Diving - Rivals out to Break Would Don the Number 10 Jersey, with Sopoaga, Beauden Barrett and Colin Slade All in Contention
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SPORTS SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015 World giants Springboks, All Blacks square up JOHANNESBURG: South Africa host world champions in Christchurch. With the southern hemisphere tourna- Cup triumph has chosen three right wingers, three centre New Zealand at Ellis Park today in the latest episode of a ment trimmed from six rounds to three because the World partnerships, three scrum-halves and three lock pairings. rivalry between the top two ranked rugby nations that Cup kicks off on September 18 in England, the All Blacks So deep is the reservoir of All Blacks talent, first-choice invariably delivers drama. Last year at the same could clinch a fourth consecutive title this weekend. A fly-half Dan Carter and centre-cum-offload magician Johannesburg stadium, a monster last-minute penalty bonus-point New Zealand victory and a home win for Sonny Bill Williams have been ‘rested’ for the Ellis Park goal by replacement fly-half Patrick Lambie earned the Argentina over Australia in which no bonus points are game. “We have got to develop combinations and versatil- Springboks a rare recent victory. It was only the second secured would give the title-holders an unassailable six- ity,” stresses Hansen, “because if a player is injured during loss suffered by the No 1-ranked All Blacks since they won point advantage with one round left. the World Cup he is out for the rest of the tournament. the 2011 World Cup in Auckland, and ended a run of five But when the Test begins as dusk envelopes African “Facing South Africa will be a pressure situation and there consecutive victories over their greatest rivals. Despite financial hub Johannesburg, rival coaches Heyneke Meyer is no better place than Johannesburg to get answers home advantage and the backing of most in an expected and Steve Hansen will have one eye on the Championship about players.” He will demand a plan to stop South sell-out 62,000 crowd, the Springboks start as underdogs and one on the World Cup. All Blacks handler Hansen has Africa copying Argentina, who scored two tries in quick in the Rugby Championship second-round showdown. rung the changes when announcing three starting line- succession off driving mauls from line-outs. Driving-maul South Africa surrendered a 13-point lead when losing ups, with the visit to Johannesburg preceded by a 25-16 tries are a Springbok speciality with flanker Heinrich at the death in Australia last Saturday a day after New Test win in Samoa and the pounding of the Pumas. The Brussow, recalled after four years in the Test wilderness, a Zealand cruised to a five-try 39-18 victory over Argentina coach who succeeded Graham Henry after the 2011 World regular scorer. —AFP Sopoaga, Broadhurst to debut for All Blacks JOHANNESBURG: Playmaker Lima Sopoaga and towering lock James Broadhurst will debut for the All Blacks against South Africa in Johannesburg today as the world champions continue to blood new talent ahead of the World Cup. With coach Steve Hansen eager to build his squad’s depth, the pair are among seven changes to the starting line-up that beat Argentina 39-18 in their Rugby Championship opener last week. In the forwards, Dane Coles replaces Keven Mealamu as hooker, with Liam Messam taking Jerome Kaino’s spot at blindside flanker and Broadhurst edg- ing out Luke Romano. In the backs, Conrad Smith replaces centre Sonny Bill Williams, Aaron Smith comes in at half-back for TJ Perenara KAZAN: A diver trains before the opening ceremony of the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan yesterday. — AFP and Ben Smith replaces the injured Waiseke Naholo on the right wing. With Dan Carter being rested, the biggest selection debate for the Test was who Diving - Rivals out to break would don the number 10 jersey, with Sopoaga, Beauden Barrett and Colin Slade all in contention. Sopoaga, who China’s diving domination helped steer the Otago Highlanders to a Super 15 win this year, said he was KAZAN: German duo Patrick Hausding and Sascha Olympic 10m platform gold medalist, will be drop- 3m springboard at the world series event in April. thrilled to be making his debut in the Klein insist they face a near-mission impossible in ping down to compete in the three meters individ- Surprisingly He Chong, the 28-year-old 2008 cauldron of Ellis Park. “They call it a Test their bid to stop China dominating the diving at ual and synchronized in Kazan. Olympic champion in the 3m springboard and for a reason, to test whether you’re good the world aquatic championships, which start “As a former platform diver, it is going to be the three-time world champion, has failed to qualify for enough, I guess we’ll find out today’s today. Two years ago in Barcelona, Hausding and first time for me to compete in the springboard at a the event, leaving younger brother He Chao to car- night whether I am or not,” he told Klein won gold in the synchronized 10 meter plat- world championships and I have a great number of ry the family name in Kazan. “It is weird that my reporters. form to prevent a Chinese sweep as their divers pressures,” said the 20-year-old, who started diving older brother is unable to compete with me Hansen said the 24-year-old needed claimed nine of the ten world titles on offer. aged five. “Obviously we are facing some great together since competing with him has also been to replicate the skills he had shown for Chinese divers have an enviable record in recent opponents from other countries, such as the UK’s my dream,” said He, who won 1m springboard the Highlanders at Test level. “First and major events. They claimed six out of eight golds at Jack Laugher and Russia’s Evgeny Kuzenetsov and gold at last year’s Asian games. foremost, he’s got to be able to drive the the London 2012 Olympics and won ten out of ten Ilya Zkharov.” Zkharov, the Olympic 3m individual “It’s going to be my first ever world champi- team around the park,” he said. “He’s got on home soil when the world championships were springboard champion, will have the home crowd onships, and I do not know what to expect. “My a good kicking game, a good running held in Shanghai four years ago, as well as seven behind him, as will his 3m synchro partner older brother has been one of best springboard game and it’s these things we’re looking out of eight victories at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Kuzenetsov, who has world and Olympic silver divers in the world, and I hope that I could reach at.” Broadhurst had a breakthrough year This time around in Kazan, Russia, Chinese medals in the event. Tom Daley, 21, will lead the my goal at the international competitions.” There with the Wellington Hurricanes this sea- divers will again be the ones to beat. Hausding British diving team looking to better the 10m plat- promises to be a battle royal in the men’s 10m plat- son, helping them to the Super 15 final. admits the German pair have their work cut out to form bronze he won at the London Olympics hav- form in the final diving event on August 2 with Hansen said the 26-year-old, who stands repeat their gold-medal winning feat when their ing finished second in this year’s world series to Daley up against Chinese platform stars Yang Jian, 2.01 meters (six foot six inches) tall, event takes place on Sunday. “If you look at things China’s Yang Jian. the 2014 world cup winner, and twice world cham- would need to muscle up against the realistically, gold isn’t really there for us. Once But 20-year-old Jack Laugher from Yorkshire, pion Qiu Bo. Wu Minxia, the four-time Olympic Springboks. “It’s a step-up physically. again, the Chinese would have to do us a favor and England, is another name to watch out for having gold medalist, will be competing at women’s 3m He’s probably not going to get too many slip up,” said Hausding ahead of the action at seen off Hausding and Cao to win the three metre synchronized springboard this Sunday with her more bigger challenges from a physical Kazan’s Aquatics Palace. “Our goal is a medal to be springboard by winning three of the six world partner, Shi Tingmao in an event the Chinese pair point of view,” he said. “He’s got to be sure of our place for the Olympics.” In Barcelona, series meetings. He has already tasted success in have made their own. They have not lost any inter- right in the heart of it. The tight five is the Chinese pair of Cao Yuan and Zhang Yanquan Kazan after becoming the only non-Chinese diver national competitions since they started to work where Test matches are won.”— AFP could only finish third and Cao, the 2012 London to take the gold in the men’s events, winning the together in 2013. — AFP .