D'Arcy Waldegrave Drive

United States Anti-Doping Agency boss Travis Tygart warns what a postponed olympics could mean for drugs cheats.

Kiwi cyclist Paddy Bevin made it back to New Zealand just in time as boarders were being closed in Europe.

The current New Zealand Warriors group won't experience a more unique situation in their careers than the one they have are returning home from.A week ago, the conversation was around how to keep the team in the NRL without the option of returning to New Zealand for home games. Now, after making the decision to remain in Australia for the foreseeable future, they have packed their bags and headed back across the Tasman.With the NRL indefinitely suspended earlier this week, the Warriors were free to return home to those they were forced to leave behind."It was a sense of relief for some of them in respect to getting back to loved ones," Warriors coach Stephen Kearney told Radio Sport's D'Arcy Waldegrave of the playing groups reaction to the competition being suspended."There's also a sense of sadness in not being able to play footy but obviously the situation is much larger than our game of footy – you just have to turn on the telly to see what's happening all over the world and how devastating the situation is."Since setting out for Newcastle ahead of their opening match of the season two weeks ago, the Warriors have been through a range of scenarios.First, they learnt they would be unable to return home to play after the New Zealand Government implemented a mandatory two-week self-isolation period for all travelers entering the country. That was followed by the uncertainty of their immediate future, with suggestions the NRL could continue without them in the competition.The side found a resolution to keep them in the game by relocating to the Gold Coast, where they were based last week and held their opening home game of the season.Now, after all that, the situation changed again when the NRL's biosecurity and pandemic expert recommended the competition be halted due to the threat posed by the rapidly spreading coronavirus."It was the old cliché of one day at a time," Kearney said of the constantly changing situation the team found itself in. "What happened 24 hours earlier was a totally different situation; it was changing that quickly."We wanted to commit to playing in the competition and no doubt first up there would have been a little bit of doubt in some boys' minds, but I thought for the most part they handled it really well. I'm really proud of how they went about it in such challenging times."They were really resilient in the sense that it was an uncertain time and they just got on with the job. They were really well led by Roger (Tuivasa-Sheck), Tohu (Harris), Greeny (Blake Green) and Blairy (Adam Blair). I know the type of characters they are and they just made everyone proud the way they went about it."The Warriors will now join the rest of New Zealand in a government mandated lockdown over the next four weeks in a measure that was put in place in an attempt to slow, or stop, the spread of Covid-19.As of Wednesday, there were 205 cases of the virus in New Zealand; the Ministry of Health confirmed 50 new cases on Tuesday alone.But while the playing group is able to return to their families, Kearney will have to wait longer before he can get home to his, who are based in Brisbane, as he will be in New Zealand to help put plans in place for the players to follow during the lockdown."I thought it was really important I travel with the team and get the process over the next four weeks planned out and be here during this time, then I'll try get home to my family as soon as all this has settled down a bit," Kearney said."We'll be sending out a plan for them early next week to follow over the next four weeks while this national lockdown is on."We've got a bit of a plan around it and it's just about getting through the situation as best we can."• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website

Kiwi sailor Peter Burling will have a lot on his plate in 2021 with Tokyo 2020 being postponed.

