Weekend Sport with Jason Pine

On the Weekend Sport with Jason Pine Full Show Podcast for 22nd November 2025, Don Mackinnon, Chair of the NZ20 establishment committee, joins the show to offer clarity on their hopes for the franchise.   The All Blacks are looking to bounce back this week against Wales – former Welsh winger Alex Cuthbert joined Piney to preview the match and discuss what’s led to the demise of Welsh Rugby.  And it was a chaotic start to the Ashes with 19 wickets falling on the first day. English cricket great Lord Ian Botham recaps the action from Perth.  Get the Weekend Sport with Jason Pine Full Show Podcast every Saturday and Sunday afternoon on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dan Hooker returns to the Octagon for the first time in over a year.  He’s facing the much-favoured Arman Tsarukyan for a shot at a world title fight.  UFC on Sky host Ravinder Hunia told Piney that Hooker is absolutely the underdog, but that’s nothing new for Kiwi fighters.  Hunia says he’s the underdog for good reasons, as Tsarukyan is on a seven fight win streak, three of them grappling competitions, but Hooker loves to come in and disappoint these wrestlers.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daryl Mitchell’s seemingly endless good form continues.  After leading the Black Caps to an ODI win over the West Indies with a big century, he moved to #1 in the ODI World Batting Rankings.  He’s just the second New Zealander to top the rankings.   Mitchell told Piney it’s not something you aim for, or think you’ll ever achieve, but it’s very special.   He says it’s something that he’ll probably look back on very fondly at the end of his career, rather than when you’re in the middle of it, trying to do your thing.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks will be looking to bounce back against a Welsh team who can't seem to catch a break.   They've only won two tests since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, both wins coming against Japan this year, and look a long way away from being the team that won the 6 Nations in 2021.   It’s a task made no simpler by the fact that they’re facing a wounded All Blacks side who are looking to exorcise their loss to England.   Former Welsh winger Alex Cuthbert told Piney that if Wales can get a bit of parity in the lineout and scrum, that’s when they’ll be dangerous.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A chaotic opening day of the first Ashes cricket test between Australia and England in Perth has seen 19 wickets fall – the most on the first day of an Ashes test since 1909.  England were bundled out for 172 before Australia were kept to 123 for 9 at stumps – trailing by 49 runs.  The day also saw Australian opener Usman Khawaja forced to bat at number four after being off the field for the end of England's innings with back spasms.  English cricket great Ian Botham told Piney it’s a good day for England, as they have a good lead and could almost wrap it up today.  He says it’s nice to say that England are in charge.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ashes have gotten underway in an explosive fashion.  The opening day saw England bundled out for 172 with Aussie paceman Mitchell Starc notching 7 for 58, the tourists responding by keeping the hosts at 123 for 9 at stumps, as captain Ben Stokes took 5 for 23.  England is heading into day two with the upper hand, and intend to keep the pressure on Australia.   Australian Correspondent Adam Peacock told Piney there was some fairly average shot selection from the batters on both teams.  He says that the greatest thing you can have in test cricket is patience, and the batters who are used to playing T20 just can’t help but try hit every ball.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The time is right for New Zealand to join the rest of the world with a privately-backed, franchise Twenty20 league.  That’s the message from Don Mackinnon, the man standing at the front of the group looking to achieve just that.  Some 22 years on from cricket introducing the shortest format, T20 has become the vehicle in which the sport is growing around the world. And, as is the case with sports like football and basketball, strong club-based franchise competitions have proven to be the main driver of that.  Led by the Indian Premier League, established in 2008, the franchise game has slowly but surely expanded to all corners of the cricket-playing world. First to India, then England, Australia, Pakistan, the West Indies, South Africa and so on.  Even non-cricketing strongholds such as the US, Canada and even Nepal have franchise domestic leagues. The only exception to that is New Zealand.  Since the inception of T20 cricket, New Zealand has maintained a domestic competition made up of the six major associations – Auckland, Northern Districts, Wellington, Central Districts, Canterbury and Otago – known as the Super Smash.  However, the lack of any franchise-style model has left the Super Smash outdated.  Instead of operating as NZ Cricket’s (NZC) main driver of revenue, the Super Smash instead operates as a breeding ground for local talent, allowing Kiwi players to develop and step into the Black Caps and White Ferns respectively.  And while that might be beneficial for New Zealand’s national sides, the Super Smash being left off Sky’s new cricket broadcast deal from the start of next summer shows the model, as it stands, is broken.  But, led by Mackinnon, a consortium that includes former Black Caps captain Stephen Fleming and NZ Cricket Players’ Association boss Heath Mills wants to take New Zealand into the franchise world.  The proposed “NZ20″ would involve teams created by the major associations being sold to private owners, and establish a league to be played at the height of the Kiwi summer in January, as early as the start of 2027. It would also provide parity to what has been shown to work around the world.  While the format is still to be finalised, the NZ20 would theoretically be a Kiwi-based league providing New Zealand’s players the opportunity to play a franchise competition at home.  