TUESDAY, MAY 30, 2017 SPORTS Oracle goes 2-1 to take lead in America’s Cup qualifiers

NEW YORK: Two-time defending cham- sign for a country that’s tried for 166 2013 America’s Cup on San Francisco today, after which one challenger will be of the physical side for the guys.” pion Oracle Team USA won’t go unde- years to win back the silver trophy it lost Bay. “We actually made quite a lot of eliminated. Oracle will then train on its Oracle recovered from a bad start feated in this America’s Cup regatta and to the schooner America in 1851. them, especially early on in the first two own while the challengers sail their against Land Rover BAR and passed the Groupama Team France won’t go win- Oracle, skippered by Australia Jimmy starts. As we saw today, if you sailed semifinals and finals. Brits about halfway through the race. less. On an afternoon of light, shifty Spithill, beat Land Rover BAR by 39 sec- well, the boat speed really didn’t matter. Beating Artemis by 3 seconds “was The American lead grew as Land Rover winds on the turquoise waters of onds, lost to Artemis by 39 seconds, and It was really about trying to avoid all really good for the team,” French skipper BAR came off its foils and buried its Bermuda’s Great Sound, Oracle won two routed stablemate SoftBank Team Japan those minefields out there.” Franck Cammas said. “They worked two bows in the water just after the weather of three races to take a two-point lead in by 54 seconds. This is the first time the years for that. It’s good for the mind, it’s mark, a recurring problem. the America’s Cup qualifiers. Groupama defender has sailed against challengers FULL CREDIT good for the maturation for the next Artemis skipper Nathan Outteridge, Team France opened Sunday’s racing in the preliminaries. If Oracle wins the Oracle has five points, followed by days.” With the weekend crowded due to also an Aussie, got the best of Spithill at with a stunning upset of Artemis Racing qualifiers, it will carry a one-point bonus Emirates Team Zealand and Land Rover Friday’s schedule being blown out by the start of their race. Oracle got close, of Sweden. into the first-of-seven America’s Cup BAR with three apiece. Land Rover BAR too much wind, Oracle was the only but Artemis played the shifts for a big Britain’s Land Rover BAR got its foiling match beginning June 17. entered with two bonus points from team to sail three races Sunday. It win. Oracle had no trouble against 50-foot catamaran patched up overnight Spithill is determined to get that preliminary regattas, while Oracle swapped out two of the workhorse SoftBank Team Japan, which is led by after a frightening collision with point, even if the team, owned by soft- entered with one bonus point. Artemis grinders per race. Due to the way the Dean Barker, the former skipper of SoftBank Team Japan on Saturday. But ware billionaire Larry Ellison, isn’t always has two points and SoftBank Team rotation works, Aussie Ky Hurst sailed Emirates Team New Zealand. The two skipper Ben Ainslie and crew gave up perfect. “It was a day where it was really Japan and France one apiece. the last two races. syndicates shared a design package, but the lead in their two races and were easy to make mistakes,” said Spithill, who Oracle is finished with the first round “Give full credit to the boys; three SoftBank Team Japan, a startup syndi- beaten handily by Oracle and Emirates led Oracle to a rousing comeback win robin, which continues with three races races,” Spithill said. “The guys are in great cate, is clearly behind on the sailing Team New Zealand. That’s not a good over Emirates Team New Zealand in the ahead. The second round robin starts shape, so it’s not really an issue in terms front.—AP

RUGBY ARU still committed to axing team

SYDNEY: Australia Chairman “We’re certainly hopeful that the process Cameron Clyne yesterday refused to rule we announced back in April will come to a out the prospect of all five Super Rugby conclusion at some point,” he said. franchises surviving into next season but “I can’t predict when that will be. A lot of said the governing body remained commit- elements of this are outside of our control. ted to the process of removing one. “When we made the announcement, Clyne told reporters that the ARU had teams commenced legal action that very reluctantly agreed to call an Extraordinary day ... when you’ve got that process, it General Meeting on June 20 to discuss the takes time. “We’ll continue to try and move cull of the Western Force or the Melbourne the process forward as fast as we possibly Rebels, as Super Rugby contracts from 18 can, dependent on the other parties.” to 15 teams for next year. Asked directly whether there was a pos- He also said the moratorium on all five sibility that all five Australian teams would franchises signing contracts with players still be around next year, Clyne said: had been lifted and reaffirmed that the “We’re still working to our announce- ARU would honour all deals, even for a ment, our intention is to work towards four teams. We haven’t changed our view on that.” Clyne said he was keen to clarify some matters that had gone unchallenged in the media. The Brumbies had not been considered for the chop, he said, because they had been Australia’s most successful franchise, had a strong high performance pathway and had the least call on the ARU “from a financial perspective”. Mergers, such as has been suggested for the Brumbies and Rebels, tended to alien- LANGFORD: New Zealand Black