#new-zealand-breakers

#new-zealand-breakers

"You are playing in front of a sold-out crowd at Allianz, you have just won a World Cup, and the next minute you are back playing over the road in front of a slither of the amount of people."

Back in 2022, when Tony Gustavsson's vaunted performance mode went bust as the Koreans dumped the Matildas out in the last eight. It was a result that, had Australia not been hosting the Women's World Cup the following year, would have seen them miss out on qualification for the global showpiece event.

One minute you are riding the perfect wave, the next you're being dumped from a great height and having your world tipped upside down. Which is essentially how Razor will now be feeling after being ousted as All Blacks head coach barely two years into his tenure. On the surface he was everything New Zealand rugby could have wished for. The serial domestic winner who had guided the Crusaders to seven successive Super rugby titles, the empathetic everyman with the break-dancing skills to match.

The increase is being largely driven by the Gen Z population, as basketball is now the 6th most popular sport among the 18-24 year old demographic. Despite there being major continental competitions across Europe like the EuroLeague and EuroCup, basketball is a sleeping giant that is awakening in the UK. This movement is likely to cause a massive shift in the sport's associated betting markets as well, but the big question of whether basketball can break into the mainstream remains.

WNBA expansion team the Portland Fire has unveiled its inaugural game jerseys. The white home jersey has Fire emblazoned on the front, and the away red jersey showcases the city's name. The secondary logo is PDX, shorthand for the city, with the P as an outline of Mt. Hood and design of the P and D reflecting the flow of the Willamette River.