                 Rugby: Running-hot Umaga judged tops

                 11.05.2000 - By CHRIS RATTUE 

                 Two of New Zealand's finest test wings, Terry Wright
                 and Stu Wilson, agree firmly on one thing - Tana Umaga
                 is New Zealand's best wing at the moment. 

                 But when it comes to nominating who they would like to
                 see in the All Black three-quarter line, Wright and
                 Wilson - who are sixth equal on this country's test
                 try-scoring list with 19 each - are poles apart. 

                 Wilson believes Umaga should be moved to centre, with
                 the old firm of Jeff Wilson and Jonah Lomu outside him. 

                 Wright is adamant that Umaga's best position is on the
                 wing, and he wouldn't have either Wilson or Lomu in the
                 starting line-up. He plumps for Auckland's Doug Howlett
                 by a whisker over Caleb Ralph for the other wing. 

                 Wright says: "Tana is the form wing in the Super 12 and
                 I just haven't seen him play enough at centre to judge
                 him there. 

                 "One of his strengths is his involvement on both sides of
                 the field and he could become a bit one-dimensional at
                 centre. You could lose something by shifting him." 

                 While Wright does not doubt Wilson's skills, he does
                 not believe he has been involved enough in games this
                 season to warrant holding his place ahead of Howlett or
                 Ralph. 

                 Wright believes Wilson is not incisive enough as a
                 fullback, where he is playing for the Highlanders, giving
                 defences too much time to shut down his options,
                 forcing him to kick. So playing at fullback was not
                 helping his chances. 

                 "He has had one good game and that was at the
                 weekend at fullback against the weakest team [the
                 Bulls], and I doubt whether that will be enough. 

                 "He really needs the Highlanders to make the semifinals
                 to give himself another chance." 

                 On Lomu, Wright says: "Jonah hasn't played enough
                 this year, and I would leave him out. He has the same
                 problem as Joeli Vidiri in that he waits out on the wing
                 for the game to come to him." 

                 Wright said he might consider Lomu as a reserve, but
                 would prefer a more complete and versatile player such
                 as Wilson or Ralph. 

                 "Putting him on the bench might help Jonah to refocus,
                 but I'm not sure if it would be the best for the side." 

                 So Wright would give a test debut to Howlett ahead of
                 Ralph, who he says is a similar player. 

                 "I have criticised Doug in the past. I used to think he did
                 not do things like put enough pressure on in chasing
                 kicks. But he seems much hungrier this season. 

                 "He is going forward to make tackles, he's involved on
                 both sides of the field in attack and defence, and he has
                 good pace and vision." 

                 Stu Wilson would partner Umaga with Alama Ieremia in
                 the midfield backs. 

                 "We've experimented with so many other guys at centre
                 and none of them have worked. 

                 "You've got to have some strength there. You have to be
                 able to beat a man and break the line of defence, and
                 Tana can also put away others with miracle passes. 

                 "He is our best wing at the moment, but I've seen him at
                 centre in one game this year and that was enough for
                 me." 

                 But if the selectors chose not to try Umaga in the
                 centres, Wilson would have him on the right wing
                 instead of Jeff Wilson. 

                 However, if the selectors go for the Umaga centre idea,
                 then Wilson has Lomu and Jeff Wilson as the chosen
                 two. 

                 On Lomu: "He's never let us down in the big games and
                 I don't think he needs a lot of matches to prove himself.
                 "I was glad to read early in the year that he
                 acknowledged having problems when the ball is kicked
                 behind him and he has good coaches at the Hurricanes
                 to work on those things. 

                 "But he can do what no other man, animal or freak can
                 do - he scores tries that no one else could. 

                 "I was delighted to see Wilson score that great try in
                 South Africa at the weekend. 

                 "He really backed himself for the first time and it only
                 needed a run like that to bring back the game for him. 

                 "He is a class winger - I just think he's been a bit gun
                 shy and not his normal cocky self."



                 Soccer: NZ's Olympic dream faces its
                 toughest hurdle

                 11.05.2000 - By TERRY MADDAFORD 

                 New Zealand's Olympic soccer hopefuls face one of the
                 toughest tasks imaginable when they play the South
                 African under-23s in the cut-throat playoffs. 

                 The South Africans yesterday named a team short on
                 household names here but oozing talent, especially in
                 their dynamic strikeforce of Quinton Fortune and
                 Benedict McCarthy. 

                 Fortune, a near-$5 million buy for Manchester United,
                 has played 12 times for the English premier champions
                 this season, scoring four goals. As back-up for Ryan
                 Giggs in the midfield, Fortune has had limited
                 opportunities but has made the most of them, including
                 playing in January's world club championship in Brazil. 

                 With a dozen full international caps, Fortune will be the
                 player to watch. 

                 McCarthy, formerly with Dutch giant Ajax Amsterdam,
                 is now at Spanish first division club Celta Vigo. 

                 Other overseas players in the 18-man squad named by
                 coach Ephraim Mashaba are goalkeeper Emille Baron
                 (Lillestrom, Norway) and defender Aaron Mokoena (Ajax
                 Amsterdam). A further six players, Fabian McCarthy,
                 David Kannemeyer, Steve Lekoelea, Dillon Sheppard,
                 Jabu Pule and Siyabonga Nomvete, played for a
                 home-based South African side in their 3-0 win over
                 Mauritius in a full international on April 29. 

                 The South Africans, led by captain and defender
                 Matthew Booth, arrive in Auckland on Sunday to
                 prepare for the May 19 match at North Harbour
                 Stadium. The return will be played at Johannesburg's
                 Vosloorus Stadium on May 27. 

                 The South Africans were quick to point out they had
                 picked a "very strong" side determined to take no
                 chances in their Olympic bid. 

                 Soccer is huge in the Republic, pushing rugby well into
                 the background. 

                 The favoured sport of the Coloured majority - and many
                 Coloured players are in the squad - soccer is under the
                 spotlight in South Africa with that country's push to host
                 the 2006 World Cup. A Sydney 2000 berth would be a
                 giant step for the code. 

                 New Zealand will also look to overseas players for one
                 of the most important assignments facing the national
                 side in the past two decades. 

                 There are eight overseas-based players in the squad,
                 including captain and All White defender Ryan Nelsen. 

                 Along with Belgium-based Kris Bouckenooghe,
                 Melbourne Knights striker Paul Urlovic, and Chris Killen,
                 returning from Manchester City, Nelsen will be expected
                 to shoulder a large part of the workload. 

                 While New Zealand won through comfortably in the
                 Oceania qualifying tournament, South Africa had a
                 tough road in group B of the African championships.
                 They beat Guinea, Cameroon and Ghana at home and
                 Guinea away, but lost 0-2 to Cameroon and drew 2-2
                 with Ghana in the away legs. 

                 Cameroon won the group and automatic qualification
                 with five wins. South Africa kept their dream alive as the
                 best of the three runners-up.


                 Aaron Slight (No 111) will have beaten all the odds if he makes a
                 world Superbike comeback in England. Picture / Reuters

                 Motorsport: Slight on track to achieve a
                 miracle return

                 11.05.2000 - By PETER JESSUP 

                 Aaron Slight is set to make a remarkable comeback to
                 the world Superbike circuit at Donington Park in
                 England this weekend. 

                 His bid to race comes just 12 weeks after surgery to
                 remove a brain clot. 

                 Slight has satisfied all medical demands of the sport's
                 ruling body, FIM, has conducted tests at Donington this
                 week without problems, and has the backing of all 15
                 Superbike teams as he seeks a clearance to race. 

                 He faces two more medical examinations, the first
                 purely physical and the second designed to measure
                 focus, coordination, stamina and mental fitness. But
                 already the FIM doctor and an advising surgeon have
                 said he is fit to race. 

                 Honda had always backed Slight's belief that he would
                 come back despite his age, 34, and the seriousness of
                 his condition. 

                 He had the new Honda 1000 out to 300 km/h this week
                 as the FIM doctor watched. Once he gave the okay,
                 FIM required that Honda gain agreement from all other
                 race teams for insurance and safety reasons. 

                 The fact that all readily conceded is a measure of the
                 regard in which the Masterton rider is held. 

                 Slight has been training with Formula One driver
                 Alexander Wurz - said to be one of the fittest men in
                 motorsport - at his home base in Monaco. 

                 The New Zealander's contract with Honda ends in
                 October. With nine of the 13 rounds remaining and no
                 results so far, his chances of a title are slim. 

                 Neither Slight nor his team will comment on his
                 chances of going another year until contracts come up
                 again. 

                 The rider was ready to give up last year but now puts
                 that bad feeling down to the clot. 

                 Meanwhile, Simon Crafar has left again for Europe to try
                 out for two 500cc race teams, with a return to the world
                 grand prix circuit a possibility. 

                 He was reluctant to give details until contract progress
                 had been made.



                 Rugby: Blues ring changes for crucial clash

                 11.05.2000 - By CHRIS RATTUE 

                 Carlos Spencer came through a 90-minute training
                 session with the Blues last night and will face the Reds
                 on Saturday night, but Andrew Mehrtens will miss the
                 Crusaders' clash against the Brumbies. 

                 The Blues have left loose forward Dylan Mika out of their
                 squad and will start Eroni Clarke in place of Joeli Vidiri
                 in a re-worked three-quarter line for what will almost
                 certainly be a do-or-die Super 12 rugby clash against
                 the Reds in Brisbane. 

                 Spencer had an erratic game against the Cats in
                 Johannesburg and Blues coach Gordon Hunter said the
                 first five-eighths was playing in discomfort because of
                 his knee operation. 

                 "He was still going for it at the end of this training
                 session ... but he is suffering a fair bit of pain," said
                 Hunter, whose side heads to Brisbane this afternoon. 

                 "It is just something he has got to work through, but it
                 can be a bit tough. 

                 "I guess it comes down to the power of the mind. He
                 was off-colour against the Cats but he is looking for a
                 good one in Brisbane." 

                 Openside flanker Justin Collins returns from a groin
                 problem and Andrew Blowers is on the blindside so,
                 with Finau Maka the natural cover for both positions, All
                 Black Mika has missed out. 

                 But maybe the most significant change is in the midfield
                 backs, where the veteran Clarke takes over from Iliesa
                 Tanivula, who reverts to the wing in place of Vidiri. 

                 Clarke may be struggling for the form of old but he can
                 still work neat midfield moves and forms a
                 well-rehearsed defensive wall with veteran Craig Innes. 

                 Vidiri has shown his particular brand of wing genius in
                 small spurts only this season and the change might
                 also release Tanivula to produce more of his damaging
                 running, although Hunter intends using Vidiri as a
                 substitute. 

                 There are mathematical possibilities galore concerning
                 the semifinals. Hunter said he was ignoring them and
                 was just concentrating on gaining a win. The four-try
                 bonus had not even come into his thinking. 

                 "We are playing a very good side who gave the
                 Brumbies a hell of a fright last week," he said. 

                 "We have got into semifinal contention, which is
                 pleasing, but we still haven't got consistency, which I
                 suppose is what can happen when you're rebuilding." 

                 The Reds will have first five-eighths Elton Flatley back
                 from a concussion break. 

                 Mehrtens' rib injury has ruled him out of the Crusaders
                 for tomorrow night's top-of-the-table clash against the
                 Brumbies in Christchurch. 

                 Both sides are guaranteed home semifinals, but the
                 result could determine where the final is played. 

                 Aaron Mauger will again deputise for Mehrtens, while
                 Ben Hurst has been called into the reserves because
                 backup halfback Aaron Flynn has a calf strain. 

                 Meanwhile, the Bulls say their inspirational Springbok
                 halfback Joost van der Westhuizen will play the entire
                 second half against the Hurricanes in Pretoria on
                 Saturday, a match crucial to the Hurricanes' semifinal
                 hopes.


                 Developing the revolutionary keel of NZL20 is seen as a likely
                 Cup-winning move. Picture / Fotopress

                 Yachting: Ghosts of 1992 Cup may rise to
                 stardom

                 11.05.2000 - By SUZANNE McFADDEN 

                 America's Cup billionaires take note - two famous Kiwi
                 cup veterans are making a comeback and putting
                 themselves up for hire. 

                 One is NZL20, New Zealand's boat from the 1992 Cup -
                 salvaged from the graveyard to sail for a Cup team
                 again. 

                 The other is her old helmsman, David Barnes, rebuilding
                 the red boat and happy to go with her to a new home. 

                 Barnes reckons NZL20 holds a technological
                 breakthrough that a challenging syndicate would be
                 wise to develop. 

                 The red boat was infamous for its bowsprit, but under
                 the water had a revolutionary tandem keel which Barnes
                 believes could be a key to success in 2003. 

                 Barnes is working with America True sailor John
                 Sweeney, who bought NZL20 and her sister NZL14,
                 from Sir Michael Fay's New Zealand Challenge last
                 year. 

                 While NZL14 was scrubbed up and put in the water,
                 NZL20 was almost left for dead. 

                 "Unfortunately, it hadn't been put away very well, and it
                 was very sadly neglected when we got it," Barnes says.

                 "It needs a lot of work to get it floating again, but it will
                 be worth it. It's a piece of New Zealand history that
                 shouldn't be cast aside." 

                 Although NZL20 won't be race fit any more, Barnes and
                 Sweeney hope an America's Cup team will charter the
                 yacht to use for research and development for the next
                 Cup. 

                 "I believe there are huge possibilities with this keel. A
                 few people have tried versions of it, but honestly they
                 missed the point completely," Barnes says. 

                 "The only reason it wasn't expanded was that it's been
                 cost prohibitive. 

                 "But if people put in the time and effort with another
                 tandem keel, it would certainly be a force to be
                 reckoned with." 

                 He believes the keel will suit the long, narrow boats built
                 for Auckland's changeable conditions. 

                 Aucklander Barnes, who now also has American
                 residency, is also putting himself in the package with
                 the boat. 

                 "I was the one person who knew the tandem keel
                 concept better than anybody," he says. 

                 Barnes was in San Francisco yesterday, setting up
                 NZL14 for its new life as a floating billboard. But it could
                 also make a Cup comeback. 

                 Sweeney said he had been approached by an
                 anonymous San Francisco syndicate, backed by a
                 Silicon Valley Internet company, wanting to use it as a
                 training boat.

Racing: Thoroughbreds now get chance to
                 win by nose

                 11.05.2000 - 

                 WELLINGTON - New Zealand racehorses will be able to
                 breathe easier from next week - at least that's the
                 theory. 

                 Nasal strips - which look like big sticking plasters
                 placed across a horse's nose - become permissible in
                 New Zealand gallops racing from next week. 

                 Phil Tolley, racing control administration manager for
                 New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing, said the nasal
                 strips are an equine equivalent of strips worn by
                 sportsmen and women in recent times. 

                 "They are a larger version of what rugby players wear
                 across their noses," said Tolley. 

                 "It is said the strips assist a horse with its breathing." 

                 Tolley said the strips are supposed to keep open nasal
                 passages and could help horses with breathing
                 problems. 

                 The nasal strips have been in operation for about two
                 months in New Zealand harness racing and Auckland
                 trainer Mark Purdon is one who has experimented with
                 them. 

                 Purdon said he used a nasal strip on his top 3-year-old
                 pacer Cool Hand Luke in the week they became
                 allowable in Australian harness racing earlier this year. 

                 Cool Hand Luke won a heat of the Victoria Derby that
                 week but Purdon said on his return home the horse had
                 had a wind operation. 

                 Purdon said he remained unsure on the effectiveness of
                 nasal strips. 

                 "I suppose its fair to say I am still experimenting,"
                 Purdon said. 

                 But the strips have been far more effective in recent
                 weeks, with several big-race winners using them. 

                 They include star juvenile pacers Hero and Glacier Bay,
                 both of which have won rich races in recent weeks. 

                 "I don't know how much difference it makes but Glacier
                 Bay won a $100,000 race by a nose and if that is all the
                 difference it made I'm rapt," said Glacier Bay's trainer
                 Cran Dalgety. 

                 "I think even the smallest advantage can be important at
                 the top level." 

                 The strips have become more popular in harness racing
                 in the last month, with several trainers now using them
                 and the popularity is expected to increase in coming
                 months. 

                 Tolley said the use of nasal strips in gallops racing will
                 need approval from stipendiary stewards in the same
                 way as blinkers. 

                 "In other words they must get permission from a
                 stipendiary steward to place them on and a stipendiary
                 steward's permission to take them off." 

                 Tolley said the addition or removal of nasal strips would
                 be informed to newspapers in the same way as blinkers
                 are. 

                 * Morrinsville mare Flake's Minnie will wear a nasal strip
                 for the first time in the first race at Alexandra Park
                 tonight.



                 11.05.2000 - By MICHAEL GUERIN 

                 A quick calculation last night convinced Paul Nairn his
                 freakish trotting filly Enthusiast can pull off a miracle at
                 Alexandra Park tonight. 

                 Nairn and Enthusiast take on open class trotters in
                 tonight's Alexandra Park Moteliers Trot in what could be
                 a first for a trotting filly in New Zealand. 

                 If 3-year-old trotters do race out of their own age group it
                 is usually in a maiden race - class one at best. Taking
                 on Rowe Cup runners and a horse who won an Interdo-
                 minion heat three months earlier - Kawarau Invasion - is
                 unheard of. 

                 But New Zealand has never had a trotting filly like
                 Enthusiast. 

                 She has demolarised her age group rivals, winning
                 feature races by five lengths after sitting parked. She
                 has already trotted a 1:59 mile, a faster time than most
                 open class trotters ever record. 

                 Now Nairn says she is ready for the step up. 

                 Tonight's event has a class four front and races of that
                 class over 2700m at Alexandra Park are usually won in
                 around 3:31. 

                 "Give me a second to equate 3:31 for 2700m to 2600m,"
                 said Nairn. 

                 "That is about 3:23 for 2600m. Yes, she can trot that all
                 right." 

                 Enthusiast has not raced since trashing fellow
                 3-year-olds in the Trotting Stakes at Addington on April
                 22 but did start against the maiden pacers at last
                 Saturday's Motukarara workouts. 

                 "I didn't really let her go but she finished on the leader's
                 back and is pretty ready for tonight. 

                 "But I have left some improvement in her for next week."

                 Next week is when the Enthusiast roadshow moves to
                 Melbourne, where she will be unbackable in the
                 $A25,000 Victoria Trotting Oaks. 

                 But after that Nairn will bid his champion goodbye for a
                 while. She will join the Victorian trot training legend
                 Graeme Lang for the winter. 

                 "She has some big races over there but they go right
                 through until July 29 and there is no point me staying
                 over there that long. Graeme will train her after the Oaks
                 until she returns home." 

                 While Enthusiast will be a warm favourite in tonight's
                 second leg of Pick Six she not only has history against
                 her but the race will be her first from a standing start in
                 over two months. 

                 "I am not worried about that because she is usually
                 pretty fast from a stand," said Nairn. 

                 "I just hope they go hard all the way because she is a
                 great stayer."


Scottish coach Ian McGeecham speaks to captain Andy Nicol at
                 training in Whangarei. Picture / Fotopress

                 Rugby: Scottish not lacking in true grit

                 09.06.2000 - By WYNNE GRAY 

                 For endeavour, commitment and grit, veteran lock Robin
                 Brooke gives Scotland high marks. 

                 However, he believes the visitors will struggle with some
                 of their attack. 

                 Any decent defence - and certainly that organised by
                 Wayne Smith with the All Blacks - would close them
                 down consistently. 

                 Brooke had a preview of Scotland's style when he
                 played against them for the Barbarians last week, and
                 in Whangarei tonight, New Zealand will see how a
                 near-best side rate against the Vikings. 

                 "They play well to their game-plan, they are reasonably
                 mobile, they use a pick-and-go style and the blindside,
                 but I would think Smithy's defence will close them
                 down," said Brooke. 

                 But one test where the 62-test All Black veteran failed
                 to measure up was the size exam: he marked Richard
                 Metcalfe, one of the starters tonight, who weighs in at
                 132kg and is 2.11m tall. 

                 "I only came up to the middle of his shoulder blades,"
                 Brooke recalled. 

                 The Scots have been in training at Paihia all week,
                 where coach Ian McGeechan praised their attitude and
                 compared it to the best he could muster from his 1990
                 side in New Zealand. 

                 "In 1990 we came with some reservations about what
                 we could do and what we had to do," he said. "We built
                 on that and it naturally created some real momentum to
                 the point where going into the second test we were
                 playing the best rugby I have ever seen Scotland play." 

                 A similar spirit in this Scottish side will mean little if
                 they stumble against the Vikings, a collection of
                 Northland and invitation players prepared for this game,
                 which helps the New Zealand Rugby Foundation charity
                 work. 

                 If New Zealanders are not to gravitate towards the TAB
                 theory that the Scots are not worth a test bet, then the
                 tourists must show some decent artillery tonight. 

                 Ten of the side who beat England in the slush of their
                 Six Nations meeting return for this game. 

                 The Vikings contain some fine footballers, but
                 combinations will be the problem. However, they will feel
                 that the night game, knowledge of local conditions and
                 crowd support might allow them to surprise Scotland. 

                 Four years ago the Scots foundered at the same venue
                 against Northland and a repeat, even by an invited crew,
                 will have the city rocking. 

                 "We think we can mix it, though we have to be realistic
                 when we are up against one of the top-rated rugby sides
                 in the world," coach Bryce Woodward said. 

                 Vikings captain Glenn Taylor admitted he is not sure
                 what the Scots will offer tonight. 

                 "I'm blowed if I know what they're going to come out and
                 do against us," he admitted. 

                 McGeechan hinted at surprise at the quality of the
                 Vikings' line-up. 

                 "The team we are playing are probably stronger than
                 what we were told we would get for our first game. 

                 "But that doesn't matter, we know we have to set off
                 well. We know we have to hit the ground running as far
                 as our performances are concerned. 

                 "Getting a win tomorrow evening would be a great fillip
                 for the players."


                 Zion Armstrong is still trying for Games selection. Picture / Fotopress

                 Olympics: Games hope springs eternal in 35
                 athletes

                 09.06.2000 - By SUZANNE McFADDEN 

                 An astounding 35 track and field athletes are still
                 holding out hope of making the New Zealand Olympic
                 team at the 11th hour. 

                 The last chance for athletes to better the New Zealand
                 qualifying marks is at the Australian Olympic trials in
                 mid-August. 

                 So far 40 Kiwi athletes, including the five already named
                 in the team, have put their names down to compete at
                 the trials meeting in Sydney. 

                 Athletics NZ high-performance director Steve Hollings
                 said a lot of those athletes were talking up their
                 chances of qualifying. 

                 "We'll have to see just how they do," he said. "I just
                 hope they haven't put all their eggs in one basket. They
                 have to better the qualifying mark twice before they can
                 get to the Olympics." 

                 Among the serious contenders are 10,000m runners
                 Robbie Johnston and Michael Aish, and hurdler Zion
                 Armstrong, who are all competing in Europe before
                 heading to Australia. 

                 Long jumper Chantal Brunner and hammer thrower
                 Tasha Williams have chances to qualify through
                 meetings in the United States, as well. 

                 Most of the top athletes will go to warm-weather camps
                 in Darwin and Brisbane next month before the
                 Australian trials.


                 A charging Tony Puletua.

                 Rugby League: Puletuas at home in Penrith

                 09.06.2000 - By PETER JESSUP 

                 The Auckland Warriors could do worse than look to
                 follow the methods of this weekend's Ericsson Stadium
                 opponents, the Penrith Panthers, as they seek to
                 gather some pride at the end of a disappointing season.

                 Penrith come to Auckland with five wins on the trot, and
                 a victory tomorrow would equal the club's best run in the
                 33 years since the NRL's inception. Last week's
                 come-from-behind slaying of the Wests Tigers was the
                 sort of character-defining game the Warriors seem
                 incapable of. 

                 The Tigers had scored three tries in the second half to
                 build a 31-8 lead, but the Panthers came back with four
                 tries in 12 minutes, and a sideline conversion from Chris
                 Hicks capped off a 32-31 turnaround in what many
                 claimed was as good a game as you will ever see. 

                 Two of those touchdowns went to giant Kiwi
                 second-rower Tony Puletua, who sidestepped the
                 Warriors' chequebook before moving to Sydney. 

                 After establishing himself there, the former New Lynn
                 Stags player is now a publicity machine for the
                 Panthers' junior development programme. 

                 Puletua, who turns 21 on June 25, and his 22-year-old
                 brother, Frank, are as happy as Larry out in the west of
                 Sydney. 

                 Their dad, Mu, and mum, Alafaga, have been helped
                 into jobs by the club, which signed the brothers through
                 to the 2002 season. They would be happy to stay on
                 further if asked. 

                 They were lured into a Penrith footballing system that
                 has shunted 20 local juniors to NRL level, with only
                 eight players bought in. 

                 "It's a real family," Tony Puletua said yesterday.
                 "They've taken good care of us, and me and Frank are
                 both happy with the way things are going. Everything's
                 falling our way." 

                 His 40-plus premiership games eclipse Frank's six, but
                 the older Puletua seemed to develop later and is just
                 now starting to earn regular bench starts. 

                 The brothers, and many of the others in the Panther
                 squad, have played together through the local Catholic
                 high school, John Paul II Marayong, then through the
                 Panthers' juniors, and know each other's play
                 exceptionally well. 

                 Their stick-together attitude came to the fore after the
                 Tigers' third try last weekend, Tony Puletua said. 

