Big improvement for most places today, but it stayed very cold over the South Island, with savage frosts in sheltered parts. Christchurch started the day on minus-6. Pukaki even colder on minus-11. But as we watch one lot of fronts move away to the east, there's a whole new bunch of fronts rising up out of the Southern Ocean. Later in the news hour I'll tell you if that means more snow is on the way. Right now, it's 6 o'clock. Due to the live nature of ONE News we apologise for the lack of captions for some items. This is ONE News, with Wendy Petrie and Peter Williams. Tonight ` an embarrassing backdown. Widespread outrage and continuing Hekia heckling forces the government to dump classroom cutbacks. Snow and ice continue to cause major headaches across the South Island. We're live for the latest. Scott Guy's sister gives evidence and wonders how the accused knew her brother had been shot. And in the frame and posing proudly ` we size up the new All Blacks making their debut against Ireland. Kia ora, good evening. Parents and teachers can rest easy tonight. Class sizes won't be increasing and teacher numbers won't be cut, after a major flip-flop. Anger and the backlash over the plans aimed at saving money has taught the government a lesson about an unpopular policy that affects many NZers. For more, let's go live to our political editor Corin Dann. Corin, it looks like they didn't do their homework on this. THE GOVERNMENT TOTALLY MISCALCULATED THE LEVEL OF PUBLIC ANGST OVER TEACHER CLASS SIZES ITS SUPRISING THEY DIDN'T KNOW LIKE MINING VERY SURPRISING LOST CONTROL OF MESSAGE WITH BOTCH-UP OVER INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS, AND IN SOME WAYS IT WAS SURPRISING , GIVEN THE LEVEL OF OUTRAGE, THAT IT TOOK THIS LONG TO GO INTO RETHINK. Parents in Auckland this afternoon were quick to applaud Hekia Parata for finally conceding class size increases might be a bad idea. It's a step forward, rather than being a step backward. It's a great relief. Fantastic. I hope they don't renege on that. Common sense prevails. But it was a tough call for the minister to make after spending 13 days defending the policy. Today I'm announcing that we are reversing the decision in respect of class ratios. We will maintain them as they are now. The U-turn came after a conference call with the Prime Minister in London this morning, although Parata is adamant it was her decision. I'm the minister, and the buck stops with me. I'm accountable for these decision, and, therefore, I've made this decision because it's really clear to me that parents and teachers are not happy with it. Parata's humble display today is a far cry from her news conference yesterday. Half of all schools are actually going to be gaining. 10% are more significantly affected. Labour says it's a complete humiliation for the government. I think the government has handled this appallingly, all the way from John key, who chaired Cabinet, who should've known about the impact this would have, through to the minister. This has been a total botch-up. But support party United Future has welcomed the move. I congratulate government for moving quickly to do so. I think the important thing now is to sit down with the education groups and the unions and work what the long-term solution's got to be. Meanwhile, the education sector may want to hold off on the celebrations just yet, with the minister stressing today's decision leaves a funding shortfall of $114m. So, Corin, how badly will this turnaround hurt the government? WELL, IT HAS HURT THEM. I THINK WE SAW THAT IN THE POLLS. 80% NERS AGAINST IT And Hekia Parata will be live on Close Up, right after the news hour at 7. Hundreds of homes remain without power tonight, HE IS RELATIVELY UNSCATHED, HOWEVER HEKIA PARATA HAS TAKEN A BATTERING. SHE STILL WANTS TO CARRY ON N IN THE ROLE BUT IS WOUNDED AND WILL NEED SOME TIME TO COME BACK. ITS DIFFICULT TO SELL THIS POLICY Thanks. Corin Dann at Parliament. And Hekia Parata will be live on Close Up, right after the news hour at 7. As we've mentioned, schools and parents are welcoming this back down. Rebecca Edwards has been at a Wellington school today where students had been ready to send the Minister a video message of protest. This morning at Clyde Quay Primary School, these year eight pupils were preparing to raise their young voices... Yep, that's good. That's perfect. ...in a video protesting against the government's controversial education cuts. These girls learnt how to make it at a technology centre based at a nearby school. There were fears the facility would have been