Search Results

Kazuma Kobori moved up to 44th in the DP World Tour rankings after finishing third in Germany. PHOTO: PGA TOUR New Zealand golfer Kazuma Kobori has surged to his best finish on the DP World Tour. Kobori fired a nine-under 63 in the final round of the BMW International Open in Munich, Germany on Sunday (Monday NZ Time) to finish in solo third at 18-under, four strokes behind tournament winner, Englishman Daniel Brown. LATEST HEADLINES: Van Gisbergen sweeps in Chicago NZ finish fourth at FIBA World Cup Dixon grabs unlikely Mid-Ohio win Coll, Watts claim NZ squash titles Mystics top of netball Premiership The result, which netted the 23-year-old from Canterbury almost € 150,000 (NZ$300,000), improved on his tie for ninth at the Singapore Classic in March. It was his ninth top-30 finish in 24 starts. With an eagle, nine birdies and two bogeys at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried, Kobori climbed from a share of 17th after 54 holes to within reach of a maiden title. He made the turn at five-under, after four birdies in a five-hole stretch from the second to sixth holes, and an eagle at the par-five ninth, where he put his second shot from 239 yards to within five feet. Birdies continued to come on the back-nine, at the 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th and 18th holes, along with a bogey at the 17th. Kobori is projected to move up 29 places in the DP World Tour's Race to Dubai rankings to 44th. Fellow Kiwi Daniel Hillier will slip one spot to 10th in the season-long standings after missing the weekend cut by one stroke. Amelia Garvey continued her strong form on the Ladies European Tour, finishing third for the third time in four tournaments. Garvey shot a six-under 67 in the fourth round of the Women's Irish Open at Carton House on Sunday (Monday NZT), moving up to solo third at 14-under, seven shots behind runaway winner, English amateur Lottie Woad. The 25-year-old from Canterbury made five birdies on the front-side, including three consecutive at the second, third and fourth, before two more at the 14th and 17th holes. She has moved to 10th in the LET Order of Merit. Compatriot Momoka Kobori produced eight birdies - including at the last three holes - two bogeys and a double-bogey in a four-under 69 in the final round to move up to a tie for 31st at three-under. On the Asian Tour, Denzel Ieremia produced six birdies and two bogeys in a four-under 69 on the last day of the International Series Morocco tournament to rise to a share of third at nine-under. The result, which will lift the 29-year-old to 37th in the Asian Tour Order of Merit and 17th in the International Series rankings, bettered his tie for fourth at the Asia-Pacific Open Diamond Cup in 2019. Ieremia managed the equal-second-best round of the day, with birdies at the fifth, eighth, ninth, 12th, 14th and 17th holes, along with a bogey on each side. LIV Golf star Ben Campbell carded a two-under 71, including four birdies and two bogeys, on the final day at Royal Golf Dar es Salam to finish in a share of 22nd at three-under, overcoming a four-over 77 in the third round. Meanwhile, Taranaki's Sam Jones shot rounds of 62, 68, 67 and 65 to finish tied for 15th at the Hotel Planner Tour's Interwitten Open in Austria. He has moved up to 23rd in the secondary tour's rankings as he chases a DP World Tour card.