                 Skipper Steve Carter called the side in and asked them
                 if they were prepared to be embarrassed before their
                 home crowd. 

                 "We were playing for pride ... the fans lifted us ... it was
                 just amazing to come back and win," Puletua said. 

                 Panthers coach Royce Simmons was asked afterwards
                 what instructions he had given at the break. 

                 He told the trainer: "Bugger them, is all I've got to say" -
                 admitting that he could not take any credit for sparking
                 the win. 

                 So the foundations for victory were laid beforehand. The
                 Panthers were confident in their own ability, equipped
                 physically and, just as importantly, mentally, to put the
                 opposition away. 

                 They have won their last three games away from
                 Panther Park, including the season's only victory over
                 the Storm in Melbourne. 

                 That is a confidence and ability the Warriors still dream
                 of as they run around like headless chooks. 

                 The Panthers' State of Origin record-breaker, Ryan
                 Girdler, went to hospital for x-rays of his forearm after
                 Wednesday night's game, but doctors suspected deep
                 bruising rather than a break. 

                 He goes for a fitness test today to determine if he will
                 play in Auckland.

Rugby: Mauger at helm of U-21 rugby team

                 09.06.2000 - 

                 WELLINGTON - Canterbury's Aaron Mauger will captain
                 New Zealand in the international Southern Hemisphere
                 under-21 rugby tournament at North Harbour Stadium in
                 Albany this month. 

                 The New Zealand squad was selected after a final trial
                 at the Institute of Rugby in Palmerston North. 

                 Mauger, who was understudy to Crusaders and All
                 Black first five-eighths Andrew Mehrtens during this
                 year's Super 12, leads a squad including a host of
                 Super 12, New Zealand sevens and under-19 stars. 

                 Only 10 days after securing an inaugural World Sevens
                 series title in Paris, New Zealand players Orene Ai'i,
                 Mils Muliana, Rodney So'oialo, Jason Tiatia and Amasio
                 Raoma were named in the 28-strong squad. 

                 Other notable selections include Highlanders Carl
                 Hayman and Tom Willis, Blues hooker Keven Mealamu,
                 Wellington and former under-19 flanker Jerry Collins,
                 and Gavin Williams, son of former All Black Bryan
                 Williams. 

                 Champions South Africa will play Australia, Scotland
                 and Fiji (yet to be confirmed) in pool A. 

                 New Zealand will play England, Argentina and Samoa in
                 pool B. 

                 The tournament starts at North Harbour Stadium on
                 June 21. 

                 The final will played as a curtainraiser to the All Blacks
                 v Scotland second test at Eden Park, Auckland, on July
                 1.
Olympic Games safety disarms archers 
 
04.09.2000 - By SUZANNE McFADDEN 
Robin Hood would never have stood for it. 
New Zealand's top archers have been told to lock up their bows and arrows or they won't be allowed inside the Olympic Village. 
Our Olympic shooters are worse off - their rifles and pistols will be bolted away 35km from where they are staying in the heart of 
Homebush. 
Sydney is cracking down on possible security threats within the village. 
Among the measures being taken is making sure athletes' weapons are kept under lock and key. 
All Olympic archers had to sign a declaration saying they would keep their equipment in locked cases when they were outside their 
venue. Their bows must be dismantled, with the bow string and the arrows out of sight. 
New Zealand archer Peter Ebden said it was the first time he had ever had to lock away the tools of his sport. 
"They're pretty deadly if someone tries to shoot someone, so I can understand the security issue," he said. 
"I'll be packing mine away for sure." 
Games security originally wanted to ban the bows from the village. But an outcry from the world's top archers forced a compromise. 
Guns of any sort are definitely forbidden. 
Shooters' equipment will be sent from the airport to an armoury at the Cecil Park shooting venue. 
But other deadly weapons, such as javelins and hammers, are apparently okay. 
New Zealand team manager Richard de Groen, now living in the athletes' village, was surprised to find steel knives and forks in the 
dining hall. 
"In Kuala Lumpur, at the last Commonwealth Games, we had only plastic cutlery," he said. 
All athletes must pass through a metal detector when they come home after a hard day's competition, and even a belt buckle can be 
enough to set off alarms and prompt a body search. 
The first New Zealand competitors have taken up residence - the yachting team moved in when the doors opened on Saturday. 


Moment brings Todd to tears 
 
04.09.2000 - By SCOTT MacLEOD 
Mark Todd's last event in Britain after 21 years grew into an emotional affair when the equestrian great was brought to 
tears by a surprise media tribute. 
Todd was placed just 11th heading into the dying stages of the three-day Burghley event last night, but the five-time 
former winner was still the centre of attention. 
Even the public address announcers called him "The Master" 
But it was the tribute from dozens of British journalists after the first day's riding that caused Todd to turn away, head in 
hands, and shed a quiet tear. 
The tribute was a reconciliation of sorts after tabloid allegations that Todd snorted cocaine with a gay lover - although it 
was unclear whether tabloid reporters were present at the ceremony. 
Andrew Nicholson had the best shot at scoring a fourth-consecutive Burghley title for New Zealand. Nicholson and his 
horse Mr Smiffy were poised on 53.8 points last night, 6.2 points clear of Briton Christopher Bartle on Word Perfect II. 
Todd, Nicholson and Blyth Tait are expected to fly to Sydney today, where Todd will have the services of Wellington 
sports media consultant Glenda Hughes to help him cope with an expected media frenzy. 
Hughes, who was one of the first people contacted by Todd after the cocaine allegations broke, said yesterday that there 
was no big deal about her links with the equestrian legend. She had worked with athletes for four years, through the 
Sports Foundation and other agencies. 
"I'm not getting any extra money for being around Todd." 

Northland flanker Brett Waaka is wrapped up by Harbour's Walter Little (left) and Craig Newby. Herald Picture / Peter Meecham 
 
Rugby: Shelford calls for neutral linesmen 
 
04.09.2000 - By CHRIS RATTUE 
Northland 15 North Harbour 21 
North Harbour coach Wayne Shelford wants neutral touch judges used in NPC matches after his side squeaked a win over Northland 
in Whangarei yesterday. 
Shelford claimed that local touch judges had shown "slight favour" to Northland in the fourth-round clash at the Northland Rugby 
Stadium. 
It was the sort of victory that should warm the heart of a side with title aspirations - even though the match itself had all the appeal of 
cold pie and warm beer. 
Northland were playing their first home match of the season at a ground most visiting teams left in defeat last year, and a week after 
they had caused a boil-over by defeating Wellington in the capital. 
A shapeless, messy match was hardly helped by the officiating of Taranaki referee Brian McDonald, in his first division debut, and 
Northland touch judges Peter Nock and Tony Reader. 
To be fair to McDonald, the policy of having local touch judges for most NPC games meant he had inexperienced officials at his side 
in his first division debut, even though Nock is Northland's No 1 and Reader is also on their top panel. 
And the New Zealand Rugby Football Union's decision to scrap video referees for the NPC, because not all games are televised, has 
also left the officials high and dry. 
Yesterday's match could be called as Exhibit A in any case for re-introducing the video calls. 
Some around the Harbour camp were seething about the touch judges' performance, and said other NPC games - including ones they 
were not involved in - had been similarly affected. 
Harbour were upset at the awarding of a try to Northland first five-eighths Tony Monaghan, who was deemed to have pressured the 
ball in the 44th minute after scrambling for the touch ahead of Mark Robinson. 
Replays showed a no-try decision would have been fairer, but the home viewer is getting a better look at such incidents than the 
referee. 
Said Shelford: "There were some dubious decisions out there ... the referee was having his first NPC game and he's got a long way to 
go. 
"Both touch judges and the referee said he [Monaghan] got the touch, but our players said there was no way. Still, there's no video 
replay." 
He had good reason for complaint. 
Apart from the Monaghan decision, Harbour were on the wrong side of two bad calls which led to Northland's first try, to their ever-
impressive captain Glenn Taylor. 
Firstly, McDonald and his official missed a Northland lineout throw that would have made a dog's hind leg look dead straight. 
And after Northland fed a scrum near the North Harbour line, it screwed way past the angle which should have brought a reset and 
Harbour feed. 
Instead, Taylor crashed over for the try, which levelled the scores at 5-all in the 25th minute. 
Both sides appeared to be on the wrong end of other mysterious calls. 
And a question is why, if we have neutral referees, the same shouldn't apply to touch judges, who have been given an increasing role 
in the modern game. 
Harbour led 12-8 at halftime. Their first try was finished by Silao Leaega after a big Slade McFarland run, although wing Karl Te 
Nana looked very close to being out when he fed the final pass to the fullback. Another case for the video ref? 
The second try went to McFarland after Rua Tipoki held up the ball expertly in a tackle near the Northland line. 
Three second-half Leaega penalties got North Harbour home. 
Harbour now challenge Waikato for the Ranfurly Shield, a trophy the province has never won. 
Northland coach Bryce Woodward was disappointed his side could not give the crowd of 6000 a home victory, and thought his players 
were a bit flat after the big effort against Wellington. 
He believed North Harbour could take the shield, although he would not predict a result. 
"Their forwards have improved hugely," Woodward said. "They are capable of doing it." 

Rugby League: Make or break for troubled Warriors 
 
04.09.2000 - 
The Auckland Warriors this week enter another worrying chapter in their troubled history and look set to ensnare the New 
Zealand Rugby League with their problems. 
The NZRL will decide today whether to risk virtually all of its sizeable bankroll on a shareholding deal with Tainui, a tribe 
racked with internal strife. 
It is a knife-edge drama that could see the league lose its money, the club fold and the game in this country consigned to 
history. 
In the background, and what may be the determining factor that decides the club sale-and-purchase issue, is a High Court 
hearing, starting on September 13, that will determine who runs Tainui's business. There is big pressure on members of 
the tribe's executive council, Tekaumarua, to withdraw rather than let the court rule on an internal tribal matter. 
The Tekaumarua faction, with backing from tribal financial advisers Ferrier Hodgson, has lodged a demand for immediate 
payment of $6,277,252. The money was in the form of a loan from the central tribal investment arm, Tainui Group 
Holdings (TGH), and has been spent by the Warriors on player payments and day-to-day running costs. 
The demand, signed by TGH chief financial officer Michael Crawford, states that the Warriors club "has become insolvent, 
is unable to pay its debts when due, and is unable to satisfy the solvency test as defined in the Companies Act," and that 
it is "unable to pay its debts as they become due in the ordinary course of business and/or the value of its liabilities is 
greater than the value of its assets." 
TGH's demand insisted on payment in cash 24 hours after delivery of the document, which surprised Warriors chairman 
Ricky Muru. "As far as I can work it out we're suing ourselves." 
Muru said there was a deal to bring in new partners. "They're ready to move in, and these people are playing silly games." 
If TGH proceeds with its demand, the next step is a winding-up order for failure to pay. That would mean all players could 
walk because their contracts would be deemed null and void through default by the club. 
There are seven players with offers to leave - off-contract Clinton Toopi from North Queensland and Canberra; off-
contract Wairangi Koopu from Canterbury (this club has also inquired about re-signing hooker Robert Mears); Henry 
Perenara, who is wanted at the Storm and wants to go; and Stacey Jones, Joe Vagana and Logan Swann, who are being 
eyed by several clubs waiting to pick them up if things go into a tailspin at Ericsson. 
The TGH manoeuvre appears to be a ploy to unsettle and shake out one-third shareholders Graham Lowe and Malcolm 
Boyle, who say that they have not been served with the document. 
But it opens the club to all sorts of undesirable repercussions. 
The demand letter gives the National Rugby League a clear right to withdraw the Warriors' seven-year franchise, given 
that one of its major demands is financial solubility and stability. It is not hard to see an NRL, under pressure to readmit 
the South Sydney club, making a quick kill of the Warriors. 
Every Warriors' sponsor has an out-clause if ownership changes. And the Auckland Rugby League could take control 
under a clause in the sale to Tainui that guaranteed it $250,000 a year in development funds. 
The ARL is still owed $1.5 million from the sale, due on time-payment over the next three years. 
If the NZRL board decides today to buy the Warriors, it will cost nearly everything the league has in the bank, with 
budgetary expectation of $3 million more next season. Chairman Gerald Ryan said the league would seek a partner to 
take up to a 90 per cent shareholding if backers could not be secured immediately. 
Should tribal leader Sir Robert Mahuta regain control, all deals done through Ferrier Hodgson might be turned around. 

Napier City Rovers' Jonathon Taylor celebrates after cracking home the deciding penalty in the shootout. Picture / 
Fotopress 
 
Soccer: Napier fight fatigue to win title 
 
04.09.2000 - By TERRY MADDAFORD 
The longest-running saga in New Zealand domestic soccer got even longer last night before Napier City Rovers clinched 
the inaugural national club soccer championship 4-2 in a penalty shootout over University/Mt Wellington. 
The shootout, at North Harbour Stadium, after 120 minutes of tense football had failed to produce a goal, finally ended a 
week of turmoil - on and off the field. 
In a game which struggled to get out of first gear at times through the first 90 minutes but came to life under the threat of 
what would have been a match-deciding "golden goal" in extra time, a penalty shootout was perhaps appropriate as the 
top two sides from the Ansett national club championship season played each other to a virtual standstill. 
In the end, Napier, who had been taken to extra time and a penalty shootout a week earlier and then played another 90 
minutes on Thursday in the controversial replay against Dunedin Technical, fully deserved their win. It was just reward for 
their persistence and ability to lift themselves when leaden legs had long cried enough. 
"We were dead on our feet," said Rovers captain Martin Akers as he celebrated the first leg of what he hopes will be a 
club championship-Chatham Cup double. 
"It was hard work but Mark Paston [in goal] and the back four were awesome." 
And when it came to the shootout Akers was in no doubt his side would win. "We had a practice run last Sunday [in the 
later null-and-void win over Tech] and like I said then, I told the boys Paston would save two." 
The former All Whites' keeper duly obliged when he saved University/Mt Wellington's first two penalties. 
With Akers, Perry Cotton, Paul Jackson and, fittingly, Jonathon Taylor who had been the lynchpin of Napier's defensive 
effort, hitting home without fail, the trophy and winner's medals were headed south. 
The opening 45 minutes, punctuated by 32 free-kicks, produced few chances, but the second spell came to life with the 
visitors having seven scoring attempts to University/Mt Wellington's two. 
A solid rearguard effort led by Graham Pearce kept University/Mt Wellington in the game and saw them through to extra 
time where both teams were all too aware that a golden goal would decide it. 
Napier midfielder Ricky Ravenhill could have spared everyone the agony of extra time and more when he broke clear in 
the dying minutes but shot wide. 
In extra time Jeff Campbell had a couple of chances and set up his University/Mt Wellington team-mate Leigh Kenyon for 
another, while assistant coach Andy Brown, whose 79th-minute introduction sparked some life into his team, had another. 
Kara Waetford came closest when his header, 25 minutes into extra time, was cleared off the line. 
"We did everything but score," rued University/Mt Wellington coach Clive Campbell. "I was proud of the guys but it is 
always a hard way to lose." 
Napier will be back at the stadium this Saturday to square off against Central in the Chatham Cup. It gives Akers, and 
others, the chance of a double-double after being a member of the side that won both seven years ago. 

Olympics: Safety at games disarms archers 
 
04.09.2000 - By SUZANNE McFADDEN 
Robin Hood would never have stood for it. 
New Zealand's top archers have been told to lock up their bows and arrows or they won't be allowed inside the Olympic Village. 
Our Olympic shooters are worse off - their rifles and pistols will be bolted away 35km from where they are staying in the heart of 
Homebush. 
Sydney is cracking down on possible security threats within the village. 
Among the measures being taken is making sure athletes' weapons are kept under lock and key. 
All Olympic archers had to sign a declaration saying they would keep their equipment in locked cases when they were outside their 
venue. Their bows must be dismantled, with the bow string and the arrows out of sight. 
New Zealand archer Peter Ebden said it was the first time he had ever had to lock away the tools of his sport. 
"They're pretty deadly if someone tries to shoot someone, so I can understand the security issue," he said. 
"I'll be packing mine away for sure." 
Games security originally wanted to ban the bows from the village. But an outcry from the world's top archers forced a compromise. 
Guns of any sort are definitely forbidden. 
Shooters' equipment will be sent from the airport to an armoury at the Cecil Park shooting venue. 
But other deadly weapons, such as javelins and hammers, are apparently okay. 
New Zealand team manager Richard de Groen, now living in the athletes' village, was surprised to find steel knives and forks in the 
dining hall. 
"In Kuala Lumpur, at the last Commonwealth Games, we had only plastic cutlery," he said. 
All athletes must pass through a metal detector when they come home after a hard day's competition, and even a belt buckle can be 
enough to set off alarms and prompt a body search. 
The first New Zealand competitors have taken up residence - the yachting team moved in when the doors opened on Saturday. 

duplicate??

Father Kevin (left) and son Simon Town discuss tactics. Picture / Fotopress 
 
Hockey: Emphatic loss ruins Father's Day plans 
 
04.09.2000 - By SUZANNE McFADDEN 
New Zealand hockey captain Simon Towns wanted to give the coach a Father's Day present that did not involve spending money. 
As he walked off the field yesterday after a 1-5 hiding from Olympic contenders Pakistan he had little to offer his dad, New Zealand 
coach Kevin Towns. 
"I suppose I'll have to go to the shops now," he said. "I thought I could just give him a win." 
No such luck. In the Towns' first test series together, their young New Zealand team came close three times - drawing one, losing 0-1 
in the other two. 
But yesterday the tiring Kiwis slowed down and Pakistan sped up, showing why they could win a medal in Sydney. 
But the father-son, coach-captain combination were still happy. The new team had stood up to one of the world's best. And the Towns 
were still on talking terms. 
"We actually have a very good relationship," Towns sen said. "We've talked for years about the game and we pretty much agree on 
everything." 
During this series, and the three tests against Argentina starting tonight, the Towns have been saving their sport money by sleeping at 
their Auckland home. 
But as part of their professional relationship, they go to and from games in separate cars. 
"By the time I get home after a game, Simon is usually too knackered to talk about it," said Kevin Towns. "We get on like any coach 
and captain. But I guess he may want to be seen less with me, and more with the players." 
Nepotism can't be blamed for the younger Towns' role in the team - he proved his worth over the four tests against Pakistan, 
controlling play from the centre of the field. 
But yesterday the Pakistanis were on fire - tiny striker Atif Bashir and Muhammad Sarwar, a veteran of more than 170 tests, virtually 
unstoppable on the run. 
New Zealand's one success came when they were already four goals down - Towns smashing the ball into the circle and Umesh Parag 
sneaking it under the goalie's legs. 
"I think our guys will be disappointed," Kevin Towns said. "But I don't think many teams in the world could play a four-test series and 
stay with Pakistan all the way." 
Pakistan head to Sydney today confident for what lies ahead. 
Back here, the New Zealanders must today rally for their third test in three days against a totally different Olympic team. 
The Argentine men's and women's sides will play the New Zealand men and women in Whangarei before double-headers in Albany 
on Wednesday and Pakuranga Thursday. 

Waikato captain Deon Muir spills the ball in a tackle, giving Southland the chance to launch a counterattack. Herald Picture 
 
Rugby: Discarded fullback remains a blessing for Waikato 
 
04.09.2000 - 
Waikato 44 Southland 36 
By CHRIS RATTUE 
Christianity and a Christian have hampered Todd Miller's chances of a long All Black career. 
Injuries have also cut into his prospects, but when he is fit and firing, Waikato are still blessed with one of the best fullbacks in the 
business. 
Kiwi Searancke's side would have been in trouble without him as they clung to a 44-36 Ranfurly Shield and NPC victory over 
Southland at Rugby Park in Hamilton on Saturday. 
Miller's decision to not play on Sundays because of his religious beliefs has reduced his chances of extending his All Black career of 
four non-test games in 1997. 
And even had the 25-year-old Miller been available to play every day, he and other fullbacks have been blocked in their path to the 
top by Christian Cullen. 
With long All Black tours a thing of the past and test teams not carrying specialist fullback reserves, Miller's days were probably 
numbered. 
But along with another discarded All Black, midfield back Scott McLeod, Miller rescued a shaky shield defence against a Southland 
side who threatened a huge upset by taking opportunities, rather than constructing too much themselves. 
Miller created Waikato's opening try by running into the line from deep to let Bruce Reihana score the first of his three touchdowns. 
And Miller notched the second, after a McLeod break, with some twists and turns when he found himself 10m from the line with no 
one outside him to finish the move. 
In a tremendous first half, Miller produced some great cover defending and a magical catch and dance up the sideline followed by an 
centimetre-perfect kick to touch to again keep Southland at bay. 
McLeod, who played eight tests in 1996-97, produced another big midfield break to set up Reihana's second try to give Waikato a 25-
19 lead early in the second half. 
Searancke believes injuries affected McLeod's confidence in recent seasons, but the player disagrees. 
"I don't think they affected my confidence. It's just that now I am actually able to run." 
On regaining an All Black place, or rumours he will play rugby in Europe, McLeod said: "I'm just concentrating on playing well for 
Waikato and not thinking about anything else. Just focusing on Waikato is helping my game." 
Which hardly dispelled the rumours he will head overseas. 
Whenever the shield holders appeared ready to take control, Southland would come back. 
Waikato were not averse to helping them. At 25-19, Glen Jackson tried a long pass which centre Graeme Bond intercepted for a try 
which got Southland back in front. 
It came at a time when Waikato needed to put a foot on the Southland throat, rather than try a speculative pass. 
The inconsistent Jackson had a wobbly match, with three botched kickoffs, although he did produce a clever run for the 70th-minute 
try which gave his side a 37-29 cushion and the first decent sight of victory. 
The turning point probably came when Southland first five-eighths David Hill missed straight 40m and 45m penalties midway through 
the second half, when his side was trailing 29-30. 
Said Southland captain Brendon Timmins: "You could see they [Waikato] were starting to doubt themselves ... the kicks missed and 
they got out of jail." 
Coach Leicester Rutledge was also left ruing three crucial missed tackles which led to Waikato tries. 
After their loss to Taranaki last week, it was hardly the convincing performance on home turf that Searancke and his troops would 
have wanted. 
Waikato's effort was typified by instances where their scrum crashed Southland back, yet their defensive screen was not in place and 
the visitors engineered breakouts. 
One led to Southland's first try, a brilliant effort started and finished by No 8 Mat O'Connell. 
Said Searancke: "We looked slow and a little bit lethargic." 

Rugby: 'Piece-of-wood' captivates hard-hitting Aussie 
 
04.09.2000 - By CHRIS RATTUE 
In an 11-year career with rugby league's Brisbane Broncos, Peter Ryan built a reputation as one of the biggest hitters in the game. 
His philosophy was fairly simple. 
"It's about being willing to put your body in places where it shouldn't be and still come up smelling of roses," said union-convert Ryan 
after being part of Southland's Ranfurly Shield challenge against Waikato. 
"The way I looked at it, if people think you are crazy enough they will leave you alone. 
"I ended up making fewer tackles than other people because people didn't want to run at me." 
Ryan switched to rugby union late last year when he signed a three-year contract with the Super 12 Brumbies. 
He is having a brief spell in the NPC with Southland, and after the 36-44 shield challenge defeat in Hamilton, his analysis was as 
brutal as his famed tackling. 
"We missed three tackles and Waikato scored three tries," he said. "You can't afford to miss tackles like that when you are playing at 
this level." 
It is the sort of straight talking that has undoubtedly helped Wayne Bennett's Broncos to continually challenge for and sometimes win 
the main prize in Australian rugby league. 
Ryan, who played for the 1988 Australian schoolboys during two seasons in rugby union while at college in Toowoomba, emerged as 
a quality Bronco in 1992. 
He was on the bench but not required when they won the grand final that season, but played from the bench when they won the 
following year. 
His other triumphs included the Broncos' Super League win in 1997, but he was suspended out of the 1998 grand final when the game 
was reunited. 
The Broncos are renowned for their offloading skills when they believe a career may be winding down, with Wally Lewis' departure 
the classic example. 
Ryan got a similar message as he was considering trying rugby union again. 
"I was very keen on rugby union and at some stage I wanted to go back to it. I was looking to spice my career up," he said. "My aim is 
to play for the Wallabies. I make no secret of that." 
Ryan joined Southland when his Brumbies team-mate Des Tuiavaii pulled out because of injury. 
He had never heard of the Ranfurly Shield until Southland coach Leicester Rutledge, among others, schooled him up last week. 
"Leicester brought a book out for me to read on it and told me a bit of the history. I know they call it the piece-of-wood," said Ryan, 
whose shield lessons may have gone slightly astray. 
"You could really feel a lift in the intensity compared to the first two games I played with Southland. I put that down to the shield. 
"It is another feather in my cap, although it would have been a better feather if we had won it. There aren't too many Aussies who have 
played in a shield challenge." 
Ryan has one more game, against Counties Manukau, before returning to Canberra where his wife and two children are still settling in 
after the family's move from Queensland. 
He will be joined in the rugby ranks soon by his old Broncos team-mate Brad Thorn, who is returning to New Zealand to try to fulfil 
his All Black dream. 
"Brad is so big and strong and fast," says Ryan. "He is such a dedicated person to life and his football, and anyone that dedicated can 
do virtually anything. 
"Everyone around the Broncos is dedicated, but some more than others, and I always thought of him as being up there. I'd say No 8 
will be his best position once he has picked up the rugby skills." 

