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Three All Blacks loose-forwards have been ruled out of Saturday weeks test against Japan in Yokohama. Ethan Blackadder, Luke Jacobson, and Dalton Papali'i all have injuries. Blackadder has an issue with calf, Jacobson a fractured thumb and Papali'i an upper hamstring injury. LATEST HEADLINES: Karaka back in Silver Ferns for Australia series Ben Sears out injured for India test series Taranaki Rugby confirm Fastier new CEO Christchurch league double-header sells out New Zealand win again in America's Cup Twenty-one-year-old Wellington flanker Peter Lakai and Taranaki lock Josh Lord come in as cover. Seven members of the All Blacks Fifteen will also leave with the squad on Thursday as training cover. The training cover players are; Bradley Slater, George Bower, Fabian Holland, Christian Lio-Willie, Oliver Haig, Harry Plummer and AJ Lam. They will then join the All Blacks XV squad in Ireland, with the possible exception of one further call-up to cover the 36th spot in the All Blacks squad.

Current Commercial Manager Jimmy Fastier has been promoted to the role of CEO of the Taranaki Rugby Football Union. Fastier succeeds Mike Sandle when he officially departs Friday, October 18. Sandle is taking up a role as Performance Manager at NZ Cricket. LATEST HEADLINES: Christchurch league double-header sells out New Zealand win again in America's Cup White Ferns into T20 World Cup semis Strong All Whites win over Malaysia Fox finishes on high at PGA Utah event “Jimmy is a hugely popular man in our game and the strength of his relationships at all levels really stood out in the interview process. We had an incredibly strong group of candidates and it’s credit to Jimmy and the calibre of person he is that he’s got this role,” said TRFU chair Dan Radcliffe. Fastier started his career with the TRFU as Fan Engagement Officer from 2012 to 2016. He worked as Marketing Manager at the Hurricanes from 2016 to 2020, and has been the TRFU Commercial Manager since 2020. “It’s a great story to see someone work through all levels of the organisation, from a university graduate to being CEO 12 years later. He knows the game, he knows the union, and he’s earned the opportunity for all the outstanding work he’s put in over a long period of time,” said Radcliffe. “It’s a huge honour to be named CEO,” said Fastier. “I’ve always been extremely proud of our union’s rich history, and I’m looking forward to working with the board and all staff to make memorable experiences in rugby across the region. “We’ve had some great success recently, from winning last year’s Bunnings NPC Championship and the Ranfurly Shield this year, to the growth in our women’s game and in the grassroots as well. We’ve shown that a provincial union can achieve extraordinary things, and it’s a really exciting challenge to continue that on.”.

The Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns trans-Tasman double-header has sold out Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch at Labour weekend. The Pacific Championships against Australia’s respective sides is the first for the Kiwis in the city since 2019 while the Ferns last played in Christchurch in 1998. LATEST HEADLINES: New Zealand win again in America's Cup White Ferns into T20 World Cup semis Strong All Whites win over Malaysia Fox finishes on high at PGA Utah event Paddon takes European Rally title again NZRL CEO Greg Peters was pleased to see such huge support for both games. “We are so grateful for the community’s support and are excited to be bringing rugby league Tests back to the South Island after many years. A packed stadium of rugby league fans is like no other and it will create an electric atmosphere for our teams. “A massive thanks goes to Venues Ōtautahi and Canterbury Rugby League for their assistance in making these games possible.” The teams will assemble in Christchurch next week with Kiwis and Kiwi Fern trainings open to the public on Tuesday 22 October from 9am at Ngā Puna Wai. There will also be a Fan Day which will offer supporters a chance to connect with the Kiwis, Kiwi Ferns, Kangaroos and Jillaroos ahead of game day. Fan Day will begin at 4.30pm on Wednesday 23 October at Wainoni Park, Christchurch. Tickets are still available for the Kiwis against Tonga match at Mt Smart, Saturday 2 November.