Once again, Shane van Gisbergen asserted his superiority on the streets of Chicago, and in doing so, he matched a major Nascar milestone. In winning the Grant Park 165 on the Chicago street course on Sunday (Monday NZ Time), the New Zealander completed a weekend sweep of the Nascar Cup Series and Xfinity Series races, both from pole position. LATEST HEADLINES: JTBs lose, finish fourth at FIBA U-19s Dixon grabs unlikely Mid-Ohio win Coll, Watts claim NZ squash titles Mystics top of netball Premiership Price leads NZ to Nations Cup win Taking the chequered flag under caution, after Cody Ware plowed into the Turn 6 tyre barrier as van Gisbergen charged through Turn 12 on the next-to-last lap, SVG matched Kyle Busch’s sweep of both races from the pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July of 2016. No other driver has won races in Nascar’s top two divisions from the pole on the same weekend. The three-time Australian Supercars champion said he was panicked at the possibility of a caution and potential overtime after Ware’s wreck, but he reached the start/finish line to start the final lap before Nascar called the caution. Shane van Gisbergen performs a burn-out following his victory on the streets of Chicago. PHOTO: NASCAR “What an amazing weekend for me,” said van Gisbergen, who drove the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet to his second Cup victory on the 2.2-mile, 12-turn circuit, his second win this season and the third of his career. “Lucky guy to drive some great cars. I thank Trackhouse, WeatherTech Chevy and all these guys and girls here — what an amazing weekend. Thanks everyone for coming out, and hope we put on a good show.” Ty Gibbs ran second , equaling his career-best finish at Darlington last year. Tyler Reddick restarted 15th on fresh tyres with nine laps left and climbed to third before he ran out of time. Van Gisbergen took the lead for the final time on Lap 60, moving to the inside of front-running Chase Briscoe in Turn 2, racing side-by-side with the recent Pocono winner through Turn 3 and out-braking him into Turn 4 to gain the top spot. From that point, SVG had to survive two cautions and restarts, the latter for Austin Cindric’s stalled car. After that sixth yellow, Gibbs, running second, did not get a strong launch on the final restart and fell a car-length behind before reaching Turn 1. SVG pulled away from the No 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota from that point on. For the first time in the three years of the Chicago Street Race, rain did not play a role — but anticipation of possible thunderstorms did. As the race neared conclusion, fog and storm clouds began to roll in from the north, but rain did not reach the track until after the chequered flag. “The strategy was a bit all over the place, as we knew it would be today, racing the weather, racing cars and different (pit) stops,” Van Gisbergen said. “Stephen (Doran, crew chief) did a really good job on the box all day of just painting the picture in my head of who I was up against. “We had two great pit stops. Just so stoked to get (sponsor) WeatherTech in Victory Lane for their home race.” Michael McDowell got past SVG at the start of the race and led the first 31 laps and won Stage 1 , but he had to take his car to the DVP (damaged vehicle policy) area to repair a stuck throttle and lost 22 laps in the garage. A massive eight-car crash on Lap 3 blocked the track between Turns 10 and 11 and forced a stoppage of 14 minutes, 42 seconds. Carson Hocevar started the melee when he clipped the inside wall in Turn 10 and crashed into the opposite wall with enough force to move the Jersey barrier. Hocevar’s No 77 Chevrolet turned sideways, and the cars of Brad Keselowski, Daniel Suarez, Todd Gilliland, Will Brown and Riley Herbst piled into the wreck. Only Herbst and Suarez were able to continue. The Nascar Cup Series continues its road-course stretch with a westward trip to Sonoma Raceway in California next Sunday (7.30am Monday NZT).

The Junior Tall Blacks' late fightback has come up just short at the FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup. New Zealand trailed by 10 with 40 seconds remaining but pulled within two in the final seconds, before falling 91-87 to Slovenia in the third-place playoff in Lausanne, Switzerland on Sunday (Monday NZ Time). LATEST HEADLINES: Dixon grabs unlikely Mid-Ohio win Coll, Watts claim NZ squash titles Mystics top of netball Premiership Garvey in contention at Irish Open Price leads NZ to Nations Cup win Nelson Giants guard Hayden Jones had a game-high 21 points (8/16 FG, 5/6 FT) and seven rebounds, while Canterbury Rams guard Tama Isaac finished with 20 points (7/15 FG, 3/6 3pt, 3/4 FT) and two steals. Julius Halaifonua contributed 16 points (4/6 FG, 8/10 FT), five rebounds and four assists, and Carter Hopoi (10 points and eight boards) and Lachlan Crate (10 points and two steals) were also in double-digits. Jackson Ball, a standout for the Hawke's Bay Hawks in the National Basketball League, was held scoreless in 27 minutes, putting up just four field goal attempts. Hayden Jones scored a game-high 21 points against Slovenia at FIBA U-19 Basketball World Cup. PHOTO: FIBA New Zealand big man Oscar Goodman was forced out of the game for good after less than four minutes, and Slovenia took a 26-19 lead after 10 minutes. The JTBs got back within one point only to see Slovenia pull away to the first double-figure advantage at 39-29. New Zealand did not let them get any further ahead and trailed 52-46 at the main break. The Europeans started the second half stronger and used a 13-3 surge to take a 68-54 lead midway through the third quarter. New Zealand tried to close the gap but it was still 75-64 after 30 minutes. The margin was down to four points before Vit Hrabar nailed back-to-back triples to put Slovenia up 85-77 with under four minutes to go. Slovenia led 89-79 with 35 seconds but New Zealand gave it one final push with the next eight points but there was only 1.5 seconds remaining when Isaac made it 89-87. Still, New Zealand registered the country's third fourth place in global history, along with at the 2002 FIBA Basketball World Cup and 2024 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup.

