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West Australian
4 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
WA to be thunderstruck as AC/DC, Ed Sheeran, Ashes and WWE head to town from September
Bryan Adams might well claim the summer of '69 as the greatest, the summer of 2025 in WA is shaping as one to remember for sporting and musical diehards. AC/DC, Metallica, Ed Sheeran, the Ashes, and WWE are just some of the events scheduled for Optus Stadium and RAC Arena from September through to the end of January. Tourism representatives and the State Government this week salivated at the potential economic and social spinoffs to WA because the events. 'We want WA to remain the strongest economy in the nation. That's why we're diversifying our economy for the future by bringing big-name events to Perth that will attract thousands of visitors and pump millions into the local economy,' Acting Premier Rita Saffioti said. 'For every dollar spent on these events, we have a return of $3.50 — that's money going straight into the pockets of WA businesses. 'Importantly, these events put us on the global stage, positioning WA as an event destination. 'WA's summer of entertainment is going to be huge — and with a great line up to look forward to, there's something for everyone.' Optus Stadium chief executive Mike McKenna said the venue was preparing for its biggest ever summer, which followed its biggest ever month in June. 'From October to March, Optus Stadium will host concerts featuring three huge acts, the return of the blockbuster Bledisloe Cup, the hotly anticipated first Test of the NRMA Insurance Men's Ashes series, a One Day International between Australia and India and another big BBL season,' he said. 'Before the 2026 winter AFL season commences, the AFC Asian Women's Cup kicks off with the opening game at the Stadium, along with a semi final match.' Mr McKenna said Optus would stage some massive concerts in coming months. 'The stadium will transition to concert mode when heavy metal band Metallica brings their signature sound on November 1 as part of the M72 World Tour, with special guests Evanescence and Suicidal Tendencies,' Mr McKenna said. 'This will be Metallica's first visit to Australia in a decade and tickets have already sold out. 'AC/DC will then bring their global Power Up tour to the stadium . . . delivering a career spanning setlist packed with iconic anthems like Stadium favourite Thunderstruck. 'As soon as the BBL season ends, we will welcome global singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran back to Optus Stadium for the third time on January 31, 2026, as part of the Loop Tour.' Tourism WA managing director Anneke Brown said .enticing big events to Perth was part of 'a plan to grow the WA tourism sector'. 'Events are a key part of our plan to grow the WA tourism sector, as they drive bookings to our Dream State, add vibrancy to a destination and drive awareness of Western Australia as an incredible holiday and events destination through media coverage,' she said. Tourism Council WA boss Evan Hall said not all events were money spinners, but some were big economic boons for the State. 'For every 1000 interstate fans we entice to WA for major tourism events we create an additional $2.5M in the economy creating more than 15 jobs,' he said.
RTÉ News
5 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Preview: Lions won't be bowled over by history at the MCG
Only 21 games of rugby union have ever been played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. The British and Irish Lions didn't even exist when the Carlton football club hosted Waratah from New South Wales in June 1878 for that first game of rugby at the MCG. They played two games that weekend, one as a game of rugby, and the other under Victorian rules – the game we now know to be Australian Rules Football. An estimated 6,000 people were in attendance for that game, the result of which was disputed by both teams. The MCG will look a lot different this week, as the Wallabies and British and Irish Lions look to threaten the biggest ever crowd for a rugby game at Australia's most famous sporting venue, that being the 90,119 that watched Australia host New Zealand in 1997. The Lions have been here twice before, defeating Victoria on their 1899 and in 1930 tours, but they've never played a Test at 'The G'. In fact, this will be just the fifth international Test ever to be played at the ground, all four being Bledisloe Cup games between the Wallabies and the All Blacks. Rugby union is practically a minority sport in Melbourne, with pretty much everything playing far behind Aussie Rules during the winter in this town. However, it hasn't been an easy place for the Lions to visit. In 2001 and 2013 they brought a 1-0 lead to Docklands Stadium (now Marvel Stadium), where the Wallabies tied up the series, but it would take something special for Joe Schmidt's side to set up a deciding Test in Sydney next week. It was jarring to see how easily the Lions bullied the Wallabies a week ago in that first half as they cruised towards a 17-5 half-time lead, before extending it minutes after the break to effectively kill off the game. 