Departure Of Warrior King, Ardie
After several years when in each of them, he should have been named the world's best rugby player, Ardie Savea was finally awarded the title two weeks ago.
Ardie is not staying around the Sports Institute in Heretaunga for 2024 and as the leader and captain of Hurricanes as he has taken a "sabbatical" to play for big bucks in Japan.
But he will be back for the ABs in their international part of the season.
Around 2013 I was in the Cossie club in Himitangi watching Hurricanes play one of the top NZ sides in the Super rugby comp. All Black great, Julian "The Bus" Savea scored one or two of his famous tries of the time and a bloke at the club said to me that his brother was going to be an even greater player. No way I had thought.
So cometh the time, cometh the man, and Ardie has probably outdone his older brother.
An Aunt of Ardie and Julian lives in Upper Hutt and she is very proud of her nephews.
I still believe that Ardie's best position in the loose forward department is openside flanker but he has been forced to hone some of his talents towards the number 8 role.
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️