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📻 IMPORTANT AUCKLAND UPDATE 📻
Beige, books and Metallica: Mornings' memorable moments of 2025
Logan Swinkels • January 14th, 2026 7:00 am
Ian Smith is currently in India commentating on the Blackcaps white-ball tour and will continue with the T20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7.
But Sport Nation Mornings will return to air from January 19 with Riccardo Ball taking his mark at the crease Monday to Wednesday. Alex Chapman will once again join him on Thursday and Fridays.
Ahead of their return, here are some of our favourite 2025 on air moments that featured the trio on Sport Nation.
Bringing Back The Beige
Bay Oval became ‘Beige Oval’ last year in honour of the historic 2005 T20I between the Blackcaps and Australia.
Back then, the Kiwi side donned the iconic beige uniform that called back to the 1980s team that featured many NZ cricket greats including Sir Richard Hadlee, Ian Smith, Martin Crowe, and Jeremy Coney.
Smithy was joined by Darly Mitchell ahead of the Aussies' 2025 tour, which then got Riccardo Ball feeling nostalgic and wondering if The Doyen still had his original uniform and would wear it today.
“There’s about as much chance of me fitting in it as you,” Smithy quipped back to his co-host.
Time for Smithy's return to beige! | Sport Nation Mornings
Just A Drummer In The Band
Talkback Time is a staple of Mornings that gives the listeners a direct line into the show, allowing them to ask questions or share their own personal stories.
It’s those moments that can stand out and tug on our heart strings – like when Scotty from Taranaki called up to talk about Smithy’s 1991 published book ‘Just A Drummer In The Band’ and how his young son has connected with it.
Scotty from Taranaki asks Smithy about his book from 1991 | Sport Nation Mornings
Pranking A Metalhead
Mornings co-host Riccardo Ball is Sport Nation’s resident metalhead. If you were to carpool with him to work, you’re likely to hear Motörhead, Metallica, or Machine Head.
So you can imagine the horror on his face when Alex Chapman and executive producer Bryan Rarere pranked the headbanger with a rather Euro-sounding house remix of the iconic ‘Enter Sandman’.
Metal die-hard Ric takes the bait in a hilarious all-timer on-air prank | Mornings
Wahine Wahs
2025 marked the return of the NZ Warriors to the NRLW competition with plenty of big names putting pen to paper in Penrose - including Black Ferns Sevens great Michael Brake (née Blyde).
Michaela joined Ric and Chappy in studio back in May where she revealed why she made the jump.
The speedy winger’s season ended prematurely following the announcement that she was expecting her first child with husband Michael. Prior to that exciting news, the 30-year-old stunned the rugby league world in just her second game, equaling the NRLW record for most tackle breaks in a game with 16 against the Parramatta Eels in Round 2.
Michaela Brake is offside with the offside rule | Sport Nation Mornings
Tune into Sport Nation Mornings, 9am to 12pm weekdays on Sport Nation, returning January 19. Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify.
