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Football Ferns head coach Jitka Klimková has named a strong squad to face Thailand next month in Christchurch, the team’s first matches in New Zealand since the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The 24-player squad features 16 members who were selected for the tournament last July, plus a strong contingent of players 23-and-under as Klimková builds toward the next FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027. The Football Ferns will face world No 47 Thailand on Saturday, April 6 (kick-off 3pm) and Tuesday, April 9 (kick-off 7pm) at Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch. “It is exciting to name this side for our first games at home since the FIFA Women’s World Cup and come back to Christchurch, a city that is home for a significant number of our players," said Klimková. “As we build towards the Paris 2024 Olympics, we want to establish a side that combines our experienced players with emerging younger talent to put us in the best place ahead of the next FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027. “I believe with this squad we have found that right balance so look forward to assembling in Christchurch for the games against Thailand.” FOOTBALL FERNS SQUAD Mackenzie Barry (14 caps) Wellington Phoenix CJ Bott (42 caps) Leicester City, England Katie Bowen (105 caps) Inter Milan, Italy Claudia Bunge (28 caps) HB Koge, Denmark Daisy Cleverley (36 caps) HB Koge, Denmark Brianna Edwards (1 cap) Wellington Phoenix Victoria Esson (22 caps) Rangers FC, Scotland Michaela Foster (15 caps) Wellington Phoenix Macey Fraser (3 caps) Wellington Phoenix FC Ally Green (11 caps) AGF, Denmark Jacqui Hand (23 caps) Lewes FC, England Grace Jale (27 caps) Perth Glory, Australia Katie Kitching (6 caps) Sunderland AFC, England Anna Leat (15 caps) Aston Villa FC, England Meikayla Moore (63 caps) Glasgow City FC, Scotland Ruby Nathan (5 caps) Canberra United, Australia Gabi Rennie (33 caps) Aland United, Finland Ali Riley (159 caps) Angel City FC, USA Indiah-Paige Riley (21 caps) PSV Vrouwen, Netherlands Paige Satchell (48 caps) London City Lionesses, England Malia Steinmetz (27 caps) FC Nordsjælland, Denmark Rebekah Stott (100 caps) Melbourne City FC, Australia Kate Taylor (15 caps) Wellington Phoenix FC Hannah Wilkinson (122 caps) Melbourne City FC, Australia

