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Tori Moorby (nee Peeters) has finshed second at the Xiamen Diamond League meeting PHOTO: THE NZ TEAM Impressive results for the three New Zealand athletes at the opening Diamond League meet of the season at Xiamen in China. Tori Moorby (nee Peters) was second in the women's javelin with a season-best throw of 62.50m. The winner was Elina Tzengko of Greece at 64.75m. LATEST HEADLINES: Daniel Hillier looking for big finish Wellington Phoenix fall to Roar NZ Warriors top four with victory English back rower to join Warriors Chiefs win in Super Rugby Pacific Moorby, 30 felt it was good to find some form again after a rough patch. ”It’s nice to be back in China. The competition is really good. I started out with a 60m and it was a bit of season best for me. The girls brought their game in the next rounds, and I was able to respond and get a bigger throw out there," she said. "I was just relieved. I struggled a little bit over the last couple of years. So it’s really nice to be back out here and throw far. I just needed a bit of time to consolidate and trust in my technique. Now I think we’re tracking in the right direction. So I just need to believe in myself. I look forward to going to Tokyo for WCH. I know it’s going to be tough. Nowadays in the women's javelin, a lot of girls are throwing well." Olympic silver medallist Maddie Lee Wesche finished fourth in the women's shot put with a best throw of 19.51..Third was Lijao Gong with 19.62m The winner was Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands with a meet record of 20.47 In the men's triple jump Ethan Olivier was fifth with a best leap of 16.52m.

The Wellington Phoenix lost their penultimate game fo the season 1-0 to the Roar in Brisbane PHOTO: A-LEAGUE The Wellington Phoenix have been beaten by the Brisbane Roar 1-0 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane in their penultimate match of the season. The loss means the Giancarlo Italiano coached Phoenix will finish in the bottom four of the A-League and will head to Northern Territory for the Australia Cup playoffs next month. LATEST HEADLINES: NZ Warriors top four with victory English back rower to join Warriors Chiefs win in Super Rugby Pacific Ko struggles, Hillier up to second Sun beaten Madrid second round The Phoenix’s best chance came just after two minutes into the match when Kosta Barbarouses got in behind the Roar defence and attempted to pick out Hideki Ishige, who toed his shot wide of the left-hand post. The Roar’s match-winner came 13 minutes into the second half after a lacklustre first half, with both sides struggling on a poor pitch. Florin Berenguer gave the Roar the lead in the 58th minute with a powerful volley from outside the box that Nix keeper Josh Oluwayemi was unable to keep out. The Nix had their best spell of the match after going behind with Tim Payne almost setting up a chance but ultimately weren’t able to find the back of the net. The Wellington Phoenix will return home tomorrow before turning their attentions to their final round match against Perth Glory at Sky Stadium on Friday night.

A ifth win for the Warriors in the 2025 season PHOTO: NRL The NZ Warriors have temporarily moved to third in the NRL standings after a dominating win over the Newcastle Knights. Adam Pompey and Jackson Ford both scored doubles as the Warriors won for the fifth time in their last six matches, beating the Knights 26-12 at a sold-out Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch on Friday night. LATEST HEADLINES: English back rower to join Warriors Chiefs win in Super Rugby Pacific Ko struggles, Hillier up to second Sun beaten Madrid second round Franklin Bull stampede Hawks The match started ominously for the Warriors, with Marata Niukore sin-binned in the second minute for a high shot. However, the teams were evened up when Newcastle's Leo Thompson was given 10 minutes on the sidelines for a similar offence. After Leka Halasima went close and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was denied a try for obstruction, Pompey went over for his first in the corner in the ninth The Warriors face the North Queensland Cowboys during the Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane next Saturday (kick-off 7.30pm NZ Time). NZ Warriors 26 (Adam Pompey 2, Jackson Ford 2, Wayde Egan tries; Luke Metcalf 2 con, Taine Tuaupiki con) Newcastle Knights 12 (James Schiller, Brodie Jones tries; Kalyn Ponga 2 con). HT: 16-0

