Yachting: Team NZ still favourites despite loss

Team boss Grant Dalton says Emirates Team NZ is sailing well in the Louis Vuitton World series regatta in Nice and is improving all the time, in spite of the loss to new British America's Cup outfit, TeamOrigin.

The Kiwis won the round robin and are still favourites to win the overall event although shifty airs and the short course are combining to make upsets not only possible but probable - as shown when TeamOrigin then promptly fell to the Italian team Azzurra.

The ETNZ clash with TeamOrigin (helmed by former Team NZ back-up skipper and Olympic champion Ben Ainslie) was the most savoured of the regatta so far as the British syndicate - frustrated by two years of courtroom shenanigans between BMW Oracle and holders Alinghi - is the form horse, along with Team NZ.

Origin accounted for BMW Oracle, headed by Kiwis Gavin Brady and Hamish Pepper, by over two minutes when they clashed in what must have been a satisfying win for the British, denied racing by the court action.

When they met Team NZ, it was an extremely tight race decided at their third meeting at the top mark. Approaching on opposite tacks, TeamOrigin held the starboard advantage and used it to dial down Team New Zealand.

They pinned Team NZ to leeward and headed off onto starboard tack, gathered speed, tacked to port and sailed over the bow of Team New Zealand to round in the lead by 21 seconds en route to the victory.

"They sailed well and we sailed well," Dalton said from Nice yesterday. "They ground it out and the whole thing was on a knife-edge and could have gone either way. It sounds strange to say we were sailing well but we were - there wasn't much in it.

"It's a short course, which is good because it's quickfire, but there aren't many overtaking lanes and the shifty conditions lends itself to upsets.

"We are improving every day. It's taken us a few races to come together again but every day we are improving and the coaches Joey Allen and Rod Davis are doing a great job for us.

"This is a regatta where the coaches input is really important as the boats are identical but they all have little idiosyncrasies and you can easily forget which boat you're on at times."

If Origin had beaten Azzurra, the British would have finished top of the round robin, courtesy of their victory over Team NZ. But they were beaten by the Italians and had to be content with third.

The competition now separates into two flights - the first- to fourth-ranked boats from the round robin in one flight and five- to eight-ranked in the other. Semifinalists are found through competition across the two flights. Most pick a Team NZ-Origin final.