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Thursday, August 21, 2014
In brief
■ RUGBY
Crotty to start for ABs By GreGor Paul Ryan Crotty will start his first test this Saturday having been selected to form an all-new midfield combination with Conrad Smith. Determined to make big improvements to their attacking game, the All Blacks have decided Crotty’s experience and specialist knowledge of the role is a safer bet than playing the more explosive and higher impact Malakai Fekitoa out of position. While the selectors believe Fekitoa, who is recognised as a specialist centre who can cover wing, has the potential to play at second-five they see that more as a longer term option for the 22-year-old. For now – Nonu is expected to be fit for the Argentina test on September 6 after scans revealed he suffered bruising to his shoulder – they would rather use him off the bench where his acceleration, powerful fend and leg drive can be an invaluable asset late in the game. Crotty’s elevation to the starting team is reward for the accuracy he’s shown in his seven appearances off the bench. He has been a consistent performer since making his first appearance against Australia in Sydney last year. He may not have the same line-breaking ability or be as high impact as Fekitoa, but Crotty has been a significant contributor in his appearances to date. He scored the winning try in Dublin last year and in several other tests he played out the final 20 minutes, fitting in seamlessly as both a distribu-
Ashburton Guardian 21
All Black Jerome Kaino is lifted high to take the ball during the Bledisloe Cup rugby test match against the Wallabies at the weekend. The injured Kaino will miss September 6’s test against Argentina. AP PHOTO
tor and runner. It’s his distribution and decision-making that won him his place – that and the selectors’ belief that he is a better fit with Smith than Fekitoa. “You look at the combination hard,” assistant coach Ian Foster said earlier this week. “And obviously the more you can get people that complement each other the better. Whoever goes in there we’ve got to make sure that they look at all the skillsets for the 12. “We don’t just want someone
to hit the ball up hard. They’ve got to be a thinking player, they’ve got to be able to pass and assess situations and our decision making wasn’t all that good last week. It’s really going to be a focus for this week.” The only other change to the starting team comes at blindside where Liam Messam returns for the injured Jerome Kaino who is expected to miss the next four to six weeks with a damaged shoulder. That’s a change that will be almost imperceptible. Messam
may not have the same defensive punch as Kaino but he is a tough and committed operator who will make as many tackles as the man he’s replacing. He’ll also add an extra dimension to the All Blacks’ attacking game. Messam, as befits a former New Zealand Sevens player, has the ability to play that bit wider than Kaino and cause more damage down the tram tracks. It’s in those wider reaches that the All Blacks want to play this Saturday. The All Blacks, partly because they only had the ball for about 11 minutes in Sydney, failed to put the Wallaby defence under real and sustained pressure. Not once did Kieran Read pop up as second last receiver on the touchline as he did so regularly last year to such devastating effect. Not once was Julian Savea set loose on an already scrambling defence. “While we were disappointed with the draw last weekend, we are excited by the opportunity that presents itself this weekend,” said All Black coach Steve Hansen. All Black Team: 15: Ben Smith, 14: Cory Jane, 13: Conrad Smith, 12: Ryan Crotty, 11: Julian Savea, 10: Aaron Cruden, 9: Aaron Smith, 8: Kieran Read, 7: Richie McCaw, 6: Liam Messam, 5: Sam Whitelock, 4: Brodie Retallick, 3: Owen Franks, 2: Dane Coles, 1: Wyatt Crockett, 16: Keven Mealamu, 17: Ben Franks, 18: Charlie Faumuina, 19: Steven Luatua, 20: Sam Cane, 21: TJ Perenara, 22: Beauden Barrett, 23: Malakai Fekitoa - APNZ
Karate seminar The Ashburton Join Dojo are hosting a Gasshuku karate seminar in the Tinwald Memorial Hall this weekend. There will be two days of training with more than 70 participants coming from all over New Zealand. Four of country’s top instructors, Sensei’s Duane Monk, Edmund Otis, Dennis May, Dieter Steineg, are flying down to run the sessions, which will take place in four rooms simultaneously with the group split into four groups.
Youth Olympic Games Mayfield rower Renee Olley will contest the B final at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing China today. In the New Zealand’s women’s pair with Jackie Gowler (Feilding) Olley, 17, raced in the repechage yesterday where they placed fourth in a time of 3:43.34 which had them miss the medal race and slide into today’s B final. It has been a difficult campaign for the rowers, who both went from the World Junior Championship in Germany straight to Nanjing for the Youth Olympic Games, converting distance and boat in the process. Olley and Gowler were in the New Zealand junior women’s four with Ella Pudney and Beth Ross that came in second in the B final, giving them a final ranking of eighth, at the World Rowing Junior Championships in Hamburg earlier this month.
Pithey at the helm Former Mid Canterbury cricket coach, Richard Pithey, has taken over the reins of the Canterbury Magicians for the upcoming women’s domestic cricket season. Pithey left his role as chief executive and coach of Mid Canterbury cricket in February 2013, a position he had held since 2008, to become the Canterbury Cricket Development Manager. The 46-year-old has taken over from Brendon Donkers, who is now assistant coach of the men’s team who have been rebranded as the Kings. Pithey and the Magicians officially start their summer on November 28, meeting the Wellington Blaze in a Twenty20 match at the Basin Reserve.
■ CRICKET
Auckland’s Craig Cachopa in county fast-track By DaviD leGGat Promising Auckland batsman Craig Cachopa is trying his hand at English county cricket with the idea of making rapid improvements to his game. However there’s a possible spin-off for England in his move. The 22-year-old, who captained New Zealand at the 2010 under-19 World Cup, could be eligible for England in a matter of months. Cachopa is playing for Sussex and has already made an impact, hitting 198 runs in his first four innings at 49.5.
That’s not to suggest England would snap him up with indecent haste, and their middle order of Gary Ballance, Ian Bell and Joe Root is becoming a locked-in unit. However, England have never been reluctant to grab players born elsewhere, in Cachopa’s case, South Africa. But his progress is sure to be watched. The opening with Sussex came after Cachopa played minor county cricket. There is an Auckland link through international Luke Wright and veteran batsman Chris Nash, both of whom have played in the domestic T20 competition.
Auckland Cricket chief executive Mark Cameron said Cachopa – whose older brothers Carl and Brad have returned to Auckland for the coming season from Central Districts and Canterbury respectively – remained firmly part of Auckland’s programme. Provinces can have two overseas players for the HRV Cup, and one for the first-class Plunket Shield and 50-over Ford Trophy competitions. Cameron was confident Cachopa would be involved this season, but not for the entire programme. “We don’t want [him] play-
ing 12 months a year, he’ll need a break but he’ll play for us at some stage,” Cameron said. “We understand the path he’s taken for the short or medium term. He wants to fast-track his development, we’d support him in that.” Cachopa, as an England-eligible player, earns Sussex funding support from the England and Wales Cricket Board and does not take up an overseas spot. Should he play for Auckland this season, he would be treated as an overseas player, and the provinces are likely to make use of him in that capacity. Last season Cachopa hit 781
first-class runs, at 55, with his last five innings being 70, 118, 36, 209 and 90. He’s averaging 50.97 in 23 first-class games and with five hundreds. A New Zealand A team will be in the United Arab Emirates in November for a series of 50-over games against associate member nations bound for next summer’s World Cup, which dovetails with New Zealand’s series against Pakistan in the UAE. NZ A will play Scotland, Afghanistan, Ireland and the UAE, then several players will take part in the limited-overs leg of the Pakistan series. - APNZ