'We were probably all a danger to ourselves, this wouldn't have happened.' #RTERugby podcast pundits @jonnyholland10 and @MurphyJohne hail Garry Ringrose for self-reporting a head injury after being included in the Lions starting XV for second Test — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 24, 2025 They played in a way we simply don't associate with a Joe Schmidt side, with Tom Lynagh floundering behind a pack that was going backwards phase on phase, and their attacking shape appearing disorganised and improvised – not in a good way. There was plenty of heart on display, but heart can only get you so far in a game of collisions, and their late rally to score two tries and put some respectability on the scoreboard was as much down to the tourists taking their foot off the gas rather than the Wallabies finding an extra gear. Farrell was clearly frustrated last Saturday evening at how his side took their foot off the throat in the final half an hour at Suncorp Stadium, and when he referred back to it on Thursday after naming his side for this week's second Test, he described it as a "dip in focus" from his players. "We thoroughly believe that we're way better than what we showed, and we've got another chance to prove that," he said, after naming his side for the second Test yesterday. Joe McCarthy (above) misses out due to the plantar fasciitis which forced him off early in the second half last week, and Farrell has resisted the temptation to move Tadhg Beirne into his usual position at lock, slotting Ollie Chessum in alongside captain Maro Itoje and retaining last week's exceptional back row trio of Beirne, Tom Curry and Jack Conan. Andrew Porter also starts, perhaps to create a change in the picture they present at the scrum after some decisions went the Wallabies way last week, but equally to unleash Ellis Genge's explosive qualities on a tiring Australian pack in the second half. In the centre, Bundee Aki (below) comes in for Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu, where Farrell had plans to pair him with his Ireland team-mate Garry Ringrose, but after the Leinster centre had to drop out due to concussion, Huw Jones came back into this week's line-up. Despite having played his Irish and Scottish centres together for the majority of this tour, Farrell is backing the Aki-Jones combination to gel. "At this stage of the tour, and well before this stage of the tour, actually, the combinations have been absolutely fine together. So Bundee and Huw will hit it off exactly like any other type of partnership. "These things happen in the warm-up of any game, the pressure is off and people tend to play freely because of that type of situation. Huw won't miss a beat in that regard," Farrell added. Given the head coach's frustrations at how little impact he got from his bench last week, his decision to shuffle the replacements is worth noting. Genge is arguably a victim of his own high-octane style of play, held back to keep the energy levels him when he comes on in the second half. With Chessum starting, James Ryan got the nod to step up to the bench, and while it's been suggested that Scot Cummings is the more in-form of the two, Ryan's abrasiveness at the breakdown is something Farrell has always valued. Farrell did go for the form option of Jac Morgan as his back row replacement ahead of Ben Earl's versatility, while the decision to play Owen Farrell over Marcus Smith as the replacement out-half shows the stock Andy is putting in leadership. For their worth, Australia have clearly addressed the power imbalance of last week in their selection. Leinster-nemesis Will Skelton - all 6ft 8in and 135kg of him – comes in at second row, while reigning Australian player of the year Rob Valetini has also recovered from injury to start. Flanker Langi Gleeson has also been declared fit, and is named on the bench, with Andrew Kellaway dropping out to allow for the 6:2 split, something the haven't done since a World Cup warm-up against France in 2023. While Skelton has been a consistent thorn in the side of the many Leinster players in this group, Valetini's return is more important for the Wallabies for his ball-carrying ability. 