D'arcy And Goran

Ben Smith admits that he hasn't been playing his best rugby but doesn't want to look back on his last three tests, saying he is comfortable with where he is at after a good week's training which has allowed him to look forward to the Rugby World Cup with genuine excitement.The 33-year-old outside back, who has played 79 tests, remains an integral part of the All Blacks and his reliability under the high ball in particular will allow the coaches to sleep a little easier before the knockout matches in Japan.After badly tearing a hamstring while playing for the Highlanders this season, and making it back on to the field a month later to start in the Super Rugby quarter-final against the Crusaders, Smith didn't look himself against Argentina, South Africa and Australia in Perth, a form slip which was made to look worse when compared with the performances of George Bridge and Sevu Reece against the Wallabies at Eden Park.But he's not finished yet. After playing an important role for the All Blacks in the World Cup

Dominic Thiem's latest bid for grand slam glory has came to an abrupt end at the US Open.The fourth seeded Austrian has been bundled out in four sets by Italian Thomas Fabbiano in the first round.Thiem follows Stefanos Tsitsipas in making an early exit, the 8th seed has lost in four sets to Russian Andrey Rublev.Spanish 10th seed Roberto Bautista Agut has also crashed out in a day of upsets among the men.Leading women defending champion Naomi Osaka and fourth seed Simona Halep have survived scares to reach the second round.Osaka says she struggled to cope with the nerves in her three sets win over Russian Anna Blinkova.LISTEN TO GRAEME AGARS ANALYSIS ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

World rugby has reacted with disbelief at the naming of the All Blacks squad for the World Cup in Japan - with many leading media organisations and fans expressing shock at the decision to exclude 108-cap veteran Owen Franks.Franks, Liam Squire and Ngani Laumape were the most noticeable absentees from the 31-man squad named in Auckland this afternoon, with Fox Sports calling the trio's omission "ruthless" under the headline All Bl-axed! 144 caps gone as ruthless NZ run a knife through World Cup squad.The site also suggested head coach Steve Hansen was taking a risk by including only two specialist first-fives in Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo'unga."There are just two specialist five-eighths named, with Hansen banking on Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo'unga enjoying an injury-free run," Fox Sports reported.AFP and the roar.com.au called Franks' axing a "shock omission", while the former expressed some surprise at the inclusion of seasoned utility back Ben Smith despite some recent poor form.AAP's line was about "

The Tall Blacks rounded out their World Cup preparation with an upset 88-82 victory over world number 13 ranked Italy in Anshan, China.Corey Webster led the team superbly, not only with his 21 points (seven of 16), but with six assists, a figure matched on the night only by his brother Tai.Ethan Rusbatch continuing a superb tour with 11 points (three of five from deep) while Isaac Fotu finished with 11 point and six rebounds.Playing their third game in three days, New Zealand was in control throughout the encounter, establishing an early lead outside the arc with seven three-pointers dropping in the first quarter alone, and nine at halftime (from 16 attempts).The Italians simply had no answer to the quick ball movement and pace of the New Zealanders, who defied the schedule and the odds with one of the bigger wins in Tall Blacks' history.The Tall Blacks shot the three at 50 percent and had 18 assists compared to just eight for the Italians, underlining their philosophy of sharing the ball and looking for one

Warriors coach Stephen Kearney has shuffled the deck slightly for the clash with the Rabbitohs on Friday.Kearney has resisted making any major changes, but has dropped Chanel Harris-Tavita and Lachlan Burr back to the bench.Harris-Tavita had been preferred ahead of Kodi Nikorima for the last two matches, after some strong displays, but Kearney has opted for the experience of Nikorima in the penultimate game of the season.Burr started in place of Agnatius Paasi against the Sharks, but the two reverse roles this week.A new-look Paasi will make his 100th career appearance in the Warriors' last home game of the season (8.00pm kick-off).The 27-year-old front rower had gone four years without a haircut but will sport a sleek look after having it all cut off on Tuesday in support of the Shave for a Cure charity.The cause is deeply personal for 'Iggy', whose aunt Ponisitia (Tia) Paasi, a former Black Ferns rugby union international, died from cancer last year.The shave coincides with Paasi achieving his significant m

Frustration for Joseph Parker's camp as he heads out to the United States for a training camp ahead of his next bout.A fight against Dereck Chisora is all but set for October 26 in London, which gives Parker nine weeks to prepare.However the process has been less than satisfactory for Parker's camp, which includes a recent offer they were forced to turn down.The 26-2 Parker has had just one fight in 2019, a TKO of Australian Alex Leapai in Providence in June.Chisora has a 31-9 record with victories over Senad Gashi and Artur Szpilka this year."It's nearly there," Parker said before flying to Las Vegas."The only frustrating thing for the last four or five weeks is that it's been very hard to communicate with them. Even though they are promoters, hard to get hold of. There was an email saying we will be on the card in London on October 26, still no contract or assurances. We want to head back into camp. We've been preparing well here and we want to prepare well back in Vegas but we're just waiting for the contr

