Latest news with #ChristiaanKotze
RNZ News
20 hours ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Netball NZ wants World Netball to change international eligibility rules
Silver Ferns run onto court at the 2023 Netball World Cup. Photo: Christiaan Kotze/C&C Photo Agency / Photosport Netball New Zealand wants World Netball to amend its strict eligibility criteria, which prevents players representing two different countries at consecutive world cups. It's proposing that players should be able to compete in a World Cup for a tier two (lower ranked nation) without it impacting on their ability to then play for a tier one nation, that they are otherwise eligible for through citizenship or residency. The line between tier one and two nations would need to be determined but lower ranked countries in the Pacific, for example, like Samoa, Fiji and the Cook Islands, would no doubt fall under tier two. The current eligiblity rule also applies to Youth World Cups. In September this year the Netball World Youth Cup is taking place in Gibraltar. Any player who competes in the tournament will be locked out from competing for any other country for four years even if they have dual citizenship. But the national body thinks a player who is eligible for Samoa and New Zealand for example should be allowed to play in the World Youth Cup for Samoa but still be eligible to play for New Zealand post that event. "It's around representing your home country or country where you've got those cultural ties to but if you ultimately have desires to represent an Australia or a New Zealand, or an England - maybe representing your home nation shouldn't preclude you from doing that," said head of high performance Stephen Hotter. World Netball tightened up eligibility rules in the mid 2000s after prolific South Africa goal shoot Irene van Dyk and Fijian goal keep Vilimaina Davu were snatched up by the Silver Ferns not long after moving to New Zealand. Both were vital to the Silver Ferns winning the 2003 World Cup and had represented their home nations at the 1999 World Cup. The most high profile player to be affected by the existing rule was New Zealand born Cathrine Tuivaiti (née Latu), who also has Samoan and Tongan ancestry. Cathrine Tuivaiti had to go through a four-year stand down before she could play for the Silver Ferns. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Tuivaiti represented Samoa at the 2007 Netball World Cup. She then had to complete a four year stand-down from international netball to become eligible to play for the Silver Ferns. Netball New Zealand went all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to try to get her in the team for the 2011 World Cup but world sport's top judicial body rejected its bid. NNZs proposal is on the agenda to be discussed at next month's World Netball Congress. Hotter said with the Youth World Cup on the horizon, it brought the issue into focus. "That's the initial consideration, if we use that as an example - if they play for one country at the Youth World Cup they are then captured by that country for four years, that is until the conclusion of the next World Cup and so it's really just trying to explore flexibility around that," Hotter said. "Where they've got significant family or cultural ties, so it's the Pasifika players that we're considering here. And if there's some flexibility or at least some discussion around what that could look like to make the model slightly different then we propose that that discussion should be had. "There's been instances in the past where players have been locked into a certain country for a period of time even though they are eligible for another country and they want to explore representing them. "I think if there was a change in the rules it would enable some of the lower ranked nations to field more competitive teams which ultimately helps the competitive nature of any tournament but it also doesn't necessarily lock a 20-year-old into a country for four years, which can be a tough decision for a young adult to make." Serina Daunakamakama. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2025 A number of talented young players with Pasifika heritage are coming through the pathways in New Zealand. Stars defender Lili Tokaduadua could become eligible to play for New Zealand once she has lived in Aotearoa long enough to meet residency requirements under World Netball criteria. But if she played for her birth nation of Fiji at the Youth World Cup later this year, she would have to stand-down for four years before representing another country. The New Zealand Under 21 team to compete at the Youth World Cup in September is yet to be finalised. Steel midcourter Serina Daunakamakama, who was born in Fiji but moved to New Zealand with her family when she was young, is in the wider NZU21 squad. Former Silver Fern Linda Vagana played 64 tests for New Zealand between 1993 and 2002, before captaining Samoa at the end of her career. The Auckland-born defender later coached Samoa, her country of heritage. Vagana said dual heritage exists for many Pasifika peoples. "Our Pasifika peoples living abroad include individuals of first and second-generation, and that continues to grow. Many of our Pasifika people migrate to countries like Australia and New Zealand for better opportunities, education, employment and much more," Vagana said. She said changes to the rules should also apply in the other direction so that if someone played for a high ranked team at a World Cup, they should then be able to play for a lower ranked country which they had ties to. "If top ranked countries can benefit from having access to these players, it should also go the other way. With stronger squads, Pacific nations have a chance to would become more competitive and makes for greater diversity and excitement. We only need to look at how rugby is evolving with the greater opportunities to uplift Pasifika nations." Linda Vagana playing for the Silver Ferns in 2000. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Vagana played for the Silver Ferns at the 1999 World Cup and then played for Samoa at the 2003 World Cup before the rules were tightened. She said the existing rules meant young netballers were forced into having to make tough decisions. "Many players feel a strong connection to their Pacific roots but are forced to choose one nation permanently. "Some players won't make themselves available because they're afraid of jeopardising future opportunities to play for countries like New Zealand or Australia. The reality is, even if they wait, there's no guarantee they'll be selected and in the end, they might not represent any country at all. "Opportunities are taken away from them because they only have one option - whether to get on the New Zealand pathway for example, which is a massive pull, or play for a Pacific nation and then miss out on New Zealand later." She said World Netball should change the rules to help lower ranked teams be more competitive. "They've fallen short in their strategies to grow, engage, and inspire … if the sport is to truly expand globally, we need to keep more elite players active internationally. Just imagine how much more competitive the sport could become - Pacific nations would be significantly stronger on the world stage if they had access to their top talent. "It would help level the disparities in top-tier competition and resource allocation and promote greater global equity and inclusion within netball." Vagana said she had been encouraged by watching more Pasifika talent coming through the Australian pathways and she hoped Australia would support a rule change. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The 42
2 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Can Leinster take that final step and end their trophy wait?
