The Star: September 14, 2017

46 Thursday September 14 2017
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Sport
Pride captain in US for
100th international cap
CANTERBURY UNITED Pride
captain Annalie Longo is set to
become the seventh Football Fern
to rack up 100 caps this weekend.
Longo is likely to become the
latest centurion on a two-match
tour of the United States and,
while careful not to take her
place in the starting line-up for
granted, she’s looking forward to
the moment.
“It’s been a long journey with
some amazing girls and it will be
exciting. Hopefully I can get on
the pitch and we can do the job
against the US,” said Longo.
The US – No 1 on the rankings
and reigning FIFA Women’s
World Cup champions – possess
a squad packed full of experience
and world-class talent.
The 19th-ranked Ferns will
have the odds stacked against
them in Denver and Cincinnati,
but Longo is relishing the challenge.
“It will be good to see where we
stand and there’s no better opposition
than the US,” said Longo.
The 26-year-old works as a
women’s development officer at
Mainland Football and is enjoying
spreading the gospel of the
female game. “It’s nice to be able
to give back to football and try to
MILESTONE: Canterbury
United’s Annalie Longo is one
game away from a century
with the Football Ferns.
inspire other females to play,” said
Longo.
“It’s a little bit different putting
my coaching hat on when I’m out
in the community, but it’s exciting
times.
“We’re just heading into the national
league campaign with the
Canterbury United Pride so I’m
really looking forward to that.”
High school stars make NZ camp
• By Gordon Findlater
FIVE Christchurch players
have been selected for the
New Zealand Schools rugby
development camp later this
month.
Patrick Thacker, prop (Christ’s
College), Shilo Klein, hooker
(St Andrew’s College), Louie
Chapman, halfback (Christchurch
Boys’ High School), Isaiah
Punivai, centre (Christ’s) and
Rico Syme, fullback (CBHS), are
among 49 of the best secondary
school players selected for the
three-day camp.
Impressively, three of the players
selected from Christchurch
are year 12 students.
Thacker, Punivai and Chapman
all have one more year of
secondary school left, giving
them the rare opportunity to be
selected for the New Zealand
Schools team twice. A New
DARSHA KEOGAN’S football
coach would not take no for an
answer.
Cobham Intermediate didn’t
have enough girls to enter a
team in this year’s Anchor
AIMS Games, so the 13-year-old
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Zealand Barbarians Schools
team will also be named after
the camp.
Of note is the continued rise
of CBHS fullback Syme, who
only made his first XV debut in
June. Syme, 17, who had previously
concentrated on cricket,
started the year with the seventh
sought special dispensation to
play in the boys’ team. Coach
Carly Lawton had to write to
officials, lobby football organisations
and encourage clubs to
write endorsements for Keogan.
It worked and Cobham opened
The Star
The biggest range of vehicles in one location
TALENT: Rico Syme started
the year playing in CBHS’s
seventh XV – now he’s off to
the New Zealand Schools
rugby development camp
next week.
PHOTO: KATE JANSEN
XV before going on to impress
in the second XV, earning him
a call-up to the first XV. His
first appearance came from the
bench against St Andrew’s on
June 17, when he scored a 50m
match-winning try.
New Zealand Schools will play
against Fiji Schools, Australian
Schools Barbarians and Australian
Schools from September 28
to October 7. The Barbarians
will play against Tonga Schools
and the New Zealand Maori
under-18s.
Players assemble for the camp
next Friday, with the teams announced
next Sunday.
Schoolgirl kicks it with the lads at AIMS Games
up the AIMS games this week
with an 8-0 win over Levin
Intermediate, 5-1 win over Aquinas
College and a 4-2 victory
over Havelock North Intermediate.
The tournament finishes
tomorrow.
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