Sportstalk with D'Arcy Waldegrave

NBA players didn't come to Disney solely for a restart. They wanted social reform. The Milwaukee Bucks showed how far they're willing to go to get it by opting not to play in their playoff game Wednesday. Two more games were postponed later in the day, the second time this season NBA basketball came to an immediate halt. Other sports followed, just as they did in March when the season was suspende...

Rookie Maddy Gordon has been named in the national netball side for the 2020-21 season, joining a group that is largely unchanged from the one that claimed the 2019 World Cup. Coach Noeline Taurua has brought in the uncapped Gordon, who just two days ago topped off a strong personal ANZ Premiership campaign with another title playing for the Central Pulse. The 20-year-old helps freshen up a midcou...

Scott Dixon has qualified second fastest for Monday's Indy500. The Kiwi driver posted the quickest time midway through the Fast Nine shootout and faced a nervous wait as the other drivers completed their runs. Marco Andretti - son of Michael and grandson of racing icon Mario - swooped in with the last run to pip Dixon with the quickest average speed of 231.068 miles per hour to Dixon's 231.051. It...

New Zealand Rugby have announced the squads for the North v South clash on August 29. The squads have been selected by All Blacks selectors Ian Foster, Grant Fox, and John Plumtree. The All Blacks assistant coaches will coach the two sides, with Plumtree and Scott McLeod coaching the North and Brad Mooar and Greg Feek coaching the South. Foster called the clash is a "once-in-a-generation match". "...

The Super Rugby Aotearoa match between the Blues and Crusaders at Eden Park in Auckland has been cancelled after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed Auckland will remain at alert Level 3 until August 26. Tomorrow's Highlanders-Hurricanes match at Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium will go ahead however, with the game to be played under Level 2 restrictions, in front of no crowd and at an earlier t...

After almost a month without racing, Kiwi driver Shane van Gisbergen's bracing himself for a hectic Supercars schedule. Racing resumes on Saturday in Darwin - the first of four consecutive weekends of action. Van Gisbergen told D'Arcy Waldegraves he hasn't experienced such a congested calendar in Supercars before. "We've been up in Darwin already for a week in half just waiting to go. It's interes...

It could be a case of one from two for the final round of Super Rugby Aotearoa this weekend, with the sold out Blues and Crusaders match at Eden Park heading for cancellation unless Auckland moves from alert Level 3 restrictions. The rapidly altered Covid-19 landscape forced New Zealand Rugby to explore multiple contingencies on Wednesday as Auckland dealt with its outbreak of four probable cases...

The final round of the ANZ Premiership regular season has been cancelled. Netball New Zealand has confirmed that all games will be drawn due to the change in Covid-19 alert levels around the country. This means the Round 10 matches – held on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th (Auckland), Sunday 16th (Wellington and Dunedin) and Monday 17th August (Wellington) - will not be played, with each team awarde...

The Warriors have made one change to the starting side that beat the Manly for their match against the Penrith. Lachlan Burr returns to the front-row in place of suspended loan-prop Jack Hetherington. Isaiah Papali'i will take Burr's spot on the interchange. Listen to the audio above as Todd Payten speaks to D'Arcy Waldegrave. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Zealand Warriors could announce the appointment of NRL commentator and former coach Phil Gould as Director of Football within days, in a move designed to help the struggling NRL club "rediscover its mojo". Gould confirmed on Thursday night that he had been in talks with the Warriors about a role to "overhaul the club's pathways and development systems". According to Australian media, Gould...

Acting New Zealand Warriors coach Todd Payten has opened up about the circumstances surrounding the stunning revelation that he had turned down a fulltime role with the club. On Monday evening Payten agreed to be part of Fox Sports' nightly NRL 360 show which then filmed a simple pre-recorded story, updating viewers on his attempts to take his playing squad in a new direction during what has been...

Rugby commentator Nigel Yalden joins Sportstalk with D'Arcy Waldegrave to preview the highly anticipated Super Rugby Aotearoa clash between the Crusaders and Chiefs on Saturday night. To listen to live commentary of the match, find your local frequency or listen live here:  https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/sport/how-to-listen-to-newstalk-zb-sport/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

A pioneer for sport in New Zealand has passed away. All Blacks great Andy Haden has died aged 69, after a long battle with cancer. The former lock played 117 matches and 41 tests for the All Blacks between 1972 and 1985. Former All Blacks first five Grant Fox told D'Arcy Waldegrave he was devastated when he heard the news, and Haden was an "advocate". "Andy was a pioneer, he advocated for the prof...