Leeds Rhinos Morgan Gannon will join the Warriors on a three-year-deal PHOTO: LEEDS RHINOS Leeds Rhinos back rower Morgan Gannon has agreed terms on a three-year deal with the One New Zealand Warriors to the end of the 2028 season. The 21-year-old Yorkshire-born Gannon will finish up with Leeds at the end of the 2025 season to join a growing number of Super League players lured to the NRL. Since making his debut in 2021, he has appeared 59 times for the Rhinos in the Super League and Challenge Cup competitions in England. LATEST HEADLINES: Chiefs win in Super Rugby Pacific Ko struggles, Hillier up to second Sun beaten Madrid second round Franklin Bull stampede Hawks Bower stays with NZR, Crusaders “Morgan is a quality young forward and we’re excited to add him to our roster for 2026 and beyond,” said One New Zealand Warriors general manager recruitment, pathways and development Andrew McFadden. “Players out of the Super League are having a growing influence in the NRL and we see Morgan adding to that with us; he’ll complement the players we have in our squad. “He’s keen to challenge himself in the NRL and we want to give him that opportunity.” The One New Zealand Warriors secured Gannon despite the Rhinos making “a substantial offer” to keep him. “We’ve been watching Morgan and we’re excited about what he has to offer our club,” said One New Zealand Warriors head coach Andrew Webster. “He has a strong work ethic, runs hard lines, has ball playing ability and defends well. He’s a player who will prosper in our environment and in the NRL.” The Rhinos said they are “extremely disappointed” to be losing Gannon but he said his decision was down to the lure of playing in the NRL. “This is a great opportunity for me and one I had to take,” he said. “I have spent time in Australia with my dad’s family and I know how big the game is over there. “I would like to thank the Rhinos for everything they have done to support me and the offer they made to me but this move is nothing to do with money, it is something I want to challenge myself with.” Morgan has strong rugby league bloodlines. His Australian father Jim Gannon, born in Newcastle, New South Wales, was coached by Webster during his time with Hull Kingston Rovers. In a 16-season professional career from 1998 to 2013, front rower Gannon made almost 400 appearances in total, initially in two seasons with the Balmain Tigers in the NRL before moving to England where he had stints with Halifax, Huddersfield, Hull Kingston Rovers and Widnes before finishing his career back at Halifax. Morgan Gannon’s older brother Jacob (23) is with York City in the English Championship.

Luke Jacobson looks to free up the ball from a tackle against the Force PHOTO: CRAIG BUTLAND/LINTOTT PHOTOGRPAHY The Chiefs christianed their new venue, the Bay Oval with an emphatic 56-22 win over the Force to keep the lead in Super Rugby Pacific. Emoni Narawa scored the first try taking a pinpoint Josh Jacomb chip, before the Force caught everyone completely unaware from the restart and Harry Potter raced over the line to score. LATEST HEADLINES: Ko struggles, Hillier up to second Sun beaten Madrid second round Franklin Bull stampede Hawks Bower stays with NZR, Crusaders Round 1 struggles for Kiwi golfers Kaylum Boshier made it across for a contentious try for the home side giving the Chiefs a ten point lead at the break. And then the Force fell away in the second half with three quick tries after half-time - two to Cortez Ratima setting up the victory including Samisoni Taukei’aho scoring in his 100th Super Rugby game. However Potter again producted a try in the second spell but the Chiefs were too strong overall as they mixed-and-matched positional changes - Ratime to centre and Boshier on the wing plus Wallace Sititi back on the field with some strong displays. Meanwhile the Blues season is now seven loss after the 35-21 loss to the Reds in Brisbane and teeters on the edge of missing the playoffs. The Blues had a huge amount of possession in the first half that they failed to turn into points. before being outplayed in the second half. The Blues loss was soured further by Mark Tele'a red-carded for a dangerous tip-tackle on Tim Ryan in the 31st minute. The tackle was upgraded from yellow meaning the Blues played with 14 on the field for 10 minutes of the first half and 10 of the second. Despite the loss of Tele'a Blues hooker Kurt Eklund crashed over for a try just before halftime in a game they never looked like winning.. Chiefs 56 (Cortez Ratima 2 tries, Emoni Narawa, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Kaylum Boshier, Ollie Norris, Luke Jacobson, Daniel Rona; Josh Jacomb 5 con, 2 pen) Force 22 (Harry Potter 2 tries, Bayley Kuenzle try, 54min; Ben Donaldson 2 con, pen) Queensland Reds 35 (Tom Lynagh 2 tries, Tate McDermott, Lachie Anderson, Richie Asiate tries; Lynagh 4 con) Blues 21 (Kurt Eklund, Sam Nock, Anton Segner tries; Harry Plummer 2 con, Beauden Barrett con). HT: 14-7

