Latest news with #Highlanders
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
King Charles launches bizarre new product using a midge-repellant plant found near a Royal estate
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) KING Charles has launched his own range of beard grooming products - made from a midge-repellant plant found on the Balmoral estate. The monarch's 50,000 acre residence in Aberdeenshire is selling a collection of beard oils, washes and balms. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Chieftain Organic Beard Oil is priced at £25 3 Balmoral Castle, nr Crathie, Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland 3 King Charles III is launching his own range of beard grooming products The new range, which also includes organic body washes, has been made in collaboration with local beard care firm Hairy Highlander. The products have all been infused with wild bog myrtle, hand-foraged from the grounds of the Balmoral estate. The plant is common in the north of Scotland and it has been used for centuries by Highlanders to keep midges away. Its leaves and twigs, when crushed and rubbed on the skin, release a fragrant oil that acts as a natural insect repellent. Balmoral Castle and Estate said the shrub 'has long been valued in Highland tradition as part of skin-soothing botanical care - especially in harsh, weather-exposed conditions'. The beard care products feature two signature scents. They are Laird – a bright, citrus-spiced blend of pink grapefruit, lemon verbena, and cinnamon leaf - and Chieftain – a grounding mix of Norwegian fir, cedarwood, and patchouli, inspired by Highland forests. A 30ml of the Chieftain Organic Beard Oil is priced at £25 on the Balmoral online store while a 200ml bottle of the Laird Organic Beard Wash costs £32. In a statement, Balmoral Castle and Estate said: 'Introducing our new collection of organic body washes, beard oils, and balms; created exclusively for Balmoral Castle and infused with wild Bog Myrtle, hand-foraged from the Balmoral Estate. 'Expertly crafted in the Highlands by Hairy Highlander. Huge Prince Harry update as he arranges peace summit with King Charles 'within weeks' – but has no plans to meet William 'Now available as part of the Balmoral Exclusive Collection.' Family firm Hairy Highlander crafts organic grooming products from wild-harvested botanicals and donates 10 per cent of its profits to rewilding northern Scotland, helping restore native habitats and support long-term ecological regeneration. The company said it was 'a real honour to create this bespoke grooming range for Balmoral Castle'. Balmoral estate launched an online shop to sell merchandise last year and other products include a tartan throw priced at almost £1,000. The store features a range of gifts inspired by the Royal residence including socks, dog leads, baby clothing and beanie hats. The centrepiece of the collection is items made using the newly launched Balmoral hunting tartan which was created by leading designer Araminta Birse-Stewart. They include a £962 cashmere tartan throw, a tartan scarf priced at £385 and a shawl made using the fabric which costs £140. The tartan has also been used to create a hot water bottle and a hair scrunchie. Balmoral, in the heart of Royal Deeside, has been a Scottish holiday home for the Royal Family for decades and Queen Elizabeth died there aged 96 in September 2022.
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Tougher challenge ahead for All Blacks
Work in progress Thoughts on the All Blacks through the first two tests of the season? Look for a mid-season report (maybe) in the Otago Daily Times in the next few days — and email me your thoughts if you fancy making that job easier. For now, I suppose I would say: yeah, it's going OK. Some new men have been blooded — and while Highlanders lock Fabian Holland is the biggest (literally — the kid is just massive) success story, Christian Lio-Willie has also been solid at No 8, Timoci Tavatavanawai has had a wee taste and will only get better, Du'Plessis Kirifi has done well, and Ollie Norris . . . well, he's a prop, so nobody really knows. Both tests against France have been won, which is of paramount importance. Beauden Barrett has reclaimed his status as the leading No 10 in the country. And there have been enough signs of the Razor Way — that the All Blacks do actually have some freshness and mojo about them — to keep the critics silent. Bank this 3-0 test series sweep then get ready for the stiffer challenge of the Rugby Championship. The foreign legion The Last Word is split about 80-20 on the negative side of having overseas players in the NPC. It is fair to acknowledge the benefit of having a few classy internationals in the competition, whether that be for public interest or mentoring young local players. And, in Otago's case, there are sound reasons to accept they are thin in a couple of areas and could use some bolstering, especially as they have been so darn poor in recent years. Joseva Tamani, in particular, looks a good get, and who doesn't enjoy watching a giant Fijian lock rampaging around the field? But. This is the modern NPC. It is effectively a developmental competition now. A vital part of the New Zealand rugby pathway, yes. A lot of fun as it tends to be a lot looser than Super Rugby, yes. But it should be solely about the best club players and locally based Super Rugby representatives running around in their provincial colours. International players explicitly block opportunities for local players, and if all the unions scaled back their expectations of this competition, it would not be a bad thing. Where are they now? Best wishes to the Baby Blacks