Weekend Sport with Jason Pine

The Hurricanes are now 8 for 8 in Super Rugby. They picked up a win in Suva against the Fijian Drua, taking the win by 23 points. Assistant Coach Jamie Mackintosh joined Piney to dive into the match and break down the win. Mackintosh told him that while the win wasn’t perfect by any means, they got off to a good start and pushed the lead, which allowed them to hang on pretty well in the second half. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Supercars has made its return to New Zealand’s tracks this weekend. The Taupō Super400 kicked off yesterday afternoon at the Taupō International Motorsport Park for the first time, the third different NZ venue to host a championship round. Supercars legend Craig Lowndes is attending this weekend and joined Piney for a chat about the importance of having a NZ stop in the Supercars calendar. He told Piney that he loves coming here as we have some fantastic events and some absolutely beautiful places to visit. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NZ Warriors have been humbled in Wollongong as they fell to a heavy defeat against the struggling Dragons. The Australian league steamrolled the Warriors, beating them by a full eighteen points despite the Warriors early lead. Michael Burgess joined Piney to discuss what went wrong for the New Zealand club. He said that it’s just not the kind of performance we’ve become used to in Andrew Webster’s tenure. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jordie Barrett has broken the trend, heading off to Ireland for his rugby sabbatical at the end of this year as opposed to Japan. He’s also the first player to commit their services to NZ Rugby beyond the 2027 World Cup. NZR GM of Professional Rugby, Chris Lendrum, joined Jason Pine to discuss the importance of signing Jordie long-term, and what his sabbatical means. He told Piney that the signing operates as a signal to everybody else that they All Blacks are going to continue to mean business well into the future, and they couldn’t be happier. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many All Blacks will use a sabbatical to rest the body or grow their bank balance — both reasonable priorities for high-performance athletes. Jordie Barrett, however, had his head turned by a different incentive when signing a short-term deal with Irish heavyweight Leinster. “There’s a bit of a balance,” Barrett told Newstalk ZB’s Jason Pine. “In the past, sabbaticals have been for All Blacks who have played X number of tests. It was almost time to re-energise and change the environment, just to come back and set yourself up better to add longevity to your career. “That was the forefront of my decision as well, but I saw it as a great opportunity to go to a place where I believe I’ll come back a better rugby player.” It’s difficult to dispute that a six-month spell in Ireland will have the desired effect. After this year’s northern tour, Barrett will remain in Europe and compete with the best the continent — and South Africa — has to offer. Jordie Barrett during the Rugby World Cup final against the Springboks. Photo / Photosport He’ll be competing for a spot, too, while facing the familiar pressure to win every game and trophy on offer. It’s hardly going to be a holiday and such demands are just what Barrett wanted, knocking back more lucrative offers from Japan while re-signing with New Zealand Rugby through 2028. “[Money] is certainly a serious component,” Barrett said. “For different individuals, that can be at the top of the tree or somewhere a little further down. “I put my development and my experiences, and my thinking of coming back and trying to be a better rugby player and a better All Black and a better Hurricane, right at the top of that tree. That took priority over all the other options I had. “My eyes were only ever heading towards Japan and having a wee stint there. But Leinster put an offer forward, and basically just the prestige of their club and what they’ve done in the past and the direction they’re heading in the future really stuck out and excited me.” That future, Leinster fans will demand, must involve major silverware after a couple of seasons without. With both competitions currently ongoing, the club last lifted the Champions Cup in 2018, while their last success in the United Rugby Championship came in 2021. If all goes well and Leinster advances to the finals of both during his spell, Barrett expects to play about 16 games, dismissing workload concerns for what will be a 28-year-old body. “I feel like I should be playing some of my best rugby there,” he said. “The challenge of playing Champions Cup and URC finals is something I’d love to walk towards and feel like it’d grow my game. “There’s a big block in February-March [during the Six Nations] where I won’t be playing any rugby. Essentially that’s going to be my big break. “It looks as though I’m just going rugby to rugby and there’s no break there, but I’ll be managed throughout the season.” That plan would likely have eased some concern Scott Robertson had over sending his star midfielder on an arduous trip. Barrett discussed the move with the All Blacks coach and emphasised his commitment to Robertson’s reign by signing on past the next World Cup. “Razor was really good and really understanding and saw it through my eyes,” Barrett said. “Not many players go to Europe for their sabbatical so it was a different sort of discussion, but I’m grateful Razor and NZR agreed and put a plan in place for me. “Carrying a little bit of hurt from the last World Cup, it’s motivating me and a lot of other boys to have a really good few years and set ourselves up to hopefully go one better in a few years’ time. “It’s an interesting transition with new coaches and a lot of new players but I think it’s an exciting time for New Zealand rugby, and one I wanted to be part of.