forced to closed under the government's plan. One of the reasons we don't think it's fair is cos the people who are making the decisions, they've been going to tech when they were younger, so I think everyone should get a turn. This afternoon, though, things looked brighter as news spread of the government's back down. Principals are celebrating the announcement, and they say at the end of the day, it will ultimately be the students who will be benefitting from this backdown. I know it might not have been the easiest thing, but i think it was the absolutely right thing to do. We had so many parents, children, people across all political spectrums, socio-economic groups coming together with a single voice saying, 'Hey, no, we don't think it's right. A message the government's been forced to act upon. I thought they'd made their decision and they weren't going to listen to anyone. The exercise is no doubt an important lesson for these young girls about the power of public opinion. Hundreds of homes remain without power tonight, with much of Christchurch and large areas of the South Island still blanketed in snow. And motorists are being warned to take extra care because of the icy conditions. To give you a better idea of the size of the snow dump, have a look at this satellite image provided by NIWA. The white stuff covering vast parts of the mainland. We'll check out how rural areas are coping shortly. First, though, let's go live to Lisa Davies in Christchurch. 1700 AROUND THE REGION WERE WITHOUT POWER THIS MORNING. ONE OF THE COLDEST NIGHTS IN 100 YEARS ORION SAYS 300 HOMES TO THE WEST OF THE CITY WILL BE IN THE DARK. IT'S DIFFICULT TO GIVE TIME FRAMES, AS THESE ARE AREAS THAT ARE HARD TO GET TO. The early morning serenity that only comes with snow showcased in Hagley Park. This igloo is a little too close to reality for some Cantabrians who haven't had power since yesterday. Just... soldier on. There's no power and no phone at the Inksons' farmhouse. It does make you feel isolated, but you get used to it. Forced to cook on the log fire. But making the best of it. It'll be hot. Just outside their place, work's underway to try and sort out their power situation. It's just one on a very long list. Lots of reports of branches on lines, trees on lines, smoking trees, smoking power lines. Orion are working round the clock to restore power where it can. That's correct. Its cut-off customers are mainly understanding. Usually they say, 'Would you like a cup of tea? 'Oh, actually, I haven't got power.' < Yeah, no pressure (!) That happens most of the time. It might look idyllic out here ` a country road covered in snow ` but the people I've spoken to are a bit over it, really. They're facing another night without power, according to Orion. Icy roads are another unwelcome development. Our ONE News truck was one I O ONE News truck was one of 15 d v All of a sudden lost all traction. His van slid over on to the wrong side of the road, knocking our cameraman to the ground. Just so sudden, your car's out of control. We could've killed your cameraman today. Even those on foot were in peril, with ambulance crews called out to 20 separate incidents of people falling on icy paths. Perhaps the toboggan was the only sensible mode of transport. Snow on Sumner Beach ` DOG BARKS an unexpected treat. The only treat the Inksons are after is their power back on, please. Lisa, we saw in your story the perils on the road. What is your advice for drivers? WELL, I'M AFRAID THE ROADS ARE EXPECTED TO FREEZE ONCE AGAIN. SO DESPITE ALL THE WORK THE CITY COUNCIL HAS DONE ACROSS THE CITY CLEARING SNOW AND GRITTING ROADS, THEY'RE STILL LIKELY TO BE TREACHEROUS THORUGH THE NIGHT SO THE ADVICE IS TO TAKE EXTREME CAUTION AND DRIVE TO THE CONDITIONS. Thanks, Lisa Davies, live in Christchurch. Deep snow has cut off Canterbury's access to the South Island's west coast for a second night. Despite the best efforts of roading workers, State Highway 73 that winds through Porters, Arthur's and Lewis passes across the main divide remains closed. Lorelei Mason has more. Facing an uphill battle in the quest to clear the roads. Transit NZ threw all its contractors at the task of opening the main passes to the West Coast today, but they admit progress has been slower than they would have liked. Front-end loaders had to be brought in to do the arduous job of picking up then dumping the snow in small loads. The snow proved too deep for snow ploughs and graders. This was only one K of about 60 that we've got to clear, so we're going to have the same sort of issues further up the