Rugby: Tragedy and thuggery take shine off Wellington win 
 
04.09.2000 - 
Wellington 41 Taranaki 13 
Tragedy and thuggery overshadowed the valuable five NPC competition points Wellington collected in their first-division win over 
Taranaki at the WestpacTrust Stadium in Wellington. 
Wellington have moved to within a point of leaders Auckland, Waikato and Canterbury, but it came at a cost for Filo Tiatia. 
The No 8 broke the radius bone in his right forearm when he attempted to tackle Taranaki lock Paul Tito in the 13th minute. 
Tiatia flew to Auckland yesterday to have a stabilising plate or rod inserted in his forearm. 
The injury has ended Tiatia's NPC season, severely hampering Wellington's hopes of winning the competition for the first time since 
1986. 
It has also shattered the 29-year-old's dream of making the All Blacks tour to Japan, France and Italy in November and adding to his 
one test cap, earned against Tonga in June. 
Taranaki ended the match with 13 players after halfback Brendan Haami and reserve hooker Daniel Smith were sent off. 
Replacement flanker Brent Thompson was also sinbinned, and Wellington prop Mike Edwards spent 10 minutes in the cooler. 
Haami got his marching orders from referee Steve Walsh when he dragged Jason Spice clear of a ruck and then stomped on the 
Wellington halfback's chest. 
Smith, who had just come on, was sent off for a late and high shoulder charge on Wellington first five-eighths David Holwell. 
Taranaki had only just been restored to 14 players after Thompson was sinbinned for an almost identical foul on Holwell 10 minutes 
earlier - again only seconds after Thompson had joined the game. 
Taranaki captain Andy Slater sidestepped the foul play issues after the match, saying he had not seen any of the incidents so could not 
comment. 
Coach Colin Cooper described the acts as "dumb," saying Taranaki were "a better team than that" and he would be asking the players 
why they had sunk to the levels they did. 
"It's not part of our game plan," Cooper said. 
"They [Smith and Thompson] are physical players, but you've got to have more control. It's hard enough playing Wellington with 15 
players." 
Slater added: "Both teams knew that they had to be aggressive, and that they had to win the battle up front to win some dominance for 
their backs. 
"Aggression was part of the game. I'm just disappointed it wasn't a fair contest. Fifteen on 15, that's a fair battle, but 14 or 13, you just 
can't do it at this level, it's impossible." 
Slater said the sendings off had taken away any hope Taranaki had of winning the match. 
"The score was not what we were looking for at all, but hopefully we have walked out of here with a little bit of respect that at least 
we don't lie down," he said. 
Haami and Smith will face the New Zealand Rugby Football Union judiciary on Wednesday. 
Holwell kicked five penalties and three conversions for 21 points to take him past the 500 mark in the NPC. 
Wellington earned the bonus point when Jonah Lomu and Jerry Collins scored a try apiece, within a minute of each other, 10 minutes 
from the end when Taranaki were down to 13 men. 
Earlier, Christian Cullen and Semo Setiti had crossed for tries for Wellington. 
In an untidy first half that produced some woeful handling by both teams, Cullen's try - which stretched Wellington's lead to 11-0 - 
came from a piece of classic backline play. 
Howell, who had kicked two penalties by then, passed to Alama Ieremia after a scrum, took the pass around Ieremia and set Jason 
O'Halloran free through the middle. 
Fullback Cullen raced on to O'Halloran's pass and past an approaching defence to score. 
Wellington are fourth on the table. 

Rugby: Otago win no cause for any parties 
 
04.09.2000 - 
Otago 22 Counties 13 
Relief was the predominant emotion after Otago beat a committed Counties Manukau side at Carisbrook. 
It was, after all, eight games - ironically also against Counties, on September 11 last year - since Otago had been victorious in the 
NPC. 
There were no frills about the Otago win. It was about as cheerful as the chill, grey day and the sodden turf. 
It was not until captain Kelvin Middleton smashed over from a lineout drive two minutes from the end that victory was secured. 
"It's been a long time coming," Otago coach Kevin Gloag said, "and we're relieved that it has. 
"It wasn't pretty. It became a battle up front and, in the end, we won it." 
But not without having to scrap tooth and nail against a Counties side who defended heroically and played well above their bottom 
equal first-division status. 
Otago dominated the first quarter for little reward, became too ambitious in the second quarter and trailed 6-10 at halftime. 
Counties' halfback and captain, Danny Lee, excellent in all respects, scored after 24 minutes when flanker Haere Makiri burst clear 
and Lee expertly caught a long infield pass from right wing Joeli Vidiri. 
Otago eventually scored their first try 11 minutes into the second half, Taine Randell crashing over in the corner when Otago drove on 
a John Blaikie lineout take before switching to the blind side. 
But while that gave Otago the lead and broke what many thought would be the back of Counties' resistance, the Steelers showed 
themselves to be a side of character. 
Otago had a virtual mortgage on possession, but Counties tackled heroically, and while Otago huffed and puffed, they could not break 
down the opposition defence. 
There was always the prospect of Counties breaking out for a decisive try before Otago nailed down the winning score, Middleton 
smashing over when the pack drove on a Simon Maling lineout take. 
"We knew at halftime we had to keep the ball up off the ground and use our forwards to drive," Gloag said. 
"They [Counties] were spreading out across the field and leaving the middle open." 
Randell was the outstanding Otago player, closely followed by Middleton. 
Counties' coach Andrew Talaimanu was straight to the point: "We're sick of being heroes and losing," he said. 
"Otago's tactics in the second half were simple, to drive through the middle. 
"They couldn't get through us any other way." 
Counties missed two scoring chances, Selesi Moimoi receiving a forward pass from Loki Crichton when the field seemed clear, and 
Vidiri knocking on a long, floated pass from Crichton when Otago also seemed to have run out of defenders. 
"But you can't blame those chances," Talaimanu said. 
"Goldilocks shouldn't have fallen asleep in the three bears' house." 

Rugby League: Pointed silence puts Bulls on mettle 
 
04.09.2000 - By PETER JESSUP 
When the Canterbury Bulls went to halftime in their national rugby league playoff against Otahuhu 0-32 down, coach 
Gerard Stokes had nothing to say. 
He made his point by not making one, and the team were left to discuss what it was in Stokes' game plan that they had 
left out. 
"You didn't have to be a rocket scientist - what was the point of reiterating everything we had discussed all week," he said 
of his halftime silence after the Bulls outscored Otahuhu in the second spell but went down 28-51. 
Otahuhu scored in the second minute and it was a no-contest game after 10 minutes. 
The Bulls face the prospect of another match-up with the all-powerful Otahuhu Leopards in the Bartercard Cup final if they 
can overcome minor semi winners Wainuiomata, who barged their way to a 25-20 victory that ended the Eastern 
Tornadoes' season. 
For Stokes, Saturday at Carlaw Park was deja vu - only the last time, it was Otahuhu's home ground of Henham Park 
where they suffered a 50-point hiding. 
"It's a shame because this team are way better than that. But we seem to have trouble showing it in Auckland," Stokes 
said. 
Otahuhu made huge gains with their bigger forward pack and that created the space for halves Hare Te Rangi and Shane 
Edwards to tear the Bulls apart. 
Te Rangi finished with three tries and the man-of-the-match award, his backing up and smart work from the ruck well 
rewarded. 
The Bulls came out more determined after the Stokes' silence and kept Otahuhu scoreless for a long period through the 
middle of the second spell. 
They took advantage when the Leopards entered their comfort zone and dropped off the tackle, three late tries adding 
some respectability to the scoreline. 
The Bulls still look a good bet to make the final in a fortnight. Wainuiomata have plenty of size but nowhere near the skill 
level. 
They were lucky winners over an Eastern Tornadoes outfit who were good for about 20 minutes, ordinary for another 20, 
and lost for 40. 
The Tornadoes looked by far the more inventive side, but also looked as though they knew it and were expecting a 
cakewalk. 
Wainuiomata scored at the right times, just as their oversized forwards were tiring, and held a slender lead for most of the 
game. 
As finals went, both games were ordinary, with all four sides having produced better football in round-robin play. But as at 
the season's start, it is hard to look past Otahuhu as championship winners. 
Their player/coach, Dean Clark, hopes to be cleared to play in the final in a fortnight after a month-long break with a 
fractured cheekbone. 
The Leopards were not worried at the prospect of another week off, believing that it gives them time to refine set moves 
that they will use against the winners of next weekend's major final. 

Rugby League: Kiwis train eyes on biggest prize 
 
04.09.2000 - By PETER JESSUP 
The Kiwis will share in a substantial part of the Rugby League World Cup first prize of 400,000 pound ($1.37 million) if 
they can lift the trophy in November. 
The 23-man squad, most of whom attended the first cup preparation camp in Auckland at the weekend, are on a retainer 
with win bonuses that offer them a significant payday. 
But money was not in the forefront of their minds. First there is the small matter of revenge for the 0-52 loss to Australia in 
the Anzac test. And there is the pride that says they are a better team and should show it. 
The squad had motivational talks from sports scientists and psychologists, from the NZ Rugby League management and 
from their coaches and trainers. 
A nutritionist gave tips on handling the demands of three games in eight days. The trainers gave each man a specific 
programme and let them know what fitness, fat-fold and other levels must be met. 
The medics talked about injury and banned substances. Team manager Gary Cooksley covered discipline on and off the 
field. 
There were no footballs involved. The aim was to introduce players to the programme the NZRL believes will bring the 
cup back from England. 
Chief executive Gary Allcock said the focus of the camp was to explain details ranging from employment to travel, training 
to medicals, so all were familiar with and motivated towards the campaign. "And they're very motivated." 
Graeme Norton and Gary Kemble, who will prepare the team in Auckland before departure to England, where head coach 
Frank Endacott takes up the reins, went through the game plan and made each player aware of what is expected. 
Almost all have tickets to events at the Sydney Olympics - one reason the camp was held this early. 
They will not meet again until after the Games, with the next camp in Auckland from October 3-5 to open the field work. 
Absent at the weekend were English-based Robbie and Henry Paul and Richie Blackmore, and Parramatta fullback David 
Vaeliki. 
The latter was admitted to hospital in Sydney two days ago when a boil went septic and caused blood poisoning, but he 
will be well again within days. 

Rugby: BoP battle to stay unbeaten 
 
04.09.2000 - 
Bay of Plenty 30 Thames Valley 21 
Bay of Plenty continued their unbeaten run in the second division, but were made to battle all the way against Thames 
Valley before winning at the Tauranga Domain. 
When the Bay scored two tries in the opening six minutes, a rout looked on the cards but Thames Valley, with a solid 
performance from their forward pack, struck back and kept the home side honest to the final whistle. 
The Bay will be disappointed with their disjointed effort, despite preserving their winning record and scoring their first four-
try bonus point of the season. 
It was hardly an ideal dress rehearsal for next weekend's key clash with joint second division favourites Nelson Bays. 
The crowd of 2000 had hardly sat down when the Bay put two tries on the board. 
Manu Samoan import Toa Samania stood up his opposite, Aaron Steel, on Thames Valley's wing to score the first, while 
Bay right wing Keith Pryor grabbed the second three minutes later when he was set free by centre Rico Gear. Both 
conversions were missed. 
Thames Valley warmed to their task through the efforts of lock Penisoni Saukelea and flanker Pama Petia, and took a 11-
10 lead midway through the first half, with Steel kicking two penalties and fullback Tila Toailoa getting on the outside of 
Pryor for a touchdown. 
A Samania penalty and conversion of Pryor's second try in the 28th minute gave the Bay a 20-11 lead at halftime. 
Despite a significant advantage in the scrums, with Tongan international prop Tevita Taumoepeau turning into the find of 
the season with a powerhouse effort, Bay undid all their set-piece work with dismal form in the lineouts, letting Valley's 
jumpers have a field day. 
Steel and Samania traded penalties before the Bay kicked home with a try to makeshift lock Tom Solomon. 
Petia was rewarded with a late consolation for Valley, but they dipped out on a losing bonus point. 

Rugby: Champions Nelson dealt a blow 
 
04.09.2000 - 
Second Division 
Defending champions Nelson Bays suffered a shock defeat in Wanganui and now face unbeaten Bay of Plenty next 
Saturday. 
The only consolation for Nelson is that they will be at home against the Gordon Tietjens-coached side who include 
promising players such as Rico Gear and Craig de Goldi. 
Fullback Donovan Nepia scored all of his team's points as Wanganui's lionhearts proved they were the kings of Cooks 
Garden in their 14-10 win. 
They dominated the first half to lead 8-0, added a penalty goal and then resisted a strong Nelson comeback in the second 
half. 
Loose forward Kahu Marfell scored Nelson's try 26 minutes into the spell and fullback Mark Milne converted it and added 
a penalty goal. 
Hawkes Bay have 14 points, followed by Bay of Plenty and King Country on 13 and Wanganui and Marlborough on 11. 
However, Bay of Plenty have a match in hand. 
Hawkes Bay, who have a bye next weekend, led all the way in their 32-11 away win over Manawatu. 
With a stiff southerly at their backs, Hawkes Bay were ahead 18-0 at halftime, with two tries by Zimbabwean star winger 
Karl Mudzamba and two penalties and a conversion by fullback Scott Leighton. 
In Taupo, King Country outplayed Marlborough 39-33. 
King Country seemed to be cruising until centre Hayden Martine was sinbinned. Second five-eighths Jo Fo'olaga was the 
first to exploit the home team's disadvantage with a try, cutting the halftime deficit to 12-29. 
Immediately after the restart, flanker Peter Flynn scored from a scrum to further erode King Country's lead. 
"In the first half we had all the ball, kept it in hand and controlled the rucks and mauls - and then they turned around and 
did it to us," said King Country manager Carl Cressey. 
Fullback Kevin Weinberg scored King Country's only try of the second half, giving them valuable breathing space. 
Their five tries placed them nicely on the table and they meet Manawatu in an away game next Saturday. 

Rugby: High flyers Poverty Bay, East Coast on top of pile again 
 
04.09.2000 - 
Third Division 
Last year's finalists Poverty Bay and East Coast were back on top of the NPC third division competition after impressive 
victories in the third round. 
A strong scrum and the accurate boot of first five-eighths Manu Flutey launched East Coast to a comprehensive 44-12 win 
over Buller in Westport. 
They scored three tries in the last five minutes after the Buller side decided that playing high speed but risky rugby was 
the only way to catch up or at least to take a point out of the game. 
In the process they managed to open play up a bit more but gave away possession, which the defending champions 
turned into points. 
East Coast led 20-5 at halftime. 
Flutey converted all five tries and kicked three penalties for 19 points. 
In Gisborne, the Poverty Bay pack's inspiring second half paved the way for their 60-13 win over West Coast. 
Leading 10-3 at halftime, the Bay forwards wound up their intensity after prop Pene Foutaiki scored a try within three 
minutes of the restart. 
"West Coast defended well in the first 40 but I always felt we could win the game if we got control up front and then 
spread the ball wide," Poverty Bay coach Brett Fell said. 
His backs scored six of their nine tries. 
North Otago ground out their first win in the competition, beating Wairarapa Bush 19-14 in Masterton. 
The visitors exacted revenge for their opening-round loss to Wairarapa Bush in Oamaru, basing their victory on superior 
option-taking in the difficult conditions. 
Horowhenua-Kapiti first five-eighths Kyle Williams had a horror day, missing nine out of 10 shots at goal as his team 
tumbled 13-16 to South Canterbury. 
In next Saturday's matches, South Canterbury are at home to East Coast, Poverty Bay should be too strong for Buller at 
home, Wairarapa Bush have another home match, against West Coast, and North Otago play Horowhenua-Kapiti at 
Oamaru. 

Netball: Player changes hide the winners 
 
04.09.2000 - By RICHARD BOOCK 
The Auckland netballers will take a step into the unknown this afternoon when they begin their national provincial 
championship campaign at Hamilton's Mystery Creek. 
Last year's runners-up, Auckland, are hoping to dominate a tournament which is notable not only for the number of title 
contenders, but also for the amount of change within the first-division line-ups. 
Auckland's reward for finishing in the top two last year is an opening match today against newly-promoted Canterbury, 
who this season are reflecting the strength of their Coca-Cola Cup outfit, the Flames 
Auckland coach Sheryl Hyndman said there had been so much change within the first-division teams that no one really 
knew which side were going to stand out. 
"Everyone's a bit nervous in our camp at the moment because there are so many questions still out there, so many 
unknown quantities" she said. "Most of the teams have changed, and it's hard to get a gauge on exactly who might be a 
threat. 
"The best thing is to treat everyone the same." 
Canterbury start the competition as the eighth and bottom seeds, but with a defensive line-up comprising Villimaina Davu, 
Belinda Charteris and Anna Veronese, the southerners seem likely to quickly re-establish themselves near the top of the 
provincial pile. 
Perhaps the main concern for Margie Foster's side will be plugging the mid-court gap left by the absence of Julie 
Seymour. 
The other feature match of today's round will involve the no-love-lost southern derby between Otago's student-based side 
and the Bernice Mene-marshalled Southland line-up. 
Manukau - with coach Jan Lunden calling for her side to eclipse last season's third placing - are expected to knock over 
Manawatu. 
Waikato, the defending champions, will start the championship as favourites when they come up against Wellington. 

Soccer: Kingz out of touch 
 
04.09.2000 - 
A lack of finishing touch cost the Football Kingz soccer side as they went down 0-1 to fellow NSL team Northern Spirit in 
Rotorua. 
The Kingz had clear opportunities, especially in the second half, but could not capitalise on them. 
In a closely contested match where four yellow cards were dished out, the only goal came midway through the game's 
second half. 
Spirit's new signing, Gabriel Mendez, expertly curved a free kick into the box and Michael Cunico headed past Kingz 
keeper Julio Cuello. 

Squash: National title ninth in a row for Steel 
 
04.09.2000 - 
Paul Steel claimed his ninth consecutive national squash title when he won the men's championship on his home court in 
Whakatane yesterday. 
The 30-year-old accounted for Ashburton's Daniel Sharplin in four sets, the fourth time in succession the pair have met in 
the national final. 
Christchurch's Sarah Cook had too much class in defending the women's title, beating Auckland's Lara Petera in straight 
sets. 
It's been a remarkable 12 months for Cook, who gave birth to a son in between winning two national titles. 
Steel returned from his base in Switzerland, where he is player-coach for a major club in Zug, near Zurich, for a crack at 
his ninth title. 
"They have all been special, but it is doubly special to win here in my home town and on the courts I learned the game," 
Steel said. 
It is the 10th national final in succession for the 30-year-old, who lost the 1991 final to Glen Wilson before beginning his 
winning streak. 
While based overseas, Steel has returned annually for the national championships. 

Racing: Courage carries Playful Fingers home 
 
04.09.2000 - 
There is improvement in Playful Fingers and there will need to be. 
The producer of Saturday's gamest run in racing is heading for the equivalent of an Olympic final in the $40,000 Highview Stakes at 
Hastings on Saturday week. 
Meeting the Mercedes Outstanding Juvenile of the old season in Spring Rain will be several steps up the class ladder from Saturday, 
but Playful Fingers will be several rungs up the fitness ladder as well. 
"I can't believe she came back and won that after she was headed," said an co-trainer Craig Ritchie after Playful Fingers showed 
courage was an irreplaceable commodity in the $25,000 Waikato Stud Stakes. 
Ritchie sent Playful Fingers to Wanganui knowing her fitness was vulnerable after a deep seated stone bruise cost her a valuable 
Ruakaka barrier trial. 
"She ran 1000m in 1.7.5 at Takanini on Tuesday morning, which is nothing for her, and because she was floating to Wanganui on 
Friday I couldn't do much with her on Thursday. 
"It was not an ideal preparation for ground so testing and the way she fought back was just fabulous." 
Palliser Bay clearly headed Playful Fingers on the outside with 240m left and rider Michael Coleman joined Ritchie in believing this 
was not their day. 
"It was only heart and guts that allowed her to kick back that well," said Ritchie. 
Michael Coleman confirmed yesterday the filly had indicated her lack of fitness by blowing heavily as she was pulling up. 
Considering Playful Fingers had to do a fair bit of work to get across and lead from a wide barrier, it was the performance of a filly 
right up to the best class. 
"It's a rarity for a horse with her brilliant gate speed to be able to show so much fight at the end of her races," said Ritchie. 
Playful Fingers was unplaced behind Spring Rain when the Matamata filly won easily at Avondale on January, but she was found to 
be slightly shin-sore afterwards and had already been heading for the spelling paddock. 
Ritchie is not kidding himself Playful Fingers can beat Spring Rain without the luck factor balancing out the equation, but on a firm 
track at Hastings, the barrier draw, in what is certain to be a speed race, will be crucial. 
He is keen for Playful Fingers to run at Hastings as a lead-up to the Desert Gold Stakes at Trentham. 
"Trentham can be quiet heavy for that meeting and she'll need the racing going into it. She showed in winning this race that heavy, 
testing ground doesn't worry her." 
A set of blinkers used for the first time made a huge difference when Playful Fingers scored a runaway win in the Champagne Stakes 
at Ellerslie in May, but Ritchie is keen to remove the blinkers before the 1000 Guineas at Riccarton. 
"I don't think she'll see out 1600m at Riccarton wearing blinkers, so we have to make a decision when we try her again without them. 
We'll almost certainly leave them on for Hastings." 
Trainer Roger James said yesterday Spring Rain will go into the Highview possibly as vulnerable in terms of fitness as Playful Fingers 
was on Saturday. 
"I had hoped to give her a trial at Te Teko last week, but they cancelled them. I'm not prepared to turn the screw tightly on the training 
track and, anyway, you can only do what the weather will allow you to do. 
"Her whole spring programme is aimed at her peaking for the 1000 Guineas in November." 
Spring Rain proved she was precocious as a juvenile last season and up to winning fresh from a break, but she may be less so as a 3-
year-old. 
"I won't run her if I can't get her fit enough to be competitive." 
Spring Rain will be James' first raceday runner for nine weeks. 
"That's just about a record for my stable, but it's the way I organised it. 
"I always intended that all the good horses would be aimed at Christmas racing then Australia in the autumn and the likes of Zonda, 
One Under and Spottswoode haven't even joined the stable yet." 

Racing: Diminutive mare a really tough act 
 
04.09.2000 - By BARRY STREET 
Top jockey Peter Johnson was unimpressed by the size of Real Class Act when about to mount the Levin mare for the $30,000 
Whakatane Cup at Tauranga. 
But he had a good deal more respect for her after she outstayed Lately to win the listed 2100m on Saturday in her first race right 
handed. 
So much so, Johnson said yesterday, that he would be only too pleased to be on her again when she returns north for the $40,000 
Mitchelson Cup, a listed 2400m, at Ellerslie on October 7. 
"She is not very big, but she's got heaps of ability in ground the way it was on Saturday,"he said. 
"I liked the way she toughed it out. 
"I don't think she'd have any trouble going an extra 300m in the Mitchelson Cup." 
Because of the current dearth of northern open-class handicap horses, Johnson did not expect to pick up any ride in the Whakatane 
Cup - a race he first won in 1974 on Oopik. 
To his rescue came his manager, Best Bets editor and former amateur rider Mike Brown, who suggested Real Class Act would be at 
good odds but as good a chance as any. 
Brown based that opinion on the little mare's determined finish to win the Parliamentary Handicap at Trentham in July. 
The Big Spender mare had also been far from disgraced, Brown suggested, when forced over extra ground and unplaced in two starts 
on unseasonal footing at the Grand National carnival at Riccarton last month. 
Real Class Act is one of only three horses trained these days by 63-year-old Errol Skelton, who in his heydays won a New Zealand 
Derby at Ellerslie with the champion filly Our Flight and numerous other stakes races here and in Australia with Shuzohra, Rose And 
Thistle, Kosha, Asheen and Frederick. 
"Errol may now be semi-retired, but he still knows how to present a fit horse,"Johnson said. 
* * * 
Taumarunui Cup winner Just There may have raced as though weary from his mid-winter exertions when only fourth in the 
Whakatane Cup. 
But co-trainer Peter Hollinshead was not having a bar of that. 
Quite the opposite was the case, Hollinshead claimed yesterday. 
"The horse got away on me a bit in the month after the Taumarunui Cup. That's why I stepped him out over a mile [1600m] at 
Pukekohe last Saturday week. 
"He needed that because he'd been doing too well. 
"Also, because of a slight foot problem, we weren't able to give him as much work as we wanted to last week. 
"We had to put some pads under his work shoes just to get him to go a couple of 600m gallops when normally he'd have done a bit 
more. 
"We hoped he'd get away with that [reduced work] but, of course, he didn't." 
A quandary now facing the Just There camp is how best to prepare for the Mitchelson Cup with so few open middle-distance 
opportunities in the meantime. 
"The Mitchelson is a month away, so he could certainly pack on too much condition again," Hollinshead said. 
"I didn't even consider the possibility until today, but he might just have to go around again next Saturday in an open 2100m race at 
Ellerslie." 
Darryl and Peter Hollinshead's other splendid recent performer, Toppy, is due to race next in A $20,000 3-6 win 2100m at Hastings 
next Saturday week. 
Because of his last-start win in similar company at Hastings and his consistency, Toppy could be weighted next time as high as 
57.5kg, Peter Hollinshead said. 
However, there would be nothing wrong with putting Andrew Calder up again with a 2kg claim, the Hastings apprentice having twice 
ridden the horse for two wins.

