It has been a promising start to Super Rugby Pacific for Australian teams but, perhaps more notably, a less than stellar start from the competition’s usually strong New Zealand contingent.

The bottom two teams in the competition after four rounds are both Kiwi teams (the Hurricanes and last year’s champions, the Blues). Yes, the Chiefs are on top of the table, but the only team to remain unbeaten is New South Wales’ very own Waratahs, who are in second and have played one game fewer.

On Sunday, if the Reds had beaten the Crusaders, it would have been the first time that a Kiwi team hadn’t won any game across a whole round since Round 12 in the year 2000. That’s before Australia last won the Bledisloe Cup in 2002!

Alas, the Crusaders were far too good for the Reds and won the match 43-19.

1
The number of Australians left in contention at Indian Wells, tennis’ “fifth major” in the U.S. state of California. Alex de Minaur is into the last 32 after beating David Goffin in straight sets (6-2, 6-2). The current world no.10 will play Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the third round. Alexei Popyrin also made the third round but lost to American Marcos Giron earlier today.

"It felt inevitable with this group; it felt like we were building something from the beginning. This was hard and so, so tough, but we earned it, and I'm so proud."
WNBL star Sami Whitcomb after leading the Bendigo Spirit to its third title, and its first since 2014. The Spirit beat the Townsville Fire 63-55 in Game Two of the WNBL Finals to seal the series win. Whitcomb was named the grand final MVP after scoring 26 points. 

Norwegian skier Stein Eriksen is often described as the father of freestyle skiing. Eriksen was the first to do flips on skis regularly in front of camera. He was also the first skier from outside the Alps to become a men’s Alpine Olympic Champion, winning the giant slalom at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo.

⛳ Australian Karl Vilips has won his first PGA Tour title in just his third start as a pro golfer. The 23-year-old won the Puerto Rico Open by three shots on Sunday, beating Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen. Vilips is now eligible to play in next week’s Players Championship and the PGA Championship in May. He said: "It's a dream come true for me and my dad. This is what we dreamed of as a kid".

🏏 India won the Champions Trophy Final on Sunday, beating New Zealand by four wickets. The Kiwis batted first and set a target of 251 for India to chase at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Rohit Sharma was India’s high-scorer with 76 runs and KL Rahul scored the winning runs with an innings of 34 not out. Rahul said after the match: "In moments like this in big games, it's all about holding your composure. It's not easy but, yeah, [I’m] happy to get across the line this time.” The title is India’s second ICC tournament victory in two years, after winning last year’s T20 World Cup.

🏉 France are the leading contenders to win this year’s Six Nations title after defeating defending champions Ireland 42-27 on the weekend. Despite losing captain Antoine Dupont in the first half, the French turned a two-point halftime lead into a comprehensive victory with four tries in the second half. With one week remaining in the tournament, France will need to beat Scotland to claim the Six Nations title for the first time since 2022. In the other matches over the weekend, England beat Italy and Scotland beat Wales. 

Canadian Winter Olympian Ryan James Wedding has been named on the FBI’s top ten most wanted fugitives list. The 43-year-old is wanted by U.S. authorities for his alleged involvement in an illegal drug trafficking operation that oversaw the shipment of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine across international borders.

Wedding competed in the men’s giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. He finished 24th in the event.

Last June, he was charged with several felonies including the running of a criminal enterprise, murder, and conspiring to distribute and export cocaine. Then, last week, the FBI announced Wedding is now one of the organisation’s top ten most wanted fugitives.

The organisation is offering a $US10 million ($AU16 million) reward for anyone who can provide information leading to Wedding’s arrest.

FBI spokesperson Akil Davis said: "Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada. The alleged murders of his competitors make Wedding a very dangerous man, and his addition to the list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives… will make the public our partner so that we can catch up with him before he puts anyone else in danger.”

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This morning TDA Sport had the opportunity to chat with Jordan Petaia, a former Wallaby currently in Florida as part of the NFL’s International Player Program (IPP). Petaia, who represented Australia at two Rugby World Cups (2019, 2023), has left rugby union behind in pursuit of a coveted place on an NFL roster.

Petaia is one of 13 athletes representing 12 different countries outside the U.S. invited to participate in this year’s IPP camp in Florida. The 10-week program culminates in ‘Pro Day’, which sees the IPP athletes perform several exercises and training drills in front of NFL scouts, with the hope they will be a pro contract after the event. This year’s Pro Day is 26 March.

In terms of a position, Petaia has been training as a tight end, wide receiver, and H-back. For those unfamiliar with the positions in American football, these are all offensive and receive catches from the quarterback with the goal of beating defenders and scoring touchdowns.

The 24-year-old said that the toughest challenge of the IPP camp has been off the field learning the theory of the game, something fans might “underrate” as an aspect of the sport.

As for the best part of the program, Petaia said that the “bond and camaraderie” he has formed with the other athletes has been a real highlight. Two other Australians are participating in the program, Laitia Moceidreke and Laki Tasi.

Petaia started to become a fan of the NFL in his later years in high school. He debuted with the Queensland Reds when he was 18.

Petaia says he was aware of the pathway and knew that if an opportunity ever presented itself he would want to “give it a crack”. The opportunity came through his manager last year and he had no hesitation in pursuing it.

Seeing the likes of Jordan Mailata find success in the league also played an important role in inspiring Petaia’s decision to try out for the NFL. Mailata was originally a rugby league player but was drafted into the NFL through the IPP in 2018 and was a part of the Philadelphia Eagles team which won this year’s Super Bowl.

When I asked if he had spoken to any of the Aussies in the NFL, Petaia revealed that Mailata paid a visit to the IPP athletes following his Super Bowl victory, giving him and his fellow hopefuls a chance to “soak up” advice and knowledge from the NFL superstar.

Petaia’s future in the NFL will rest on his performance at the Pro Day. He says that he is still in regular contact with his teammates from rugby union and has been following the first few rounds of this year’s Super Rugby Pacific closely.

As for his experience of the U.S, the only culture shock he’s experienced so far has been the coffee.

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