Serena Williams was not about to let Maria Sharapova make a match of this.So facing a break point early in the second set, Williams conjured up a backhand passing shot so good, so powerful, so precise, that Sharapova had no chance to reach it. Williams watched the ball land in, then raised a clenched left fist toward the night sky.In her first match at the U.S. Open since last year's loss in a chaotic, controversial final, Williams stretched her winning streak against Sharapova to 19 matches with a nearly flawless performance that produced a 6-1, 6-1 victory devoid of drama Monday night.Asked whether she could even imagine losing that many matches in a row across 15 years against one opponent, Williams paused for a moment, then replied: "Gosh, I never thought about it like that."She now leads their head-to-head series 20-2."Every time I come up against her," Williams said, "I just bring out some of my best tennis."Sure did this time; the whole thing lasted all of 59 minutes.Williams won twice as many points,

The Tall Blacks have finalised their 12-man squad for the upcoming World Cup in China, with Tom Vodanovich and Taine Murray left out of the squad.The young duo were part of the squad for a series of warm up matches, but after last night's 103-100 overtime loss to Canada were cut from the team as the roster was trimmed from 14 to 12.The side will be led into the World Cup by a host of veterans including Tom Abercrombie and Corey Webster, the latter of whom almost lifted the Tall Blacks to an upset on Wednesday night.Webster had 33 points in the side's second of two matches against Canada, leading a strong attack which bounced back in a big way after an poor outing the night before.After being decimated by the Canadians the previous night, the Tall Blacks made amends in Sydney on Wednesday.The Kiwi side were quick out of the blocks last night, holding a 10-point lead after the opening quarter. The Canadians were able to trim the gap to just three points at half time, before taking a one-point lead of their own

The All Blacks Sevens' quest for Olympic gold in Tokyo next year has been given a major boost, with four Super Rugby players set to join the 2019/2020 campaign.New Zealand Rugby announced that Caleb Clarke (Blues), Etene Nanai-Seturo (Chiefs), Salesi Rayasi (Hurricanes) and Scott Gregory (Highlanders) will shift into the All Blacks Sevens campaign with their sights focussed on the Tokyo Olympic Games.With the support of their Super Rugby teams, the players have been given the green light to move into the sevens programme, said NZ Rugby head of high performance Mike Anthony."We're delighted that these players – who have all been in the All Blacks Sevens environment previously – have put up their hand, and want to have a crack at making the Olympic squad."We have worked very closely with all the Super clubs to ensure we could support those players who were genuinely keen to be involved in the Tokyo Olympic Games. We also wanted to ensure that the Super clubs were not significantly disadvantaged."Our first step

The New Zealand Olympics team is happy with how the 2020 Tokyo event is progressing.Chef de mission Rob Waddell has visited the Japanese city ahead of next year's Olympics for 'Ready Steady Tokyo' event. He joined D'Arcy Waldegrave to discuss how the event went, how the Olympics are progressing and how it compares to the 2016 Olympics in Rio.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tall Blacks have been handed a swift wake-up call in their first of two friendlies against Canada, being handed a 34-point loss in Sydney last night.Being without all but one of their NBA stars didn't hurt the Canadian side, which cruised for the most part on their way to a 122-88 win.For the most part, the Tall Blacks never looked in the contest. After leading 12-10 early, the Canadian side went on with the job to jump out to a 20-point lead before long.Ahead 35-16 after the first quarter, Canada pushed on for the second blowout win of their tour of Australia – after beating the Boomers by 20 points in Perth – converting on 55 per cent of their shot attempts.With Orlando Magic center Khem Birch the only NBA player available to them for the match, Canada got a massive lift from their bench who accounted for 76 of the team's 122 points.The Tall Blacks, who were without regular rotation players Shea Ili (minor groin strain) and Alex Pledger (illness) for the match, picked up their game after what was a timi

The Government will introduce a bill to enable bars and clubs to stay open and serve drinks during Rugby World Cup games next month.Justice Minister Andrew Little made the announcement today, following pressure from Act leader David Seymour in the previous days.Little said the bill would allow eligible licensed premises to open during the RWC games, even if those games are outside their usual trading hours."It's pretty clear some clubs are having difficulty persuading their district licensing committees to grant a special licence to extend their hours for this obviously special event, and so it makes sense for Parliament to allow clubs to meet a community desire."There are some premises, such as clubs in rural areas, who tend to have earlier closing times and we want to make sure that these communities have the opportunity to enjoy the games."Little thanked Seymour for his work drafting a bill on the issue, which Seymour intended to bring to the House yesterday, but he held off after the Government requested

