Cowboy Kurt to Captain Australia
Bull Riding
Mareeba cowboy Kurt Shepherd will captain the Australian PBR Tasman Cup next week when it crosses the ditch to take on the best bull riders New Zealand has.
Touted as the Bledisloe Cup of bull riding, Australia is sending one of its strongest rosters in history for the upcoming PBR Tasman Cup on December 19 and 20, with 10 of the country’s toughest riders ready to stare down New Zealand’s best in a trans-Tasman clash of grit, power and serious swagger.
Shepherd, the 2025 Australian Champion, is leading the charge as captain fresh off his stellar national campaign, where he dominated the standings and secured the coveted gold buckle.
Joining him is a stacked roster of rising stars, seasoned champions and international campaigners, all united under the green and gold.
Macaulie Leather, Calliope, Thomas Triplett, Bungundarra, and Zane Hall, Athol, are fellow Queenslanders in the Aussie roster. Leather, who now rides with Missouri Thunder in the USA, and teenage phenom Triplett, returning home after a season with the Oklahoma Wildcatters, are tipped to fire for Team Australia.
Coach of Team Australia is Lachlan Richardson, Gresford, NSW, seven‑time PBR World Finals qualifier and coach of the NSW Blues for the PBR Australia Origin Series, which this year made history in breaking the Maroon dominance.
Headlining the New Zealand team as Captain is Fraser Babbington who boasts a mantlepiece of buckles and was a 2016 and 2017 PBR World Finals Qualifier, as well as taking the 2015 PBR Australian gold buckle.
Joining him is Rylee Ward, the NZRCA Open Bull Riding Champion, joined by his brother, Klay. The team also includes third generation bull rider Johnson Davis and Mount Isa’s Donovan Rutherford, riding for Team NZ under his father’s origins.
Coach of Team New Zealand is Jonny Ward, veteran bull riding champion, head bucking‑bull contractor at WFL Bucking Bulls, and proud father to bull riders Rylee and Klay!
The event will see riders from both nations go head-to-head in a high-adrenaline battle for the coveted PBR Tasman Cup, a title that celebrates the rivalry, respect and deep stock-riding heritage shared across the Tasman. The first Tasman Cup was won by Australia in July, so New Zealand is out to even the ledger.
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