Ratings super for restart

New Zealand’s appetite for sport has increased during lockdown if Sky’s viewing figures for last weekend are anything to go by. The pay-TV broadcaster revealed yesterday that a combined 750,000 New Zealanders watched the Highlanders v Chiefs (Saturday night) and Blues v Hurricanes (Sunday afternoon) games in Super Rugby Aotearoa and the WarriorsCowboys NRL game in Australia on Friday night. Those figures do not include viewers who watched the games in pubs and clubs throughout the country. As well as the high Sky figures, 63,000 Kiwis piled into Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin and Eden Park in Auckland to watch the Super Rugby Aotearoa fixtures.

The Black Ferns’ World Cup-winning lock Charmaine Smith has been forced to retire from all rugby due to a neck problem or risk serious spinal injury. The 29-year-old, who has played 27 tests since 2015, has made the difficult decision after a scan found a bulging disc in her neck. ‘‘I found out there was an issue with my neck right before lockdown,’’ she said. ‘‘I found out by chance during a scan on my lower back when a doctor picked up an issue with my neck. I’ve got no symptoms. However continuing to play would put me at risk of serious spinal injury.’’ New Zealand Rugby’s head of women’s rugby Cate Sexton said Smith’s health and wellbeing was the priority and the medical advice was clear. Smith made her debut for the Black Ferns in 2015 in Canada and scored four test tries. In 2017, Smith played in all five matches in the World Cup in Ireland and scored a try in the Black Ferns’ 41-31 victory in the final against England in Belfast.