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Piney and Bonnie review the Phoenix's thrilling 1-0 win over Victory and assess their Premier's Plate chances. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of this year's World Snooker Championships, commentator Alisha Singh joined Piney to discuss the event. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James McOnie from the Crowd Goes Wild joined Piney to talk about the ongoing Super Rugby season, the Warriors' latest draw, and the Masters tournament. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Warriors have clawed their way to a 22-all draw with the Sea Eagles in their NRL contest at Mt Smart. The home side overcame an 8-point deficit with a minute to play to force the game to golden point extra time - with neither side unable to take the win. Rugby league analyst Peter Peters joined Piney to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Bay Oval board can't believe they've missed out on a Black Caps test match against England. Christchurch, Wellington and Hamilton will host the three-match pre-Christmas series - the only red-ball fixtures on the international calendar. Bay Oval Trust chairman Craig Greenlees joined Piney to discuss his shock and disappointment in missing out. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox has slid down the leaderboard after a frustrating third round at golf's Masters. Fox has signed for a five-over 77 round to be four-over for the tournament in a share of 26th. Scottie Scheffler leads at seven-under, one clear of Collin Morikawa. International sports reporter Graeme Agars joins Piney to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Super Rugby Aupiki reaches its climax this afternoon as the Blues Women hosts Chiefs Manawa in the final. The Blues are entering the game with a five-win, one-loss campaign, aiming to continue their winning streak. Piney caught up with Niall Williams-Guthrie from Blues women to preview the match. She told him that this year has been way better than she could ever imagine. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Super Rugby Aupiki final is kicking off tonight, the Chiefs Manawa facing off against the Blues for the title. Ahead of the game, Piney caught up with Grace Kukutai from Chiefs Manawa to preview the final and discuss her unusual journey to the 15s. She told him that after losing their last two games, they’ve nailed down the big things they need to fix about their play. In the past they’ve had a mixed success rate against the Blues with one win and one loss, and Kukutai reckons tonight's game will be a great battle. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s once again time to catch up on the biggest stories from our neighbours across the ditch, and Adam Peacock has the details. Champion New Zealand racemare Imperatriz retired in a shocking move on Thursday, the mare retiring with a total of 10 Group 1 victories. Peacock said that last spring, she was pretty much the best sprinter in the world but didn’t quite hit the heights this preparation. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Warriors are looking to make it 4 wins in a row as they face off against the Sea Eagles at Mt Smart this afternoon. Piney caught up with Warriors second rower and off-season signing Kurt Capewell to preview the game and discuss how his move to New Zealand is going for him. He told Piney that they’ve definitely been improving week by week, and as long as that keeps building, they can hopefully keep stacking the wins up. “Winning is fun, winning’s good, at the end of the day, that’s what we’re here to do." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hurricanes Halfback Richard Judd was just a week away from having voluntary surgery when Cam Roigard went down with a serious injury, and now he's been thrust into the spotlight. He caught up with Piney to discuss his season and the rollercoaster of a week he's been having. Judd said that despite the circumstances, he’s happy he’s on the bench and will hopefully get some good game time this season. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The second round of the golf Masters has been brutal, with the weather really putting the 'gust’ in Augusta. Graeme Agars, international sports reporter and avid golf fan, joined Piney to give an update on how Ryan Fox, Tiger Woods, and the rest of the big names are tracking. He told Piney that anything around a 72 was a fantastic score as while the wind was bad at the start of the day, it was diabolical by the end of it. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With news of World Athletics offering a bonus payment to gold medal winners at the Paris Olympics, some Kiwis stand to benefit. The organisation has set aside a total of US$2.4 million to allocate to the winners of the 48 events. Kiwi high jumper and gold medal hopeful Hamish Kerr joined Piney to discuss what this means for him and other athletes. He told Piney that while it doesn’t change his approach or motivation going into the games, it does change the tone and outlook of where they could go as a sport, as far as motivating young people to get into athletics. