So long 2025, hello 2026
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A new year is upon us, which of course means another has passed.
What was your sporting highlight of 2025?
Low light?Best live sport event?
Similarly, what are you looking forward to this year?
For me the highlight by a clear margin was the Brisbane Lions thumping the Cats on Grand Final day. A dominant and somewhat surprising 2nd half for a 2nd straight flag. Deliriously happy.
The lowlight is the certainly that AB game in Wellington. Just a completely deflating shitshow. Made worse by the fact we changed very little after that, we just got to play worse teams.Best live sport is a toss up between watching the Wahs get up at Magic Round, the Bay beating Waikato at a sunny Tga Domain, the Melbourne Cup, or a crazy day at the MCG like a week ago. (though Australian Cup day was pretty good too aye @Smudge ?)
For 2026? I think the Rugby League World Cup could actually be something special. Australia for once won't just think they have to turn up to win, and the semi finals will both be absolute belters.
Can the Lions win 3 in a row?
Can NZ actually turn up for an Australian test tour for the first time since they wore button up shirts? -
Highlight: Magpies knocking over Wellington and BoP in consecutive weekends and Kiwis smacking the Tongans and then winning the PC.
Lowlights: Wellington AB capitulation and the Magpies loss to Northland.
Best Live Sport: Pacific Championship Final, great comeback and then slaughter from the Kiwis to put some cocky Samoa fans in their place (who do they think they are, Tongans?)
For 2026: Agree on the league world cup, I'm confident we're going to win it. I've always been worried about Stacey as a coach while being confident in the players, and we seemed to be decently coached this year. If Hughes stays fit I'm very confident. Our pack is just continually underrated and we have a budding superstar in McLean.
The tour of SA should be good, hopefully this is the year that Razor becomes the messiah as promised.
As ever I'm not confident in the Warriors. We seem to be betting the house on Metcalf, I think teams will have, or will, work him out. He's no James Maloney. Hopefully they put me in my place because most of the games I've lined up to go to are later in the season so I still want they to be in the hunt.
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Two moments of sporting events I went to in 2025.
Highlight: Going to Magic Round, absolute banger of a weekend and saw several different people. Willie Mason is the biggest dude I've seen. Seeing the Wahs beat the Cowboys was also good.
Lowlight: All Blacks vs Springboks test in Wellington. First ABs test I've been to live since before COVID and what a disastrous performance that was.
For 2026: I reckon we'll win the Rugby League World Cup as long as both Dylan Brown and Jahrome Hughes are fit as I'm confident our pack will be able to do their job.
Also hoping Razor can finally kick on as a coach in international level but not overly confident with that.
Cricket I have low expectations for but would be nice for the Black Caps not just have a crack but win a test preferably in Melbourne.
Hopefully Warriors can improve again this year but never can be confident as we haven't played finals footy in back to back years since 2011.
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Highlight: Aston Villa winning 11 in a row.
Lowlight: The All Blacks' terrible performance at Twickenham, losing against England and blowing the chance of a Grand Slam.
Best Live Sport: Jannick Sinner beating Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon men's final. Great venue, great contest.
For 2026: The Black Caps to win a Test series in England. Riley Higgins to be Super Rugby Player of the Year as the Hurricane win their second title.
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Highlight: Norris grtting over the line.
Best event: Abu Dhabi gp. Managed to get paddock access for the morning of the GP with f2 grid walk. Sharing a quick chat with Dave Coulthard in the coffee q pretty cool.
Lowlight: England game. Bok game a shocker of course, but thought our problems more laid bare vs England.
2026 plans? 13yo son is now an avid golfer and has magnificent course etiquette (opposite of general life) so hoping for plenty of rounds with him.
May do Sing GP this year as my pal is working with Audi and thinks he will get pit passes this year. Fingers crossed.
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Highlight: has to be the Otago run in the NPC.
Lowlight: the Landers losing so many by a small margin.
2026 plans:
Taking my near two year old to his first game of live sport in March. Headind down to Dunedin to take him to the Landers v Force.
Super Round in Christchurch.
Potentially the Boxing Day test. Big personal spanner is three months ago I was given full permission. Now I have another kid turning up in August. Really tough balancing act to get a week away on the piss leaving the other half at home with a four month old and a near three year old. Consequences eh.
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Lowlight: the ABs getting trounced at the Cake Tin, doesn't get much worse.
Highlight: not many for me in 2025 but I'd have to go Hayden Wilde for coming back from injury to secure the World Triathlon title.Looking forward to a few things:
- The Hurricanes season - if we don't get any serious injuries, we've definitely got the players and experience to go all the way. Hoping for big seasons from Higgins, Aumua and Flanders.
- The Boxing Day test at the G, still trying to convince the Mrs to go over.
- Super Rugby Round and the new stadium in Christchurch. Even though we love to hate em, it's great to see the Cantabs finally get a quality stadium again. Every other team will be rejoicing at the fact they won't have to play in that wintery bog going forward.
- The Greatest Rivalry series against the Boks, let's hope we can make a competition of it.
- Always look forward to the Tour de France.
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@MajorPom said in So long 2025, hello 2026:
.Lowlight: England game. Bok game a shocker of course, but thought our problems more laid bare vs England.
The Wellington game was a humiliation. A record defeat at home. And the appalling sight at the end of some players giving up.
But, we were in that game with 20 minutes to go. We did beat them the week before and the Boks did play Rugby from the Gods in the last quarter.
The England defeat was more embarrassing because England didn't have to do much and weren't made to pay for their lineout and their ediscipline both going to pieces. An absolutely shocking shambles.
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Highlight would probably be Geordie Beamish winning the steeplechase at the world championships. Epic finish. It's also been cool following the progress of Sam Ruthe, thanks to @mikedogz for highlighting that.
Live event - was lucky enough to see Jokic play when the Nuggets were in town and also Warner Deans caught my eye when Japan played USA eagles here in sac. Both put in great performances - it's so much fun to see big units play with so much skill.
2026 mostly looking forward to the football world cup and SA tour. Also, the athletics in the Commonwealth games, it seems like the games are dying a slow death but I always enjoy big athletics championships/meets.
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@mariner4life said in So long 2025, hello 2026:
What was your sporting highlight of 2025?
van Dijk lifting the trophy. Closely followed by the F1 title race as Max almost achieved the seemingly impossible.
Low light?
Wellington. For all the reasons.
Best live sport event?
Lions tour. Hosts made a reasonable fist of being competitive and the tourists are always superb company.
Similarly, what are you looking forward to this year?
Tour of South Africa and Super Rugby super round (SRsr)
. Be great to see part of a proper tour against the "old foe". Also the new stadium in Christchurch (finally). -
Highlights:
- Otago winning and retaining the Ranfurly Shield and their NPC
- a horse of mine winning 2 from 2 then being sold for a very handsome profit
- attending a lot of race meetings all in the name of work
- Australian Cup with @mariner4life , I guess...
- Duffy delivering at international level
Lowlights
- losing to the scum in the NPC final
- our horse being driven perfectly in the NZ Pacing Oaks only to get nabbed just short of the line.
- an All Blacks team giving up v SA at Wellington
Best live event
- first running of the NZB Kiwi was great to be at.
Looking forward to 2026
- Otago holding the shield as long as possible and I may even fly down for a game.
- bunch of 10 mates from Otago Uni days are getting together in May in Wellington to go to Hurricanes v Highlanders.
