• New Zealand Team

• The World Cup Competition Experience at Reunion Island

New Zealand Team

Geoff Greer, Denise Bavidge, Murray Porter

The World Cup Competition Experience at Reunion Island

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge those who helped us prepare for and get to the World Cup.

Including thanks to:

• Gary and Karen Tayler and Joanne Porter for all their fund raising efforts and support before and during the World Cup.

• Christian for organising the travel and all of the support at Reunion. Having a French speaker was essential there and we are not sure how we would have managed without him.

• Bay View Petanque Club members and other Hawke’s Bay players who got in behind us and participated in fund raising events.

• The Rotorua Club, Le Coq and Boule (Noel Hunt’s club from Taradale) and the Wellington Petanque Association. The Wellington players who came out on a very cold weekend to give us some competition practice should also be mentioned.

• Christian and Rolinka, Chris Priestley and Ian Baker and other Auckland players for a very enjoyable weekend in Auckland. They also gave up their time to play and help and advise.

• Last but not least thank you goes to all of the other petanque players who supported us through the raffle.

Snap shot comments:

• In an indoor stadium; 2000 - 3000 seats; ten hard bouncy red volcanic soil terrains, hot and very humid

• Around 40 national teams

• International styles very different from New Zealand

• At times players practicing on concrete

• New Zealand in local paper as ‘non academy’

• New Zealand won one game from 7

• The team and supporters received a lot of attention

• An incredible learning experience

• Supporters benefited as much as players

Before the Competition at Reunion

We arrived at Reunion Island after about 30 hours either in transit or flying and knowing we had about three days to settle in before the tournament. After some initial hassles acquiring a hire car, we headed down the coast to a resort area.

We discovered later that we were lucky in that our original booking fell through and our new accommodation was among coconut palms adjacent to a lovely white sandy beach, a nice place to relax and get some practice.

We practised in the car park beneath the trees, which was mainly concrete with some sand and pine needles. The Dutch team was also staying at our resort and they practiced along side us at times. We soon got an idea of what was to come, as they pointed very high with lots of backspin. The boules only moved a few inches on the concrete when it landed. Carreau after carreau was also very impressive to watch.

A day or so later we went into the stadium to check out registering, photos etc. After all of the talk of the previous years rocky surfaces we were eager to find out what the terrain was going to be like.

The ten terrains in an inside stadium were a volcanic red, very hard and bouncy with a light loose surface of scoria and grey metal chips. We were relieved. It appeared to be OK for pointing but shooting was difficult as a player couldn’t even drop the boule an inch in front of the target without it bouncing over the top.

We were somewhat surprised to find that we, as well as the supporters were allowed to practice on it. While practicing we were approached by a local team made up of some of the officials organising the tournament, for a game. We were rewarded with a win, which gave us some confidence for the competition. They had what is called an ‘academy’ style as opposed to us being described in the local paper the next day as ‘non-academy’. The headline was a ‘Frenchie with the All Blacks’. The article was mainly a biography about Christian and his path to New Zealand, returning to Reunion as delegate.

The black uniform was starting to get attention due to the All Blacks and we were noticed more than our play deserved. Having all the supporters in black also helped create an impression. It also helped them move about the stadium, as some areas were closed off to the public.

The registration process required presenting our NZPA licences. There was some panic as Murray had not thought to bring his. After several faxes back and forth to New Zealand by Christian and a fax from Cam Calder verifying it, we all managed to get registered. This meant getting photo ID cards and tickets for meals at the Players and Officials restaurant for the length of the competition.

The opening ceremony involved all teams parading with their National flags and lining up for speeches - all in French. English was rarely spoken throughout the competition. We couldn’t have got by without Christian to kept things on track, interpreting for us when necessary.

The opening ceremony finished with a local dance from the school children that had led the teams in. Some of the children had earlier befriended the Kiwi troupe and we found ourselves pulled out into the middle to dance in front of the crowd. It was a lot of fun, trying to emulate their National dance!

The opening night finished with a buffet and drinks and it was here that we met the Irish. It appears that the Kiwis and Irish teams have had a bit to do with each in the past at every world cup. This is due to Cam Calder’s involvement over the years. The three Irish players had been competing at the World Championships for between 7 to 12 years, so they knew the ropes and supported us when we were playing and off the piste.

The competition structure:

The world cup involves a number of qualifying rounds to gain a place in the final sixteen. The rest go into the Nations Cup, which is the equivalent of a plate.

We knew if we performed to a similar standard to previous years New Zealand teams, over the length of the competition we would get between 6 and 8 games. As it came out we had 7.

We were understandingly a bit nervous, but thrilled to be competing at such a wonderful event, amongst the worlds best. The name players who have dominated the sport for years and who feature on the international petanque videos were walking past and practicing on the pistes around us.

Once we started we felt OK. Being watched was not an issue as there were ten terrains and most people were watching the name teams, apart from our supporters of course.

We were hoping to draw some teams near our level of experience and skill. As it was, apart from Singapore we drew teams who were in the top 18 in the world. Approximately 40 National teams were competing.

The World Cup style of competition format is quite different from the competitions in New Zealand, with it being over 4 days and nights and involving only 10 terrains for 40 teams. At the most teams only played 2 or 3 games a day.

There is often a long wait between games. So you have to find a rhythm and get your skill levels up quickly in every game. This is something we struggled with during the tournament.

The games we played were as follows:

Preliminary Rounds

Denmark: Lost 4 - 13

Comment:

This being the first game both teams were tense and were trying to find their feet. The Denmark shooter was not hitting many in this game. However, in later games he got his eye in and they eventually made it through to the final 16.

