Opinion
The three top performers from round seven of the Hilux NPC
The openside flanker is the heartbeat of North Harbour, featuring in 45 of their last 49 games.
Adam Julian
13 Sep 2026, 17:41
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Contributors
Adam Julian
Adam Julian is a freelance sportswriter and broadcaster based in Wellington. He's been a regular contributor on Clubrugby.co.nz and Te Upoko O Te Ika radio for a dozen years. Between 2010 and 2018 he was the official statistician for Sky Sports Land Rover First XV program. Adam is the author of the A to Z of the Black Ferns on allblacks.com, a member of the Association of Rugby Historians and Statisticians and a long-suffering Wellington Lions and Hurricanes supporter. His interests outside of rugby include blues music, history, travel, and food.
Analysis
2026 WXV Global Series preview: New Zealand's Black Ferns
The Black Ferns have a stern WXV Global Series campaign ahead of them. Over the next two months, the second-ranked team in the wor…
Adam Julian
11 Sep 2026, 5:03
Interview
Pia Tapsell: 'I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried about the reception'
The Black Ferns' euphoric 2022 season was a nightmare for Pia Tapsell.
Adam Julian
09 Sep 2026, 11:06
1
Opinion
The three top performers from round six of the Hilux NPC
With 12 tries in six games, he’s only three short of the record for most tries by a player in a single NPC Division I season of …
Adam Julian
06 Sep 2026, 14:30
1
Interview
The former England U18 star thriving after taking a chance in New Zealand
Worboys scored 23 points, kicking nine goals from nine attempts: five penalties and four conversions, as Manawatu snapped North Ha…
Adam Julian
04 Sep 2026, 16:07
1
Interview
Amy du Plessis: 'The game you love doesn’t always love you back'
Some of the most moving social media content at Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 featured tearful Black Ferns bidding farewell to grie…
Adam Julian
01 Sep 2026, 4:07
Opinion
The four top performers from round five of the Hilux NPC
Northland retained the Ranfurly Shield with a 20-10 win against Tasman that looked like it came out of the other side of a hangove…
Adam Julian
30 Aug 2026, 15:40
Interview
Tasman back firepower against surging Northland with Ranfurly Shield on line
Ranfurly Shield fever has gripped Northland after the Taniwha demolished defending NPC champions Canterbury 36-12 in Christchurch …
Adam Julian
29 Aug 2026, 4:09
Opinion
The three top performers from round four of the Hilux NPC
The Log o’ Wood was last played in Whang?rei on September 22, 1979, when North Auckland lost to Auckland 9-3.
Adam Julian
23 Aug 2026, 14:47
Interview
Jona Nareki on the All Blacks' new 'beast', Otago's new star and Wellington's woes
For Otago winger Jona Nareki, losing the Ranfurly Shield to Canterbury and then also to Manawatu in the same week would have been …
Adam Julian
20 Aug 2026, 22:38
3
Interview
Ex-Auckland prop Renata helping Northland strengthen up their set piece
Tighthead prop Marcel Renata played 76 games for Auckland between 2015 and 2024, winning an NPC Premiership in 2018. Since 2025, h…
Adam Julian
19 Aug 2026, 13:20
1
Interview
Atlanta Lolohea: 'My rugby is the most settled it’s been'
Established in 1861, Westport is New Zealand's oldest European settlement on the West Coast. Best known as a coal-mining centre, W…
Adam Julian
19 Aug 2026, 2:02
Opinion
The four top performers from round three of the Hilux NPC
The third round of the NPC saw some landmark records established and new contenders emerge.
Adam Julian
16 Aug 2026, 23:43
4
Interview
New All Blacks Sevens coach reveals stance on XVs stars chasing Olympics
Willie Rickards played in eight tournaments for the All Blacks Sevens from 2006 to 2009. He succeeds Tomasi Cama.
Adam Julian
13 Aug 2026, 23:48
1
Interview
Bay of Plenty sniff history: 'Times might have changed, the Shield hasn’t'
Bay of Plenty has a sorry Ranfurly Shield record with only two wins in 25 matches stretching back more than a century.
Adam Julian
13 Aug 2026, 22:06
1
Interview
Canterbury's latest Ranfurly Shield hero describes chaotic Otago win
Dominic Gardiner wrote himself into Ranfurly Shield folklore in Canterbury’s successful 19-15 challenge against Otago at Forsyth…
Adam Julian
12 Aug 2026, 15:35
1
Interview
Dermody determined to do family name proud in Black Ferns trial
Trials aren’t easy to prepare for or play in. How does one balance the team's best interests with personal ambition, especially …
Adam Julian
12 Aug 2026, 0:28
The three performers of the week from Hilux NPC round two
Hannah started 13 of his 15 appearances for the Crusaders in Super Rugby Pacific 2026, ranking among the top ten players in tackle…
Adam Julian
09 Aug 2026, 14:58
4
Interview
'Rugby can be humbling': The rise of breakout Magpies star Hunter Morrison
Hunter Morrison has packed a lifetime into a few years. He represented New Zealand at the Barbarians, Under 19, and Under 20 level…
Adam Julian
06 Aug 2026, 19:29
Interview
Brayden Iose on Hurricanes' 'perfect storm', Aaron Smith and Manawatu royalty
On August 28, Manawatu officially marks its 140th Anniversary with a special dinner at Central Energy Trust Arena in Palmerston No…
Adam Julian
06 Aug 2026, 18:13
