Rugby Union

Counties Manukau remain without a win in 2025 after suffering another disappointing loss last week. The 22-43 defeat dropped the Steelers’ record down to 0-5, remaining in second-last on the ladder as we passed the halfway point in the season. Conditions were not friendly in Pukekohe on Saturday, with substantial limiting Counties’ chances to run the ball, but that didn’t stop Taranaki from spreading the pill, running away with the game in the second 40. The Steelers were more than up for the fight in the opening half, going blow-for-blow with the Bulls, thanks to tries from Sione Molia and…

There is a case to be made that North Harbour are the wooden spoon favourites as we near the halfway point of the regular season. It’s been a miserable opening four rounds, having lost all four games by double-digit margins and by an average of 18 points, and last week’s loss was their worst to-date. Few were expecting a tight contest in Albany and Tasman wasted no time in getting the scoring started, dotting down inside the opening two minutes. That set the tone for a disastrous opening quarter for the hosts, falling behind 0-24, before taking a 0-31 deficit…

Bay of Plenty were looking every bit like the best team in the league through the first two rounds but they were humbled last Saturday in a 7-21 loss to Canterbury. It was an unusually soft attacking performance from the Steamers, who had scored 37 and 39 points in their first two outings, but they really struggled to create genuine chances against the visitors, with the likes of Fehi Fineanganofo, Cole Forbes and Ngarohi McGarvey-Black all struggling to make an impact. The fact that BOP came up with just two line breaks as a team outlines just how much of…

Southland were staunch in their showing in Whangārei last week but ultimately fell to Northland 17-22 in a thriller. It was very much a defensive contest, especially in the opening half where Scott Gregory’s try off a charge down was the only score, as the Stags took a 7-0 lead into the break. Northland levelled the scores shortly into the second half, but Sean Withy hit back 10 minutes later to put Southland in front and put them in good position to pick up their first win of the season. However, the hosts went on to score 15 points in…

Auckland will be eager to put their 2024 season behind them, as they finished with just a 3-7 record in 11th place. They will almost certainly improve on that terrible record, but they have more than a few departures to contend with. Akira Ioane, Harry Plummer and Zarn Sullivan are some of the big names to have departed the province in 2025, while some key contributors such as Marcel Renata and Nigel Ah Wong have also departed. However, some exciting new names have entered the fray, with the likes of Alex Harford, Codemaru Vai, Sam Hainsworth-Fa’afo and James Arscott all…