We had difficulty shooting due to both the bounciness of the terrain and not being able to hit it consistently on the full. Many of the ends were also at 9 to 10 metres.

Great Britain: 1st game lost 4 – 13; 2nd game lost 4 - 13

Comment:

We drew Great Britain twice and in both games we had our opportunities to advance our points but were unable to capitalise. They went onto the final 16. They caused a bit of an upset when they beat Morocco 13 - 1 on the way.

Singapore: Won 13 - 6

Comment:

Singapore was the only team who played at a similar level to us. We were trailing 1 - 6 early in the game, but with a concerted effort, more accurate pointing and successful shooting, we accumulated 12 unanswered points winning 13 - 6.

Morocco: Lost 0 -13

Comment:

This team was placed 2nd at the World Champs in the Canary Islands in 1998. Their pointer is reputed to be the best in the world. In this game they played shorter ends of 7 to 8 metres. We pointed fairly well but in the end they had too much strike power for us. It was quite amusing in hindsight, they had to have a win against us to get into the World Cup final 16 following their beating by Great Britain.

(Note: We did draw Madagascar, the eventual new World Champions, but did not have to play them as we lost both of our first games)

Nations Cup

Germany: Lost 3 - 13

Comment:

This game went away from us quickly. We got the first points, as we were pointing reasonably well in this game. Germany got back into the lead with 5 points and with a lot of our boules close they shot the cochonnet out by mistake and picked up 4. They did the same with the next end and got another 4 and the game was over.

Germany went on to the final of the Nations cup winning against Sweden

Sweden: 4 - 13

Comment:

Again we felt that some of our pointing was quite competitive in this game. More so than the score indicates. They came second in the Nations Cup to Germany.

(Note: We would have had one more game but drew a bye in this last round.)

Playing Styles

As mentioned earlier the ends were predominantly long, 9 to 10 metres. The only deviation from this was the team from the USA who tried to throw it just on 6 metres each time.

There were a variety of different styles. The ‘academy’ approach was the high lob for pointing (either crouching or standing) and on the full carreau for shooting. Having mentioned the ‘academy style’, there was a wide variety of approaches. There were some expectations from the crowd as to what was a good style. The crowd booed the French team and some of the other top players when they pointed low on some occasions.

For most players though they used the style they found most successful. Many players pointed low with success. Shooters dropping short were always punished. It was interesting to observe the different rituals or preparation before each point or shoot. It was the same each time to get the consistency.

The Rules

The main rule enforced was the cochonnet throwing at 6 to 10 metres. The one-minute rule was also adhered to when necessary, due to the number of teams and limited terrains.

The other main requirement was to be very still when any team around you was shooting. That is whether in your game or in the one next to you.

The main impression from the tournament was that teams played in a good competitive spirit. Minor infringements such as feet over the line were not bothered with.

The big plus for the tournament was the excellent sportsmanship displayed. Even in the very tense final matches it was very businesslike with acknowledgment of skill displayed by opposing teams.

The one area of rules we came into contact with was the dress code. Shorts (and jandels) were not allowed. Apart from that, the dress code was not onerous with teams only required to wear matching shirts and trousers.

Role of Supporters

We were fortunate to have our support team of Gary and Karen Tayler, Joanne Porter, Philippa McNiven, and Don and Cathy Thompson. They too were dressed in black and were easily identifiable amongst the spectators.

One of the main benefits of the tournament was having 10 people participate and observe the level and styles of play, bringing this back to New Zealand. For those who attended the sport of petanque will not be the same again.

Concluding Comments

We have been asked to comment and give any suggestions from our experience. For both players and supporters it was a wonderful experience. Our view of petanque will never be the same again. There has been some debate about New Zealand’s participation in overseas tournaments. After attending this one we are now firm supporters of this in order to develop the sport in NZ.

Some observations:

• If players in New Zealand are serious about developing petanque into a real sport, they need to look outside New Zealand to raise skill levels.

• We believe the NZPA should encourage players to attend any tournament which involves exposure to international styles and skill levels.

• The NZPA should support, in a meaningful way, New Zealand attendance at the World Cup, any Pacific and Asian based competitions and the New Zealand Open as our only local International Tournament.

There are also a number of suggestions about planning and supporting any teams to the World Cup in the future.

These include:

• Have an NZPA policy detailing what the team should expect, before the Easter National competition.

• Including specifically what support to expect financially.

• We believe a financial contribution is a useful start for the team. It should be pre-determined before the Easter Competition. It does not have to be a large amount. The fundraising does not have to be rushed and planning should be ongoing.

• The raffle is problematic. Other ways should be investigated. Although this year, there were other benefits to NZPA as well so from that point of view NZPA may want to retain it.

• Work on longer-term sponsorship for NZPA activities including international competitions so that it isn’t a yearly task.

• Encourage supporters to go. Supporters tour perhaps, if there is interest.

• It is essential that at least one member of the group is a French speaker.

From a preparation point of view a number of simple things are suggested:

• Contact the winning team soon after they have won to let them know what happens next.

• Link them up with a team from previous years as soon as possible.

• Be clear about what is expected from the team before they go and after they return. This includes expectations of club visits, reports and any other activities.

If asked “What is the one piece of advice for next year’s team we wished we had been given?” The answer would be: Just play like you did when you won the National Triples.

The above comments are not intended as a criticism of the process this year. New Zealand has only been involved in this type of competition for a short period of time and NZPA appears to be improving and developing its approach over time.

We hope that future teams enjoy the experience as we did and would be willing to discuss any issues with them and the NZPA if they wish.

Geoff Greer, Denise Bavidge, Murray Porter