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Track and Field has become the first sport to pay athletes for their Olympic gold medals. World Athletics, the governing body that oversees worldwide track and field events, will be awarding $50,000 in prize money to gold medalists are the 2024 Paris Olympics. They’ve set aside a total of $2.4 million to go to medalists across the 48 men’s, women’s, and mixed events, with relay teams splitting the $50,000 amongst themselves. Long serving member and former Vice President of the IOC, Dick Pound, told Jason Pine that with a leading sport like athletics going in this direction, it’s likely other prominent sports will start to face pressure to do something similar. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Piney and Bonnie analyse the repercussions of the Phoenix men's loss to Central Coast and unpack the Football Ferns' 4-0 win over Thailand. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Piney and Bonnie analyse the repercussions of the Phoenix men's loss to Central Coast and unpack the Football Ferns' 4-0 win over Thailand. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James McOnie from the Crowd Goes Wild joins Piney to discuss the Warriors' win, Caitlin Clark at March Madness, Seilala Mapusua's sacking, the 'lop-sided' weekend for Super Rugby and Sam Whitelock's retirement- among other big sports stories of the week. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand’s women’s basketball league has announced several new changes, including bigger salaries, revamped schedules and potential international expansion. Former basketballer and netballer Donna Wilkins joins Piney to discuss these developments- and what they might mean for the future of women's basketball. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TVNZ+ is set to debut a nine-part documentary series featuring a series of candidates competing for a spot in top gym City Kickboxing. Ahead of the release of 'Relentless', City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman joined Piney to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dame Noeline Taurua's expected to lead the Silver Ferns to more achievements for years to come. The 56-year-old's been contracted for another two years, which is likely to be extended to the 2027 World Cup if results trend in the right direction. Netball NZ chief executive Jennie Wyllie explains how Taurua's re-hiring will push the team in a new direction. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright is ready to write another chapter in his Breakers career. The guard's re-signed for another NBL season, after guiding the New Zealand club to the playoffs, where they fell short of the Illawarra Hawks. Jackson-Cartwright joined Piney to discuss this next step. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A third successive win for the Warriors is in the books following Saturday evening's match. The team thrashed the South Sydney Rabbitohs 34-4 on the road. Assistant coach Stacey Jones says the team weathered the onslaught from the Rabbitohs- especially during the all-important back half of the match. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Football Ferns are facing Thailand in a couple of international friendlies, the first of which kicked off at 3pm today. The games are taking place in Christchurch, home to forward Gabi Rennie. She joined Jason Pine for a chat ahead of today’s match and a look into how preparations are going for Olympic selections. “At this rate, our main priority is definitely get the wins,” Rennie told Piney. “After the World Cup we’ve, you know, haven’t had that much opportunity to play other than the Samoa Tour, so it’s going to be really good for us to get some good wins.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After two losses to start the 2024 season, the Warriors are officially back up and running. They’ve gone back to back in the last fortnight with wins over the Raiders and the Knights and are aiming for a third against the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Tonight’s game kicks off at 5pm, and the teams had to shakeup it’s lineup with five players now out of the game. Warriors legend Kevin Campion told Piney that despite the loss, the team has enough depth and games under their belt. “I think it’ll be just all systems go today.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Chiefs are taking on Moana Pasifika tonight in Hamilton and Chiefs halfback Cortez Ratima is coming off the bench to face them. Last week saw the team lose to the Crusaders, 37-26, Ratima saying the issue was more of an attitude issue than a systemic one. “I think it’s more a mindset thing rather than skill set. I think the boys have the skills, but it’s just trying to apply it out on the field.” He joined Piney to preview tonight’s match and dig into his aspirations to make it to the All Blacks. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a busy week of sport across the ditch, and our Australian Correspondent Adam Peacock is back to give us the downlow. On the agenda today was Mike Cron’s decision to ditch the All Blacks and join up with the Wallabies, the naming of the men’s Olympic football team, and of course, the NRL match of the season between the Broncos and the Storm. According to Adam, Adam Reynolds injury may spell disaster for the Broncos. “He’s so good at setting the tempo for a young, energetic Broncos team that if he’s not there, it’s gonna make it harder for the Broncos to finish top and get an easy draw in the finals.