Seamless Transition
Blackcaps vs England, Auckland FC's rebuild, Warriors vs Cowboys, NZ National League, NBL basketball, and more
Scotty’s Word
Blackcaps won the second Test vs England to even up the series at 1-1. This takes Aotearoa to a 6-1-1 record in Tests since the start of 2025 and 3-1-1 in the World Test Championship. New Zealand is currently fourth on the WTC ladder but you wouldn’t know the WTC existed based on how everyone in England ignores it.
Matt Henry took 11 wickets in the Test with 5w in the first innings and 6w in the second innings. Henry averaged 37.3 in Test bowling before the start of 2024 and since then he has dropped down to 15.8avg. That’s aligned with his 15.8avg as the first bowler used and while most folks know the well-told story of how Henry’s Test career flipped the right way round, his legendary mahi is still underrated along with how good this group of bowlers are early in their careers.
Sir Richard Hadlee and Henry are New Zealand’s only Test bowlers with 100+ wickets averaging below 27. Kyle Jamieson has the lowest Test bowling average for kiwis with 50+ wickets and he has the second lowest average for 20+ wickets behind Jacob Duffy. Will O’Rourke and Nathan Smith have 20+ wickets with averages below 27 and Blair Tickner is in the mix as well.
New Zealand Test bowlers averaging below 27 with 20+ wickets
Jacob Duffy: 25w @ 16.28avg
Kyle Jamieson: 90w @ 20.23avg
Jack Cowie: 45w @ 21.53avg
Shane Bond: 87w @ 22.09avg
Sir Richard Hadlee: 431w @ 22.29avg
Will O’Rourke: 46w @ 24.65avg
Nathan Smith: 28w @ 25.14avg
Matt Henry: 152w @ 26.04avg
Blair Tickner: 22w @ 26.5avg
Bruce Taylor: 111w @ 26.6avg
10 blokes on that list and five made debuts after the start of 2020, while Henry was reborn this decade. Five are involved in this series with Tickner yet to play and the quartet who have played the first two Tests in England smells like one of the best bowling units I’ve watched play for Aotearoa.
I’m curious about Glenn Phillips’ role in the team because he hasn’t bowled vs England with Rachin Ravindra doing the spin thing so far. England have used Joe Root and Jacob Bethell, while Shoaib Bashir is in their wider group as well. Bashir averages 39, Root and Ravindra average over 40 and Bethell’s 29avg is slightly lower than Phillips’ 31avg.
I reckon Phillips is the best spinner of them all, so it’s funky to hear him described as a specialist number seven or not mentioned much as a spin bowling option. All of which is a bit wonky when Phillips isn’t bowling but don’t forget about him when pondering the balance of this Blackcaps team.
Phillips is the leading run-scorer in the Blackcaps vs England series. He is third for Blackcaps runs this year and is the only batter in the group of five with 100+ runs who has a strike-rate over 70. Right now, Phillips is in a sizzling battle with Ravindra to be my best Aotearoa batter across all formats.
For all the age angst about Blackcaps, my favourite Blackcaps batters right now the two youngest members of the Test batting department. They also share a 40+ average and 100+ strike-rate combos in ODIs, while Phillips is far better than Ravindra in T20Is which offers a splash of balance for Ravindra’s advantage in Tests.
Folks missed the seamless transition from the previous phase of seam bowling legends to what we have now. I believe Phillips and Ravindra are Aotearoa’s two best batters mid-way through 2026, so don’t let that creep below the radar when moaning about the age of the batting line up.
Glenn Phillips vs Rachin Ravindra…
G-Philly
Test: 36.6avg/73sr
ODI: 42avg/103sr
T20I: 31.7avg/143sr
Rach-Rav
Test: 46.8avg/64sr
ODI: 41.8avg/107sr
T20I: 20.5avg/135sr
Any emerging batter needs to be better than Henry Nicholls. Nicholls made his Test debut in 2016 and didn’t hit a century that year. He has hit a century in all nine years he’s batted in since then (while not playing in 2024). Only eight batters have hit 10+ Test centuries for Blackcaps and Nicholls is on 11 with Nathan Astle, while having the fourth highest average for those eight batters.