As and when a format is decided, and agreed to by NZ Cricket, the major associations and the players’ association, the NZ20 would revolutionise the sport in Aotearoa.  Speaking to Weekend Sport with Jason Pine, Mackinnon – the chairman of the NZ20 Establishing Committee – explained that while similar attempts to implement a franchise league in New Zealand haven’t materialised, the state of the sport in 2025 has changed that equation.  “If we go back a decade, I was on the board of NZ Cricket,” he said. “We looked at setting up a franchise league back in 2013-14.  “At the time we didn’t think it was viable. But as one highly respected figure put to me, there’s never been more money in the international game of cricket at the moment.  “So many people around the world are excited by it and investing in it, but New Zealand is not part of that.  “I just think the time is right to tweak that model and create something in our domestic league that fans are excited by. The money is there, the interest is there. The timing is perfect.”  Naturally, with this kind of expansion, falsehoods have materialised. For a start, Mackinnon dismisses any notion the NZ20 is a “rebel league”, as suggested when first reported.  Mackinnon concedes “it would be crazy to do this without the support of NZC”.  Earlier this year, the NZ20 Establishing Committee presented the concept to NZC. In turn, two members of the NZC board are also part of the Establishing Committee, at a time when the governing body assesses multiple options as to how to revolutionise the shortest format here.  Mackinnon also points out that what the NZ20 intends to do isn’t new.  Cricketing nations across the globe have implemented the same models, where privately-backed franchises co-exist with national boards to allow T20 to operate as the centrepiece of the domestic season.  Those models have provided the blueprint for the NZ20 Establishing Committee to take on board.  “What we’re looking to do here is not novel,” Mackinnon said. “In actual fact, it’s done all around the world.  “The better question might be ‘why aren’t we?’ The South African league, for example, has gone from loss-making to extraordinarily successful. The Caribbean league has done exactly the same.  “The Caribbean league is probably the model we’ve mostly looked at as replicating, in part. It’s a relatively small economy, a relatively small talent pool. And yet it is reinvigorating the game in the Caribbean.  “Will it be here in 30 years’ time? I don’t know. But the model is certainly doing great things for the game at the moment. There is absolutely no reason why we can’t do it here.”  What’s more, there is also evidence of Mackinnon’s suggestion of franchises having stakes controlled by the major associations, while selling ownership to investors.  For example, England’s “The Hundred” competition initially involved its franchises being co-owned by the English county cricket sides. However, when put to tender earlier in 2025, hundreds of millions of pounds were raised for the counties to use as they saw fit, including investing in the grassroots.  The biggest potential worry for the NZ20 – if successful – is the window in which it would operate. If Mackinnon’s suggestion of January eventuates, the NZ20 would clash with Australia’s Big Bash League, South Africa’s SA20 and the UAE’s ILT20.  The SA20 and ILT20 are both owned by Indian private equity, while the Big Bash League is almost certain to follow a similar path in seeking outside investment.  Naturally, then, that would leave the NZ20 competing for talent, be it local or international.  For Mackinnon, though, the priority is ensuring the competition is primarily an outlet for New Zealanders.  “We’re really conscious of that,” he said. “The first thing is we want to make sure our very best players are playing in it.  “Heath [Mills] has been talking a lot to the Daryl Mitchells of this world, the Kane Williamsons – our best players. They are incredibly excited about this as a concept.  “First and foremost, you’re going to have a young kid playing for Otago, bowling to Finn Allen for example. That’s got to be good for the game in New Zealand.  “There’s an awful lot of really good white ball cricketers playing around the world, not all of them can play in South Africa and Australia.  “I have no doubt that there would be the opportunity to supplement squads. They would still be very good, exciting players that would put bums on seats.”  However, the NZ20 isn’t the only option on the table for NZC. The national body is also undertaking a review, led by Deloitte, to determine which direction it should move in.  While a similar, privately-backed franchise model is also on the table – separate from the NZ20 – the biggest potential rival would be for the NZC to seek having at least one side join Australia’s Big Bash.  While that would mean New Zealand and Australia joining forces – as seen with the Warriors in the NRL, the Breakers in the NBL and Auckland FC and the Wellington Phoenix in the A-League – it would also mean NZC has less influence on how the team could be run.  Regardless, Mackinnon, said that while the NZ20 Establishing Committee believes it has the best way forward, it ultimately wants to see what’s best for the sport – even if it means NZC moves in another direction.  “I’ll be the first to applaud NZ Cricket for looking at all of their options, they’re doing the right thing,” he said. “If they say that’s better for cricket in New Zealand, we will live with that and I will wish that project every success.  “It seems to me a competition that’s played throughout New Zealand, ideally at holiday venues at the peak of summer, with some of our best players playing, some great international players is better for fans, it’s better for players, it’s better for our regions, and personally I think it’s better for our Black Cap and White Ferns development programmes.  “But that’s just our opinion. I fully accept that NZ Cricket are looking at all their options – as they should.”  