James McOnie

Guest writer

James McOnie is a writer who got chucked on TV nine years ago. As a reporter for The Crowd Goes Wild he has been to three Olympics, a Fifa World Cup and the national frisbee golf champs.

England’s fourth penalty in the Euro final penalty shootout, taken by Jadon Sancho, is saved by Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma (Photo: Getty Images/Tina Tiller)

Abolish penalty shootouts once and for all

By James McOnie | 14th July, 2021

23rd October 1964: Peter Snell crosses victoriously the finish line of the Olympic 1500 metre event at the Olympic stadium in Tokyo. (Mandatory Credit: Allsport Hulton/Archive)

Obituary: Sir Peter Snell, the inscrutable genius of middle distance running

Sir Peter Snell has died, aged 80, at his home in Dallas, Texas. Looking back at the life of arguably New Zealand's greatest ever athlete.

By James McOnie | 14th December, 2019

‘This gruff old mountain of a man has a sense of humour!’: James McOnie remembers Sir Colin Meads

‘This gruff old mountain of a man has a sense of humour!’: James McOnie remembers Sir Colin Meads

From his first encounter as an 11-year-old kid in Te Awamutu to yesterday's funeral service, James McOnie remembers some of his favourite Pinetree stories.

By James McOnie | 29th August, 2017

Exposé: Leicester City stole their inspiring sports tale from the 2015 Highlanders

Exposé: Leicester City stole their inspiring sports tale from the 2015 Highlanders

Everyone's hailing Leicester City's Premier League victory as an unheard-of rags-to-riches sporting tale, but James McOnie argues it was plagarised from the Highlanders' 2015 season.

By James McOnie | 13th May, 2016

Where will Hilary Barry rank in the TV Newsreader Hall of Fame?

Where will Hilary Barry rank in the TV Newsreader Hall of Fame?

With Hilary Barry's resignation still sending shockwaves through the television news universe, James McOnie looks at New Zealand's rich history of newsreaders who have gone before her.

By James McOnie | 3rd May, 2016

All Blacks watch – Who’s on the radar (after one week of Super Rugby)?

All Blacks watch – Who’s on the radar (after one week of Super Rugby)?

It's never too early to start talking about who might make the All Blacks squad. Barely a week into the season, these are James McOnie's top 11 candidates to pull on the black jersey for the first time this year.

By James McOnie | 2nd March, 2016

Breakout star candidates for the 2016 Super Rugby season

Breakout star candidates for the 2016 Super Rugby season

It's Super Rugby opening weekend and a few fresh faces are taking to the field. James McOnie does his best to describe just who the hell they are.

By James McOnie | 26th February, 2016

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – FEBRUARY 11: Halberg Award winners Hamish Bond (L) and Eric Murray (R) hold the Halberg Award at the 2015 Halberg Awards at Vector Arena on February 11, 2015 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

James McOnie: The problem with the Halbergs

By James McOnie | 18th February, 2016

David Bowie: The Songs That Made James McOnie’s ’80s Boarding School Bearable

David Bowie: The Songs That Made James McOnie’s ’80s Boarding School Bearable

For James McOnie and his fellow boarding school students in 1980s Hamilton, David Bowie was a lifeline to a more thrilling and artistic world. He remembers the songs that kept the schoolboys swinging.

By James McOnie | 14th January, 2016

Summer Reissue: Richie McCaw is a Hippie – How that Transformed the All Blacks

Summer Reissue: Richie McCaw is a Hippie – How that Transformed the All Blacks

By James McOnie | 25th December, 2015