Scott Dixon combined masterful fuel saving and a rare mistake by teammate and IndyCar championship leader Alex Palou with five laps to go to win the Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Sunday (Monday NZ Time). Dixon continued two remarkable series-record streaks with his 59th career victory, first win this season in the Chip Ganassi Racing Honda and seventh career win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. LATEST HEADLINES: Coll, Watts claim NZ squash titles Mystics top of netball Premiership Garvey in contention at Irish Open Price leads NZ to Nations Cup win All Blacks record 500th test victory He has won at least once in 21 consecutive seasons dating back to 2005 and has recorded a victory in 23 seasons during his illustrious career. “It was definitely a tough race,” Dixon said. “We had fantastic cars. But just so much fun to try and pull off what we did and do it with what we had was fantastic. “They were supposed to (remove downforce) from the front wing on the last stop. I just had to look at the corner, and the car was going to turn. I was just hoping the rear tires were going to hold on.” Scott Dixon celebrates his 59th IndyCar victory at Mid-Ohio. PHOTO: INDYCAR Six-time series champion Dixon crossed the finish line just 0.4201 seconds ahead of Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, the closest result this season in the series. Christian Lundgaard placed third in the McLaren Chevrolet. Colton Herta finished fourth in the Honda of Andretti Global, while 2024 Mid-Ohio winner Pato O’Ward rounded out the top-five in the McLaren Chevrolet. Pole-sitter Palou led Dixon by approximately two seconds and appeared to be headed to his seventh victory of the season on Lap 85 when he ran wide into the dirt adjacent to Turn 9 and slowed, with Dixon squeezing past for a lead he would not surrender. Fellow Kiwi Marcus Armstrong finished seventh after starting eighth, while Scott McLaughlin ended a lap down in 23rd, having started 21st. Armstrong was running third before having to take a third trip down pit-lane. “Just a stupid mistake, honestly,” Palou said. “A mistake on my part. The car was amazing all weekend, all race. I just lost it a little bit on (corner) entry and kind of really couldn’t get power going on. “Nobody to blame but me. Just got a bit wide on entry and lost it completely.” Palou pulled to within 0.356 of a second with two laps to go but could draw no closer as Dixon put on a master class of choosing lines that maintained speed while slyly and legally blunting the momentum of his trailing rival. Dixon’s ability to adjust his racing lines on the fly was most evident in Turn 2, the famous “Keyhole” corner, on the last two laps. On Lap 89, Dixon opened the low line for Palou to explore and then eased from mid-corner across Palou’s lower line on corner exit, taking advantage of the wider line in the turn to pull away on the back straightaway. On the final lap, Dixon instead chose the low line through Turn 2, eliminating a prime overtaking spot for Palou. Dixon’s victory was as masterful as it was improbable. Starting ninth, Dixon and strategist Mike Hull decided to capitalise on Dixon’s legendary ability to save fuel and attempt to complete the race on just two pit stops, one fewer than most teams attempted. The fuel mileage alchemy needed some laps under yellow to have a chance to succeed, and Dixon got that during the final caution period from Laps 31-34 when Christian Rasmussen’s Splenda Chevrolet stopped off course in Turn 8. Dixon made his final pit-stop at the end of Lap 61. Meanwhile, Palou was pushing hard up front in the lead, knowing he had to build a sufficient gap on track to keep the top spot from Dixon after his final stop and make a three-stop strategy work. Palou entered the pits for his final stop at the end of Lap 72 and rejoined the 13-turn, 2.258-mile circuit ahead of Dixon on track. He expanded his lead to 1.8 seconds by Lap 77 and appeared to be headed to his seventh victory of the season. Then Palou bobbled with five laps to go, and Dixon pounced. “We still had to save fuel all the way to the end, so it was definitely very tight,” Dixon said. “I didn’t see what happened. I saw he went off in Turn 9. We got a little bit lucky with that.” There was some solace for Palou despite the barbed disappointment of giving away a win. His championship lead, 93 points entering this event, grew to 113 points. That’s a gap of more than two races with seven races remaining this season. The next IndyCar race weekend is the doubleheader on July 12-13 at Iowa Speedway, with the Synk 275 at 9am Sunday, July 13 NZT and the Farm to Finish 275 at 5am Monday, July 14 NZT.

