Wheelchair rugby: Amai ready to show top form

SELECTED: Whakatane's Maia Amai has been re-selected for the Wheel Blacks who are off to compete in Canada.PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Described as having "spunk", it's no wonder Whakatane's Maia Amai has been selected in the Wheel Blacks again.

Amai made history in November last year as she became just the third female to play for the national wheelchair rugby team.

Now, she has been picked again to contest the Canada Cup in June.

Wheel Blacks coach Peter Martin said he and others were surprised with Amai's confidence on the international stage in her debut event in South Africa last year.

"She's getting better and better," he said of Amai, who now lives in Auckland. "That's good because it's actually showing she's got some spunk, for want of a better word, to get out there and have a crack - and that's what she needs.

"The more experience she gets at international level the better she's going to be. That's the good thing with playing in the Canada Cup for her, by the time we get to the World Championships in August she would have played all the players before and she won't be frightened by that."

The June tournament, which will boast several of the world's top 10 sides, serves as a perfect curtain raiser for the Kiwis' main event this year - the IWRF World Championships in August.

Martin believes the Canada Cup is a great opportunity for the Wheel Blacks to put their plays, and players, to the test against quality opposition.

Amai is one of four 'mid-point' players who Martin believes the pressure is on to pull their weight.

"I need them to be able to take an awful amount of heat and then to step up. Up until now they have needed carrying, it'd be great to put them out there and they can carry their own weight. That's something we really need."

Canada Cup serves as another stepping stone for the Wheel Blacks towards the 2016 Rio Paralympics, where the Kiwis hope to achieve a podium finish.

"We currently have a world ranking of 10th ... [but] there is no doubt within our squad we have some real talent developing, which has yet to show its full potential.

"Our ultimate goal, in this four-year cycle, is a podium finish at the Rio Paralympics. [But], as a small sport, with a small player base, with relatively little support, we need our top athletes to strive to perform at their highest level, to be self-driven, self-motivated, in order they achieve their potential."

The New Zealand team leave for the Canada Cup on June 16.

New Zealand: Dan Buckingham (Pt Chev, Auckland), Barney Konoferenisi (Papatoetoe, Auckland), Cameron Leslie (Whangarei), Sholto Taylor (Christchurch), Maia Amai (Pt England, Auckland), Tainafi Lefono (Auckland Central), Robbie Hewitt (Te Aroha, Waikato), Adam Wakeford (North Shore, Auckland), Phil Spring (Papakura, Auckland), Gavin Rolton (Swanson, Wellington). Coach: Peter Martin (Waikato).