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The Black Ferns XV's haka against the Black Ferns at Semenoff Stadium in Whangarei. PHOTO: NZR/AARON GILLONS ACTION PRESS Black Ferns XV Head Coach Willie Walker has announced a 28-player squad to travel to South Africa for two matches against the Springbok Women’s team in Cape Town. The two fixtures will both be played at the 34,000-seat Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on 26 July and 2 August in what will be the first time a national New Zealand women’s team has played in South Africa. LATEST HEADLINES: Tall Ferns score big over Indonesia Kurt Capewell retuns to Warriors side Tall Ferns fall just short against Korea Phoenix sign Nigerian striker Ifeanyi Eze Baby Blacks into U-20 World Cup final Bay of Plenty lock Holly Greenway will captain a Black Ferns XV squad that was selected following a final trial match against the Black Ferns at Semenoff Stadium in Whangarei on 5 July. Walker said the trial match had been a successful exercise ahead of the trip to Cape Town with a strong squad selected to play the Springbok Women. “The trial in Whangarei was an ideal build up for this group and helpful in assessing players and combinations. We’ve selected a strong squad and it’s a huge opportunity for these players to experience a touring environment and to play against a tier one international opponent.” The squad departs New Zealand for South Africa on 20 July. The Black Ferns XV travelling squad to South Africa is: (Super Rugby Aupiki club/Provincial Union). FORWARDS (16) Hookers Luka Connor (Chiefs Manawa/Bay of Plenty) Grace Leaso Gago (Blues/Counties Manukau) Jordan Tihore (Bay of Plenty) Props Marcelle Parkes (Matatū/Canterbury) Cheyenne Tuli-Fale (Blues/Auckland) Maddi Robinson (Matatū/Canterbury) Ashley Palu (Matatū/Canterbury) Harono Te Iringa (Blues/Counties Manukau) Locks Maama Vaipulu (Blues/Auckland) Sam Taylor (Hurricanes Poua/Manawatū) Holly Greenway (Blues/Bay of Plenty) (c) Loose forwards Taufa Bason (Blues/Manawatū) Elinor-Plum King (Hurricanes Poua/Manawatū) Fiaali'i Solomona (Matatū/Tasman) Lucy Jenkins (Matatū/Canterbury) Mia Anderson (Chiefs Manawa/ Waikato) BACKS (12) Halfbacks Tara Turner (Blues/Northland) Reese Anderson (Chiefs Manawa/Waikato) First-five Hannah King (Matatū/Canterbury) Keira Su’a Smith (Hurricanes Poua/Wellington) Midfield Justine McGregor (Wellington) Kelsey Teneti (Waikato) Leilani Hakiwai (Hurricanes Poua/Hawke’s Bay) Outside backs Winnie Palamo (Matatū/Canterbury) Hollyrae Mete-Renata (Matatū/Manawatū) Jaymie Kolose (Blues/Counties Manukau) Kaea Nepia (Matatū/Waikato) Mererangi Paul (Chiefs Manawa/Counties Manukau) Black Ferns XV 2025 schedule Sunday July 27: Athlone Stadium, Cape Town, kick off 3.00am NZT (5.00pm Saturday 26 July local time) Sunday 3 August: Athlone Stadium, Cape Town, kick off 3.00am NZT (5.00pm Saturday 2 August local time)

Kurt Capewell will add a bit of steel to the Warriors backline PHOTO: NRL GRAPHIC Second rower Kurt Capewell is the big name returning to the Warriors’ starting side to face the Newcastle Knights on Sunday. The Queensland State of Origin winner will play in the centres against Newcastle in place ofr Rocco Berry who suffered a dislocated shoulder in last weekend’s victory over the Wests Tigers. LATEST HEADLINES: Tall Ferns fall just short against Korea Phoenix sign Nigerian striker Ifeanyi Eze Baby Blacks into U-20 World Cup final Cassidy wins Formula E race in Berlin Dixon, Armstrong on podium in Iowa The 32-year-old was rested for last Sunday’s win after, helping the Maroons overturn a 1-0 deficit to win this year’s series against New South Wales. Berry’s injury has been confirmed to miss between five and six weeks, as he recovers