Robby Turnbull and Eunseo Choi have won the 2024 New Zealand Stroke Play Championships, capturing the biggest titles of their young careers. The two 17-year-olds conquered the 156-player field at Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club, winning their first national titles in equally impressive fashion. Conditions could not have been better for the final day, with a light southerly breeze sweeping the links, setting up ideal scoring conditions for the leaders and the chasing pack. Remuera Golf Club’s Turnbull began the final round a shot behind Manawatu’s Tyler Hodge, who led at 16-under. After shooting 66, 64, and 68 in the first three rounds, Turnbull trailed for most of the front-nine after opening with six pars, a birdie at seven, before disaster struck at nine, where he recorded a double-bogey after hitting his second into the penalty area. Turnbull showed maturity beyond his age, regathering himself early on the back-nine by bouncing back with a birdie at 10. He proceeded to make a clutch birdie on the 15th to get within a shot of Hodge and tied the lead on the very next hole with a solid par. He bombed his drive on the 18th, found the green, and two-putted for birdie, putting immense pressure on Hodge, who slid his birdie putt by. With the victory slowly sinking in, Turnbull said it was hard to describe how it felt to have won his first national title. “I’m speechless. After my double on nine, I knew I needed to make a few birdies to get myself back in it. That’s exactly what I did and I was lucky enough to come through with the win. “It means a lot to me. After last week, I had a lot of confidence coming into this week, and all my hard work has paid off. I’m very happy.” Turnbull was part of the Auckland Interprovincial team, which won at the same venue at the end of last year. He pretended he was playing matchplay against Hodge late in the back-nine when it became clear that it was a two-horse race. “I was feeding off Tyler quite a lot. I was playing a bit of match play against him and made sure I was hitting good shots on top of him.” Hodge finished as the leading professional with his fifth runner-up in a Charles Tour event since 2016. Jayden Ford finished in third and won the silver medal for finishing as the second amateur, alongside Kieran Muir at 13-under. Mitchell Kale and Brodie Ferguson earned the bronze medal for finishing equal third amateurs. In the women’s event, Choi also showed maturity beyond her years to capture the New Zealand Women’s Stroke Play title by two strokes over the reigning New Zealand Amateur champion Faith Vui. She overcame a dismal opening round of 78 with a course record-equalling seven-under-64 in round two, which included a hole-in-one on the iconic par-three fifth, establishing a four-shot lead with two rounds to play. After a third round of even-par, she retained her four-shot buffer heading into Sunday's final round. However, her lead quickly became a shot after a challenging start, where she double-bogeyed the third and bogeyed the fourth. Like Turnbull, she quickly regathered herself, making birdies at seven, 10, and 12 to extend her lead to three strokes with a handful of holes to play. Choi’s lead became two following a bogey at the 13th , but played her remaining holes in even to get the job done. The Takapuna Golf Club member said it was great to add her name to the New Zealand golfing history books. “It’s amazing to have a New Zealand title on my record now. I saw Vivian’s [Lu] name on the trophy twice, so it’s nice to win one as well after losing to her quite a lot,” she laughs. “It’s great to have followed in the footsteps of all the great players who have won this event in the past. “I’ve had a great start to the year and I hope this will keep the momentum and my flow going.” Choi now shifts her focus to next week’s Queen Sirikit Cup, where she will wear the silver fern against 36 of Asia-Pacific’s best amateur women at Clearwater Golf Club, near Christchurch. “This gives me a lot of confidence and proves that I am one of the best players in New Zealand – I’m part of the New Zealand team and the Golf New Zealand National Academy. I now know that despite any future form slumps, I have the game to perform at a high level. “I’ll be sweet to go next week. I have a few things to touch up, but I feel ready for the Queen Sirikit Cup. Hopefully, I can help the New Zealand team to a historic win.” The New Zealand Amateur champion Vui took the silver medal, with Pupuke’s Amy Im taking the bronze medal for finishing at four-over, a shot behind.

Reigning OFC Champions League winners Auckland City will be back to defend their title in 2024, after navigating an entertaining second leg against NZF National League champions Wellington Olympic in their national play-off. Going into the second leg down 1-0, Wellington Olympic surged into a 3-1 lead by halftime to turn the tie on it’s head, but two second half goals from the Navy Blues assured them of qualification with a 4-3 win on aggregate. Auckland City’s Dylan Manickum and Olympic’s Jesse Randall looked lively in the opening 20 minutes, but few chances came in a back-and-forth start to the game.  From there, the first half burst into life, with a flurry of goals. Hamish Watson got the first in the 20th minute, finishing coolly after a long goal-kick from Scott Basalaj was met by a poor defensive header from Auckland City’s Jordan Vale.   Minutes later, following calls for a penalty as Jack-Henry Sinclair went down in the box, Randall quickly nipped in and directed the ball into the bottom left corner, making it 2-0 on the day and putting Olympic ahead on aggregate.  The Navy Blues quickly responded, however, to level it up again. Manickum’s deflected effort was superbly saved by Basalaj but an unmarked Mario Ilich headed in from Liam Gillion’s resulting corner to snag a goal back.  Hardly a minute after though, Olympic led the tie again, as a save made by Auckland City keeper Conor Tracey saw the ball fly into the path of Watson who emphatically headed home into an empty net to restore Olympics’ lead on aggregate.  Opportunities on goal continued to come freely for both sides in an end-to-end finish to the first-half, with Auckland City searching an equaliser and Olympic looking to push further ahead with their attacking momentum. A strong start to the second period reaped almost immediate reward for Auckland City. A cross from Nathan Lobo came to the feet of Regont Murati, who controlled the ball and smashed it in from short range to bring the tie level again. With the aggregate score level, the tempo dropped off for a period, with both sides showing more caution with so much at stake. Just after the hour mark, the teams emerged from their shells and ‘keepers Basalaj and Tracey became more involved with some promising crosses and efforts on goal. Gillion in particular looked dangerous for the visitors as both teams make use of their benches. Into the last 10 minutes, the Navy Blues found the goal they were desperate for. A long ball forward was cleanly controlled by Howieson before he fired into the back of the net to give Auckland City an aggregate lead to defend. Olympic sought to find an equaliser, with substitute Oliver Colloty forcing a great save from Tracey, but the Navy Blues defence held firm. Auckland City will now join Group A of the OFC Champions League in May in Tahiti. OFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - NEW ZEALAND PLAY-OFF 1st leg Kiwitea Street, Auckland Auckland City 1 (Stipe Ukich 72') Wellington Olympic 0 . HT: 0-0 2nd leg Martin Luckie Park, Wellington Wellington Olympic 3 (Hamish Watson 20′, 28′, Jesse Randall 23′) Auckland City 3  ((Mario Ilich 27′, Regont Murati 48′, Cam Howieson 81′). HT: 3-1 Auckland City advance 4-3 on aggregate

