2022 in Review: October
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By Aiden McLaughlin
The 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup starts with a triple header at Eden Park in front of a record crowd for women’s rugby, of 34,235. After Australia rush out to a 17-0 lead, the hosts get it together, to win 41-17. At the end of the month, France, New Zealand, England, and Canada are victorious in the last eight to advance to the semi-finals.
The All Blacks kick off their end of year tour with a with a 38-31 victory over Japan but were given a huge scare in front of a crowd of more than 60,000 at Tokyo’s National Stadium. The visitors played the last 14 minutes a man down after Brodie Retallick was sent off for a dangerous clearout which will see him sidelined until the last match of the tour against England.
Ranfurly Shield holders Wellington travel to Christchurch and defeat Canterbury 26-18 to win the Bunnings NPC for the first time since 2000.
Hagley Oval hosts a T20 International Tri-Series between the Blackcaps, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, which also doubles as preparation for the T20 Men’s World Cup in Australia later in the month. Pakistan wins the Tri-series but more importantly for New Zealand, they open their World Cup campaign with convincing wins over the hosts and Sri Lanka.
The White Ferns conclude their tour of the West Indies, sealing a 4-1 victory in the five match T20 series.
The 2021 Men’s Rugby League World Cup kicks off with hosts England thrashing Samoa 60-6 at St James Park in Newcastle. England, Australia, New Zealand and Tonga top their groups to progress to the quarter-finals with 100% records.
Following New Zealand Football’s review of the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, All Whites head coach Danny Hay decides not to reapply for the role after his contract ends on 31st October.
Hayden Wilde is crowned the 2022 Super League Triathlon Championship Series winner. The 25-year-old Kiwi finishes third in the grand final in Neom, Saudi Arabia to clinch the title.
The Constellation Cup between the Silver Ferns and Australian Diamonds ends up two tests a piece, with the cup awarded to Australia due to their higher aggregate score over the four tests.
Ryan Fox wins the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. His final round 68 secures the title by one shot, ahead of Alex Noren and Callum Shinkwin.
Penrith win their second NRL title in a row, beating Paramatta 28-12 in the final.
After 489 Covid-affected days, the Breakers play in front of their home fans at Spark Arena in Auckland. They beat the Tasmania JackJumpers 71-65.
The four days of Rally New Zealand conclude in Auckland. It was the first time the World Rally Championship had returned to New Zealand since 2012 and Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen won the 17-stage event to take their sixth rally of the season, and with it, become the 2022 world champions. Kiwi pair Hayden Paddon and John Kennard won the World Rally Championship-2 category over the same 17 stages.
Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander win the Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama. It’s van Gisbergen’s second Bathurst victory (both with Tander) and Tander’s fifth. By winning, van Gisbergen also sets a new record for the number of Supercars race wins in a season, with 19 and he goes on to clinch the 2022 Championship at the end of the month, with victory in the opening race of the Gold Coast 500.
Max Verstappen wins his second consecutive Formula 1 Drivers Championship with victory in the Japanese Grand Prix. His Red Bull team seal their first constructors championship since 2014 in the next Grand Prix, in Austin, Texas, with three races remaining.
Secondary school principals involved in the Auckland 1A 1st XV competition announce in a joint statement that they have declined broadcasts of matches for the 2023 season for ‘the wellbeing of students at a time when secondary schools rugby players are being exposed to an unhealthy level of scrutiny in both traditional and social media.’
The new men’s A-League season starts with a short burst of fixtures before a break for the FIFA World Cup.
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