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NZ Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
New Plymouth racing success for Dannevirke couple: John Jenkins
Shelbyrock'n is prepared by Woodville trainer Shane Brown, and the mare's success took his career tally of wins to just one short of a century. She was also recording her second win on the New Plymouth track after she took out the $80,000 Interprovincial Championship (1600m) there in August 2023. The mare won at odds of 19 to one that day and was again relatively overlooked by the punters last Saturday, returning a win dividend of $11.60. Shelbyrock'n excels on wet, loose tracks and got conditions to suit last Saturday. She is also a noted front-runner, and being able to race in or near the pace was a definite advantage at the meeting, with all but one of the winners on the seven-race card winning from the front. Apprentice jockey Elle Sole bounced Shelbyrock'n out quickly from the barrier, and they soon took a clear lead. Sole kept the mare just a couple of lengths clear of the opposition until the 700m, when she decided to apply a bit more pressure, and they opened up a five-length lead on the opposition coming to the home turn. Sole kept her mount up to the mark in the home straight, and the mare maintained a strong gallop to win untested. Sole had won earlier in the day aboard Charm Zafarm with a similar front-running ride and was confident of a good performance when she was legged aboard Shelbyrock'n. 'She was a lot quieter today when I got on her, and once we cleared the gates so well I knew she was ready for a big effort,' said Sole. 'She just travelled so sweetly, and when I let her slide she was full of running. In the straight I was too scared to look behind me as I wasn't sure who was chasing, but when I got back to the jockey's room and saw the replay I couldn't believe just how far in front we were. 'She just relished the track conditions after struggling at Trentham last time, and when she can get her own way in front she just fights and fights. 'Rounding the home bend, she was going that well I was pretty sure she was the winner, but I wasn't taking any chances.' Shelbyrock'n certainly has breeding to back up her racing ability. She was bred by Waikato Stud out of the Pins mare Joy, with her grandam being the Centaine mare Gio, whose progeny included the Group 3 winner Crepe De Chine. Small and Anstis had a racing share in the former Guy Lowry- and Grant Cullen-trained mare Savvy Dreams, who won only two races but finished third in the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks, second in the Group 3 Lowland Stakes and fourth in both the Group 1 Thorndon Mile and Group 1 Bonecrusher Stakes. The daughter of Savabeel was also placed fourth in the Group 1 South Australian Derby (2500m) in Adelaide. The couple now also have a share in a daughter of Savvy Dreams called Sol De Otono, a mare prepared by the Hastings combination of Guy Lowry and Leah Zydenbos, who has recorded three seconds and two thirds from 10 starts. The 4-year-old daughter of The Autumn Sun is spelling at present but is expected to return to the racetrack in the spring. Former HB pair win at Oamaru Candle and Speed Dial, two horses formerly prepared by Lowry and Zydenbos, were both successful for new trainer Richard Didham at last Sunday's Oamaru meeting. Lowry is the co-breeder of Candle and Speed Dial and still owns both horses. However, after thinking they were both limited in what they could achieve in the North Island, he decided to lease them to clients of Christchurch trainer Didham, and they joined his stable a couple of months ago. Candle was the winner of three races when based in Hastings, the most recent being over 1200m on the Hastings track in December 2023. The daughter of Super Easy covered extra ground to finish a respectable eighth for Didham at Ashburton on July 3, and was neglected by punters in Sunday's $40,000 Glenmoa Farms Trophy (1200m), returning $22 for a win. Drawing the extreme outside barrier, jockey Leah Hemi opted to settle back in the last pair aboard Candle while Master Marko drove through to take the lead. The field fanned wide across the track turning for home, but Hemi stuck to the inside and Candle quickly burst into contention, outsprinting Lise Paree to score by three-quarters of a length. Didham was delighted with the result, having also combined with Hemi earlier on the card to take out the Hart Memorial (1400m) with Speed Dial. 'It's been a great day,' he said. 'It was really nice of Guy Lowry to lease her [Candle] down to me, and I've only had her for one start. Things didn't go her way at Ashburton, and today, it was a gun ride by Leah. She stayed on the fence, never went around a horse and was too good. 'She's run against a lot of nice horses; she ran second to Provence at Auckland, which is great form. 