Racing: Ma Danseuse aims at group two glory 
 
04.09.2000 - By BARRY STREET 
Tauranga trainer Jim Pender has raised his sights to group two level with Ma Danseuse. 
The mare stylishly won the $15,000 open-class 1400m on her home track on Saturday. 
"I'm looking to run her in the spring in either the Lion Brown at Rotorua or the Fayette Park at Hawera," Pender said 
yesterday. 
"Both are on October 14. Both are group two and worth $40,000, and the only difference is the distance. 
"Before then she could run in a 1200m for fillies and mares at Matamata at the end of this month." 
In Pender's opinion, 5-year-old Ma Danseuse is under-rated. 
As a 3-year-old, he said, she ran third in a Highview Stakes and fourth in a Lowland Stakes without much luck in either. 
"And she is a lot stronger now than she was then," he said. 
"She would never have won over 1400m in heavy ground, as she did yesterday, earlier in her career." 
A "funny nature" is Ma Danseuse's only flaw, Pender maintains. 
"She races very consistently and always tries hard, but you certainly can't organise her. 
"The only way to ride her is to let her bowl along at her own speed. 
"She was acting so weirdly yesterday that I thought she'd run either a blinder or a shocker." 
So far this season Pender has had only a few horses racing, but he says he has a team of promising, young, untried 
horses who give him a feeling of optimism.

Soccer: Scottish boost to down under football 
 
04.09.2000 - By TOM CLARKE 
Top New Zealand sports people, such as Football Kingz soccer players, may now have a better chance of achieving 
overseas success, says Murray Wright, of Carnegie Sports International Ltd. 
Mr Wright has just become managing director of the sports management and marketing company. 
Carnegie has been appointed to handle marketing, sponsorship and hospitality services for the Sydney-based Australian 
National Soccer League (NSL) team Northern Spirit, which is now owned by the Scottish soccer club, Glasgow Rangers. 
Carnegie and Glasgow Rangers are both owned by Murray International Holdings, Scotland's largest privately-owned 
company. 
Mr Wright says clubs like Glasgow Rangers see investment in professional clubs in other parts of the world as one way of 
extending their brand. 
It also gives them access to a stream of young new players coming through local professional leagues, in this case the 
NSL which also includes the New Zealand-based Football Kingz. 
Mr Wright says the Glasgow Rangers' investment in Northern Spirit will give a tremendous boost to the league. 
"People don't realise the opportunities which that investment brings for soccer in New Zealand and Australia," he says. 
"In the past, players coming through the junior levels have had nothing to aim for, but now they have a professional soccer 
league that provides a career path for them. 
"They can play professional soccer in Australia and if they obviously shine out, there are opportunities for them to move 
on to contracts with Rangers." 
Mr Wright says the leading British soccer club Manchester United is also looking for investment opportunities around the 
world. 
This is something that will happen a lot more often in different sports, he believes. 
Could Super 12 rugby franchises such as the Auckland Blues move into private hands? 
"That's an interesting question," says Mr Wright. 
"They are franchises at the moment and the possibility (of private ownership) could happen in the longer term." 
Mr Wright has a marketing background and was national advertising and marketing manager of Hannahs until 1990 when 
he joined Auckland Rugby as chief executive officer. 
In 1996 he formed and ran his own company, Sport Management Group, which was bought by Carnegie two years ago. 
Since then, he has worked as a consultant to the company. 
In his new role he replaces former All Black Grant Fox who has withdrawn from day-to-day management to concentrate 
on his rugby coaching career. Mr Fox becomes chairman of the company. 
Former Silver Fern and netball commentator Julie Coney, who has been with the company for 14 years, becomes a 
director. 
The new local board also includes David Murray, chairman of Glasgow Rangers and Carnegie's parent company, Murray 
International Holdings; Trevor Perry, former managing director of Prudential Australasia; and Auckland investment banker, 
Graham Jackson. Former All Black Joe Stanley also works for the company. 

 
                 Jonah Lomu helps the young players hone their sidestepping skills at
                 King's College yesterday. Herald Picture / David White

                 All Blacks back at school for a day

                 08.07.2000 - By WARREN GAMBLE 

                 "We want to tackle Jonah," piped up the King's College
                 1st XV player. 

                 "Yeah, bring on the big guy," said his mate. 

                 The bravado would have been more impressive had it
                 come before the training session between four northern
                 secondary schools and the All Blacks yesterday. 

                 But it showed that even in the photo session afterwards
                 the younger players were pumped. As it was Jonah
                 Lomu hunkered down in the middle row for the cameras,
                 leaning on the shoulders of Jeremiah Fatialofa of King's,
                 in the mould of his famous father, Peter. 

                 For the 60 players from King's, Kelston Boys High
                 School, Auckland Grammar and Hamilton Boys High,
                 following in the footsteps of their training partners was
                 cemented in 90 minutes. 

                 Across the King's playing fields pockets of All Blacks
                 took backs and forwards through drills and techniques
                 as part of a Philips-sponsored training day. 

                 In one corner captain Todd Blackadder had to look up to
                 some giant schoolboy locks as he, Taine Randell,
                 Anton Oliver and Carl Hoeft worked on the finer aspects
                 of scrummaging. 

                 Lomu, Pita Alatini and Tana Umaga commanded
                 another field, putting the backs through their paces.
                 Among the No 11's advice was: "It's not about how big
                 you are, it's about body position. If you are on the
                 outside you have got a better chance; if you run straight
                 at them you will get nailed." 

                 Unless you're him. 

                 In the next field Andrew Mehrtens matched his boyish
                 looks to teenage enthusiasm as he skipped round the
                 field. 

                 At the end, red-faced from the exertion, Hamilton Boys
                 front row forward Matthew London said he had taken
                 away scrum lessons on balance and tight-binding. The
                 All Blacks had been informative and "really nice." 

                 His teammate Boyd Scott was also impressed by the
                 All Blacks' "people smarts," saying they got the
                 message across better than schoolteachers. 

                 "They were more at our level." 

                 Some of the senior players have not been too long away
                 from college. Doug Howlett left Auckland Grammar in
                 1996 and recognised some of the present 1st XV.

                 Drug test decision a blow to Bray

                 08.07.2000 - 

                 Olympic swimming hopeful and Commonwealth
                 medallist Trent Bray has been dealt another blow in his
                 battle to clear his name of drug cheating charges. 

                 The High Court at Auckland yesterday quashed an
                 earlier decision by a district court judge, who said the
                 drug-testing procedures used on Bray's urine sample
                 were faulty. 

                 The New Zealand Sports Drug Agency appealed against
                 this decision, saying Bray's urine sample was handled
                 properly before a Sydney laboratory found traces of the
                 banned anabolic steroid nandrolone in it. 

                 Bray's lawyers had originally successfully argued that
                 delays in getting the frozen urine sample to the
                 laboratory meant the whole procedure was flawed. 

                 The High Court has now found that the district court
                 judge did not appropriately interpret rules relating to the
                 transport of samples. 

                 Bray's lawyer Peter Thorp said he disagreed with the
                 latest decision and would decide whether to carry the
                 case further. 

                 He said Bray was naturally disappointed. 

                 "It's like one step forward then two steps backward, he
                 continues to proclaim his innocence and he will keep on
                 fighting. 

                 "There is an option of taking it to the Court of Appeal
                 and there is an option of taking it to Swimming New
                 Zealand and the surf lifesaving people with the
                 information that we have got." 

                 Bray had not taken anything knowingly and he had
                 already suffered as a result of the charges. 

                 Swimming New Zealand president Phil Pritchard said
                 the decision was "very straightforward," as the
                 organisation now had a valid doping infraction.


                 Fifa vice-president Julio Grondona (left) with the head of Germany's
                 World Cup committee, Franz Beckenbauer. Picture / Reuters

                 Soccer: Charlie: no tri-nations angel

                 08.07.2000 - By TERRY MADDAFORD 

                 Plans for a tri-nations soccer tournament involving New
                 Zealand, South Africa and Australia are headed for the
                 rocks following yesterday's decision by Fifa to hand the
                 2006 World Cup to Germany. 

                 New Zealand Soccer have been branded scapegoats in
                 the decision by Oceania Football Confederation
                 president Charlie Dempsey to abstain from the World
                 Cup vote once his first choice - England - had been
                 eliminated. 

                 New Zealand Soccer chief executive Bill MacGowan
                 was kept busy answering calls from overseas blaming
                 his organisation for South Africa's failure to win the right
                 to host the World Cup. 

                 "We have had calls from South Africa saying that 'our
                 decision' had damaged employment opportunities in the
                 Republic," MacGowan said. "We seem to be tarred with
                 the Oceania decision, yet we have been talking with the
                 South Africans about a tri-series as a great opportunity
                 to further strengthen soccer ties between the two
                 countries following the success of the recent Olympic
                 playoffs." 

                 The tri-series had been planned for some time after the
                 Olympics, but within the next year. 

                 MacGowan is refusing to push any panic buttons,
                 although he is well aware of the far-reaching
                 implications of the decision. 

                 "I think we need to wait and hear from Charlie Dempsey
                 on Sunday," MacGowan said. "Our concern at the
                 moment is that New Zealand Soccer are seen as
                 'pimps' in this whole affair." 

                 Tomorrow's Oceania executive meeting in Auckland -
                 now to be held at an undisclosed venue - has a full
                 agenda, including the Football Kingz' continuing bid for
                 an extension to their initial two-year licence in the
                 Australian national league. 

                 "That is one of two major issues which must be under
                 some threat now," MacGowan said. 

                 "The other will be the on-going push by Oceania for
                 direct representation in future World Cups. 

                 "We already know the Football Kingz' application is on
                 the agenda for the August Fifa executive meeting.
                 Charlie Dempsey will have to take the application and
                 present it at that meeting. No one else from this part of
                 the world is entitled to go to that meeting." 

                 Dempsey said in Singapore last night that he had had a
                 very good session with Fifa secretary-general Michel
                 Zenruffen "and I am confident they will look favourably at
                 the Kingz." The talks with Zenruffen were held before the
                 final ballot. 

                 Mark Burgess, New Zealand Soccer's official
                 representative on the 12-strong OFC executive, said he
                 was surprised at the way the association had been
                 targeted over Dempsey's decision to abstain from the
                 crucial vote. 

                 "Everyone is assuming New Zealand Soccer are the
                 villains, but that is not the case," Burgess said. "I'm
                 surprised everything is aimed at New Zealand and that
                 Soccer Australia is not being implicated in any way." 

                 Burgess confirmed there had been no formal vote at
                 May's Oceania executive meeting in Samoa, over what
                 would happen to the Oceania vote once England were
                 eliminated. 

                 It is understood that the initial vote in favour of
                 continuing Dempsey's long-held support for England
                 was 7-5, but New Zealand were not among those
                 supporting that motion. 

                 Burgess said it had been decided at the meeting there
                 was no need to vote on the issue, but it was firmly
                 understood that when England dropped out of the race,
                 Oceania support would be with South Africa. 

                 "Our support was for South Africa and we were aware
                 that they would be Oceania's second choice. There was
                 never any talk of abstaining at the meeting in Apia or in
                 any subsequent discussions." 

                 Burgess, who has been on the OFC executive for a little
                 over a year, said: " I don't need this stuff." 

                 Neither do the Football Kingz who can only sit and
                 watch as Fifa's all-powerful executive consider their
                 pleas for a continuing lifeline.


                 The Fifa executive committee listen to the presentation of the
                 English 2006 World Cup bid committee. Picture / Reuters

                 Soccer: Dempsey's non-vote bewilders
                 soccer world

                 08.07.2000 - 

                 New Zealand under-23 soccer co-coach Ron Armstrong
                 is "bewildered" by Charlie Dempsey's World Cup
                 non-vote but believes the country should wait for an
                 explanation before making a final judgment. 

                 Australia soccer officials have also urged a
                 "wait-and-see" approach on Dempsey's decision not to
                 take part in the final ballot which led to Germany being
                 named as the hosts of the 2006 World Cup ahead of hot
                 favourites South Africa. 

                 Armstrong, whose under-23 side missed qualifying for
                 the Olympics, feared a backlash against New Zealand
                 soccer, which, he said, had made great strides in the
                 past 18 months. 

                 A member of the great 1982 World Cup All Whites, who
                 did not want to be named, also urged the New Zealand
                 public to wait for Dempsey's explanation before making
                 a final judgment. 

                 Armstrong, one of New Zealand's finest footballers, said:
                 "It is bewildering as to why he did not follow Oceania's
                 instructions. 

                 "But there are two sides to every story and we've got to
                 wait until we hear the other side. 

                 "I just hope there's not a backlash against New Zealand
                 soccer because for the past year to 18 months it's all
                 been good news." 

                 Australia's soccer chairman, Basil Scarsella, admitted
                 surprise at Dempsey's actions, but said: "I might not be
                 once I understand the reasons. 

                 "Until we have the opportunity to speak to Charlie, it's
                 impossible and unreasonable for me to make any further
                 comment. 

                 "I'm sure Charlie will be happy to take us through the
                 chain of events. 

                 "We mustn't forget the contribution that Charlie has
                 made to the Oceania confederation. He has indicated
                 he plans to step down in 2002 ... he should be allowed
                 to see his term through unless something drastic
                 happens, which I can't see." 

                 But the cautious reaction was in stark contrast to what
                 has been said in South Africa about Dempsey. 

                 He was cast as public enemy No 1 on the front pages of
                 most newspapers. 

                 The news spilled over on to pages two and three of
                 some papers, which also carried photos of people
                 weeping in the streets. 

                 The Johannesburg Star labelled Dempsey "South
                 Africa's betrayer." 

                 "World soccer stunned by the delegate who refused to
                 vote," the paper said. 

                 Major Afrikaans daily Beelt plastered a photo of
                 Dempsey on its front page with the heading "Damn It
                 Dempsey." 

                 "One man robbed South Africa of the chance to stage
                 the world's biggest sporting showpiece," Beelt said. 

                 Another national newspaper, the Johannesburg-based
                 Citizen, led its front page with the words: "Stabbed In
                 The Back." 

                 "The villain was South Africa's arch rival in rugby and
                 cricket: New Zealand," the paper said. 

                 Johannesburg tabloid The Sowetan headlined its front
                 page with the words "Daylight Robbery." 

                 Its front page story was an editorial, saying: "The house
                 of [world governing body] Fifa stands on shaky ground
                 indeed. 

                 "It defies Fifa's own values of unity and solidarity. Fifa
                 has betrayed its own motto 'for the good of the game'." 

                 South African President Thabo Mbeki said the Fifa vote
                 was a setback for his nation. 

                 He called it a "tragedy for Africa" which had wrecked the
                 continent's efforts to win recognition in the international
                 sports community. 

                 German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said he was "full
                 of respect and regret" for the South African bid. 

                 In the cup ballot, Germany received 10 votes in the first
                 round, South Africa six, England five and Morocco
                 three. In the second round, with Morocco dropping out,
                 the vote went Germany 11, South Africa 11 and England
                 two. In the third and final vote, Germany received 12
                 votes, South Africa 11, with Dempsey abstaining.


                 Rugby: 'Floating' ball is passed back to
                 the drawing board

                 08.07.2000 - By WYNNE GRAY 

                 Rather unwisely, as it transpires, adidas called it the
                 Equipment Spiral International rugby ball. But yesterday
                 its inability to live up to its name and spiral consistently
                 put it back in the workshop. 

                 In a joint statement, adidas and the New Zealand Rugby
                 Union announced the ball was being withdrawn from test
                 duty this year. 

                 It was a laudable retreat by both groups and a
                 significant U-turn from just three weeks ago when, on
                 the eve of the Tongan test, All Black manager Andrew
                 Martin predicted a long, profitable future for the ball. 

                 In the All Blacks media guide for the season, adidas
                 managing director Craig Lawson described it as a ball
                 "with class-leading performance characteristics." 

                 But there were rumblings from All Blacks that the ball
                 was too light, it died with a spiral punt, passes floated
                 and it was very slippery. Creditably, Tony Brown,
                 Andrew Mehrtens and Justin Marshall spoke about
                 some of the flaws as the management and adidas did
                 their best to smoothe things over. 

                 Then All Blacks kicking legend Grant Fox weighed in. It
                 was unfair, he said, to ask top players to use inferior
                 gear. 

                 The deathknell came yesterday. 

                 The lemon-coloured ball was a goner for the remaining
                 home tests against the Springboks and Wallabies. 

                 It would be replaced by the Gilbert ball, but could
                 bounce back for the NPC if it passed strict quality
                 control tests taking place in Germany, where the ball
                 was designed, and India, where it is made. 

                 Once those are complete, the ball must pass exams
                 involving players such as Mehrtens and Brown. 

                 "We have got to help them develop it further and now we
                 have just got to move on," Mehrtens said. 

                 He and the All Blacks will use the Summit ball in
                 Sydney next week and the Gilbert ball for rest of the
                 Tri-Nations tests here and in South Africa. 

                 All this brouhaha about the ball leaves you wondering if
                 there was enough player feedback or whether they
                 tested it sufficiently before it entered the test arena. 

                 At least adidas and the NZRFU took a proper punt
                 yesterday.

                 Richie Barnett's injury in the Anzac test in April jeopardised his World
                 Cup squad spot. Picture / Fotopress

                 Rugby League: Carroll for Kiwis World
                 Cup squad

                 08.07.2000 - By PETER JESSUP 

                 Tonie Carroll's decision to shift from the Brisbane
                 Broncos to Leeds is a bonus for New Zealand, with the
                 Queensland State of Origin centre now set to play for
                 the Kiwis at the World Cup. 

                 The 24-year-old is the pleasant surprise in a cup
                 train-on squad of 42 named by Kiwi coach Frank
                 Endacott and his fellow selectors Graeme Norton and
                 Gary Kemble. 

                 Carroll wanted to play for Queensland during his four
                 years at the Broncos and only players making
                 themselves available for Australian selection are
                 considered for the Origin series. 

                 But he was told he will not be selected for the Maroons
                 from England and so fell to an approach from the New
                 Zealand Rugby League to make himself available for the
                 Kiwi squad. Norton flew to see him mid-week and
                 Carroll signed. 

                 "He's very enthusiastic, totally committed to New
                 Zealand. He knows a lot of the guys and enjoys their
                 company and is looking forward to getting together with
                 them," said Norton. 

                 Carroll has around 80 Aussie premiership games to his
                 credit, was part of Brisbane's 1998 premiership winning
                 team, and would look a certainty to make the final
                 World Cup squad of 23. He, Willie Talau and Richie
                 Blackmore would all seem first-choice centres. 

                 Norton also approached Broncos' second-rower Brad
                 Thorn, but he confirmed he was trying for the All Blacks
                 and seeking a contract to play NPC rugby with either
                 Otago or Canterbury, with the intention of gaining a
                 Super 12 job and pushing on from there. 

                 If Thorn falls flat in his code change, he may well come
                 back into Kiwi consideration, Norton said. 

                 The selectors considered the form and statistics of
                 close to 100 players before settling on the squad of 23
                 forwards and 19 backs, 33 of the players from the
                 Aussie NRL and the remaining nine from Euro Super
                 League. The 42 will be whittled down to 23 travellers to
                 be named on August 10, along with four or five to cover
                 for injuries. The selectors will keep the door open until
                 then for anyone else who performs outstandingly. 

                 All will have to pass a fitness and medical, which
                 one-time skipper Jarrod McCracken is likely to fail after
                 the neck injury he received in a tackle by Melbourne
                 pair Marcus Bai and Steve Kearney. First-choice
                 captain Richie Barnett must also be in doubt, given his
                 severe facial injury from the Anzac test and lack of play
                 since. 

                 The NRL players will have a three-week break after
                 round-play finishes, and grand final plays a week, before
                 the first of three squad camps. The second camp will be
                 immediately after the Olympics and the third will be a
                 week-long final preparation in Auckland before departure
                 for England on October 20. 

                 The Kiwis have no warm-up games before their pool play
                 against Lebanon, the Cook Islands and Wales. The
                 three are minnows, but the Kiwis expect all sides to be
                 stacked with Australian and English professionals who
                 qualify by parentage.
Cricket: Opener with different strokes

                 08.07.2000 - By RICHARD BOOCK 

                 Say what you like about Mark Richardson, but he must
                 be one of the few New Zealand cricketers who can pack
                 their bags for the tour of Africa and fly the plane there as
                 well. 

                 By far the most interesting deelopment in this
                 assembly-line, academy-stamped era of New Zealand
                 cricket, the former Aucklander seems likely to be
                 included in the early-season touring party after
                 successfully negotiating yet another significant career
                 change. 

                 His double-century while opening the batting for New
                 Zealand A against Sussex last week followed a string of
                 useful contributions in his new role and - just for good
                 measure - was scored in front of an audience which
                 included David Trist, Sir Richard Hadlee, Martin and Jeff
                 Crowe and Chris Doig. 

                 At 29, Richardson looms as one of the New Zealand's
                 oldest international prospects since the days of Andrew
                 Jones and, like the former test No 3, has been forced to
                 overcome a misconception that he is a dangerously
                 independent thinker and a potential threat to the rules of
                 conformity. 

                 In fact, if a poll had been run a few years ago on which
                 New Zealand cricketer was the ultimate five-ball over,
                 the mildly eccentric left-hander would have been
                 immediately installed as favourite. 

                 He was a space-cadet, some said unkindly, tapping at
                 their foreheads. As it happened they were nearly right -
                 he was soon to hold his commercial pilot's licence. 

                 If there were those who recognised his extraordinary
                 ability to change and adjust, first from a bowler into a
                 middle-order batsman and then into a top-class opener,
                 there were also those who preferred to dwell on the
                 fragility that undermined his progress in the first place. 

                 The apparent "problem" was that Richardson was
                 unorthodox, he was different, and because of that he
                 scared people. 

                 He talked openly of things such as fear and uncertainty,
                 of opponents' strengths and of his own weaknesses. 

                 In the world of testosterone-charged dressing-rooms he
                 was often considered a lone spirit, and in the eyes of
                 some a liability. 

                 "Positive thinking has never been my strong point," he
                 chuckled yesterday. "It's something I'm always having
                 to work on because it doesn't come naturally. I think I'm
                 improving ... but, well, I'm not sure." 

                 The bright light on the slow-bowling horizon during the
                 early 1990s, he transferred south to play for Otago in
                 1992-93, and only a season later found his career in
                 ruins, his rhythm deserted, his self-belief shattered. 

                 Spin? He couldn't land the ball, let alone turn it. 

                 "I just woke up one morning and couldn't bowl,"
                 Richardson said. 

                 "I started getting the yips at the point of release, and I
                 couldn't seem to do anything about it." 

                 Confused and humiliated by the change in fortunes,
                 Richardson swapped his cricket gear for a surfboard in
                 the 1993-94 summer and goofy-footed his way around
                 Dunedin's beaches, during which time he struck on the
                 idea of re-launching himself as a batsman. 

                 The transformation was astonishing. He won a
                 middle-order berth in the Otago side after scoring
                 prolifically in the early season, and ended the summer
                 with two first-class centuries to his name - the second
                 of which was scored against a particularly angry West
                 Indian side at Carisbrook. 

                 This was the match in which Richardson made the
                 mistake of reminding star batsman Brian Lara about Zoe
                 Goss, the Australian women's cricketer who dismissed
                 him during a then-recent exhibition match. 

                 If nothing else, the barrage that followed highlighted his
                 rare ability against the short ball. 

                 Now with nine-first-class centuries to his name, the
                 whimsical opener mounts a strong case for further
                 promotion. 

                 No other New Zealand player has scored so many
                 hundreds without being asked to play for his country,
                 and, unlike some of the incumbents, Richardson has
                 been forced to over-achieve just in order to be
                 considered. 

                 Former New Zealand off-spinner, coach and manager
                 Gren Alabaster once said the Otago batsman had huge
                 potential because of his self-help, No 8 wire-type of
                 approach to the game. 

                 "I think he might go a long way as a batsman,"
                 Alabaster said. 

                 "But I also think that once he's established, once he's
                 got his confidence back, his bowling will return. A
                 top-order batsman and a part-time spinner ... he could
                 be a very useful indeed."


                 Cricket: Plan to hit fraud for six

                 08.07.2000 - By RICHARD BOOCK 

                 Fraud detection is on the horizon for New Zealand's
                 cricketers, with a former Auckland policeman being
                 lined up to tutor our international players on the skills
                 needed to identify fraud and resist corruption. 

                 New Zealand Cricket chief executive Chris Doig says
                 the proposal - which will soon be put to the board -
                 gained widespread attention at the recent International
                 Cricket Council annual meeting. 

                 The fraud specialist is to act in more of a preventive
                 capacity than the "super-cop" mooted to head a New
                 Zealand investigative team. 

                 "Cricket boards have a responsibility to equip players
                 with the necessary skills and information to identify and
                 resist any inappropriate approaches, and generally
                 speaking I think we've all been negligent in that regard,"
                 Doig said. 

                 "We've had talks with a former policeman who
                 specialises in fraud prevention in the private sector, to
                 ensure that the people who are likely to be targeted are
                 provided with the tools to resist." 

                 The investigative unit, first mentioned in May, remained
                 a viable measure, but he believed organisations also
                 had an obligation to teach players how to avoid trouble. 

                 "We haven't got the investigative team in place as such.
                 But we've talked to relevant people and know we can
                 easily bring it together if we have to. 

                 "However, we also need to build a fence at the top of the
                 cliff." 

                 The push for all players, team officials and
                 administrators to sign a declaration stating whether or
                 not they knew of any malpractice gained further
                 momentum at the ICC meeting, he said, and was likely
                 to be finalised in time for the approaching season. 

