Bunch Of Scrubbers? Please Uxplain

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday September 11, 2003

Jessica Halloran and NZPA

The New Zealand netball team could be promiscuous or ugly, depending on which side of the Tasman you are standing and whether you agree with the Australian coach, Norma Plummer.

Plummer stirred up controversy after labelling the Kiwi netballers ``a bunch of scrubbers" because of their style of play.

But the term holds different meanings in each country.

Australia's Macquarie Dictionary defines it as ``(derogatory) an ugly girl or woman" while the New Zealand Oxford Dictionary says it means ``(offensive) a promiscuous woman" or ``a person of rough or unkempt appearance".

Ms Plummer's words referred to the no-frills Kiwis during their two-goal defeat of Australia in the final of the world championship in Jamaica in July. ``They just threw themselves into the game and that got them on top of the Australian team towards the end. I felt that New Zealand team were a bunch of scrubbers."

Asked what she meant by scrubbers, the coach said: ``You can take it in two ways. I've seen plenty of classy sides from New Zealand who couldn't take it across the line but this lot, at least they got the job done." Plummer was unrepentent yesterday. ``It's a term we wouldn't get too upset about and I'm not going to back down from it."

The New Zealanders shrugged off the remark. Goal shooter Irene van Dyk, of Wellington, steered away from the scrubber term but said physical clashes ``added some spice".

``It's not like we tackled them," she said. ``We handled everything they threw at us, and now they aren't world champions it's natural they are feeling a bit negative toward us."

The Kiwi coach, Ruth Aitken, was not offended. ``People say there is not enough controversy in netball. I think [Plummer] is just setting things up for her reign by being controversial and being seen to go on to the attack."

A spokesman for the New Zealand Prime Minister, Helen Clark, did not want to join the debate, saying: ``I don't think it's a row we would want to get into."