The All Sport Breakfast

The newly redeveloped Waikaraka Speedway is opening this weekend and they're pulling out all the stops. On the docket are Super Saloons – saloons, stock cars, and of course, fireworks. Super Saloon racer Craig Cardwell joined D'Arcy to preview the event. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Black Foils skipper Peter Burling has returned to the wheel ahead of the SailGP Grand Final. He's been cleared to return having missed the second training session in Abu Dhabi after cutting his finger while investigating an equipment issue. Burling reclaimed the helm and took a full part in practice racing held overnight. Strategist for the team, Liv Mackay joined D'Arcy to preview the final race of the year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The World Rugby Women's Sevens series gets underway this weekend, with the first round taking place in Dubai tonight. Stacey Waaka is a forward for the Black Ferns Sevens side, and she joined D'Arcy to discuss how the team is looking ahead of the season opener. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GODZONE. Peak Kiwi madness. Currently Chapter 12 of the most berserk race is unfolding in the Marlborough region. This iconic adventure beggars belief. This year's edition, over 615 kilometres, encompasses many disciplines, not a great deal of sleep, and the tyranny of navigation for the four member teams competing, all operating under the intense stress of fatigue and sleep deprivation. They mountain bike, trek, packraft, kayak, and canyon on a course that takes in 16000m of ascent. The race is expected to take five days for the frontrunners. One of the absolute legends of global adventure racing and 7-time winner of GODZONE is Nathan Fa'avae. This man has finally stepped away from the race, leaving Chris Forne, 10-time champion, to soldier on with Simone Meyer, 7-time winner Sophie Hart, and 5-time Coast to Coast champion Simone Maier. Sam Clarke is also with the team. But the Fa'avae name will still be present in the race, with daughter Tide competing in a team of teenagers. The next generation is here. The teams don't know where they are going until just before the race commences, another twist in the tale of GODZONE. The race has been staged over some of the most stunning regions Te Waipounamu (the South Island) has to offer. Wanaka, Mt Cook Aoaraki, Fiordland, the race even went north once too, 2021 in Rotorua. It's a celebration of the magnificence of our extraordinary home, an event we should all be proud of. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland FC are back in action tomorrow afternoon, taking on the Newcastle Jets at Mt Smart Stadium. They're looking to put on a stronger performance this week after stumbling to a 1-1 draw against Brisbane, and keep their undefeated start to the season alive. Dan Hall is a defender for Auckland FC, and he caught up with D'Arcy to preview the match. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the largest cycling events in the country is happening this weekend in Taupo - The Lake Taupo Cycling Challenge. The event is already well and truly underway, with the first cyclists starting at 1.30am this morning. Hayden Dickason is the director of the event, joining D'Arcy to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the toughest adventure races is currently underway in Marlborough – the GODZONE event. It's the 12th chapter of the GODZONE race, which began at 5pm Thursday night, and the first racers aren't expected to reach the finish line until Tuesday. Adam Fairmaid is the director of the event, and he joined D'Arcy to get everyone up to speed on what's been happening in the race. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time to get your togs on. The Ocean Swim series gets underway this weekend, with the first event taking place in Nelson later today. Dan Feist is the event director, and he caught up with D'Arcy to preview this afternoon's event and the series as a whole. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're heading towards the business end of the National League Championship, and every game counts in the race to the final. Auckland City are taking on the Wellington Phoenix Reserves this afternoon, in a must win match if they're to stand a chance in making it to the final taking place in three weeks' time. Mario Illich is the captain of Auckland City and joined D'Arcy to preview the game. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Hockey Premier League continues this weekend with a couple of exciting matchups – one of which being the Tridents clash against the Mavericks in Whangarei. George Muir, Black Sticks and Tridents player, caught up with D'Arcy to discuss the season so far and preview their match later today. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Caps have secured their eleventh straight home ODI series win. In a thrilling ending, they claimed victory over the West Indies in Napier by five wickets. There's just one more game to go in the series, the Black Caps looking to sweep their opponents and keep the momentum rolling into their next series, beginning in early December. Nathan Smith is a seam bowling all rounder for the Black Caps, and he caught up with D'Arcy to discuss his bowling and the game later today. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland FC return to action this weekend after the international break. They made quite the statement in their last clash, the NZ derby against the Wellington Phoenix, winning 2-1 despite only having nine players on the field. This weekend will see them take on the Brisbane Roar, looking to cement their place at the top of the A-League ladder. Auckland FC Coach Steve Corica joined D'Arcy to look back at the derby performance and preview tomorrow's clash. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A revamped All Blacks side have been tasked with ending the year on a high. After a disappointing showing at Twickenham, they're looking to maintain an almost 72-year unbeaten legacy against Wales on Sunday morning in Cardiff. Elliott Smith caught up with All Blacks loose forward Wallace Sititi to recap the previous clashes and look ahead to the final clash of the season. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomorrow morning the All Black 2025 season will be extinguished. Although that is a generous term as the season hardly caught fire. From time to time there was a spark that threatened to ignite the team, bringing forth hell fire, engulfing the opposition, sucking their oxygen, charring them beyond recognition, blazing a trail to victory. But not this year. Nor last year. Any sniff of their former fire starter glory was a smoky nostril tease, a hint of the scorched earth policy the team once dispensed with impunity. Not anymore. This is not the team of days gone by. This is not the team standing on the shoulders of the giants of All Black teams of old. The teams that built the legend of New Zealand rugby. Don't get me wrong, they are not a poor team. At times they poke their head out of the mire of mediocrity they've found themselves in and give us a taste of days gone by, but for the most part, they're a team that is capable of great moments, but incapable of piecing these moments together for a display of consistent dominance. There is nothing that Sunday mornings selection can do to change the course of this distressing narrative. Thrash Wales? Sure, but it's only Wales. Show a defined turnaround from the piecemeal offerings to date? The player make up is so different from the team that wilted in the face of England, we'll be none the wiser as to the development of the group as a whole. The most depressing part of this slow collapse of the AB dynasty is the resignation of the fanbase that this is as good as gets. The fire that burns twice as bright, burns half as long, but the All Blacks did burn so very, very brightly. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

F5000 hits the track this weekend, with the first of four rounds setting off at Mansfield in Fielding. Graeme Lawrence is a former racer in F5000 but still has skin in the game, as his old car is being driven by competitor Anna Collins. Graeme caught up with D'Arcy to preview the event. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks are facing the next hurdle in their journey towards a Grand Slam, this weekend at Twickenham. England have struggled against the All Blacks recently, not having defeated them since their 19-7 win at the 2019 World Cup semifinal in Yokohama. Their run against the All Blacks at Twickenham is even worse, with their last home victory occurring in 2012. Chris Ashton is a former English winger who was a try scorer in England's last victory over the All Blacks back home, and he joined D'Arcy to preview the match. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Auckland Hearts are set to get their season of domestic cricket underway with the first round of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield kicking off today. They're set to take on Otago in the first of ten one day fixtures – a rematch of last year's final. Maddy Green, White Fern and member of the Auckland Hearts will be playing her 100th Hallyburton Johnstone Shield match, and caught up with D'Arcy for a chat about the competition and opening fixture. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Runners in Queenstown are hitting the road this weekend, preparing for the pinnacle running event – the Queenstown Marathon. This year is set to be the biggest rendition of the event to date, with more than 13,000 registered participants across five distances, and nearly 4,000 runners competing in the full-length marathon. One of those competitors is Olympic canoeist Max Brown, who is running as part of a fundraiser for Miracle Feet – he caught up with D'Arcy to preview the event. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This third clash of the All Blacks Northern Tour is kicking off tomorrow morning – arguably the biggest test so far. They're taking on England at their home ground of Twickenham, in front of what's set to be a loud, passionate crowd of over 80,000 fans. The All Blacks will be looking to continue their dominant streak, not having lost to the home side at Twickenham since 2012. Simon Parker is starting at blindside flanker on Sunday morning, and caught up with D'Arcy to preview the test. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yardstick. Barometer. Criterion. Whatever you call it, tomorrow's test match against the most irritating team in world rugby will determine how Scott Robertson's tenure to date will be judged. With no respect whatsoever to the Welsh, the Twickenham bunfight will seal the Grand Slam or leave another dirty smudge in Razor's copybook, which has already attracted a fair amount of filth this year. The phenomenal melt down in Wellington against the Springboks and the Pumas mess will be conveniently overlooked should this season end with Grand Slam success, although imagine rolling the English then getting mugged with a leek the next week. That too would eclipse the South African and Argentine embarrassments, right? The first half of Razor's reign has been punctuated by inconsistency as he has attempted to settle into life in the international arena. His much-referenced armour chink has always been his lack of experience in the rarefied air of global test match confrontations. It's more than fair to say that as sign posted as this issue has been, Robertson has still struggled with direction in this space. He has been conservative with his selections, but he's also given characters a decent shot at retaining their jersey even if they haven't set their matches on fire, Damien McKenzie and Billy Proctor for example. He's also ushered some players out the back door, goodbye Ioane, Sotutu, and Reece, and introduced some potential long-term superheroes in the form of Holland, Parker, Sititi, and Lakai. He's also overseen some truly awful second half stats and his collection of cards would look great at the Armageddon expo, but bloody awful in the sheds. As it stands, his half term report is a B, but knocking on the door of an A-, dependent on the Twickenham exchange.