Rugby live updates: AUSNZ v British & Irish Lions
Photo:
DEAN LEWINS / PHOTOSPORT
One of the most talked-about fixtures of the Lions tour finally takes place in South Australia, with the Ian Foster-coached AUSNZ combined side taking the field. Kickoff is at 10pm NZT.
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RNZ News
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New All Black Timoci Tavatavanawai makes dream come true
Timoci Tavatavanawai. Photo: Kerry Marshall / Timoci Tavatavanawai knows his dad would be incredibly proud. The Fiji-born Highlanders midfielder came off the bench in the All Blacks 43-17 win over France in the second test in Wellington to earn his first cap. "It feels good. I'm still pinching myself. To run on the field, sing the national anthem and do the haka for first time for this country is special," Tavatavanawai said. Timoci Tavatavanawai charges forward. Photo: Masanori Udagawa Tavatavanawai was visibly emotional during the national anthem and the 27-year-old said it was an expression of joy at having achieved one of his life ambitions. "It was always a goal of mine to play rugby for New Zealand, for the All Blacks," Tavatanawai said. "It was my goal and my dad's goal too. I just couldn't hold back [the tears], looking up at the sky to him where he's watching over me as I made the dream come true." Tavatavanawai, who has nine siblings, moved to New Zealand in 2017 to chase that dream. Sadly, his father died in 2022, before he had the chance to return to Fiji to visit him. He could not attend the funeral due to border restrictions at the time. "He'll be smiling at the moment. His shoulders will be up and he'll be going around telling people up there that we made it," he said. New Zealand Rugby organised for Tavatavanawai's mum to fly to New Zealand for his debut. "They flew over yesterday [Friday] morning. A few people behind the scenes, the management staff, pulled some strings and made some calls and made it happen for her and two of my younger siblings to come over and watch." Timoci Tavatavanawai and Emoni Narawa. Photo: Kerry Marshall / He said was an emotional moment when he saw his mum and brothers. "I picked them up at the airport and for my younger siblings, it was their first time in New Zealand and first time on the plane. That's why it was extra special today. "Mum said to me, just go out there and be yourself." Tavatavanawai did just that and coach Scott Robertson said he impressed on debut. "He's a man of few words but when he spoke about himself and his nine siblings and his family, it's a pretty incredible story and he was pretty clear on what he wanted to do [become an All Black] and for him to share it with his family is pretty special," Robertson said. "He still wanted to perform. He took those opportunities when he was out there. His story to get here is pretty special." Tavatavanawai said test rugby lived up to all the hype. "Way bigger than I expected from the start. To get a feeling and a taste of test footy [was amazing]. It's surreal." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
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Relief for Wales as win over Japan brings losing streak to an end
Welsh rugby player Josh Adams of Wales celebrates scoring a try with a team mate, in his team's 31-22 over Japan, in July 2025. Photo: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans Agency Relief for Welsh rugby who've finally ended their record losing streak with a 31-22 victory over Japan, which has spared them the ignominy of going down as the worst side in test rugby. Wales held on for a narrow and nervy triumph in Kobe to level the two-test series, their first win after a streak of 18 successive defeats. Again they had a handy halftime lead over their Japanese hosts but, unlike in last week's first loss in Kitakyushu, this time they managed to hold on and claim success. "We were braver than last week. Last week we got in front and we probably tried to hold on to a lead," said Wales interim head coach Matt Sherratt, who was in tears at the end of the encounter. "When you have not won a game for a period of time, you start to get edgy, so the messaging this week was to be braver." Wales captain Dewi Lake added: "It wasn't pretty but it's an important landmark for us today, to get that first win back on the board." Had Wales lost they would have set a record losing streak for a Tier One side, surpassing the sequence of France between 1911 and 1920. The win was their first test victory in 644 days, since beating Georgia in Nantes in the last of their group matches at the 2023 World Cup in France. The losing run has seen Wales slip to a low of 12th in the World Rugby rankings. Sherratt thanked long-suffering fans, adding: "Even during the Six Nations, I know it's been a hard time to support Wales. I hope you can enjoy tonight because we are certainly going to enjoy the next 24 hours." Englishman Sherratt , who is the Cardiff coach, agreed to stay on for the two matches in Japan after taking over on a caretaker basis during the Six Nations when Warren Gatland left. Wales will now turn to appointing a permanent coach as they look to the November internationals when they host Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa at the Principality Stadium in back-to-back matches. - Reuters
RNZ News
4 hours ago
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‘We were ruthless': How the All Blacks booted their way to victory
Analysis - While the highlight reels will be all about offloads, the All Blacks' 43-17 win was just as much about a masterful control of field position. Scott Robertson was certainly happy to highlight the kicking game in the post-match press conference, saying that his side had learned their lessons from last weekend's much tighter encounter in Dunedin. "Yeah, we got a bit more of a balance," he said. "We played our fullback in the middle of the field so we could put them in the corner, turn them around and put pressure on their set piece. The set piece went great again, that creates opportunities somewhere else when we turn them around and shut down their defensive shape." Codie Taylor scores against France. Photo: Kerry Marshall / It was noticeable early on that Beauden Barrett and Cam Roigard weren't content to simply hoof the ball skyward, although contestable kicking still played a big role. Robertson said that it wasn't just about going up and catching the ball either, with the sometimes messy situation after it bounced very much part of the plan. "They (France) won everything in the first eight or so bounces of the ball last week," he said. "So we were clear on our effort areas. We had to be better as a team and it showed, when the ball bounced we were on a few more than them and it made a massive difference." Barrett, who also continued his good placekicking form with four conversions and a penalty, echoed his coach's sentiments. "There's been a bit of chat around the high ball, but it's winning the scraps around it," he said. Beauden Barrett. Photo: Kerry Marshall / "Sometimes players don't actually go for the ball, they go for a tap back and create a mess, a bit of chaos. So we were working hard on that during the week. It's really important because we didn't win many of those battles last weekend." Meanwhile, the message by stand in captain Ardie Savea before the game to "let the shackles off and be free" certainly inspired some attacking cohesion. Tupou Vaa'i finished off the best try of the night, with the lead-up work featuring four offloads in the tackle. "We spoke during the week about wanting to front up," said Savea. "I think the boys did really well tonight, we were ruthless in most parts of the game." Jordie Barrett is tackled heavily against France. Photo: Kerry Marshall / Robertson was pleased his side trusted themselves on attack, after several key chances went begging last weekend. "It was good to see the referee making the calls and the flow of the game - keeping it fast…we were making sure we were trusting our skill set," he said. It's fair to say this test played out the way many had presumed this series would, after French coach Fabien Galthié overhauled his side from Dunedin. However it is telling that his main kicking weapons - Nolann Le Garrec and Joris Segonds - retained their inside back positions but weren't allowed anywhere near the sort of territorial influence they had in the first test. While the win clinched the Dave Gallaher Cup for the All Blacks, the final test in Hamilton next weekend is an interesting one. Galthié is now able to put together his best side to try and get one back. "This is a series, we might have one two but the third is just as important to us." Asked what he thought whether Galthié would be treating this as a major test match, Robertson had an even shorter answer: "He will now."
