Latest news with #PhilWalter
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Women's EURO 2025 Group A: Kind draw for the hosts?
The Women's Euros is finally here and we are kicking off our group previews with a look at the hosts. It's Group A ... The Teams Hosts Switzerland headline Group A, where they are joined by two-time winners Norway (1987, 1993), Iceland, and Finland. Advertisement It looks like a kind draw for the hosts, playing in front of home crowds and avoiding the likes of England, the Netherlands and Sweden from the second pot. Norway's star power cannot be overlooked, though, and they will be the dark horses for many. The Favourites: Norway Norway have demons to exorcise. A country with huge pedigree and star names shouldn't be suffering a group stage exit as they did three years ago, and they certainly shouldn't be suffering 8-0 defeats like they did at the hands of England in that tournament. The 2023 World Cup didn't go much better, losing to hosts New Zealand before an early exit against Japan, and Norway have a squad capable of so much more. 📸 Phil Walter - 2023 Getty Images Advertisement Guro Reiten (Chelsea) and Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona) are genuinely world class creative talents, Frida Maanum (Arsenal) has a nose from goal from midfield, and Ada Hegerberg (Lyon) is a former Ballon d'Or winner. The only question is whether or not they can finally put it together at a tournament. The Key Clash: Switzerland vs Norway The opening game of the tournament involves Finland take on Iceland but that will serve as a mere appetiser on the opening day, with Switzerland vs Norway to come later that evening. An early win for either side here will set the tone. A defeat, and the pressure is on massively for the two remaining games. The stakes are high from the off. Key Players Lia Wälti (Switzerland) - A metronomic midfielder used to the pressure of the biggest stages, the Switzerland captain will be absolutely key for the hosts. When things aren't going well, the team will look to Wälti to calm the nerves, when they are going well, it will be on her to keep everything in check. Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway) - One of the world's best dribblers, one of the world's most creative players, one of the world's most prolific goalscorers. Now 30 and at her fourth Euros, it's time for the Barcelona winger to shine. Glódís Viggósdóttir (Iceland) - The onus will be on the Iceland and Bayern Munich captain to excel the ball playing out from the back and defend sternly when her team are up against it. At club level she does both, and dominates aerially too. Iceland's game will lean on her abilities in all phases. Natalia Kuikka (Finland) - A five-time winner of Finland's Player of the Year, the 29-year-old is a fast, physical defender and an NWSL winner with former club Portland Thorns. Finland are likely to have plenty of defending to do but they were well equipped to compete in qualifying and will need Kuikka to be at her best in Switzerland. Predicted qualifiers Norway, Switzerland 📸 FABRICE COFFRINI - AFP or licensors
RNZ News
22-04-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Super Rugby Pacific: Lessons from the Drua and Moana Pasifika round 10 performances
Danny Toala of Moana Pasifika is tackled during the round 10 Super Rugby Pacific match between Moana Pasifika and the ACT Brumbies at Navigation Homes Stadium, on April 19, 2025, in Pukekohe, New Zealand. Photo: Phil Walter / Getty Analysis - There was no other way for the Fijian Drua but win last Saturday's clash against the Waratahs at home. What used to be a packed Churchill Park was half-empty when the game started in a round 10 match of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific competition. Luckily, the side managed to get the 'must win' and hopefully, that will help restore the faith of disappointed fans who had watched the side gone from good to worse in a matter of five weeks. In the end, the side managed to win 28-24 and keep their slim hopes of qualifying for the top six play-off alive. The story was not so positive for Moana Pasifika at Pukekohe. Having fought hard to keep the Brumbies lead at 5-0 after the first 40 minutes, Moana Pasifika lost the plot in the second half, failing to register any points of their own, losing 24-0 in front of their South Auckland fans. The two teams go head-to-head in an all-Pasifika clash at the North Harbour Stadium on Saturday afternoon. So, what we can we take out from the two teams' performances last weekend? Moana Pasifika captain for the day, Sione Havili Talitui was guilty of turning down three kickable opportunities in the first half of their clash against the Brumbies. Flyhalf Patrick Pellegrini has been a steady points converter since he made his debut for the side in this year's series. If he was given the opportunity to kick he would have scored nine points, which would have lifted the team's spirits. In the end the 'Ikale Tahi looseman was left to rue the chances. "That first half, we looked really good when