South Canterbury Too Good For North Otago

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29295, 29 August 1960, Page 16

South Canterbury Too Good For North Otago

(From Out Own Reporter)

TIMARU, August S 3. South Canterbury beat North Otago IS-11 after leading 16-3 at half-tlrne in a representative Rugby match at Oamaru on Saturday. South Canterbury forwards controlled the set play and the backs were given a good service from scrums, rucks and line-outs. The South Canterbury backs were enterprising in the first half when the five-eighths A. M. Pearce and G. C. Richardson and the centrethreequarters, R. Bailey, often cut the defence to shreds. The' North Otago backs improved their tackling in the second half and this, together with some mishandling by the South Canterbury backs, cut down the scoring rate.

Chances Limited However, although North Otago came back with a converted try and a penalty hi the last 20 minutes. South Canterbury did not appear likely to be overhauled. For threequarters of the match the scoring chances of North Otago Were very limited because the South Canterbury forwards won about 75 per cent, of ball from line-outs and set Play.

A. Stewart, D. Cameron and MScott won the ball practically at will in the line-outs and the trio had a big advantage over the North Otago forwards. Playing in the back row, Stewart was in fine form, and supported his backs well on attack. Torrid ttlma The fast-breaking T. D. Coughlan gave the North Otago half-back, A. Pretty, a torrid time, and another good forward in the strong pack was the hooker, G. Groves, who played particularly well from the front of

the line-outs. Groves won four tight heads in the set scrums and conceded one to the North Otago hooker, B. Lewis. The best toiler in the North Otago pack was W. Simpson. The flanker, J. Pringle, was prominent in the loose but it was only in the final stages that the North Otago pack played with any concerted drive. Scorers for South Canterbury were G. McLaughlin, J. Ellery. Bailey and Stewart. M. D. Watson converted two of the tries. For North Otago, I. Coe scored a try which D. Mansfield converted. Mansfield also kicked a 45-yard penalty.