from another injury after being dogged by hamstring issues this year. Usually a second-rower, Capewell has been used at centre four times out of his 14 appearances for the Warriors this season, and is unbeaten when playing in the backline. Should coach Andrew Webster wish to keep Capewell in the second row, though, Ali Leiataua has been named on the extended interchange bench in the No 22 jersey. The 22-year-old started the 2025 season as a first-choice centre for the Warriors, but was moved back to reserve grade earlier this year, before picking up an injury. Leiataua made his return against the Western Suburbs Magpies last weekend, where he scored one try, created another and made eight tackles. . Elsewhere in the team the rest of the Warriors side is unchanged, including the interchange bench that was named against the Tigers. Tanah Boyd has unsurprisingly been retained at halfback, having been handed the No 7 jersey after Luke Metcalf’s season was prematurely ended by an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) rupture against the Brisbane Broncos at the end of last month. Warriors 1. Taine Tuaupiki, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Adam Pompey, 4. Kurt Capewell, 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7. Tanah Boyd, 8. James Fisher-Harris, 9. Wayde Egan, 10. Jackson Ford, 11. Leka Halasima, 12. Marata Niukore, 13. Erin Clark Interchange (from): 14. Te Maire Martin, 15. Jacob Laban, 16. Demetric Vaimauga, 17. Tanner Stowers-Smith, 18. Samuel Healey, 20. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, 21. Bunty Afoa, 22. Ali Leiataua, 23. Kayliss Fatialofa

The Tall Ferns have lost their opening game at the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in a fiery Group A matchup against South Korea 78-76. New Zealand's late-game comeback fell just short as they battled back from nine points down with just over two minutes remaining to tie the game, before losing in the final seconds in  in Shenzhen, China on Monday. LATEST HEADLINES: Phoenix sign Nigerian striker Ifeanyi Eze Baby Blacks into U-20 World Cup final Cassidy wins Formula E race in Berlin Dixon, Armstrong on podium in Iowa SVG wins back-to-back Nascar races Forward Emme Shearer led the Tall Ferns with 22 points (8/17 FG, 2/5 3pt, 4/4 FT), four rebounds and three assists, while Australia-based Rebecca Pizzey, McKenna Dale and Esra McGoldrick also scored in double-digits. Forward Pizzey had 11 points (5/6 FG) and four boards, guard Dale 11 points (5/10 FG) and three assists and forward McGoldrick 10 points (4/12 FG), five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Centre Ritorya Tamilo also had seven points, eight rebounds and two steals, and point guard Pahlyss Hokianga five points, five assists and two steals. Bailey Flavell drives the baseline against South Korea at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup. PHOTO: FIBA The Tall Ferns trailed 73-63 with four minutes remaining, before Pizzey and Shearer scored back-to-back baskets to close within six. Park extended the gap to nine points with 2:03 to play with a three, but New Zealand were not done. Tamilo scored immediately, followed by seven straight points from Shearer, including a corner triple, to tie it up with 12 seconds left. But heartbreak followed as Korea’s Jisu Park drove the lane and finished through contact with a half-second on the clock, sealing a dramatic win. Shearer set the tone early, scoring nine of the Tall Ferns’ first 11 points, igniting the Tall Ferns to an early lead. Korea responded with relentless hustle, dominating the offensive glass and launching a barrage from beyond the arc, knocking down five triples. Dale opened the second quarter with a confident triple, but