The March All Whites fixtures against Egypt and Croatia or Tunisia this month have changed host country, moving from Abu Dhabi, UAE to Cairo, Egypt. The change in location comes after the four football federations of Croatia, Egypt, New Zealand and Tunisia simultaneously notified the organiser of the previously agreed W Cup of breaches of the key contract clauses, and proceeded to find a suitable new solution. The dates for the matches will remain the same with the All Whites now set to play world No 36 Egypt in Cairo on Saturday, March 23 March NZT (Friday, March 22). The winner of the fixture will play the winner of Croatia-Tunisia match on Wednesday, March NZT (Tuesday, March 26). The loser of the fixture will play the loser of Croatia-Tunisia on Tuesday, March 26 NZT (Monday, March 25 local time). All matches will take place in the Egyptian capital, with venues and kick-off times to be announced in due course.  The All Whites have also confirmed their first fixture of the September FIFA international window, taking on world No 15 Mexico at the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California on Sunday, September 8 at 12.30pm NZT (Saturday, September 7 at 5.30pm local time). The match continues the team’s strategy of facing top-50 ranked sides in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying starting at the end of the year. The All Whites previously faced Mexico at the historic US venue in 2010, where Mexico won 2-0 in front of a crowd of more than 90,000 fans. All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley saw the match as a great opportunity for his side to face a top opponent in a high pressure environment. “Should we qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026, we are going to be playing sides that are higher ranked than us and this game, especially taking place in front of a likely huge crowd which will predominately be supporting Mexico, in one of the countries the tournament will be happening in, is a brilliant test for us. “Not many of our squad will have played in an atmosphere like we can expect to see in this game and it will give us a great taste of what the FIFA World Cup 2026 could feel like, which is no better incentive heading into our qualifying games in October and November. “We will likely have another game still to be announced in this window but we are now in a fortunate position of having the 2024 schedule locked in, with the W Cup alongside Egypt, Croatia and Tunisia this month, followed by the OFC Nations Cup in Vanuatu, Olympics in July, this game in September and FIFA World Cup qualifying in October and November. “We want to take every step to make sure we are as prepared as possible come qualifying and this match schedule should put us in the best place to perform.”

