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The All Blacks have struggled to contain the French in the third and final test of the series in Hamilton only to manage a 29-19 final score. It was a vigorous, physical encounter against the best French side of the series, as they took a 19-17 lead to the break, but were held scoreless by an All Blacks side who forced the visitors to make 279 tackles LATEST HEADLINES: Tall Ferns fifth at FIBA Women's Asia Cup Inexperienced Phoenix upset Wrexham Reynolds, Watt fifth Challenger ATP final Cacace signs for Wrexham Football Club Hillier, Fox miss cut by shot at The Open . The depth of the New Zealanders was tested as a result of the selection of players from the wider squad, and with Luke Jacobson injured late in the pre-game preparation. Flanker Du'Plessis Kirifi took his place and pulled off some of his key turnovers at breakdowns. Skipper Ardie Savea had some issues in the first half, but in the second half was among the hungriest looking to take the challenge to the French, as were the locks Patrick Tuipulotu and Fabian Holland lastest the whole game. It took 58 minutes for the All Blacks to taste the lead and it was from a high kick by fullback Ruben Love for  Kirifi to eventuall follow up for the try. The All Blacks were down at halftime against the Frnech in the third test in Hamilton. PHOTO: CRAIG BUTLAND/LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY Some mid-half lineout issues for the All Blacks were countered firstly by a superb cover tackle by replacement second five-eighths Jordie Barrett, and then by French mistakes that allowed the home team to push the French back into their territory. But still, the French defended consistently. They had little chance to clear their 22m area, and that pressure from the All Blacks, enhanced by their replacements, and their superior scrum, resulted in Barrett blasting a gap and being able to pass to replacement hooker Brodie McAlister who, with five minutes to play, took to the grass to slide his way over the line for the match-winning try. France put early pressure on the All Blacks, and they were rewarded when a penalty saw France kick to the corner. From the resulting lineout halfback, Nolan Le Garrec slipped around the blindside of the maul to score in the ninth minute before adding the conversion. A tactical choice by Savea just out from the line when he attempted a chip kick, saw the French secure the ball, and in the resulting play, a penalty was conceded, and Le Garrec landed the easiest of goals after 19 minutes. A competitive response from the restart saw the All Blacks look to speed up play, and from a midfield ruck, halfback Cortez Ratima kicked to space where wing Will Jordan chased hard, got the bounce and ran on to score two minutes later. However,when the All Blacks lost the ball again, France worked their way ahead. It was first five-eighths Antoine Hastoy who propped, then put over a dropped goal. While Damian McKenzie landed a penalty goal in the 30th minute, two mistakes saw Le Garrec land a second, then a third from deep. However, the action was not complete as the All Blacks had a try ruled out from a lineout maul when prop Ethan de Groot was ruled to have been held up over the line. The All Blacks secured the line dropout and worked the ball forward with de Groot, denied moments earlier, securing four key drives in the injury time assault that finally saw centre Anton Lienert-Brown slide across three minutes after the halftime hooker to score. All Blacks Scorers: 29 (Will Jordan, Anton Lienert-Brown, Du'Plessis Kirifi, Brodie McAlister tries; Damian McKenzie 3 con, pen) France 19 ( Nolan Le Garrec try, con, 3 pen; Antoine Hastoy dropped goal). HT: 17-19