Korea quickly surged ahead behind Isaem Choi’s individual brilliance, scoring seven straight points to push the lead to 11 and force Tall Ferns head coach Nat Hurst to call her second timeout. Shearer opened the third quarter with four quick points, sparking another Tall Ferns surge, along with McGoldrick helping cut the lead to a one-possession game early in the period. However, Korea’s sharpshooters struck again, with Kang and Choi each drilling triples to quickly restore a double-digit buffer. The Tall Ferns face Indonesia on Tuesday (tip-off 5.30pm NZ Time), before battling China on Wednesday (tip-off 11.30pm NZT). South Korea 78 (Isaem Choi 23, Jihyun Park 20, Leeseul Kang 19) Tall Ferns 76 (Emme Shearer 22, Rebecca Pizzey 11, McKenna Dale 11, Esra McGoldrick 10). 1Q: 24-19, HT: 46-38, 3Q: 64-53

The Southern Steel's Georgia Heffernan tries to shoot over the Stars Remi Kamo. PHOTO: SOUTHERN STEEL The Southern Steel have finished fourth in the ANZ Premiership after posting a closely-fought 61-55 win over the Northern Stars in Invercargill.. Both teams were out to finish the season on a positive note knowing they had missed the Finals Series. LATEST HEADLINES: Cassidy wins race 2 Berlin Formula E Dixon, Armstrong podium in Ohio SVG wins back-to-back Nascar races Brown claims Legends Tour golf title Black Sox lose WBSC World Cup final Closely contested throughout, the Steel held a two-goal advantage coming into the final quarter..Key targets at both ends, Aliyah Dunn for the Steel and the Stars Maia Wilson nailed 42 from 43 and 44 from 45 respectively. In the end, the Steel won the moments that mattered while having slightly the better of the possession stakes. The Stars competed gamely but just lacked the consistency to keep the Steel under the pump. Both sides made solid and effective starts with the Steel managing to nose in front on the back of pacey and accurate attacking play which was expertly finished by shooters Dunn and Georgia Heffernan. The Stars also gained traction from the long game to bring the contest back to level terms. Defensive pressure from Carys Stythe and Abby Lawson created turnover opportunities for the home side in the Stars attacking zone, ultimately iced by a super shot from Georgia Heffernan to push the Steel out to a 14-10 lead at the first break. With defenders Lili Tokaduadua and Remi Kamo getting their hands to intercept opportunities on the resumption, the Stars clicked into gear. Converting their extra ball opportunities, the confidence levels lifted from the visitors. That resulted in finding their flow, speed and accuracy on attack where the movement of captain Wilson opened the space under the hoop with the ball landing perfectly via Mila Reuelu-Buchanan and Lisa Mather. Starting with an 8-4 run against them, the Steel took a tactical time out before the Stars nudged into narrow lead, the last five minutes of the second stanza going goal-for-goal and ending in a 28-all stalemate at the main break. The Steel turned the tables during a high-scoring and entertaining third quarter. The home side needed no second invitation when pouncing on a couple of early lapses in the Stars scoring zone. The response was rapid and highly accurate through-court play where Kate Heffernan and Kimiora Poi worked the ball expertly to set up the shooting duo of Georgia Heffernan and Dunn. The shooters worked seamlessly in tandem, Heffernan sharing the load while Dunn continued her strong season with an impressive showing. The Stars hung on admirably, with midcourter Reuelu-Buchanan and Kate Heffernan having a mighty tussle while Wilson ended the stanza in style when sinking a super shot to narrow the Steel’s lead to 45-43 at the last break, leaving the game wide open.