Amelia Garvey coninues to be top-five in Ireland on the LET PHOTO: LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR New Zealand golfer Amelia Garvey has continued to stay close to the leaders at the Women's Irish Open. Garvey is tied fourth at eight-under after a one-under third round which inlcuded bogeys on the fifth and sevneth holes but birdies on the sixth, eighth and 16th holes. LATEST HEADLINES: Price leads NZ team to Nations Cup Van Gisbergen on pole in NASCAR Junior Tall Blacks well-beaten by USA Baby Blacks thrash Georgia in Italy heat All Blacks record tight 500th test victory Garvey, 25 is in a good position, however the tournament looks to be Lottie Wood's to win at 17-under, seven shots ahead of her nearest rival. In Europe at the BMW International, near Munich, Kazuma Kobori is tied 17th at nine-under after third round 68 featuring two bogeys and six birdies. Kobori is seven shots off the lead held by Englishman Daniel Brown.. Meanwhile after being in the top-five at the completion of two rounds, Ben Campbell has had a disaster in his third round carding a 77 to fall to a tie of 44th on the Asian Tour. The best New Zealander is Denzel Ieremia who is five-under and tied 12th, six shots behind leader Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe. Campbell is one-under at the event in Rabat, Morocco.

Shane Van Gisbergen is looking good in Chicago PHOTO: NASCAR/GETTY IMAGES Kiwi driver Shane van Gisbergen pulled off the second qualifying double of his NASCAR career during time trials on the Chicago Street Course. After securing the pole position for Xfinity Series race, Van Gisbergen blitzed the rest of the field on his final run for the top starting position in Sunday’s Grant Park 165 on the 2.2-mile, 12-turn street circuit in Chicago. LATEST HEADLINES: Junior Tall Blacks well-beaten by USA Baby Blacks thrash Georgia in Italy heat All Blacks record tight 500th test victory Pulse too strong for Stars in Premiership Wimbledon win for Routliffe, Venus loses He posted a respectable lap on his second run, only to see it surpassed by Pocono Raceway winner Chase Briscoe. The New Zealander responded with a lap at 88.338 mph (89.656 seconds) to beat eventual second-place qualifier Michael McDowell (87.879 mph) by 0.468 seconds. The Pole Award was van Gisbergen’s first on the Chicago Street Course, his second this season (Mexico City) and the third of his career. Last fall, he swept the Cup and Xfinity poles at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. “I’m a lucky boy. I got some great cars today,” said the three-time Australian Supercars champion. “Xfinity pole, Cup pole, pretty special. Hopeful for the race tomorrow. Meanwhile Liam Lawson has gone from looking good in P1 and P2 to starting 15th on the grid at the British Grand Prix. The 23-year-old Racing Bulls driver had issues with his tyres that prevented him progressing to the second qualifying session at Silverstone. "A Q1 exit is really frustrating,Especially since we've had a fast car all weekend. Unfortunately, the drop in temperature meant we couldn't get the tyres up to the right temperature, I had no grip starting the lap and it didn't improve as the lap went on. It's a shame to throw away a Qualifying session like that. Red Bull's Max Verstappenhas pole alongside Formula 1 leader Oscar Piastri alongside on the front row. At the Indy 200 in Mid-Ohio the three kiwi drivers were down the qualifying table with Marcus Armstong in eighth, Scott Dixon ninth and Scott McLaughlin 21st.