                 The idea was for the declarations to mark a watershed
                 in the on-going match-fixing controversy, with players
                 risking being thrown out of the game if they were later
                 implicated in any wrongdoing. 

                 Meanwhile, Doig said new convener of selectors Sir
                 Richard Hadlee was free to continue writing his column
                 in the Sunday Star-Times for now, despite the fact that
                 NZC has prevented its players from filling similar media
                 roles. 

                 "I've got an open mind about it," he said. 

                 "At this stage my recommendation to the board will be
                 that he be allowed to continue in the role, but it's fair to
                 say he'll have to be a bit careful. 

                 "We've already had a chat about it, and Sir Richard
                 agrees that the column isn't something that should
                 come between him and the selecting role. 

                 "If a decision had to be made, the priority would be his
                 job as convener."



                 Netball: Silver Ferns tipped to take decider

                 08.07.2000 - 

                 With the benefit of familiarity and a win in their last
                 outing, the Silver Ferns should wrap up the series
                 against the World 7 in tonight's deciding third netball
                 test at Mystery Creek, Hamilton. 

                 The World 7 had a stable core of players for the first two
                 tests in which they proved extremely competitive, but
                 the loss of key personnel has given the Silver Ferns an
                 edge despite the protests of both coaches. 

                 The Silver Ferns' confidence has soared after their
                 heart-stopping 52-51 win in the second test at
                 Christchurch on Wednesday. 

                 It proved a face-saver following the 23-goal thumping by
                 Australia last month and a four-goal loss to the World 7
                 in the first test. 

                 With the loss of outstanding defenders Kathryn Harby
                 and Liz Ellis and the inspirational Sharelle McMahon to
                 commitments in Australia, and England's Helen
                 Lonsdale to a knee injury, the World 7 will have a new
                 look. 

                 "They're in an all-win situation," Silver Ferns coach
                 Yvonne Willering said of the World 7. 

                 "They haven't been under the same pressure as us.
                 Their pressure has been whether the whole thing [world
                 concept] worked whereas our pressure has been that
                 we're expected to win, simple as that." 

                 Tall South African Rosina Moaola is likely to replace
                 McMahon at goal attack while England's Amanda
                 Newton appears the most suitable candidate to take
                 over the goal defence spot from Harby. 

                 England shooter Tracey Neville joined the team last
                 night and defender Sharon Finnan and mid-courter
                 Shelley O'Donnell are due to arrive from Australia today.
                 The latter pair are almost certain to play at least part of
                 the game. 

                 Willering said while the Australian influence had been a
                 feature of the first two tests, that would all change
                 tonight. 

                 "There won't be quite the understanding they had in the
                 first two tests, but the element of the unknown [for our
                 players] will go in their favour. 

                 "They had very predictable lineups in their first two
                 outings. It's going to be very difficult to read play, so
                 defensively we've got to react pretty quickly." 

                 The World 7 will have a taller shooting combination,
                 which will force the Silver Ferns to change their
                 defensive patterns. 

                 At the other end of the court, South African goal keep
                 Lena Du Plooy's impressive game on Wednesday
                 against her former team-mate Irene Van Dyk should see
                 her make the starting line-up. 

                 The towering Van Dyk, who has struggled at times to
                 adapt to the New Zealand style, had a particularly
                 impressive first half in the second test, the best of her
                 five outings so far for the Silver Ferns. 

                 She shrugged off the challenge of imposing Fiji goal
                 keep Vilimaina Davu in the first half, and won a minor
                 victory when Davu was subbed off, but had some
                 problems getting the upper hand over Du Plooy. 

                 The Silver Ferns have improved in little snatches each
                 game this season and Willering is likely to stick with
                 the winning team from the second test. 

                 She made only one substitution in that match, bringing
                 on Anna Rowberry at wing attack in the third quarter. 

                 That proved a disastrous quarter for New Zealand, which
                 was not solely Rowberry's fault. She was quickly
                 replaced by the increasingly impressive Temepara
                 George. 

                 An eight-goal half-time lead was narrowed to one going
                 into the final quarter after George's precision feeding to
                 Van Dyk had been instrumental in a healthy lead. 

                 George is almost certain to start, with Rowberry
                 struggling at the moment to gel with Van Dyk. 

                 At the other end, Linda Vagana's outstanding season
                 continues and she should be preferred ahead of Belinda
                 Charteris, whose tight one-on-one defence
                 complements the more roving style of her captain,
                 Bernice Mene. 

                 World 7 coach Jill McIntosh feels the Silver Ferns are
                 starting to click, with a reduced error rate being the
                 most significant factor behind that. 

                 "I think they're quite potent everywhere if they put their
                 game together," she said. 

                 "Irene shot very well the other night. Give her the ball
                 and she's always deadly. The centre court played very
                 well and gave her the ball properly. I don't think you can
                 under-estimate any of them." 

                 Davis will take over the captaincy of the World 7 from
                 the departed Harby.


                 Motorsport: Small car suits big Swede

                 08.07.2000 - By BOB PEARCE 

                 When Marcus Gronholm stands beside the beautifully
                 engineered little Peugeot 206 world rally car, the wonder
                 is that the lanky 32-year-old Finn can fold himself into
                 the driver's seat. 

                 He stands an imposing 1.93m and the Peugeot has one
                 of the shortest wheelbases among the factory vehicles
                 flown to New Zealand for next week's world
                 championship rally. 

                 But Gronholm's car has fitted him so well this season
                 that he lies second to Subaru's Richard Burns in the
                 world championship standings after a win in Sweden
                 and two other podium finishes. 

                 Peugeot has won before in New Zealand but that was
                 back in 1985 and 1986 with the awesome Group B
                 205T16. Gronholm, himself, has been here twice before
                 but his privately entered Toyota failed to last the course
                 in 1995 and 1998. 

                 The Finn, of Swedish extraction, comes of a rallying
                 family. His father, Ulf, was a national champion before
                 losing his life in a rallying accident. 

                 Gronholm expects the New Zealand gravel roads, with
                 their similarity to the Finnish roads he knows so well, to
                 suit the car. But he has mixed feelings about the
                 monster stage to be run near Maungaturoto next
                 Saturday. 

                 Joining up two previously used special stages, Parahi
                 and Ararua, has produced a test of 59km, the longest
                 stage in world rallying for the past 14 years. 

                 "It will be an important stage and could make or break
                 our rally," he said with a smile. "But I'm not sure
                 whether I'll be able to stand straight afterwards!" 

                 Parahi/Awarua may be the longest stage in terms of
                 kilometres, but it is unlikely to be the longest in elapsed
                 time. The Motu stage, inland from Opotiki, was about
                 44km long, but its twists and turns took longer to
                 negotiate. 

                 The 59km stage next week is expected to be run at an
                 average of about 105 km/h, which means a time of 32
                 minutes. The record for the Motu, set by Scot Colin
                 McRae in a Subaru in 1994, was 37m 21s. 

                 McRae made the Motu his own, establishing a winning
                 break on the field on his way to a hat-trick of New
                 Zealand Rally wins. 

                 World champion Tommi Makinen, winner here last year,
                 thinks Parahi/Awarua is unlikely to be quite as decisive
                 unless the weather is bad. 

                 "These days the cars finish so close whatever the
                 length of the stage. I like long stages because you build
                 up a rhythm. 

                 "But on a long stage, if anything goes wrong near the
                 beginning you can lose a lot of time and maybe the
                 rally." 

                 Leading New Zealand driver Possum Bourne has
                 another worry: tyre wear. 

                 "It may have rained for days up north, but those roads
                 dry out very quickly," he says. "If it's bone dry, you're
                 going to have to be very careful with tyre choice
                 because the surface is very abrasive and you could very
                 easily run out of tyre before the end of the stage." 

                 Historically, long stages were the norm rather than the
                 exception. New Zealand's first world championship
                 event, the South Pacific Rally in 1977, had a mixed
                 surface stage over 100km long, during which the
                 legendary Ari Vatanen overtook three of his rivals. 

                 The longest stage in world championship rallying was in
                 Morocco in 1975. It was 786 km long. 

                 The 73 entrants in next week's rally will cover 1618.76
                 km, with 24 special stages totalling 373.37 km of
                 high-speed competition. 

                 Burns in his Subaru Impreza will be first over the ramp
                 at the ceremonial start at Aotea Square at 7 pm on
                 Thursday, followed by McRae's Ford Focus, Gronholm's
                 Peugeot and Makinen's Mitsubishi Lancer. 

                 Then follow the remaining works drivers, Carlos Sainz
                 (Ford), Juha Kankkunen (Subaru), Didier Auriol (Seat),
                 Freddy Loix (Mitsubishi), Toni Gardemeister (Seat),
                 Francois Delecour (Peugeot), Kenneth Eriksson
                 (Hyundai) and Alister McRae (Hyundai). Bourne's
                 Subaru is 14th on the road. 

                 Competition proper starts early on Friday in the Waikato
                 with the cars returning to complete the Manukau
                 Superspecial twice in the evening. 

                 There is a full day around Maungaturoto next Saturday
                 and the rally ends the next day at the Manukau
                 Velodrome after competition in the Maramarua Forest.



                 08.07.2000 - 

                 Two New Zealand athletes have attained Olympic
                 qualifying standards in the United States. 

                 Canterbury thrower Tasha Williams and Wellington long
                 jumper Chantal Brunner reached the Games standards
                 in Flagstaff, Arizona, Athletics New Zealand convener of
                 selectors Tony Rogers said yesterday. 

                 Williams' throw of 64.60m exceeded her New Zealand
                 record of 63.34m, set in February in Sydney, and the
                 Games standard of 64m. 

                 Brunner, who earlier this week was denied a
                 Games-qualifying mark because of a faulty wind gauge
                 at the same venue, jumped 6.66m to pass the Olympic
                 target of 6.65m.

Bruce Reihana

                 Rugby: Reihana option for Waikato first
                 five

                 08.07.2000 - By CHRIS RATTUE 

                 Bruce Reihana will be considered as a first five-eighths
                 option by Waikato coach Kiwi Searancke for this year's
                 NPC campaign. 

                 The 24-year-old outside back, a non-playing member of
                 last year's World Cup squad, will line up in the pivot
                 position when Waikato defend the Ranfurly Shield
                 against North Otago in Oamaru this afternoon. 

                 Reihana has been talked about as a first five-eighths
                 prospect for the past two seasons. The national
                 selectors encouraged the Maori side to give him some
                 game time there in Scotland two years ago. 

                 He also played the position for the New Zealand
                 Academy against Australia A at Pukekohe last year,
                 and replaced his Waikato and Chiefs team mate Glen
                 Jackson for 30 minutes when the Maori beat Scotland
                 at New Plymouth last month. 

                 Reihana will also take over the goalkicking at Oamaru
                 today and his ability to land the goals will help to decide
                 whether Searancke tries him ahead of Jackson in the
                 NPC. 

                 "The New Zealand selectors haven't really said one way
                 or the other, but they're certainly not against him
                 playing there," Searancke said. 

                 "There's been quite a bit of interest over the past two
                 years in how he would go. 

                 "He's the type of player who can play any position and
                 we've got to see how he handles the tactical side of the
                 game. 

                 "Things are usually well-programmed for the first few
                 phases, but the good first five-eighths really show out
                 when they need to make decisions in the third, fourth,
                 fifth phases. 

                 "Bruce is definitely an option; but in saying that, Glen
                 Jackson is a very good five-eighth and is a better
                 goalkicker." 

                 Reihana has been playing and goalkicking for his Te
                 Awamutu Sports club side this year. He was a
                 recognised goalkicker during his junior representative
                 years and has continued to practice his kicking since. 

                 "I was a pretty good goalkicker in the under-19s and I've
                 been kicking well for my club," he said. 

                 "I'm keen to take up any challenge. It's a bit of a
                 surprise to get the ball all the time whereas on the wing
                 you're hoping a lot of the time to get your hands on the
                 ball. 

                 "The important thing is I've got to learn how to read the
                 game at first five-eighth." 

                 Searancke has named Nick Holten as No 8 today as he
                 looks for a utility/back-up to Deon Muir, while usual lock
                 Chresten Davis will start on the blindside. 

                 North Otago was sixth in the eight-team third division
                 last year after making the play-offs the previous two
                 seasons. They are hoping for a crowd of 5000 at
                 Centennial Park.



                 Rugby: The words are the same but the
                 story's different

                 08.07.2000 - 

                 Less than a year ago, the All Blacks had won five tests
                 in a row, they had regained some credibility and were
                 starting to get a bit of a strut about their game. They
                 began talking about giving the ball a bit of air against the
                 Wallabies to run them round Stadium Australia. 

                 In the end, the only chasing came from the All Blacks
                 as they sagged to a 7-28 loss, the biggest margin of
                 defeat in New Zealand's test history. It was an evening
                 which showed how defence was more crucial to victory
                 than any fanciful attacks. 

                 So hearing All Black coach Wayne Smith repeat his
                 ideas about an attacking blueprint for the upcoming
                 Tri-Nations tests against the Wallabies and Springboks
                 produced a certain wariness. 

                 There was no point in dampening the strategies they
                 had tried hard to solidify in training and in three tests
                 against Tonga and Scotland. 

                 This week, though, as Smith and his troops prepared for
                 the opening Bledisloe Cup test by staying at Kings
                 College, the coach made it clear his plans about attack
                 were different from some of the frothy ideas tried in
                 Sydney last season. Smith was part of the coaching
                 setup then, though his input remains unclear. 

                 However, there was no mistaking the deal for next
                 Saturday in Sydney. Sensible adventure and combative
                 tackling had to be the policies. 

                 "We consciously set about developing this style of play,
                 because, as Tony [Gilbert] and I said all year, to
                 consistently win against the best, we have to make
                 changes and be prepared to attack more," Smith said. 

                 "That means with or without the ball. It is a challenge to
                 keep trying things under greater pressure and not go
                 into our shells." 

                 The theme is consistent. Before the Super 12 started,
                 Smith, assistant coach Gilbert and selector Peter
                 Thorburn addressed each franchise with ideas about
                 what they were looking for in players. 

                 Skills were emphasised, the ability to work team-mates
                 into space, to use the ball rather than brute force to
                 make breaks, high workrate and defence. 

                 The All Black panel picked players on those criteria and
                 have since worked on attaching their plans to those
                 players. 

                 The Wallabies, said Smith, would apply far more
                 pressure than either Tonga or Scotland. They would not
                 miss many tackles and their precision would also put
                 much greater stress on the All Blacks' defensive
                 patterns. 

                 "But I would like to think we can go out there and take
                 the game to them, rather than sitting back and waiting
                 for them to make mistakes," he said. 

                 That was a change from the scheme to get width into
                 their play, as the All Blacks tried at Stadium Australia
                 last year. 

                 "There is a difference between flinging the ball around
                 and playing the game plan we try and play. We have
                 worked hard at our game plan for a month. The talk last
                 year was that the All Blacks would move the ball out to
                 the wings and have a bit of fun with it, but test matches
                 against Australia are probably not the time to fling the
                 ball around and have a bit of fun. 

                 "What I am talking about is asserting the patterns we
                 have been working on for Australia and South Africa.
                 We have put a lot of work into that; they have been well
                 planned and now we want to use them." 

                 Both the Wallabies and Springboks had more intense
                 buildups for the Tri-Nations, but the All Blacks had all
                 come out of the high-pressure Super 12 and some
                 international preparation. 

                 "It could be just a matter of 'on the night'," Smith said
                 about next Saturday's outcome.



                 Rugby: Reality check will test All Blacks'
                 risky style

                 08.07.2000 - 

                 Having brushed the minor impediments of Tonga and
                 Scotland out of the way, the new-look, back to basics,
                 millennium All Blacks team now face a reality check. 

                 The spectre of Australia looms, but there will be no lack
                 of incentive against the Wallabies. 

                 Most of those who played for the All Blacks in the
                 World Cup believe New Zealand had the best
                 assemblage of talent last year and should, rightfully,
                 have gone on to win the cup. 

                 It was a shortage of something unquantifiable -
                 collective spirit, determination, mental hardness,
                 mongrel, call it what you will, that pulled them up
                 tragically short. 

                 Now the same awkward question hangs in the air: is
                 this team going to be any different from the last? 

                 There is no way of knowing the answer to that. 

                 All we know is that Wayne Smith and Tony Gilbert have
                 already succeeded in forging a more realistic set of
                 relationships between themselves and the players, and
                 between the players and the outside world. 

                 Although it is hard to judge these things with any real
                 certainty, it appears that a new level of maturity has
                 been achieved. 

                 The players have a clearer appreciation of what their role
                 is and of who they are actually playing for out there. 

                 In other words, the clean-cut, corporate shell around the
                 team has been replaced by a softer, rather more human
                 atmosphere. 

                 However better the team culture might have become,
                 the stark reality remains that the All Blacks are a
                 high-risk team. 

                 Compared with the Wallabies, and to a lesser extent
                 the Springboks, the New Zealand players have, on
                 average, a considerably higher error rate. 

                 This is what has caused them to come unstuck so
                 many times in the last few seasons. 

                 Wayne Smith is painfully aware of this. 

                 He has a team that is accustomed to creativity and
                 therefore more prone to mistakes. He has to try to
                 make the most of that. 

                 It is interesting, therefore, that he has staked his faith in
                 retaining the truly creative approach, as against
                 Brumbies-style, no-frills dependability. 

                 The star threequarters from the Hurricanes Super 12
                 side epitomise that quality. They are regular
                 match-winners and occasional match-losers. 

                 They are instinctive, brilliant athletes and when their
                 style of play comes off the result is high-thrill rugby. 

                 This spirit of adventure explains why the Hurricanes are
                 such a drawcard and, if the three preliminary tests are
                 anything to go by, Smith intends to exploit this to the
                 maximum, accepting that the error rate is something he
                 will just have to live with. 

                 Nobody doubts for a moment that the All Blacks
                 backline, perhaps the strongest we have seen for a
                 decade or more, will cause all opposition absolute
                 nightmares if they get enough quality ball. Herein lies
                 the real problem. 

                 The burden on the All Blacks forwards is heavy enough
                 given the immense strength and technical proficiency of
                 all the major competitors these days. 

                 It is increased when they have to continually try to
                 retrieve possession after turnovers as a result of errors
                 by their backs. 

                 The All Blacks can beat anybody with 50 per cent of the
                 ball, but they will not beat the Wallabies with much less
                 than that. If New Zealand have an unbeaten run this year
                 the real heroes will be the forwards and, as any forward
                 will readily tell you, there is nothing new in that.


                 08.07.2000 - By PETER JESSUP 

                 Rugby league is playing with a new ball, made by the
                 company whose balls rugby kicked to touch. 

                 The early feedback is that it is better to pass, and kicks
                 further than the opposition's new adidas "lemon." 

                 The eight-panel ball made by James Gilbert is being
                 tested, with the intention it will be the official pill for the
                 October/November World Cup. 

                 The English league and Euro Super League have
                 already agreed to its introduction next season and the
                 NZRL is leaning towards doing the same, subject to
                 trials. 

                 The ball had its first competition outing in New Zealand
                 at the national under-16 tournament in Hopu Hopu this
                 week, and players, coaches and administrators were
                 pleased with the performance. 

                 The ball, a three-layer rubber and cotton laminate, was
                 easier to handle and spiral-pass, according to Junior
                 Kiwi coach Gary Kemble. 

                 The company puts that down to the increased number
                 of ridges. 

                 It tested the ball's flight using a kicking machine that
                 lobbed thousands of balls, in-air performance was
                 measured by computer and aerodynamics fine-tuned in
                 a wind tunnel. 

                 Kickers have found the ball flies further and is better to
                 steer than league's earlier model Gilbert and
                 Steeden-brand balls, and the new yellow ball introduced
                 to rugby by sponsors adidas. 

                 Early feedback from players, including Kiwi and
                 Warriors half Stacey Jones and Kiwi and Storm hooker
                 Richard Swain, is that the ball follows direction better in
                 both place and in-play kicks. 

                 Place-kickers have been pleased with the "sweet spot." 

                 The air nipple is sewn between a ridge rather than in the
                 centre of a panel. 

                 Gilbert holds a world patent for its "balanced bladder"
                 stitched to the outer. 

                 Both developments produce even weight distribution,
                 meaning the ball can be spiral-punted further and stays
                 on target better when kicked at goal.


                 Racing: Waipa assault could push
                 partnership into the lead

                 08.07.2000 - By BARRY STREET 

                 Keith Hawtin and Graeme Rogerson have the firepower
                 at today's Waipa races at Te Awamutu to draw level
                 with or even sneak a lead on Mark Walker for the New
                 Zealand trainers' premiership. 

                 Seven horses will represent the Tuhikaramea partners in
                 six Te Awamutu races, and at least five of them are
                 chances. 

                 Mark Walker's team at Matamata is represented by
                 only one, Better Succeed, fresh from having raced 28
                 times in Australia for three wins and six placings. 

                 At midday yesterday Hawtin and Rogerson lay two wins
                 in arrears of Walker - 51 to 53 - and equal with Paul
                 O'Sullivan, of Matamata, on the premiership table. 

                 Winning training titles is nothing new to Rogerson, who
                 won three in the 1980s before he decided to set up a
                 satellite stable in Sydney. 

                 But Hawtin would not mind co-honours this time and
                 probably deserves them after running the Tuhikaramea
                 stable so efficiently whenever Rogerson has been
                 across the Tasman. 

                 Hawtin was yesterday hopeful of a win at Trentham with
                 either St Petrus or Genuine Strike. 

                 He was also "reasonably optimistic" about the chances
                 of Danceform (R2), Indian Squaw (R3), Zomp (R4),
                 Manntavani (R6), Penny Arcade and Westmagic (R8),
                 Ruff Verdict (R9) and Sky Blue Lover (R10) at Te
                 Awamutu. 

                 "I figure, with the greater number of horses we have got
                 to go round, we could grab the lead from Mark in the
                 next fortnight," he said. 

                 "If we could at least draw level this weekend, we could
                 head him off next week. 

                 "Mind you, it's all very well having the starters. You have
                 also got to produce the winners. Mark's got them." 

                 Hawtin also said he would not mind if the racing today
                 were on much better footing than on recent bog tracks. 

                 A prediction yesterday was that with no further rain the
                 open sprinters at Te Awamutu could be going as fast as
                 1:12 or 1:13 for 1200m. 

                 "It'll be no place for mudders," a local trainer
                 pre-warned. 

                 One of Hawtin's best chances is Manntavani, a
                 3-year-old who has become stronger as this season has
                 progressed. 

                 Manntavani won over 2100m on an easy track at
                 Ruakaka two starts back and then finished a dogged
                 fourth in heavy going at Te Rapa. 

                 "Noel Harris [the jockey] reckons that, but for drawing
                 No 1 at the start, he could also have won at Te Rapa,"
                 Hawtin said. 

                 "Noel wanted to drag him right to the outside of the
                 track but had too hard a job and wasn't able to get him
                 there." 

                 Comments about Hawtin's other chances were:- 

                 Danceforme: Tsar Omar looks the one, but Danceforme
                 has racing experience, which not many of the others
                 have. 

                 Indian Squaw: She's done nothing wrong, and the track
                 should suit her. 

                 Zomp: She has been ultra consistent and has to be one
                 of our better chances because she has already won at
                 Te Awamutu. 

                 Penny Arcade: I like her. She has got a touch of class
                 and has gone two beaut races this time in. 

                 Westmagic: The track at Hastings last week was too
                 fast for her. 

                 Ruff Verdict: A runner's chance only. 

                 Sky Blue Lover: She won two starts back and had an
                 excuse last time. She was in season.


                 08.07.2000 - 

                 CHRISTCHURCH - Veteran galloper Beech Sky makes
                 his debut for the Kent Fleming stable at Riccarton today
                 but probably most interest will centre on another Winter
                 Cup prospect from the same stable. 

                 Say Magic, one of the south's best performed
                 three-year-olds this season, is forward to resume over
                 1200m in the $8000 Armourguard Handicap for
                 three-year-olds. 

                 The Magic Ring gelding has the benefit of apprentice
                 Jason Laking's 1.5kg claim to ease the burden of a
                 59kg topweight. 

                 Say Magic won the Southland Guineas among several
                 highlights in a spring and summer campaign. 

                 He returned in the autumn to finish a bold second in the
                 South Island Three-Year-Old Championship before an
                 easy win over 1600m at Riccarton in April. 

                 It was then Fleming decided to set him for next month's
                 group three $50,000 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton. 

                 "He's fairly forward for this race," Fleming said. "He only
                 had about three weeks out after he last ran because to
                 get him up for the Winter Cup he needed to be back in
                 work. 

                 "He's fairly well seasoned as a result and I would expect
                 a bold run from him." 

                 Say Magic's ability in soft tracks (yesterday's
                 penetrometer at 3.8 was well short of heavy which
                 begins at 4.5) will stand him in good stead. 

                 The speedy Diamond Head and Baywood, who chased
                 Say Magic home at Riccarton in the spring could add
                 interest while Letz Tango has a sound Riccarton record.

                 Fleming is less confident of what he expects from
                 Beech Sky in the open class $12,000 Yesberg
                 Insurance Services Handicap (1400m). 

                 His last-start failure in appalling conditions at Wingatui
                 at Queen's Birthday can be discounted. 

                 "He's good on his day and this run will probably decide
                 whether he goes for the Winter Cup," Fleming said.
Nice one, Dan! Now bat us a win

By Richard Boock

Century: Daniel Vettori is now the youngest spinner in the world to take 100 wickets.