tomorrow morning as they attempt to win the world under-20 championship for the first time since 2017. This looks a very good bunch of lads indeed, headlined by future Otago and Highlanders star Dylan Pledger at halfback. New Zealand used to win the world junior title for fun, so eight years represents a heck of a drought. That 2017 team was perhaps not as stacked as some from years past but it still had some very nice players. Captain Luke Jacobson, Will Jordan, Caleb Clarke and Dalton Papali'i are current All Blacks, Asafo Aumua would be if he was fit, and Brayden Ennor and Stephen Perofeta have worn the black jersey. Highlanders backs Thomas Umaga-Jensen and Jona Nareki, Blues flanker Adrian Choat, Hurricanes lock Isaia Walker-Leawere, Crusaders tackling machine Tom Christie and former Highlanders Josh McKay, Sam Caird, Marino Mikaele-Tu'u and Kemara Hauiti-Parapara were in the squad. The 2017 Baby Blacks scored a record 41 tries at the tournament and smashed England 64-17 in the final with an Aumua hat-trick. Test cricket ... Sheesh, where to start? England and India got the ball rolling this week with a third-test cracker at Lord's. Both scored 387 in the first innings, England managed 192 in their second, and India collapsed to 82 for seven. Then came the gritty fightback — Ravindra Jadeja grafted 181 balls for his unbeaten 61, and the bottom three batters faced 53, 54 and 30 balls respectively — before the end came when Mohammed Siraj middled his defensive prod perfectly but, agonisingly, saw the ball spin back on to his stumps. Meanwhile, the West Indies collapsed to 14 for six in the third test against Australia in Kingston, and pretty much every New Zealand cricket fan was screaming "26! 26! 26!". Sadly, despite getting to 26 for six then watching Scott Boland take a hat-trick, the Windies managed one more run before folding, thus preserving New Zealand's unwanted record. ... is bonkers Perhaps the real entertainment in the week of test cricket was a stunning opinion piece in the B-Metro Sport newspaper in Zimbabwe. Under the heading NATIONAL DISGRACE: SCHOOLBOYS MOLEST CHEVRONS AT QUEENS, "Guest Writer" — not sure I would have been brave enough to use my real name either — unloaded on the Zimbabwean team for their capitulation against South Africa. Losing two tests to "effectively a South African schoolboy side" was "a humiliation of catastrophic proportions". It was not a cricket contest but a "massacre. It was children robbing a broken store. It was a heart-crushing, hypertension-inducing and mind-numbing hell for fans." The Zimbabwe bowlers "couldn't even crack open a South African tail that looked barely old enough to vote." Brilliant. Hoop dreams Exciting times for Mojave King and Jack Andrew following their Tall Blacks selections. We have had a close watch on Mojave, son of Nuggets great Leonard, since he emerged, and he has an incredibly bright future. While big Jack went to "the other school" in Oamaru, his is a lovely story of hard work and persistence, and his career is blooming. Make it stop Did not watch the SBW v Gallen fight. Will quite happily never hear from either of them again.
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
New coach to get eyes on squad in preseason clash
New Otago coach Mark Brown will have a bunch of fresh faces to analyse when he makes his debut in the role this afternoon. A preseason clash with Southland at the University Oval will be Brown's only meaningful opportunity to assess his squad before the rivals clash again in the NPC opener on Stag Day in Invercargill on August 2. He has named both his new imports, Fijian Drua lock Joseva Tamani and English winger Charlie Powell, in the Otago starting XV. Tamani is joined at lock by Taieri beanpole Eric Peita, who is not in the NPC but gets an opportunity to show what he can do if a spare lock, as expected, is needed at some stage. Zingari-Richmond hooker A-One Lolofie will make his debut and is joined by young Highlanders prop Rohan Wingham and Ben Lopas. With Christian Lio-Willie in camp with the All Blacks, rising Southern No8 Konrad Toleafoa starts at the back of the scrum with clubmate Harry Taylor at openside and Highlanders rookie Will Stodart at blindside. Bob Martin plugged away for Taieri for some time without cracking the Otago squad but he will start at halfback with Nathan Hastie on deck for Harbour in the Dunedin club final and Dylan Pledger preparing for the world under-20 final with the Baby Blacks. Outside him, the versatile Sam Gilbert will start at first five, and there is a powerful midfield in the form of Thomas Umaga-Jensen and Josh Timu. A very new outside back combination has Powell, who played for Southland last year, joined by Dunedin winger Kyan Rangitutia and exciting Green Island fullback Sam Nemec-Vial. The reserves bench includes mostly well-performed club players including rising flanker Max Ratcliffe, Southern spark Mackenzie Palmer and Green Island's MacEwan brothers, Heath and Christian. An unexpected addition is Jae Broomfield, the New Zealand Universities vice-captain who has come south to try his luck after struggling to break into the Canterbury squad. Henry Bell and Lucas Casey are on duty for Kaikorai in the club final, Finn Hurley, Jona Nareki, Oliver Haig, Jake Te Hiwi and Josh Whaanga are injured, and leading first five Cameron Millar is not being risked as he has a minor niggle. The Stags have named former Otago utility Sam Fischli at openside, and Irish recruit Cian Hurley. Highlanders winger Michael Manson features in a talented backline that features former Highlander Scott Gregory, back from Italy, and a fine midfield combination of Matt Whaanga and Isaac Te Tamaki.