Lightning, it seems, does strike twice.Before the events of Tuesday morning, the chances of Serena Williams being seen on a tennis court again in New Zealand felt pretty remote.As a scenario, it appeared to be in the impossible to imagine category, like John Mitchell coaching the All Blacks again or Michael Cheika running meditation workshops.But it's happened, and Serena Jameka Williams will be the headline act at the 2020 ASB Classic.When she came in 2017 it seemed like a once in a lifetime event; sporting royalty gracing our boutique tournament at the bottom of the world.A bit like Tiger Woods playing at Paraparaumu in 2002, George Best and Manchester United at Carlaw Park in 1967 or Bjorn Borg thrilling Stanley street crowds in 1974.Williams enjoyed her visit last time, until her infamous 4-6 7-6 (5) 4-6 second round loss to then world No 53 Madison Brengle.The American made a career high 88 errors on a blustery day, and didn't hold back afterwards."I would say it's my least favourite conditions I've ever

Noeline Taurua will remain in charge of the Silver Ferns for their next two international campaigns.Following an announcement that Taurua will not be extending her contract with Australia's Sunshine Coast Lightning, Netball New Zealand has confirmed the World-Cup winning coach will instead guide the Silver Ferns in October's Constellation Cup and January's Northern Quad Series.The Ferns' gold medal performance at the Netball World Cup in Liverpool was New Zealand's first title in 16 years.Taurua at the helm proved a remarkable turn in form for the Ferns who were ranked fourth heading into the July tournament.Taurua said it had been an amazing journey with the Silver Ferns over the past 12 months and she wanted to ensure the systems, culture, performance and overall improvements that were gained during this time is consolidated and continues to grow and develop through to next year's Quad Series.New Zealand's Laura Langman lifts the Netball World Cup trophy. Photo / Getty"I've been fully committed to both the

Former Kiwi Richie Barnett joins D'Arcy Waldegrave to talk about the Warriors thumping at the hands of the Roosters in the NRL.Despite scoring first, the Warriors went on to lose 42-6 in Sydney.The Warriors finals hopes now hang in the balance, sitting three points off the top eight with three games remaining.Barnett though was happy to credit the Roosters, who are "humming nicely"."They're so effective in what they do, they maximise their time with the ball."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former rugby player and coach Craig Dowd joins D'Arcy Waldegrave to talk about the All Blacks big win over the Wallabies to retain the Bledisloe Cup.Coming off a 47-26 defeat against Australia in Perth, new Zealand returned home and turned the tables to thump their trans-Tasman rivals 36-0 at Eden Park.Dowd says it was a great performance that was triggered by the big loss in Perth, which was 'the best thing that happened to the All Blacks this year'.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Black Caps batsman Henry Nicholls joins D'Arcy Waldegrave to talk about the Black Caps loss to Sri Lanka in the opening test of their series.Sri Lanka came away with a six wicket win in Galle, successfully chasing New Zealand's total of 268 in the fourth innings Having won five consecutive test series, New Zealand had an opportunity to be ranked World No 1 for the first time in their test history, if they managed to beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in their two-test series.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dual playmakers, a new loose trio and now two inexperienced wings Sevu Reece and George Bridge starting against the Wallabies – the All Blacks are doubling down on their gamble of investigating just what their players are capable of ahead of next month's World Cup defence.A quick evaluation. The Richie Mo'unga/Beauden Barrett double act has been a qualified success and will remain for the short-to-medium term; certainly for the big games in Japan.It was harder to get a read on how Ardie Savea, Sam Cane and Kieran Read could potentially combine because all three were compromised once Scott Barrett was dismissed in Perth last weekend, but that too looks promising.And the feedback will be immediate on Reece, who made his Super Rugby debut only in February, and Bridge, two inexperienced young Crusaders who base their games around remaining in perpetual motion and making the most of every opportunity.Mo'unga, who will again navigate the All Black ship from No 10 alongside fullback Barrett, has got to this position

Unlike their male counterparts, the Black Ferns have gone with the status quo for their second test with the Wallaroos.The selectors have named the same starting fifteen that retained the Laurie O'Reilly Memorial Trophy in Perth last weekendHowever, there are three changes and a bracket on the bench.20-year-old Canterbury wing Grace Brooker is set to debut, joining hooker Luka Connor and lock Jackie Patea-Fereti as the new faces on the bench.Coach Glenn Moore says there's lots to like about her game."She's big, strong and fast, and the other thing is she knows the game quite well for someone of her age."We've been impressed with her for more than a year now, and she's come off the back of a really good FPC last year."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the face of it, the dropping of Owen Franks, Ben Smith and Rieko Ioane before the most important Bledisloe Cup test in four years must qualify as one of the most dramatic reactions to a loss ever made by All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.And yes, they have been dropped. Hansen was happy to confirm that in front of a packed press conference at the All Blacks hotel today, perhaps to reinforce a message to all of his players that no one is safe only five weeks from the start of the World Cup.The performances of tighthead prop Franks and outside backs Smith and Ioane have not been of an acceptable standard, and Hansen and his fellow selectors couldn't keep rewarding mediocrity.And yet, for all the "panic" headlines dreamed up by media outlets across the ditch reveling in the All Blacks feeling a little discomfort for a change, there is every chance the experienced trio would have sat out this test at Eden Park on Saturday even had Hansen's men won at Perth last weekend rather than slipping to a 47-26 defeat.Hansen