South Africa are World Rugby Under-20 champions for the second time, overcoming New Zealand 23-15 at Stadio Mario Battaglini in Rovigo, Italy. The final at Stadio Mario Battaglini in Rovigo, Italy on Saturday (Sunday NZ Time) was a fiercely contested battle, with a courageous New Zealand side refusing to back down against a powerful Junior Springboks outfit. LATEST HEADLINES: McTaggart wins Diamond League pole vault All Blacks hold off French for series sweep Tall Ferns fifth at FIBA Women's Asia Cup Inexperienced Phoenix shock Wrexham Cacace signs for Wrexham Football Club Workhorse South African captain Riley Norton ploughed through 24 tackles and was overwhelmed by the outcome.  "This is the greatest day of my life," the lock said. "Set pieces, mauls, scrums, hits - this is where South Africa gets its energy from. It’s our DNA. We came out and gave it everything. New Zealand never backs down. To play them in the final is very special." New Zealand captain Manumaua Letiu acknowledged South Africa’s dominance. "It was a tough game for the boys. Big ups to South Africa. They came here ready for a big fight, dominating us in the collisions. We couldn’t set up our attack effectively. We knew what was coming. We knew they’d come firing, and they did.” The Baby Blacks fell one win short at the World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Italy. PHOTO: ALL BLACKS/ACTION PRESS South Africa’s steamroller maul roared to life just three minutes in, as an authoritative eight-man shove propelled blindside Xola Nyali over the line for the first try. New Zealand fought back, thanks to Taranaki lock Jayden Sai, who made two crucial lineout steals. A sustained period of possession put South Africa on the back foot, forcing them to make 59 tackles. Eventually, New Zealand capitalised when Sai scored from a lineout switch, with industrious openside flanker Caleb Woodley providing the final pass. Disaster struck New Zealand in the 22nd minute when second-year prop Sika Pole received a red card for head-to-head contact. Although the loosehead prop could be replaced after 20 minutes, losing him was a massive blow and South Africa steadily applied scrum pressure, leading to numerous penalties in the second half. In the 32nd minute, South African second-five Albie Bester was shown a yellow card for head contact during a ruck cleanout. Despite being briefly undermanned, South Africa were in control with Simphiwe Moyo kicking penalties in the 22nd and 36th minutes, bringing the halftime score to 13-5.  Typically, New Zealand avoided taking shots at goal, but first-five Rico Simpson managed to kick a pivotal three-pointer in the 46th minute, narrowing the score to 13-8. Unfortunately, that would be their last points until a very late try from Maloni Kunawave. South Africa squeezed the life out of New Zealand with their bullying set pieces and well-executed kicking strategy. In the 57th minute, Simphiwe Moyo nailed a third penalty to extend the lead to 16-8. Five minutes later, Simpson found himself pinned in his goal area, and from a five-metre scrum, South African halfback Haashim Pead spotted a gap that was fortunately created when his opposite, Dylan Pledger, was obstructed. A turnover by Eli Oudenryn gave New Zealand a lifeline with a penalty that advanced them into the South African 22, but an error closed that door. New Zealand's lock Xavier Tracey was yellow-carded in the 71st minute for dragging down a maul. In the 77th minute, Pead cross-kicked for unmarked fullback Guillermo Mentoe, effectively ending New Zealand's chances. New Zealand's struggle to make progress on attack was illustrated by their top carrier, Simpson, who gained only 38 metres despite South Africa's hefty tackling tally of 168 compared to 129. Letiu led the tackle count for New Zealand with 13, followed by Tracey with 12. For South Africa, openside Bathobele Hlekani had a huge impact with 11 tackles and nine carries. The Junior Springboks previously defeated New Zealand 22-16 in the 2012 final. In that game senior Rugby World Cup winners Steven Kitshoff, Handre Pollard, Pieter Steph du Toit and Damian Willemse featured.  Junior Springboks 23  (Xola Nyali, Gilermo Mentoe tries; Vusi Simphiwe Moyo 2 cons, 3 pens) Baby Blacks 15 (Jayden Sai, Maloni Kunawave tries; Rico Simpson pen, Will Cole con). HT: 13-5

Libby Cacace ready to play for Wrexham in the nex Championship season PHOTO: WREXHAM FC Wrexham AFC has confirmed All Whites defender Liberato Cacace will move to the Welsh football club next season is a done deal. The second-tier English Championship side, owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhinney, has signed the 24-year-old to a three-year deal. LATEST HEADLINES: Hillier, Fox miss by a shot at The Open Black Caps ease to win over Zimbabwe International tennis back at Papamoa Tommy Smith leaves Auckland FC Hillier four back at Open, Fox down Cacace, who plays as a left-back, spent three seasons with Italian club Empoli, before the team were relegated from Serie A this past season. The 33-game New Zealand international recently captained the All Whites to a place at the FIFA World Cup with a win over New Caledonia. Cacace will look to play an important role in the Red Dragons’ first EFL Championship campaign in more than 40 years. Wrexham have earned back-to-back-to-back promotions after starting in non-league football. The new season starts on Sunday, August 10 (NZ Time) against Southampton.