'I'm just thankful to everyone that had got us here today.' Out of No Excuse Needed mare Flare, Candle has now won four of her 21 starts and over $110,000 in stakes. Speed Dial broke through for a deserved maiden win after recording four seconds and two thirds from her previous 15 starts. The Time Test 4-year-old was bred by Lowry in partnership with Little Avondale Stud and is out of the unraced Towkay mare Queen Alley. Cameron due to make a return Former champion jockey and apprentice Matt Cameron took another significant step toward his return to race riding this week. Cameron was in action on Tuesday at the Avondale trials, where he placed in two of his five rides in testing conditions. 'The track was extremely heavy, but I pulled up well, so that was really good,' he said. The 38-year-old hasn't ridden for nearly a year after a well-documented disqualification, and has subsequently made significant changes, including a move north away from the Waikato. 'I'm based at Karaka/Drury and shifted there from Waiheke Island, where I was working at the Man O'War Winery while I was off and enjoyed that,' Cameron said. 'I've done three or four weeks of trackwork and been going down to Cody Cole's place at Matamata a few times a week. 'I've also been to Byerley Park to ride a few for Donna Logan and the odd gallops at Cambridge. 'Donna was a big supporter of mine over the years when she was first training in New Zealand.' Cameron has kept active in his time away and is happy with his current fitness level. 'I've been doing a lot of running to keep as fit as possible and my weight has been good, I don't struggle with it like some unfortunately do,' he said. 'I was also walking about 15km every day while I was working at the winery.' Cameron is hopeful of reigniting his riding career in early August. 'I have to do everything right, and I am looking at getting back riding in the first week of the new season, maybe at Ruakākā on August 2 or soon after that,' he said. Cameron established himself as one of the leading jockeys in the country with a career tally of 1485 winners, 109 at Group or Listed level, and he has 18 Group 1 successes to his credit. He won the National Jockeys' Premiership in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons, with 143 and 155 winners respectively, and won 60 in the 2005/06 term to be crowned Champion Apprentice. Big plans ahead for Ladies Man Dual Group 1 winner Ladies Man returned to the trials at Foxton on Tuesday and is on track for another Group 1 spring preparation. Trainer Allan Sharrock was pleased with the rising 8-year-old's 1000m hit-out, and he said he had positive feedback from senior hoop Kelly Myers. 'He went a nice trial and Kelly said he felt well,' Sharrock said. 'He has only had three quiet gallops, so he was always going to blow out, but it's onwards and upwards.' The son of Zed scored his first elite-level scalp in the Group 1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings two years ago, and the spring feature is once again on his radar. 'I will nominate him for the mile [previously known as the Group 1 Arrowfield Stud Plate] and the 2000m [previously known as the Livamol Classic],' Sharrock said. 'He will probably have a run before the mile, possibly at New Plymouth. He has won a Livamol before. We are all up in the air with the change in venues, but I am really happy with him, so we will head towards those Group 1 races.'
Irish Times
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
IRFU's ‘A' Interprovincial Championship providing valuable game time for players
Last weekend Leinster won the reconstituted 'A' Interprovincial Championship by beating Ulster 35-21 at Gibson Park, a result that went unheralded in the media – not even worth a brief with the scoreline, never mind a report. The teams contained a liberal sprinkling of outstanding young talent alongside several names that will be familiar from the senior provincial match day squads. The IRFU relaunched the competition with a view to not only celebrating its 150th anniversary but also as a playing outlet going forward to provide game time. The IRFU's performance director David Humphreys said at the time: 'With the success of the Emerging Ireland tours, coupled with the return of an 'A' international against England next year, it is vital that we continue to provide players at provincial and club levels with opportunities to impress outside of the traditional URC and EPCR fixture windows. 