Daniel Hillier is tied second after the second round at the DP World Tour event in Hainan PHOTO: DP WORLD TOUR Lydia Ko is close to the cut at the Chevron Classic in Texas, the first women's Major of the year. Ko finished her second round on par, carding a 72 which included three birdies, but a double bogey and a bogey to set one-over for the tournament and in a tie for 51st, currently seven shots off the lead. LATEST HEADLINES: Sun beaten Madrid second round Franklin Bull stampede Hawks Bower stays with NZR, Crusaders Round 1 struggles for Kiwi golfers NZ Sevens teams for Los Angeles Meanwhile Ryan Fox and South African Garrick Higgo are likely to miss the cut at the PGA pairs tournament in New Orleans. They're six-under 10 shots behind the leaders. But a big performance by Daniel Hillier who is tied second at the DP World Tour even in Hainan, China after a two-under second round to take him to seven-under for the tournament, two shots behind the leader. At the same tournament countryman Kazuma Kobori is tied 48th at one-under.

New Zealand's Lulu Sun serves on the clay at the Madrid Open PHOTO: WTA Lulu Sun has lost her second round match at the WTA 1000 Madrid Open to No 32 seed and former Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin. The 24-year-old Sun had an impressive three-set win over Varvara Gracheva from France in the opening round but struggled against her focused opponent. LATEST HEADLINES: Franklin Bull stampede Hawks Bower stays with NZR, Crusaders Round 1 struggles for Kiwi golfers NZ Sevens teams for Los Angeles Phoenix stick with Giancarlo Italiano Sun served seven aces in the opening set and was able to break the American, but dropped her own serve twice. In the second set, Sun wasn’t able to get as many of her first serves in and was again broken twice, while Kenin saved both break points she had against her. By making it to the second round, Sun is set to gain 35 ranking points for her effort, which should keep her inside the world’s top 50. Meanwhile, the draw for the men’s doubles in Madrid has been done. Michael Venus and Nikola Mektic are the No 6 seeds and will play against Ariel Behar and Joran Vliegen in the opening round. Erin Routliffe and Gaby Dabrowski are the top seeds in the women's draw in Madrid.