After performing all manner of record-breaking feats with the ball. Daniel Vettori may 
need to produce something special with the bat at Eden Park today if New Zealand are to 
win their cricket test against Australia.
The New Zealand left-armer gave his side an outside chance of a win yesterday, after 
taking seven for 87 in Australia's second innings.
In the process, he became the youngest spinner to take 100 test wickets and the l0th New 
Zealander to achieve the milestone.
Vettori, whose match figures of 12 for 149 are second only to Richard 
Hadlee's 15 for 123 - also against Australia – in New Zealand bowling helped wrap up 
the tourists' second innings at 229 yesterday but then watched as his side lost five wickets 
for 151 runs in their pursuit of a winning 281.
The 21-year-old played his first test at the age of 18 years and 10 days in the 1996-97 
season. He has now displaced Pakistan's SaqIain Mushtaq as the youngest spin bowler to 
take 100 test wickets, and John Bracewell as New Zealand's most successful test spinner.
He took five for 62 in the first innings of this test, and reached the 100-wicket mark when 
he bowled Damien Martyn yesterday afternoon, ending the day with 103 wickets - one 
more than Bracewell.
" I'd love to see that 200 mark come up some time," said Vettori, who is playing in his 
29th test. "But my main goal is to play 100 tests, and I think if you play for that long the 
wickets will just come.
Vettori's appetite for wickets over the past year is such that at the end of last summer's 
home series against India, he had 54 wickets while his New Zealand team-mate Simon 
Doull had 95.
In the space of about 14 months, the injury-plagued Doull added two more wickets to his 
tally, while Vettori claimed a further 49.
Vettori's father, Renzo, missed the big moment. He had to go back to work in Hamilton 
when his son had 99 scalps.
"Daniel said tome that it would have been nice if I could have been there for the hundred 
- but I've seen plenty of other milestones, and I'll probably see some more."
Mr Vettori said the family were obviously delighted with Daniel's latest achievement.
 'What my wife and I are most proud of is the way he handles himself. He's got a lot of 
cricketing ability, but he's  a nice guy with it."
"I know he's happy with what he's done, but I'm sure he'd be much happier if New 
Zealand go on to win."

Hockey team rues defeat

A bitterly disappointed New Zealand men's hockey team face an uphill battle to keep 
their Olympic dreams alive after slumping to a 2-0 loss to hosts Japan in the qualifying 
tournament in Osaka yesterday.
Japan scored a goal in each half - both from penalty corners - to send the favoured Kiwis 
reeling.
"We are very disappointed," said coach Robin Wilson. "In the first half we perhaps 
lacked a little of the intensity we were looking for but in the second we completely 
dominated but could not score. Simply, we did not do enough.
"Realistically, our chances of reaching the semifinals - by finishing in the top two in our 
pool - and a guaranteed place in the Olympics are slim but we can still get there by 
finishing in the top four and getting through as a top six finisher."
Wilson said it has been a very demanding tournament with Spain, Pakistan and Korea 
clearly the best teams in the 12-team competition.
"It is a bit of a scramble among the rest," he said. "If we could take a point off Korea on 
Wednesday and then beat Poland on Thursday we could still finish second although we 
would probably be dependent on Great Britain dropping points to Poland and Belgium."
Wilson said much of the team's practice on today's rest day would centre on penalty 
corners - both attacking and defensive.
"We had seven penalty corners in the second half against Japan and could not score. 
Then, when they won one [after just three minutes] we let them score. It was not good 
enough."
- Terry Maddaford

Sonia Waddell closes on single sculls spot

Sonia Waddell is just one win away from rowing at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
In the first of three scheduled trials to find New Zealand's single sculls 
representative at Lake Karapiro yesterday,
Waddell, rowing in ideal conditions, scored a comfortable win over sisters 
Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell.
The trio will be back on the lake early tomorrow morning. If Waddell wins 
again she will earn the right to join her world
champion husband Rob as New Zealand's single scullers in Sydney. The third 
race, if needed, will be held on Friday.
Waddell secured New Zealand's quota spot in the Olympic regatta last year 
but her selection was not guaranteed. In a similar situation four years ago, Richard 
Newey won New Zealand's place in the single sculls but subsequently lost to Rob 
Waddell at the national championships handing the ticket to the Atlanta Olympics to 
Waddell.
If Sonia Waddell does claim the singles spot in Sydney, the Evers-Swindell sisters will 
still have a chance of making the Olympics in either the pair oar or double sculls when 
the New Zealand contingent head to Europe on June 17.
At the national championships earlier this month, Sonia Waddell and Nikki Cross beat 
the sisters in the double sculls but the Canterbury pair had their revenge when they were 
members of the winning coxless four.

Big guns fight it out for Olympic berth

Aaron McIntosh

The battle of the big guns continues in the Mistral board class at the New Zealand 
Olympic yachting trials at Eastern Beach in Auckland.
Only two points separate Aaron McIntosh and Jon-Paul Tobin after day three. McIntosh 
has had three wins and a second just before the halfway mark.
However, with Tobin's scorecard now reading 2, 2, 2, 1, the competition is rapidly 
turning into a matchrace.
After a frustratingly wind-less weekend, the weather gods smiled yesterday: it was 
blustery and overcast with winds gusting up to 25 to 30 knots at midday for the start of 
the first race on the Mistral course.
Barbara Kendall was struggling to keep up with the men in yesterday's heavy conditions, 
but is easily maintaining her lead among the women.
Sarah Macky showed her style in the fresher breezes, taking line honours 
in the single race for the Europe class.
Macky caught the all-important first shift, and in combination with mistakes made by 
others on the course, the win was simply a case of defending the lead.
Sharon Ferris followed Macky over the line and Abby Mason had to be happy with third.
Wellington's Stuart Bannatyne is giving the Finn fleet a run for their money, winning two 
races of the four sailed so far.
A second yesterday leaves him on seven points, four ahead of Timaru's Ian Baker. 
Hamish Pepper has slipped to third.
Chris Dickson sailing in the Tornado catamaran with his new crew Glen Sowry had to be 
satisfied with a second yesterday, after being beaten around the track by renowned heavy-
weather sailors Simon Manning and Andy Robertson.
Manning and Dickson are now neck and neck on points.

Mains: NZ shows way to Super 12 sides' success

By WYNNE GRAY

South African sides will continue to struggle in the Super 12 unless they 
switch to the New Zealand model of player contracts and selections.
Former All Black coach Laurie Mains, now back in his old Dunedin rugby 
patch as supremo of the Cats for the match against the Highlanders on Friday night, said 
the recipe for South African success had to come on several fronts.
If the South African Rugby Football Union, rather than the provinces, was able to 
contract the leading players and place them in the same squads each year then there 
would be a far better chance of Super 12 progress for the republic.
Since the series started five years ago, only four South African sides have made the 
playoffs and none have claimed the title. Sides travelling offshore fared poorly, with just 
11 wins between them in 72 matches since 1996.
The Cats, taken over by Mains this year, have the worst away record of the 
lot and face the Highlanders this Friday
without a win in the 17 games they have played offshore since 1996. Mains 
looked with envy at the Highlanders setup.
"The strengths of New Zealand teams in particular and also Australia are 
that since 1996 they have been settled
teams. The only changes have been brought about by retirements and in most 
cases it is one or two players turned
over each year," he said.
"That is because in New Zealand the players are controlled by the national 
body and a player has to have a very good
reason to change franchises for the Super 12.
In South Africa it is different. Sarfu has no control over the players. 
They are bought and sold annually to the highest
bidder, usually, by the provinces."
The Cats this season had lost seven Springboks and three other Super 12 
players who had been sold from the Cats'
feeder unions at Free State and Griqualand West.
Super 12 sides changed drastically from year to year. To illustrate his 
point, Mains thought only four of the Bulls top
XV remained from last season. The Cats had just six, the Sharks about 
eight, while the Stormers were more settled.
"While this is happening they will not get better. You only get good in a 
competition this competitive when you get
experience and
have settled teams," he said.
Mains did not think South Africa needed to return to provincial teams to 
try to bolster their Super 12 hopes as some administrators in the republic were 
suggesting.
"I don't think there would be sufficient strength in South Africa for five 
provincial teams. But if Sarfu contracted the
players and made the Super 12 teams remain intact then the regional system 
will work as successfully as New
Zealand," he suggested.
South Africa were also at a disadvantage with the travel schedule, while 
New Zealand teams were showing more
spontaneity and flair under the admirable new rules.
The strangest part of Friday's match for Mains would be sending a team out 
on to Carisbrook who he had coached
and were not favoured by the crowd.
"I never envisaged this and a year ago I would not have thought this would 
happen either. I am really looking forward to it. I just hope we can be competitive with 
the Highlanders because they are on top of their form at the moment."
After finishing as All Black coach at the end of 1995, Mains said he 
thought about returning to the trade only as he watched Super 12 in 1998.
"Within a week Louis Luyt rang me out of the blue and that was the way it happened."
While he was enjoying his coaching rebirth, Mains discounted any chance of that journey 
taking him further to coach the Springboks.
"No. How could I possibly coach a Springbok team against the All Blacks. I couldn't That 
is a no-no, I am consistent about that."

KING OF CATS: Laurie Mains has a Super 12 South African job but has ruled out 
coaching the Springboks. HERALD FILE PICTURE

Video referee wins O'Brien's approval

Paddy O'Brien

DUNEDIN - Experienced New Zealand rugby referee Paddy O'Brien is firmly 
in favour of the introduction of the video
referee for in-goal decisions.
O'Brien and other Super 12 referees wear wired-for-sound harnesses which 
enable them to communicate directly with
touch judges and the television official.
O'Brien "went upstairs" three times for in-goal decisions during Saturday's game between 
the Highlanders and Hurricanes at Carisbrook.
"I suppose I was a wee bit cold on the concept until it came into operation, but now I'm a 
great fan of it," he said yesterday.
"What it has done is get rid of a lot of the public pressure on those goal-line decisions."
O'Brien said the harnesses were a bit bulky but the benefit was the 
quality of
the sound system.
"The communication between me and the other officials is crystal clear, 
and it makes a big difference," he said.
"When you first put it on it's weighty, but once you get used to it, it's 
part of your skin.
"You don't have to worry about the crackle in your ear [that] you got 
with the old equipment."
O'Brien said he could not bleep out
any utterances to the television audience. "What I say is what they hear. 
It doesn't worry me and the television commentators are very responsible about it. I guess 
the better informed the public is, the better."
O'Brien, an 18-test veteran, will referee the Super 12 round-four match 
between the Brumbies and Stormers in Cape
Town this weekend. – NZPA

Forceful McMillan the key to victory

By Richard Boock

Craig McMillan: holds the key to the Black Caps' chances.

On Your Way: Stephen Fleming is deftly caught behind by Adam Gilchrist (left) with 
vocal approval from Shane Warne.

Craig McMillan salvaged not only his international future yesterday but 
also New Zealand's chances of scoring an
unlikely win in the first cricket test against Australia.
On a day in which spin bowlers Daniel Vettori and Shane Warne hogged most 
of the limelight, McMillan reinforced his
value to the New Zealand side with a rollicking and unbeaten 57 to leave 
the hosts with just a sniff of a win with two
days remaining.
Chasing 281 to win after eventually bowling the tourists out for 229, New 
Zealand went to stumps at 151 for five last
night, requiring another 130 runs to reach the target, with the main 
responsibilities lying with the rejuvenated
McMillan, and his overnight partner, Chris Cairns.
Initially in disarray at 43 for four, the hosts looked likely to fold 
inside the day until McMillan managed to repair the
innings in tandem with Nathan Astle, the pair adding 78 precious runs for 
the fifth wicket.
Despite a career-threatening loss of form and the prospect of facing the 
world's best spin bowler on a sharply turning
Eden Park pitch, McMillan went on to the attack as soon as he arrived at 
the crease yesterday, taking advantage of
any loose deliveries and at times riding his luck against the formidable 
Australian attack.
The 23-year-old right-hander was in danger of losing his test spot to the 
likes of Chris Harris, Gary Stead or Roger
Twose if he had missed out again yesterday, but looked more likely as he 
went for his shots, thumping his eighth test 50 at a run-a-ball, including seven fours and a 
couple of sixes.
So cleanly did he dispatch the loose ball, that Warne - who needed just one more wicket 
to equal Dennis Lillee's Australian record of 355 - was initially hit out of the attack, 
although he returned soon after at the other end, and proved far more dangerous bowling 
into the breeze.
He struck in the second over of his second spell, bowling Astle with a 
wickedly turning legspinner in the 36th over, but
will be anxious to make more use of the conditions when the fourth day's 
play starts this morning.
While everything indicated Warne might have a field day yesterday, it was 
in fact Colin "Funky" Miller, the born-again
offspinner from Tasmania who caused New Zealand's biggest problems.
The 36-year-old finger-spinner had opening batsman Matt Horne caught at 
bat-pad in the eighth over, trapped
Mathew Sinclair in front in the 12th, and then removed key New Zealand 
captain Stephen Fleming for the second time
in this test, having him caught at the wicket by Adam Gilchrist.
Gilchrist had earlier starred for Australia with the bat, striking a 
valuable 59 as he and Damien Martyn carried their side's overnight total of 114 for five 
through to 174 - before Vettori put an end to the partnership with his 100th test
wicket.
The 21-year-old left-arm spinner bowled Martyn to bring up the milestone and later had 
Gilchrist caught at midwicket as he cut through the Australian line-up to end with career-
best figures of seven for 87 and match figures of 12 for 149.
Gilchrist said afterwards that he thought the game was in the balance, but believed 
Australia perhaps still had their nose in front, despite some strong individual 
performances from New Zealand.
"It's very even," he said. "But I think it's just in our favour. On a 
wicket like this, runs on the board mean a lot and perhaps there will be more pressure on 
New Zealand tomorrow than us.
"I thought McMillan's innings was very courageous, given he's been dropped 
from the one-day side and missed out in the first innings here, and Daniel Vettori was 
most impressive as well - he's very mature and level-headed for a guy who's so young, 
and has achieved so much."

Jubilation as Warne equals Lillee's record

Brilliant legspinner Shane Warne punches the air in delight after bowling Nathan Astle 
round his legs at Eden Park yesterday to claim his 355th test wicket, equalling Dennis 
Lillee's Australian record. Warne will be odds-on to take the record outright today when 
New Zealand resume their chase for 281 to win the first test. Going into the fourth day of 
the match he sits 80 wickets short of overtaking great Indian allrounder Kapil Dev as the 
world's most successful test wicket-taker.

Kiwis grab wildcards

The four wildcard places in the singles main draw for the $US25,000 
International Challenger tennis tournament in Hamilton starting this weekend have all 
been given to New Zealanders. Davis Cup regular James Greenhalgh will use
the wildcard to get him back on the ATP Tour singles rankings. The other 
three go to Lee Radovanovich, Teo Susnjak
and Mark Thompson.
Brown gets all clear
A relieved Tony Brown was yesterday cleared of a suspected broken jaw and 
is a likely starter for the Highlanders' Super 12 Match against the Cats at Carisbrook on 
Friday night. "I was very relieved when the x-rays came back and I got the all-clear. 
There was no major damage," Brown said. "it's put a bit of a smile back on my face. I'm 
pretty sure I'll be OK to take the field on Friday."

Umaga takes one-week suspension on the chin

WELLINGTON - Hurricanes winger Tana Umaga will not be appealing against the 
week's suspension he received yesterday for a head-high tackle on Highlanders wing 
Romi Ropati during a Super 12 rugby game on Saturday.
Umaga was sent off for the tackle and will now miss the Hurricanes' game against the 
Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday.
The New Zealand Rugby Football Union judicial committee, chaired by Nick Davidson 
QC and comprising Terry Wright and Merlin Shannon, took almost three-and-a-half 
hours in Wellington last night to decide that Umaga's action should be punished by a 
suspension.
Umaga said he was disappointed but ruled out the possibility of an appeal.
"I am slightly disappointed but I had a fair hearing " Umaga said.
"I have just got to live with the decision and take my medicine. I have let down my team 
already."
A report from referee Paddy O'Brien said Umaga had made a tackle in a reckless
and dangerous way.
The committee said it viewed excellent video footage from three angles and considered 
the player's explanation that his was a reflex action when he had been wrongfooted by the 
ball carrier, and that his only intent was to make a smother tackle, targeting the ball.
Umaga told the committee he did not intend to make a dangerous tackle. 
Submissions were made that when viewed objectively the tackle was not dangerous.
At the same time, the referee's decision was accepted.
The panel concluded that the tackle was dangerous, but without intent to make contact 
above the shoulder and did not accept that when a player was beaten in that way a 
dangerous high tackle should be condoned.
The tackler must be aware of the risk involved in targeting the ball when held in that 
position, and the onus of safety is on the tackler, it said.
Reference was made to earlier decisions and the penalties imposed, along with the good 
record of the player.
Submissions from Umaga's advisers that there should be no penalty and that no 
suspension should be imposed were rejected by the committee.
Umaga's ban is a further blow to the Hurricanes who were without Jonah Lomu against 
the Highlanders and is given only a 50-50 chance of playing against the Chiefs. - NZPA

Sevens squads

The New Zealand men's and women's squads for the Hong Kong rugby sevens  later this 
month were named yesterday.

Kuggeleign back with ND

Northern Districts cricket yesterday reappointed Chris Kuggeleign as coach for another 
two years, and sprang a surprise by bringing back Rick Pickard as convenor of selectors.
Kuggeleign will start his job on Monday. He will also be the Northern Knights coach and 
work with ND development squads over the winter.
Pickard, New Zealand convenor of selectors until this month, honoured a promise he 
made to ND when he became a New Zealand selector five years ago.

Auckland face Waikato in final

Waikato will play Auckland in the northern secondary schools rugby tournament at 
Matamata today after a 20–13 win over Counties in the final round of pool play.
Tries to Andrew White and Nathan Roberts plus a conversion of his own try by Roberts 
enabled Waikato to led 12-3 at the break.
Roberts then kicked a penalty early in the second half but Counties replied by scoring 
two quick tries to leave the match evenly poised until T K Moeke scored Waikato's try 
just before fulltime to seal the win.
The composite King Valley side gave Northland a 48-0 hiding and Waikato B lost 18-23 
to Bay of Plenty.

Mr Bond to have a go in Le Destin
By MIKE DILLON
Bob Vance considered withdrawing Mr Bond from the Le Destin 2000 at Te Rapa 
tomorrow, until he saw the final field.
"I guess I have to run him against that line-up," said Vance yesterday.
Vance has been worried about finding the right conditions for Mr Bond. The 
horse is comfortable only on left-handed
tracks and does not particularly like heavy footing.
Which means you would be crazy to back him tomorrow, but Vance is hoping to 
get away with the race if the
forecast showers arrive to loosen a deep, testing track.
"An easy or soft track is his real go, but he got away with it heavy one 
day at New Plymouth when it rained on the day."
Two starts back Mr Bond showed what he could do when he pushed talented 
Volkaire to threequarters of a length on
an easy track on this course. It was an effort which would win this race 
easily.
"When he was the beaten favourite at Awapuni last start the track was much 
too sticky and holding for him.
"I'm basically committed to running him this time because there is not another race for 
him for six weeks, no
lefthanded racing. He can have this then go out for a break and come back 
in the spring."
It is hardly a vintage lot facing Mr Bond. Golden Flare might be worth a 
look. He failed to figure in the Cornwall
Handicap at Ellerslie on Monday, but the track was getting pretty bad at 
that point and a better guide to his chances
is his third to St Petrus on this track the start before.
Money Machine is a lot better than his form reads and is worth one more 
chance. He likes heavy ground and Te
Rapa.
A much better betting proposition is the second leg of the TAB double, the 
Fred Wilson Memorial.
Cambridge mare Dupre has had no luck in trying to secure another win. She 
has been held to seconds in many of her
starts and deserves a win.
An effort even similar to her half-head second to Jaiapeno on this track last start would be 
enough to win this.
Mattstar looked smart, winning at Ellerslie on an easy track under 56.5kg 
last start. He is one-from-one on heavy
footing and his wider barrier draw than Dupre will be some advantage late 
in the day.
Taranaki visitor Pukekura Jogger has been sticking his races out well 
lately and if there is one factor which will win at
Te Rapa tomorrow it is go-forward in the final stages of each race.

Herlihy to drive gutsy Tiger
By Michael Guerin

A shock driving change may have handed Tony Herlihy another Caduceus Club Classic 
at Alexandra Park tonight.
Herlihy will partner hot favourite Tiger
Turner in the $80,000 feature after regular driver Maurice McKendry opted 
for the less-favoured Cami Longstocking.
McKendry had been the regular driver for
Tiger Turner until the last two races of her recent southern campaign when 
Colin De Filippi took the reins.
But the former world champion reinsman was still expected to be back in the sulky for 
tonight's feature until he told trainer Lindsay Turner he was sticking with
the speedy Cami Longstocking.
That had handed the drive to Herlihy, who
looks ideally placed to win the race for the fourth time tonight.
Tiger Turner looked the best juvenile filly
in the country early this season but appeared to lose some of her zip after 
racing the colts.
But she returned to something like her best with a gutsy second from the 
second line in a strong fillies field at
Addington last time out.
"The good news is I think she is even better now than she was then," said 
Turner.
"She has returned home really well and her work thsi week has been good."
Turner is hoping Herlihy can find the front with the favourite and she has 
raced like tonight's 2200m will suit her.
"If she is in front then she will be the one to beat."
The obvious danger is Cold Front.
She beat Tiger Turner on her merits here in March and was unlucky when 
pushed back at Addington last start. Her
problem may be having to sit parked outside Tiger Turner because of her 
outside draw, not an enviable task over
2200m.
McKendry's charge Cami Longstocking and southerner Tonianne look the other
threats, with the draws likely to secure them the all-important economical 
runs close to the pace.
While McKendry faces an uphill battle in tonight's feature he does have a 
strong hand in the legs of the TAB double, where he partners Classic Turbo and Pocket 
Queen.
"I drove Classic Turbo at the workouts last Saturday and he felt a lot better than when he 
was beaten a week earlier," said McKendry.
Classic Turbo has not raced since the Chariots Of Fire on May 5 but looks a 
standout in the Winter Cup as he
continues his march toward open class.
"I think he has to be the horse to beat, with Falcon Rise the danger."
An interesting runner is Easter Cup winner Facta Non Verba, who has not 
raced since that April 22 victory but thrilled
trainer Mike Berger with a private workout at Cambridge last Saturday.
"He paced 2400m in 3:7, his last 1600m in 2:0 and final 800 in 57 seconds 
and wasn't blowing," said Berger.
"I am not happy with the handicap he has received but with the right run he 
can win it because he has a great record
fresh."
Pocket Queen gets her chance to beat 3-year-old rivals Dancingonmoonlight 
and Shivna as the fillies look set to
dominate the mares in the second leg of the double.
She bolted away with the Breeders Stakes last start and while she faces a 
second line draw tonight she follows up
likely leader Mihannah so should get the perfect run through.
"Her last win was huge and while it is a good field she will take a lot of 
beating if she gets that run through."
The other highlight tonight is the $20,000 Greenlane Trotting Cup, in which Bold 
Kamwood must go close after finishing fourth when parked throughout last week.