Kiwi Olympic athletes have said they support a postponement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, an approach backed jointly by the New Zealand Olympic Committee, Paralympics New Zealand and High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ).New Zealand Olympic Committee CEO Kereyn Smith said she welcomed the feedback gathered in a New Zealand Athletes' Commission survey this morning and thanked athletes for their input."Our focus is first and foremost the athletes," she said. "It has been important to us to give them the opportunity to talk to us. We value their resilience and flexibility and we know working through the changes won't be easy."We support their position and will now share their views with the IOC as we advocate internationally on behalf of New Zealand athletes and sport. We reiterate the need for a swift decision."Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory websiteThe sentiment has been supported by Paralympics New Zealand and HPSNZ."Providing carded athletes with high performance training and other HPSNZ facilities and services has become increasingly challenging," said HPSNZ CEO Michael Scott."The current Covid-19 environment is not conducive to the sense of fair play which underpins these pinnacle events, as the preparation of New Zealand's athletes and others around the world is hampered to varying degrees."We fully support current steps to postpone the Olympic and Paralympic Games This decision needs to be made quickly to provide the athletes, coaches and support staff with certainty, which will allow them to focus on their wellbeing at this critical time, while resetting and recalibrating for Tokyo."Paralympics New Zealand surveyed Para athletes this morning and also received overwhelming feedback.Paralympics New Zealand boss Fiona Allan said: "Paralympians and Para athletes believed a postponement of the Paralympic Games is the preferred option. This would create a fair, safe and level playing field for all nations especially given the severely hampered training environments."Our Para athletes and our wider organisation echo the support for a postponement," she said."Para athletes told us that an early decision is critical to best ensure the wellbeing of all athletes throughout New Zealand. It is imperative that this decision is made quickly to provide certainty."New Zealand Athlete Commission member Sarah Cowley-Ross said New Zealand athletes were adaptable and determined and she had every confidence they could meet the challenges ahead."New Zealand athletes have long prepared for a July 2020 Olympic Games however the Olympic Movement is founded on humanity and that, right now, must come first," she said."As the New Zealand Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission, and on behalf of New Zealand's Olympic athletes, we are asking the IOC to immediately confirm a postponement, using the following four weeks to clarify details."Each athlete has their own set of individual perspectives and challenges, and we acknowledge those who would have liked the games to occur as scheduled. We wholeheartedly thank all the athletes and their support staff for the time they took to share their views with us."Smith said she thanked HPSNZ and Paralympics New Zealand for their ongoing commitment. She acknowledged the value of the New Zealand high performance sporting system's joint approach to support New Zealand Olympic sports and athletes.The New Zealand Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission is made up of elected athlete representatives of Olympic and Commonwealth sports. It provides input and advice to the New Zealand Olympic Committee on all key decisions and represents the athlete voice on the NZOC Board.

All Blacks and Hurricanes hooker Dane Coles will go from pro footy player to "school teacher" amid the uncertainty of covid-19,

NZR CEO Mark Robinson opens up about some of the challenges facing rugby in NZ as a result of Covid-19.

Kiwi boxer David Nyika reacts to news Canada will not send a team to the 2020 Olympics if they are to go ahead.

Former Black Cap and domestic cricket stalwart Andrew Ellis has found memories of his time as a first class cricketer.

Kiwi shotputter Tom Walsh is still working towards the Tokyo Olympics despite the threat of Covid-19.

Boston radio host Patrick J. Gilroy explains the fallout from the news Tom Brady is leaving the New England Patriots.

Professional cricketer Mitchell McClenaghan returned from the Pakistan T20 League and is spending two weeks in self-isolation and doesn't know what his sporting future holds.

Minister for Sport Grant Robertson explains some of the challenges facing the sporting landscape as Covid-19 continues to interrupt our sporting lives.

Boss of New Zealand Rugby Players' Association Rob Nicol highlights the extent Covid-19 is having on some of their athletes around the world.

Warriors coach Stephen Kearney announces his team ahead of their game against the Raiders.

Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic captain Sam Winders explains how weird it is playing in front of empty stands in their victory over the Southern Steel.

Former Football Ferns coach Tony Readings has been named the new head coach of the New Zealand men's U20 side.

Wellington Firebird's coach Glen Pocknal has mixed feelings about winning the 2019/2020 Plunket Shield.

Kiwi mountain biker Anton Cooper prepares for self-isolation upon his return from the United States.

When Callum Gilbert was 12 he started paddling after school.A couple of years later he got a taste for paddling competitively while at Tauranga Boys' College, sparking a long love of canoe slalom as a sport.Today, the Tauranga man now living in Rotorua is one of two paddlers named to represent New Zealand in canoe slalom at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.The Olympics newcomer joins Luka Jones, who secured New Zealand's first silver medal in the discipline, in the New Zealand team.Alexandra paddler Finn Butcher has been conditionally selected as a non-travelling reserve.The canoe slalom athletes were named at an event at Wero Whitewater Park - the home of Canoe Slalom New Zealand's High Performance Centre - in Auckland today.Tokyo 2020 will be the fourth Olympic Games for 31-year-old Jones, while Gilbert will be making his Olympic debut after giving up his job as a software engineer three years ago to chase his sporting dreams."My employers were great but I wasn't able to give 100 per cent to my training while I was there so I made the decision to resign. Looking back on it now it was a good decision and it's been awesome being able to fully commit to the sport," Gilbert says."It's an amazing opportunity to go to an Olympic Games and I've been really fortunate to have gone to so many," Jones says.Gilbert will compete in the K1, while Jones will compete in both the K1 and C1 events."I'm over the moon, it's been a long time coming and a lot of work has gone into this so I'm so stoked to have it made official," 24-year-old Gilbert says.Callum Gilbert, a former Tauranga man now living in Rotorua, has been selected for the Tokyo Olympics. Photo / Getty Images"Competing in both events adds another element to the Olympic Games and it's an awesome opportunity to earn a medal," Jones says."My goal is the same as it was at Rio 2016 and that's to prepare really well and put down a performance that I can be proud of. We're working really hard and I'm in a really good place in my paddling career, from a performance perspective."Both athletes are originally from Tauranga but have strong ties in Rotorua. Jones was part of a Rotorua-based sports academy launched in 2007 and Gilbert now lives at Okere Falls, 20km north of Rotorua."When I was 12, I got into an after school paddling class then, when I attended Tauranga Boys' College, a teacher picked a few of us to attend nationals. From there, I loved it and that was it."Gilbert had a strong year on the world tour in 2019, with his top result fifth at the London World Cup.He plans to head overseas to train and compete in further World Cups while Jones will also be based overseas from mid-April.New Zealand Olympic Committee chief executive Kereyn Smith says Jones and Gilbert provide an exciting mix of talent."With Callum also selected there's a great mixture of experience and exciting new talent in this team so we can't wait to watch these athletes compete in Tokyo."Jones is coached by former British paddler Campbell Walsh while Gilbert is coached by Paul Macdermid of Massey University. 