A tight game, but the Mystics were winnes over the Steel PHOTO: NORTHERN MYSTICS A couple of keysuper shots helped the Northern Mystics grab a tense 56-52 win over the Southern Steel in front of a sold-out crowd in Auckland on Sunday. The Mystics were chasing the hosting rights for the Grand Final and the Steel aiming for a place in the Series Finals, the tense atmosphere sitting heavily throughout. LATEST HEADLINES: Garvey in contention at Irish Open Price leads NZ to Nations Cup win Van Gisbergen on pole in NASCAR Junior Tall Blacks well-beaten by USA Baby Blacks thrash Georgia in Italy heat Both coaches called tactical timeouts during the final five minutes after the Steel turned a three-goal three-quarter time deficit into a one-goal lead with just over five minutes to play. The Mystics timeout worked in their favour, with their efforts to limit penalties and retain the ball paying dividends, while super shot specialist Filda Vui stepped up in the heat of the moment to calmly nail two double-pointers. With time running out, the Steel lost any opportunity with panicky play as they desperately sought a miracle change in fortunes but deservedly came away with a bonus point. With their season hanging, the Steel also had milestone celebrations to add to the mix with midcourter Kate Heffernan lining up for 100th national league match and Carys Stythe her 50th. Umpire Cory Nicholls added to the game’s special moments when taking charge of his 50th ANZ Premiership match. In an exciting opening, the lead changed hands several times, both teams taking time to settle into the match where defence played a big part. The Mystics all-smothering unit defence proved effective while the Steel employed a valuable zone defence. Respective rising young goalkeepers Catherine Hall, for the home side, and Stythe picked off the spoils as both sides traded turnovers. A late rally, iced by a super shot with five seconds remaining gave the Mystics a 16-12 buffer at the first break. The second stanza followed a similar trend, the Steel getting off to the best of starts before being reeled in by the home side. Georgia Heffernan and Dunn were all composure under the hoop for the southern side before momentum swung the other way. With the Steel momentarily hitting the lead, the introduction of Katie Te Ao at centre for the Mystics and the defensive work of Hall, Holly Rae and Michaela Sokolich-Beatson helped turn the tide. Te Ao and Peta Toeava found their connections with strike shooter Donnell Wallam in building an impressive attacking unit while continued pressure at the other end put the squeeze on the Steel. Enjoying more possession, the Mystics finished with a strong surge to build a 30-24 lead at the main break. With both sides taking great care of their possession, the pair traded goals through the opening five minutes of the third stanza. Wallam, who at times was unstoppable and finishing with the striking figures of 45 from 49, remained the steadying rock under the Mystics hoop but the Steel were far from done in delivering a threatening response. Showing creativity on attack and defensive ability to create turnover opportunities, momentum once again took another swing. With a big lift in energy after denying the Mystics in the attacking third and picking off valuable ball, through Kimiora Poi, Renee Savai’inaea, Abby Lawson and Stythe, the southerners cut into the deficit. Dunn delivered an impressive 38 from 38 return from the match, played the perfect role in the Steel circle with her poise, positioning and pin-point accuracy as the Steel went on to win the quarter 16-13. That left the match poised when the Mystics led 43-40 at the last turn.

