Wellington came close to going ahead from a right-wing corner soon after but the Glory managed to scramble clear. The Phoenix had goal-line clearance of their own on the hour mark, with Fergusson in the right spot at the right time to prevent Perth from taking a 2-1 lead. Temple made a double change midway through the half, bringing on Zoe McMeeken, for her 50th A-League appearance, and Emma Main in replace of Elliott and Brazendale respectively. The Glory did take the lead soon after the second cooling break with Tiana Jaber unfortunately turning the ball into her own net as she attempted to clear a Perth attack. The hosts came close to putting the game out of reach in the 78th minute when their captain Onyinyechi Zogg struck the right post after the Nix struggled to clear a free-kick. Moments later Temple made a further attacking substitution, bringing on young playmaker Ela Jerez in place of Jaber. Despite the extra numbers up front, the Phoenix struggled to create chances with the Glory defending doggedly. Wellington’s best opportunity to equalise came in the fourth minute of time added on when Lara Wall delivered a threatening left-wing cross. Fergusson was first to the cross but unfortunately for the Nix headed narrowly wide of goal. Perth held on to claim all three points and left the Phoenix empty-handed. The Ninja A-League will now break for international football with Annalie Longo, Grace Jale, Mackenzie Barry and Manaia Elliott to represent the Football Ferns in Costa Rica, while Tiana Jaber plays in a four nation tournament for Lebanon in Nepal. The Wellington Phoenix will be back in action on Sunday, March 2 against Adelaide United at Porirua Park.

Hayden Wilde sprinted to a tight win in Abu Dhabi PHOTO: WORLD TRIATHLON New Zealand triathlete Hayden Wilde has won the WTCS Abu Dhabi title in a sprint finish over Australia’s Matt Hauser. Wilde had to claw back 30 seconds out of the watere, reeling in the leaders and then even splitting the field late on in a three-man breakaway. LATEST HEADLINES: Phoenix women own goal costs v Perth Danny Lee to play New Zealand Open Melville Ives wins Freeski World Cup NZ drivers down in Jeddah Formula E Auckland FC continue leading A-League He finally passed Vasco Vilaça and then Hauser to take the gold in a time of 48.21 just 0.2 of a second ahead of the Australian. 'I just went out there and had a bit of fun, you know,' said a delighted WIlde. 'I feel like this is my second home, I've been here for about three or four weeks and, you know, they just welcomed me in with open arms and I've just been loving it here. I got a breakaway with my breakaway mate again and it didn't really stick, but we had good fun out there!' 'I've raced Matt over the 5K many times and I saw his coach and he was like, “one more push!” and I'm like, I know, I know for sure he's got one more push, so I just had to hold the pace on, and he was coming hot, and I was just happy to hold on. But with Matt, Morgan, all those guys, I know I had to push hard on the bike to drop a few of the good runners and it looks like we did that and got away.' The brand-new sprint-distance course packed plenty of surprises, not least a strong right-to-left current and bright glare to cope with on the 750m swim. Hauser and Hidalgo were followed out of the water by Miguel Tiago Silva and the rising German bullet Henry Graf, Dutch duo Ian Pennekamp (on debut) and Mitch Kolman, Wilde was half a minute back. At the end of lap one the gap was 13 seconds from Wilde onto Stapley, Hauser and Kolkman, by lap three he was leading the pack back past the crowds. It became Wilde-Hauser-Vilaça trio with daylight to the chasers and that gap just edged further out at each split. Over 10 seconds at the bell, that was also when Vilaça started to drop off and then it was the Aussie and Kiwi shoulder-to-shoulder. Down the penultimate straight one last time with the wind at their backs, it was then that Wilde seized the moment decisively, breaking the Hauser challenge with a surge. The Australian never let up and it was full gas to the line, only two seconds separating the men at the finish, 18s back to Vilaça and an outstanding finish from Graf saw him into fourth a fraction ahead of Adrien Briffod.