The New Zealand Under-20 All Blacks are through to the final of the men's Under-20 Rugby World Championships in Italy after a tense 34-26 semifinal win over France in Viadana. New Zealand were ahead 24-19 at half time after tries to Stanley Solomon on a 40 metre run, Mosese Bason and Jack Wiseman. LATEST HEADLINES: Steel beat Stars, end regular season Cassidy wins race 2 Berlin Formula E Dixon, Armstrong podium in Ohio SVG wins back-to-back Nascar races Brown claims Legends Tour golf title However, they had to spend much of the second half on defence and were not helped by yellow cards leaving them vulnerable to defeat to the same side they lost to in 2024 at the same stage of the tournament. Both centre Wiseman and wing Frank Vaenuku spent time on the sidelinesas the side went down to 13 players and France capitalised with their fourth try of the game. The score 27-26 to New Zealand. However, the Junior All Blacks responded after a strong surge by the forwards with lock Aisake Vakasiuola touching down next to the post. The Junior All Blacks have beaten France in the semifinals of the Under-20 World Cup PHOTO: NZ RUGBY They were then able to hold on to the final whistle despite waves of French attack and their dominant lineout. First five Rico Simpson kicked four conversions and two penalties and generally had a good allround game under pressure. They will play South Africa, whom they beat 48-45 earlier this year, to capture the Rugby Championship. The Junior Springboks beat New Zealand 22-16 in the 2012 final, the 'Baby Blacks' only loss in a final. New Zealand has won the Under-20 title six times, however the last occasions was in 2017 New Zealand Under 20: 34 (Stanley Solomon, Mosese Bason, Jake Wiseman, Aisake Vakasiuola tries; Rico Simpson 4 cons, 2 pens) France Under 20: 26 (Kalvin Gourgues, Baptiste Britz, Xan Mousques, Fabien Brau Boirie, Jon Echegaray tries; Luka Keletaona 2 cons, Bobby Bissu con) HT: 24-19.

Winning weekend in Berlin for New Zealnad with Nick Cassidy taking race two PHOTO: JAGUAR TCS A day after Mitch Evans took out race one of Formula E in Berlin, countryman Nick Cassidy won race two for a kiwi weekend of wins. Cassidy, 30 from Auckland had a quite remarkable race charging from 20th on grid to take the win while team mate Evans came home fifth for a successful weekend on points. LATEST HEADLINES: Dixon, Armstrong podium in Ohio SVG wins back-to-back Nascar races Brown claims Legends Tour golf title Black Sox lose WBSC World Cup final Saints defeat Whai, to host NBL final Cassidy had everything in-hand midway through the race to bring his Jaguar home first but the story was Oliver Rowland holding onto fourth to secure a maiden ABB FIA Formula E Drivers' World Championship title. Cassidy is fifth on the overall drivers standings while Evans is 12th. Both can move up with placings in their next races. The completion of the season is in two weeks with race 15 and 16 in London.

New Zealand IndyCar drivers Scott Dixon and Marcus Armstrong have stood on the podium at the Iowa double-header. Four-time series champion Dixon finished second, one spot ahead of Armstrong in the Farm to Finish 275 on Sunday (Monday NZ Time), the second of two races at the short oval at Iowa Speedway. LATEST HEADLINES: SVG wins back-to-back Nascar races Brown claims Legends Tour golf title Black Sox lose WBSC World Cup final Saints defeat Whai, to host NBL final Maxwell wins MTB World Cup event Dixon, who started eighth, never led the race, with teammate and race winner Alex Palou leading 194 laps and Josef Newgarden 72 laps. The 44-year-old Kiwi and Armstrong benefitted from front-runners Newgarden and David Malukas pitting under a green flag late in the race, before Colton Herta crashed to bring out a caution, allowing others to pit under caution. Dixon made a pass on Armstrong in the closing laps to secure a 1-2 finish for Chip Ganassi Racing, the team's third of the season. Last weekend Dixon passed Palou late for the victory at Mid Ohio. Scott Dixon finished behind teammate Alex Palou in the second race at Iowa Speedway. PHOTO: SCOTT DIXON Dixon moved up to third in the IndyCar championship, moving ahead of Kyle Kirkwood, on 342 points, but still trailing Palou by 173 points. Armstrong, who started 12th, equalled his best finish in IndyCar, matching his third-place behind race winner Dixon in Detroit last year. He moved up to 10th in the drivers standings, just behind fellow Kiwi Scott McLaughlin. It was a short day for McLaughlin, who was taken out on the first lap by a spinning Devlin DeFrancesco, credited with 27th. Saturday's Synk 275 was a better day for McLaughlin as he marched through the field from 27th to finish fourth. He led the practice timesheet the previous day but crashed in qualifying and had to start from the back. Armstrong, who led three laps from lap 241 to 244, finished ninth after starting 11th, while Dixon was one place behind for another top-10 after starting sixth. The next IndyCar race is the Indy Toronto on the streets of Canada's biggest city next Sunday (4am Monday NZT). Dixon has four race wins in Toronto, the last coming in 2022.