New Zealand is over halfway to retaining the America's Cup after gaining a fourth race win over Britannia on the water off Barcelona. Britannia tried a very different pre-start game-plan, electing to disengage from any potential penalty-inducing close calls and instead trusting in the outright speed to try to outmuscle the Kiwis in a straight line. It was a tactic that initially appeared to work. LATEST HEADLINES: White Ferns into T20 World Cup semis Strong All Whites win over Malaysia Fox finishes on high at PGA Utah event Paddon takes European Rally title again Canterbury beat Tasman move into semis Britannia came off the start line to windward with two knots more boat speed and then matched New Zealand’s pace to the boundary. On the next convergence the British allowed New Zealand to duck and head to the right of the course. From there, sailing in clear air and benefitting from a slight pressure build out of the upper right quadrant, the Kiwis eked their way back level with the British boat as the windward gate approached and squeezed in a tack in front to block the Challenger’s route to the right hand mark. The British tacked away and the two teams rounded opposite windward marks at precisely the same time. On the downwind, when New Zealand gybed before reaching the left boundary and came back across on the right-of-way starboard gybe, to make the slenderest of crosses. A protest from Britannia that they had been 'hunted' by the Kiwis was quickly dismissed, and it was from there that the Kiwis started to build a lead they would never relinquish. On this six-lap course, with the wind hovering around 10 knots and a dull cloud cover, Emirates Team New Zealand put on a masterclass of front-running, taking metres of leverage at every opportunity and defending the right side of the course upwind tenaciously. There was little the British could do other than play the middle and left of the course upwind and by the final windward gate, after some textbook covering, the Kiwis rounded with a 24-second lead before sailing an assured downwind leg, going boundary to boundary and executing pace and poise to cross the line at speed to record a 23-second victory.

The White Ferns have proved themselves once again with 54-run win over Pakistan to qualify for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semifinals for the first time since 2016. Batting first, Sophie Devine’s side were shackled by the Pakistan spin attack and grafted their way to a below-par total of 110 for six from 20 overs. LATEST HEADLINES: Strong All Whites win over Malaysia Fox finishes on high at PGA Utah event Paddon takes European Rally title again Canterbury beat Tasman move into semis NZ moves to 3-0 lead in America's Cup Chasing a huge net run rate swing, Pakistan folded to 56 all out - the second lowest all out total in tournament history - as they and India exited Group A. Openers Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer got off to an excellent start, guiding the White Ferns to 39 without loss from the powerplay. Bates ticked along at a run-a-ball throughout the first six overs but rode her luck in doing so, surviving an LBW review in the first over and gaining a lifeline when she was dropped at midwicket on 20. Eventually the aggressive instincts of 20-year-old Plimmer got the better of her when she charged at Nashra Sandhu and skied one to Fatima Sana on 17. Pakistan established a vice-like grip on the contest through miserly spells from spinners Nashra and Omaima Sohail, with New Zealand going a full 54 balls without hitting a boundary. Nashra once again induced a rash stroke from a Kiwi opener, with Bates spooning a high catch to Nida Dar at long on to make it 50 for two. Amelia Kerr never got going and Omaima nabbed her first wicket when Kerr picked out Fatima to depart for nine runs from 17 balls. Nida and teenager Syeda Aroob Shah continued the squeeze, but Brooke Halliday peeled off two fours in the 15th over to give New Zealand's innings much-needed impetus. Pakistan were left to rue a couple of dropped catches as Halliday and captain Sophie Devine built a patient partnership, with the pair dismissed in successive balls at 96 for five. New Zealand took advantage of further missed chances as Maddy Green and Isabella Gaze grafted their way to a competitive score. With Pakistan’s highest opening partnership in the tournament totalling 13, Aliya Riaz was promoted from her usual pinch-hitting role to replace Gull Feroza at the top of the order. Pakistan needed to reach their target in 10.4 overs to secure an unlikely spot in the knockout stages. The experiment did not pay off and Devine’s decision to open with spinner Eden Carson was rewarded when Aliya steered a catch to the skipper at mid-on. The White Ferns were fired up in the field and speedster Lea Tahuhu cleaned up Muneeba Ali for 15 to stamp their authority. Two wickets fell in Fran Jonas’ first over as Sadaf Shamas was clean bowled and Iram Javed was run out when taking a risky single to short third. Pakistan’s collapse continued when Sidra Amin was bowled by Rosemary Mair for a golden duck as they sunk for 28 for five. The experienced pair of Fatima and Nida briefly steadied the ship and the former slapped Mair for a fine four through cover in the ninth over. The pair put on 32 runs, but Nida was stumped off Kerr and the last five wickets fell for just four runs, as Pakistan succumbed to their lowest-ever total at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

