The Trans-Tasman Sporting Rivalry Quiz

Answer: Chappell-Hadlee Trophy

Ian Chappell (Australia) and Richard Hadlee (NZ) were both champion cricketers and both captained their countries in the 1970 and 80s.
The Ashes is the Test match trophy contested between the old enemies, Australia and England, and the Freedom Trophy is the prize in South Africa and India fixtures.
The ICC Champions Trophy is a tournament involving all Test playing countries.

ozzz2002 hit this question for six!

Answer: Field Hockey

Field Hockey, called hockey in Australia (since we don't have ice to skate on), is another great rivalry between the 'Big Island' and the 'Small Islands'. The Trans-Tasman Challenge has been held every year since its inception in 2012 and is fiercely fought between the Black Sticks and the Kookaburras (Men's competition) and the Black Sticks Women against the Hockeyroos (Women's competition).

Phoenix Rising's Red Crew member leith90 scooped up this question and was promptly sent to the penalty corner for dangerous play.

Answer: The athlete was disqualified

The 1976 Winter Paralympics took place in Örnsköldsvik in Sweden. New Zealand did not send any competitors to a Winter Olympics until 1980. Australia was represented by Ron Finneran, but his disability didn't meet the strict requirements required to compete. Due to polio, Finneran had lost the use of his legs and one of his arms. He did take place in the opening ceremony and competed in future events in downhill skiing. He was also very active in the Australian Paralympic Federation ensuring disabled people's participation in sports events.

Red Team's member smpdit remains awed by people determination in the face of adversity.

Answer: Lawn bowls

Lawn bowls has a long history, with legend having it that Francis Drake played a game before defeating the Spanish Armada in 1588. The game is popular in Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, England, Canada and many more. The bowls (NEVER call them balls) have a bias in them, in that one side is heavier than the other, causing them to travel a curved path. There are many variations of the game, from singles, doubles and quads. The target is a small white ball called a 'jack', hence the team names of the NZ and Aussie teams.

ozzz2002 bowled this question into the quiz, hitting jack-high!

Answer: New Zealand

The Australian Women's Soccer Association was formed in 1974 and played against New Zealand in their first international match in 1979. In 1983 they finally played against a team other than New Zealand in the Oceania Cup. In the late 80s they played against American and European teams for the first time. Becoming known as the "Matilda's", or the "Female Socceroos" they still suffered from a lack of attention, respect and funding. They had some success at the 2020 Olympics, finishing fourth and their prowess has increased in subsequent years. They have become a beloved national team and their 2019 captain, Sam Kerr, is considered to be one of the best female soccer players.

Red Crew's smpdit looks forward to seeing women's football being on a similar footing to men's.

Answer: Inter Dominion Championships

The Inter Dominion Championships, or Interdoms as they are often called, are held annually between six Australian states and New Zealand, with clubs vying for a perpetual trophy. There is a championship series for pacing and one for trotting and date back to the mid-1930s.

Standardbred horses are the heroes of this sport. Harness racing involves a horse pulling a driver in a sulky, or two-wheeled cart. If it's a pacing race, the horse moves it legs on the same side forward together in a two-beat gait. If it's a trotting race, the horse moves the diagonally opposite legs forward at the same time. A trotter can be a pacer, but a pacer cannot be a trotter.
The location for the Interdoms rotate each year with a five-year advanced scheduling plan.

Jaknginger paced this question into Phoenix Rising's Red Crew team quiz.

Answer: Warriors

The team only had moderate success until 2002, when they were minor premiers (top of the ladder at the end of the home and away season). They progressed through the finals, reaching the Grand Final, where they were hammered by Eastern Suburbs, 30-8. Two years later, they finished second last. During Covid, the team was based in Australia, on the New South Wales Central Coast, for seasons 2021 and 2022. The Rams were a short-lived team from Adelaide, only existing in 1997 and 98. The Western Reds, based in Perth, were similar, only playing from 1992-97.

This question was put in play by ozzz2002.

Answer: Diamonds and Silver Ferns

The Australian Diamonds and the New Zealand Silver Ferns have been the very top of the world Netball ladder for years. The rivalry began with the very first match between the two as far back as 1938 and has continued unabated. Netball was first included in the Commonwealth Games in 1990, and for the first six events, Australia and New Zealand competed against each other in every gold medal round. Until 2018 when the bubble burst and the Silver Ferns were relegated to fourth place behind Jamaica, and Australia second, behind England.

Phoenix Rising's red crew member leith90 thought she scored with this question, even though her prowess as a Wing Defence in years gone by, left a lot to be desired.

Answer: IndyCars

IndyCars are very similar to F1, with arguably a bit more attention to acceleration and less to handling. Dixon was actually born in Australia, to New Zealand parents who were both dirt-track racers. He and Briscoe were teammates at Ganassi Racing but Briscoe left to join Penske in 2008 only to return to Ganassi in 2013.

mike32768 of the Phoenix Rising Red Team, easily lapped up the task of writing this question, but it did give him Indy-gestion.

Answer: Basketball

Men's basketball at the 2004 Olympics awarded two teams from Oceania. Since Australia and New Zealand were the only competing teams in the region, both qualified with Australia winning all three of the qualifying games over New Zealand. Unfortunately, both Australia and New Zealand finished the preliminary round with a 1-4 record and neither team qualified for the quarterfinals. Possibly the best known player internationally from either team was Andrew Bogut who was the number one overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft and played in the league for more than 10 seasons.

This question was swished into the quiz by Phoenix Rising teammate and Red Crew member Triviaballer as part of the team's 2022 World Tour.