Lions To Play Combined Team At Gisborne Today

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28929, 24 June 1959, Page 16

Lions To Play Combined Team At Gisborne Today

(New Zeaiand Press Association)

GISBORNE, June 23. A. A. Mulligan, who joined the British Isles Rugby team today after flying from London, had his first run in New Zealand this afternoon. A decision whether he will play against the combined Poverty Bay-East Coast side will be made tomorrow morning.

The Lions manager (Mr A. W. Wilson) tonight said he did not want to have to play the one remaining half-back in the side, R. E. G. Jeeps, who injured his shoulder in the match against Hawkes Bay yet, nor did he want to risk Mulligan being hurt when he was not property fit. If neither of these two is played, it is likely that M. C. Thomas, selected to play on the right wing, will come in as half-back with a consequent reshuffling of the backline.

Two changes have already been made in the team to play tomorrow. The flank forward, G. K. Smith, stayed in bed all today with a heavy cold and has been replaced in the scrum by A. Ashcroft and the front row prop, B. G. M. Wood, who broke his little finger in the second-to-last match in Australia, has again had to stand down and is replaced by H. F. McLeod. Tomorrow's game will be the seventh match of the tour for McLeod and also for the captain and hooker, A. R. Dawson. The only match these two have missed was that against New South Wales, the only match the team has lost so far. Another player in- doubt is the full-back, T. E. Davies, who is troubled with a recurring leg muscle injury. If he has to stand down he will be replaced by K. J. F. Scotland. If Davies is available. Scotland could still play tomorrow. He is the likely winger if Thomas has to move into scrum half.

, Apart from these changes the team is as selected, said Mr Wilson.

Mulligan had a light work-out this afternoon with A. J. F. O'Reilly, M. A. F. English and R. W, D. Marques. He said after the run that he was feeling quite fit and “philosophical” about the possibility of playing tomorrow only 24 hours after his joining up with the remainder of the team.

As in the opening match at Napier, the Lions should prove too much for the local team tomorrow, although the combined side is expected to give a much stronger showing than Hawke's Bay « did. The combined team’s, pack should match the Lions in weight, but whether it will be able to last till the end of the match against the faster tourists is doubtful. The British backs will find the combined men opposing them a solid defensive combination, but even if the Lions’ backline has to be rearranged it will still be

a fast one. A crowd of 15.000 is expected to watch the match in cool, but otherwise fine, weather. The teams announced for tomorrow's game are.— British Isles. —T. E. Davies; A. J. F. O'Reilly, M. J. Price, G. H. Waddell, M. C. Thomas; M. A. F. English; A. A. Mulligan; J. Faull; A. Ashcroft, R. W. D. Marques, R. H. Williams, N. A. A. Murphy; H. F. McLeod, A. R. Dawson, S. Millar. Poverty Bay-East Coast.—K. Karaka; T. Reedy, B. Watson, B. Johnson; D. Hooper, S. Rutene; T. Taare: W. Atkins; C. Rickard, J. Paea, T. Tamati, L. Karaka; D. Green, R. Henderson, A. Rowlands.