Nicholls’ scores in his last 10 games: 1, 115, 96*, 44, 52, 68, 66, 77, 68, 13, 4, 24, 121.
Let’s not forget how Nicholls fought for his return to Blackcaps by dominating the domestic circuit last season...
Plunket Shield: 870 runs @ 96.6avg/74sr, 3 x 100, 5 x 50
Ford Trophy: 588 runs @ 73.5avg/96sr, 4 x 100
Best White Ferns at the T20 World Cup…
Brooke Halliday: 81 runs @ 27avg/105sr
Melie Kerr: 80 runs @ 26.6avg/121sr | 2w @ 44avg/7.3rpo
Sophie Devine: 67 runs @ 33.5avg/149sr | 5.3ov @ 8.1rpo
Jess Kerr: 2w @ 32avg/6.4rpo
Bree Illing: 2w @ 36avg/7.2rpo
Nensi Patel: 2w @ 37avg/8.2rpo
For paid subscribers
Lots of Blackcaps stats and notes
Spotlight on Nick Kelly
The Taharoa connection for NZ Warriors (Te Maire Martin & Taine Tuaupiki)
NZ Warriors stats over last three games
NZ Warriors deep cuts
NZ Warriors defeated Cowboys in Christchurch in a game that went as expected. NZW battled hard in losses Panthers and Sharks, but Cowboys don’t have anything close to the defensive style of those two teams. NZW won the collisions and the ruck, which was then evident in how they broke the Cowboys defensive line all across the field.
NZ Warriors metres per run in last three games
vs Panthers: 7.95
vs Sharks: 7.98
vs Cowboys: 8.98
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad scored four tries on the left edge, but Wayde Egan ripped the Cowboys apart around the ruck and had 100+ run metres for the first game this season. Add in all the other usual mahi like the Taharoa connection shining this season and NZW have consistently shown that they can score/make breaks in each channel, along with a wide range of players making the most of their opportunities.
Biggest NZ Warriors crowds in NZ this season
vs Dolphins in Wellington: 34,812
vs Cowboys in Christchurch: 25,365
vs Sharks in Auckland: 24,938
vs Tigers in Auckland: 24,246
I wasn’t fussed about the losses vs Panthers and Sharks because the NZW identity was still evident in how younger players took over the hard mahi. My favourite thing from the win vs Cowboys was how Tanner Stowers-Smith, Demitric Vaimauga, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava and Makaia Tafua (playing hooker) had a stint together as the middle forwards and were better than the Cowboys forwards in those phases.
Jacob Laban played 80 minutes again and was challenged by the vibrant Cowboys attack that centred around Scott Drinkwater. Along with Ali Leiataua, all these local juniors flashed some exciting moments but the best thing about their collective mahi is how they do their jobs and play their roles.
It’s the same for Leka Halasima. Everyone expects his crazy plays so folks think he has dipped away this season, but the fact that Halasima and these other youngsters is doing their job like mature NRL pros is the best indicator of their talent and the development system.
Minutes vs Cowboys
Tanner Stowers-Smith (22yrs): 46
Jacob Laban (22yrs): 80
Edde Ieremia-Toeava (21yrs): 45
Demitric Vaimauga (22yrs): 42
Makaia Tafua (22yrs): 17
Musical jam...
Nick’s Notebook
There will be a very different looking Auckland FC team next season. Having signed a lot of their initial squad on two year contracts they’ve got more than half their team coming off contract and the dugout’s undergoing even more change after news on Friday that Steve Corica is leaving. He was unveiled as the new head coach of Yokohama Mariners in the Japanese top division – becoming the sixth Australian to manage that club following on from the success of Ange Postecoglou who was there between 2018-2021. Between now and then, Kevin Muscat, Harry Kewell, John Hutchinson (caretaker), and Patrick Kisnorbo have also had a crack at the gig. Kisnorbo, of course, is the current Sydney FC coach that Corica beat in the A-League grand final a few weeks ago.
