Netball: Jamaica could trip up champs

By Richard Boock

To Jill McIntosh, Jamaica is the banana skin on which her team could career straight out of World Netball Championship contention.

The coach of the defending champion Australian team views the Jamaicans as seriously difficult opponents.

She ranks them as the only side outside her own and New Zealand capable of claiming the title when the tournament reaches its pinnacle in Christchurch on Saturday week.

Australia begin their defence next Thursday against a yet-to-be ranked or named 16th seed, before playing Samoa on the Friday and Jamaica - in the tournament's first genuine heavyweight bout - on the Saturday.

McIntosh said the fifth seeds were an unpredictable combination who historically gave Australia a hard game, and pointed to her team's loss and the Silver Ferns' draw against Jamaica as evidence the threat had not diminished.

"They're capable of doing what South Africa did in Birmingham four years ago," she said referring to the republic's shock win over New Zealand.

"The only difference here is that they are in our group, so we are pretty keen that they don't cause an upset.

"You never quite know with Jamaica, they can fluctuate a lot. They have some very good players - several of them top basketballers - and if they put it together on the day they can beat anyone.

"They are a very tough nut to crack and because of that we regard them very highly."

In McIntosh's book, South Africa had fallen well off the pace since their fairytale final in Birmingham, suffering embarrassing defeats against both her side and New Zealand, while England were in much the same category.

Few other sides were in the hunt. However, she expected Yvonne Willering would allow no let-up for the Silver Ferns, even though their pool games consist of a virtual romp against Canada, the 14th and 15th seeds (whoever they might be), the Cook Islands, South Africa, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.

"There's no one there that should really get near the Ferns but I doubt - after what happened in Birmingham - that they will be thinking along those lines," McIntosh said.

"They certainly wouldn't want the same thing to happen again."

McIntosh's comments were in part echoes of Scotland coach Mary Ann Cosgrove's observations this week.

Twenty-seven teams including WNC debutantes Nuie, Botswana, Tonga and Zambia will participate.

Cosgrove said: "Australia and New Zealand are so far out in front at the moment, I personally can't see any team coming close.

"Personally I pick New Zealand as the overall winners. I think they will win the champs."

A veteran of three WNC campaigns as a player, Cosgrove attended the 1995 championships as Scotland's manager before taking over the coaching responsibilities for this year's tournament.

Unseeded Scotland, who have attended all nine previous world championships, play the Cayman Islands next Tuesday in round one of the preliminary pool.