'A member of the Concrete XV', as described by the Sydney Morning Herald's Iain Payten (above) on this week's RTÉ Rugby Podcast, the Wallabies tried to share the burden of his ball-carrying in Brisbane last week, Nick Frost and Fraser McReight their two leading carriers in the pack with just 42 metres made from a combined 26 carries. If Valetini can get on the ball and make the Lions defence go backwards, the field could open up, with more time in the hands of Lynagh and more space in midfield for their wildcard, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. It should be a better Wallabies team than we saw in Brisbane, but the feeling is that it's still not good enough, and the performances of Taniela Tupou, Lukhan Salakai-Loto and Darcy Swain for the First Nations and Pasifika XV last week suggest that while there is top level talent in Australia at the moment, it's not all being picked by the Wallabies. Verdict: Lions Australia: Tom Wright; Max Jorgensen, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Harry Potter; Tom Lynagh, Jake Gordon; James Slipper, David Porecki, Allan Alaalatoa; Nick Frost, Will Skelton; Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson. Replacements: Billy Pollard, Angus Bell, Tom Robertson, Jeremy Williams, Langi Gleeson, Carlo Tizzano, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson. British and Irish Lions: Hugo Keenan; Tommy Freeman, Huw Jones, Bundee Aki, James Lowe; Finn Russell, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong; Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum; Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, Jack Conan.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Scoop
Australia Beats New Zealand To Win The Trans-Tasman Best Tasting Tap Water Title
23 July 2025 – Australia has won the coveted trans-Tasman title of Best Tasting Tap Water. Earlier tonight, Timaru District Council's Seadown water treatment plant – the current New Zealand champion – went head-to-head with Australia's reigning titleholder, Isaac Regional Council's Glenden Scheme from Queensland. The showdown, affectionately known as the 'Bledisloe Cup of tap water tasting', took place in Newcastle, New South Wales. Timaru earned its place in the trans-Tasman final after taking out New Zealand's National Water Taste Test. Then event, sponsored by IXOM, was held on 29 May at the Water Industry Operations Group of New Zealand (WIOG) annual conference and awards in Nelson. Municipal water suppliers from across the country were invited to submit samples of their finest drop, with the Seadown plant ultimately crowned this year's national winner. Australia's competition followed a similar process. Water authorities from both regional and metropolitan areas competed in state-based heats, with the winners advancing to the national final. Isaac Regional Council's Glenden Scheme emerged as the overall Australian champion. The IXOM-sponsored Trans-Tasman Water Taste Test is a fun way to raise awareness of the quality of drinking water in New Zealand and Australia, and to recognise the efforts of local water operators and their teams to deliver valuable water services to their communities. During judging, water samples are subjected to a blind taste test and rated according to the 'Water Tasting Wheel'. The Wheel outlines some of the attributes water professionals use when assessing water such as colour, clarity, odour and taste. Think 'wine tasting' without needing to spit out the samples and you won't be far wrong. 'Many of us turn on taps for a drink, to cook and to shower, with little thought about the complexities involved in operating and maintaining the water infrastructure,' said Joshua McIndoe, Chair, WIOG. 'The competition highlights the dedication of individuals and organisations that work tirelessly to provide their communities with safe, high-quality drinking water every day.' Mr McIndoe also acknowledged IXOM's support of the Trans-Tasman Water Taste Test. 'IXOM's steadfast commitment to the industry enables us to run this competition and celebrate the critical work of water service providers in both New Zealand and Australia,' he said. 'IXOM is proud to be the sponsor of the prestigious 2025 Trans-Tasman Water Taste Test competition,' said Sean Eccles, General Manager New Zealand, IXOM. 'IXOM is a leading supplier of water treatment chemicals to the water sector. With over 100 years of expertise, IXOM locally manufactures and supplies chemicals to water treatment plants all over New Zealand and Australia. We strive to raise standards and innovate across the industry, and help to ensure everyone has access to safe, clean and great-tasting drinking water.'
