Young Rugby Players On West Coast Tour

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28606, 7 June 1958, Page 5

Young Rugby Players On West Coast Tour

TN bis report to the management 1 committee of the Canterbury Rugby Union on Tuesday evening, Mr J. O. Hattersley, manager of the representative team whicn toured the West Coast last weekend. said the new players had fitted into the team very well. If anything, Mr Hattersley has understated the position. Called upon to pla- in conditions which, exceot for one Saturday, have been foreign to Canterbury this season. _the new players, and especially the young five-eighths. V. Sykes and R. D. Hoskin, produced football which stamped them as players of exceptional ability. Sykes. Hoskin, G. McConchie, and M R. Dunneall of them new to representative football—were among the stars of the side. Five-eighths One of the main problems confronting the back selector (Mr W. A. Clark) is the selection of a first five-eighths, but it was confidently expected that form shown in the two matches on the West Coast would give him a lead. Such was not the case. Both played so well that Mr Clark’s task has been considerably complicated. Both these players met similar conditions —a waterlogged ground and slippery ball, and fast-break-ing loose forwards. Against Buller, Sykes was exceptionally sound without being brilliant, but with underfoot conditions against quick changes of direction and pace, attacking brilliance was impossible. In the main, he acted as a link, being content to send the ball on, but even in this he proved his ability for each time he took the ball he was flying. Hoskin, on the Monday, adopted much the same role, but occa-

sionally made some enterprising attempts to break through. These got him nowhere, for the trackling was too good, but by varying the movements in this way he added to West Coast’s worries. His one mistake of the game was in attempting to score a try when his way was barred by two defenders and his wing unmarked. But he played very soundly and his speed off the mark, like that of Sykes, helped to give the backline some punch. The former West Coast fullback, K. J. Brown, was outpointed by K. Clayworth at Westport, but played very well at Greymouth on a ground he knows very well. He made some mistakes, but he has the nimbleness to cover many of them up quickly. His tackling does not appear to be his strongest asset Two Tries Of the nine points scored by Canterbury in the two games. McConchie scored six with two good tries. In these two games he gave every indication of developing into a first-class wing The three newcomers iri the forwards, Dunne, Graham. R Hockley and y K. Orsbourn throughly vindicated their selection. Dunne and Graham revelled in the bad conditions. Dunne, a solidly-built flanker, was notable for his driving runs through defenders and for his excellent line-out play. Graham, as a raidcr, had no peer and he missed a try once only because the greasy ball slipped out of his fingers. Hockley, normally a Idck, was a tower of strength in the front row and should pose an additional problem for the forward selector (Mr R. C. Stuart) for J. M. Le Lievre, B. R. Mann.