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Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Ashburton Guardian 15
In brief Ref spray costly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs coach Dean Pay has been fined $25,000 for hitting out at officials after his side’s 22-20 loss to the Brisbane Broncos last week. Pay, in his first year at the helm, made the most of his podium time following the match and shared his thoughts about a number of calls made in the match. The 48-yearold labelled calls made in the loss “disgraceful” and “ridiculous” – with two particular refereeing decisions in his firing line. - NZME
Williamson in hot form Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson put in a man of the match performance to all but end the Indian Premier League playoff hopes of several Black Caps teammates. The Sunrisers Hyderabad captain scored 56, his fifth half century of the tournament, to lead his side to a five-run win over a Royal Challengers Bangalore side which included Tim Southee and Colin de Grandhomme. Brendon McCullum is also a member of the Bangalore squad while Daniel Vettori is the coach. The victory moved Hyderabad to 16 points and the top of the IPL table. - NZME
Warner a big problem Good work in defence was a key area for the Barbarians in their big win over the Shirley Hawks.
■ RUGBY LEAGUE
Baabaas run rampant By Erin TaskEr
Erin.t@thEguardian.co.nz
A 60-14 demolition of the Shirley Hawks on Saturday saw the Ashburton Barbarians maintain their place at the top of the Canterbury division one rugby league competition. Devaun Thompson, Darryn Bolt, Lafaele Talosaga and Puroku Teokotai all scored doubles in the win, while Xavier Bartlett and Arron Heke scored one try each. Marvin West knocked over four conversions and Teje Heke add-
ed a further two conversions. It was a strong win coming off the bye, and a good start to a tough three weeks on the road for the Barbarians, which sees them next take on the Celebration Lions followed by the Burnham Chevaliers. But Barbarians manager Matt Milne said Saturday’s 60-14 scoreline didn’t reflect how much defensive work his side had to do. “Shirley did have us in our red zone for long periods after repeat sets, mostly due to us giving
away cheap penalties,” he said. “In saying that we had a very strict referee who pulled up anything marginal which in turn was a good test on the boys’ ability to handle pressure and adjust tactically. “Our structures on attack are coming together very nicely and it is like watching poetry in motion as we capitalised on nearly every try-scoring opportunity we created.” The Barbarians side which took to the field on Saturday fea-
tured some players having their first outing of the season. One debutante, Len Wilson, along with James Ihaka, took out player of the day honours. “With a large squad of 28 players it has created a healthy competition for positions and all the boys are making sure they are getting to training and pushing hard for selection,” Milne said. “We have such good depth in the squad this year and anyone can step in and do the job seamlessly.”
Maguire tipped to take charge of Kiwis Former South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire looks set to be named the new head coach of the Kiwis. Reports from Australia have suggested the 44-year-old has fastened as the favourite to be awarded the job vacated by David Kidwell after a disastrous World Cup campaign, with confirmation of his appointment by NZ Rugby League imminent. “It hasn’t been announced yet, but my understanding is that Michael Maguire will be named as the New Zealand coach,” Jimmy Smith, pundit and former NRL player, told the Bill and Boz show on Monday night. “I know Graham Lowe was very strong coming out in support of Barnett … he’s missed out on the job, Michael Maguire will get it,” Smith added. Maguire was sacked as Rabbitohs coach
last year after a dreadful campaign, with just nine wins from 24 games. This season he had been working for the NRL as their high performance coach for referees. Maguire spent five years at the Redfernbased Rabbitohs, highlighted by an NRL Premiership win in 2014 to break a 43-year title drought. Maguire has been vocal with his interest for the job, telling NRL 360 a fortnight ago that it was an opportunity which had long piqued his interest. “The international game has always appealed to myself to build, especially [a team] of New Zealand’s calibre, would be a great experience,” Maguire said. The Kiwis next play in June’s Denver test against England, meaning a new coach is likely to be announced shortly. - NZME
Australian cricket is undergoing its most significant overhaul in recent memory after a shattering ball tampering controversy saw Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft axed and coach Darren Lehmann resigning. New coach Justin Langer, a revered servant of the baggy green, is preparing to repair the tarnished image of Australian cricket, but cricket journalist Robert Craddock says inviting the former vice-captain back into the mix will go against the grain of Langer’s master plan for the baggy green. - NZME
Paine ODI skipper Cricket Australia said yesterday that test skipper Tim Paine will also captain the one-day international team during next month’s tour of England, but selectors are yet to decide who will lead the side’s title defence at the 2019 World Cup. Paine was named skipper of a 15-man squad for the five-match series, Australia’s first since the ball-tampering scandal. Selectors have installed Aaron Finch as the ODI team’s vicecaptain in place of the disgraced Warner and named the Victorian as captain of the Twenty20 side. Australia will play five one-dayers and a T20 match against England from June 13-27. - NZME
Fa still trending upward
Michael Maguire
After locking in three more fights with American promoter Lou di Bella, New Zealand heavyweight Junior Fa has a lot to be excited about. Three victories will increase his world rankings significantly but Fa’s first priority is to put on a better display in his next bout after admitting trying to pummel his last opponent into oblivion without engaging his boxing brain. Fa maintained his undefeated professional record with a victory over Craig Lewis, but it was via a majority decision and not his best performance despite him going into it in the best physical shape of his life. - NZME