road. Crews worked all day trying to clear a path from both the east and western sides of the main divide, with other crews in the middle at Arthur's Pass township. Further up at Arthur's Pass is our biggest problem, where we've got trees right across the road and the bush. So we've got a big area in there we've got to clear. Deep drifts in the Lewis Pass further north proved problematic for trampers too. Two women needed to be air-lifted out of this DOC hut on the St James walkway. The pair activated an emergency beacon early this morning and were picked up safe and well two hours later. Back on the flat in mid-Canterbury, farmers faced challenges clearing paths to access stock for feeding. In Springfield, Martin McMillan managed to feed his dairy herd, but, like others, he has concerns about the days ahead if the built-up snow lingers. We're having to feed them twice as much as we normally do just because there's no green grass or crops or anything like that to eat at the moment. The snow has left a thick blanket over the Port Hills and the entire Bank's Peninsula out to the headlands. Right down to sea level in Lyttelton too, creating picture-postcard views. Roads here on the east remain frosty tonight, but passable. But back on the main divide, the transport agency says it will review both alpine passes again tomorrow morning at 10. Lorelei Mason, ONE News. And for all updates and the latest information on the snow, including road closures and advice for those affected, go to our website, tvnz.co.nz The sister of dead farmer Scott Guy says she wondered how the accused, Ewen MacDonald, knew her brother had been shot so early on. Nikki Guy says MacDonald was so adamant he even corrected the man who found his body. Simon Bradwell is covering the trial. Nikki Guy says she was shocked and disbelieving when she heard her brother Scott was dead. It didn't enter my head that he'd been killed. I thought he must have died in his sleep or some kind of natural causes. Nikki Guy rushed to the murder scene where family were gathering. I was really focused on just comforting my mum, and I can remember Mum saying, 'Not my baby, not Scotty.' And I remember Ewen being slightly off to the side. Ewen MacDonald's accused of murdering Scott Guy with a shotgun, and it was what he said moments after she arrived, that stuck in Nikki Guy's mind. I remember thinking, 'How did Ewen know that he'd been shot when he was down at the cordon?' In fact, Nikki Guy said Ewen MacDonald was so insistent Scott Guy had been shot that he contradicted David Berry, who found the young father's body and told a 111 operator that his throat had been cut. As Scott Guy's neighbour Bonnie Fredriksson told the defence, locals had heard shots that morning. Give us the sequence. Bang, bang, bang. > In that timeframe? As well as I can remember. > But the Crown says no one knew Scott Guy had been shot when family were at the cordon ` not even police. Nikki Guy says she broke the news to Ewen MacDonald's wife, Scott Guy's sister, of the murder. She just kept saying 'You're joking, you're joking.' Nikki Guy added that Ewen MacDonald was upset and crying at the murder scene. Nikki Guy told the defence she had a special bond with her younger brother, who had recently gone to to Invercargill for a conference with Ewen MacDonald, and the pair had got on well. Everything seemed really good between them at that time? Yes. Yep. > Another witness said he thought that he might have been the killer's target ` the second neighbour of the murdered man to raise the possibility of mistaken identity, fitting the defence case that police have the wrong man. Simon Bradwell, ONE News. Taking children from serious child abusers isn't getting much support from the National party's coalition partners. Paula Bennett's Associate Minister Tariana Turia say she won't be voting for it. And a family involved in one of this country's worst child abuse cases doesn't like the idea either. Political reporter Michael Parkin has details. Neither Chris Kahui nor Macsyna King were ever convicted for the death of their twin boys. But their sons' deaths have been singled out by the Prime Minister as a reason why the courts should have the power to stop abusive parents from having children. If we are really serious about saying we want to see an elimination of the Kahui twins and those kinds of horrific beatings and murders of children, then in my view we have to step up and do more than we are currently doing. Chris Kahui has a new wife and another child. We put Paula Bennett's proposal to his new family. Without