So Corica’s gone... and he’s taking Danny Hay with him to be his assistant. The Walsall Boys together again. This after goalkeeping coach and second assistant Jonathan Gould already announced that he was returning to the United Kingdom – he’s been hired by Forest Green Rovers where his official title is “set piece and goalkeeper coach”. Not sure if that extra set piece tag comes with a pay increase or not. FGR are in the fifth tier National League, the same division that Tommy Smith’s Braintree Town just got relegated from... and the same division that Gould’s son Matthew Gould plays/coaches at with Yeovil Town. MG is the back-up goalie and the goalkeeping coach at the club, recently re-signed for another season in that capacity. Father and son as rival GK coaches in the same division, aye?
Forest Green actually had a kiwi goalie a couple seasons ago, Jamie Searle, but they never played him. Gouldy’s been a goalie coach at a much higher level in England before but perhaps he just really wants to work with FGR head coach Robbie Savage. Not sure if JG and Savage have crossed paths before but (keeping up the family connection) his father Bobby Gould coached Savage when he was in charge of the Welsh national team and this anecdote has made it to both of their wikipedia pages...
“A comical incident occurred early in the career of Robbie Savage when Savage jokingly threw a replica of Paolo Maldini’s shirt away on Sky Sports before a match against Italy. Gould initially dropped Savage from the squad for disrespecting Maldini, only to reinstate him the next day.”
Here’s an archived BBC yarn about it.
Back to Auckland FC and that only leaves Luke Casserly from last year’s core four. He’s an assistant for the first team and also head coach of the OFC Pro League squad (having been promoted from the U20s)… but it’s highly unlikely that AFC go for the internal promotion route favoured by their rivals in yellow and black. They’ll scout the world for his replacement (although note that the reason Corica was so good was that he intrinsically understood the A-League and what it takes to win there). Melbourne Victory just hired Gio Savarese, who was Bill Tuiloma’s old Portland Timbers coach in MLS, so this league does have pull. We’ll see who they end up with. Maybe Hiroki Sakai can call in some favours.
One thing I do find a wee bit funny is how the farewell press release made a very specific point of highlighting AFC’s youth development after a season in which just 1.14% of their minutes went to U20s players. They do have some mint prospects there, and a brilliantly organised youth system… but no team in the ALM uses young players less than Auckland. That’s probably why they keep winning, if we’re being honest about it. And also this apparent club ideal about “attacking football” that they always emphasise too...
“The club’s playing style will remain unchanged, with a focus on attacking football along with the ‘Always Advance, Never Retreat’ philosophy typical of all Black Knight Group clubs.”
The same focus on attacking football that saw them find peak form, winning them a championship, after they picked an extra centre-back in their formation for the last two games? The same focus on attacking football that saw them win the grand final 1-0 thanks to a deflected goal while keeping 38% of possession and attempting only six shots? They won that championship on the back of outstanding defence and it’s their defence that has excelled the whole way across both seasons. Sometimes the goals flow, sometimes they don’t... but AFC are always tough to beat. The focus isn’t attacking footy, it’s winning footy. That’s the team’s identity. Embrace it!
As for the player turnover, apologies for previous emails where I forgot that Francis de Vries did sign a three-year extension in January so he’s on the books too. We know for sure that these players are coming back:
Logan Rogerson, Francis de Vries, Jake Brimmer, Nando Pijnaker, Hiroki Sakai, Callan Elliot, Cam Howieson, Michael Woud, Luka Vicelich
I’ve got reservations about Brimmer who was injured for much of last season but didn’t seem to be in favour when he was available either... but the fresh start with a new coach does help his cause. These are the players who have been confirmed to be leaving:
Jesse Randall (Dundee United), Jimmy Hilton (Macarthur), Adama Coulibaly (Auckland United), Finn McKenlay (TBD), Guillermo May (TBD), Dan Hall (TBD)
That leaves the following senior players currently off-contract but not yet released:
Oli Sail, Louis Verstraete, Felipe Gallegos, Marlee Francois, Lachlan Brook, Jake Girdwood-Reich*, Sam Cosgrove, Liam Gillion (schol), Jonty Bidois (schol)
*JGR was on loan from St Louis City where he still has a further year left on his existing contract.