Otago Daily Times
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
NZ into world U20 final
Otago halfback Dylan Pledger and his mates are one step away from returning New Zealand to the top of world junior rugby. The Baby Blacks beat France 34-26 in the semifinal of the World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Italy yesterday. They have reached the final for the first time since 2017 when they destroyed England 64-17 with a team containing future All Blacks Asafo Aumua, Luke Jacobson, Dalton Papali'i, Stephen Perofeta, Caleb Clarke, Braydon Ennor and Will Jordan. Pledger and his fellow youngsters in black will hope to follow the same path. They will have to get through South Africa, who beat Argentina 48-24 in the other semifinal yesterday. The final is on Sunday morning. New Zealand made a dream start against France in the warmth of Viadana with a try after just 80 seconds. After the French bobbled a kick, fullback Stanley Solomon — rumoured to be in the sights of the Highlanders — scooped, sprinted and scored. A second try followed just seven minutes later when the Baby Blacks showed quick hands and winger Frank Vaenuku dished a delightful reverse pass to No 8 Mosese Bason. As they tend to do, the French simply shrugged their shoulders at being 14-0 down so quickly, and they fired back with two tries in the space of two minutes, and had a third ruled out for a forward pass. New Zealand missed plenty of tackles in the first half and struggled particularly with classy midfielder Fabien Brau-Boirie, who has already played 15 games in the Top 14 and trained with the senior team in the Six Nations. There was another flurry of action at the end of the first half as the Baby Blacks created a sublime backline opportunity that led to a try to second five Jake Wiseman, before France scored well after the hooter to leave it 24-19 at the break. The second half was initially tight, as a Rico Simpson penalty extended the New Zealanders' lead, but then got a little chaotic. Wiseman was shown a yellow card for a head-on-head clash and, while his side produced some magnificent goal-line defence, the French eventually broke through to make it 27-26. When Vaenuku also saw yellow, the Baby Blacks were down to 13 men and things were looking grim. Up stepped vice-captain Pledger, whose two years in the under-20 team have convinced many he has an exceptionally bright future. The Otago No 9 threw an outrageous dummy right on the French line before setting up Aisake Vakasiuola for the match-sealing try. It was sweet redemption for Pledger, Bason, Solomon, Simpson, Manumaua Letiu and Sika Pole, all of whom were in the New Zealand team beaten by France in the semifinals last year. "We talked about this game being our final," Pledger said. "I think the boys played it like a final out there and now we've got one more game to go." It should be a humdinger, too. The Baby Blacks beat the Baby Boks 48-45 earlier this year to seal the Rugby Championship title. U20 World Champs The scores New Zealand 34 Stanley Solomon, Mosese Bason, Jake Wiseman, Aisake Vakasiuola tries; Rico Simpson 4 con, 2 pen France 26 Kalvin Gourgues, Baptiste Britz, Fabien Brau-Boirie, Jon Echegaray tries; Luka Keletaona 2 con, Bobby Bissu con Halftime: New Zealand 24-19.
TimesLIVE
14-07-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
'Bounce back': MaMkhize appointed president of Mbabane Highlanders FC
Shauwn 'MaMkhize' Mkhize has been appointed president of Mbabane Highlanders FC in Eswatini. On Sunday she took to her timeline to announce the news. 'A new chapter written with purpose, vision and heart. Leading with honour, the Highlanders way,' she captioned the post. MaMkhize also took to her Instagram stories, writing: 'Bounce back, bounce back.' This comeback comes after a raid was conducted by SA Revenue Service (Sars) for falling behind on taxes, as well as her turbulent exit from former Premier Soccer League (PSL) team Royal AM FC. In March Royal AM was up for sale after the Sars curator put up a public notice announcing the club will be auctioned off in a bid to recoup a reported R40m tax debt she owed.