The All Whites have scored a 4-0 victory over Malaysia marking their return home with their first win over non-OFC opposition in 19 months. The All Whites struggled initially in the first half to put their chances away, but opened up and turned their dominance into goals as the contest progressed. LATEST HEADLINES: Fox finishes on high at PGA Utah event Paddon takes European Rally title again Canterbury beat Tasman move into semis NZ moves to 3-0 lead in America's Cup Black Ferns finish WXV1 beating France They switched on after half-time, and improved the accuracy of the build-up and delivery play in the second stanza, running up a score with some lethal finishing. Both Liberato Cacace and Matthew Garbett were particularly impressive, injecting themselves into the attack, and winning possession on a number of occasions, whilst Marko Stamenic and Elijah Just also stood out. It was Just who scored first early in the second half, followed by Matt Garbett. after combining well with Cacace as the team showed some solidity in the midfield against a wilting Malaysian side. Chris Wood was subbed on in the second half and had immediate impact after some good work from Just and Kosta Barbarouses while Logan Rogerson sealed the win with a superb goal to finish on. There was plenty of substitutions used for New Zealand while Alex Paulsen was got his start in goal. New Zealand return to World Cup qualifying action next month, with Vanuatu awaiting in Hamiltion, followed by Samoa at Mt Smart Stadium.

Canterbury have dominated Tasman 62-14 at Lansdowne Park in Blenheim to advance to the NPC semifinals. With the return of All Blacks Fletcher Newell, Sam Darry and George Bell they were too powerful as Tasman lost Ethan Blackadder before kick-off who was ruled out with injury. LATEST HEADLINES: Black Ferns finish WXV1 beating France Late burst pushes Fox up order in Utah Team NZ start well in America's Cup Amelia Kerr bats and bowls Kiwis to win BOP, Waikato into NPC semis after drama Flanker Corey Kellow opened the scoring in the seventh minute and Canterbury didn't look back, putting on five tries to one in the first half. Along with Kellow, Mitch Drummond, Braydon Ennor, Ngane Punivai all crossed to bury Tasman in a 24-0 hole. Crusaders centre Levi Aumua managed to strike back for Tasman to offer a slim hope, but another try right before the half to Tom Christie quickly extinguished that hope. Up 33-7 at halftime, Canterbury needed only a few minutes after the break to add to Tasman’s misery, as Punvai finished in style out wide to grab a brace All Black David Havili scored Tasman’s second try but his side struggled to stay connected as Canterbury turned back the clock to look like their best again after a stuttering season. Replacement hooker Brodie McAlister scored from a rolling maul and Isaac Hutchinson, who kicked 17 points off the tee, converted, Canterbury had equaled their highest score (52) against Tasman. Shortly after Billy Harmon burst through a gap and dived over to push the score out further. Canterbury will face Bay of Plenty at 4pm in Tauranga on Saturday in their semifinal. Wellington host Waikato at 7pm in the other match. Canterbury 62 (Corey Kellow, Mitchell Drummond, Braydon Ennor, Ngane Punivai (2), Tom Christie, Chay Fihaki, Brodie McAlister, Billy Harmon, Isaac Hutchinson 7 con, pen) Tasman 14 (Levi Aumua, David Havili tries, William Havili 2 con) HT 33-7

New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox has finished with a one-under 70 in the final round at the PGA Tour’s Black Desert Championship in Utah. He completed the tournament in a tie for 46th at nine-under, up four places from his position after 56 holes. LATEST HEADLINES: Paddon takes European Rally title again Canterbury beat Tasman move into semis NZ moves to 3-0 lead in America's Cup Black Ferns finish WXV1 beating France Late burst pushes Fox up order in Utah During his round Fox birdied the ninth, but double-bogeyed the 11th in a big setback. However, he regathered himself on the 14th and on the par-five 18th hole where he carded a four. Fox, 37, is still looking for his first win on the PGA Tour, but has two top-five finishes and three more in the top-10. He is scheduled to play in Las Vegas this week as he chases a top-125 finish to earn his PGA Tour card for 2025.