forgiveness there can be no restitution, and so, for me, we... we can't become too drastic. Associate Social Development Minister and Maori Party Co-leader Tariana Turia says such proposals are a slippery slope. Do we then make sure that every man who rapes is sterilized? Do we then chop fingers or hands off people who steal, as in other countries they do? You know, where do we stop? If a law change is required the government will need either the Maori Party or United Future. Peter Dunne says removing someone's right to have children is too extreme. If you start to get to a position where kids are being forcibly removed from parents, it's got all of the trappings of the dictatorship states that we don't think we're part of. Just last week United Future and the Maori Party were openly criticising National's now abandoned plans to change school funding. But despite their protests today, neither party is prepared to walk away from the coalition. Nor would ACT. Its leader can see an argument for state-sanctioned confiscation of children. Every child deserves to live in a loving home. No child deserves to be punished and abused and even killed, so we have to look at that. But this proud grandfather says it's a problem for families to solve, not government. Michael Parkin, ONE News. Just ahead on ONE News ` Are they dead or alive? The shocking story of what's happened after his wedding celebration was shot. Flirting with death ` a daredevil sets the bar so much higher, and it was a hard slog just getting there. Also ` the majestic smile's back as the Queen checks up on her husband. But will he be well enough for upcoming engagements? Then at 7 ` how selling pies and cakes allowed this school to make multimillion dollar investments. There are fears tonight of more mass bloodshed in Syria. Activists say there's been heavy gunfire near the capital of Damascus. This follows claims at least 78 people, including children, have been killed by pro-government forces in the province of Hama. Some died when their village was shelled. Others were shot or stabbed. Less than two weeks ago, more than a hundred people were killed in a massacre in Houla. NATO says it's looking seriously at claims it killed women and children in an air strike. Afghan officials say 18 villagers died while celebrating a wedding. NATO says it was trying to capture a senior Taliban commander. Singing at a wedding in Pakistan with men watching could've cost four young women their lives. Police have already attempted to investigate the alleged honour killings. ow the government's ordered them back to the mountain village of Kohistan to try again. The BBC's Orla Guerin reports from the capital, Islamabad. ALL CLAP, SING inging in celebration. ALL CLAP, SING But this shaky wedding video may have cost these women their lives. Here's why: two young men from another tribe appear in the video. A jirga, or tribal council, is alleged to have sentenced them all to death for celebrating together. The two men, who are brothers, managed to escape the remote mountainous area. Now under arrest, they appeared before the Supreme Court and said the women were dead and buried. Their elder brother, Muhammad Asfal, claimed the women had their throats cut in front of four witnesses. Pakistan's highest court is demanding to know if the women are dead or alive, something senior police officers have been unable to establish in spite of visiting the village several times. ALL SING Campaigners want jirgas to be banned. In the past, they've condemned women to be gang-raped and buried alive. ALL CLAP, SING Officials may find these young women, or they may find fresh graves. Pulitzer prize-winning science fiction writer Ray Bradbury has died in Los Angeles at the age of 91. He wrote more than 500 works, but was best known for his Farenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles and other favorites such as The Illustrated Man and Something Wicked This Way Comes. Bradbury died peacefully after a long illness. An epic story now, of what it took for a daredevil to leap to a world record. The feat itself lasted just 30 seconds. But it was a hell of a haul for Russian Valery Rozov, just getting to the top of Mount Shivling in the Himalayas. ABC's Nick Watt explains. There's a mystical Himalayan mountain 21,000ft high. And there's a man. Hello. I am Valery Rozov. Rozov just spend six gruelling days climbing that mountain then strapped himself into a wing suit and jumped ` the highest base jump ever attempted. A little Wagner, please. 'RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES' Now, Rozov, a 47-year-old Russian, was also the first guy to jump off this mountain in Antarctica, the first guy to jump into this Russian volcano, a member of the bravado band of base jumpers testing limits and flirting with the fate of Icarus. My own favourite, Gary Connery, just jumped out of a helicopter in a wing suit, but without a parachute, aiming for those cardboard boxes to break his fall. Tell us how it was. Um, I am in a strange space, if I'm totally honest. Now back to Valery Rozov, 90 seconds after his leap, I 90 seconds after his leap, d miraculously drifting safe and that new world record. Safe and sound after a feat that one of his brave brethren is no doubt already planning to beat. Weather time now, and no more heavy snow today, Karen? No, I think we've had enough. The stormy weather is now moving away to the east. But the clearing skies over the South Island last night produced savage frosts. Minus-12 at Lake Pukaki this morning. Minus-6 in Christchurch. Lots of minus-5 or -6s recorded this morning. For weather, see tvnz.co.nz Thanks to everyone who sent in photos today. So many stunning shots. It was hard to choose. This one looking over Christchurch's Heathcote River to Ferrymead Historic Park. The Port Hills in the background. Cold, but beautiful. I'll be back after sport with your Friday forecast and a look ahead to the weekend. Next on ONE News ` why a fighting fund's been set up in the wake of the Facebook float. He's pepping up ` we've got an update on the Duke of Edinburgh's health from those closest to him. And this will get you going ` see what a coffee-maker's going through for his 15 minutes of fame. Tonight on Close Up ` it's power to the people. We are reversing the decision in respect of class ratios. Angry parents take on the government and win. I think they had to bow under public pressure. But is there a price to pay for her flip-flop? Hekia Parata is live. 1 Money set aside by the world's second-largest stock exchange to repay Facebook investors is already being labelled 'paltry'. NASDAQ's putting $52M into a fighting fund to compensate people for last month's bungled float. It's blaming computer glitches for the two-hour delay on the social network's market debut. But a top Wall Street trader says the money's not enough and is hinting at legal action. If you're flying from Auckland to, say, Masterton or Queenstown, you're about to pay more, starting from next month. Fees for domestic passengers will go up to $5.50 ` an increase of $1.32. The airport company is spending $28m patching up its domestic terminal before a new one's built in the next five to 10 years. John Key's now heading to Germany for talks about the debt crisis, after meeting the Queen at Buckingham Palace. The Prime Minister says their chat was mostly about Christchurch and the fate of the Cathedral. Here's Europe correspondent Garth Bray. The Prime Minister of NZ, Your Majesty. For a monarchist and a prime minister in his second term, this must be a highlight, but for the Queen, it looks like just another duty call. We just had a wonderful time at the Jubilee, congratulations. She was actually in great form. She had thoroughly enjoyed the Jubilee, was in sparkling form, and she was, uh, very grateful for the messages she's had from people in NZ. Christchurch took up a lot of their time. John Key says NZers concerned about the demolition of the Anglican Cathedral have been writing to the defender of that faith, and she is keenly interested. She wasn't offering advice on whether it was the right thing to knock it down or not, and wanted me to send my best wishes to the people there. She remarked on the stoic way that they are getting on and getting through the real crisis they've faced. Before John Key met the Queen, he met the king ` John, good to see you. Nice to see you again. Sir Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, who will be deciding this week whether to cut Britain's base interest rate below 0.5% Even with the record low interest rates they're offering here at the Bank of England, it's unlikely John Key has come to ask for a loan. Inside they're weighing up whether to inject another $50B into the stagnant British economy, and what it might cost to bail out Spain's banking system to avoid widespread financial turmoil. Spain's finance minister says things look so bad that the government may now struggle to borrow money. Six German banks have just had credit rating downgrades. European legislators are proposing new laws to make banks and their shareholders wear future losses, instead of tapping tax