Winners & Losers: All Blacks rookies and veterans make their cases for selection - Christopher Reive

On the wing, Josh Moorby continues to prove that all he needs is an opportunity and he’ll make good of it. Returning to the Hurricanes this season after some time overseas, it wasn’t exactly clear what sort of role he would play should they have a fully healthy squad. They didn’t – with Kini Naholo missing most of the season – and Moorby made his mark en route to an All Blacks call-up.

In the black jersey, he has continued in similar form, finishing his chances and proving to be a handful for defences. Moorby has already shaped up as a key figure in Dave Rennie’s back-three thinking but with Caleb Clarke’s tour over due to a shoulder injury, his stocks rise even higher.

Winners: All Blacks veterans

Moorby isn’t the only one who could benefit from minutes in Clarke’s absence. Like Moorby, 90-test veteran Rieko Ioane has already featured twice on this tour and has been impressive on both occasions. Splitting starts between the left wing and centre, Ioane has proven to be an assured figure in Rennie’s backline, providing an attacking threat, solid defence and good distribution. Be it starting or entering the contest from the bench, Ioane has made it clear he has plenty to offer this team.

Like Ioane, Beauden Barrett did himself plenty of favours with questions still looming over the make-up of the All Blacks back line for the first test. Starting at fullback, Barrett gave a much better account of himself than when he wore the No 10 against the Stormers. There were a few errors in his game, but he injected himself into the attack nicely and was better with his decision-making and his kicking game – not to mention his 144 tests of experience – will be an asset if first-choice fullback Damian McKenzie is unavailable.

Will Jordan, should he be fit to play, would also come into fullback considerations if McKenzie is out, however Rennie has indicated he sees Jordan as a winger for his All Blacks.

Losers: Luke Metcalf and the Warriors depth chart

Make that three halfbacks now unavailable for the Warriors.

Metcalf, in his first appearance in four months after being hampered by a hamstring injury, announced his return in a big way as the New Zealand Warriors beat the Penrith Panthers in Auckland the week before last.

It seemed like it could be the start of a great sporting comeback story, the 27-year-old returning to potentially help the club in their playoff run, before leaving to join the St George Illawarra Dragons in 2027.

Instead, he was once again struck down by a hamstring injury, suffered while making a successful conversion attempt about 20 minutes into the 40-6 win over the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.

The extent of Metcalf’s injury is yet to be revealed, but it’s a blow as the Warriors try to push for a top-two finish.

Te Maire Martin, also recovering from a hamstring injury, is due back before the season’s end, while Tanah Boyd is done for the year with an ACL injury. At least this week, the Warriors will likely have to shift five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita into the No 7 jersey and bring in rookie Luke Hanson alongside him. Hanson, who is also leaving the club at the end of the year, has one NRL game under his belt. They’ll back Hanson, but it’s not an ideal situation with a tricky run into the finals and likely needing good wins to lock up a top-two finish.

Losers: New Zealand’s top netball players

The longer the wait is for some clarity around what the game looks like at home in 2027, the more appealing those offshore contracts must look.

As it stands, there is still no clarity on whether or not the ANZ Premiership – or some version of it – will be running in 2027.

Nathan Limm reports that Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams have proposed a professional competition for 2027 as a stopgap measure before a fully privatised competition in 2028, while Netball New Zealand suggest it has other options on the table as well.

It’s expected about 15 players are already set to head offshore for their next opportunity. But for other players wanting to secure their short-term futures, a decision one way or another needs to come sooner rather than later.

Winners: The Bangladesh cricket team

The Tigers absolutely steamrolled Australia for their first test win on Australian soil, in what is being hailed as the biggest achievement in Bangladesh test cricket history.

Led by a 6-55 haul from medium-pacer Hasan Mahmud, Bangladesh rolled through Australia in the first innings, dismissing their hosts for 198 before putting up 426 in response. Ultimately, Bangladesh won by nine wickets in four days.

Loser (of golf balls): This American battler

As a 22-handicap battler, I almost tagged this as a winner because it’s just so relatable.

Korn Ferry Tour golfer Ryan McCormick had one of the great holes during his second round of the Boise Open with a nine-over-par 13 on the par-four ninth (a nonuple bogey?). It was his last hole of the round, having started on the back nine, and he was eight shots off making the cut, so regardless of how it went, it was going to be his final hole of the tournament.

He hit five tee shots out of bounds. When he finally got one in play, he only needed another two shots to get it in the hole, but the damage had long been done.

It was another strange chapter in the career of the oft-mad American golfer, who wore tape over his mouth during a round early in 2025 in a bid to stop his angry outbursts, while he threw his putter into a lake during the final stage of PGA Tour Q School late last year.

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