Fern Sevens celebrate on the podium after their 17-7 gold final victory over Canada in the Women’s Sevens ate both sets of fans, he added, and Rugby Canada tournament at Westhills Stadium in Langford, BC, Canada, on Sunday. — AFP required closer “geographical proximity” to succeed. ATHLETICS He also dismissed as “total rubbish” reports that the ARU was willing to pay up to A$6 million to buy out the private owner of the Melbourne team, a purported offer Thiam breaks 7000-points, that was, in any case, publicly rejected by Rebels managing director Andrew Cox. “If we had that sort of money we would- Johnson-Thompson falls short Cameron Clyne n’t be in this situation, we’re in this to save money,” Clyne added. “We negotiated a situation so we could GOETZIS: Olympic champion Nafissatou Thiam team that was removed from the competi- put money back into the grass roots. recorded the third highest heptathlon points tion. As for the central decision of which “I know there’s a lot of emotion and pas- total of 7013 at the Hypo Meeting on Sunday, team would be culled, originally promised sion around this, but the game is struggling while Briton Katarina Johnson-Thompson in mid-April, Clyne was unable to offer (and) we’ve also got to consider that if we missed out on the top three despite recording a news of any progress in protracted negoti- don’t have a sustainable game going for- personal best. ations which have caused huge damage to ward, that’s not in the interests of players Belgian Thiam became the fourth woman to the reputation of the ARU. and fans either.” — Reuters break the 7000-point barrier, topping the com- petition record at the IAAF Combined Events Challenge meeting in Goetzis, Austria. Germany’s Carolin Schaefer finished second on 6836 ahead of third-placed Latvian Laura Read makes his mark as Ikauniece-Admidina, who scored 6815. All three women scored more than Thiam’s the gold- medal winning score of 6810 in the 2016 Rio All Blacks captain Olympics. England’s Johnson-Thompson ended with a personal best of 6691 points, the highest WELLINGTON: Kieran Read spent a long “I like growing people and try to get to not win a podium position, as she finished time learning from Richie McCaw but he that individual touch with a lot of the lads fourth, but the 24-year-old remains positive. always knew he would have to do things to get as much out of them as I can,” he “I know I’m in a good place where I’m not get- his own way if he was to make his mark as said. “That’s how I like to lead.” Read ting to my ceiling. I feel like my heptathlon is All Blacks skipper when the time came to showed promise in rugby but took time to wide open to make those changes and I’m in a succeed world rugby’s most successful grow out of his cricketer’s physique. positive place,” Johnson-Thompson told captain. Once describing himself as a “skinny reporters. Along with the All Blacks coach, and white boy”, Read was tall and athletic with “I’m absolutely over the moon with every- New Zealand Prime Minister of course, the explosive speed but struggled to increase thing I’ve done this weekend because I know it’s captain is one of the most heavily scruti- his weight above 90 kilograms, his former a building block towards better things in the nised figures in the country. Stepping into Canterbury coach Rob Penney told the future. “I’ve only got one PB (personal best) this twice World Cup winner and three times New Zealand Herald in 2011. “We knew he weekend so I feel very positive.” World Player of the Year McCaw’s shoes would fill out into a really robust, physical Johnson-Thompson also said that she was brought extra attention. man,” Penney said. “(But) he wasn’t going hopeful of winning a medal in the near future. When the appointment was confirmed, to be someone that was going to be an “My goal in the heptathlon has always been Read said he had served his apprentice- overnight success because he needed the to score 7,000 points and I feel she (Thiam) is ship under McCaw and now it was his time physical development and a lot of techni- going to get me over the line because it will to lead from the front. “I learnt a lot from cal help as well. “But he had the raw talent inspire and motivate me to go further and bet- Richie. ... But from now I want to be my and the raw physicality that we knew, giv- ter,” Johnson-Thompson said. “It’s the highest own person,” Read told Fairfax Media last en time, could be nurtured and developed fourth-place score ever so it gives me hope that year. “I can’t try to emulate what he’s done. into something pretty special.” a medal is within reach.” —Reuters Nafissatou Thiam I’ve just got to be Kieran Read.” Read’s first year in charge could have THE TALISMAN been a tricky one. The retirement from Penney’s assessment proved correct. A Great expectations as Lions prepare for best and worst international rugby of a core group of vet- more robust Read, who now weighs 110kg, erans after the 2015 World Cup saw more won the World Player of the Year award in WELLINGTON: Past and present All Blacks have Blacks, who go into camp after the June 10 clash in NZ$25 million and similar estimates are projected than 600 test caps’ worth of experience 2013 and is widely considered the best swamped television advertisements for the British . this year. On the field, however, the Lions are well disappear from the team. number eight in the game. He still uses his and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand with a succinct The