ESPN reporter Phil Murphy explains the impact of Covid-19 is having on the NBA.

Football commentator Chris Milicich joins D'Arcy in studio to discuss the latest from the world of football.On today's episode they discuss the club vs. school issue facing grassroots football and Coronavirus.

World renowned surfer Bethany Hamilton is looking forward to hanging ten at the Piha Pro and talks about her challenging career on the world circuit.

Mike Angove from City Kickboxing joins D'Arcy in studio to breakdown Israel Adesanya's victory over Yoel Romero.

Warriors coach Stephen Kearney reveals his lineup to take on the Newcastle Knights for their opening NRL game.

Japanese rugby writer Richard Freeman explains the Japanese Rugby Union's decision to further postpone their domestic rugby competition.

New Zealand Rugby has revealed the creation of an 'All Blacks XV' – a new high-performance squad that will undertake a mini tour of Northern Hemisphere venues this year.The team will play three matches in the last weekend of October and first two weekends of November.NZR Chief Rugby Officer Nigel Cass said the team, which is set to practically function as a second-string or developmental All Blacks side - will provide a new national team aspiration for current professional players.It's not a new innovation – the Junior All Blacks, New Zealand A and Emerging Players have all served a similar purpose in the past before being scrapped – but Cass believes it will have benefits for the depth of New Zealand rugby."This is a fantastic opportunity for those players to experience a national team environment and prove themselves on the international stage, or for those who have already worn the All Blacks jersey to get more game time at this level and potentially earn a recall to the team."The high-performance benefits of this team will be significant. It will help to develop the next group of players, many of whom will likely become our future All Blacks, as well as give further opportunities for our coaches and other team personnel."We also believe that this will aid with retention of players and personnel in New Zealand, which will benefit our Super Rugby clubs and provincial unions as well as the All Blacks," Cass argued.Cass said that the intention was for the All Blacks XV to become a regular national team playing second-tier overseas opposition, and hoped the side would last longer than the similar teams who came before them."These teams have been sporadic in the past, and we believe that there is great value in making this a regular national team."Beyond its high-performance role, this new team also has real commercial value for NZR. It will play offshore in growing rugby markets that are of strategic and commercial importance, allowing us to showcase and grow New Zealand's brand of rugby in many more parts of the world," Cass said.New Zealand Rugby Players' Association CEO Rob Nichol said the team was a positive move for players."Players are excited about the prospects of this team. If they don't quite make the All Blacks touring squad, being able to push their case through Super Rugby and Mitre 10 Cup for selection to the All Blacks XV will be a strong motivator for many. It will provide an opportunity for quality players to tour and represent their country against some tough international opposition, to play alongside players and work with coaches they respect and a platform to continue that push for higher honours," Nichol said.The All Blacks XV's opponents are yet be revealed, with details for their first match set to be announced this afternoon.

Black Caps' captain Kane Williamson reflects on the 2019/2020 cricket season ahead of the upcoming ODI series in Australia.

