Passing the ball to safe hands

The future of Northland rugby seems safe in the hands of young players such as Ben Berridge and Jake Heenan.
The pair played a major part in the Blues' Secondary Schools team winning the national title at St Paul's College in Hamilton recently, and they both hope to play at the ITM Cup level in the future.
It is Berridge's second year in the squad and the hooker said the win was based on the squad's commitment to one another.
"This year's team was a lot tighter and we came together a lot quicker and enjoyed each other's company a lot more - there were no little groups within the team like last year - so there was a lot more trust in the team," he said.
That was reflected in the results at the tournament with the team finishing third at the same tournament last year. In Hamilton, they beat the South Island 24-8 in their first match and then capped off a memorable tournament by beating the Hurricanes 33-16 in the final - despite trailing 13-16 at the break.
Getting selected in the squad was a big deal for  Heenan - starting in the final and scoring a try capped off a dream start to his season - and it also taught him a valuable rugby lesson. Despite the national anthem and a haka for the final, Heenan struggled not to get caught up in the emotion of the final.
"That's because I got really excited before the first game, I dropped the ball twice in the first 10 minutes and then missed a couple of tackles, so when it came time for the final I had decided to keep my emotions really flat - to keep focused and not get too excited and just play my role and let everybody do theirs - and it came off for me."
Heenan's final was a cracker, according to Berridge.
"Jake was playing out of position but he still slotted in well. He was exceptional during the final and just got the job done," he said.
The 18-year-old loose forward was also selected in the 50-strong New Zealand Schools squad, from which a 23-player team will be chosen later in the season, to play Tonga and Australia.
He was blown away by the coaching he received during the training camps.
"It was awesome to be coached by the Blues Super 14 staff like Liam Barry, Shane Howath and Pat Lam  ... it was just a very good environment to train and play in," Heenan said.
The pair are now turning their attention to Northland's under-18 team's  Northern Regional campaign - both are clear that they can do better than last year.
"Last year wasn't flash for us  ... we never won a game which was really frustrating  but, this year, a lot of the boys are in the [rugby] academy and are all fit and skilled up so, hopefully, we can win a few," Berridge said.
The hooker has learned a lot during the past two years and is keen to pass his knowledge on. On Sunday, he took front-row practice for the Northland under-16 team at their training. He is no expert, he  says modestly, but he has been taught by experts.
"That's a new thing for me but I've found myself really enjoying it, especially showing keen young fellas who were up there the other day," he said.
Both players attend the School of Emerging Talent in Whangarei, while studying core subjects at Whangarei Boys' High School  and play in the school's first XV. They have yet to play senior rugby but have high aims.
"I want to be playing ITM Cup for Northland in a couple of years or so, so hopefully, I will play some colts for Northland next year and go on from there," he said. That kind of goal is music to the ears of Northland rugby fans.