payers. John Key may get a better idea of what chance that stands of working when he visits Germany next. Garth Bray, ONE News, London. The Queen could be without her faithful companion for another big date. The Duke of Edinburgh is set to stay in hospital for a few more days with a bladder infection. The palace says it doesn't yet know if he'll be fit for next week's trooping of the colour. The BBC's Daniela Ralph has the latest. A visitor to lift the spirits. She had, her family said, been missing him. After an extraordinary jubilee weekend, the Queen arrived to see her husband in hospital. The last time they were seen together in public were during the wet conditions of Sunday's river pageant. Then there had been no obvious sign of a problem, and the following morning the Duke had even been out carriage riding ` a passion of his. But by the afternoon, he was in hospital. Earlier today, the Queen had carried out another engagement without him by her side ` a lunch with Commonwealth leaders. She was again accompanied by a lady-in-waiting instead of the Duke. This evening there was another family visit ` the Duke of York, who seemed happy with his father's progress. Oh, he's mending very well, thank you very much, indeed. Nice to see you. Reassured and looking relaxed, the Queen left hospital, having spend around 50 minutes with her husband. Prince Phillip could also still be in hospital for his birthday. He turns 91 this weekend. Now if you're relaxing and sipping a flat white or long black with your dinner, spare a thought for Aymon McQuade. He's flat out, getting ready to take on the world's best coffee-makers in Austria. Arrun Soma put the Wellingtonian's efforts to the taste test. BEEP! Time. 15 minutes; 12 coffees; STEAM HISSES the pressure building. An office space turned into a training camp cum chemistry lab. Coffee rep Aymon McQuade, NZ's top barista, preparing for the world champs in Austria. I decided with this blend I should drop them out when they turn brown, no jokes aside. But charm is definitely on his side. Cheeky smile, bit of character ` I think that's one thing that actually gets missed a lot. He needs to make four espressos, four cappuccinos. There's that wonderful blueberry note. And four signature coffees. The judges look for taste and technical ability and coffee knowledge. Last year I visited El Salvador. Mr McQuade's sourced his beans himself. They're both grown on volcanic soil. His signature drink's inspired by his mum's baking. It's a summer berry pudding. After five months, he's got his routine down, but he'll have to adapt to local conditions. Decide which Austrian milk's gonna be best. Do you think you have a chance to take it out? Yeah, I do. Like anyone who's representing their country, I'm very honoured to be in this seat. In this practice run, though, he forgets a step. Filter paper, which I don't have in there. He's gonna be really nervous, and you see this in all competitors, but it's how you take on those nerves. For the record, the coffees are tasty, but every second will count... BEEP! Time. ...if this Kiwi wants to be coffee king. Arrun Soma, ONE News. Updating tonight's leading stories ` The credibility and authority of John Key's government is being questioned after a major U-turn on education. Minister Hekia Parata now concedes cutting teachers and increasing class sizes were a bad idea. The flip-flop follows widespread protests and falling support in the latest ONE News-Colmar Brunton poll. There's a warning roads around Canterbury will still be treacherous tonight and tomorrow morning as they keep icing up, so drivers are being urged to take care. That's despite work taking place throughout the day to clear snow and grit the roads. Scott guy's sister has given evidence saying she wondered how his accused murderer knew her brother had been shot so early on. Nikki Guy says Ewen MacDonald contradicted the man who found the body and who told a 111 operator the Feilding farmer's throat had been cut. Another witness told the court he thought he might've been the killer's target. Andrew's here with sport ` and the All Blacks definitely give a nod to the future. FRESH AND EXCITING IN THE BACKS Yes, a full rundown on the first test line-up of this year. And as the new boys enter on one side, Ireland's Mr Rugby gets ready to bid farewell to NZ. Plus, is the scream queen about to say hello to a sought-after tennis record? And the NBA finds it's first championship finalist. The new era of All Black rugby is officially here with the naming of the All Blacks team to play Ireland. Wing Julian