That’s only nine players on the books as we speak, at least as far as has been made public. Only one of them is an import. Another is a teenager. The three blokes in the coaching hierarchy are all departing. The team just won a championship and now it needs a rebuild... but that’ll give the new coach a chance to work with his own squad outside of Corica’s shadow. And the mastermind of the whole show, Terry McFlynn, is still around so nothing changes there. If you’re going to rebuild, might as well do it as champions - it’s like clocking your old Pokemon Red on the Gameboy and starting a new save from scratch for a fresh challenge.
No World Cup stuff in today’s newsletter because I’ve already done an audio dispatch for the Paid Subs with a reaction to the NZ vs Egypt game and will write about it in more depth tomorrow... meanwhile there’s bonus stuff in this edition about the NZ NBL and some domestic football transfers post-Pro League
Henry Nicholls by Batting Position…
Number 3: 208 runs @ 41.60 avg | 1 100
Number 4: 721 runs @ 36.05 avg | 3 100s & 1 50
Number 5: 2227 runs @ 39.76 avg | 6 100s & 11 50s
Number 6: 150 runs @ 75.00 avg | 1 100
Thanks to his ton upon “return” to the Test team in the second match vs England (he scored 150no against Zimbabwe last August and we only played five Tests between then and now), Henry Nicholls has now scored hundies at four different batting positions. That’s definitely not a world record because Gary Sobers, for one, scored triple figures in six different spot... but it’s a surprisingly rare feat. The guys who score the most hundreds tend to score them predominantly in one or two positions – being the best players, they get to choose where they bat. Tendulkar, Kallis, Root at four; Williamson, Sangakkara at three, etc. Let alone specialist openers.
In the interest of scratching a statistical itch, here are all the Blackcaps who’ve scored at least four Test centuries and how many different spots in the batting order they tonned up in. Their overall century tally is in brackets. I’m counting opening as one position, whether they’re at one or two on the batting order (most of the openers mentioned here predominantly only batting in those two spots anyway so nobody was touching Nicholls regardless).
4 Positions: Henry Nicholls (11), Tom Blundell (6), Scott Styris (5)
3 Positions: Kane Williamson (33), Brendon McCullum (12), Nathan Astle (11), Stephen Fleming (9), BJ Watling (8), Daniel Vettori (6), Daryl Mitchell (5), Mark Burgess (5)
2 Positions: Ross Taylor (19), Martin Crowe (17), Devon Conway (7), Andrew Jones (7), Bevan Congdon (7), John F Reid (6), Geoff Howarth (6), Craig McMillan (6), John R Reid (6), Rachin Ravindra (5), Jacob Oram (5), Bert Sutcliffe (5), Chris Cairns (5), Brian Hastings (4)
1 Position: Tom Latham (16), John Wright (12), Glenn Turner (7), Matt Horne (4), Mark Richardson (4)
Gotta update the England captaincy stat from the other day too...
Blackcaps vs England In Test Cricket
Ben Stokes as ENG Captain: 2 wins, 0 draws, 7 defeats (2022-2026)
Joe Root as ENG Captain: 4 wins, 3 draws, 0 defeats (2018-2026)
Alastair Cook as ENG Captain: 1 win, 3 draws, 3 defeats (2013-15)
Alas, Brendon McCullum must read our newsletter because he’s already said that Ben Stokes will be back as captain for the third Test. Another stat is the rocks and diamonds form of Harry Brook whenever he plays against Aotearoa. These are his scores vs NZ, with balls faces included in brackets because of how nuts some of those strike-rates are...
89 (81), 54 (41), 186 (176), 0 (0), 171 (197), 123 (115), 55 (61), 0 (1), 1 (6), 56 (71), 0 (4), 24 (32), 58 (54)
That’s 817 runs at 62.84 average (97.4 strike-rate). 13 innings during which he’s got five 50s, three 100s... and three ducks (including one where he was run out without facing). His 24 in the first innings at the Oval was the first time he’s been dismissed between 1-50 against New Zealand. Gotta get him early (and tbf we often do).
Musical Jam...
