The Appetiser
All Whites at the FIFA World Cup, Warriors vs Dolphins reaction, White Ferns T20 World Cup exit, Junior Tall Blacks at U17 World Cup, Blackcaps in England, and more
Scotty’s Word
Despite losing lots over the last month, there are positive signs for NZ Warriors and White Ferns. NZW have lost three of their last four and injuries continue to ravage them with Dallin Watene-Zelezniak the latest addition to the casualty ward.
I talked my way through the Adam Pompey performance among a few other wrinkles here. Pompey’s game was so diabolical that it felt as though NZW lost because of him. Unfortunately this crept over both edges as Watene-Zelezniak’s injury meant that Pompey moved from left centre to right wing and that’s where the damage was done in the final minutes.
This captures the optimism though because Eddie Ieremia-Toeava moved from middle forward to right centre and had the final pass for a Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad try. Ieremia-Toeava sums up how impressive the young forwards have been in this month of losing footy. They have been crucial in maintaining high standards while the team battles these injuries.
NZW have only lost these games by a few points and two were in Australia against their peers at the top of the ladder. Tanner Stowers-Smith made a crazy try-saver early in the game. Jacob Laban had his best game this season and is churning through 80 minutes at edge forward. Demitric Vaimauga also stepped up for his best game in a while and Ieremia-Toeava ... well he’s a 21-year-old who has played middle, edge and centre this season.
Others keep making the most of their opportunities too. Te Maire Martin and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad lead the way in recent weeks, while Samuel Healey did well to try shake off the challenge of Makaia Tafua with what should have been the game winning try.
The playing style is another factor. NZW have delivered their usual platter of breaking opposition defences in each channel, tremendous scramble defence and their set for set grind in the second half led directly to Healey’s try. They are missing almost half of their top-17 but NZW are still trucking along and I have more admiration for what’s cooking at Mt Smart after these losses.
Less admiration for White Ferns but plenty of optimism. They have had two underwhelming World Cup campaigns over the last year and have missed the semi-finals in seven of the last eight World Cups.
White Ferns in the last two World Cups (3-7)
ODI: 1-4
T20I: 2-3
Coach Ben Sawyer isn’t a reason for optimism either. He has won enough to have job security but Sawyer is Lord of the Bad Vibes and his goofy selection calls are matched by declines in kiwi cricket fundamentals like fielding.
I love the talent coming through the White Ferns pipeline though. White Ferns refreshed their ODI group after the World Cup last year and had a series win vs South Africa earlier this year, followed by a 1-1 series draw with England before this T20I phase. South Africa and England are both in the T20WC semi-finals.
Now the T20I group will have the same refresh and I believe they will get better. Bree Illing and Izzy Sharp have demanded 1st 11 slots. Nensi Patel made her debut this year and is now 1st 11 in both formats. Flora Devonshire was selected in both World Cup squads but didn’t play and she will be a key member of the team moving forward.
Molly Penfold and Kayley Knight will be factors as well, plus there’s the Fran Jonas and Eden Carson duo who will play roles moving forward after dropping out of the top-tier this year. NZC have more NZ-A tours than ever before, the standards of domestic cricket keep rising and cricket has some of the best career pathways for young women in Aotearoa so this will ensure that the most talented athletes pursue cricketing journeys.
I wrote about the Blackcaps’ best emerging Test batters here.
For paid subscribers
Lots of Blackcaps Test batting stats
NZ Warriors deep cuts
Blurbs for funky Kiwi-NRL juniors from Christchurch
Seven funky Kiwi-NRL juniors from the Canterbury region in Australia…
Sosaia Alatini: Bulldogs | Hornby
K-Ci Newton-Whare: Storm | Riccarton
Jackson Stewart: Roosters | Hornby
Te Kaio Cranwell: Knights | Linwood
Bronson Reuben: Bulldogs | Kaiapoi
Victory Isaako: Storm | Eastern
Chelden Hayward: Bulldogs | Linwood
Add them on top of the best NZ Warriors juniors from Christchurch…
Tanner Stowers-Smith: Halswell
Makaia Tafua: Linwood
Jason Salalilo: Papanui
Bishop Neal: Hornby
Amasio Tiatia: Linwood
Sione Telefoni: Papanui
Musical jam...
Nick’s Notebook
The All Whites have finished up at the FIFA World Cup, outclassed (and then some) by a rampant Belgium team in their final game. Drew 2-2 with Iran, lost 3-1 to Egypt, lost 5-1 to Belgium. It got worse as the games went on but the opponents also got better as the games went on. There were levels and levels between us and Belgium, so it goes, the first two games were when the quest slipped away. Particularly against Iran after holding two leads and having to settle for a point. At the same time, there’s far too much negativity around that outcome. It’s hardly a “failure” for the lowest-ranked team at the tournament to not qualify out of their group. Frustrating, sure, since we showed glimpses of being capable of more. But a little context about the world of football doesn’t go astray here.