Discussions have begun on a Kiwi heavyweight blockbusting fight between Joseph Parker and Junior Fa – potentially to be held in Auckland in the middle of the year.The rival factions will hope the fight lives up to the last truly high-profile local boxing scrap – the showdown dubbed the "Fight of the Century" between David Tua and Shane Cameron still holds the record for the highest pay per view numbers in New Zealand.The key to the popularity of that fight at Mystery Creek in 2009, won by Tua via a devastating round-two knockout, was the rivalry that built between the pair, and a Parker v Fa fight could generate similar intensity. Both are New Zealand-born, with Parker, a former world champion, of Samoan descent, and the unbeaten Fa of Tongan descent.Parker and Fa have fought each other four times as amateurs and share two wins each. They have never fought each other as professionals. There is respect between the pair but they are not friends and fireworks could develop between the two camps; a prospect that would have their rival promoters Eddie Hearn and Lou di Bella salivating."We have made an early start on discussions on a possible blockbuster in Auckland," Parker's manager David Higgins told the Herald today."David Tua v Shane Cameron remains a record breaker and hopefully this one would also capture the public's imagination."It makes a lot of sense. Junior is unbeaten and ranked No6 in the world by the WBO, while Joseph is ranked No2. A lot of people back Fa. Obviously as Joe's manager I think he would be the favourite, but Fa is a big unit."Fa's manager Mark Keddell told the Herald: "We'd always be happy to do that fight. But the money would have to be right."That could be a sticking point, added to which is the potential for the negotiations between Englishman Hearn, and American di Bella, to quickly break down. Entering meaningful discussions in an attempt to lock down a deal quickly appears to be the key.Keddell, who suggested Fa would be happy for a similar share of the revenue that Parker enjoyed in his unification defeat to Anthony Joshua (about 34 per cent), added: "We have other options for the middle of the year, so Eddie is going to have to make a meaningful offer to Lou. I know they spoke a day after Joseph's fight in Texas."Higgins confirmed: "We could make this fight happen next, but the numbers would have to work. There are other options on the table."Asked whether he had been in talks with Dazn, a global sports broadcaster about to make its first start in New Zealand in May, Higgins replied: "Sky is the incumbent broadcaster. There have been no formal discussions with Dazn."Parker is coming off an impressive knockout win against American Shawndell Winters in Frisco, near Dallas, and would relish locking in a fight against Fa in Auckland as many of his potential opponents are already locked into deals.Dereck Chisora, Oleksandr Usyk, Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin are all scheduled for fights in May or June. Other potential opponents include a rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr or a fight against Luis Ortiz, but neither match-up would be easy to make.One potential other opponent is American Michael Hunter, a 31-year-old with a 18-1-1 professional record (his loss was to Usyk). After watching Parker's fifth-round knockout of Winters, Hunter called out the Kiwi, with his manager Martin Mikolajczak saying: "Parker is slow on his feet and his cardio is terrible. Michael would definitely KO Parker."Fa, who has a 19-0 professional record, last fought in November - a points victory over American Devin Vargas in Salt Lake City. Parker has a 27-2 pro record. 

Blues hooker James Parsons joins D'Arcy Waldegrave in studio to discuss all things rugby thanks to Barfoot and Thompson.

Chief Operating Officer of Emirates Team New Zealand Kevin Shoebridge talks about threat of coronavirus to the America's Cup World Series and 12 months out from the big dance.

The Sky Sport Breakers are set to announce another change in their coaching ranks, with Chanel Pompallier set to be unveiled as the team's newest addition.Pompallier will join the ranks as an assistant coach, becoming the first female coach in the ANBL club's history, and will begin work alongside director of basketball Dan Shamir and assistant coach Mody Moar in preparing the roster for next season.She moves into the role in place of Zico Coronel, who manned the post for one season. The club announced the news at a press conference on Wednesday, but did not discuss the details around Coronel's exit from the role."We're definitely not closing the door on that. We are friends," Shamir said of Coronel."We have a different mix in how we build it right now. We're looking to build the right pieces. There a business side to it which we're not going to get into to much detail with, but right now this is who we added and we're not done, I think we;re going to add a few more."Speaking about the change to the coaching staff, Breakers guard Corey Webster said it was a great move for the team to appoint Pompallier."She's got a great basketball IQ and knows the game very well and she will bring that," Webster said."Obviously she will be there to learn and what a great coaching path to learn from with Dan and Mody there who have an enormous basketball IQ, have coached at the highest levels and have a lot to teach so she will be learning from them and she will just be working hard every day, learning along the way and work hard next to everyone else."She just knows the game really well, she's played it her whole life, been around it her whole life, I think the bigger thing for her will be just learning under Dan and Mody and helping out where she can." 