Savea and halfback Aaron Smith are the new caps in the back line. Veteran Dan Carter is set to surpass Andrew Mehrtens' record 70 Tests at first five. In the forwards, Chiefs lock Brodie Retallick gets his first cap, with Victor Vito preferred over Adam Thomson. To the reserves, Hika Elliot is poised for just his third cap; Ben Smith will cover the back three. And as Stephen Stuart reports, it's the promise of the new caps that has some of the veterans seeing new possibilities in their own play. The new coach and his new caps. Steve Hansen's confident he has the right mix ` seven starters from last year's World Cup final and in-form youngsters. You just can't keep the same people forever and ever a day, but the more experience you have, the easier it is, because you've been there before, you've done it. Chiefs lock Brodie Retallick is the only newcomer in a pack boasting 353 caps. They're always there to give you a pointer and help you out and give you an opportunity to do something different. Retallick only turned 21 last week ` the same age as his middle row partner Sam Whitelock when he made his debut. It seems to be going that way a little bit, but Brodie's being playing really well this year. And making a real impression on his teammates. He's a big kid, isn't he? Big? > He eats the house down. He's pretty unhygienic too. Haven't roomed with, but you can just tell. Williams is preferred ahead of Ma'a Nonu to start just his eighth test after an outstanding Super 15. We know he's a freak, so he can do whatever he wants with the ball. Having that extra understanding makes him go up three of four levels. Also elevated is Highlanders halfback Aaron Smith, who insists his lack of size has advantages. My job's to clear the ball, sort of thing, so it's no good being 6ft something and trying to bend down pretty quickly. You need a good pass, and Aaron's got exactly that. Hopefully that will give us a little more time and space for us to really control the game. And move the ball to another of the 21-year-olds ` rampaging Hurricanes wing Julian Savea. Eager to get out there. Obviously makes my own job easier when you get those boys outside you or inside you and around you. I know Jules. He's a confident little boy. Well, not little. He's a big boy, actually. Dagg's the most experienced of the outside backs, with 12 caps and a new hair cut courtesy of Smith. Stephen Stuart, ONE News. He's the man who's been the face of Irish rugby for the last 13 years, And a player Ireland has relied on time and time again, including this weekend at Eden Park. Brian O'Driscoll will line up for his 10th test against the All Blacks. He's walked this path 117 times for Ireland. But time is running out. Are these three matches probably your last crack at the All Blacks? I would probably imagine so. O'Driscoll is still only 33. But Ireland won't tour here for another 10 years. All the Kiwis seem to... They don't know all our players, but they definitely know Brian O'Driscoll. After coming back from major injuries, he wants to tour with the Lions to Australia next year and probably retire after that, holding the world record for most Test appearances. I would probably put him... say he is Ireland's greatest ever sportsman, to be honest. To last another season or so, he's taking a leaf out of Brad Thorn's longevity guide. The two helped Leinster win the European title last month. The one thing I did learn from him is that if you're listening to your body and it feels good, well, go with that. Before the body quits, O'Driscoll is still searching for a piece of rugby history, starting Saturday. Some time an Irish team is gonna beat the All Blacks before the world implodes. We just have to try and make it now, rather than waiting for our kids or our kids' kids to see it happen. Imagine if the Emerald Giant was to sign off with that elusive victory. Just two matches stand between Maria Sharapova completing a career grand slam and reclaiming the world number one title. The French Open is the only major tennis trophy the Russian hasn't won, and she's arguably the closest she's ever been. Maria Sharapova once described her movement on clay as like a 'cow on ice'. That was back in 2007. Five years on, she's less cow, more agile puma on the prowl. To win this match, 23rd seed Kaia Kanepi needed to make Sharapova run, which she did. But the world number one was ready to move. APPLAUSE Sharapova also looks ready to reclaim her world number one ranking, which she'll do if she can make the final. (GRUNTS) Breezing past Kanepi 6-2, 6-3 in 74 minutes, she'll now play