The Tall Ferns simply played smart and got rewarded in the form of a 78-71 victory over the Philippines to finish fifth in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup. New Zealand actually blew an early 16-point lead and found themselves staring at a 63-57 deficit barely two minutes into the fourth, but played to their strengths to eventually avert disaster at the Shenzhen Sports Center on Saturday. LATEST HEADLINES: Inexperienced Phoenix upset Wrexham Reynolds, Watt fifth Challenger ATP final Cacace signs for Wrexham Football Club Hillier, Fox miss cut by shot at The Open Black Caps ease to win over Zimbabwe With their edge in size, the Tall Ferns went inside for higher-percentage shots and ran the floor as well, leading to a critical 11-0 run - capped by an Emme Shearer three-point play - to retake the lead, 76-68, with 2:04 left. Gilas Women would never recover and could only watch the opposition erupt into celebration as the final buzzer rang as they lost steam, thus settling for a sixth-place finish for the second time in a row. Regardless, both teams are already headed for the bigger battle at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournaments in March after finishing among the top six teams in Shenzhen. The Tall Ferns finished fifth at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup after a comeback win over the Philippines. PHOTO: FIBA "The fact that we could hang together for 40 minutes when a lot wasn't going our way but we can stay together and grind out a win, I'm just super proud of how the girls did that today," head coach Nat Hurst said. Esra McGoldrick, foul trouble and all, led New Zealand with 17 points and seven rebounds, with her bucket inside off a Bec Pizzey dime with 36.4 seconds left serving as the dagger as it gave them the 78-69 lead. Shearer tallied 16 points, six rebounds and four assists, while McKenna Dale finished with 11 points and seven boards, while Pizzey almost had a double-double, with six points and 10 rebounds. Pizzey herself triggered the run with a perfect trip to the free-throw line, before Shearer came through with a layup to give themselves the lead for good at 69-68 with 3:51 remaining. Dale then added on, with a short jumper from close range, with McGoldrick joining in the fray before Shearer punched in a tough layup off the break amidst the foul before nailing the bonus to cap it off. "We stayed together really well as a team," said Shearer, whose team overcame a sub-par shooting day with only a 37.8-percent clip and 18 turnovers through poise plus rebounding, which they won via big margin, 66-35. Vanessa De Jesus, meanwhile, led the Philippines with 16 points in the loss. Khate Castillo made 14 points behind four three-pointers, while Naomi Panganiban and Sumayah Sugapong added 11 points apiece. Tall Ferns 78 (Esra McGoldrick 17, Emme Shearer 16, McKenna Dale 11) Philippines 71 . 1Q: 19-13, HT: 42-38, 3Q: 53-56

Teenager Luke Flowerdew scores against Wrexham PHOTO: LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY A young and inexperiencedl Wellington Phoenix have shocked Wrexham AFC to end their Down Under Tour. The underrated Phoenix won the pre-season friendly 1-0 in Wellington in front ofaround 25,000 spectators. LATEST HEADLINES: Reynolds, Watt fifth Challenger ATP final Tall Ferns lose to Japan FIBA Asia Cup Cacace signs for Wrexham Football Club Hillier, Fox miss by a shot at The Open Black Caps ease to win over Zimbabwe Phoenix academy centre forward Luke Flowerdew, 19, gave the home side the lead just after halftime with a well-executed gaol. Wrexham, newly promoted to the English Championship looked stunned as they then chased a goal at the other end of the park against a depleted A-League team. Stand-in captain import Kazuki Nagasawa led the Phoenix who were missing game time. However Nix coach Giancarlo Italiano made 10 changes in the second half with the majority of players from the Academy squad. Wrexham also made plenty of changes in the second half against a Phoenix team which appeared more enthusiastic at appeared quicker on the fast break. Missing for the Nix were captain Alex Rufer, fellow All White Tim Payne, defender Corban Piper, experienced midfielder Paulo Retre, goalkeeper Alby Kelly-Heald and forward Nathan Walker, all out for various rasons while new signing Ifeanyi Eze was yet to arrive in Wellington. For Wrexham who have signed All Whites defender Libby Cacace it was the end of their Down Under Tour where they beat A-League side Melbourne Victory 3-0 last week, before they lost 2-1 by a young Sydney FC team on Tuesday night. Their first game in the Championship season is against Southamption Saturday 9 August. The Phoenix play a pre-season Australia Cup game against Perth Glory 27 July.

Finn Reynolds (left) and James Watt are into their fifth ATP Challenger Tour final this year PHOTO: ATP TOUR The New Zealand combination of Finn Reynolds and James Watt are through to another Challenger Tour Doubles final, their fifth together this year! At the Granby Championships in Quebec, Canada they beat the Chinese Taipei team of Huang Tsung-hao and Hsu Yu-hsiou 6-4, 7-5 in one hour 12 minutes and are now looking for their third consecutive Challenger title. LATEST HEADLINES: Tall Ferns lose to Japan FIBA Asia Cup Cacace signs for Wrexham Football Club Hillier, Fox miss by a shot at The Open Black Caps ease to win over Zimbabwe International tennis back at Papamoa They'll take on fourth seeds Kody Pearson from Australia and Japan's Yuta Shimizu for the title. Reynolds from the Hawkes Bay has an ATP doubles ranking of 132 while South Canterbury's Watt is currently 149 in doubles and 608 in singles having improved 114 spots in teh past week. Watt's singles ranking should move up again after he qualified in Granby before losing in the first round to a seeded player.