Time right for Mi Senor to step out

PALMERSTON NORTH - The aura of open competition may not faze promising 
jumper Mi Senor in the $15,000
Awapuni Hurdles at the Manawatu meeting tomorrow.
The Mi Preferido six-year-old left a lasting impression after his dour 
battle with Sadr in a 2800m batten hurdle event at Rotorua last month.
Sadr went into the Rotorua race with a rapidly growing reputation after a 
sensational hurdle win at Te Rapa the
previous week.
Mi Senor, on debut over fences, made him work hard for victory at 
Rotorua, and Sadr Went on to finish a close third
to Gold Story and Smart Hunter in the Great Northern Hurdles at Ellerslie 
last Saturday.
Mi Senor has not raced since Rotorua four weeks ago but trainer Mark 
Oulaghan, who also prepares exciting novice hurdler Rand, has more or less planned it 
that way.
"We've had a completely different regime with the two horses," Oulaghan said.
"I was quite impressed with Mi Senor's run at Rotorua, but I had to make 
sure the race didn't knock the stuffing out of him.
"Mi Senor is a very lean, clean-winded horse, but lacks a bit of strength 
given his size. Rand is the opposite in
constitution altogether.
"Both horses are going to be top jumpers, but it could be another year 
before Mi Senor reaches his full potential.
"Hopefully by this time next year. I've also been able to put an extra 
40kg on Mi Senor."
Oulaghan, who won the Awapuni Hurdles two years ago with Tommy Lad, said the 
timing was right for Mi Senor to step out.
He has also accepted with Lasseter's Gold, who finished fourth in his 
hurdle debut at Hawera last month.
The Oulaghan stable has churned out the winners over the last five weeks 
with horses
such as Rand (twice), Garaina (twice), Jolly Rodger, Barloso, President 
Hughes and Breathless.
The feature flat race is the Carter's Trade Supplies 1600, in which the 
Carter's-sponsored jockey Lisa Mumby is
tipped to take the honours on co-topweight Be Boss.
Trained at Takanini by Jenny Vance, he is on his third visit to Awapuni, 
but has vet to go away with the major
honours.
Be Boss, who is by far the biggest stakes-earner in the field with over 
$170,000, was first at Awapuni in March 1988,
when he finished last in an open 1200m on a firm track.
Seven weeks later, he combined with Mumby to finish second behind The 
Varmint in the Marton Metric Mile on heavy ground.
On Saturday Be Boss will be having his fourth run in a new campaign. – NZPA 

In-form Isle Floorem strides out well
Trackwork

Isle Floorem, an in-form runner at Te Rapa tomorrow, excelled in training 
at Matamata yesterday.
On a firm all-weather track, Isle Floorem kept up a good clip over a 
round, the last 1200m in 1:18, 1000 in 1:3.8 and 600 in 37.2. Hurdlers Wave Edition and 
Te Akau Pacific did similar work, the 1200 in 1:20.4 and 600 in 39.8.
Promise Keeper hit out freely over the final 600m of 1000 in 38.8. Itti 
Bit was allowed an easy 1200 in 1:25.4, the 600
in 41.  Altivine had plenty in reserve at the end of 1200m in 1:21.6, the 
600 in 38.2. Palliate loafed over 1200 in 1:29.
Our Pretext took 1:24.6 for 1200 and 38.6 from the 600.
On a firm sand, Lady Tee looked keen when running 1200m in 1:25.5, the 
600 in 42.
Steeplechaser Lapstone strode freely over 2400, the 1200 in 1:22.2 and 
600 in 39.6.
The half-sisters Beerescourt and Arduous, in preparation for Awapuni 
tomorrow, worked evenly on a heavy course, 17m out, at Cambridge. They went 800m 
together and finished strongly in 54.
Belmont ran 800m in 54.5. Wa Zabenza hit out well over 1000 in 1:6, the 600 in 42.5.
Apache Dream worked away steadily
from the 800m and covered his last 600 in 44. Mattstar was untroubled to 
run 600 in 41. Moments Of Magic returned 1:23 for 1200m.
Gallant Crest galloped attractively on the outside of a heavy No 2 grass 
at Takanini, taking 1:9 for 1000m and 41.3 from the 600.
La Davina finished 1000m, in 1:8.8, the 600 in 41.8. Soroya recorded 
almost identical times. The Mandrake did 1000 with pace on from the 600 in 41.6.
Wai Wai Nui was the pick of the local gallopers for Te Rapa. On a heavy 
No 2 grass, he cut out 1200m in 1:23.5, the 600 in 41.
Lord Sedona wound up for Te Rapa with a sharp 600m on a heavy No 1 grass 
at Pukekohe in 39.2.
Harlequin also showed dash, leaving 800m behind in 49.9, the 600 in 38.3.
Krugerand and What's Up Doc sprinted their last 600 together in 39.6.
At Avondale, Miss Merc sprinted smartly over 800m on a soft No 1 grass to finish clear 
of Genki and True Son in
51.2, the 6000 in 36.4. She races again on her home track next Wednesday.
Miss Cotton Blossom scampered clear of Elsi Isle and Miss Citrine at the 
end of 800m in 51.8, the 600 in 36.6. Hula Jet led Mick Bailey after 1000 in 1:6, the 600 
in 37.8.
Kauri Ore and Red Rock looked fit for Te Rapa when galloping on a slushy 
sand at Te Aroha
Kauri Ore rounded off three rounds of pacework with 600m in 47. Red Rock 
went twice round, the last 400 in 33.4.

Every Bulldogs game becomes a goal-kicking circus until Daryl Halligan 
snares the remaining 10 points he needs to
better Mick Cronin's scoring record of 1971, with the Dogs running a sweep 
on their website. They're weakened in the
centres with the loss of Shane Marteene and Steven Hughes to injury, Willie 
Talau still sidelined with his ankle break.
Stand-in half Craig Polla-Mounter has been given permission to negotiate 
elsewhere for 2001. Troy Stone is gone for
the season, with shoulder reconstruction. The Sharks lose Paul McNicholas 
to two-week suspension for a high
tackle. With their Origin props back and close to a first-choice backline 
after a season bedevilled by injury, the
Sharks should have too much power up front and too much pace a flair out 
back. Halligan's kicking is now a dodgy
balance against his loss of speed.

Raiders wing Greg Wolfgramm is dropped after being targetted by the 
Warriors in their first 40 last week and offering
chances, the Auckland side failing to exploit his weaknesses in the second 
40. Luke Davico comes back after being
sent into space by Terry Hermansson. They continue to negotiate to hold 
David Furner. The Raiders were very
ordinary last weekend, Auckland's performance shocking, and they'll have to lift to beat 
the visitors. Laurie Daley is
playing on injured after receiving another knock to damaged ribs against 
Auckland and that may be the difference. A perfect record at Bruce, Origin hangover for 
three Knights and the ongoing 
angst over the Johns brothers are against
the visitors but they have close to their first-choice side bar Matty Johns.

Brookvale has long been a graveyard for visiting sides and the Eels need to be wary. 
Jason Taylor returns to the 
halves for the home team and his performance could well dictate the outcome. He  was 
hiding in the defensive line – something no NRL team can afford - in his last game before 
being dropped to first grade. Newcomer
Matt Orford has handled five-eighth well in two games so far. The Eagles 
have their strongest bench for some weeks after several returns from injury and will again 
run Menzies off the ruck 
with Toovey, Muir, Cunningham and Gartner coming in the second wave. For the Eels, 
Jason Smith and wing Eric Groethe junior remain sidelined by similar foot injuries, Smith 
having undergone an arthroscope, and rake Wade L'Estrange has an ankle break.

Storms are one win, one loss with
their Origin players backing up, a 20-23 loss to Penrith
at home after Origin two. The Roosters have advantages in home ground, 
fewer Origin back-ups, and the tiredness
that must be creeping into the Storm stars. They're off the back of tour 
losses and starting to slide down the eight and
so will come desperate to turn things around. There's little in the battle 
of the forward packs, both blessed with power, speed and ball-handling ability. The battle 
of the halves could decide 
things, with this the sort of game in which Fittler steps up to stamp his class. They'll miss 
prop Scott Logan, suspended two weeks for a high tackle. Quentin Pongia is recovering 
far more quickly than expected after surgery
surgery to repair upper arm muscles.

The $7.25 available for the Cows is about the biggest head-to-head 
dividend you'll see, but collection is as unlikely as
snow in Townsville. The Broncos will have half their side backing up 
after Origin but will be far too good and will end
the Cows' mathematical chance of making the playoffs. Instability 
continues at the club, with half Paul Green being
sacked this week after an unhappy season. Brett Hetherington, Grant 
Reibel, Peter Clews and Martin Locke (all knee trouble) and John Doyle, Josh Hannay 
and John Rowbotham (all shoulder problems) are out for the season. Out of this game are 
Brett Boyd and Shaun Valentine (knees). The Broncos are the 
only comfortable side in the comp, with
a three-point lead. Complacency is their only possible weakness.

The TAB copped a bigger hiding than the Warriors last week as late money 
poured in for good odds on Canberra,
hence the turnaround this week. But it says a lot that the local fans 
aren't betting with their hearts anymore – blindly backing the Warriors. The home team 
has never been worse than it was in 
the second half last week and it's hard to
see them getting up to beat a five-win Panthers outfit brimming with 
confidence, injury-free and running towards the
finals. Coach Royce Simmons rates this team as Penrith's best, ahead of 
the 1991 grand final-winning team from
which he retired. "Enjoyment" was Simmons' one-word answer to why his 
team were the competition giant-killers,
wins over the Storm in Melbourne, Knights in Newcastle and Brisbane at 
Penrith.

The Tigers were well in control of Penrith 31-8, with Craig Field running the game, when 
they knocked off and 
allowed the home side four tries in eight
minutes, two to Kiwi giant Tony Puletua, for a 32-31 result last weekend. 
So they'll be keen to repair the
psychological damage but face a Dragons side that were red-hot at 
Wollongong last week, Craig Smith all aggression
and Trent Barrett devastating. Barrett should win the battle of the 
halves and that should win the game. The Tigers still
miss Jarrod McCracken. The talk now is that he may not make the World Cup 
-given the neck damage Steve
Kearney did to him in a spear tackle. The Dragons seem more settled now 
David Waite's departure has been
confirmed. It's hard to see how he can last the season.

dropped 55c to 875. - NZPA

 IN SHORT
Kiwis stand to benefit
New Zealand stand to gain at this year's rugby league World Cup in Britain 
if the International Rugby League
Federation accepts Australian Rugby League board recommendations to ease player 
eligibility rules.
The ARL board decided yesterday to recommend that the international 
federation ease restrictions on players who are
eligible to represent more than one country in this year's World Cup.
If the resolution is accepted, players such as Brisbane's Brad Thorn and 
Tonie Carroll and Newcastle youngster
Timana Tahu could be available for the Kiwis without affecting future Australian or State 
of Origin representation.

Radisich to show skills at Pukekohe

Pitstop		Bob Pearce

Paul Radisich		Mark Allen

Paul Radisich is delighted at the prospect of showing his skills back home 
when the second round of the Australian
V8 Supercar championship is staged at Pukekohe next March.
Agreement has been reached between Motorsport New Zealand, the 
Confederation of Australian Motorsport and the
Supercar controlling body, Ivesco, for the International Mangement Group to 
stage the round on March 25-27.
"It's fantastic, the best news I've heard all year," said Queensland-based 
Kiwi Radisich, who is a frontrunner for the
championship this year in his Dick Johnson Team Ford.
"I think it is just what New Zealand motorsport needs. In the past, the V8s 
have competed in Auckland and
Wellington but not in championship races.
"This time there will be the top 32 cars. I think they'll have to make 
Pukekohe bigger to take the crowds."
Radisich has mixed memories of Pukekohe. He won a New Zealand Grand Prix 
there in his single-seater
days, but lost another after finishing first but being disqualified for a 
premature
start.
Two other New Zealand Grand Prix winners, Greg Murphy, winner at Bathurst 
last year, and Craig Baird, with one V8
victory this season, would be certain starters for Pukekohe. The reigning 
Grand Prix champion, Simon Wills, might
well have switched to that class by next season.
And there could be at least one New Zealand-based team contesting the 
championship by then.
Pukekohe itself has moved to allay criticism from drivers of bumps on its 
track. Resealing and smoothing was brought
forward to take advantage of the fiine weather at the end of March.
There were generally favourable reports from drivers on the $80,000 
improvements after the national meeting last
weekend.
The March dates for the meeting will put it sufficiently clear of the 
Australian Grand Prix to allow the cars to fulfil their commitments there and be shipped 
rather than flown to this country.
The parties are understood to be negotiating the possibility of the V8 
round alternating with either Manfeild or Ruapuna.
Spectators at the classic car meeting at Whenuapai on Saturday and Sunday 
will have the chance to see a perfectly
preserved piece of McLaren history in action.
The Bruce McLaren Trust will be demonstrating a 1969 M12 McLaren sportscar which 
has just arrived from
Japan.
It was obtained by Tony Roberts from an elderly restaurant owner who had it 
preserved in a glassed-in room with four
other cars. It had been there since its last race, in 1972.
Between 1968 and 1972, Japan staged Can-Am races with many visiting 
American drivers. The
Roberts car was driven by Tadashi Sakai and held the lap record on the Mt 
Fuji circuit.
It has an all-aluminium Chevrolet big-block engine with over 600 bhp.
Aucklander Marty Roestenburg claimed the national clubsport championship at 
Blenheim in his Mitsubishi Lancer.
On the way, he won the hillclimb trophy for the fourth year in a row and 
the autocross title for the third time.
For the first time in many years, Mt Panorama at Bathurst may be quiet on 
the first Sunday in October.
That date has traditionally attracted motor-racing fans from throughout 
Australia to the Bathurst 1000.
But this year the race, deprived in the last few years of the V8 Holdens 
and Fords and shortened last year, may take
a break.
One reason is the closeness of the Sydney Olympics, but more fundamental is 
some disarray in the two-litre touring
car substitute for the V8s.
The V8s run their own event at Bathurst in November and that has proved a 
far greater draw for the fans.
The most likely result in future years is for the V8s to take over the 
October date and their rivals to move to the summer.

Mark "Bull" Allen, once the pride of Taranaki rugby and now a television 
commentator, will be prominent in rallying
this season.
A lifesize portrait of the burly prop will decorate young Waikato rally 
driver Cameron Bates' Subaru as he chases the
national junior title.
Allen, by trade an auto electrician, is the face of A.E. Parts, one of the 
18-year-old Bates' sponsors.
Bates began well, winning the Rally of New Zealand scholarship points on the 
first round at Ruapehu.

The China Rally, run for the first time last year as part of the world 
championship has dropped out of this year's
series.
The rally, which has lost the sponsorship of cigarette company 555, may be 
run as a round of the
Asia-Pacific championship.
The Asia-Pacific series is already one round short after the cancellation 
of a new event in the United States.

AGS make it four tennis wins in row

Champions: Simon Rea and his team-mates claimed the title.

Auckland Grammar have continued their dominance of the New Zealand teams' 
tennis championships, winning for the
fourth consecutive year at Christchurch at the weekend.
Grammar have now had the trophy for six of the eight years the 
championships have been running, beating
Christchurch Boys High in this year's final 4-2.
On a mission to gain points to qualify for Wimbledon, Grammar team members 
Simon Rea and Jacob Olsen ripped
through their finals, and then raced to the airport with 15 minutes to 
spare before boarding a plane to Japan.
It is the second time Rea has played for his college team and then 
high-tailed it to Asian satellite matches.
After the annual Auckland champion-of-champions tournament, Rea set off 
for Singapore straight after his games.
At the national event in Christchurch, Rea, Olsen and Brendon Wright won 
their singles games, but Kiril
Tcherveniachki lost to Timothy Meredith 1-6 4-6.
A lapse in concentration saw Rea have to go to three sets to beat Paul 
Ambrose 6-0 4-6 6-1, but Olsen had no
problem in downing Daniel King-Turner in straight sets, 6-1 6-4.
Wright had a hard time putting away James Spence, winning the first set 
7-5, dropping the second 3-6 but taking the
third 6-3 for the match.
Rea and Olsen than teamed up for the doubles, beating Ambrose and Spence 
6-0 6-3. Wright and Tcherveniachki lost to King-Turner and Meredith 2-6 4-6.
For the first time, a South Island school won the girls' competition, with Christchurch 
Girls' High edging out
Whakatane High School in the final. King's College were downed by 
Christchurch's St Margaret's to finish fourth.
TRIATHLON
.Auckland schools proved their strength at the New Zealand championships at 
Mt Manganui on Saturday, winning 10
out of the 18 possible placings.
Only 49s separated the senior boys' top three, with Josh Dyer, of 
Tauranga's Bethlehem College, winning by 12s
from St Kentigern's Will Green.
Dyer had to dig deep to pass Green in the 5.5km run leg after
Green led in the transition from the 18km cycle by over a minute.
Michelle Hyland from Gisborne Girls' High enjoyed a comfortable win in the 
senior girls' race, coming home 39s ahead
of Debbie Tanner, of Diocesan. After leading in the 750m swim leg, Westlake 
Girls' Jenny Cooper faded to third.
Auckland Grammar's James Elvery won the intermediate boys' title in a time 
of 37m 51s over the 500m swim, 14km
bike and 3km run distance. Julia Scopes was the best of the Auckland girls, 
finishing third.
Terenzzo Bozzone, of Rangitoto College, had an impressive win in the junior 
boys' event, leading from start to finish.
He headed off Australian No 2 Robbie Williams by over 2m 30s. Jade 
Gilbertson, of Epsom, added to her Auckland
championship performance, leading in Seah Martin, of Diocesan by 11s.
WATERPOLO
Auckland schools have again featured at the top of a national championship.
This time Westlake Boys' High have done the region proud by winning the New 
Zealand championship in Lower Hutt.
It was a classic battle of the bridge in the final between Westlake and 
Auckland Grammar, both having met before in
the finals of the Auckland and North Island championships. Westlake won the 
North Island trophy and Grammar the
regional award.
In the Lower Hutt event, it came down to the dying seconds of the game. The 
first and second quarters were even at 1-1 and 2-2 but in the third quarter, Westlake 
charged ahead 4-2 and midway through the fourth spell scored again to lead 5-2.
Grammar responded with a last-ditch effort., planting two goals to close to 
5-4 but it was not enough.
It was a historic win for Westlake, who had not had the title for 15 years.
In the girls' North Island championships in Hamilton, defending champions 
Epsom Girls' Grammar' retained their title
in the final against steady improvers Carmel College, winning 6-2.
In the playoff for third, Rangitoto came from a two-goal deficit against 
Sacred Heart College, of Lower Hutt to win in the final 20s, 3-2.
Jenni Rutherford

Hat-trick start by Tait

World equestrian champion Blyth Tait has had a superb start to the eventing 
season, winning three advanced classes
at a Badminton warm-up event.
Tait's horses Ready Teddy, Chesterfield and Welton Envoy all won their 
advanced sections at the Belton Park horse
trials, with his other horse, Aspyring, 29th in a fourth section.
All four horses are qualified for the Sydney Olympics, though the selectors 
are expected to limit Tait to two rides.
Tait's father, Robert Tait, said his son was tickled pink with the 
performance of the horses so early in the season.
"They were all right on-song except Aspyring who had a little bruise," Tait 
sen said.
Tait and his world and 1996 Olympic winner, Ready Teddy, are having a
quiet build-up to the Sydney Olympics and the horse will not be taken to 
Badminton or this month's major three-day
event in Kentucky.
Instead, Tait will ride Chesterfield at Badminton and Welton Envoy at 
Kentucky.
Fellow New Zealand rider Mark Todd had mixed success at Belton. His 
Badminton runner-up from last year, Word For Word, was 24th in one advanced class. 
His Olympic-qualified horse, Just A Mission, was fifth behind Welton Envoy, while Eye 
Spy II was 18th behind Ready Teddy.
Another Todd ride, High Street, which is not an Olympics horse, was third behind 
Chesterfield.
Daniel Jocelyn also posted solid results across the advanced classes, with his potential 
Olympic horse Silence fifth in one section. - NZPA

SPORT & RACING
Kiwi bowlers lead sections

WELLINGTON - The New Zealand men's bowls team stayed on a roll at the world 
championships in South Africa
yesterday with singles representative Andrew Curtain remaining unbeaten and 
the four recovering from Monday's loss
to Scotland.
Curtain beat Canadian James Boyen 21-16 and Ted Spirrat, of the United 
States, 21-6 to top his section.
"Things have been running pretty nicely but I've got seven games still to 
play and I need to win at least five," Curtain
said. "The job is only half done, so I'm taking it one day at a time."
Team manager Peter Kean said Curtain next faced a potentially difficult, and lesser 
known, opponent from Singapore.
"They just call him Chai. The guy beat John Price from Wales in a huge upset and he ran 
Noel Kennedy from Hong Kong to 21-19, so that was an
 upset as well," Kean said.
 Curtain also plays the Norfolk.
 Island representative.
 The four of Peter Belliss, Rowan,
 Brassey, Russell Meyer and Paul
 Girdler also lead their section following wins over Argentina 33-14 and
 Malaysia 24-14.
 They were to play Zambia  overnight (NZ time)
 followed by the unpredictable Fiji, who are only one
 game behind New Zealand.
 "Fiji pushed Scotland.
 close and they beat England by 10 so they're firing on all cylinders," Kean said.
 "They're hot or they're
 cold but they've done well
 against us in the past so we won't be
underestimating them."
Kean said the team were bearing
 in mind the fact that other favoured
nations had fallen victim to upsets. – NZPA

Andrew Curtain

Tahu spurns shot at a Kiwi jersey
By PETER JESSUP

Newcastle wing and National Rugby League top tryscorer Timana Tahu has 
ruled himself out of contention for a Kiwi
jersey and will seek to represent Australia.
The 19-year-old has a Maori father and Aboriginal mother and so is 
eligible for selection for either nation even though
he has only ever lived in Australia.
Under pressure from both sides to declare his loyalties in the build-up to 
the Anzac test, Tahu at first said he believed
he was too young to decide and just wanted to concentrate on securing a 
starting spot at the Knights.
But the New Zealand Rugby League yesterday said he had since notified 
Junior Kiwi coach Gary Kemble that he would pursue Australian test honours.
Australian test candidate Craig Gower yesterday declared himself fit 
after three weeks out with an injured knee.
 The Australian selectors signalled that they favour the 22-year-old ahead of ageing Eagle
Geoff Toovey, with Johnny Raper
yesterday declaring Gower "the logical choice" provided he gets
through the game against the
Roosters this Saturday.
 Raper also said he preferred
Brad Fittler at standoff rather than
lock, going against coach Chris
Anderson's call for a combination of
Andrew and Johns or, with
Matthew ruled out, Andrew and
Anthony Mundine.
Anderson rated the Kiwi side as having some good footballers, size up 
front and in Stacey Jones and the Paul
brothers, clever players who could capitalise, but said he would not be considering the 
Kiwis' makeup when he, Raper, and fellow selectors Arthur Beetson, Les Geeves and 
Eddie Lumsden decided after Sunday's NRL games who would play for Australia.
Newcastle centre Matt Gidley was ruled out yesterday with injury.


Smith puts revival down to 'Junior' 
By PETER JESSUP

Tyran Smith

Rejuvenated lock Tyran Smith credits former Kangaroo-turned-Wests Tigers 
coach Wayne Pearce with elevating him
to the New Zealand Anzac test squad.
"Junior [Pearce] has given me latitude to read the game and play both 
sides of the ruck. I'm enjoying that more than
second row," said the 26-year-old Smith.
He has collared four man-of-the-match awards and two players' player 
awards in 10 games this season.
"Not blowing my own trumpet, mate, but my game's been doing all the 
talking," Smith said when asked if he had
expected to make the Kiwis.
"I set the World Cup as a goal this year. I've worked hard in the 
off-season. I'm still running at 109kg, which is big, for a
lock for sure, but I've kept up extra sprint work to hold my speed. I'm 
very happy with my form."
Smith played in seven tests in 1996 and 1997 but a high error-rate saw 
him left behind in 1998, when he was in
reserve grade at the Warriors under Kiwi coach Frank Endacott.
He moved to an understrength Balmain side last season, and was chosen by 
Pearce as one of those to go on to the
Balmain-Wests merged
side, and has not looked back.
"Consistency is the big thing in the NRL and I think I've learned how to achieve that," he 
said.
He concedes that dropped balls cost him Kiwi and Warrior starts, saying: 
"It. was inexperience. Trying to push
passes with three guys hanging off you isn't on. I wasn't doing favours, 
for the teams I was playing in then. I pick the time to push passes now."
Smith lives close to Balmain's old Leichhardt Oval, a ground under threat 
if the state Government does not help the
new club with refurbishment. He loves the Sydney lifestyle and credits 
partner Kelly Mundine (Anthony's sister) and
sons Tyson, aged 6, Reimis, aged 3, and Khan, aged 2, with keeping him 
focused on his goals.
"They've really stuck by me when I was down and it all plays a part."
Having made goal one, a Kiwi jersey, earlier than expected, Smith is now 
raising his sights.
He said of the Anzac test: "It's a good balance across the side. Hopefully we'll go all the 
way."

Furner at Fiji helm

One name stood out when Aotearoa Maori rugby league coach Cameron Bell 
studied the names of the Fijian tourists
for their three-test series starting at Easter.
The Fijians will be coached by Don Furner, former Kangaroo World Cup-winning coach 
and the first coach of the Canberra Raiders.
"Fiji are taking the series very seriously," Bell said.
"We expect they'll be a well-structured team with Don Furner in charge."
Bell named his 17-man squad last night and all but one are Bartercard Cup 
players. The exception is Steve
Matthews, from Wagga.
Best known in the squad are Auckland Warriors development player Peter 
Lewis, Glenora's Boycie Nelson, formerly
with the Warriors and Warrington in
England, and Billy Weepu, who had a stint at Manly and in England.
The Maori go into camp on April 18 and play the first test at Davies Park 
in Huntly on Easter Saturday, the second at
Carlaw Park in Auckland on Anzac Day, and the third at the Rotorua 
International Stadium on April 29.

Kingz, Rufers talk turkey on new deals
By TERRY MADDAFORD

Football Kingz chairman Chris Turner refuses to be drawn on issues which 
have come under the microscope as
Wynton and Shane Rufer negotiate a second term at the helm of New 
Zealand's only professional soccer team.
"We made a formal offer to them and they have come back with a 
counter-offer," Turner said yesterday. "We put a
contract in front of them and they came back to me on Monday night."
Asked whether money was a sticking point, Turner said: "No comment."
He did say, however, that potentially they were being offered much the same as their 
existing contract. "Whatever is in that remains between them and us."
Turner said the contract ran until the end of the season but the club hoped to have a new 
agreement in place well before that.
"There is a lot to be done in the off-season in planning for the new one 
and we want to have these kind of things sorted out as quickly as possible.
"We already have a draft budget in place for next year and once the deal with Sky 
Television is in place - and we hope that will be sooner rather than later - we can get on 
with things.
 "Effectively, as an organisation, we are talking to players about next season Turner said. 
"While there is no salary cap, it does not mean we will pay more for players.
"They can ask for more obviously, but we are a business and treat things accordingly. 
There are clearly provisions for bonuses if they make the play-offs."
Of the current squad, Harry Ngata, Jason Batty, Chris Jackson and Riki Van 
Steeden are on two-year contracts. The remaining players were signed for just one 
season.
Wynton Rufer was signed as player-coach for the 1999-2000 season. It is understood his, 
draft contract for the new season is on the same lines.
"While we are talking to both Wynton and Shane, it does not necessarily mean we have 
to have a package deal with both," Turner said.
"But the bottom line is, we are very keen to retain both of them and I'm sure with the only 
minor discussion points that have been raised we will do that."

