Sport Archives | E-Tangata

The story of Olsen Filipaina

Posted by Patrick Skene | Jun 21, 2020 | Reflections

Rugby league great Olsen Filipaina (Sāmoan-Ngāpuhi) died last week, on February 10. Here’s a piece we ran about him in 2020, extracted from ‘The Big O’, by Patrick Skene.

Pero Cameron: Big man, big impact

Posted by Dale Husband | May 10, 2020 | Kōrero

“We had a very practical Māori upbringing but not much in the way of Niuean or Scottish.” — Pero Cameron, head coach of the Tall Blacks.

Israel Folau’s demise is also partially ours

Posted by Patrick Thomsen | Apr 14, 2019 | Comment & Analysis

“Israel Folau’s demise is one that I can’t fully celebrate as a gay Pasifika person.”—Seuta’afili Dr Patrick Thomsen.

Farah Palmer: On a rugby board that’s no longer so male, pale and stale

Posted by Dale Husband | Apr 15, 2017 | Kōrero

Three World Cup Rugby titles — and the first wahine on NZ Rugby’s board.

Trevor Shailer: Our Rio team — and our Māori dimension

Posted by Dale Husband | Jul 23, 2016 | Kōrero

They’d say: “Man, I wish we had what you’ve got.”

Noeline Taurua: ‘Why am I doing this?’

Posted by Dale Husband | Jul 2, 2016 | Kōrero

Missed the Silver Ferns job — but on top with the Southern Steel

Gilbert Enoka’s winning formula

Posted by Dale Husband | Jun 11, 2016 | Kōrero

Graham Henry and Steve Hansen used to say to me: “Where are you going with this, Bert?” And I’d say: “I don’t know. But I know I’m heading in the right direction.”

James McOnie: Having fun with the famous

Posted by Dale Husband | Apr 30, 2016 | Kōrero

Anytime there’s a Māori sportsperson, who’s slightly chunky and who’s on telly, he’ll phone me and say: “That’s your cousin.”

The Brown Buttabean: I’m meant to be here

Posted by Steve Deane | Mar 19, 2016 | Sport

“How was I not killed or jailed?” Steve Deane with the story behind the jovial bigmouth celebrity...

“Hey mister. Why did you drop Jonah?”

Posted by Ken Laban | Dec 13, 2015 | Comment & Analysis

Like many others in New Zealand, I first became aware of Jonah when he played for Wesley College...

Martin Taupau and the Kapow factor

Posted by Caley Wilson | Dec 6, 2015 | Sport

In the course of the Rugby World Cup tournament that wound up with the All Blacks beating...

Tonga — an incubator for world rugby

Posted by Sefita Hao’uli | Oct 17, 2015 | Comment & Analysis, Sport

There are many people — and not just Pacific Islanders — who’ve been disappointed that our teams...

Alex Glenn – a Bronco with strong Raro and Kiwi links

Posted by Caley Wilson | Oct 3, 2015 | Sport

You wouldn’t guess it now, with him over 100kgs and about to start for the Brisbane Broncos in...

This time it really is our year

Posted by Julian Wilcox | Jun 28, 2015 | Sport

A former rugby legend (and now an expert, impartial analyst of the game where he once flourished)...

RIP Jerry Collins (1980-2015)

Posted by Piripi Whaanga | Jun 20, 2015 | Reflections

The rugby world knew him as a hard man — as one of the toughest and most intimidating loose...

Michael Leitch — there’s no rugby player quite like him

Posted by Caley Wilson | Jun 13, 2015 | Sport

“In the rugby environment in Japan, when you’re younger, you don’t have a voice — and that’s not always ideal. I’ve always been respectful but, when it comes to rugby, if I’ve had something to say, I’ve said it.”

The quickest of them all? Kayla Cullen

Posted by Caley Wilson | May 31, 2015 | Sport

Over the next few months, 23-year-old Kayla Cullen has a shot, first of all, at winning the ANZ...

Manu Vatuvei – they don’t come any more scary

Posted by Caley Wilson | Apr 10, 2015 | Sport

At the end of the 2014 rugby league season, Manu Vatuvei had played 194 games for the Warriors...

Netball’s loss, football’s gain

Posted by Caley Wilson | Mar 21, 2015 | Sport

When Jasmine Pereira started high school, her mum told her it was time to choose one sport and rip...

Not all cults are bad

Posted by Moana Maniapoto | Mar 15, 2015 | Comment & Analysis

When it comes to exercise, my natural inclination is to skip the sweaty stuff and head straight to...

Looking back on that first big day for the Warriors

Posted by Ben Stanley | Mar 14, 2015 | Sport

Somewhere in an attic, in a house up in the north eastern corner of England, there is, along with other rugby league memorabilia, an old Warriors jersey. There’s the number 10 on the back, signalling that it was worn by a...

In the mould of Benji and Shaun

Posted by Caley Wilson | Mar 8, 2015 | Sport

Twenty years ago, the Auckland Warriors – as they were then – took their first step into the...

Samoan Joe: Our water polo star in Hungary

Posted by Ben Stanley | Mar 1, 2015 | Sport

In Sapapali’i in Savai’i, like in any other village in Samoa, the locals don’t rate themselves as experts on water polo. Same story in Papamoa, just outside Tauranga. But, even though they probably...

Quick to make a mark

Posted by Caley Wilson | Feb 8, 2015 | Sport

Twenty five years ago, when Nathan Nukunuku made the Auckland under-14 softball team, he was...

Touching the stars in Whakatane

Posted by Caley Wilson | Jan 25, 2015 | Sport

The Whakatane Touch tournament (in early January each year) is the largest club gathering for the...

In Azerbaijan but still one of ours

Posted by Ben Stanley | Dec 21, 2014 | Sport

Her voice is enthusiastic and friendly. Her accent has hints of that unmissable warmth you find in people from the American Midwest. She’s a young athlete from the United States, living more than 10,000 kilometres from...