Every Wednesday football coach Chris Milicich brings an insight into the art of football like no other.

Former All Black Andy Ellis talks his new TV show 'Motoka' which he co-hosts with rally drive Haydon Paddon. The show premiers on TV1 this Saturday at 4:25pm.He also talks about life in Japan with Coronavirus impacting everyday life.

Olympic champions Blair Tuke and Peter Burling have been announced in the New Zealand sailing team to defend their title at the Tokyo Olympics.The duo won their sixth 49er world title in Geelong last month, just two months after claiming title number five in Auckland.They will be joined in Tokyo by Rio 49erFX silver medalists Alex Maloney and Molly Meech, Laser bronze medalist Sam Meech and Olympic newcomers Erica Dawson and Micah Wilkinson in the Nacra 17 class."It's certainly a pretty special morning. I think anytime you get announced to represent your country at the Olympic Games is really special. We'll take a moment to reflect and then pretty quickly we'll shift into preparing for Tokyo," Tuke said. 

Joseph Parker's trainer Kevin Barry believes the Kiwi heavyweight could have a shot at reclaiming his world title at the end of the year.Parker arrived back in Auckland yesterday after defeating Shawndell Winters via TKO in Dallas, Texas over the weekend, in what was his third knockout victory in a row.While the 28-year-old former champ takes a bit of time off to recover from the fight, his team have been straight back to work in planning what's next for Parker – who sits at number two on the WBO heavyweight rankings.Barry said he has an "exciting plan" in place for Parker in his quest to return to re-join the top players in the crowded heavyweight division."Joe just arrived back in Auckland this morning to his four girls and he'll have a little bit of time off," Barry said in an interview with Radio Sport's D'Arcy Waldegrave. "I've already been on the phone three times today with David Higgins – him and I are already putting a plan in place. Quite an exciting plan too."We hope to see Joe back in the ring sometime in June or July this year. And it's very important after only having the one fight in 2019, that we get Joe straight back into the ring. And that was our plan fighting him early in 2020 that we would definitely get in our three fights in this year. So we're looking at options, we're looking at venues."Parker's next fight will likely be against a significantly tougher opponent over the unheralded American Winters, who despite being the smaller man in the ring, caused Parker a few problems during their bout including a cut above his right eye.Joseph Parker and trainer Kevin Barry. Photo / PhotosportBarry said finding the next opponent could prove tricky, with most of the top heavyweights already contracted in fights, but he is confident Parker will be ready for anything that is thrown at him."There's a lot of guys that we would like to be in the ring with who are already booked for fights like [Dereck] Chisora is fighting [Oleksandr] Usyk, Dillian Whyte is fighting [Alexander] Povetkin."As well as us looking for an opponent and the right fight date and the right time, we also have to be well aware that if an opportunity presents itself at the moment if someone was to get injured or pull out of the fight, that we're ready to go."Nobody expected Andy Ruiz to be in the ring with Anthony Joshua last year and of course we all know what happened there."At this particular time when the heavyweight division is red hot and has got so much action in it and so many good fighters in it, it's very important that we take the most out of every opportunity that comes our way."Parker will be looking to get back into the heavyweight conversation with the likes Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, both of whom look likely to meet in a super fight later this year – providing Fury repeats his decisive victory over Deontay Wilder in their contracted rematch.For Team Parker, a Joshua-Fury fight could also open up a road back to the WBO heavyweight title – the belt Parker lost to Joshua in 2018.Joshua – who holds the WBO title as well as the WBA, IBF and IBO straps – will face mandatory IBF challenger Kubrat Pulev in June. He is then due to fight WBO challenger Usyk, but a Fury super fight could force Joshua to vacate the WBO belt instead, which could open a door for second-ranked Parker with a chance to challenge for the vacant title.Barry said he was excited by the prospect, and said the fight could happen as early as the end of the year – if a few fights go their way."The exciting thing for us is right at the moment, Joshua is fighting Pulev who is the IBF mandatory [challenger]. Then he's supposed to fight Usyk who is the mandatory to the WBO. Now if that fight doesn't happen – the Usyk camp has already accepted step-aside money once – there's a very good likelihood that if Joshua fights Fury, that the WBO belt might be up for grabs."And we know Joe is sitting there very solidly at number two at the moment so that cou...

Chiefs halfback Brad Weber explains what is hurting his butt.