Breakout New Zealand star Kazuma Kobori is ready to rub shoulders with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth at this year’s Open Championship after being officially declared the 2023-24 PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner. A three-time winner since January after earning his Tour card by winning Qualifying School last April, Kobori has an unassailable lead with just one event remaining, this week’s The National Tournament at The National Golf Club. While six other players are still in the hunt for the final two DP World Tour cards, Kobori can tee it up from Thursday safe in the knowledge that he will have status when the 2025 DP World Tour commences with the Australian PGA Championship from November 21-24. It is a rapid ascension for a 22-year-old, who only turned professional at the start of November and who, midway through the season, was concerned that he would not keep his PGA Tour of Australasia card. But the golf world is soon to open up to him, including an exemption to the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon in July. “I was just trying to get the DP World Tour card for next year and then my manager called me a couple of days after NZ Open and said that I had The Open sealed up too,” said Kobori. “That’s pretty cool. For me, it was a bit of a bonus because I actually didn’t know that was part of the deal. Needless to say, I’ll take it.” Given that he did not take up golf seriously until he was 12 years of age, Kobori’s earliest memories of major championships are post-2010, when McIlroy and Spieth were at their most dominant. He is now coming to terms with the fact that he will play The Open Championship alongside them in just four months’ time. “Obviously Tiger Woods was pretty dominant at the major championships but I started golf a bit later, when I was 10. Properly started playing when I was 12, so 2010 onwards, the guys playing major championships, those really stuck to me,” he added. “Rory, Jordan Spieth winning The Open Championship, stuff like that. To be able to play in that tournament myself is something that I am really looking forward to.” Truth be told, this PGA Tour of Australasia season was Kobori’s back-up plan. With a category secured at Q School, Kobori’s major focus was the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in October. The week prior, he was individual medallist at the Eisenhower Trophy in Abu Dhabi and, after one round at Royal Melbourne, was leading by two strokes. A win that week would have earned Kobori a start at both The Open and The Masters, provided he retained his amateur status. He would ultimately finish sixth, turn pro three days later and finish tied for ninth in his first start at the Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee. Two weeks later he squandered a six-stroke lead on the final day of the Victorian PGA Championship and, after missed cuts at both the Australian PGA and Australian Open, took a reality check heading into Christmas. “This was the plan, and the best possible outcome, if you will. That being said, it’s not how I thought it would go at all,” Kobori conceded. “After the Aus Open, I was sitting 38th or something on the Order of Merit and thinking, this is pretty brutal if I’m going to try and keep my card.” As others took a Christmas break, Kobori went to work. After a poor finish at the Heritage Classic to start 2024, he won three of the next four tournaments, matching Tiger Woods’ lofty mark of three wins in his first 10 starts as a professional. Although a missed cut at the New Zealand Open delayed confirmation, if only for a couple of days, Kobori has now advanced further down his professional golf pathway than he could have imagined only a few months earlier. “It’s fantastic; it’s a dream come true,” he said. “I’ll be 23 by the time I start my DP World Tour season properly but that’s way further ahead of my timeline than I could have ever imagined. “This is the pathway that I planned out for myself but it’s gone much more quickly than I had thought.”

Cricket's Hawke Cup will spend the winter in Napier after Hawke's Bay retained the provincial trophy. Hawke's Bay completed their fourth straight successful defence, rolling to a eight-wicket victory over Zone 4 challengers South Canterbury at Napier's Nelson Park on Sunday. Central Districts spinner Jayden Lennox took 10 wickets in the match and captain Angus Schaw scored a century in the first innings as Hawke's Bay completed a perfect rep season. South Canterbury, challenging for the first time in 11 years, had captain Glen Drake ruled out with injury just before the match, then lost the toss and were sent in to bat. Lennox (4-50 from 35 overs) and Ben Stoyanoff (4-51 from 16.3 overs) did the damage as the visitors were dismissed for 253. Tom Ettridge led South Canterbury with 80 runs from 109 balls, including 14 fours, while Jacob Naylor had 32. In response, the holders were always in charge. Openers Jono Whitley (58) and Toby Findlay (54) both scored half-centuries, before Schaw (101 from 119, including 16 fours and a six) racked up his second century in as many matches. Schaw and Bayley Wiggins (56 from 70) took Hawke's Bay into a first-innings lead, eventually dismissed for 358. Ettridge and Jed McKerrow each took three wickets for South Canterbury. Trailing by 105 runs, Naylor, who assumed the captain's armband, and Shaun Rooney provided the only resistance in South Canterbury's second dig. Naylor reached 66 from 133 and Rooney 47 from 47. Lennox ripped through the South Islanders' lineup, finishing with figures of 6-63 from 25.4 overs, while Stoyanoff and Brett Johnson each took two wickets. Chasing 114 in just over a session of play for victory, Hawke's Bay started well as Whitley and Findlay opened with 44 runs. Whitley (48 from 77) took them to the brink before Schaw finished it off. After swiping the Hawke Cup from Canterbury Country in the postponed 2022-23 Zone 2 challenge at the start of the summer, Hawke's Bay then saw off Manawatū (Zone 2), Counties Manukau (Zone 1) and Canterbury Country (Zone 3).