Personally, I think we’re in a really exciting space because unlike the previous two appearances, which came generations apart, this time we’re poised to build from this. There were 15 players who got at least 50 minutes for the All Whites at this tournament and ten of them are aged 27 or younger:
Marko Stamenić (24), Finn Surman (22), Joe Bell (27), Libby Cacace (25), Sarpreet Singh (27), Eli Just (26), Callum McCowatt (27), Tyler Bindon (21), Ben Old (23), and Jesse Randall (23)
Chuck in the injured Matt Garbett (24) and that’s a sturdy core of footballers who will all be better players in four years. Several of them will be aiming for upward transfers within the next two months. A few others have already had them.
And that’s without looking at the goalkeeper situation, where Alex Paulsen (23) has had a few wobbles lately but should be in that same pocket as those other guys. Big season incoming for him as he tries to prove his potential to Bournemouth. He’s got two years left on his current deal and they’re going to loan him out again where he’ll need to bring the goods if he’s going to stick around in that fourth and final year. Even then, it’s not impossible Paulsen doesn’t even make the next squad. The likes of Henry Gray (Ipswich), Kees Sims (GAIS), and Joe Wallis (West Brom) are coming up fast.
Lachlan Bayliss and Jesse Randall (both 23yo) were nowhere near this squad a year ago and look how fast they progressed. There’ll be more where they came from. Just to illustrate the point, here are a few names to look out for...
Stipe Ukich – A striker/winger working his way up the grades at NK Istra in Croatia, previously seen scoring goals with Auckland City as a 17yo before he moved overseas. Strong and quick, skilled on the ball... if he keeps on the way he’s going he could bring a whole different athletic element to our front line.
Luka Vicelich – AFC coaches have been frothing over what this guy is capable of. Son of Ivan. Already played several A-League games (including one start) before his 18th birthday in May. Very composed central defender who reads the game well and has excellent technique.
Luke Brooke-Smith – Wasn’t that far away from the squad this time around as a 17yo... genuinely exciting winger who can dribble and doesn’t get knocked off the ball easily. Didn’t get the minutes he wanted last season but that should be motivation for him to command a starting spot for the Wellington Phoenix next time around.
Troy Putt – Speedster from Birkenhead United in his second year within the Minnesota United system. Made an MLS debut off the bench at the start of 2026 after training the house down during preseason (he won the club’s beep test as a teenager, outlasting the Major League Soccer dudes... even including Michael Boxall). He’s getting more of a go in his preferred attacking spots with the reserves this year but is versatile enough to cover fullback, wing-back, winger... or even striker or attacking midfield. We need more athletes and here’s one.
Noah Dupont – Very tall central defender who was born in England but played for NZ at the U20 World Cup and is getting close to making a first team debut for West Bromwich Albion in the English second tier. For that matter, there’s also Alex Leinard at Sunderland. A little younger and just as promising with how he’s working his way up their academy system.
That’s just off the top of the dome... it’s impossible to predict these things when it comes to prospects, there are so many variables at play: injuries, opportunities, managerial changes, attitude, luck, etc. But the point is we’re doing pretty well here – it’s not like we have a golden generation and then nothing. Kiwi football is now set up in a way that good players are coming through all the time.
The key is getting these guys into the best possible club situations for their development, where they can learn to live with the pace and intensity of world class footballers. If we want to win World Cup games then our best players need to be as far up the food chain as possible. Not too far that they don’t play... although if they get there and don’t play then maybe they’re not our best players. Wins or no wins, we showed at this tournament that we’ve got ballers. They didn’t have the experience to go ninety minutes of World Cup intensity but we can get there. Keep an eye on the transfer buzz over the next few weeks.
New Zealand vs Belgium, Starting Eleven Clubs
GK - Millwall vs Real Madrid
RB – Club Olimpia vs Fulham
CB – Portland Timbers vs Eintracht Frankfurt
CB – Nottingham Forest* vs Club Brugge
LB – Wrexham vs Brighton & Hove
CM – Viking FK vs Aston Villa
CM – Swansea City vs Club Brugge
RW – TSC Backa Topola vs Arsenal
CAM – PEC Zwolle vs Napoli
LW - Motherwell vs Manchester City
FWD – Nottingham Forest vs Atalanta
*Nottingham Forest but really Sheffield United which is where Tyler Bindon played on loan last season. The alternative was Michael Boxall’s Minnesota United. Club Olimpia (you can guess who that is) is also more like Wellington Phoenix, who also have a claim on TSC for Sarpreet though basically he didn’t play anywhere for the previous six months due to new manager selections and then injuries.