'Discussions have been ongoing for some time to provide players with meaningful games and all four provinces are unanimously supportive of this competition. It is also great to see provinces taking matches around their local clubs.' READ MORE Despite the lukewarm reaction from mainstream media and supporters, the tournament has proved to be a godsend for academy players in the four provinces, for whom the majority would otherwise have been largely limited to playing AIL club matches. Nothing wrong with that if a player is lining out in Division 1A but there's a significant drop-off in standard for every rung of the ladder beneath. There is no substitute for matches, where practice examines theory. All the training and gym work in the world can help to nurture, but won't refine, a player's rugby IQ. But matches, specifically URC and either Champions Cup or Challenge Cup, were in relatively short supply for many players in the four provincial academies. At the start of the 2024-2025 season there were 74 players listed in provincial academies across a three-year cycle. They were ascribed as follows: Leinster 22 (Year 1 – 10, Year 2 – 7, Year 3 – 5); Ulster 20 (7, 11, 2), Munster 19 (7, 6, 6) and Connacht 13 (4, 5, 4). In macro terms Connacht played the fewest academy players in URC and Challenge Cup games, three of 13 (23 per cent). Ulster, in URC and Champions Cup, gave competitive game time to five of 20 (25 per cent); Munster, likewise, to seven of 19 (37 per cent); while Leinster provided the most opportunities to academy players with 14 of 22 (64 per cent), seeing game time in URC and Champions Cup. Leinster academy hooker Gus McCarthy made his Ireland debut against Fiji in the November internationals. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Taken in an overall context, roughly 60 per cent of academy players in the four provinces – 45 out of 74 – did not see a single minute in either the URC or Champions and Challenge Cups in Europe. A magnificent seven first-year academy players played senior provincial tournament rugby, with the standout performer Ulster outhalf Jack Murphy, who notched 894 minutes across 13 matches with 11 starts. Four Leinster players, hooker Stephen Smyth (five games – 65 minutes), scrumhalf Oliver Coffey (two games – 14 minutes), wing Reuben Moloney (one – three minutes) and secondrow Alan Spicer (one – two minutes); one Munster player, hooker Danny Sheahan (one – 15 minutes); and two Ulster players – Murphy and centre Wilhelm de Klerk (two – 104 minutes) also managed the landmark achievement. US-born tight head prop Niall Smyth has gone from year-one academy to a senior contract for next season despite missing most of the season following shoulder surgery. There were other eye-catching numbers, not least Murphy's former Pres Bray team-mate Finn Treacy (eight matches – 489 minutes) who had a brilliant season with Connacht, while in Leinster hooker Gus McCarthy (14 – 583 minutes), who was also capped by Ireland, secondrow Diarmuid Mangan (12 – 667 minutes), wing Andrew Osborne (10 – 669 minutes) and centre Charlie Tector (10 – 589 minutes) all enhanced their status. It is germane to point out that Munster prop Darragh McSweeney, backrow Luke Murphy, centre Fionn Gibbons and prop Ronan Foxe had seasons curtailed by injury; so too prop Alex Usanov (Leinster) and secondrow Spicer (Leinster). The pointy end of the decision-making process comes in year three where, if a player hasn't already received a senior contract, it is the end of the line with the buffers in view. Only scrumhalf Jack Oliver of that cohort hasn't progressed at Munster, released early to take up a contract with the Glasgow Warriors. In Leinster, centre Ben Brownlee, Aitzol Arenzana-King and Rory McGuire leave the province, with the latter two heading for contracts with Richie Murphy's Ulster. The other year-three players, Mangan and Tector, have upgraded to senior contracts as have a plethora of year-twos in Munster and Leinster. The new intake to the academies will be announced shortly (Ulster have released five players) but, as this season has proved, trying to find space to expose them to elite-level rugby is a difficult challenge and for many a composite itinerary of A interpros and club matches will have to suffice. Leinster Age Position Matches (starts) Minutes Aitzol Arenzana-King (Year 3) 22 Wing 2 (1) 62 Ben Brownlee (3) 22 Centre 0 0 Oliver Coffey (1) 20 Scrumhalf 2 (0) 14 Hugh Cooney (2) 21 Centre 5 (4) 325 Billy Corrigan (1) 19 Secondrow/Backrow 0 0 Casper Gabriel (1) 20 Outhalf 0 0 Fintan Gunne (2) 21 Scrumhalf 12 (3) 368 Diarmuid Mangan (3) 22 Secondrow/Backrow 12 (8) 667 Gus McCarthy (2) 21 Hooker 14 (7) 583 Henry McErlean (2) 22 Fullback 2 (1) 80 Rory McGuire (3) 22 Prop 5 (0) 51 Hugo McLaughlin (1) 20 Fullback 0 0 Reuben Moloney (1) 21 Fullback 1 (0) 3 Liam Molony (2) 21 Flanker 0 0 Conor O'Tighearnaigh (2) 22 Secondrow 1 (1) 50 Andrew Osborne (2) 21 Wing 10 (9) 669 Niall Smyth (1) 19 Prop 0 0 Stephen Smyth (1) 20 Hooker 5 (0) 65 Andrew Sparrow (1) 20 Prop 0 0 Alan Spicer (1) 20 Secondrow 1 (0) 2 Charlie Tector (3) 23 Outhalf/Ccentre 10 (7) 589 Alex Usanov (1) 19 