Pieter Zwart has won both the NZPGA Championship and the NZPGA Club Professional Championship in emphatic fashion, capturing the biggest title of his career. The Waitangi Golf Club pro, who used to be a member at Hastings Golf Club, played his final four holes in five-under to leap ahead of the overnight leader Mason Lee, finishing the tournament at 15-under to win by a stroke. He stood on the 15th tee at two-over for the day and seemingly out of contention before recreating history. After making birdies on the 15th and 16th holes, he chipped in for an eagle on the par-five 17th and rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the last, meaning Lee and Kazuma Kobori needed to birdie the last to force extra holes. When their putts slid by, Zwart was in disbelief that he had just won the biggest title of his career. “I didn’t really prepare for this. I came here with no expectations. I’ve played here countless times, so I knew where I needed to hit it, and I just stayed incredibly patient.” His finish was similar to his club championship victory in 2009 when he beat club stalwart and former New Zealand Seniors champion Stuart Duff, where he finished birdie, par, eagle and birdie. After losing his ball on the short par-four 12th, Zwart remained optimistic that a finish similar to his one in 2009 would get him close to winning the title. “I knew there were a few opportunities coming in, and I hit some quality shots. “I played a club champs here against Stu Duff, who caddied for me. I beat him by finishing birdie, par, eagle, birdie, and I thought about that after the 12th, and I knew I was capable of a finish like that. “I’ve spent countless hours here. I made sure the lights were on the practice putting green when we were here late at night. I’ve hit thousands of balls on the range and played many games here. I’m thrilled to win here.” Zwart not only lifted the trophy for beating the 91 other professionals in the field, he also lifted the trophy awarded to the leading club professional, a title he won by a mammoth 10 strokes. Mason Lee finished in solo second a shot behind, with three-time PGA Tour of Australasia winner Kazuma Kobori finishing in third at 13-under. Dongwoo Kang finished second in the NZPGA Club Professionals Championship at five-under. Mark Brown and Josh Geary fired the rounds of the day on Sunday, finishing with six-under-66s.

The National Provincial Championship (NPC) and Heartland Championship draws for the 2024 season have been confirmed. The NPC is set to kick-off on Friday, August 9 at 5.35pm when the defending champions Taranaki host the season opener against Counties Manukau at New Plymouth's Yarrow Stadium. The follow day, the Deep South Derby between Southland and Otago, aka 'Stag Day', also features in Round 1 at Invercargill's Rugby Park. Hawke’s Bay put the Ranfurly Shield on the line for the first time of the season against Southland in Round 2 at Napier's McLean Park (kick-off 4.35pm) and Northland have a potential Shield challenge in Round 3. All 12 Heartland teams will compete in an eight-week round robin, with the top-four teams progressing to the Meads Cup semifinals and the next four going through to the Lochore Cup semifinals. The competition kicks off on Saturday, August 17 at 2pm with a Bill Osborne Taonga challenge match between Ngati Porou East Coast and Buller at Whakarua Park in Ruatoria. A repeat of the Meads and Lochore Cup finals also headline the opening round, which sees Whanganui welcome South Canterbury to Cooks Garden (Meads) and West Coast take on Poverty Bay at Greymouth's John Sturgeon Park (Lochore) Three-time champions (2021, 2022, 2023) South Canterbury enter the season on the back of a 31-game winning streak and will welcome their fans back to their spiritual home of Fraser Park in Timaru for the first time since 2021 when they host Wairarapa-Bush in Round 2 on August 24. King Country and Thames Valley will meet under the new lights at Te Kuiti's Rugby Park in Round 3, with the fixture set to kick-off at 5.30pm.

Following the kick-off of Super Rugby Aupiki, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has announced the Farah Palmer Cup (FPC) draw for 2024. The premier women's provincial rugby competition is set to kick-off on Friday, August 9 at Eden Park, with a Premiership clash between defending champions Auckland and Northland, who were newly promoted to the division on the back of their 2023 Championship success. Northland will also play for the first time in Kaitaia against Canterbury in Round 5, marking a significant moment for the team and the competition. Waikato will get an opportunity to claim the JJ Stewart Memorial Trophy when they meet Canterbury in Round 2 on Sunday, August 18. Canterbury has held the challenge trophy since 2017. A local rivalry between Wellington and Manawatū will take place in Round 3, which also sees the both province's NPC teams go head-to-head. NZR head of women and girls community rugby Emily Davidson said it was impressive to see the competition go from strength-to-strength in players and fan base each year. "We are seeing a growing interest in girls and women's rugby, leading to an ongoing increase in player registrations across the country." "The Farah Palmer Cup is essential to the continued momentum and growth of women's rugby. It is an important part of the player pathway and showcases exceptional women doing what they love, all of which inspires their communities and future participation." "With a full calendar for fans, we're excited to see the support for women's provincial rugby and look forward to bringing you big game day experiences," Davidson said. The Farah Palmer Cup playoffs will see the Championship final played on the weekend of September 21-22, while the Premiership decider will take place on the weekend of October 5-6. FARAH PALMER CUP TEAMS Premiership Auckland Bay of Plenty Canterbury Counties Manukau Hawke's Bay Northland Waikato Championship Manawatu North Harbour Otago Taranaki Tasman Wellington

