From Warriors to All Blacks: Which is this weekend’s biggest sporting event?

A replay of last year’s Super Bowl officially started the NFL season, with the Seahawks beating the Patriots 13-10, but this California classic will hope to provide spectators with plenty more points than that game did.

Northland won their first Ranfurly shield in 48 years against Canterbury three weeks ago and held off Tasman in their first title defence two weeks ago.

This week they’ll have to come up against a Waikato side who have lost two on the trot, but will be hungry to hold the Log o’ Wood for the first time since August 2025.

Northland have put in strong performances at home this year, but come into this fixture off the back of a 57-42 loss to North Harbour.

The Warriors begin their title charge with a qualifying final against the Dolphins after a strong season which saw the New Zealand side finish second on the ladder.

It could be the last chance for home fans to watch the team at Go Media Stadium, with reports suggesting a win would see future home finals games played at Eden Park.

James Fisher-Harris will lead the team as he has all season, while other top players like Wayde Egan and Erin Clark could be the difference in helping them secure an automatic place in the preliminary finals.

Other NRL fixtures this weekend include the Rabbitohs v Knights, Sharks v Cowboys and Panthers v Roosters.

The Black Ferns kick off their 2026 WXV Global Series campaign against France in what will be a preview for their three-test series against them back in New Zealand next month.

This is the first time the sides have played since the 2025 Rugby World Cup, where the Black Ferns produced a strong 42-26 victory.

However, they have struggled against their opponents in France, having come out on top just once in the four games played in the country, with their only victory being a 14-0 win in Toulon eight years ago.

Front-rower Georgia Ponsonby will lead New Zealand into their match against France after co-captain Ruahei Demant was ruled out for the remainder of their fixtures in Europe following a calf injury sustained against South Africa.

The final match of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour is on at the best time for New Zealanders, with the game being taken to the United States.

The All Blacks have suffered two consecutive losses to the Springboks, making this game a must-win if they want to come away with half the trophy and level the series at 2-2.

Richie Mo’unga is back in the No 10 jersey, while Codie Taylor has been named captain after his exclusion from the matchday 23 last week in Soweto.

Liam Lawson continues to race with Red Bull after being demoted from them to Racing Bulls more than a year ago.

Since returning to the team as a replacement for the injured Isack Hadjar, Lawson finished seventh at the Dutch Grand Prix, but dropped to 14th in Italy.

All the racers will be taking on the brand-new Madring track for the first time this weekend, with Formula 3 drivers who tested it last month describing it as “Jeddah on steroids”.

The US Open will come to a thrilling conclusion this weekend with the women’s singles final starting at 11am on Sunday and the men’s singles on Monday at 8am.

For the men, Ben Shelton could help to produce a home winner, with an American guaranteed to be in the final as he faces Frances Tiafoe in his semi-final, while No 1 seed Alexander Zverev faces Russian Karen Khachanov in his.

For the women, it could be an all-American final if Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula can battle their way through their semi-final matches.