Radio Sport Breakfast

Damian McKenzie's ruptured knee ligament, which will keep him out of all rugby for the rest of the year, will force the All Blacks selectors to up their search for the country's next-best first-five, an individual who is not immediately obvious.They will want to take another specialist No10 to the World Cup in Japan which starts in September to cover for Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo'unga, and the beauty of McKenzie was his impact value from the bench and his ability to cover fullback as well.It goes without saying that his extended period on the sidelines following the ACL injury which he sustained while trying to tackle Blues first-five Otere Black during the Chiefs' 33-29 thriller in Hamilton on Saturday will also hinder a franchise which has re-found its mojo over the past three weeks.Brett Cameron, Mo'unga's back-up at the Crusaders and a replacement in the test against Japan last year, is the only other capped first-five specialist currently playing in New Zealand and his form this season, particularly

Spark has revealed what it will cost to watch the 2019 Rugby World Cup through its Spark Sport app - plus a cover-its-bets approach that will see 12 games screen live or delayed on free-to-air partner TVNZ, including all pool games for the All Blacks, the AB's assumed quarter final, the semis and the final (see full list below).Those who purchase a "super early bird" pass in May will pay $59.99 to watch live every Rugby World Cup match.From June to early September, the price will be $79.99.Then in the "final few days" before the tournament starts in Japan, the cost will rise to $89.99.Single match passes will also be available for $24.99 once the tournament is underway.Source / Spark Sport.Pubs and clubs will be charged the same amount as individual consumers - meaning a bar could screen the tournament to patrons for as little as $59.99 but Spark warns "future sporting events will be priced at commercial levels" for commercial premises.Spark has also confirmed rumours it will take a conservative approach, wit

Graeme Agars spoke to Radio Sport Breakfast live from the US Masters at Augusta.He says Tiger Woods' win is one of those stories "that is almost too big for you". He thinks it is simply one of sports all-time great stories.LISTEN TO THE AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tony Kemp, former Warriors coach and RS league analyst joined Radio Sport Breakfast to look back on Saturday's loss to South Sydney.Kemp thinks the Warriors are horribly short of depth in the hooker and halves areas. He would also replace Solomone Kata with Gerard Beale in the centres.LISTEN TO THE AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Justin Marshall, former All Black and Sky rugby analyst joined Radio Sport Breakfast to give his take on everything rugby.Marshall expects Wallabies coach Michael Chieka will be filthy with Israel Folau, given he would have thought his behaviour was adequately dealt with last year.Marshall also thinks Ma'a Nonu is knocking on the door of the All Blacks, given the continued injury troubles of Sonny-Bill Williams.LISTEN TO THE AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israel Folau could be in hot water again with his employer, Rugby Australia, after more controversial comments about homosexuals and the gender debate.Yesterday Tasmania became the first Australian jurisdiction to make gender an option on birth certificates.After the announcement, the Wallabies star took to Twitter to tell people to "turn away" from their evil ways after the announcement."The devil has blinded so many people in this world, REPENT and turn away from your evil ways. Turn to Jesus Christ who will set you free," Folau posted.The devil has blinded so many people in this world, REPENT and turn away from your evil ways. Turn to Jesus Christ who will set you free. pic.twitter.com/BWSWTMye98— Israel Folau (@IzzyFolau) April 10, 2019Rugby Australia released a statement shortly after saying the post was 'unacceptable'."Rugby Australia is aware of a post made by Israel Folau on his Instagram account this afternoon," Rugby Australia said in a statement."The content within the post is unacceptable. It does

Support from a long-time, high-profile fan of the Crusaders as they contemplate a name change. The Christchurch-based Super Rugby franchise announced on Wednesday that they will engage independent research company, Research First, to seek feedback and provide recommendations on the Crusaders team name and brand.Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge said they are committed to taking the process seriously and doing the right thing."This is an event that rocked our community and brought some important issues to the fore," Mansbridge said. "One of the contentious issues that has been brought up in the aftermath of the Christchurch attacks is the name of our rugby team – the Crusaders.Former Christchurch resident, sports commentator and fan Phil Gifford told Radio Sport Breakfast that he applauds the Crusaders for having the discussion.He says that he is a little startled that some of the changes, such as removing the knights on horses from the pre-game entertainment, have already been decided on. Gifford says that he ne

Warriors and Blues fans will have an opportunity to watch both codes live this weekend for the price of one ticket.Members and fans of both the Warriors and the Blues will be able to attend each other's matches this weekend with their single ticket.The Warriors take on the Gold Coast Titans at Mt Smart Stadium at 8pm on Friday while the Blues host the Waratahs in the at Eden Park at 7.35pm on Saturday.Anyone who has a valid ticket to Friday's game against the Titans, including membership cards and corporate tickets, will be able to gain entry to the Blues game on Saturday night, and likewise ticketholders and members of the Blues can scan their match ticket for entry to Mt Smart Stadium a day earlier.Seating for fans at the reciprocal venue will be available in specified General Admission areas."We are hugely excited about this initiative and what it means for our members and sports fans in Auckland," said Warriors CEO Cameron George."We are always searching for new ways to add value for our fans and encourag