Ryan Fox made a late charge but couldn't quite make the cut at the Open Championship PHOTO: GOLF NZ It will be a quiet weekend for New Zealand golfers Daniel Hillier and Ryan Fox at the Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland after they missed the cut. Both Hillier and Fox toyed with the cut line in the second round as Hillier looked certain but suffered from a late bogey in his round while Fox put on a late charge, but needed one more shot to compete in the final two rounds. LATEST HEADLINES: Black Caps ease to win over Zimbabwe International tennis back at Papamoa Tommy Smith leaves Auckland FC Hillier four back at Open, Fox down Nix Women add to global recruitment Hillier dropped two shots over to sit at two-over after a birdies at the second and 10th holes but bogeys on the sixth, ninth, 16th and 18th holes for a round of 73. Fox made a late charge to stay in the tournament with a birdie on the first hole before a bogey at the seventh He continued with a string of pars before an eagle three on the par five at 12 and bogey on the 13th. He then birdied the 18th for a two-under round 69. The tournament leader is American Scottie Scheffler at 10-under one shot ahead of England's Matt Fitzpatrick

Esra McGoldrick led the Tall Ferns on the scoreboard but not enough to bea Japan PHOTO: FIBA WOMEN'S ASIA CUP The Tall Ferns have missed out on a semifinal spot at the 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup in Shenzhen, China. New Zealand were beaten 77-62, despite an encouraging performance in the first half, which saw them down 17-19 at the end of the first quarter and then lead 41-39 at the major break. LATEST HEADLINES: Cacace signs for Wrexham Football Club Hillier, Fox miss by a shot at The Open Black Caps ease to win over Zimbabwe International tennis back at Papamoa Tommy Smith leaves Auckland FC Captain Esra McGoldrick was a powerhouse during the first half, scoring 17 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Japan emerged a different team in the third quarter, as guards Kokoro Tanaka and Noriko Konno took control at the offensive end, while the Tall Ferns struggled to crack some tough defense. Japan ended up outscoring New Zealand 22-8 in the third quarter, and when they went on a 7-0 run to start the final quarter to increase their lead to 19 points, the margin ended up being too big for the Tall Ferns to overhaul. McGoldrick, finishing the game with 28 points and 12 rebounds, continued to battle hard, scoring five straight points to try and spark her teammates, before assisting a McKenna Dale three-pointer that briefly cut the lead to 10. But another Japanese surge halted any hopes of a comeback, as they closed out the game to advance to the semis against hosts China. New Zealand's final match of the tournament will be against the Philippines later on Saturday, with the winner finishing in fifth in the eight-team event.

Matt Henry took three wickets in the Black Caps win over Zimbabwe PHOTO: ICC The Black Caps have eased to an eight wicket win with 37 balls to spare over Zimbabwe in the T20 Tri-Series in Harare. The home side scored 120 for 7 with Matt Henry taking 3-26 to follow up his 3-34 in the previous game against South Africa. LATEST HEADLINES: International tennis back at Papamoa Tommy Smith leaves Auckland FC Hillier four back at Open, Fox down Nix Women add to global recruitment All Blacks changes made for third test Zimbabwe struggled to string together any partnerships as openers Wessly Madhevere and Brian Bennett scored 36 and 21 respectively, but otherwise no players made more than 13 runs. Adam Milne, Mitch Santner, Michael Bracewell and Rachin Ravindra all took a wicket each. Ravindra had the figures of 1--10 from three overs. In reply New Zealand made 122 for 2 in the 14th over. Tim Seifert was out early for three runs, but Devon Conway scored a measure 59 not out from 40 balls. Ravindra made 30 runs from 19 and Daryl Mitchell 26 not out from 19. Meanwhile batting allrounder Glenn Phillips has withdrawn from the tour of Zimbabwe with an injured groin. He was assessed on his arrival in Zimbabwe from Major League Cricket and found he would require a number of weeks of rehab..

