4 Canterbury Players In Junior All Blacks

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28984, 27 August 1959, Page 20

4 Canterbury Players In Junior All Blacks

Four of Canterbury’s nine nominations for the Junior All Blacks to play the British Isles at Wellington on September 2 have been included in the team, which was announced last evening by the chairman of the New Zealand selection committee (Mr J. L. Sullivan). The team is:—*

Full-back: W. A. Davies (Auckland). Three-quarters: D. J. Davison (Canterbury), W. S. Fleming (Wellington), T. P. O’Sullivan (Taranaki). Five-eighths: M. H. Ball (Manawatu), B. A. Watt (Canterbury). HaL’-back: T. Edgar (Auckland). Back-row: R. D. Green (Taranaki). Side-row: R. Graham (Auckland), N. J. Mears (Manawatu). Locks: K. E. Barry (Counties). K. Nelson (Otago). Front-row: M. Allen (Canterbury), J. N. Creighton (Canterbury), G. G. Spencer (Southland). Reserves.—Backs: D. N. Cameron (Mid-Canterbury), B. Neal (Hawke’s Bay). Forwards: M. Surgenor (West Coast), M. Scott (South Canterbury). One of the extraordinary features of the selection is that although seven University players are included, only one of them was in the New Zealand Universities team which played the Lions at Christchurch early in the tour. Two of the Canterbury players. J. N. Creighton and D. J. Davi-

I son. were members of the New Zealand Colts team in Japan last , year. Although, by virtue of the terms governing its selection, it iis a young team, it is not an ; inexperienced one. Almost every i member of the side has been a i regular member of his provincial i fifteen. Barry and Green were [also members of the team which [ toured Japan. Spencer, the South- , land prop, was a member of the [ South Island team this season. ; and Nelson gave a particularly [ good display for Otago against [the British Isles. O'Sullivan ap- ' peared for the North in the interisland match.

It is expected that the Junior All Black forwards will have a difficult task trying to contain the much-improved Lions pack. But the Junior All Blacks forwards are all most promising players in their own provinces; Allen was in the final trial which preceded the inter-island game. He will be in the front row for this game, although nearly ail his best football has been as a lock, and he was nominated as a lock or side-row forward. Creighton, although second string for the last few seasons to D. Young, is a very quick striker and a sound allround forward. Graham of Auckland is a brother of the Canterbury captain for Saturday’s game. D. J. Graham. Watt, selected as first fiveeighths. was at the national coaching school at the beginning of the season. He is a clever five-eighths but on last Saturday’s performances A. F. Orme of University was unlucky not to be nominated. The players are all under 23, and the policy for selection was that no All Blacks would be chosen.