Sport 16
Ashburton Guardian
Monday, August 24, 2015
www.guardianonline.co.nz
In brief
■ RUGBY
ABs set for hostile reception Cheats. The haka is an unfair advantage and should be banned. These are just some of the topics the All Blacks are expecting to encounter in the British media at the World Cup and the management and leadership group of senior players are preparing the team for a possible onslaught which they believe could be a giant distraction. The cheating tag has long been levelled at the All Blacks, just as skipper Richie McCaw has received an increasingly hostile reaction at Twickenham, the so-called home of rugby. McCaw’s treatment from the crowd there in his last two tests has bordered on disgraceful. Certainly, the booing and jeering for someone who has always played the game in the right spirit has been unpleasant, to say the least. Herald reporter Dylan Cleaver wrote last November about the anti-McCaw sentiments he encountered at Twickenham before the test: “’If [referee Nigel] Owens has any balls, he’ll send McCaw off,’ said one white-clad drinker. The only wrinkle in that piece of analysis was that it was still an hour to kick-off. At that stage, McCaw’s only crime was his very existence.” The likelihood is that the All Blacks and England can meet only in the final. Should that happen, the antiMcCaw sentiment will reach
Jerome Kaino: ‘The more prepared we are, the better we will be’.
fever pitch from both the press and England supporters. The “haka is an anachronism and shouldn’t be allowed” story, meanwhile, is a hardy annual the press love to roll out every time the All Blacks set foot on English soil. It probably doesn’t matter in the big scheme of things, but the All Blacks will be prepared for it either way and the tipping point probably came in 2013 when a Daily Telegraph reporter wandered into the team room at the All Blacks hotel, and instead of walking out again, took note of what was written on the white board, including: “We are the most dominant team in the history of the world”. It was a message more about the All Blacks’ state of mind to constantly improve than anything, but it received a big reaction and coach Steve Hansen
hasn’t forgotten it. “It’s definitely going to be tough,” All Blacks loose forward Jerome Kaino said. “Going over to England during the end-of-year tours, they [public and media] ramp up the intensity on the team. “It seems the media try to cause disruption with what they talk about. “That’s just going to be amplified with England hosting the tournament and us being world champions. It’s not going to be easy but it would be pretty gratifying if we could come home with the trophy.” Kaino added: “You can pinpoint what they’re going to talk about - it’s going to be about the haka and what we do [tactics both legal and otherwise]. “We’ve already spoken about it as a team - possible what-ifs - and the more prepared we are, the better we’ll be.”
Professional rugby coaches are forever on the lookout for potential distractions they feel can harm their team’s performance, but some can be favourable. You only need glance at the Crusaders’ record in 2011 when they played their entire season on the road and made the grand final to know some can serve as a source of inspiration. Distractions don’t come much bigger than fatal earthquakes, but the Crusaders drew strength from literal and metaphorical upheaval. A more likely distraction could be the actions of wellmeaning expat players in the United Kingdom keen to catch up with their friends and former team-mates, as Kaino also indicated. “There’s a huge expat population over there in terms of Kiwis wanting to be close to the team. “That will add to the pressure, knowing what it means to them, but the leaders and coaches have a good handle on it and we’ll be well prepared.”
RUGBY WORLD CUP Monday 21 September, 3:45 New Zealand v Argentina Friday 25 September, 07:00 New Zealand v Namibia Saturday 3 October, 07:00 New Zealand v Georgia Saturday 10 October, 07:00 New Zealand v Tonga - NZME
■ SAILING
Hussey v Black Caps Retired Australia test batsman Mike Hussey has been named captain of a Prime Minister’s XI to host New Zealand at Canberra’s Manuka Oval in October. Cricket Australia said that the October 23 match, which will mark the start of Australia’s international summer season, will be played under lights trialing the pink cricket ball proposed for day/night test matches. Australia will play three tests against New Zealand starting November 5, including cricket’s first ever day/ night test at Adelaide Oval from November 27. - NZME
Sodhi’s rollercoaster This year, Ish Sodhi has experienced a journey as unpredictable as his googly. Relegated to secondchoice test spinner behind Mark Craig, he also missed selection on last month’s national contract list as Northern Districts team-mate Mitchell Santner’s reputation grows in the limited overs formats. Sodhi has since seized his opportunity on the Zimbabwe tour to such an extent he was asked to stay on for the South African leg where he has played one of the two Twenty20 internationals and the first of the three one-dayers. New Zealand’s second ODI against South Africa was played overnight in Potchefstroom. - NZME
Haddin axed on form Cricket Australia high performance boss Pat Howard says Brad Haddin was put on notice prior to the Ashes and players understood that form was behind the 37-yearold’s dumping as Test keeper. Haddin missed the second Test to spend time with his daughter in a London hospital. National selectors opted to retain Peter Nevill for the next three Tests, effectively ending Haddin’s international career. Coach Darren Lehmann noted it was based on Haddin’s poor form with the bat since the 2013-14 Ashes, describing it as the hardest cricket decision he’s made. - AAP
Thirimanne fined
Aleh, Powrie add to New Zealand medal haul Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie have won bronze in the women’s 470 at the Rio Olympics test event on Guanabara Bay yesterday adding to the gold secured by Peter Burling and Blair Tuke in the 49er class the day before. Another two top five finishes were added to the New Zealand results with Josh Junior in the Finn class, and Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders in the Nacra 17 both finishing fifth overall.
Aleh and Powrie concede that an average first half to the regatta put them in catch-up mode and they were pleased to turn things around at the midway mark for a podium finish. “We’re actually pretty happy with it. “I think we sailed well for the last half of the event but we had such a shocker in the first half that I think this was about as good as we could come back
with so we’re happy to pull it together at the end,” said Aleh. “We were in and out of the bronze medal on the first upwind beat and the first downwind, and then we managed to solidify second place in the race which gave us the bronze medal,” said Powrie. Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) were well placed for gold but they finished last in the medal race and USA’s Anne
Haeger and Briana Provancha stole the overall victory. Aleh and Powrie have now had seven podium finishes at the major international regattas in the women’s 470 class this year, including victory at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, and they claimed the Women’s 470 European Championship title. Peter Burling and Blair Tuke took 49er gold to continue their domination of the class.- NZME
Sri Lankan batsman Lahiru Thirimanne has been fined 30 per cent of his match fees for showing dissent after being given out in the second Test against India in Colombo. The left-hander, who made 62, stood his ground for a “prolonged period of time before leaving shaking his head after being adjudged caught behind off Ishant Sharma” on the third day, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement. Thirimanne added 127 runs for the fourth wicket with skipper Angelo Mathews, before his dismissal triggered a collapse in which Sri Lanka lost their last seven wickets for 65 runs. Sri Lanka leads the three-match series 1-0. - AFP
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