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Tony Kemp, former Warriors coach and RS league analyst, who thinks it is going to be a long, long season for the Warriors. He thinks coach Stephen Kearney has very few options in reserve grade to call on after their 46-12 defeat to Manly.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former All Blacks halfback and Sky rugby analyst Justin Marshall joins the Radio Sport Breakfast team to talk this weekend's Super Rugby action including the Blues confidence and Kieran Read's return.LISTEN TO JUSTIN MARSHALL TALK WITH THE BREAKFAST TEAM ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sky Sports commentator and Manly stalwart Peter Peters joins the Radio Sport breakfast team to discuss this weekend's NRL match between the Sea Eagles and Warriors in Christchurch, as well as Manly's chances for the coming season.LISTEN TO PETER PETERS TALK WITH THE BREAKFAST TEAM ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Hurricane first-five David Holwell joins the Radio Sport Breakfast team ahead of tonight's Super Rugby match between the Hurricanes and Crusaders in Wellington.LISTEN TO DAVID HOLWELL TALK WITH THE BREAKFAST TEAM ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fox Sports Phoenix radio host Bo Brack joins the Radio Sport Breakfast team, talking about the Arizona Cardinals NFL team allowing their players to use their cellphones during team meetings, believing it's a good move.Incoming coach Kliff Kingsbury, who used the same method when he coached Texas Tech, will give his players timeouts to check their phones.LISTEN TO THE BREAKFAST TEAM TALK WITH BO BRACK ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crusaders centre Jack Goodhue joins Radio Sport Breakfast to explain why he is excited to play the Hurricanes but didn't want to "throw fuel on the fire" by reminding the 'Canes they are two-time defending champions, despite losing five straight games in Wellington!LISTEN TO THE AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Protectionism is alive and well in the north. Not solely with Brexit, either.World Rugby's Nations Championship proposal seems more destined by the day to hit an immovable Six Nations blockade with reports the RFU have told Southern Hemisphere officials that they are opposed to the overhaul.The Daily Mail reports that the RFU 'will not support' a change to the current test structure. This comes after RFU interim chief executive Nigel Melville claimed relegation would be "catastrophic" for England.Convincing the Six Nations powers to support promotion relegation for the global league has always been the major sticking point but as the April 5 deadline looms to reach an agreement, Melville today put the biggest opposition stake in the ground.World Rugby's proposal comes with the promise of £7.5 million (NZD$14.6m) in additional annual revenue per-union, thanks to an investment pledge of £5 billion (NZD$9.7b) over 12 years from global sports marketing company Infront.WR have also suggested a potential parachute

Matt Cooper, former All Black midfielder and Sky rugby analyst, joined Radio Sport Breakfast this morning to preview this weekend's blockbuster between the Crusaders and Hurricanes.Cooper is intrigued by this weekend's midfield match-up between Laumape and Goodhue but thinks Ryan Crotty is still the preferred option at number 12.LISTEN TO THE AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this evidence, the big win over the Bulldogs last week was a bit of a mirage.The Warriors have fallen to their first defeat of the season, and it was a horrible one, as they barely fired a shot, slumping to a 34-6 loss to the Tigers on Sunday night.It continued an awful record at Campbelltown, where the Auckland team have only won one of their last six games.It was a forgettable evening, as anything that could go wrong, generally did. Their handling was poor, in admittedly wet conditions, their defensive line was loose and they lacked intensity in their work on both attack and defence. The Tigers were much more desperate, and man for man the Warriors were completely outplayed.And while they could hardly create anything themselves, they fell victim to a Robbie Farah masterclass with the 35-year-old completely dominant from dummy half, with three try assists and a cheeky touchdown from dummy half.Of most concern was the Warriors attack. Sure, they were hurt by mistakes, which killed momentum, but they were t

St Kent's has been criticised by an independent judicial panel for "sustained" poaching of other schools' rugby players - but has won its case that a threatened match boycott by rivals was a breach of the rugby code.The decision means the private Auckland high school can play in this year's 1st XV competition but it has to stand-down new-to-school players from outside of Auckland for the first six games of the season, and has additionally agreed to stand two of them down in any semi-final or final.In December, the Herald revealed a coalition of schools had agreed to not lace-up against the high school due to an "immoral" recruitment policy.In a decision released today, the independent judicial panel criticised St Kent's for undertaking a sustained period of "annual" strengthening of its 1st XV."This has included providing scholarships for players to move from competing schools to bolster St Kent's chances of 1st XV rugby success," said the panel, made up of barrister Tim Castle (chairman), former Auckland col