Team New Zealand extended their America's Cup lead over Britain to 3-0 in the first-to-seven series after the two boats came within "a matter of centimetres" of clashing foils. It was ruthless sailing by the Kiwis who eventually won by 52 seconds on the waters off Barcelona. LATEST HEADLINES: Black Ferns finish WXV1 beating France Late burst pushes Fox up order in Utah Team NZ start well in America's Cup Amelia Kerr bats and bowls Kiwis to win BOP, Waikato into NPC semis after drama A fourth head-to-head had been due to take place on Sunday, but with an unstable Mediterranean breeze, the race committee abandoned racing for the day and will restart on Monday. New Zealand went into the day 2-0 up and forced a distance penalty on Ainslie's team, after failing to keep clear in an aggressive close-quarters manoeuvre by Team New Zealand. The British boat had to drop 75 metres behind the Kiwis after crossing the line to shake off the penalty, handing the America's Cup holders an early advantage. The penalty was not what the British needed to bounce back after the day one results where New Zealand started better and showed slightly more speed in their foiling AC75 monohull. Team New Zealand's co-helm Nathan Outteridge said that the starts were "pretty important" because there were few opportunities for the trailing boat to then pass and the team were focusing on them, adding that their AC75 was going "pretty fast". "It's nice to get all the things coming together at the moment," Outteridge told reporters of New Zealand's defence against Britain, who have won the right to challenge for the America's Cup for the first time in 60 years. "We'll see how it unfolds from here," Outteridge said.

New Zealand driver Hayden Paddon has defended his European Rally Championship title with a more cautious drive than usual. The 37-year-old finished third in the inaugural Rally Silesia in Poland, the final round of the championship. LATEST HEADLINES: Canterbury beat Tasman move into semis NZ moves to 3-0 lead in America's Cup Black Ferns finish WXV1 beating France Late burst pushes Fox up order in Utah Team NZ start well in America's Cup The former World Rally Championship competitor and his co-driver John Kennard led the asphalt event heading into the final day, but held back a little to keep safe over the last stages. With a comfortable 27-point lead over his nearest rival Paddon did have a slight hick-up leaving the road in the penultimate stage, but covered to finish third. "I wasn't going to risk the title by being drawn into a fight today," Paddon told the FIA afterwards. "I just wanted to bring the car home. I knew what I was here to do and the title is hugely important. "We've worked all year to achieve it. We've had our backs up against the wall for the best part of the season with a performance deficit but the team has been working hard to bring that back and we've brought it back during the last couple of rallies." Paddon finished with 145 points on the standings, followed by Frenchman Mathieu Franceschi with 124 and Poland's Miko Marczyk on 109.

Two dramatic Saturday NPC quarterfinals with hosts Bay of Plenty winning over Hawke's Bay while Waikato turned the tables on Taranaki in New Plymouth. The Steamers scored a dramatic 19-17 win over rivals Hawke's Bay at Tauranga Domain but it took until the last moments to do so. LATEST HEADLINES: Fox chaotic second round at PGA in Utah Wellington Lions get past Counties Manukau NZ Breakers drop third and final NBA game All Whites score win over Tahiti in qualifier Ryan Fox back into top-10 on the PGA Tour Hawke's Bay overcame a second-half penalty try and a sin-binning to lead Bay of Plenty 17-14, with less than 10 minutes to play. However the home side were able to steady themselves and start a rolling maul in the last minute where replacement hooker Taine Kolose emerged as the try scorer. Trailing 14-17, Bay of Plenty won a late penalty and first-five Kaleb Trask turned down the shot at goal to put the ball deep in the corner. Kolose’s throw went to Naitoa Ah Kuoi and the drive was on guided by former halfback All Black Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Earlier Hawke’s Bay conceded a penalty try early in the second half and also had tighthead prop Joel Hintz shown a yellow card for collapsing a maul. Magpies fullback Harry Godfrey scored an individual try and converted it, but missed the conversions of the other conversions of replacement hooker Jacob Devery and earlier original hooker Tyrone Thompson Meanwhile in the evening game, perhaps it was a Ranfurly Shield hangover, but it took until the second half for the home side to score. Waikato were ahead 12-0 at half time and added a vital drop goal to Teapea Cook-Strange in the second half to score the victory and a place in the semifinals. The home side roared back into life with tries to forward Bradley Slater as well as the speedy Adam Lennox, both of which were converted. Earlier it the game it was frontrower Oli Norris scoring followed by Oli Mathis, usually a loose forward on the wing plus one conversion for ex-All Black Aaron Cruden. Waikato will now play Wellington in the capital on Friday night while Bay of Plenty will face either Tasman away or Canterbury at home in the other semifinal. Bay of Plenty 19 (Leroy Carter, penalty try, Taine Kolose tries, Kaleb Trask 1 con,) Hawke's Bay 17 (Harry Godfrey, Tyrone Thompson, Jacob Devery tries Godfrey 1 con, Waikato 15 (Ollie Norris, Oli Mathis tries Aaron, Cruden, 1 con, Teapea Cook-Strange 1 dg) Taranaki 14 (Bradley Slater, Adam Lennox tries, Stephen Perofeta 1 con, Josh Jacomb 1 con)