NZ Herald
18-07-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Oldest living All Black Brian Steele, 96, shares secret to longevity
He only got his chance to appear in the All Black trials because Wellington's first-choice halfback Vince Bevan was forced out with injuries. Steele's trial saw him play three games in Wellington and Palmerston North. He said it was a hard trial because everyone he was playing was so good. 'I enjoyed it and I was lucky to get through,' he said. The All Blacks team headed to Sydney from Evans Bay in Wellington on a Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) flying boat, a flight that would take eight hours. It was the ideal duration for Steele and the team's other newbies to get their heads around actions and words for the haka. Steele said he wouldn't be able to perform it today as he doesn't remember the words. Playing in every game and test of the tour, Steele's speed, ball handling, and smarts helped the All Blacks win every game and take the Bledisloe Cup back from the Wallabies after losing it to them in 1949. Oldest living All Black, Brian Steele, takes on the Wallabies on the 1951 All Blacks tour of Australia. Although Steele wasn't able to get a try in the series, he did manage a dropped goal against a Combined XV in Wagga Wagga and a conversion when he and legendary winger Ron Jarden swapped their regular positions, with Steele typically being the one to hold the ball as Jarden kicked. 'That was the style of the time, and the balls were heavy because they were made of leather,' Steele said. Despite a strong showing in the team at a young age, Steele never played for the All Blacks again, nor did he receive another trial. But Steele is happy his record with the All Blacks will forever remain a 100% win rate. Oldest living All Black Brian Steele's portrait from the 1951 All Blacks tour of Australia. Outside of rugby, Steele was a carpenter on high-rise buildings in Wellington until the city's miserable weather motivated him to relocate to Havelock North in 1968 with his wife and five children. After rugby, Steele became a mountain climber and marathon runner, completing 25 marathons around the world. 'You've got to keep fit, or you'll lose it all,' he said of his motivation. He also became a big supporter of charity through his work with Telethon, the 24-hour live television spectacular raising funds for charitable causes in the country that ran through the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Steele's charity work on the shows saw him live in a caravan atop scaffolding at the Write Price supermarket at the site of Hastings Pak'nSave. He also lived in a six-foot by four-foot (1.82m x 1.21m) hut atop a pole for a week, with people dropping food and donations into a bucket attached to a rope. Steele said he remembered having to send down excrement in a separate bucket. As Christian Cullen's great-uncle, Steele said he never had any advice to give the Paekākāriki Express, because 'he was that good'. Today, Steele lives a happy life at a rest home in Havelock North and is a proud grandfather to 11 and great-grandfather to three. He still watches the rugby and cheers on his old team, but he doesn't enjoy watching it on TV as much as he would at the stadium. 'On the TV, the camera goes right in and when we go to the game, we sit in the stadium and we get to watch the full picture,' he said. At 96, Steele is just four years away from becoming the second ever All Black to hit 100, and he's sure he can make it. 'Come back and see me in 2029,' he said with a laugh. Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke's Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier.
Irish Times
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Matt Williams: Charmless Lions have put on a masterclass in how not to win friends since landing in Australia
Long ago, draped in the wattle blossom gold of their national tree, the Wallabies reigned supreme. Back then, they were Australia's team. Australia's two giant professional oval-ball codes, Australian Football League (AFL) and the National Rugby League (NRL), have a combined total of 35 professional men's teams. While these mega sports dominate the local media landscape, both codes have a huge weakness. Their international footprints are close to non-existent. One of rugby's greatest strengths is its global nature, with multiple international matches every season. This fact makes the AFL and NRL green with envy. In 1986, when the Wallabies trounced New Zealand in the third test at Eden Park in Auckland and brought the Bledisloe Cup home, the Australian sporting public were overjoyed. Nothing unites Australians like beating New Zealand. READ MORE Slow Lions build-up finally culminates in Test week Listen | 37:54 The AFL and NRL supporters may not have liked rugby, but they loved to see an Australian team, their golden Wallabies, victorious. When the William Webb Ellis Trophy joined the Bledisloe Cup in the trophy cabinet after the 1991 Rugby World Cup (RWC), the love affair between the Australian people and the Wallabies was consummated. For the next decade, as the trophies piled up, so did the love fest. The 1999 World Cup was joined by the Tom Richards Trophy when Australia defeated the Lions in 2001. Australia captain John Eales lifts the Tom Richards Cup after the series victory against the Lions in 2001. Photograph: Scott Barbour/Allsport Prime ministers, movie stars, media moguls and boxing legends all sat in the stands wearing Wallaby scarves, praying the TV cameras would flash their image out to the millions of adoring Australian sports lovers watching at home. The moment Jonny Wilkinson's boot launched the winning drop goal in the dying moments of the 2003 RWC Final, the relationship