Mark Brown with the Swiss Seniors Open trophy. PHOTO: GOLF NZ Kiwi Mark Brown has returned to European golf with a triumph in winning the 27th Swiss Seniors Open at Golf Club Bad Ragaz on the Legends Tour. The 50-year-old originally from the Hutt Valley overturned a one-shot deficit in a bogey-free final round of 6-under 64 to win by two strokes. LATEST HEADLINES: Black Sox beaten in World Cup final Saints defeat Whai, to host NBL final Maxwell wins MTB World Cup event NZ Warriors hit back beating Tigers Mystics thrash Tactix for home final Scores of 66, 65 and 64 saw Brown finish at 15-under for the tournament. Chasing 36-hole leader Robert Coles, Brown maintained composure down the stretch and with crucial birdies on the par 4 15th and par 5 16th holes managed to take hold of the tournament as Coles couldn’t recover from a one-over front nine. A par on the 17th for Brown allowed him to head down 18 with a two-shot lead, making a sweat-less par to become a debutant Legends Tour winner, the first since Scott Hend in 2013. “It’s amazing,” said Brown, “I really didn’t know what to expect this week, so we’ve all just had a blast. We’ve had a fantastic week, and what a way to finish today. “I stayed pretty patient. I felt like the scoring was going to be pretty low today. There’s hardly any wind, so I just needed to be patient, especially on the front nine. I managed to make a few birdies on that back nine coming home, which was really the key. Winning is never easy, so I had the heart rate going coming up 18. “I’ve got a six-year-old son and he’s obsessed by the trophies. Unfortunately, we don’t win too many in a golf tournament, so he’ll be especially pleased to see the trophy.” The win is Brown’s 12th internationally and second in Europe, adding to his co-sanctioned European Tour and PGA of Tour of Australasia win at the 2008 Johnnie Walker Classic and follows his April 2025 win on the Charles Tour at the Muriwai Open. The Legends Tour heads next to the UK and Sunningdale Golf Club, Berkshire for the Senior Open on July 24-27.

New Zealand driver Shane van Gisbergen proved that it is impossible to keep a road-course superstar down for more than a brief interlude. After finishing second to Connor Zilisch in Saturday’s (Sunday NZ TIme) Nascar Xfinity Series race, van Gisbergen was back on top on a pleasant Sunday afternoon (Monday NZT) in California wine country, winning the Cup Series’ Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. LATEST HEADLINES: Brown claims Legends Tour golf title Black Sox lose WBSC World Cup final Saints defeat Whai, to host NBL final Maxwell wins MTB World Cup event NZ Warriors hit back beating Tigers As has become his custom of late, the Kiwi reached a trio of milestones, winning his third straight road/street course race from the pole position to equal Jeff Gordon’s feat from 1998 and 1999. The victory was van Gisbergen’s third of the season in his first trip around the 1.99-mile, 12-turn circuit in a Nascar Cup Series car. SVG won for the fourth time in 34 starts, becoming the quickest to four wins since Parnelli Jones won at Riverside in 1967 in his 31st Cup start. His 97 laps led are the most by a Sonoma winner, eclipsing Jeff Gordon’s high-water mark of 92 set in 2004. Shane van Gisbergen won for the third time in five weeks on road/street courses. PHOTO: NASCAR “We had an amazing car,” van Gisbergen said. “Chase Briscoe, what a great racer and gave me respect. Jumped the last (restart) a little bit, and it was pretty tense, but amazing." The winner of 81 Supercars races on the way to three championships in the series, van Gisbergen already is being touted as perhaps the best road-course racer in Nascar history. “I had an amazing time in Australia, and then to come here and the last couple weeks, or years actually, has