Devine Unlucky To Miss Rugby Tour Selection

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29270, 30 July 1960, Page 5

Devine Unlucky To Miss Rugby Tour Selection

r |’HE Canterbury Rugby team which will make a four-match tour of North Island unions next month will be below its full strength because of the business and university commitments of five of its regular representatives, but the team chosen should acquit itself quite well on the tour. The forwards chosen by Mr P. K. Rhind appear to be particularly strong, but it is felt that Mr P. B. Vincent could well have given greater consideration to several backs who have been outstanding in recent games. Surprise The main surprise in the back selections was the omission of i C. Devine (Christchurch) for. one ' of the wing positions. P. J. Mor- ' rissey has certainly earned his place, but the left wing position, i made vacant by the non-avail-ability of R. M. Smith, is one which could well have been oc- i cupied by Devine... 1 He has maintained consistently { good form this season and the i three tries he scored on Saturday . were all gems. E. Noonan, selected : for the training squad at the start of the season, has played in only one game, and, strangely, has not i been selected as either a player or reserve for the game against South Canterbury next Wednes- ' day. J. D. Pask, a reserve for Wednesday’s game, is another ' who should have been given some consideration for this position. He : and Devine have each scored nine tries this season.

The selection of D. C. Leary, as an inside back, is somewhat surprising. He has not been outstanding as a centre this season. This position could well have been occupied by the young Christchurch five-eighths. D. Arnold, whose natural ability, so very apparent in recent matches, could be advanced considerably by a tour of this nature.

In the forwards it is pleasing to note that W. Strang (University) and R. Abel (Linwood) have won places in the side. Strang is an excellent roving forward of the D. J. Graham and K. R. Tremain type and has been one of the best loose forwards in senior Rugby this season. Abel, a big and high-jumping lock, lacks only the experience to mould him into a fine lock forward. In recent games he has impressed especially in his driving play. It is also pleasing to see that K. J. O’Shannessy, is at last to be played in his»proper position—hooker. He has played only one game for Canterbury A —as a siderow forward—and in the other games has been a utility reserve forward. He is a very virile forward who should go far in the game if he learns to curb his exuberance a little. Already this year, Canterbury’s brighter type of football has won attention in the north. If the team can pursue this same policy while in the North Island it should do much to eradicate the impression that Canterbufy has to rely on dour football to win.