Tim Price winning the individual title at the Nations Cup PHOTO: LIBBY LAW/EQUESTRIAN SPORTS NZ The New Zealand equestrian team have won the Nations Cup for just the second time, as Tim Price won the individual title at CHIO Aachen in Germany. Four New Zealanders finished in the top 10, Price leading through all phases for his victory on Vitali, sealing the individual and team gold medals with a superb cross-country round. LATEST HEADLINES: Van Gisbergen on pole in NASCAR Junior Tall Blacks well-beaten by USA Baby Blacks thrash Georgia in Italy heat All Blacks record tight 500th test victory Pulse too strong for Stars in Premiership The successful pair had 30.5 penalty points, giving Price his first individual victory at Aachen, one of the world's toughest equestrian events. Monica Spencer on Artist finished sixth with 37.2 penalty points, Clarke Johnstone on Rocket Man (40.8) ninth, and individual rider Jonelle Price on Hiarado (41.3) 10th. The other team member, Samantha Lissington, finished 22nd on Lord Seekonig. Great Britain favourites, but the New Zealanders managed to triumph by 8.7 penalty points, with the United States second and the British eventually third. Tim Price and Johnstone were in the New Zealand team that won the Nations Cup in 2018, with Blyth Tait and Sir Mark Todd. Price finished third on individual points that year and has also had two fourths at Aachen. Spencer and Artist, who had travelled from their US base for the event, had the quickest cross-country round, going clear with just 0.4 time penalties. Spencer, Johnstone and the Prices all had clear showjumping rounds, adding just time penalties. Tim Price felt the showjumping, which had sometimes been a challenging phase for 15-year-old Vitali, had this time opened the door to victory for him. "He has always been a very good cross country horse and was super today. I am absolutely thrilled for the team.'' Equestrian Sports NZ general manager of high performance Jock Paget said he was thrilled with all five Kiwi combinations. Aachen had been a key target for the year and an important event given it will host the 2026 world championships. "To pull it off in this way is amazing," said Paget."Aachen is a hard place to do well. "There was a huge amount of pressure with a very tough [cross country] course and the time wasn't achievable today but they all went out there and rode really competitively. They took a lot of risks, rode skilfully and got the job done. To have four New Zealanders in the top 10 at Aachen is amazing and to win double gold too."

The United States were too good across the court for the Junior Tall Blacks at the FIBA U-19 World Cup PHOTO: FIBA The United States did not waste any time in their 120-64 win over the Junior Tall Blacks in the FIBA U-19 World Cup semifinal in Switzerland. The USA built an 18-point lead after the first quarter as the Junior Tall Blacks struggled to kick into gear and get any kind of rhythm going. LATEST HEADLINES: Baby Blacks thrash Georgia in Italy heat All Blacks record tight 500th test victory Pulse too strong for Stars in Premiership Wimbledon win for Routliffe, Venus loses Junior Tall Blacks reach FIBA U-19 semis The USA won the first quarter 32-14 and were ahead 55-26 at halftime. The third quarter was tighter as New Zealand came within a couple of points at 24-26, but again the United States side led by Caleb Holt with 20 points powered to a 39-14 final quarter. The United States had six players make double figures and the luxury of using their entire bench with the lowest scroing adding six points. The New Zealanders struggled for ball and found their opponents defence too tight with 34 rebounds and another 16 in offence. Jackson Ball with 12 and Julius Halaifonua 15 were the only two New Zealanders to make double figures whille Hayden Jones made five points from nine shots at goal. New Zealand still have a chance to make history with a matchup against Slovenia in the Third Place Game. A victory on the final day would mean the Oceania's best-ever finish in a FIBA competition.