been a dream come true,” said the 36-year-old. “I’ve really enjoyed my time in Nascar. Thanks, everyone, for making me feel so welcome. I hope I’m here for a long time to come.” Winning the second stage despite short-pitting to preserve track position, van Gisbergen advanced to third on the current Cup Series Playoff grid with 17 playoff points. He crossed the finish line 1.128 seconds ahead of Chase Briscoe, but the win was far from guaranteed, given the chaos of the final 15 laps. SVG had to survive three cautions and subsequent restarts in the late stages of the race to seal the win, as a large group of drivers on better tires chased those who had stayed on the track (including the race winner) after Cody Ware lost a tire and caused a yellow on Lap 97. The action on the final few laps was attributable in part to battles within the Nascar Cup Series’ In-Season Challenge. In the third round at Sonoma, Ty Dillon bumped Alex Bowman out of the way on the final lap to finish 17th to Bowman’s 19th and keep his hopes for the US$1 million prize alive. Dillon will face John Hunter Nemechek in next week's semifinals at Dover Motor Speedway. Nemechek finished one spot ahead of Legacy Motor Club teammate Erik Jones (28th to 29th) to advance to the fourth round. Ty Gibbs moved into the tournament semifinals with a seventh-place finish to Zane Smith’s 27th, and Tyler Reddick ousted Ryan Preece with a sixth-place run to Preece’s 12th. Gibbs and Reddick will face off at the Monster Mile for a trip to the finals. Ross Chastain and van Gisbergen divided the stage wins. Chastain encountered trouble in a tangle with Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suárez on Lap 45, with Suárez spinning after the contact in the Turn 11 hairpin and losing 15 positions in the exchange. The Cup Series’ next race falls on Sunday (6am Monday NZT) at Dover Motor Speedway. Six races remain in the regular season before the 16-driver field for the Cup Series Playoffs is set.

The Black Sox are through to the WBSC Softball World Cup final in Canada after a comprehensive 8-3 win over Japan in the Super Round. The New Zealand side will play Venezuela in the championship game on Sunday (8am Monday NZ Time) a rematch of the 2013 world championship final, where the Black Sox came out on top. LATEST HEADLINES: Mystics thrash Tactix to host final Warriors Women black Eels for win Mitch Evans wins first race in Berlin Sharks stun Ram to make NBL final All Blacks rout France with first-half blitz The Black Sox are the world's most decorated softball team, with seven world titles under their belt. Against Japan, two homers from first baseman Seth Gibson lifted New Zealand past Japan 8-3, in the last game of the Super Round. Gibson's dinger in the top of the seventh gave the Black Sox the necessary winning margin to advance to the final. New Zealand jumped ahead in the first inning with four quick runs, and they never looked back. Cole Evans and Gibson hit a two-run homer each to give their pitching staff a key advantage in the game. The Black Sox are into another Softball World Cup final . PHOTO: WBSC Pita Rona was credited with the win after a great outing in relief, pitching 3 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out three. He gave up only two hits. This year’s final will be New Zealand’s 10th appearance in a world championship final. They have won the title six times (1984, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2013, and 2017), and finished runners-up in four editions (1988, 1992, 2009, and 2015). In 1976, they shared the gold medal with Canada and USA, as the playoffs could not be completed. Between 1984 and 2017, New Zealand reached every Softball World Cup final (10 in total). They now return to the title game after an eight-year, two-tournament absence.