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Cam Roigard’s injury taking him out of the game, the talents of New Zealand’s halfbacks are being tested. Piney caught up with Sky Sport commentator Tony Johnson to discuss who the All Blacks may be considering taking Roigard’s place, and TJ Perenara seems like he might be up to the task. “He looks eager, we know about his playing ability,” Johnson told Piney. “I think he just has to prove that he’s got all his old skills, and if he can do that, then I think he comes right back into the front line of contention.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Piney and Bonnie break down wins for both Phoenix sides over Easter and hand out their end-of-season awards for the women's team. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James McOnie from The Crowd Goes Wild joined Piney to discuss Chris Woods' success in the EPL, Crusaders on the board, March Madness and the Pasifika Rugby Hall of Fame. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Famed coaching expert Wayne Goldsmith joined Piney to examine how grassroots coaches can get ahead and work with the best teams in the business. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Black Cap Shane Thomson joins Piney to look back on his playing days- and examines whether he'd do well at T20 cricket. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Australian cricketer Greg Matthews is still remembered as one of the nation's sporting greats. Matthews played 33 test matches, 59 ODIs for Australia and that earned him a legion of fans between the 1980s and the 1990s. Matthews himself joined Piney to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Belief remains at an all-time high ahead of the Warriors' hotly anticipated clash tonight. Last year's preliminary finalists will look to build momentum from their first win of the campaign when they host the Newcastle Knights at Mt Smart this evening. Warriors recruitment manager Andrew McFadden joined Piney to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Hurricanes are still waiting on the official word but don't expect to have halfback Cam Roigard back in a hurry. The in-form number nine was felled in the second half of the win over the Highlanders in Dunedin with a knee injury. Assistant coach Cory Jane says it's clearly not a matter of 'if', but 'how long' Roigard will be sidelined for. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight marks a major milestone for Ricky Riccitelli. He’s set to play his 100th Super Rugby game, coming off the bench to face Moana Pasifika. He joined Piney for a chat about his season so far and the journey he's been on in his first 100 games. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Warriors have a new jersey manufacturer: Dynasty Sport. Piney caught up with co-founder Tyler Rakich to discuss what that means for his company, and how the contract came to be. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The AFL has had a tumultuous week. A new drug scandal has been uncovered, and Adam Peacock joined Piney to catch him up on the details. The Aussie correspondent also ran through the other stories making headlines across the ditch. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Much like its companions, the Super Rugby Aupiki season is well underway. Piney caught up with Black Ferns Director of Rugby Allan Bunting for a discussion on what he’s seen from the competition thus far, and what may come next. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rugby governance issues have been the big story of the week, with NZR Chair Dame Patsy Reddy threatening to resign if the Boards proposal to change the sport’s leadership structure doesn't go ahead. This has a wide-ranging impact on all levels of rugby in New Zealand and is creating tension between the NZR Board and the Provincial unions. Piney caught up with Canterbury Rugby Chair Peter Winchester to get his thoughts on the situation, and what impacts it will have on rugby in New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Crusaders have picked up their first win of the season after five straight losses, beating the Chiefs in Christchurch. With the Chiefs losing by 11 points, Piney caught up with their assistant coach Roger Randle to chat about what went wrong for the team. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Crusaders are finally on the board. After starting the season 0-5, the defending champs managed to finally get their first win of the season with an impressive win over the Chiefs. Piney caught up with Coach Rob Penney to chat about the struggles starting off his tenure with the Crusaders, and what the win means for the team. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Piney and Bonnie discuss the weekend's football action with the Phoenix women and All Whites suffering narrow defeats and a Football Ferns goalkeeper starring for her club side. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Olympian and sailing expert Hannah Mills joined Piney to discuss today's SailGP event. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The boats are out on the water and hopes are high among the competitors at this weekend's SailGP event. Emirates Great Britain driver Giles Scott joined Piney to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Foils are set to make headway in this weekend's SailGP event. Co-CEO Blair Tuke joined Piney to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.