Prop 0 0 Munster Age Position Matches (starts) Minutes Max Clein (2) 21 Hooker 0 0 Seán Edogbo (1) 21 Backrow 0 0 Ronan Foxe (2) 22 Prop 3 (0) 15 Michael Foy (1) 19 Secondrow/Backrow 0 0 Fionn Gibbons (3) 22 Centre 0 0 George Hadden (2) 22 Prop 0 0 Dylan Hicks (2) 20 Outhalf 0 0 Shay McCarthy (2) 22 Wing 6 (3) 307 Darragh McSweeney (3) 22 Prop 0 0 Luke Murphy (1) 20 Backrow 0 0 Evan O'Connell (3) 21 Secondrow 5 (3) 213 Ben O'Connor (2) 20 Fullback 7 (5) 414 Gene O'Leary Kareem (1) 19 Centre 0 0 Jake O'Riordan (1) 20 Scrumhalf 0 0 Jack Oliver (3) 22 Scrumhalf 0 0 Ruadhán Quinn (3) 21 Backrow 11 (2) 306 Kieran Ryan (3) 23 Prop 8 (0) 113 Danny Sheahan (1) 21 Hooker 1 (0) 15 Gordon Wood (1) 20 Centre 0 0 Ulster Age Position Matches (starts) Minutes Sam Berman (1) 21 Centre 0 0 Jack Boal (2) 22 Prop 0 0 Jacob Boyd (2) 20 Prop 1 (1) 48 Tom Brigg (2) 20 Backrow 0 0 Wilhelm de Klerk (1) 20 Centre 2 (0) 104 Cameron Doak (2) 20 Prop 0 0 Ethan Graham (2) 21 Wing 0 0 Joe Hopes (3) 21 Secondrow 0 0 Charlie Irvine (2) 22 Secondrow 1 (1) 80 Lukas Kenny (2) 20 Wing 0 0 Clark Logan (1) 19 Scrumhalf 0 0 Ben McFarlane (2) 20 Fullback/wing 0 0 James McKillop (1) 20 Backrow 0 0 Jack Murphy (1) 20 Outhalf 13 (11) 894 Jonny Scott (1) 20 Centre 0 0 Zac Solomon (2) 20 Hooker 0 0 Josh Stevens (2) 20 Backrow 0 0 Rory Telfer (3) Wing 4 (1) 151 Henry Walker (2) 19 Hooker 0 0 Bryn Ward (1) 20 Backrow 0 0 Connacht Age Position Matches (starts) Minutes Fiachna Barrett (2) 22 Prop 1 (0) 20 Billy Bohan (1) 19 Prop 0 0 John Devine (3) 21 Centre 0 0 Tomás Farthing (1) 19 Scrumhalf 0 0 Max Flynn (1) 20 Flanker 0 0 Daniel Hawkshaw (3) 23 Centre 0 0 Shane Mallon (3) 23 Wing 0 0 Éanna McCarthy (1) 20 No 8 0 0 Seán Naughton (2) 20 Outhalf 1 (0) 21 James Nicholson (2) 21 Fullback/Wing 0 0 Finn Treacy (2) 20 Wing/Centre 8 (7) 489 Matthew Victory (2) 21 Hooker 0 0 Harry West (3) 22 Outhalf 0 0
The 42
21-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Munster sign UCC second row on development deal
MUNSTER HAVE SIGNED UCC second row Conor Ryan on a one-year development deal for next season. Ryan, 21, made two appearances for Munster this season in friendlies against Bath and Leicester Tigers, scoring a try against the latter, and also played for the province in the 'A' Interprovincial Championship. He was part of the UCC side that narrowly missed on promotion back to Division 1A of the All-Ireland League this season. Ryan's signing 'is part of Munster Rugby's wider ongoing commitment to monitoring local players' performances in the AIL and providing opportunities to players that emerge later and have been performing at a consistently high level', the province said. Advertisement
The 42
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Burns and Campbell among players leaving Munster at end of season
MUNSTER HAVE ANNOUNCED that six senior players will depart at end of the season. The departures of Scott Buckley, Billy Burns, Patrick Campbell, Liam Coombes, Jack Daly and Cian Hurley were today confirmed by the province. In addition academy scrum-half Jack Oliver has exited and is currently training with Glasgow Warriors. Advertisement 24-year-old hooker Buckley, who is currently on loan at Ealing Trailfinders, scored three tries in 24 Munster appearances. 30-year-old out-half Burns joined Munster last summer and scored 28 points in 10 Munster appearances. The seven-cap Ireland international joined after six years at Ulster. Munster Rugby can confirm that Scott Buckley, Billy Burns, Patrick Campbell, Liam Coombes, Jack Daly, Cian Hurley & Jack Oliver will depart the province at the end of the season. A big thanks to the lads for their contributions to Munster Rugby and we wish them all the best for… — Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) May 16, 2025 Back three player Campbell scored four tries in 12 appearances for Munster since making his try-scoring debut against Wasps in December 2021. Winger/centre Coombes has scored six tries in 19 Munster appearances since making a try-scoring debut against Cheetahs in Bloemfontein in November 2017. Flanker Daly has made 10 appearances for Munster after coming up through the ranks at Castleisland RFC. Flanker/lock Hurley made five appearances for Munster after coming up through the ranks of Clonakilty RFC and CBC. 22-year-old scrum-half Oliver departs after three years in the Munster Academy. A Garryowen FC clubman and former Castletroy College student, Jack started the 2021/22 season by captaining the Munster U19s during the Interprovincial Championship.
Irish Independent
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Leinster announce Ben Martin as new head coach of women's team
Ben Martin will take over as head coach of the Leinster women's senior team ahead of this summer's Interprovincial Championship, replacing the outgoing Tania Rosser.