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James McOnie from The Crowd Goes Wild joined Piney to discuss the All Blacks' loss to England and the Black Caps' prowess at Hagley Oval. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Weekend Sport with Jason Pine Full Show Podcast for Sunday 16 November. Get the Weekend Sport with Jason Pine Full Show Podcast every Saturday and Sunday afternoon on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Black Sticks defensive stalwart Blair Tarrant is retiring from international hockey after a career spanning 15 years. He began his career in Dunedin, and walked away having competed in three Olympic Games campaigns,  three World Cups and three Commonwealth Games. He joined Piney to discuss this latest development.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK has emerged victorious following their morning clash against the All Blacks. The hosts rallied from a 12-nil deficit to deny New Zealand an unbeaten Northern Tour - and walked away with a 33-19 win. BBC rugby commentator Chris Jones joined Piney to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2028 Olympic schedule has been unveiled and it's inspired debate about what it could mean for New Zealand. Some notable changes include athletics moving to the opening week of competition in Los Angeles and swimming shifting back to the second week. Former Olympian Ryan Archibald joined Piney to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand golfer Daniel Hillier is in touch with a packed leaderboard at the season-ending DP World Championship in Dubai. An even-par third round 72 has the Kiwi sitting at nine-under-par, four shots behind joint leaders including Rory McIlroy. Golf NZ national coach Jay Carter joined Piney to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's disappointment among Kiwi fans after the All Blacks got knocked out of the Grand Slam. England has beaten New Zealand 33-19 at Twickenham, dashing hopes of a first Grand Slam since 2010. All Blacks assistant coach Tamati Ellison joined Piney to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Weekend Sport with Jason Pine Full Show Podcast for 15th November 2025, former Black Cap and vastly experienced white ball cricketer Anton Devcich joined Piney to discuss what NZ Cricket needs to do to breathe life back into our domestic T20 scene.  The All Blacks’ Grand Slam hopes remain alive, but they face their biggest test match of the Northern Tour this weekend against England. Former England international Thomas Waldrom offers his thoughts on how important this test is for both nations.  And Chris Lendrum joins to discuss what's next for the Black Ferns after parting ways with Head Coach Allan Bunting.  Get the Weekend Sport with Jason Pine Full Show Podcast every Saturday and Sunday afternoon on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was a whirlwind weekend for Jesse Randall.   On the Saturday the Auckland FC winger was the star of the Kiwi derby, tormenting the Wellington Phoenix with his pace, as he made one goal for Sam Cosgrove then scored the second himself, which was decisive in the 2-1 win.  Then, on Sunday morning, he got a phone call from national coach Darren Bazeley, telling him to get ready for a flight to Houston the following day, as a late call-up for the All Whites.  Randall told Piney it came as a bit of a surprise, but a nice one.  “I’m always ready to pick up the phone if it’s being rung by [Bazeley].”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emma Twigg is on track for her sixth Olympic Games.   She’s shifted her attention from flat water rowing to coastal rowing, which makes its debut at the 2028 LA Olympic Games.  Last week saw her claim the women’s title at the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in Turkey, setting her up for a shot at the 2028 Games.  She told Piney her aim of starting in the sport was to reinvigorate and do something a bit different and challenging.  “If it’s still me winning in LA, then I’d love to be there, and equally, if someone has surpassed me by that stage, then that would be a real win for the sport as well.”   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Allan Bunting is departing as Black Ferns coach.  New Zealand Rugby has undertaken a review of the side's programme after their third at the World Cup.  Bunting —who's carried the "Director of Performance" title since 2023— has confirmed he won't apply for the new role.  An appointment is expected by Christmas.  NZ Rugby GM of High Performance, Chris Lendrum told Piney that they’re looking for someone who will take the game forward.  “We didn’t achieve our performance goal at the Rugby World Cup, but everybody could see that the team has flashed it’s brilliance.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomorrow's mouthwatering England-All Blacks test at Twickenham could decide the visitors' Grand Slam hopes.  After two decisive victories over Ireland and Scotland, the All Blacks are facing England at their home ground.   Former England international Thomas Waldrom told Piney the All Blacks have been trying to do a lot, but it hasn’t been coming off as much.  He says this test is going to be a key one for the team to see what they’re trying to do and whether it will work.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Moves are underway to investigate how domestic T20 cricket might be revamped here in New Zealand.  Among the suggestions being put forward are a franchise based T20 league, similar to those of many other Tier 1 cricket nations, a New Zealand team entering the Australian Big Bash competition, and a refresh and reinvigoration of our current Super Smash competition.  Former Black Cap and vastly experienced white ball cricketer, Anton Devcich joined Piney to discuss the measures NZ Cricket needs to take to breathe life back into our domestic T20 scene.  In regards to a franchise based league, Devcich 's not entirely sure how well it would work, but he knows that a significant chunk of change would need to be forked out to any team involved.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.