Brothers On ball: Shane Rufer (left) and his brother, Wynton, are trying to work out a 
new contract with the Football Kingz for the next National Soccer League season.

Insider running
Olympic bets ban
Sports punters will have to go offshore if they want to bet on the Sydney Olympics 
because the New Zealand Olympic Committee will not allow betting on them. NZOC 
chief executive Michael Hooper said the committee had decided when sports betting was 
introduced in 1995 that it did not fit the Olympic ideal and that decision would not be 
reconsidered. That means the TAB will not be able to take bets on the Olympics and 
punters will have to use organisations such as Australia's Centrebet to place their wagers.
Yovich top for ND
Joseph Yovich has been named Northern Districts cricketer of the year. A Northlander, 
Yovich played a starring role in the Shell Trophy final in Taupo, taking six Auckland 
wickets and batting for more than a day to shut them out of the game.
Da Silva fumes
A showdown is looming between New Zealand Boxing Association officials and the New 
Zealand Sports Drug Agency over the ongoing saga involving Canterbury's elite 
heavyweight Garth da Silva. NZBA chairman Keith Walker said he shared da Silva's 
"complete frustration" that four months had passed since the agency began investigating 
an irregular testosterone level.

Aussies rule in Sansar top XV

Only four New Zealanders find a place in the New Zealand Herald's dream team

Wynne Gray

General George: Brumbies halfback George Gregan is the only player to make it into the 
Herald's Super 12 Dream Team without any challenges in sight, and also captains the 
side.

New Zealand sides are dominating the race to the Super 12 play-offs, but 
that potency would not be reflected in a
composite best tournament XV.
With three local sides, the Hurricanes, Crusaders and Highlanders, 
nestled in the top four behind the exciting
Brumbies squad, you could imagine the majority of a best XV would be New 
Zealanders.
However, after sifting through the players' form so far, this selection 
finds six Australians, five South Africans and four
Kiwis make the Herald Top XV. Curiously, that result repeats the 
finishing order of the Southern Hemipshere nations
at the World Cup.
Five Brumbies make the side and several others like Jim Williams and Rod 
Kafer just missed the cut to show how
much of an impression they have made in their chase for their first 
competition crown.
After some of the ineptitude in the early rounds of the competition, it 
is no surprise to find a complete absence of
South African backs, although forwards from the republic dominate the 
pack.
New Zealand's representation is evenly split between forwards and backs.
Several positions, such as centre, were a little light on choice because 
some players had been either out with injury,
were not in form or suffered from a rotational selection policy. Many 
other decisions by dint of the excessive talent were extremely close.
One selection was without question and for that reason alone, halfback 
George Gregan will also captain the side.
His fullback will be Christian Cullen, who has been in extraordinary form 
for the Hurricanes, though he has been chased hard by another try-scoring machine, 
Andrew Walker, from the Brumbies.
On the right wing is Tana Umaga. Pace, work-rate, skills and defence - 
the Hurricanes wing has shown it all this year
to head off the predator Breyton Paulse, while on the other flank Joe 
Roff's interchange ability and invention fends off
challenges from Jonah Lomu, Pieter Rossouw and Caleb Ralph.
Another Brumbie is at centre. For all-round consistency and his steady 
goalkicking, Stirling Mortlock heads off a
group who have yet to hit any great standards. Rounding out the midfield 
is the mercurial Tim Horan. Injury slowed
his start to the series but his class has inspired the Reds in the last few matches.
 Completing the Australian backline strength is Stephen Larkham at first five-eighths 
outside his halfback skipper. Larkham is an 
unconventional pivot but the timing of his passing
and running, his deception and defensive solidity give him the edge on 
Andrew Mehrtens.
The loose forward trio are Ron Cribb, Hendrik Gerber and Owen Finegan. At 
No 8, Cribb has excelled for the
Crusaders, while another newcomer Gerber, has rated regularly for the 
Stormers and seems suited to the rule changes.
Finegan brings the mix of power, subtlety and lineout prowess needed on the blindside.
Highlanders hooker Anton Oliver will have to put up with all South Africans in the tight 
five. Oliver brings  a ferocity to his play mixed with some wayward lineout throws but 
other chances like Mark Hammett or Jeremy Paul have had patchy moments as well.
The props are the massive Os du Randt at loosehead, where his strength, 
technique and mobility continue to impress
and Cobus Visagie, who has anchored the Stormers pack.
A combination of lineout ace Krynauw Otto from the Bulls and the athletic 
but bulky Hottie Louw from the Stormers
will be the locks ahead of challenges from David Giffin, Troy Flavell and 
Todd Blackadder.

Warriors coach says wait and see results first
By Peter Jessup

Mark Graham

Auckland Warriors coach Mark Graham has turned down the club's approach to extend 
his contract beyond this year, telling the management to wait until he has proved himself.
Graham has been embarrassed by some of the on-field performances of the 
side and caught between a rock and a
hard place after his pre-season declaration that he would offer his 
resignation if the team did not make the playoffs.
He said yesterday: "I greatly appreciate the offer. I feel very 
flattered, but I'd rather wait until
contract time at the end of the year. We have a hectic schedule at 
present. We need to concentrate on the football."
And he wanted to see if he was still enjoying the game at the end of the 
season and felt like going another round.
Graham said he would like to think he had what it took to make it as a 
premiership-level coach. The team had proved
they could play to
the top level but players had to prove they could keep their minds on the 
job and push the points lead they had enjoyed in the past two games on to a victory.
"Obviously we can compete but we have lapses that haunt us," he said.
The resignation statement was coming back to bite him, he admitted.
At a time when the players' performances have clearly suffered as a 
result of instability in the management, Graham's
signature could have given the side some firm footing.
Neither chief executive Trevor
McKewen  nor the Tainui two-thirds
owners share Graham's reticence
despite the side's sitting in last spot on the 14-team table, and seem sure
to put pressure on for him to change his stance.  
The Warriors desperately need to beat North Queensland at Townsville this 
weekend, with the top eight slipping
further into the sunset if they do not and a hard ask against the Sharks 
at Ericsson Stadium for the next game, when
their test players will be recovering after a three-day break and travel 
back from Sydney.
"The next one's always the one we want to win," Graham said, not
wanting this game to carry too much weight but not writing them out of the finals 
regardless of the outcome.
Scott Coxon comes back from a broken toe and should stiffen a defence that 
will miss Logan Swann's work-rate.
Odell Manuel goes out with the same injury.
Awen Guttenbeil will make his long-awaited return from a horror string of 
leg and foot reconstructions this weekend,
after havong come from the bench for the Eastern Tornadoes against the 
Ngongotaha Chiefs on Saturday.
Graham said Guttenbeil's combination with halfback Stacey Jones
at training in recent days had been a wonder.
The second-rower could be available for the premiership side in three weeks 
if all goes well, with the Warriors also
looking forward to welcoming back centre Ivan Cleary and the suspended 
Terry Hermansson.
To Newtown Jets go Cliff Beverley and Joe Galuvao; Brisbane Souths get last 
week's man-of-the-match Henry Perenara, Ben Lythe, Francis Meli, Vae Kololo.

Newbrook's U-21 title

ASHBURTON - Rotorua's Penny Newbrook capitalised on an excellent morning 
round to win the strokeplay title by
four shots at the New Zealand under-21 women's golf championships at the 
Ashburton Golf Club yesterday.
Newbrook hit an early round of 75 on the par-72 course to take a one-shot 
advantage over her nearest rival, Teiria Te Mini, of Kawerau.
A second round of 79 was easily enough for her to take the strokeplay 
title with a combined score of 154.
Three golfers tied for second place with combined scores of 158, Natalie 
McDonald, of the Pines, Sarah Nicholson, of Wainuiomata, and Te Riini.
The matchplay championships start today. The top 16 today qualified for the matchplay.

Vertongen cruises in

Lee Vertongen claimed that it was just another day at the office - training 
for the Sydney Olympics - but the
Palmerston North cyclist had just beaten two other members of the national 
track squad to win the time trial at the
national road championships at Te Awamutu yesterday.
Vertongen has always shown ability as a time trialist, competing in the 
event at the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in 1998.
Yesterday he battled cross-winds on a twice-out-and-back course to record a smart 52m 
9s for the 40km race, 10s faster than Otago's Greg Henderson,
with Gary Anderson (West Coast North Island) third. Aucklander Kirsty Robb 
regained the women's title which she relinquished to Canterbury's Annallisa Farrell last 
year.
A member of the New Zealand women's road squad, Robb was delighted.
"I didn't ride last year because of university exams so it was great to win 
it back," she said.
An exciting new talent, Jeremy Yates (Hastings), scorched over the 25km 
course in 33m 11s to beat West Australian champion Ric Steele by 58s in winning the 
under-19 title.- NZPA

Seventh swimmer  books for Sydney

DUNEDIN - When Dunedin student Jonathan Duncan watched a video of himself 
winning the 400m freestyle at the
national swimming championships just over a week ago, he knew he could 
qualify for the Olympics.
Duncan, aged 18 and a member of Duncan Laing's squad, won that race 
easily in 3m 56.71s, just 0.71s, or half a
metre, short of the qualifying mark.
Duncan was pushed to the Olympic mark at the Australian age-group championships in 
Perth on Monday night when he swam 0.3s under the qualifying time.
It was a personal best time by 0.97s, set when he finished second in 3m 55.74s in the 
final of the 17 and 18 years age-group at the national championships.
Laing believes Duncan could also reach the qualifying mark of 1m 51s in 
the 200m freestyle, where his best time is 1m 52.94s.
It was a remarkable effort by Duncan, whose progress was slowed by 
glandular fever last year. He became depressed
by his lack of energy at that time and contemplated giving away the sport.
"The trip we made to the World Cup short- course events in
 Europe early this year paid off," Laing said, adding that Monday night's time would have
 qualified Duncan for the Olympic teams of most European countries, the United States 
and South Africa.
"If we can get his times down to 3m 50s he could make the final," Laing said.
Other swimmers from the Laing squad with a chance of qualifying are 
Danyon Loader, Scott Talbot-Cameron, Lara
McCambridge and Elizabeth Van Welie. They will be competing in only the 
heats of the Australian championships in Sydney next month.
Duncan joins Scott Talbot-Cameron, Steven Ferguson, Nikki Tanner, Helen Norfolk, 
Dean Kent and Toni Jeffs as swimmers who have qualified for the Olympics. - NZPA

Duncan Laing

Spencer: to play or not play?

Blues injuries complicate selection
By Wynne Gray

Carlos Spencer: backline general may not be ready for duty.

The guessing game about Carlos Spencer has been extended.
The first five-eighths will be assessed further today to cheek whether he 
is ready to lead the Blues' backline in Friday's Super 12 match with the Highlanders.
Spencer's condition and the health of several other players meant a delay 
in the team announcement and discussions
on a variety of other selection issues.
Most of the selection debate revolves around the backline, as you would 
expect after the latest unflattering work
against the Stormers. But complicating the choice is an injury list which 
includes Spencer and Adrian Cashmore.
It is a similar situation down south. Highlanders first five-eighths Tony 
Brown has sprained his right ankle to open up all sorts of revamped backline 
combinations.
If Brown does not play, Marc Ellis will take his place, with Jeff Wilson 
likely to go to fullback and Romi Ropati and
Karl TeNana guarding the wings.
The erratic play of Orene Ai'i and the promising return of Spencer for the 
last quarter of the Blues' game against the
Stormers suggested that change would continue this week.
However, the Blues' coaching and medical staff are taking a cautious approach after the 
small amount of rugby Spencer has had since his training-ground injury at the World 
Cup.
He has been running in Blues training for most of the year, gradually strengthening his 
damaged right knee before playing in an exhibition match last week then a small spell for 
the Blues.
"He has had a huge break from the game and there is still a player welfare 
issue to work out here," coach Gordon
Hunter said. "We have not nailed our decision with the No 10."
Spencer felt a bit tender after his first game followed by several hard 
physical training sessions. Seeing how he
scrubbed up today was the best option for the selectors and Spencer.
The delay also allows them to check on Cashmore, who has been troubled by 
some knee inflammation since his
surgery to repair cartilage problems. Even though not fully fit, the Blues 
fullback was picked because of his
goalkicking last weekend, but he is a more doubtful starter this round.
If Spencer declares himself ready he will play, otherwise Ai'i will remain 
in the No 10 jersey. If Spencer is fit and
Cashmore cannot play, then Ai'i is is a strong candidate still to play, as 
fullback.
Wing Doug Howlett and lock Troy Flavell will return after their injuries, 
while there is some uncertainty about Andrew Blowers because of a knee ligament 
twinge. The Blues will reveal their choices late today.

Roving role winner for Perry

Changing Role: Jonathon Perry has been transformed from a defender to a roving right 
flank operator, and he is enjoying the change.

By TERRY MADDAFORD
Jonathan Perry has scored a couple of headline-grabbing goals for the 
Football Kingz this season, but nothing could
compare with the rocket he volleyed home to ensure their 3-1 win over 
Australian National Soccer League title
contenders Marconi on Friday night.
Substitutes Aaron Silva and Noah Hickey provided the lead-up, Perry the 
classic finish to one of the truly great goals of the season.
"I could not have hit it any better," Perry admitted before joining his 
team-mates at training yesterday. "I've scored four
[of the 48 scored by the Kingz] this season. A couple have been really good."
Not bad for a player who spent much of his early days as a defender but now 
relishes the roving right-flank role he has made his own.
Perry, a former captain of the New Zealand under-17 side who was picked out 
by Kevin Fallon for a scholarship to England in 1993, had four years in a professional 
environment with English club Barnsley.
"I had two years as an apprentice and two as a pro," said 23-year-old Perry 
"My contract had ended. I felt my time at
the club had run its course so I came home in time for the 1997-98 summer league."
He went back to Hamilton, where he played for Hamilton Wanderers and 
continued his studies at Waikato University
before joining North Shore and first coming into contact with Wynton and 
Shane Rufer.
He played for Metro in last year's North Island league.
"I jumped at the chance to sign for a year with the Kingz and I hope to 
re-sign for another year. I'm really enjoying
playing with them. Wynton and Shane have given me a bit more freedom with 
my wing-back role which means working on both attack and defence."
With one of the better disciplinary records in a team who get more red and 
yellow cards than most, Perry has played in all but two of the Kingz' 28 matches. 
He has not been booked since the January 7 away game against Carlton and 
hopes he can get through the remaining round-robin games without further problems.
While the coaching staff and management are still reluctant to talk about 
playoffs - the Kingz are now in ninth place
and six points out of the top six - Perry admits he and his team-mates are 
adamant they have to give the playoffs their best shot.
He said: "There is a very good team spirit. When you look at the away 
game against Melbourne Knights this weekend we know we have to win."

Forgotten man Muir likely to play at last for Chiefs
By CHRIS RATTUE

Waikato rugby icon Deon Muir is in line to play his first Super 12 match 
of the season against the Bulls on Saturday
because of an injury to fellow No 8 Isitolo Maka.
Muir has become a forgotten man in the Chiefs squad because of Maka's arrival.
The usual mix of forward reserves means teams do not carry extra 
specialist No 8s such as Muir. So after sharing the
No 8 position with Dylan Mika last year, Muir who has had 16 Super 12 
games has not even made it on to the bench this year.
The Chiefs have lost out on another loose forward option because Nick Holten, who has 
yet to play in the Super 12
this season because of injury, was sent off and suspended for a week for 
dangerous rucking in a club game last weekend.
Maka is suffering from fluid on the knee and is almost certain to be
ruled out of action for a week.
So Muir is set to run on to the field when the struggling Chiefs take on 
the similarly struggling South African Bulls at
Rotorua's International Stadium on Saturday night.
If he does make a return to the big-time, it will be a major opportunity 
for Muir. He is not the quickest loose forward in
the business but has been a central character in Waikato rugby with his 
strength in the tight exchanges.
Meanwhile, centre George Leaupepe (wrist) and first five-eighths Loki 
Crichton (ribs) are given increasingly good chances of playing at Rotorua, although Keith 
Lowen's strong second-half  performance against the Waratahs means he could well be 
named at centre anyway.
The powerful Lowen, who is nicknamed "Sumo," impressed with
his ability to bust through tackles and give a pass during the 
disappointing loss to the Waratahs in Hamilton on Sunday.
Never-on-Sunday fullback Todd Miller looks certain to return after 
stand-in Damian Karauna struggled against the
Waratahs, especially with his tactical kicking.
Bay of Plenty rugby chief executive Jon Brady has called on local fans 
to show their support for Saturday's game.
Brady said it was crucial to back the Chiefs so the stadium could host 
more Super 12 fixtures.
"The plans for the development of the stand and our lights makes us one 
of the best grounds within the Chiefs' region," he said.
The Chiefs have played in front of poor home crowds in Pukekohe and 
Hamilton this year, and barely 3000 people
were at Rugby Park for Sunday's match against the Waratahs.

Late additions to aid star Kiwi pair

Mike Dillon

Three additional runners to the original five nominations means there is at 
least the chance of seeing a genuine
pacemaker for Saturday's $A1million Mercedes Classic at Rosehill.
And that would be great news for the camps of Kiwi stars Showella and Rebel.
Both were greatly inconvenienced by the lack of pace in the $A400,000 
Ranvet Stakes, in which Showella was forced
to lead for the first time in her career.
Canterbury Cup winner Edward Brae, Mighty Pedrille and Bart Cummings' 
classy 3-year-old Cloth Of Gold yesterday
joined the original list of the Kiwi pair, Tie The Knot, Arena and Streak.
"We still don't know if there will be any real pace on, but there's at least more of a chance 
now," said Showella's trainer Frank Ritchie, who is desperate for his mare not to lead 
again.
Fellow Takanini trainer Stephen McKee says the pattern is right for
Gascoigne to perform well in today's Hamilton Cup in Victoria.
"It's his second run from a spell and usually he wins his second-up race," 
said co-trainer Stephen McKee yesterday.
"The only difference is this time it's 2200m on a testing track and usually 
he races over 2000m at his second start.
"But he's very well and his first-up run behind The Message at Ellerslie 
was excellent."
Linda Ballantyne, who has a good record on Gascoigne, has flown to 
Melbourne to take the ride. Trevor McKee flew
out on Monday night to supervise Sunline's gallop in Sydney yesterday and 
will be at the Hamilton Cup meeting
today, which is being covered by the New
Zealand TAB.
Gascoigne and stablemate Ebony Honor leave for Adelaide tomorrow, where 
Ebony Honor will run in Saturday's
$A100,000 Port Adelaide Guineas with Mark Sweeney inl the saddle.
Sweeney is also engaged for Moralee when the Taranaki filly makes her 
Australian debut in the $A100,000 Lakewood Stud Stakes.

Roger James has not given up hope of getting New Zealand Derby winner 
Hades to the Queensland winter carnival
despite having to miss the $A1 million AJC Derby.
Hades has had to be withdrawn from the Sydney carnival because a
niggling back problem  has not responded quickly enough.
James was forced to miss last weekend's $ A400,000  Rosehill Guineas and says the class 
3-year-old colt could not take on a race as tough as the AJC Derby without a lead run.
"We will keep our Queensland options open and see how he comes along in the next few 
weeks."
Despite the flood of money for Sunline for Saturday week's $A2.5 million 
Doncaster, Hire has been promoted to clear favourite.
The Sydney 3-year-old is the 3-1 favourite with bookmakers with Sunline on 
7-2. Hire was upset by
the track at Rosehill on Saturday, which clearly makes Sunline the safer risk if there is 
any rain around in Sydney next week.

Party Queen is tough in more ways than one. She has been declared a certain 
starter in Saturday's $60,000 Travis
Stakes at Te Rapa, despite a debilitating winning run in shocking conditions
 at Tauranga at the weekend.
There was barely one horse on the entire programme who was able to 
properly handle the deep and testing Tauranga footing.
Three-year-old fillies were particularly vulnerable to being flattened by the experience.
"She hasn't been affected by that race, in fact, if anything she's improved 
with it," said co-trainer Graeme Sanders yesterday 
Hamilton missed much of the heavy rain which devastated Tauranga and 
Waikato Racing Club racing manager John
Oatham said the Te Rapa track should be in reasonable condition for the Cambridge 
meeting on Saturday.
"That's provided the weather forecasts are accurate," he said.
"The track is 3.1 and easy today and if the weather stays pretty good as 
it's supposed to we will have a surface that's firm or easy. Even if it gets back to firm, 
it will be a typical autumn track."

Integrate in winning form

Trackwork

Integrate looked in superb order for the Travis Stakes at Te Rapa on 
Saturday when striding out at Matamata yesterday.
On a soft course proper, 24m out, Integrate gathered speed when joined by 
Te Akau Dancer at the 1200m. They came from there in 1:17.4, the 600 in an attractive 
38.4.
Ete Pins appeared to be travelling better than Catamarca at the end of 
1000m in 1:6.2, the 600 in 38.6. Hawkes Bay Cup candidate Cypress Bay hit out freely to 
return 1:22 for 1200, the 600 in 39.
Two Time Tart and Beaujolais kept on terms over 1200m in 1:19.4, the 600 in 
39. Connate went 1200 with Refused The Dance in 1:21.8, the 600 in 39.8.
Let's Cruise did well on her own to record 1:19.2 for 1200m and 38.2 from 
the 600. Hipwood and Gas covered 1000 in 1:8.2, the 600 in 38.8.
Grovana and Imperial Leather were on terms after 1200m in 1:19, the 600 in 38.6. 
Kohinoor and O'Malley's Boy took 1:7.2 for 1000, the 600 in 38.8.
Vivaldi was travelling smoothly alongside Coup De Coeur at the end of 1200 
in 1:19.2, the 600 in 39.4.
Evel Tanker and Bel Air hit out freely 3m out on an easy No 2 grass at 
Takanini, taking 1:0.6 for 1000m, the 600 in
37.3. Zaitan ran 1000 in 1:3.4, the 600 in 36.7.
Working late after the track had cut out, Latour ended 1000m in 1:1.2, the 
600 in 37.
Shaka galloped 1000 freely in 1:2, the 600 in 36.9. Creme De Honor did 
1200, the last 1000 with Be Boss in 1:1.3 and the 600 in 38. Lady Margaret and Winged 
Foot worked well at Te Awamutu, sprinting 1000m on
an easy No 1 grass in 1:0.5, the 600 in a smart 36.2.
Others who shone over 1000m were Mac 'N Fries and Magic Dancer, 1:1.8 
(36.9), Midnight Promise, 1:1.3 (37.2),
Vinter's Luck and Chantilly, 1:1.8 (36.5) and Tonka Toy and On A 
Pedestal, 1:2.2, the 600 in 36.2.
Cheeko and Status Quo galloped smoothly on a soft No 2 grass at Pukekohe, 
running their last 600m in 40.4. El Dante did similar work in 40.2.
Maserati headed Mr Faulkner from the 600m in 40.1. Hastings candidate 
Super Steele looked in good order when
sprinting from the 600 in 39.6. Ngaio and Tredunnock galloped on the 
course proper. Although not timed, both looked on target for Te Rapa on Saturday.
At Avondale the Te Rapa runner She's A Meanie was travelling better than 
Izalion at the end of 800m on a heavy sand
in 53.3, the 600 in 39.6. Race rival Spice Girl was impressive over 1000m 
on an easy No 1 grass in 1:5.3, quickening
from the 600 in 35.5.
Party Light and Arduous were among the smartest at Cambridge, covering 
1000m on a soft No 1 grass, 10m out, in
1:2.7, the 600 in 37. Regret and Our Enjoyment came in freely from the 
600 in 38.
Stop The Fight, who looks an early maiden winner, sprinted over the last 
600m of a round in 38.2.
Bachelor Of Arts showed his fitness for his local meeting on Saturday with a dashing 
1200m on an easy No 2 grass at Te Rapa in 1: 16.7, the 600 in 38.3.
Von Nida worked strongly over 1000m in 1:0.3, the 600 in 37.2. Foxman 
cruised over 1400 in 1:38.9, the last 600 in 38.1.

Inside running 
Fitness holding up
New Zealand's Olympic gymnasts have survived the first day of their final fitness test at 
the national championships in Auckland. David Phillips and Laura Robertson, both on the 
comeback from injury, must complete all routines on the final day today to go to Sydney. 
Phillips leads the men's event, while Robertson narrowly trails Alethea Boon for the 
national women's title.

Tough weekend
The New Zealand women's basketball team suffered the second loss of a difficult 
weekend when they lost 43-55 to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra yesterday.
Playing only 15 hours after losing 42-78 to the Australian Opals at the Olympic games 
venue in Sydney, the Tall Ferns did not bounce back in time for a 9 am start against the 
strong AIS team.
Soccer awards
Evergreen Fred de Jong was named the New Zealand Soccer Media player of the year at 
an annual awards dinner on Saturday, beating Ryan Nelsen and Kingz captain Harry 
Ngata.
United States-based Simon Elliott won the player's player award while All Whites and 
under-23 international Jeff Campbell took the young player award.
Brian Precious, of Auckland, was named top referee and New Zealand under-17 coach 
Kevin Fallon the top coach. The under-17 team took the trophy for the greatest 
contribution to the game.
League draw
The Warriors will host Canberra then play away against Wests Tigers and the Northern 
Eagles in what is a relatively kind opening to their 2001 season.