we got into their 22, we held on to the ball but just didn't get any points," he said at the post-match conference. It was something head coach Fa'alogo Tana Umaga also pointed to, especially the fact that the side could not get any points from the nine times they entered the Brumbies 22 metres zone. "For us, there were opportunities missed. We entered their 22, nine times, and we usually come away with points. For us, that's a learning you know. And we can't take things for granted, and we still have to understand the detail that gives us opportunities like that," he stated. In Lautoka, the story was different. Drua stand-in captain Mesulame Dolokoto got flyhalf Isaiah Washington-Ravula kicking for goal at every given opportunity. Even replacement Kemu Valetini had three shots later in the game, two penalty attempts and also a field goal try from outside the Waratahs 22. Both teams must understand that at this juncture of the Super Rugby Pacific competition any opportunity to claim points in a game is critical. Great to see both teams finally displaying structured rugby. That was a hallmark of the Drua's performance against the Waratahs. It worked in the end, with players sticking to playing their game plan. the forwards taking the ball up to gain the yards, pods set up for second and third phase balls and the backline keeping the ball in hand and using the width of the field. Yes, there were offloads and slip passes but it was more structured. Moana Pasifika also displayed the same at Pukekohe and held their D-line for about 55 minutes, before slipping and letting the Brumbies' take control of proceedings. Just too many back to back penalties given away saw Moana Pasifika lose control. Umaga said it is an area they will need to work on now before they meet the Drua at home. "I can't fault the effort in the heart. I think it was probably one of our best defensive efforts," he said of his warriors' efforts. "But again, you just can't keep giving them entries into our 22 and think that we're going to stop them every time. And I think a big learning for us is also discipline in certain parts of the field, and on a night like tonight, you know, it becomes a real arm wrestle. "Like I said, not giving away penalties, our skill sets being strong, you know, because they just went to set pieces when we knocked it on, and then got a penalty, and then ended up inside our half, some big learning for us. But very proud of the effort and the heart that our team showed as always." His captain Talitui said it was disappointing. "In the second half we just gave away back to back penalty," he said. "Brumbies use driving maul as one of their strength and you can't give away penalties like that, as you saw tonight, they scored a couple of points off their maul. "Probably the disappointing side, you know that first half, our defence was good. First half, we stayed in it, second half, we didn't stay in it." Both teams have displayed the belief that anything can happen from now on until their last matches in the series. Umaga said they will regroup and trudge on, righting the wrongs they have identified. "We'll come together as a group, and just make sure that we stay tight," he said. "We've still got plenty of games left in this competition. Stay positive, like I said, there's still some really good things that we did. And then look forward. "We've got the Drua at home again. It doesn't get any easier for us, and we can't dwell too much, but we've got to learn. And that's, that's the big part of what we do." His Drua counterpart Glen Jackson also understands that to get into the top six they have to keep winning. His focus was on starting that with the Waratahs last weekend. Next one up is against Moana Pasifika this weekend. He said if the side can display the same resilience and relentless effort shown in the past week, nothing would be impossible. Player of the Match against the Waratahs, flanker Etonia Waqa, told the media after their win, the team believes they can still achieve their target for the year. "We've been trying for a long time to win, five weeks of back-to-back losses, and we did everything we could to finally win," he said. There is no denying the fact that Pacific Island athletes perform at their best when they are enjoying themselves. The smiles while running with the ball in one hand, the high fives after a good scrum or run, and the celebrations after a well-deserved try. It all helps in ensuring players are in the right mindset at every game. If both the Drua and Moana Pasifika players can remember that, while getting into the thick and thin of the rugby battles on the field, it will show for them in the end. The late Fijian champion sevens rugby coach, Ratu Kitione Vesikula, once said, Fijian rugby players are at their best when they are smiling and enjoying what they do on the rugby field. This weekend will be an interesting battle, and a lot will depend on how much the two teams have learned from their past performance, and how best they can put those into action over their 80 minutes battle.
