Pixel Tees is all about celebrating those great sporting moments that made us fans, so I wanted to find out what is our nation's greatest sporting moment of all time*.
In an attempt to do so, I’ve created a highly subjective little knockout tournament that pits 16 iconic NZ sporting moments against each other in a titanic head-to-head battle, with the winners voted by you on the Pixel Tees’ Facebook page.
*The selection criteria:
- The moment needed to pass the folklore test, i.e. do people still reminisce about where they were when it happened?
- Therefore, the moment doesn’t need to be part of a win or be a win itself…but it helps.
- There must be an international component.
- From the last 30 years, basically because that spans the width of my memory banks.
The Tournament Bracket
ROUND 1 (voting dates)
31 July 2021 (view results)
Jonah Lomu runs over Mike Catt in the 1995 RWC semi-final against England v Zinzan Brooke’s drop goal in the same game.
1 August 2021 (view results)
Jonah Lomu’s last minute try against Australia in 2000 v Stephen Donald's “The Kick” penalty in the 2011 RWC final.
2 August 2021 (view results)
Maria Tutaia’s goal to give the Silver Ferns a two goal extra time victory over Australia in the 2010 Commonwealth Games final v Danyon Loader’s 2 gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
3 August 2021 (view results)
Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan come from behind to win the double skulls gold at the 2012 London Olympics v Sarah Ulmer wins the 3000m individual pursuit gold in a world record time at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
4 August 2021 (view results)
Nathan Astle scores the fastest ever double century in test cricket (222 in 153 balls) against England in 2002 v Brendon McCullum's 302 (NZ’s first triple century in tests) against India in 2014.
5 August 2021 (view results)
Grant Elliott's six to win the 2015 CWC semi-final v Ross Taylor scoring the winning runs in the 2021 WTC Final.
6 August 2021 (view results)
Winston Reid's last-minute goal against Slovakia to secure NZ’s first point at a FIFA World Cup, in 2010 v Mark Paston's penalty save against Bahrain in 2009 to keep NZ ahead on route to qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.
7 August 2021 (view results)
“The America's Cup is now New Zealand's Cup”, Team NZ win race 5 and the 1995 America's Cup v Shaun Johnson’s last minute try against England to win the 2013 RLWC semi-final.
Round 2 (voting dates)
8 August 2021 (view results)
Jonah Lomu runs over Mike Catt in the 1995 RWC semi-final against England v Stephen Donald's “The Kick” penalty in the 2011 RWC final.
9 August 2021 (view results)
Danyon Loader’s 2 gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics v Sarah Ulmer wins the 3000m individual pursuit gold in a world record time at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
10 August 2021 (view results)
Brendon McCullum's 302 (NZ’s first triple century in tests) against India in 2014 v Grant Elliott's six to win the 2015 CWC semi-final.
11 August 2021 (view results)
Winston Reid's last-minute goal against Slovakia to secure NZ’s first point at a FIFA World Cup, in 2010 v “The America's Cup is now New Zealand's Cup”, Team NZ win race 5 and the 1995 America's Cup.
Semi-Finals (voting dates)
12 August 2021 (view results)
Jonah Lomu runs over Mike Catt in the 1995 RWC semi-final against England v Danyon Loader’s 2 gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
13 August 2021 (view results)
Grant Elliott's six to win the 2015 CWC semi-final v “The America's Cup is now New Zealand's Cup”, Team NZ win race 5 and the 1995 America's Cup.
Final (voting date)
14 August 2021 (view results)
Jonah Lomu runs over Mike Catt in the 1995 RWC semi-final against England v Grant Elliott's six to win the 2015 CWC semi-final.
The winner!
Grant Elliott's six to win the 2015 CWC semi-final.