Petra Kvitova in the semi-finals ` their third meeting in the last four majors. Two more wins, and Sharapova will become the first female to claim four major titles since Serena Williams in 2003. It's the first time sixth seed David Ferrer has reached the French Open semi-finals. He dropped only one set against world number four Andy Murray. Murray's 59 unforced errors didn't help either. Ferrer will next meet fellow Spainard Rafael Nadal. The clay king is still hot favourite for the title, with Djokovic and Federer yet to hit their best. Nicholas Almagro pushed him into a first-set tiebreak, but that was as close as he got. Nadal swept through the final two sets 6-2, 6-3. Toni Street, ONE News. The first of the NBA basketball finalists has been found today. After just three years in existence, the Oklahoma City Thunder has made the championship final, upsetting hot favourites San Antonio 107-99 in the deciding match today. Mark Hathaway watched the action. With threes raining down on them, the Thunder looked like they'd be blown away ` The Spurs' Tony Parker with 21 points and 10 assists in the first half. Parker sets up for three ` yes. The match ran to script for The Spurs. That's how we played all year, right there. That's how we played: at both ends of the court, active on D, helping, aware, good pace, moving the basketball, hitting the open guy, attacking. Great job. The 'great job' then becoming a botch job ` a 15 point halftime lead getting whittled away. Nice pick and roll. Westbrook combining with Durant. Kevin Durant was on his way to a game high of 34 points. Durant from way down town for the lead. Under pressure, The Spurs lost their mojo big time, shots that had been going in now missing the mark, hopes resting on Parker. Oh, what a move by Parker. That was great. You gotta be trying to score, playing for your teammates. You don't do that, we're in trouble. They were in trouble. Oklahoma's fight back brought their home crowd into the match. The clock was fittingly wound down by Kevin Durant, who was on court the entire game. We kept playing hard. I just tried to inspire my teammates by my play on both ends of the floor, and I'm glad we got this for Oklahoma City. The Western Conference champions now wait for their finals foe to be decided. The Celtics lead the Heat 3 games to 2, with game six tomorrow. Mark Hathaway, ONE News. The LA Kings ice hockey team's dream of a first Stanley Cup is on hold, after fluffing the chance to close the series in the city of angels. So certain the kings would win, the official keeper of the cup actually unpacked the trophy,... and then the New Jersey Devils went and spoiled the party. Score! Will Ferrell didn't look too pleased. The Kings got one back, but the Devils won 3`1. LA leads the best of seven series 3`1. Finally in sport, an American sporting dream has just come true for a young Kiwi athlete. Daniel Devonshire (19), has been picked up by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 37th round of the major league draft. Devonshire is a big hitting catcher playing out of the Colby community college in Kansas. He follows fellow Aucklander Scott Campbell, who was drafted to the Blue Jays in 2006 but had to retire this year because of a long term hip injury. IT'S GOOD NEWS. HOPEFULLY NZ NOT TOO FAR AWAY Thanks, Andrew. After the break ` Karen warns of a cold, frosty night on the way for many places. THERE IS A LOT OF EXCITEMENT HERE THE PARENTS ARE EXCITED AS WELL VICTORY OF EDUCATION MINISTER HEAR FROM THEM TONIGHT The snowstorms and heavy rain and gales have moved on, but it was still very cold over Canterbury, with the covering of snow, and a high of just 1 Degree again for Christchurch. Only one weather warning is still remaining ` a road snow warning for snow on the Milford Road for the next couple of hours, and then again from early Friday to early Saturday morning, up to 20cm could accumulate. Rain or showers for the west and south of the South Island, For weather, see tvnz.co.nz Snow flurries will be down to 400m in the south, 600m around Westland and 800m in the north. Mainly fine in the east, just a few showers brushing the south-eastern corner and maybe Banks Peninsula as well. North-westerly winds in the north, but then a cooler south-westerly spreading through. Cloud and a few showers for western parts of the North Island spreading further inland in the afternoon. And a frosty start to a fine day in the east. For weather, see tvnz.co.nz That's all from me. It's been a busy few days, and Renee is with you from tomorrow. And that's ONE News for Thursday.