The Warriors will be fielding a different looking side for this weekend' NRL match against the Wests Tigers. George Jennings and Daniel Alvaro are both set to feature, having been loaned from Parramatta following the departure of four Warriors players. Those players elected to return home to New Zealand to be with their families, who could not get exemptions to travel over to Australia. Jennings w...

Many sports have already returned after the Covid-19 pandemic's immediate impacts, but kiwi Motocross rider Courtney Duncan's still waiting to hit the track again. Ms Duncan told D'Arcy Waldegrave they are set to return on September 6 in Turkey. "Yeah that's the season restart, but as as you can see the world's in a pretty crazy position right now and things are changing daily. So whether that hap...

Liam Messam is the latest high profile addition to this year's Mitre 10 Cup campaign. The 45-test former All Blacks loose forward will rejoin Waikato, five years after last appearing for the province, after returning from France. Messam will bolster a Waikato team already featuring All Blacks Damian McKenzie, Anton Lienert-Brown, Sevu Reece and Luke Jacobson. The 36-year-old continues the trend of...

South Africa Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux has joined his Australian counterparts in warning New Zealand Rugby over any plans to form a new Super Rugby competition without them. New Zealand and Australia are currently wrangling over the makeup of a new competition, but traditional foes South Africa – who were already eyeing up the European competitions - appear to have been sidelined from talks...

Todd Payten may not be long for the crazy world of the Warriors. But whatever happens to the interim coach, he will be remembered – for his refreshing honesty. And Payten didn't hold back on why veteran forward Adam Blair, one of the highest paid players at the club, had been shunted onto the interchange bench for Saturday's encounter with the champion Sydney Roosters. The Warriors are facing perh...

Two of the Wellington Phoenix's star attackers will be eased back into the A-League side. The Phoenix resume their season against Sydney FC tomorrow night, four months after playing their last match due to Covid-19. Coach Ufuk Talay says imports Ulises Davila and Gary Hooper aren't yet ready to play 90 minutes after returning from overseas. He also hopes that Libby Cacace will see out the A-League...

Will any of this week's Super Rugby matches rival the tension and excitement of the Blues v Crusaders?  The Crusaders surged home in the final quarter to overcome the Blues 26-15 in their Super Rugby Aotearoa match in Christchurch. The Red and Blacks have scored two tries late through Mitchell Drummond and Will Jordan to stay unbeaten in the competition, but the clash of the Auckland and Canterbur...

Half Kodi Nikorima and second-rower Eli Katoa have been named to return from injury for the Warriors for Sunday's NRL match against the Sharks. Nikorima missed the loss to the Titans with a head knock, while Katoa's sat out the last three with an ankle injury. That sees Chanel Harris-Tavita and Jack Murchie have move to the extended bench, with the rest of the line-up unchanged. Utility back Peta...

The Warriors will be without Kodi Nikorima for this Friday's NRL match against the Titans. The five-eight has failed to recover from a head knock suffered in the win over the Broncos. Chanel Harris-Tevita will take his place in the run-on side. Meanwhile, they will welcome back Jazz Tevaga coming onto the interchange bench. Returning from an ankle injury and calf strain, the back-rower has been na...

Community sport has been targeted in the first major release of the Government's Covid-19 recreation recovery package. And basketball – bypassed in the much smaller initial package – has won a special mention after its boss Iain Potter claimed his sport had been "kicked in the guts" by the snub. Sport New Zealand had claimed the national basketball league did not qualify for any handout in the fir...

Eden Park is ready to add more events to its calendar in the coming months. The Auckland venue is being linked with hosting a State of Origin match this year and has the backing of New South Wales coach Brad Fittler. The North vs South All Blacks trial on August 29 will also be played at the ground and Eden Park CEO Nick Sautner says they are negotiating with others. "The North v South fixture, ob...

UFC fighter Dan Hooker has shared a heartbreaking image of himself in quarantine after returning home to New Zealand from a professional fight. On Sunday, Hooker faced lightweight rival Dustin Poirier at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas in what has been described as the best fight of 2020 to date. Poirier was awarded the victory via unanimous decision, but Hooker gained plenty of respect following the...