Wellington Olympic have won the first piece of silverware in the 2024 club football season by claiming the NZF Charity Cup. The Greeks, the NZF National League champions, defeated Chatham Cup holders Christchurch United 3-0 at Wellington's Martin Luckie Park on Sunday. The victory came courtesy of goals from captain Ben Mata (33rd minute), Hamish Watson (50th minute) and new recruit Joel Coustrain (75th minute). The win sees Wellington Olympic further stake their claim as one of the favourites for the 2024 National League Championship, which gets underway with the regional phase later this month.

The fixture list for the regional phase of the third season of New Zealand Football's National League has been finalised. The 312-match schedule for the Northern League, Central League and Southern League was released by New Zealand Football (NZF) on Friday, with the season underway in three weeks. Three-time defending Northern League champions Auckland City and Auckland United will kick-off the season on Friday, March 22 in a night-time clash at Keith Hay Park, with five matches the next day. The Southern League will begin with a full slate of night matches on Thursday, March 28, with champions Christchurch United hosting Nomads United at Christchurch Football Centre. The Central League will open on Saturday, March 30 with four matches, while Wellington Olympic will start their regional and National League title defence at Napier City Rovers the following day. City and Eastern Suburbs did not suffer a loss in the 2023 Northern League. They meet in Round 2 on March 29 and Round 13 on June 22. United and Cashmere Technical, who were neck-and-neck all season in last year's Southern League, continue their rivalry in Round 9 on June 8 and Round 18 on September 1. The Wellington Phoenix Reserves will play five midweek matches throughout the season, allowing them to play their last league match on July 14 and be involved in the club's top-flight team's preseason. The top sides from each regional league (four from the Northern League, four from the Central League and two from the Southern League) qualify for spring's National League Championship. 2024 will see select games from the National League regional phase broadcast on the FIFA+ streaming platform for the first time.

Hawke’s Bay Rugby have confirmed the two Heartland Championship unions that will challenge the Magpies for the Log o' Wood in 2024. 2023 Meads Cup winners South Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay neighbours King Country will both travel to Hawke’s Bay to challenge for the coveted Shield. King Country will head across the Napier-Taupo Road to challenge on Wednesday, June 26 at a yet undecided venue. If the Magpies are successful against the Rams, they then face South Canterbury for the second time in three years at Napier’s McLean Park on Saturday , July 27, with a family-friendly 3pm kick-off. "Challenging for the Shield is not something that every player in NZ has the opportunity to do throughout their career. Both King Country and South Canterbury performed well in their respective competitions last season and we expect very enthusiastic, tough games against both of these proud unions. "The players who earn the right to represent the Magpies in these games will be aware we will need to be at our best to ensure we earn the right to defend the shield again," said Magpies coach Brock James. The Magpies that defend the Shield for these two games will be a mixture of local club players and players who have returned from Major League Rugby (United States) and Super Rugby Pacific commitments. James confirmed there will be real competition for spots as club-based players show form over the club season as James and his selectors watch with interest during the early rounds. ‘’The team are looking forward to once again playing Hawke's Bay, like we did in 2022 where the game was very competitive. We are fully aware that the 'Hawke's Bay Maggie Pies' will be waiting for us in full force," South Canterbury Rugby CEO Tim Hyde-Smith. Should the Magpies be successful in defending the shield against the two Heartland opponents, the Magpies next defence will be against NPC opposition to be confirmed when the NPC draw is released next week. "Being Shield holders and competing for the NPC title is a real balancing act, but the coaches and leaders are excited about the challenges this brings but need to lay the platform and it all starts with King Country on June 26 and we can’t wait to rip into it," James said.