tour, which opens on June 3 in Whangarei aware they have won just one previous series in But instead of a post-World Cup dip in pace to great effect but he has also message. It is simply, “the greatest series” and for against a team drawn from New Zealand’s semi- New Zealand, when the 1971 side coached by form, the All Blacks picked up where they become a brutal defender. His thundering once the claim is hardly marketing hyperbole. professional provincial competition however, does Carwyn James clinched a 2-1 victory with the had left off, with Read’s side, less conserva- tackle on Australia fullback Israel Folau in Never has a Lions side arrived in New Zealand not get easier. fourth test a 14-14 draw at . tive than under McCaw, thrashing their fel- the opening seconds of the 2015 World with greater expectation. England, who have pro- A clash against the Maori All Blacks has been It is not coincidental that two of the three tests low southern hemisphere teams with a Cup final set the tone for the All Blacks in vided 15 of the 41 players, are currently ranked scheduled for Rotorua on June 17, where Gatland, on the tour will be held at the revenue-maximising high-octane attacking approach. Against their 34-17 victory. second in the world behind the All Blacks while who has to juggle building momentum while tri- venue. Ireland in and France in Paris they Read is also a primary lineout target coach Warren Gatland added 11 from Ireland, who alling combinations, is likely to give his first test The All Blacks have not lost there since 1994, a also showed that when they had turn up and a key to the All Blacks’ kicking game, are fourth and hammered the world champions side an opportunity to play together before they run of 36 victories and one draw, while they are the physicality and respond to whatever either from restarts or to put pressure on for the first time last year in Chicago. face ’s team. also unbeaten in New Zealand since 2009 — a was being thrown at them, they could do the opposition. Gatland also selected 12 Welsh players, While only the Auckland Blues and of sequence of 45 successive wins. The world cham- that too, even if sections of the European The only concern for coach Steve including tour captain Sam Warburton, whom the five Super Rugby sides will be at full strength, pions, however, have had a run of injuries to sever- media thought they had crossed the line. Hansen is whether he can get through the he knows well through his day job as coach of the dominance of New Zealand teams in the com- al players with captain Kieran Read and Jerome Lions series unscathed, having battled the Wales side. petition over the last two years has shown how Kaino only expected to return from surgery after CRICKETING OPTION with concussion, ankle and knee injuries. That familiarity will no doubt aid the former All much depth the rugby-mad country has. the Lions have arrived. Read has always seemed destined to He barely played at all this season due Blacks hooker in gelling 41 players from four differ- “It’s a tough place to go,” former Scotland - First-choice hooker also remains become a New Zealand skipper, though to wrist surgery last year and then suffer- ent countries with little preparation time. Because tain Gavin Hastings, who led the Lions on their under a lingering concussion cloud, but Hansen not always as an All Black. An accom- ing a broken thumb a month ago. of club commitments at the end of the long 1993 tour of New Zealand, told the BBC. “You’ve has said he expects most of his players to be avail- plished top-order batsman, he played sen- “Captaincy aside he’s the talisman of European season, only 14 players attended a train- got to face up to it. There’s no hiding place. There able. Hansen also had one other expectation. The ior club cricket in south Auckland at 15. His the forwards,” former number eight Zinzan ing camp in two weeks ago while a few never has been and never will be.” One comfort for Lions would be under more pressure than his side. maturity and ability to fit into an adult Brooke wrote in a column for more arrived in Dublin last week. the Lions, however, will be the support of an esti- “It is the strongest Lions squad I have seen in a environment while still a teenager allblacks.com. “This guy brings plenty of Gatland therefore might not get a chance to mated 20,000 travelling fans, who are just as rabid long time with a lot of depth (and) ... there will be impressed many of his early coaches. leadership qualities and decision making. see some of the players he is considering for the and knowledgeable as their local counterparts a massive expectation on them,” he told ’s After being lured south to Christchurch, He’s seriously influential and a proper first test on June 24 until the third game of the and arrive with full wallets. The Telegraph newspaper. “The Lions will have to Read took a more academic look at leader- workhorse who has a bit of x-factor. tour against the Canterbury Crusaders. The match The last tour in 2005 generated a total econom- learn to deal with it ... (and) would be foolish to ship, enrolling in a sports coaching degree “Would I be scared if he went down at against the seven-times champions will be the last ic benefit of about NZ$250 million ($176.48 mil- think that there’s not an expectation there for at the . the start of this series? You bet.” — Reuter Super Rugby side where the Lions face any All lion), with New Zealand Rugby pocketing almost them to do well.” — Reuters