Every single one of those Belgian players has played in the UEFA Champions League. 11 players combining for 446 UCL apps with 51 goals and three championships (between KDB and Courtois). In contrast, Marko Stamenić gives us one UCL rep with seven appearances and one goal. Those are the kinds of massive games that our guys just haven’t been a part of often enough to be able to deliver complete performances at a World Cup. That includes international games where we simply have to find a way to get competitive matches outside of our confederation. The World Cup was the taster to get the appetite going, we need to be ambitious if we want to make it work next time.
Fastest Top Speeds at the World Cup by Players Aged 37+
Michael Boxall (NZL) – 32.8 km/h
Ivan Perisic (CRO) – 32.2 km/h
Shoja Khalilzadeh (IRN) – 31.9 km/h
Cristiano Ronaldo (POR) – 31.6 km/h
Alberto Quintero (PAN) – 31.0 km/h
Luka Modric (CRO) – 30.7 km/h
Nicolas Otamendi (ARG) – 30.5 km/h
Tim Ream (USA) – 30.5 km/h
Edin Dzeko (BIH) – 30.1 km/h
Marko Arnautovic (AUT) – 30.0 km/h
Lionel Messi (ARG) – 29.7 km/h
Yuto Nagatomo (JAP) – 28.6 km/h
At the conclusion of the group stage, the World’s Fastest Unc title remains with Michael Boxall, who actually upped his top speed against Belgium coming off the bench and having to keep rushing backwards to deal with the rampant Belgian subs trying (and succeeding) to run up the scoreline. Only Jesse Randall, Tim Payne, and Finn Surman reached quicker top speeds for NZ during this World Cup... which is both super impressive (for Boxy) and also kinda concerning (for everyone else).
For the Paid Subscribers…
The artistry of Will O’Rourke’s Test batting
Steven Adams reveals his favourite All Whites player (sort of)
More OFC Pro League players return to domestic footy
The Men’s U17 Basketball World Cup is going on as we speak, with New Zealand over in Türkiye attempting to match the fourth-placed finish the previous generation achieved two years ago. Unfortunately, that’s not going so well with two defeats from two thus far. Game one was against the hosts, Türkiye, and it was a hugely pesky one as the kiwis led by as many as 25 points (56-31 midway through the 3Q) only to let it slide out of their grasp from there. They actually tied it up with more than four minutes left so lots of crunch time action there... Türkiye missed a three in the final seconds but got the offensive rebound and the NZ defender fouled him under the rim for the and-one that took it to extra time. Türkiye won 112-100 in 2OT as the kiwis eventually ran out of gas.
If you watch the highlights of that game, it’s a whole lot of Jayden Cecil. He’s the bloke mentioned a couple of newsletters ago when he was part of the NBL Next Stars team that won the Adidas Eurocamp invitational event recently. Jackson Ball was there too. Cecil’s currently at Utah Prep where Sparky Dickel is his coach and his dad Tai Cecil is the president and his brother Isaac Cecil also attended. As did AJ Dybantsa who last week was the first overall selection in the NBA Draft following one year at the BYU Cougars. Yeah, two years ago that guy was teammates with Jayden Cecil... who scored 42 points against Türkiye. He shot 17/40 (6/19 from threes) to get those points so it wasn’t super efficient but those are still mad numbers. Liam Keogh also scored 20 points while Tawhiri Cate had 14p/11r/9a.
Following that, the NZ U17s were beaten 85-77 by Puerto Rico. Led 19-8 after the first quarter but again had big troubles with turnovers and fourth-quarter defence – outscored 31-14 in the fourth to lose by eight points overall. 22 points for Jayden Cecil (6/12 FG, 3/7 3PT), while Jackson Couper added 14 points in 15 mins (3/3 from deep), Cate again flirted with a triple-double with his 9p/11r/8a... admittedly he’s also been the main culprit with turnovers. Marco Sula scored 15 points with 5 assists as well.
New Zealand face Slovenia next (Weds at 5.15am NZT), who have also lost both games. The good news is that the group stage is only for classification and nobody gets knocked out. Everybody advances… it’s just that if you finish fourth in your group you’ll be playing a top seed from one of the other ones in the next round. In our case that’d probably mean Australia... so a win against Slovenia would be the difference between having that game in the R16 and facing Serbia or Ivory Coast instead.
Junior Tall Blacks at the 2026 Men’s U17 World Cup
The screenshot there doesn’t have first names so for the record:
Jayden Cecil, Lawson Pryor, Liam Keogh, Noah Duncan, Jackson Couper, Tawhiri Cate, Zach Rampton, Daley Pohio, William Patten, Marco Sula, Malakai Tuimalealiifano, Matayas Thomson
Musical Jam...