between the Wallabies and the Australian people began to wane. As each trophy departed Australian shores, the Wallabies' fall from grace accelerated. The AFL and NRL rejoiced in the demise. However, not even the considerable political power of the AFL and NRL can stop the 12-year cycle of the Lions juggernaut. [ View from Down Under: The Lions are very welcome guests, but they could do their hosts more harm than good Opens in new window ] A leading economist this week estimated that the Lions will inject the equivalent of €230 million into the Australian economy. Remember that the foundational purpose of today's Lions organisation is to make money for the home unions. When compared to South Africa and New Zealand, the Lions' tours of Australia are the most lucrative by a considerable margin. With huge stadiums packed for every match and the Australian dollar stronger than the Kiwi dollar and South African rand, Australia is a financial bonanza for the Lions. Cash is king and the money tells me that the Lions are not going to dump Australia for Argentina anytime soon. The favourable finances do not hide the hard reality that these three tests across the next fortnight are perhaps the most important in modern Australian rugby history. This is because the first test in Brisbane offers the Wallabies – and the entire sport of rugby union on this island continent – a path to redemption and the saving of the soul of the game in Australia. The Lions test team has several players, including Hugo Keenan and Tadhg Furlong, who are a long way out of form. Tadhg Beirne is a second rower playing blindside flanker, while Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones are the second-best pairing of centres in the Lions. Every Lion is a quality player, but this is not an overwhelmingly brilliant XV. Tadhg Beirne during Lions training in Australia. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho It might not be clear to Lions supporters in Ireland, but here in Australia, these Lions have not been great ambassadors for the game. Winning the hearts and minds of the Australian rugby public has not appeared on the Lions' to-do list. With over 90 individuals in their touring party, they are like an enclosed order of sporting monks. Happy within their cloistered confines, shunning the outside world. On the nightly news in Australia, there are almost no Lions faces or interviews. Compared to the Wallabies – who are out in the community, visiting children's hospitals and working the local media to promote the game – Australians' access to Lions players has been less than minimal. That is a highly regrettable situation that the Lions management needs to change. To write off a stronger Wallaby outfit at home is another example of the arrogance that is infecting rugby in Ireland and the UK There has also been some simply idiotic stuff. Immediately prior to the Lions' game against the Waratahs, Sydney suffered under a horrendous four-day storm that produced hurricane levels of torrential rain. It is well documented that the drainage of the relatively new Sydney Football Stadium has failed during heavy rain events. After the match, the Lions publicly complained that the pitch had been watered as a tactic to hinder their attack. In other words, the Lions ignored the huge rainfall and the documented drainage problems at the Stadium and accused the Waratahs of cheating. It was embarrassing to witness, ignorant in context and a lesson in how not to win friends and influence people. Here, we should remember that Australian and Irish teams have one very similar trait. They are at their most dangerous when they have been insulted and written off. From day one, the Lions entourage have neatly ticked both boxes. The absence of Will Skelton is a blow for the Wallabies. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho The Lions are red-hot favourites, but there is a path that Joe Schmidt can chart for his Wallabies to navigate an unlikely series opening win. The Wallabies are also below their best with no Rob Valetini or Will Skelton. Added to that, the slightness and inexperience of Tom Lynagh at outhalf is of grave concern. But it does not mean the Lions are assured of victory. If the Australians follow the gutsy example of the understrength Waratahs and Brumbies, who sprinted forward and tackled with such an intensity that they pressured their opponents into errors, then the Wallabies have a chance because defence wins big matches. The north has conveniently forgotten that only a few weeks ago an understrength Argentina, who were also written off before the match, defeated the Lions. Logically, it follows that to write off a stronger Wallaby outfit at home is another example of the arrogance that is infecting rugby in Ireland and the UK. The Lions are overwhelming favourites. They must shoulder the pressure of expectation like no other Lions team has done in living memory. All of that despite not having proved they are worthy of such expectation. The Lions faithful cannot conceive of a way they can be defeated. All of which is music to Australian ears. As the Pumas proved in Dublin, under the combination of massively unrealistic expectations, deep physicality, scoreboard pressure and their own underestimation of their opponent, the Lions cracked. If the Wallabies can turn Brisbane into a physical bash-fest and match the Lions' setplay, this will allow the Australian back row to dominate the tackle zone. If all of that occurs, then the gold team has a slim chance. Of course, it is a big ask for Joe Schmidt's team. For the future of rugby in Australia, I hope today's Wallabies can be inspired by those who wore that famous jersey before them and seize this golden opportunity to become Australia's team once more.
