Liam Lawson will start sixth at Formula One’s Austrian Grand Prix, and is the highest-placed of the four Red Bull-backed cars ahead of both teammate Isack Hadjar and world champion Max Verstappen.

For the first time since Saudi Arabia earlier this year, Lawson will start ahead of his Racing Bulls teammate – who was eliminated in the second qualifying session (Q2). Hadjar will start 13th.

NZ Herald sportswriter Alex Powell joined Piney to discuss.

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Mixed martial artist Kai Kara-France wants to use his flyweight title fight this afternoon as a platform for Māori culture.

The Kiwi will face Brazilian champion Alexandre "The Cannibal" Pantoja at UFC 317 in Nevada - his second title attempt.

Sky Sport UFC analyst Ravinder Hunia joined Piney to discuss.

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Bevon Jacobs is hoping that sharing a changing room with Indian cricket superstars such as Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah will serve him well for his country.

The Auckland batter's the only uncapped player in the 15-man squad for next month's T20 tri-series against South Africa and hosts Zimbabwe.

Jacobs was part of the Mumbai squad in the latest edition of the Indian Premier League - in an unusual case of cracking an IPL contract before playing internationally.

He joined Piney to discuss further.

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All Blacks coach Scott Robertson has revealed why they opted to bring Dalton Papali'i into camp again following the injury to Wallace Sititi.

Sititi is out for the series against France with a high ankle injury, with Blues flanker Papali'i whistled in as injury cover after missing the initial squad and Christian Lio-Willie moved into the squad proper.

Robertson says Ethan Blackadder - who also missed out - was unavailable to come in.

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The Black Caps and White Ferns are staring down the barrel of a packed summer schedule, according to a new release from NZ Cricket.

New Zealand have released their schedule for the upcoming home summer, with a combined 59 international fixtures for both the men's and women's sides. 

BYC podcast co-founder Paul Ford joined Piney to discuss.

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New Zealand punters will no longer be able to bet with overseas bookmaker under new laws that will come into effect next week. 

TAB NZ will become the sole legal provider of online sports and racing betting, with a number of politicians saying it could provide a major boost to the nation’s betting industry. 

The law change has made it illegal for offshore operators to accept bets, and have introduced stronger powers to prevent gambling harm. 

TAB NZ CEO Nick Roberts joined Piney to discuss the changes. 

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On the Weekend Sport with Jason Pine Full Show Podcast for 28th June 2025, we talk referee abuse, starting with Mike Hester, NZR’s Participation Development Manager, and grassroots ref Rob Harman. 

We also talk the new betting laws with TAB NZ CEO Nick Roberts and football with All Whites coach Darren Bazeley and Auckland City CEO Gordon Watson following their historic 1-1 draw with Boca Juniors.  

Get the Weekend Sport with Jason Pine Full Show Podcast every Saturday and Sunday afternoon on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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Australia and New Zealand are set to clash again later this year, this time on the football pitch. 

The All Whites will be playing the Socceroos in a two-match series for the Soccer Ashes trophy in September. 

Coach Darren Bazeley joined Piney to discuss the upcoming battle, as well as look ahead to next year's World Cup – an event the All Whites have qualified for.  

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SailGP will be making waves in Auckland again in 2026.  

After being omitted from the first announcement of venues for next season, the league has confirmed it will return to the City of Sails on the weekend of February 14-15 next year.  

The event will be the second of 12 on the calendar and is the last on the global foiling league’s initial four-year agreement with New Zealand Major Events to host regattas in New Zealand.  

The league is now expected to go through a process to explore what is possible in terms of a long-term arrangement in Auckland.  

Alexandra Corry, SailGP Head of Event for New Zealand, joined Piney for a chat about the announcement.  

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A call for New Zealand Rugby to protect referees more. 

The Horowhenua Kapiti Rugby Union has postponed fixtures this weekend after a referee was so seriously abused he had to be escorted to his car over safety fears. 

Last month, the union said in response to escalating abuse towards match officials – highlighted by a person threatening to stab a referee – that they would cancel all senior club games if behaviour didn’t improve. 

Mike Hester, Participation Development Manager at NZ Rugby Union, joined Jason Pine to unpack the situation. 

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