JAKE WHITE DIDN'T HANG around in pointing out that the Bulls are underdogs for this Saturday. The South Africans arrived in Ireland yesterday, happily embracing the fact that Leinster are favourites. 'We have to travel to play an international team,' is how White put it before they left Pretoria. 'It's going to be tough. It's going to be like Ireland versus the Bulls.' For effect, the experienced head coach told the South African media that the Bulls needed a higher power on their side. 'Prayer… prayer is what we need,' he said. 'I don't say this lightly. We need prayer.' White clearly hadn't thought all of this through as he said the Bulls had earned 'a lotto ticket' by reaching the final, but that they had a '50% chance of winning' in Croke Park. We'd love to get in on that kind of lottery. Privately, he will be reminding his Bulls players of their fine record against Leinster. They beat the Irish province in the URC semi-finals in 2022 and 2024, the first of those in Dublin. Advertisement They've also won against Leinster in two regular-season games in Pretoria, albeit those took place without most of the Ireland internationals that White was alluding to in his preview of Saturday's final. Still, the Bulls haven't been a good match-up for Leinster since joining the URC. Their power in contact, varied kicking, destructive scrummaging, pace out wide, and sprinkling of creativity from the likes of Willie le Roux mean they're a formidable outfit. As with any good South African team, their pursuit of success will begin with a focus on the set-piece. Like Leinster, the Bulls have yet to win the URC. Unlike Leinster, they've already been in two finals. White's men lost to the Stormers in Cape Town in 2022, then at home to Glasgow in last season's decider. They're certainly not an unbeatable force, but they will take some beating. It seems unlikely that the Bulls will be overpowered in the same manner that Glasgow were last weekend. Leinster deserve credit for dominating their Scottish semi-final opposition, but the South Africans are unlikely to be as meek. Ross Byrne and Garry Ringrose after last season's semi-final in Pretoria. Steve Haag Sports / Christiaan Kotze/INPHO Steve Haag Sports / Christiaan Kotze/INPHO / Christiaan Kotze/INPHO Leinster are viewed as 10-point favourites by some bookies. They have been fancied in finals before, of course. They have plenty of doubters at the moment. Many commentators feared that Glasgow would do a job on them last weekend. The vicious physical edge to Leinster's performance and the increased accuracy probably settled many of their supporters' nerves but the job is not complete. Leo Cullen and Jacques Nienaber's side will surely need to deliver something even better this weekend. The doubts and worries around Leinster stem from their recent history. They have ultimately come up short under intense pressure since winning their most recent trophy in an empty RDS in 2021. 'I think you do acknowledge all of them and what is the honest truth and facts about them,' said attack coach Tyler Bleyendaal of how Leinster have addressed their past. 'The Bulls, we haven't played well against them in the last five outings. Finals, we haven't performed in the finals to the grand final level in the past. We've acknowledged it, but we've also got a fresh opportunity which we have been talking about. 'We're excited for the opportunity. We understand what we are playing for. Then there is just trust that we're all aligned and the players are going to go and perform well.' So now the question is whether Leinster will perform to a grand final level. There were encouraging signs last weekend and the likelihood is that if the home team play close to their potential, they will be too good for the Bulls. Nienaber will want the best defensive performance of the season, Robin McBryde will hope to see Leinster's set-piece excel, Seán O'Brien will demand violence at the breakdown, and Bleyendaal is keen for the attack to fire again. Yet Bleyendaal highlighted that finals can often be 'scrappy.' The real key to getting over the line seems to be whether Leinster handle the big moments well. That wasn't the case in their recent Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton, when it appeared that the pressure left them inaccurate and led to some overthinking. Leinster head coach Leo Cullen. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO The weight of the world sometimes seems to be on Leinster when they play big games like this one, so it wasn't surprising to hear Cullen talking about how important it is that they enjoy their work this week. Bleyendaal always comes across as a relaxed figure in the set-up. There don't tend to be many smiles when the broadcasters show us the Leinster coaching box, but the Kiwi coach often seems to be enjoying games as they unfold. 'I feel like I'm pretty level throughout the week, throughout the match and the messages I give,' said Bleyendaal. 'I think it's probably a good, balanced coaching group in that regard.' Leinster need a nice balance of calm heads and a vicious edge this weekend. A blend of red heads and blue heads.
RNZ News
02-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Springboks to face Deans-coached Barbarians in Cape Town
Photo: PHOTOSPORT World champions South Africa will host the Robbie Deans-coached Barbarians in their 2025 season opener in Cape Town on June 28 It is the first time in the 135-year history of the Barbarians they will play in South Africa, and they will be coached by experienced New Zealander Robbie Deans, with former All Blacks lock Sam Whitelock an assistant. Dejected All Black players after losing the match during the New Zealand All Blacks v South Africa Springboks rugby union match at Mbombela Stadium, South Africa on Saturday 6 August 2022. 2022 Lipovitan-D Rugby Championship. Mandatory credit: © Christiaan Kotze / Photo: Christiaan Kotze The Springboks will use the fixture as preparation for their three home games in July, two of which are against Italy and the other versus Georgia. "For us this will be the perfect opportunity to get the players match-ready for the official international season, which starts a week later," Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus said. "There is nothing like a proper international with the full build-up and the pressure to get the players battle ready, so this is a great occasion for us." - Reuters