The Franklin Bulls have consolidated their hold on a top-three spot in the National Basketball League (NBL), with an 88-80 road win over the Hawke's Bay Hawks in Napier The victory in Week 7 of the Sal's NBL on Friday night at Rodney Green Arena takes the Logik Bulls to 10-3, tied with the Wellington Saints for wins but third in the standings, while the Big Barrel Hawks slip to eighth, with a 5-5 record. LATEST HEADLINES: Bower stays with NZR, Crusaders Round 1 struggles for Kiwi golfers NZ Sevens teams for Los Angeles Phoenix stick with Giancarlo Italiano NZ Cricket takes stake in US comp The first quarter was close with just a one point margin, but in the second the visitors pulled a away for an nine point margin at halftime 48-39. It was all the Hawks in the third quarter 23-12 to take the 62-60 going into the final time period, however the Bulls stood up to outscore their opponents 28-18 to win by eight overall. The Bulls had five players in double-figures as North Carolina guard Tae Hardy led the way with 20 points, followed by David Okwera with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Veteran Marcel Jones chipped in with 15 points, Tobias Cameron 14 points and German big Till Gloger 13 points. Tae Hardy top-scored for the Bulls in their win over the Hawks. PHOTO: NBL For the Hawks, West Australian Dan Grida top-scored with 23 points and nine rebounds, while Wani Swaka Lo Buluk dropped 14, along with Jackson Ball and Darnell Cowart 13 each. Liam Yates scored six points and pulled down 11 rebounds. The Hawks are away to the Saints on Sunday (tip-off 2.30pm). and then at home against the Whai on Thursday (tip-off 7pm), while the Bulls do not play again until next Friday (tip-off 7.30pm) when they host the Otago Nuggets. In the Sky Broadband Rapid League game, the Hawks held on for a 38-37 win over the Bulls, thanks to Campbell Scott's 11 points and Kobe Kara's 10 points. Christian Vano and Zion Anderson scored in double-digits for the Bulls. Franklin Bulls 88 (Tae Hardy 20, David Okwera 16. Marcel Jones 15, Tobias Cameron 14, Till Gloger 13) Hawke's Bay Hawks 80 (Dan Grida 23, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk 14, Jackson Ball 13, Darnell Cowart 13). 1Q: 21-20, HT: 48-39, 3Q: 60-62

Lydia Ko is down the order at the first Major of the year after the first round PHOTO: LPGA Difficult starts for New Zealand golfers around the world after the first rounds on the LPGA, PGA and DP World Tour. Lydia Ko has struggled at the first major of the year, the Chevron Championship in Texas, a tournament she won in 2016. LATEST HEADLINES: NZ Sevens teams for Los Angeles Phoenix stick with Giancarlo Italiano NZ Cricket takes stake in US comp Super Rugby teams Round 11 action Injury replacement for Central Pulse Starting on the back nine at Carlton Woods, Ko has carded three bogeys to be three over after nine holes. She bogeyed her first hole then her fifth and sixth holes However on the back nine she staged a comeback with birdies on the seventh and eighth holes to finish one-over and tied 61st, eight shots off the lead. Ryan Fox and partner Garrick Higgo are eight-under after their opening round at the Pairs showdown in New Orleans. They;re tied 23rd after a slow started which picked up following seven birdies from the seventh hole onwards. Fox and Higgo are six shots off the current leaders.. Daniel Hillier finished his first round at five-under carding a 67 at the DP World Tour Hainan Classic tournament in China. Kobori is tied 44th after a one-under round featuring four birdies and three bogeys.

Aiming for a century of Crusaders games George Bower is sticking iwht rugby in New Zealand PHOTO: CRUSADERS Crusaders prop George Bower has re-signed with New Zealand Rugby until the end of the 2027 season. The 32-year-old has appeared in 22 tests for the All Blacks but missed the last World Cup in 2023, due to a serious knee injury. LATEST HEADLINES: Round 1 struggles for Kiwi golfers NZ Sevens teams for Los Angeles Phoenix stick with Giancarlo Italiano NZ Cricket takes stake in US comp Super Rugby teams Round 11 action "I'm pretty stoked to be staying on board with the Crusaders," saud Bower. "A huge driving factor for me re-signing was the way the Crusaders have made me feel since I've been here from day one. It's part of me now, it's part of my DNA and being able to come to work every day with great people is a huge force that's kept me here," said Bower. With 19 matches to play until he reaches 100 caps, the prospect of becoming a Crusaders Reaching the 100 mark was another big driving force for Bower to stay. "You see the centurions on the wall every day and it rubs off on you. I want to be on that wall too; I want to follow in the footsteps of some of the great Crusaders and that was a huge reason why I wanted to stay on as well – because I'm getting closer to 100 caps and it'll be pretty special to reach that milestone." Head Coach Rob Penney is thrilled to have Bower stay for another two years. "George is an outstanding individual that contributes to every area of the game for us. We're seeing continued development in George's rugby and believe the best is yet to come for him," said Penney. The Crusaders take on the Highlanders Saturday night in Dunedin.