Amelia Kerr starred with bat and ball helping the White Ferns to a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Kerr took two for 13 with the ball as Sri Lanka set the White Ferns 115 to win, before she produced a crucial 34 from 31 balls to guide her side home. Georgia Plimmer’s impressive half century proved a perfect platform for New Zealand to secure victory, and Kerr combined with captain Sophie Devine to get them over the line and keep her side’s semi-final hopes alive. LATEST HEADLINES: BOP, Waikato into NPC semis after drama Fox chaotic second round at PGA in Utah Wellington Lions get past Counties Manukau NZ Breakers drop third and final NBA game All Whites score win over Tahiti in qualifier Sri Lanka began their innings brightly, with openers Vishmi Gunaratne and Chamari Athapaththu both finding the boundary in the early overs and taking advantage of some loose New Zealand bowling. But the White Ferns found a crucial early breakthrough in the fourth over as Eden Carson bowled Gunaratne for eight. Captain Athapaththu combined well with new batter Harshitha Samarawickrama to steady the Sri Lankan ship, with the pair sharing a 48-run stand to build a strong platform for their side. Athapaththu led the way with 35 off 41 runs until spinner Kerr claimed her first wicket of the afternoon to bowl the Sri Lanka skipper. That proved a key intervention with Sri Lanka 74 for two, as Samarawickrama fell just five balls later for 18 as she could only chip to extra cover following a superb ball from Leigh Kasperek. Sri Lanka looked to respond in the final five overs, Kavisha Dilhari producing an impressive Dil-scoop to try and drive up her side’s run rate. But the White Ferns kept finding wickets at key times, Anushka Sanjeewani (5) became Kasperek’s second victim of the tournament as she looked to hit down the ground but could only find the hands of Devine. Kerr then struck again for her second wicket of the match, trapping Dilhari (10) leg before as she tried to sweep for the boundary. That left Sri Lanka reduced to 97 for five but Nilakshika Silva (14 not out) and Ama Kanchana (10 not out) dug in to steer their side home to 115, their highest score of the tournament. New Zealand were forced to ease their way into their chase, but soon picked up a fast pace through opener Plimmer. After a slow opening four overs negotiating the Sri Lankan spin attack, the right-hander opened up with boundaries from the first ball of back-to-back overs before she and Suzie Bates both crashed a boundary each in the seventh over to leave the White Ferns 48 without loss. With New Zealand appearing to get on top of the contest, Sri Lanka then broke the opening partnership when Sachini Nisansala clean bowled Bates for 17. It was almost a second wicket in quick succession, but Inoshi Priyadharshani was unable to hold onto a shot from Plimmer at short range off her own bowling. Kerr quickly settled into her innings with the bat, crunching a cover drive for four off just her second ball as New Zealand looked to regain their momentum. Kerr and Plimmer combined to comfortably guide their side towards the 100 mark and in sight of victory. Plimmer notched up an impressive half century before Athapaththu finally got the wicket they needed to dismiss the opener for 53 off 44 balls. Kerr immediately took up the mantle to drive the White Ferns past 100 with another boundary through point. Her knock of 34 from 31 balls proved enough for victory in conjunction with captain Devine, who sealed victory with 15 balls to spare with a powerful six. New Zealand are third in Group A behind Australia and equal with India on four points, but behind on run rate and play Pakistan on Tuesday.