Cricket commentator Debbie Hockley assesses the White Ferns' disappointing exit from the T20 Cricket World Cup 

The Crusaders will wear the unusual title of curtain-raisers in round seven of the Super Rugby season, with their match against the Sunwolves relocated out of Japan due to concerns from the global coronavirus outbreak.The Crusaders were scheduled to meet the Japanese franchise in Tokyo on March 14, but will now play at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, prior to the Reds' match against the Bulls.This follows the Japanese government's decision to postpone sporting events in the country for at least the next two weeks and ongoing concerns around the world, including within Super Rugby territories, of the potential further spread of the coronavirus.The Sunwolves' round six clash against the Brumbies, scheduled to be played in Osaka next Sunday, has also been relocated. The match will now take place at WIN Stadium in Wollongong and will be played prior to the Chiefs' match against the Waratahs at the same venue next Friday.Addressing the situation, Super Rugby chief executive Andy Marinos said in a statement it was clear the changes needed to be made to ensure the wellbeing of players, management teams, officials and spectators."For the integrity of the tournament we also believe relocating the matches was the right thing to do regardless of the complexities involved," Marinos said."Due to the fact that the Sunwolves were due in Australia for two matches following the Brumbies and Crusaders matches in Japan, and the availability of stadiums and suitable broadcast windows, the matches have been relocated to Australia. This has enabled us to create a series of double-header matches which we hope will prove popular with rugby fans in Wollongong and Brisbane."The relocation of these matches has involved an incredible amount of detailed logistical and operational work and these efforts reflect the great spirit within the rugby family at times like these."No decisions have been made at the stage in regards to the Sunwolves' remaining four fixtures scheduled to be played in Asia.

Bay of Plenty Steamers coach Clayton McMillan has been named as the head coach of the Chiefs super rugby franchise for the 2021 season while Warren Gatland is coaching the British and Irish Lions.

New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson is excited about what the future of NZ rugby might look like.

The process of radically changing the set-up of rugby in New Zealand will begin tomorrow when provincial unions are presented with a new blueprint for how the game should be organised, managed and structured.Having seen the game evolve rapidly in the last decade, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) believes the time is right to make sweeping changes to give it a better chance of dealing with prevailing issues such as stagnant participation rates, increasing drop-out rates among teens and plunging spectator interest in Mitre 10 Cup and Super Rugby.The Herald understands that NZR is going to post a multi-million dollar loss for 2019 and is forecasting another for next year, hence its decision to engage consultancy group McKinsey earlier this year to investigate ways in which the sport can be restructured.The preliminary recommendations of that review will be revealed to provincial unions tomorrow and those familiar with the report believe it could deliver the most significant change in New Zealand rugby since the game went professional in 1996.It is believed that NZR's broader vision sees provincial unions in a new role where they will mostly drive participation and administer the club game at a local level, leaving Super Rugby sides with greater responsibility to manage talent identification and development of elite players.There is some suggestion that one of the recommendations will be that provinces change their priorities and see growing participation as their primary goal and more important than producing a successful Mitre 10 Cup team.A raft of concepts and new ideas will be proposed that will impact across areas such as talent identification and development, competition structures and administrative function at provincial and national level.Effectively New Zealand is poised for a system re-set where the respective roles of schools, clubs, unions, Super Rugby teams and the national body will be redefined to better achieve the common purpose of growing the sport and delivering success at the professional level.While driving down costs is part of the goal, NZR is aware that the current landscape creates conflict in areas of player development which can also act as barriers to player retention.They are also aware that an overhaul of development pathways may be required to help attract new players, with participation rates having stagnated for the last decade amid changing social patterns.What the unions are likely to hear, then, is that NZR believes there is a need for elite player development to be streamlined.That may lead to provincial unions having to abolish their own academy programmes in favour of regional centres of excellence.Currently unions and Super Rugby sides tend to compete for the same players, which drives up costs and has also led to teams targeting athletes at a younger age – often when they are in Year 12 of school – to secure their services.The report will also ask questions about duplication of back office function at provincial unions and whether some of this could be centralised to create both efficiencies of service and a reduction of costs.NZR is wary that unions could feel they are being asked to give up their identity, but the national body is understood to be conscious that the historic tribalism of the provincial game needs to be restored not destroyed.To that end, it is understood that the review will recommend that the Mitre 10 Cup continue with 14 teams, although it wouldn't be a surprise if there is subsequent discussion about whether the major unions in particular should be continuing to use major venues to host games given the vastly reduced crowds and interest in that level of rugby.Unions will be given time to consider the recommendations and give their feedback ahead of NZR's March board meeting.The Herald has approached NZR for comment.