In the second edition of the Herald’s series celebrating the top 100 Kiwi sporting moments of the millennium, we’re counting from position 80-61. You can catch up on 100-81 here.
At the completion of the 2014 Club World Cup they handed out the tournament awards – and there stood Real Madrid’s Golden Ball-winner Sergio Ramos, teammate and Silver Ball winner Cristiano Ronaldo ... and a 38-year-old midfielder from Auckland City.
Ivan Vicelich joined footballing royalty on the podium when he received the Bronze Ball for an outstanding tournament.
Vicelich was Auckland’s midfield general as they defeated the champions of Morocco, Africa and North America on their way to a third-placed finish at the tournament.
Maybe he inspired Ronaldo to continue playing the game a decade later. – CM
Legend has it Richie McCaw only threw one punch on a rugby field – the bloke who wore the hit was the most legendary pitch invader in All Blacks history.
Puzzled by some of referee David McHugh’s calls on a hot day in Durban, enthusiastic Springboks fan Pieter van Zyl ran on to the field and tackled the Irish whistler. McCaw clocked him, followed immediately by Boks hard man A.J. Venter. Security quickly dragged Van Zyl away; police later described him as “moderately” drunk.
Herald rugby writer Wynne Gray was there and described the scene as “some of the most bizarre stuff I’ve ever seen on a rugby field”.
“It defied belief really. You could understand people getting on the field, but you’d think they would not get too far. But here was a guy, who is not exactly the most svelte athlete of all time, who has managed to waddle halfway across the field and get to all the players. That was the most dumbfounding piece about the whole thing.” – WA
It’s a moment every Warriors fan remembers – and they’ll tell you exactly where they were when it happened. Nathan Friend’s moment of brilliance would have made any gymnast proud as he threw the ball between his legs while doing a backflip, which ultimately led to a Tui Lolohea try. The play went viral around the world, featuring as No 1 on ESPN’s Top 10 Plays.
The moment also marked the last time the Warriors beat the Storm in an NRL match. In a recent interview with the Herald, Friend said he was still constantly reminded of his acrobatics. – BF
The first New Zealand gold medal at an Olympics is always special and it was an even longer wait with the Tokyo Olympics delayed by a year. Kerri Williams (née Gowler) and Grace Prendergast did it in style in Tokyo, blitzing the opposition in the women’s pairs and becoming the third female Kiwi rowing crew to win gold.
After setting a world-best time in their semifinal, the Kiwi pair were trailing the Canadian and Russian Olympic Committee crews early but gradually and calmly worked their way up the field. After six years as a team and two world titles, they finally had Olympic gold. – CM
It might just be the best closing three-hole finish in golf history. Craig Perks had just one putt, an 8.5m birdie, to go with chip-ins at the 16th and 18th to claim a remarkable victory at the event dubbed the unofficial fifth major.
He was ranked 203 in the world and had never won on the PGA Tour but the man from Manawatū stunned the golfing world at TPC Sawgrass to win the Players Championship. Two shots down with three to play, he went eagle-birdie to hold a two-stroke lead at the 72nd hole over Stephen Ames.
Perks looked in trouble, however; after three swings he wasn’t on the green at the par-four last but he avoided any nervous putts by chipping in for par to close out the victory. – CM
Having witnessed Beauden Barrett score a runaway try that all but confirmed the All Blacks as winners of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Dan Carter’s final act in a black jersey confirmed why he’s the best No 10 to ever lace up a pair of boots. Admittedly, from right in front – after being egged on by Aaron Smith – Carter lined up his final conversion with his wrong foot and, as was the case so many times in his career, he didn’t miss. Four years later, Carter revealed the act was a tribute to his dad Neville, who made his son practice kicking off both feet while growing up in Southbridge. – AP
Notice anything different about this photo of @DanCarter's final kick at goal in the #RWCFinal ...? pic.twitter.com/IXhSIbBc8h
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) November 1, 2015
Heading into the final 100m of the 1500m final at the Beijing Olympics, Nick Willis was sitting sixth, and it appeared his hopes of a medal were literally running away from his grasp. But he put in a Kiwi-at-the-Melbourne Cup-like effort to produce an impressive kick on the final stretch.
While Bahrain’s Rashid Ramzi and Kenya’s Asbel Kiprop surged away to decide gold and silver, Willis kept on pushing to claim bronze. He was later upgraded to silver when Ramzi, the winner, tested positive for a blood-booster the following year. – CM
New Zealand’s greatest trotter was an old man when he returned home in 2004.
He had spent three years taking on the world’s best, including a long stint in North America, where he raced on the legal medication Lasix.
