New Zealand Shearer Rowland Smith Has Had A Confidence-Boosting Win Over Reigning World Champion Welsh Shearer Richard Jones

New Zealand shearer Rowland Smith has had a confidence-boosting win over reigning World Champion Welsh shearer Richard Jones, in the last competition before the 2023 Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships. The win came on Sunday at the Royal Three Counties Show in Worcestershire. The World championships begin on Thursday and run to Sunday this week at the Royal Highland Show near Edinburgh. The Wools of New Zealand Shearing Sports New Zealand team comprises Hawke’s Bay gun Smith and fellow machine shearer Leon Samuels, of Roxburgh, reigning-champion blades shearers Allan Oldfield from Geraldine, and Tony Dobbs, of Fairlie; along with woolhandlers Candy Hiri, of Gore, and Ngaio Hanson, of Eketahuna. Team Manager Ronnie King says the team says the Welsh and English shearers have caught up with the kiwis in terms of speed and skill and the Scots have home advantage. He says the kiwis are getting used to shearing the northern sheep.