The erratic performances of the Black Jack men's team over the last two weeks has helped Mike Kernaghan's chances of playing at World Bowls in December.
Kernaghan (60) won the silver medal in the singles at the Asia and Pacific championships late last year in his first international for 12 years.
Kernaghan, the chief executive of the Cancer Society of Otago and Southland, was not available for the Transtasman Series or the Six Nations because of work commitments.
He admitted he took a risk in not playing in the international events, but he has kept playing locally at weekends and will make a strong claim for inclusion in the World Bowls team at next month's inter-centre Sevens at Auckland.
The New Zealand men were thrashed by Australia in the first two tests of the series but came back to win the third test after the series had been lost.
The men performed better at the Six Nations championships at Christchurch this week and won gold medals in the pairs and fours, and silver in the triples.
New Zealand singles champion Shannon McIlroy skipped the gold medal pairs and fours team and is certain of selection.
He teamed with Mike Nagy to win the pairs final against Malaysia 14-13 yesterday and beat Australia in the fours 16-13.
Nagy, an accurate lead, played a key role in the comeback win in the pairs.
They trailed 5-9 after 10 of the 18 ends but demonstrated fighting spirit to come back to win the game.
Nagy was also lead in the fours and was joined by Blake Signal and Paul Girdler.
Girdler, who skipped the winning triples and fours at the Asia and Pacific championships, is certain to hold his spot in the Black Jacks for World Bowls.
The men's triples team of Andrew Kelly, Signal and Ali Forsyth were beaten by Australia 21-14 in the final.
A likely five-man team for World Bowls is McIlroy, Kernaghan, Nagy and Paul Girdler with either Ali Forsyth or Blake Signal filling the fifth spot.
Each player must play two disciplines at World Bowls and the big headache for the selectors will be to gel the players into their best spots.
Kernaghan and McIlroy will be contenders for the singles role.
The Black Jacks women's team beat Australia by two tests to one in the transtasman competition but did not perform as well in the Six Nations.
The women's four of Angela Boyd, Katelyn Inch, Val Smith and Mandy Boys beat Wales 21-11 in the fours final.
But the triples combination of Selina Goddard, Kirsten Griffin and Mandy Boyd lost to Australia 13-9 in the final.
The experienced pair's combination of Val Smith and Jo Edwards lost the bronze medal game to Scotland 19-15.
In the bronze medal singles, Edwards beat Siti Zalina (Malaysia) 21-13.
Edwards, Smith and Mandy Boyd are certainties for the women's team at World Bowls.
Angela Boyd was in top form at the Asia Pacific championships and played a key role as lead in the winning fours at the Six Nations.
The fifth spot in the team is between Selina Goddard, who won a bronze medal in the fours at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014, Katelyn Inch and Kirsten Griffin.