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Hockey Premier League gets underway this weekend, with four sides from across the country taking part in the six round competition. The Central Falcons get their season underway when they take on the Hauraki Mavericks in Napier. D'Arcy spoke with Black Sticks and Falcons striker Hope Ralph to discuss the opening match and the competition as a whole as it enters its second year. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 6th and final round of the 2025 New Zealand Rally Championship goes down this weekend, this time with the Rally of Whangarei. Caleb MacDonald is behind the wheel, and he'll be looking to close out the year by winning his first championship. He caught up with D'Arcy to preview the event and delve into a crash that looked to derail his championship aspirations LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's now the 7th round of the GJ Gardiner Homes Tauihi Womens Basketball competition, and the Northern Kahu have struggled a bit to date, remaining winless. On Sunday they take on the Southern Hoiho at Eventfinda Stadium and will be looking to put on a strong performance and pick up their first win of the season. Haliegh Reinoehl is a Power Forward for the Kahu, and she joined D'Arcy to preview the game as well as chat about her life in New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A major game of international rugby league is on the horizon. Tomorrow afternoon the Kiwis and Toa Samoa face off in the grand final of the Pacific Championships in Sydney. After a dominant display over Tonga last weekend, winning 40-14, the Kiwis will look to build on that performance as they take on Samoa again. D'Arcy spoke with Kiwis prop Moses Leota to preview the match. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's New Zealand derby day in the A-League and with both Auckland FC and the Wellington Phoenix sitting unbeaten and in the top 4, its shaping up to be another cracker. Auckland currently hold the bragging rights, having won all three encounters last year, but that adds to the atmosphere as the Phoenix will be looking to spoil the party at home. Sam Cosgrove is a Striker for Auckland FC and he joined D'Arcy to reflect on the season so far and look ahead to the clash tonight. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More derbies. The energy around today's Phoenix v Auckland FC derby points to one thing: the A-League has got it right with the introduction of a second NZ team to their competition. Which begs the question, why aren't there more in other Australian competitions where New Zealand has a stake? The answer, I presume, would be something like “it's an Aussie comp, you're lucky to have one team there, sit down and shut up”. Which is understandable, because it's true – what's in it for Australia? Eyeballs? Jersey sales? Broadcast rights? More sponsorship dollars? Stiffer competition? Basketball and rugby league are plainly the targets here, as both sports already have a Kiwi presence in Aussie leagues – the NBL and the NRL. The Breakers were the gold standard for a while and with the accelerated growth of the game here and the undeniable global reach of the game, this should lean into another franchise in NZ. The NRL is screaming for another New Zealand team. The powers that be over the ditch appear to have zero interest in further expansion though. To say the NRL have little or no respect for NZ league is an understatement. They'd rather set up camp in Papua New Guinea. The federal cash sweetener is the only obvious reason as to why they would, nothing else makes sense. Also, the NRL hate us, and have shown time and time again that lip service is all they are capable of. So it'll never happen, in either league. Big Bash? Netball? Unlikely, but it won't stop me dreaming of a day where the excitement around today's A-League derby is replicated in other sports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Game two of the All Blacks' Grand Slam tour goes down tomorrow morning as they take on Scotland at Murrayfield. Scotland are looking like a much stronger team this year, led by key playmaker Finn Russell with many thinking they have a chance to beat the All Blacks for the first time in their history. Du'Plessis Kirifi is coming off the bench for the All Blacks and he caught up with D'Arcy to discuss life on tour and preview the match. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No ifs, buts or maybes. No excuses. No shoulda coulda woulda. Scott Robertson needs to come home from the Northern tour undefeated. 4 zip. Grand Slam in tow. Am I expecting too much? Hell no. This is Razor's mid-term exam. After being awarded a 4 year contract by NZR, an oddity in itself, the faith must be repaid. Repaid to the NZR but most importantly to the fans. Granted, World Cup victory is the ultimate measure of any international rugby team's worth, a multitude of 4-year cycle result sins can be erased with success in one tournament, but NZ rugby fans won't wait that long to taste Razors pudding. The proof of his tenure's success is how tasty the spoonful is at the end of this tour. Soured by only one defeat will leave us all asking questions of the chef. This is a mini–World Cup. The last pool game, then a quarter, a semi and the final. Not that the Welsh will be in the WC final but hey. Short of the locks, this team is the best that the AB's can muster. Their edge has been keenly sharpened on the whetstone of a pulsating and competitive Rugby Championship. They've had a couple of weeks off to breathe and reset, a swag of cavalry has returned and now we wait to see if Robertson has unlocked the door to international coaching success. He's had a couple of years. He's trialled many a player, many a game plan. He's had his share of failures, the much maligned fourth quarter impotence for example, his inability to retain coaching staff, and he oversaw arguably the worst 40 minutes of All Black rugby in recent memory, the horror show in Wellington against the Springboks. So he's been given rope, plenty of rope, what's he going to do with it? Tie himself in knots, fashion a noose, who knows. I do know though, that 4 nil is a necessity for this side and this coach, and no correspondence will be entered into. Scott Robertson needs to come home from the Northern tour undefeated. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The second year of the NextGen NZ Championship gets underway this weekend, after a successful first season of motorsport last summer. The first race weekend of the season goes down at Hampton Downs Raceway. Broc Feeney, the man at the top of the pile in the V8's so far this season is racing at the event and he caught up with D'Arcy to talk about the series. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Kiwis are back in action this weekend in the third round of the Pacific Championships. They are set to take on Tonga at Eden Park on Sunday afternoon. They will be looking to make it two from two in the competition and set up a rematch with Samoa in the final next weekend after beating them 24-18 in round 1, meanwhile Tonga will be looking to bounce back after suffering a disappointing defeat 34-6 against Samoa last weekend. Matt Timoko is starting at centre for the Kiwis and he spoke with D'Arcy about the match. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the massive test match tomorrow morning its only right to hear from the other side of the world in Ireland. Gordon D'Arcy is a former Irish international who played 82 tests between 1999-2015. He also represented the British and Irish lions across two tours. Gordon caught up with D'Arcy to share his thoughts on the match. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Sunday the Auckland marathon is happening which brings thousands of people from across the country to Auckland for the pinnacle running event. Achilles NZ is an organisation that is working to making all running events accessible for disabled people across the country. They organise regular training for their athletes with a number of them signing up for the marathon this weekend. Maia Lewis is the National Manager of Achilles NZ and she caught up with D'Arcy to discuss the event and how Achilles NZ is getting involved. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland FC picked up their first win of the A-League season in their first hit out at Mt Smart last week when they defeated Western Sydney 1-0. They will look to make that two in a row when they face off against Adelaide United at home once again. Cameron Howieson is a midfielder for Auckland and he spoke with D'Arcy to preview the match. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A big test match looms tomorrow morning. All Blacks vs Ireland, Soldier Field Chicago. The site of the All Blacks first defeat to the men in green 9 years ago. It sparked a tightly contested rivalry between the two sides, with them splitting the last 10 matches at 5 wins a piece. The All Blacks will be looking to get their grand slam started with a win. Leicester Fainga'anuku is coming off the bench for the All Blacks and he caught up with D'Arcy to preview the game. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first two series for the Black Caps have been troubled with repeated bad weather and cricket fans will be praying it stays away for the 3 ODI's coming up against England over the next week. Adam spoke with G Lane, head of the ACC to preview the ODI's and touch on the cricket scheduling throughout this 'spring' of cricket. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a 0-0 draw to start their second A-League season Auckland FC return home this weekend as they take on the Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday afternoon. Louis Verstraete is a midfielder for the Black Knights and he spoke to Adam to preview the clash. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Silver Ferns suffered another heavy defeat on Wednesday night, losing 68-51 to Australia in Sydney. If they are to keep the Constellation Cup they must win the first game in the New Zealand leg of the series in Hamilton on Sunday night. Adam spoke with Silver Fern midcourter Kate Heffernan to preview the third match of the series on Sunday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Labour Weekend's Twizel Hard has reached its 40th birthday with three events to choose from across the long weekend, a mountain bike, kayak and off-road run. Dean Nelson is the chairman of the event and he spoke with Adam about what's in store this weekend. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A big motorcross event is happening this weekend with the Hard Adventure Enduro going down in and around Taupo over the long weekend. With 150 riders taking part its setting up to be a thrilling day of motorcross. Sean Clarke is the director of the event and he spoke with Adam to tell us more about the Hard Adventure Enduro. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have reached the end of the NPC season with a southern derby final going down tonight between Canterbury and Otago. The two form teams of the competition met earlier in the comp, when Otago wrestled the Ranfurly Shield away from the Cantabs and will looking to pull of the upset again. Christian Lio-Willie is the number 8 for Otago and he caught up with Adam to preview the game. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Breakers picked up their second win of the season and clawed their way off the bottom of the ladder last night, defeating the Jack Jumpers however they face a short turn around. They take on Melbourne United over the ditch on Sunday afternoon. Adam spoke with Breakers assistant coach Mario Dugandzic to discuss the win as well as look ahead to Sunday afternoons matchup. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Kiwis international rugby league season gets underway on Sunday afternoon as they are set to take on Samoa at Mount Smart Stadium. Jeremy Marshall-King is a hooker for the Kiwis and he spoke with Adam about his year at the Dolphins, Australia not taking part in the competition as well as previewing the match. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.