Once horses race on Lasix, they are rarely weaned off it successfully but Lyell Creek had to be when he returned home.
After years of mile-only racing in the States, he came to Alexandra Park’s gruelling 3200m trot and smashed his opponents by seven-and-three-quarter lengths.
An old equine Ali delivering a knockout blow.
“I don’t think any of us will see something like that again,” said champion driver Anthony Butt. – MG
Lucy Spoors and Brooke Francis broke down in tears after winning, and no doubt many Kiwi fans were joining them following their thrilling gold in the women’s double sculls in Paris.
They had completed a remarkable journey. Both gave birth two years beforehand and first raced together as a combination just over 12 months ahead of the Paris Olympics.
They beat the world and Olympic champions, the superstar Romanian duo of Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis, putting the hammer down with 700m to go and then hanging on, despite a final push from the Europeans, in a breathless finish. The final margin was 0.24s.
“Raising kids isn’t easy,” reflected Francis as the tears came down. “It takes a village and we have had that whole village behind us this whole way and it only makes it that much more special. The fact that our families are here and our kids get to see this legacy now is going to be so special.” – MB
The pairing have become synonymous with Team New Zealand’s recent America’s Cup success but before they joined Grant Dalton’s crew, they produced one of New Zealand’s most dominant gold-medal wins of the century. Peter Burling and Blair Tuke were so far ahead of the 49er field at the Rio Olympics that they had the gold sewn up with a race to spare.
They could have taken a box of beers and a few fishing rods on board and made their sweet time around the course in the medal race. Instead, they produced a fourth victory of the regatta to win it in style. – CM
“They’re out on their feet, New Zealand,“ pointed out commentator Phil Gould with the Kiwis on their fourth tackle and needing to march down the field late in the Four Nations final to steal the match from the Kangaroos.
One tackle later, Benji Marshall put Shaun Kenny-Dowall into space, who then set up Jason Nightingale down the right-hand touch. From there it was just a crazy sequence. With a covering Billy Slater heading his way, who shoulder-barged the Kiwis winger, Nightingale sent a long pass back in-field, which went through the hands of Australian legend Darren Lockyer and somehow to a waiting Marshall, who had started the whole phase. Marshall wasn’t done. Tackled short of the line, he threw a pass over his head to Nathan Fien, who dived over for the four-point win.
Aussies will point out the Nightingale pass was forward, as well as another forward pass in New Zealand’s opening try. Kiwis fans will point out the scoreline. – CM
Israel Dagg the party-pooper. The All Blacks fullback denied South Africa the chance to celebrate John Smit’s 100th test in style as they closed in on handing Sir Graham Henry’s side their first loss of the 2010 season.
Dan Carter missed a penalty to have New Zealand trailing 22-17 with eight minutes remaining, but Richie McCaw tied the match up a few minutes later with a controversial try. Carter then missed a sideline conversion, leaving it tied at 22-22.
South Africa took possession inside New Zealand’s half with time running out but the All Blacks got a costly turnover that saw Ma’au Nonu break away to set up the famous win when an unmarked Dagg appeared out wide on the left-hand wing and coasted to the tryline.
The everlasting image was one-boot Nonu running away with Smit lying on the Soweto turf clutching the centre’s Adidas, having missed the vital tackle but left with a keepsake. – CM
In 35 swift boundary blows in the World Cup quarter-final against the West Indies, Martin Guptill became the:
• first New Zealander to make a double century in an ODI.
• second-highest scorer in an ODI behind Rohit Sharma’s 264.
• highest run-scorer in an innings at a World Cup.
• first New Zealander to score consecutive centuries at a World Cup.
• the highest scorer in a World Cup knockout match.
The Black Caps opener carried his bat and finished the innings unbeaten on 237 from 163 balls as New Zealand posted an imposing 393 for six. The highlight of the innings came in the final over when Guptill sent a ball over midwicket and on to the roof of the Cake Tin.
His 100 came off 111 balls, while he scored the following 137 off just 52 balls. Staggering. – CM
To continue the party atmosphere, a 36-year-old Daniel Vettori channelled “Air Jordan” on the boundary at third man with a one-handed leap to dismiss Marlon Samuels.
It had been 28 years since a New Zealand sailing crew had won an Olympic title – other than standing up on a board – and 470 women’s pair Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie ended the drought aboard their aptly named Team Jolly boat.
Going into the medal race, Aleh and Powrie were equal on points with British sailors Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark. Both had won two of the 10 fleet races. The Dutch pair were third, some way back. A minimum of silver was assured.