Three disallowed All Blacks tries, relentless French defence, and TMO interventions throughout all combined to continue the special rivalry between the two sides before New Zealand achieved its 500th test victory in the first clash in Dunedin on Saturday. The unfancied French belied all the controversy surrounding their selection for the tour with a gutsy display that was not quelled until the final moments of the game. LATEST HEADLINES: Pulse too strong for Stars in Premiership Wimbledon win for Routliffe, Venus loses Junior Tall Blacks reach FIBA U-19 semis Garvey keeps up form on European Tour It was a reminder that the French in the mood can cause problems for any All Blacks side, and they took advantage of the home side's first test of the year to unsettle their chances of making combinations. And they gave the All Blacks a reminder of their need for better execution in the air. There was satisfaction in the introduction of new players, with lock Fabian Holland making his mark as the All Blacks dominated the lineouts 19-5. No 8 Christian Lio-Willie made some powerful runs with ball in hand, while prop Ollie Norris and flanker Du'Plessis Kirifi got a taste of how torrid Test matches can be during the final quarter especially. Will Jordan scored two tries as the All Blacks outlasted France in Dunedin. PHOTO: ALL BLACKS/ACTION PRESS France had their heroes with fullback Theo Attissogbe who under pressure, especially from the All Blacks kicking, pulled off some remarkable saves that contributed to the effectiveness of the French defence, who made 224 tackles to 121 by the All Blacks, while captain and second-five Gael Fickou was a constant presence in the backline. There was disappointment for the All Blacks 15 minutes into the game when they appeared to have scored after a break by halfback Cameron Roigard and a link with second-five Jordie Barrett, who crossed. But the TMO ruled the ball had been knocked on earlier when prop Fraser Newell appeared to have completed a catch. From the scrum, France moved the ball when Attissogbe made ground on the outside before the ball was moved inside to centre Emilien Gailleton and Fickou, who went close to scoring before No 8 Mickael Guillard picked it up to cross in the 17th minute. The response was immediate. In attempting to clear their line from the restart, French halfback Nolann Le Garrec had his kick charged down by lock Scott Barrett. The ball was moved to the left before it came back right, where Beauden Barrett threw a long ball to Will Jordan on the wing, and he crossed for his 39th try. He was moved to the wing after Sevu Reece failed an HIA after a first-minute head knock when attempting a tackle. The All Blacks got back into the French 22m area and built pressure before the ball emerged for replacement Damian McKenzie, who tap-danced his way through five tackles and, while finally put down, quick ball was moved by Roigard to flanker Tupou Vaa'i, who scored under the crossbar. Capping their improved second quarter, the All Blacks made the most of some burrowing, bullocking running by flanker Ardie Savea, who gave the attack momentum. The ball was released, and while the French defence affected the fluidity, the combination of Beauden Barrett and Jordan got the ball to Jordie Barrett, who had to take a low pass and work his way around a tackle attempt to ground the ball in the corner for a 21-13 lead at the break. A mistake at the restart by the All Blacks gave France a sniff, which they took, with Fickou taking the ball to the line before it was released to wing Gabil Villiere to score to get France back within a point. However, the All Blacks burst back after Roigard broke to the line to create a 46th-minute chance, which saw Beauden Barrett feed the ball to Jordan running from depth to break through two tackles to score his second. The French struck back when they made five changes for immediate effect, with Jacobus van Tonder breaking into space and only being pulled down by Roigard's chasing tackle. However, in the goalmouth assault, it was fellow replacement Cameron Woki who scored. After Villiere was sin-binned for a deliberate knockdown, the All Blacks looked to have scored when Billy Proctor touched down, but a knock-on was ruled and the try scrubbed. Within five minutes, the pain increased when the obstruction was ruled against Pasilio Tosi, which resulted in a third try being denied to Jordan. The win broke the run of three consecutive losses to France, while their 500th victory lifted the All Blacks' overall test win percentage to 76.80 percent. New Zealand 31 ( Will Jordan 2, Tupou Vaa'i, Jordie Barrett tries; Beauden Barrett 4 con, pen) France 27 (Michael Guillard, Gabil Villiere, Cameron Woki tries; Joris Segonds pen, Nolann Le Garrec 3 con, pen). HT: 21-13