Can the All Blacks Sevens finish their World Sevens Series season on a high? PHOTO: NZ RUGBY The All Blacks and Black Ferns Sevens have both made a number of changes in the lead up to the World Series decider in Los Angeles, May 4-5. For the second year in a row the World Series winner will be decided in a one-off tournament, just weeks after the Black Ferns Sevens secured the League title (for most points accumulated across the season). LATEST HEADLINES: Phoenix stick with Giancarlo Italiano NZ Cricket takes stake in US comp Super Rugby teams Round 11 action Injury replacement for Central Pulse NZ Warriors fullback extends contract The Los Angeles tournament is dubbed the World Championship, with the top eight teams from the men’s and women’s competition qualifying. The Black Ferns Sevens are in Pool A against Canada, Japan and Great Britain, while the men are in a tough Pool B alongside Spain, Fiji and Australia. The top two teams in each pool will advance to Cup semi-finals. Black Ferns Sevens Coach Cory Sweeney has had to make several changes to the side that won back-to-back tournaments in Hong Kong and Singapore. Justine McGregor and Olive Watherston return to the travelling team after both making their debuts in December, while Le’Oxeayn Maiu’u is in line for her first international tournament along with Sky Super Rugby Aupiki winner Jaymie Kolose. A knee injury to Manaia Nuku sees Risi Pouri-Lane stay with the team after originally announcing she would be joining the Black Ferns camp. Dhys Faleafaga, Alena Saili. Theresa Setefano all forgo the final tournament of season with Black Ferns commitments, while Pouri-Lane, Jorja Miller and Stacey Waaka will join them in camp when they return from Los Angeles. “We were always aware of the players that were keen to join the Black Ferns and have been supportive of that. The injury to Manaia left us light in the halfback position so after conversations with Bunts (Allan Bunting) and Risi we renegotiated her plan,” said Sweeney. Netball convert Le’Oxeayn Maiu’u is in line to debut after joining the Black Ferns Sevens programme in September last year. “We don’t really look at Le’Oxeayn as a new player – she has been with us for a while now, she has been playing in invitational tournaments, training day in and day out. She’s an exciting talent, in a similar vein to Kayla Ahki and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, the skills she brings from netball around aerial skills and speed; we will want to put her in space.” Fresh from winning the Super Rugby Aupiki title with the Blues, Jaymie Kolose joins the squad with a potential debut incoming. “Jaymie first came into our programme two years ago, fresh from touch. She is an exciting young athlete who has really developed over the past few years. She has a good connection within our team from playing in development tournaments and she is someone who could really make a name for herself in sevens." The Black Ferns Sevens lost the semi final at last year’s Championship tournament in Madrid and Sweeney said that is something the squad learnt from. “We have talked about Madrid internally – you always learn from times when you under perform. We are confident in our programme and that the team we have selected will be strong. It’s been an interesting tournament to prep for as there are a lot of unknowns with other teams and what players will be there or will have moved to XVs, we have taken the approach that we are preparing for full strength teams.” Meanwhile All Blacks Sevens coach Tomasi Cama has welcomed the return of Akuila Rokolisoa and Kitona Vai for the last tournament of the season. Both have been sidelined with injuries throughout the season and eager to make their impact known. “It has been a tough road to recovery for these two so everyone is excited to have them back. We can see how the team is feeding off the enthusiasm they are bringing, and we know that will carry through to next week,” said Cama. “Akuila has battled through a few injuries and it’s great to have him available. He is one of the best players in the world; his instinct, strength and ability to create space for himself and others is special. It’s important we make sure he doesn’t try to overdo things on his return and support him back onto the world stage.” Kitiona Vai has been sidelined for a year and returns to run out alongside his younger brother Codemeru. “He has great rugby IQ and plays with a lot of emotion. He’s been pushing really hard, and we know he is motivated to go out there and show the world he is back.” After making a debut in Cape Town, the versatile Jack Grey is set to get another cap, replacing the injured Joe Webber. “Jack is a great communicator on the field, he works hard off the ball, is really fit and someone that brings a lot of versatility in terms of the positions he’ll be able to cover.” Sam Howling also travels with the team to Los Angeles as fourteenth player and will debut if there are any injuries. Cama said a focus in the build up to Los Angeles has been the mindset about consistently performing across the tournament. “We have been building our weeks to train back-to-back days because we have had good performances on day one of tournaments and not backed them up on day two. At times when we have been under pressure, we go too individual so it’s about our players having the tools to deal with those big games. Black Ferns Sevens team: (*denotes potential debutant) 2. Jorja Miller 3. Stacey Waaka 4. Mahina Paul 5. Sarah Hirini (C) 6. Michaela Brake 7. Risi Pouri-Lane 11. Maia Davis 13. Jazmin Felix-Hotham 23. Jaymie Kolose* 44. Justine McGregor 82. Olive Watherston 88. Kelsey Teneti 97. Le’Oxeayn Maiu’u* Not available due to injury: Manaia Nuku, Shiray Kaka Not available due to Black Ferns: Dhys Faleafaga, Alena Saili, Theresa Setefano All Blacks Sevens team: (*denotes potential debutant) 1. Amanaki Nicole 2. Brady Rush 3. Tone Ng Shiu 4. Akuila Rokolisoa 5. Dylan Collier © 7. Kitiona Vai 17. Jack Gray 22. Rob Rush 24. Ngarohi McGarvey-Black 25. Codemeru Vai 64. Regan Ware 75. Frank Vaenuku 81. Sofai Maka 88. Sam Howling* Not available due to injury/illness: Joe Webber, Sione Molia, Andrew Knewstubb, Joey Taumateine, Oli Mathis, Xavier Tito-Harris, Lewis Ormond Roderick Solo Draw (all times in NZT) 4 May 5.22am Black Ferns Sevens v Great Britain 6.06am All Blacks Sevens v Fiji 8.23am Black Ferns Sevens v Japan 8.45am All Blacks Sevens v Spain 11.29am Black Ferns Sevens v Canada 11.51am All Blacks Sevens v Australia 5 May Play- off matches

