The Blues have beaten the Crusaders 35-19 in their first hit-out, ahead of the Super Rugby Pacific season

The two teams played in the rural Canterbury town of Kirwee, where the crowd of around 3000 people was nearly triple Kirwee's population.

Rob Penney's Crusaders coughed up two tries to the Blues while they were a man down after a yellow card.

The coach not unhappy despite the five-tries-to three defeat.



The Highlanders posted a come-from-behind victory over Moana Pasifika in their pre-season encounter in Auckland.

The Highlanders scored 12 unanswered points in the final third to run out 26-21 victors.



Former Warriors captain Steve Price is backing James Fisher-Harris to lead the club this NRL league season after Tohu Harris' retirement.

Price says Fisher-Harris is an obvious choice.





It's a tie after day one of the annual transtasman test at the Naenae Bowling Club, with 3 game points apiece across the open men's and women's division.

The Australian men's four won their afternoon match 14-7, following a win in the singles for New Zealand.

After Australia triumphed in a close one in the men's pairs, Black Jacks Selina Goddard and Briar Atkinson pulled off a victory in a tiebreak in the women's pairs.



A double-double from Kiwi Steven Adams wasn't enough to prevent a 120 to 119 defeat for his Houston Rockets, in their NBA clash with the Memphis Grizzlies.

It was Adams' first-ever start for Houston.



And Breakers co-captain Parker Jackson-Cartwright has been ruled out of the club's final two Aussie NBL basketball matches of the season with a rib injury.