Sammie Maxwell celebrates her win as she crosses the line in Andorra PHOTO: UCI Kiwi mountain biker Samara Maxwell produced an extraordinary performance to take victory in the latest round of the UCI MTB World Cup cross-country at Pal Arinsal, Andorra. Maxwell (Decathlon Ford) led early, came down twice on the treacherous rock decent, but fought back, only to lose further time with a rear wheel change from a puncture. LATEST HEADLINES: Warriors hit back beating Tigers NZ Black Sox into World Cup final Mystics thrash Tactix to host final Warriors Women black Eels for win Mitch Evans wins first race in Berlin The Paris Olympian had to close the gap for a third time, and found the last of her reserves to move her way back to the leading group. The Taupo rider waited for her best opportunity, fighting her way clear late on the last lap to win. She won ultimately by nine seconds from Swiss rider Alessandra Keller with Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds third, after the pair led the attack along with Italian Martina Berta for much of the race. “If you want to win a World Cup you have to attack. No-one is going to let you have it,” said Maxwell. “I felt so strong but I kept making silly mistakes on the downhills. I realised I needed a bit of room for myself to take my own lines. I told myself this is altitude, so if you attack up that first climb, you are going to be out of it by the time you get around the back. “Peddling around the back on the last lap my whole body was screaming. I can’t believe it.” After a dry and dusty surface earlier in the week, the rain from storms that forced the cancellation of the junior downhill finals helped make for a tackier surface for the cross-country. Maxwell produced the two fastest laps of the race – the first and the last – and moves 445 points clear at the top of the individual standings with four rounds remaining in her rookie elite season. There is a three week break in competition before the next round of the UCI MTB World Series, with downhill, cross-country and enduro all competing at Haute-Savoie in France. Result: Samara Maxwell (NZL, Decathlon Ford) 1:25.31, 1; Alessandra Keller (AUT) at 9s, 2; Jenny Rissveds (SWE) at 15s, 3; Martina Blerta (ITA) at 26s , 4.

The New Zealand Black Sox have finished runners-up at the WBSC Softball World Cup in Canada. The seven-time champions went down 3-0 in a pitcher's duel to Venezuela, who claimed their first world title, in the tournament decider at Prime Minister's Park in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan on Sunday (Monday NZ Time). LATEST HEADLINES: Saints defeat Whai, to host NBL final Maxwell wins MTB World Cup event NZ Warriors hit back beating Tigers Mystics thrash Tactix for home final Warriors Women black Eels for win Three Venezuelan pitchers held the Black Sox to just three hits in seven scoreless innings, led by starter and winning pitcher Maiker Pimentel, who tossed 5 2/3 innings, conceding just one hit while striking out nine and issuing two walks. New Zealand's hits came from shortstop Cole Evans, left fielder Thomas Enoka and first baseman Seth Gibson, but the Black Sox only got four runners into scoring position in seven innings. Two swings changed the game, with Pedro Flores hitting a lead-off homer off Liam Potts in the third inning, and Barreto Rodriguez crushing a two-run bomb to deep centre field off Pita Rona in the sixth inning. The Black Sox finished runners-up at the WBSC Softball World Cup for the fifth time. PHOTO: WBSC The Black Sox best scoring chances came in the first and sixth innings, when they got runners to third base. In the first, Ben Enoka walked before Cole Evans singled him over to third with one out. But Reilly Makea and Thomas Enoka both popped out to end the threat. With the game still 1-0 to start the sixth, New Zealand put runners at second and third with two outs when Thomas Enoka singled and Gibson doubled to left-centre field. But pinch-hitter Tane Mumu hit a pop-fly in foul territory to strand two. The Black Sox were sent down in order in three innings, including the seventh, when Beau Bishop hit a line drive to the third baseman, then pinch hitter Hohepa Monk and Ben Enoka both struck out swinging to end the game. Potts finished the tournament with the second-best ERA at 2.45, while Gibson had the third-best slugging percentage (1.182) and fifth-best batting average (.455), and Makea was tied for most runs scored, with six. Three Black Sox players were selected in the All-World Team - Potts, Evans and Ben Enoka, while Evans was named Best Defensive Player. For New Zealand, it was the country's 10th appearance in a world championship final. They have won the final game six times (1984, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2013, and 2017), and have finished runners-up in five editions (1988, 1992, 2009, 2015 and 2025). In 1976, they shared the gold medal with Canada and USA, as the playoffs could not be completed.