Kiwi teen Finley Melville Ives goes high to win the FIS World Cup in Calgary PHOTO: FIS PARK & PIPE Wanaka 18-year-old Finley Melville Ives has won his maiden World Cup at the FIS Freeski Halfpipe World Cup in Calgary. It's his first World Cup podium and the youngest by a New Zealander at a FIS Freeski World Cup. LATEST HEADLINES: NZ drivers down in Jeddah Formula E Auckland FC continue leading A-League Chiefs, McKenzie too strong for Blues Crusaders win: Highlanders late loss Ellesse Andrews sets world record “I just can’t believe it, I am so stoked! I have trained so hard and I am so happy to put down my run. It has been a dream run of mine for so long, so to finally put it down in the pipe is unreal.” The mercury has hovered around -20 degrees Celsius this week in Calgary, but the frigid conditions didn’t cause any issues for Melville Ives. Up against some of the strongest halfpipe competitors on the World Cup Tour, Melville Ives put down his winning run on his first of two runs in the finals. Melville Ives laced together a highly technical run, which included a left double corked 1620 mute grab into a unique left alley oop double corked flat spin 1080 mute grab to take the lead after the first run with a score of 92.75. Melville Ives qualified into the finals in the middle of the pack, meaning after he had completed his second run (recording a ‘Did Not Improve) he had a nervous wait with nine athletes still left to drop who could influence the podium. His first run score proved untouchable, and held throughout the remainder of the competition for Melville Ives to secure his maiden World Cup victory. He was joined on the podium by two of the most successful freeskiers in the game, Nick Goepper second and Alex Ferreira third (USA). Melville Ives has looked up to Goepper and Ferreira throughout his career, saying; “Both of them are my heroes growing up, I have watched them on the TV and at the Olympics, I can’t believe it, this is nuts!” Fellow Kiwi Luke Harrold, 18 finished just off the podium with a season’s best fourth place result. The next major event on the horizon for the Kiwi Freeski Halfpipe Team is the World Championships, scheduled for the end of March in Switzerland.

Kiwi Nick Cassidy managed fifth and a some points in race four of the Formula E series in Jeddah PHOTO: JAGUAR RACING Kiwi drivers Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy have had a weekend to forget in Formula E in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In race three of the series the two Jaguar TCS drivers finished out of the points, Evans was 11th and Cassidy 19th. LATEST HEADLINES: Warriors beat Storm in pre-season Auckland FC continue leading A-League Chiefs, McKenzie too strong for Blues Crusaders win: Highlanders late loss Ellesse Andrews sets world record German Maximillian Gunther won ahead of Brits Oliver Rowland and Taylor Barnard. However in race four Cassidy was fifth to gain 10 series points, but Evans did not finish the race after a collision with reigning champion Pascal Wehrienin early on. Rowland was the winner with fellow British drivers Barnard and Jake Hughes third. In the overall standings Rowland is first on 68 points, Barnard second with 51 points Portugal's Antonio Felix Da Costa third on 39. Evans is 10th with 25 points while Cassidy sits 14th with his 10 points. Auckland 30-year-old Evans won the opening round in Rio, but since then has failed to place The next round is in early April in Miami, Florida.

The Warriors enjoyed their big pre-season win over the Melbourne Storm in Hamilton PHOTO: NRL The Warriors produced a superb first half in their final pre-season hit out with a rare victory over the Melbourne Storm 36-10. The game was payed in Hamilton just before the Warriors travelled to Las Vegas for a Round 1 clash with the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. LATEST HEADLINES: Auckland FC continue leading A-League Chiefs, McKenzie too strong for Blues Crusaders win: Highlanders late loss Ellesse Andrews sets world record Hendry double-digit Charles Tour wins It's always good to get a win over the Storm, although numerous frontline players for Melbourne were rested or given bit parts in the game. In total over 1400 NRL games of experience were rested. The Warriors had a 36-0 lead at halftime, but the Storm were improved in the second spell as both sides gave different combinations a try. However for the Warriors Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was impressive in his shift to the wing, crossing for a double and highlighting why coach Andrew Webster is so keen for the veteran to get his hands on the ball as much as possible. Warriors halfback Luke Metcalf was almost perfect in the opening 40 minutes, directing his side around the park and forcing multiple errors with his kicking game. Melbourne were without more than 1400 games of NRL experience with the vast majority of their squad rested for their first pre-season match. Warriors centre Ali Leiataua scroed a couple of tries but along Samuel Healey was placed on report during the match. Another player to look steady was Tane Tuaupiki on the wing who looked assured crossing in the third and 16th minutes.