New Zealand Davis Cup player Jack Loutit in action at Papamoa last year PHOTO: TENNIS NZ Professional sport will return to the Bay of Plenty this summer, with the ITF World Tennis Tour once again taking place at the Pāpāmoa Tennis Club. Scheduled for 15-21 December 2025, the EVES Open Futures will bring together some of the world’s up-and-coming players, competing for official WTA and ATP ranking points and over $60,000 in prize money. LATEST HEADLINES: Tommy Smith leaves Auckland FC Hillier four back at Open, Fox down Nix Women add to global recruitment All Blacks changes made for third test Black Caps beat South Africa in T20 in its fourth year, the tournament has become a fixture on the local Tauranga events calendar, marking the start of the summer and Christmas season. Pāpāmoa Ward Councillor Steve Morris says it’s great to see the event return. “Tauranga City Council is proud to support this event through the Tauranga Event Fund, which helps bring more arts, culture, and sporting experiences to life, making our city an even better place to live and visit.” “The event’s gone from strength to strength over the past few years, and it’s fantastic to welcome an event of this calibre back to Pāpāmoa.” Last year, more than 40 New Zealanders competed in the men’s and women’s singles draws, alongside players from over 15 countries. This year’s tournament will also have the NZ Wheelchair Tennis Championships, which will be held alongside the main draw. In 2024 the women's singles was won by Indonesia's Janice Tjen over Hiromi Abe (Japan) with the doubles title going to former top-60 singles player Julia Grabher of Austria and kiwi Elyse Tse The men's singles saw Australian Matthew Dellavedova beat New Zealand's Alex Klintcharov while the doubles had Jesse Delaney and Ethan Cook win over kiwi's Anton Shepp and Matt Shearer.

Experienced Tommy Smioth is leaving Auckland FC to return to the UK. PHOTO: AUCKLAND FC Auckland FC have confirmed centre-back and co-vice-captain Tommy Smith has made the decision to depart the club and return to the United Kingdom in order to devote more time and support to his young family. The 35-year-old made 25 appearances, including 12 starts, and helped guide the team to a historic milestone as the first New Zealand side to lift A-League silverware. LATEST HEADLINES: Hillier four back at Open, Fox down Nix Women add to global recruitment All Blacks changes made for third test Black Caps beat South Africa in T20 Tall Ferns lose to China at Asia Cup “It’s been an incredible year in Auckland, and I was able to lift silverware. That’s something I’ll carry with me forever,” said Smith. “The team, staff and fans made me feel so welcome returning back to Auckland. I’m truly grateful to have played a part in such a special first chapter for this club. It was a difficult decision to leave such a special city.” “From the first day of pre-season, the journey we shared has been unforgettable. There’s a real sense of pride in what we built together. The fans created an atmosphere and community that made it feel like home. They’ve truly reignited the passion for football in Auckland.” His career has spanned the English Championship, Major League Soccer, and the international stage with the All Whites. He brought a wealth of international and professional experience into the squad. His influence extended far beyond the pitch recognised by The Port as their “Hero of the Year” for his contribution to the fans. “Tommy has been a leader on and off the field and in the community. He bought into the vision of what we’re building at Auckland FC,” says Auckland FC Director of Football, Terry McFlynn. “He will always be remembered as a proud member of our inaugural squad,” says Auckland FC CEO, Nick Becker. “He is part of a team that made history and will be remembered with fondness. We completely respect his decision to depart, and we wish him and his family all the best for the future.” The club play their first pre-season game on 22 July and play their first Australia Cup game on 29 July.

Daniel Hillier made an eagle, birdie and three bogeys during the first round of The Open Championship. PHOTO: DANIEL HILLIER New Zealand golfer Daniel Hillier has put together a solid opening round at The Open Championship. Hillier sits four shots off the lead after shooting an even-par 71 on Thursday (Friday NZ Time) at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, in a share of 31st, while Ryan Fox is tied for 116th after a four-over 75. LATEST HEADLINES: Nix Women add to global recruitment All Blacks changes made for third test Black Caps beat South Africa in T20 Tall Ferns lose to China at Asia Cup Central beat Hurricanes at GSL T20 Hillier, in his fourth Open, posted an eagle, a birdie and three bogeys after heading out in the morning wave to sit alongside a host of golfers, including defending champion Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy. After a bogey, birdie, bogey start, the 26-year-old's round got more mundane, with pars at 13 of the remaining 15 holes. The main highlight was the eagle at the par-five 12th hole. After a 293-yard drive, he put his approach shot to within 16 feet and rolled in the putt. Kiwi No 1 Fox had a rough start to his ninth Open, with five bogeys in his opening six holes, before a birdie at the par-five seventh. After going out in 40, his back-nine was much steadier, with seven pars, along with a birdie at the par-three 13th and bogey at the par-four 11th, still leaving him plenty of work to make the weekend cut. Hillier will be the first Kiwi on the course in the second round on Friday, teeing off at 6.57am local time (5.57pm NZT), while Fox joins the action at 2.26pm local time (1.26am Saturday NZT).