The Wellington Pheonix have retained the services of head coach Giarncarlo Italiano for another season PHOT: LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY After a disappointing A-League season the Wellington Phoenix are sticking with head coach Giancarlo Italiano for another year. The club qualified for the play-offs last season, but this season they are 11th out of 13 teams with six wins, six draws and 12 losses with two matches to play. LATEST HEADLINES: NZ Cricket takes stake in US comp Super Rugby teams Round 11 action Injury replacement for Central Pulse NZ Warriors fullback extends contract Wide range of players to Black Ferns Italiano still has a winning percentage in his two years with the club, but has struggled this season after a number of star players moved on from the squad. Director of football at the Wellington Phoenix said re-signing Italiano was a result of two years of work. "It seems a lot of people in the sporting world have short memories," he said. "I understand the frustration and disappointment with how the men's season has unfolded, but Chief (Italiano) has built up a lot of credit." "He not only guided the men to within touching distance of the club's first trophy last year, but Chief was also an integral member of the staff during the preceding four seasons when they were finals regulars despite spending the best part of two years in Australia. "We have faith that he will be able to help turn around the team's fortunes next season and have the Phoenix back in the top six challenging for silverware." Italiano believes the side can make real progress in the future. "We've achieved a lot over the last two years and I'm looking forward to bringing the club back up to where it belongs," said Italiano. "I'm forever indebted to Wellington. The club gave me my first coaching job in the A-League, and I want to leave this club in a good place. "I want to win the A-League. Despite all of the setbacks this season it hasn't been all doom and gloom and I think there's enough there to show that we can definitely move the club forward. "I've learnt how to manage players and their expectations on the back of such a successful season, and how to look after a young group when a lot of pressure has been placed on them unnecessarily...I've learnt how to navigate through so many different issues this year with injuries, player availability and expectation and how you balance all of that." The Phoenix are away to the Brisbane Roar on Saturday.