In the event, Aleh and Powrie made no race of it, romping away to win, while Mills and Clark had a shocker, finishing ninth out of the 10 crews.
“I was thinking about it last night and I thought silver was going to be a big deal,” Aleh said after receiving her medal. “I don’t think a New Zealand woman has ever won a gold medal in a sit-down boat and I’m sitting down and we have got one now.” – CM
After leading the Warriors back to the playoffs for the first time in seven years, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck became the first player in the side’s 25-year history to win the prestigious Dally M medal.
It was a historic moment for the club, made even more special moments later.
Following his acceptance speech, Tuivasa-Sheck stood by as his teammates, led by hooker Issac Luke and Jazz Tevaga, along with Canberra wing and fellow Kiwi international Jordan Rapana, performed a haka in his honour. – CM
Dame Lisa Carrington, Alicia Hoskin, Olivia Brett and Tara Vaughan claimed a magnificent gold in Paris, outlasting the German crew who had taken the lead with 150m to go.
But the final 100m saw the black boat surge ahead and in the end win gold – New Zealand’s first K4 medal in 40 years.
The K4 class is the most competitive of all the sprint disciplines and the one that the heavyweight kayaking nations value more than any other. No other nation outside Hungary or Germany had won the event since 1988.
It was Carrington’s sixth Olympic gold – and seventh medal overall – and she admitted it was one of the most precious, given what it took to achieve. – CM
Running on to the field for the second test against the 2005 British and Irish Lions, Dan Carter had only a couple of All Blacks matches at first five-eighths under his belt, the selectors seemingly distracted by his potential as a second five-eighths. Eighty minutes later, he looked every inch the perfect 10.
The All Blacks were better than their opponents across the park and Carter’s first try underlined the gulf in class. Running on the right flank in the 42nd minute, Southbridge’s finest took the ball 35m out, sparked a flicker of gas to brush past the first defenders then weighted a perfect grubber into the in-goal area. He scored the try, then – naturally – pinged over the sideline conversion. With the score at 31-13, the series was as good as dead.
Carter’s haul that day – 33 points from two tries, four conversions and five penalties – was his biggest in a single test and his all-round, perfect performance announced his freakish powers to the world. - WA
The maiden women’s rugby sevens final at the Commonwealth Games, much like the inaugural Olympic event two years earlier, saw World Series rivals Australia and New Zealand battling for gold.
Australia came back from 12-0 down at halftime to lock the scores up at 12-12 in the closing stages with a conversion close to the posts. However, Aussie player Emma Sykes missed the conversion, which would have given the hosts a 14-12 lead.
Teammate Cassie Staples must have assumed the kick went over, or was given the wrong instructions from a teammate, because when Australia stole possession from New Zealand with time up on the clock, she decided to kick the ball out, instead of launching an attack.
The look on her face said it all as she realised her mistake and that the match would go to extra time. In a thrilling extra stanza, New Zealand secured the victory when Kelly Brazier scored an 88m solo try. After receiving the ball under pressure, Brazier weaved into space and just kept on going all the way into the corner. – CM
Brendon McCullum bowed out the only way he knew how. After announcing the summer of 2016 would be his last as a Black Cap, Australia’s tour of New Zealand by proxy became the McCullum goodbye road trip of Aotearoa. And as New Zealand had defended the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy with a 2-1 ODI series win, two tests were to be McCullum’s final goodbye. Walking to the wicket at 32/3 on day one and batting on a green seamer, McCullum for the last time proved attack was his best form of defence.
In just over two hours, McCullum rewrote the record books, smashing a 34-ball half-century – and kept going. With his score on 96 off just 53 balls, McCullum sent Josh Hazlewood over cover for four, beating the legendary Sir Viv Richards’ record for the fastest test century by two balls. And while the test and series ended in defeat, McCullum could hold his head high for the job he’d done as a player – and captain. – AP
Growing up in Central Otago, racing mates down the Kawarau River, Finn Butcher believed he developed an edge well before kayak cross made its Olympic debut.
The Kiwi took that edge and turned it into a gold medal.
Butcher dominated the men’s final from start to finish on the slalom course at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, becoming the first Olympic champion crowned in a captivating event.
The 29-year-old could hardly fathom what he saw when, with the finish line fast approaching, he glanced over his shoulder and glimpsed open water.
“Am I actually winning this thing?” Butcher thought to himself. He was, he did, and New Zealand now had another kayaking hero.
“I couldn’t even comprehend it when I exited the last upstream and I was alone in front. It was wild,” he said. – CM
'He’s been one of our best buys in recent times,' the Storm director of football said.