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.
Latest
Super Rugby Pacific performers of the week for round 16
The Blues prop with an All Blacks guru's co-sign
Pacific Four: Form XV of the tournament
SRP performers of the week
Sylvia Brunt on taking positives from Canada draw: 'We’ll be better for it'
Sylvia Brunt, a World Rugby Dream Team selection in 2024, has hit the ground running in the 2025 international season.
Wallaroos' Ashley Marsters admits how tough Pacific Four has been
Ashley Marsters summarised the Wallaroos' Pacific Four victory over the USA in typically laconic fashion last Saturday. “They're…
The three Super Rugby Pacific performers of the week for round 14
The Hurricanes topped the Highlanders in a thriller on Friday night while the Crusaders won handsomely in Sydney without Will Jord…
From South Auckland to Christchurch, the Crusaders' emerging hooker
In Super Rugby Pacific, Moananu has often helped the Crusaders mop up messes when Codie Taylor has been rested or absent.
Maia Joseph, the young Black Fern 'not shy about hard work'
Maia Joseph has paused her medical studies at the halfway point to become a full-time professional rugby player. The halfback has …
'Hard work always beats talent': New Zealand U20's new hat-trick hero from humble beginnings
New Zealand rallied from 19-0 behind and survived the dying stages with only 13 players in a herculean triumph. Winger Harlyn Saun…
Hurricanes winger Ngane Punivai is a transformed player in 2025
Punivai played 14 games for the Highlanders between 2020 and 2022, where he struggled to make a big impression. He scored five tri…
Black Ferns prop Awhina Tangen-Wainohu's incredible comeback
A quieter but no less significant milestone was the return of Awhina Tangen-Wainohu. The prop came off the bench in her first inte…
Super Rugby Pacific performers of the week round 13
The Chiefs replaced the Crusaders at the top of the Super Rugby Pacific table with a commanding second-half in Christchurch.
Australia stalwart Michaela Leonard on how they can 'trouble' Black Ferns
Demotion to WXV 2 could have spelled disaster for the Wallaroos. Instead, stalwart Michaela Leonard believes Australia turned a pa…
Ruahei Demant: Black Ferns 'don't have as many outside distractions as 2022'
England had won 25 consecutive matches, and the Black Ferns were struggling. The same is true three years later in 2025, but Black…
Five of the best performers of the week from Super Rugby Pacific
The Hurricanes managed to beat the number one side on the ladder, the Chiefs, while the Blues win over the Force kept their playof…
All Blacks Sevens rookie Jack Gray: 'When Dad died, I grew up pretty quickly'
While holidaying in the Coromandel, the then 13-year-old received news that his father, Wayne Gray, had died in Otaki, aged 54.
Crusaders pair of hookers bolster New Zealand U20 forward stocks
Six players return to the side that won the inaugural competition in 2024, including Crusaders hooker Manumaua Letiu.
Super Rugby Pacific performers of the week for round 11
The eleventh round of Super Rugby saw the Chiefs compile another huge score. The Blues and Highlanders are languishing while the C…
Taufa Bason: The breakthrough Aupiki star named in Black Ferns squad
Without a contract at the start of the season, the 18-year-old loose forward became one of the most influential players in the Blu…
The All Black prop who played 80 minutes to sink the Blues
“Mate, this is the moment,” Will Jordan told Fletcher Newell before the Crusaders' last scrum against the Blues in Christchurc…
Super Rugby Pacific performers of the week round 10
The tenth round of Super Rugby Pacific saw a draw for the first time in any match in five years. The Crusaders survived a storm in…
Super Rugby Aupiki Form XV: Who stood out in 2025?
The Blues won a thrilling final at Eden Park against Matatu 26-19. It took some brilliant individual moments from the Blues to pre…
Super Rugby Pacific performers of the week round nine
The ninth round of Super Rugby Pacific saw the Crusaders replace the Chiefs at the top of the table