Korean An leads after rewrite record book as Hansen picks strong team
SYDNEY:NOT even the coveted Stonehaven Cup could exempt Australian Open firstround leader Byeong Hun An from compulsive military service in his native South Korea.
But the son of Olympic medalwinning table tennis players is determined to win at The Lakes after two crushing losses on the US PGA Tour this year.
An fired a fiveunderpar 67 to take a oneshot lead over locals Matt Jager and amateur David Micheluzzi (both 68) yesterday, on a brutal day where winds reached 35kmh and rain lashed the afternoon groups.
An’s eagle on the par5 eighth, his penultimate hole of the day having started on the 10th, iced a round featuring five birdies and two bogeys.
Uber driver and world No 1939 Adam Stephens, 2016 Olympian Marcus Fraser and Mexico’s Abraham Ancer were among a sixway tie for fourth at three under.
As a 17yearold, An became
special players.
‘‘Retallick is one from outer space and Sammy is not far behind. Quite often it gets missed how good Sam Whitelock is because of how good Brodie Retallick is.
‘‘Retallick will be inspiring players all around the country who play in his position to be able to catch, pass and run with the ball. Sammy has done the same thing.
‘‘You can look after one but then the other will hurt you if you put all your attention on one of them.’’
Whitelock (30) and Retallick (27) have plenty of years to come at this level, although both are understood to be weighing post World Cup sabbatical options in Japan.
Ironically, given this week’s opponents, both made their respective test debuts against Ireland, Whitelock two years before his partner burst on the scene.
However, they are different characters, Hansen describing Whitelock as a headstrong leader while Retallick tends to listen more.
Fitness permitting, the 63test world record held by Springboks pair Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha is the next mark in sight.
‘‘It’s exciting for New Zealand rugby that’s for sure. If they both choose to stay and keep playing, they’ll go to another World Cup, I imagine, and that’s a lot of experience by the time you get round to the next one.’’
There is also a significant nod to Aaron Smith, the halfback set for his 82nd test, an outing which will have him overtake Justin Marshall as New Zealand’s most capped No 9.
‘‘Aaron has done a marvellous job speeding up the delivery of our ball and allowing us to play at a speed that has been uncomfortable for other teams at times,’’ Hansen said.
The only concern for the All Blacks this week centred on Liam Squire who sat out Tues day training with a stomach upset, but after again naming him to start at blindside, there appear to be no major worries he will recover in time.
After coming off the bench to add notable poise to the backline last week at Twickenham, Ryan Crotty was always the natural choice to replace Sonny Bill Williams in his favoured second fiveeighth role.
Prior to Dublin, continuity of selection is not something the All Blacks have enjoyed this season.
‘‘The whole year we’ve been looking at combinations to make sure next year is really clear in our own minds. When you’ve got so much talent, you’ve got to make sure you’ve got the right bit of it sorted for when we go to the World Cup.’’
Hansen expects Ireland, with its structured, suffocating style, to test the All Blacks in every aspect.
‘‘The stats tell you they hold on to the ball more than anyone else does, including ourselves. They’ll try to work you around the park and pick on some weaknesses they may feel you have in your defensive line. If they don’t get that, they’ll go to the air.
‘‘With Conor Murray not playing, they may not go there as much but, regardless, they’ve got a great kicking game.’’ — NZME