The Pulse are battling for second spot after beating the Stars in the ANZ Premiership PHOTO: MICHAEL BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHY/NETBALL NZ The Pulse have increased their chances of making the ANZ Premiership finals with a 65-44 win over the Stars. But a concerning injury to their goal defence sombered the celebrations. LATEST HEADLINES: Wimbledon win for Routliffe, Venus loses Junior Tall Blacks semis U-19 World Cup Garvey keeps form on European Tour Liam Lawson top-10 British GP practice Kate Heffernan brings up 100 for Ste Parris Mason landed heavily on the floor in the second quarter, and a jumble of limbs saw Crystal Maro land on Mason’s neck. Mason was carried off the court in a wheelchair, and taken to hospital in a neck brace for further medical attention. It was a physical battle across the 60 minutes, neither team wanting to give up possession. The Stars finished with 70 penalties, and 18 turnovers. With only one win this season, the Stars were ruled out of the finals regardless, but still could play spoiler for the other teams. The Pulse were clear favourites for this match, beating the Stars 69-45 the last time they met, but were without a handful of key players. Whitney Souness was ruled out with a concussion suffered in a previous game and Fa'amu Ioane and Tiana Metuarau were both out with illness. Kiana Pelasio and Amorangi Malesala shared the goal attack bib in the first half, both shooters having just played for Central Manawa in the Synergy Hair Netball League Grand Final. The Pulse came out to a strong start, with a tidy first quarter giving them a 17-11 lead, thanks to a super shot from Malesala on the buzzer. Fighting back in the second quarter, a strong eight-goal run from the Stars drew the two teams even, as the Pulse were forced to adjust their game plan without Mason. The Stars have been struck by injuries and bereavements all season, but showed they still had fight in them, even winning the second quarter by four points. Unfortunately the connections between goal shoot Maia Wilson and newly-promoted goal attack Crystal Maro were lacking at times, losing ball in their attacking end. The battle between centres Mila Reuelu-Buchanan and Gabi Simpson was fierce throughout, neither player shying away from a contact. Ainsleyana Puleiata played a full 60 minutes in a tidy performance in yellow. The sold-out TSB Arena roared the home side on in the third quarter, as Amelia Walmsley stood strong under the hoop. Pulse shooter Khiarna Williams continued her return from a shoulder injury, pushing Walmsley out to goal attack. With 94 percent accuracy, Walmsley also managed to pick up some ball on defence in her time at goal attack. Until the final quarter, the Stars were in the match, the experienced Wilson shooting at 92 percent and leading her side. But the Pulse pushed through all their changes to dominate the final quarter 22-7, with only one turnover to the Stars’ five in the last 15 minutes. The Northern Mystics are guaranteed finalists for this year’s ANZ Premiership, sitting at the top of the table. Close behind are the Tactix, with the final spot likely to be fought between the Pulse and the Steel.

Lily Greenough in action at the recent UCI BMX Racing World Cup in the Netherlands PHOTO: COLE MCONIE An 11-strong team has been named by Cycling New Zealand to contest the 2025 UCI BMX Racing World Championships in Copenhagen. Organisers expect up to 7,000 to attend with the Championship Elite racing on 2-3 August, following the Challenge (age group) and Masters categories on 28-31 July, with more than 40 New Zealand riders taking part. LATEST HEADLINES: Sun out of Wimbledon, Venus wins opener Maori All Blacks ready to face Scotland All Blacks teaml selections to face France Junior Tall Blacks reach FIBA U-19 quarters Warriors Women named for NRLW opener It is the second time the world championships have been staged in Copenhagen with the track upgraded including new surfaces on straights and ramps, additional work on the turns and new start gate for the 5m ramp. The city staged the world championships in 2011, as well as UCI World Cup competitions annually from 2008 to 2010. The New Zealand team includes five elite riders, led by Paris Olympians Leila Walker (Cambridge) and Rico Bearman (North Harbour), along with Megan Williams (Rotorua), Michael Bias (North Harbour) and Bennett Greenough (Cambridge). The Greenough family from the Cambridge club are well represented with Bennett in elite men, brother Jack in under-23 men and sister Lily in junior women. The selected riders have been racing in Europe over recent weeks in two double rounds of the UCI BMX Racing World Cup and other competitions, although Bennett Greenough and Te Awamutu’s Brooke Penny are returning from injury. There are three riders selected for junior men comprising Cooper Richardson (North Harbour), Finn Cogan (Cambridge) and Nicholas Cowie (Southland). Waikato-based veteran Dan Franks was selected but has withdrawn. The New Zealand BMX Racing elite team is: Female, Elite: Megan Williams (Rotorua), Leila Walker (Cambridge) Under-23: Brooke Penny (Te Awamutu) Junior: Lily Greenough (Cambridge) Male, Elite: Rico Bearman (North Harbour), Michael Bias (North Harbour), Bennett Greenough (Cambridge). Under-23: Jack Greenough (Cambridge) Junior: Cooper Richardson (North Harbour), Finn Cogan (Cambridge), Nicholas Cowie (Southland).