All Black Selectors Make Few Experiments

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30127, 10 May 1963, Page 19

All Black Selectors Make Few Experiments

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, May 9. Ihe New Zealand Rugby selectors have not let their imagination run away with them in announcing the teams for Saturday’s final trial. 1 here are two or three players who, if trial form were the be-all and end-all, can consider themselves lucky to be chosen. \nd there are a similar number who may consider themselves singularly unlucky.

;ne players who brought | t, '.tap of excitement in the 1 ; ■ ■ trial were the Hawke’s v centre, I. R. Macrae, and forwards, the Otago No. i D. W. Clark, and the Wai--apa farmer who could be•me one of your most versaand gifted forwards, B. J. chore. Lochore and Clark will have j i -.nal trial; Macrae will; • , ch as a reserve. Antici-' on was rife that two bril-1 • young centres in Macrae 1 I N. Uttley < Wellington)' got have the middle of i A.r.letic Park as a duelling ground on Saturday. However. Uttley will again > opposed by the Auckland Black. P. F. Little. Two more unlucky than most were T. P. O’Sullivan and M. Williment—but for efferent reasons. After piayg a fine game in the first trial. O’Sullivan could make or.ly the reserves for the final.

Deserved Place He played with infinitely j more resource and polish than a couple of those selected. On • ie strength of his game, there no doubt that he deserved a place. Willunent, on his form today. must have had a final trial position sewn up. However. he damaged a hamstring and had to leave the field. It o doubtful whether he was .- rously considered because; of th ; s. * s n punching through' to make the extra man and set i lor his side that hej received his injury. He had)

dropped a goal from the field and kicked a couple of goals before that. Another who might be considered unlucky not to make the reserves at least was the Hawke’s Bay half-back, B. R. Neale. The length and accuracy of his passing was a notable feature of the first game and led directly to at least one try. It was not a good day for the New Zealand half-back. D. M. Connor. He had a scrambling match, well removed from the precision job he usually turns in. Damaged Thigh Of the hgif-backs, K. C. Briscoe had the best game until he went off with a damaged thigh. However, he has been named with Connor for the final triaL D. B. Clarke and W. F. McCormick will go into the final trial as full-backs, but the i full-back play generally was I uninspiring. i The second five-eighths will be P. T. Walsh and T. N. Wolfe. Walsh had a good match, rather better than his opposite, W. A. Davies, who nevertheless looked surprisingly sharp at odd times. Wolfe is right back to his best form. He looked again the harum-scarum urchin of 1961 as he pivoted, propped. I ducked, and dashed. R. C. Mcreton was forget- ' ful too often of his fihree- ; quarters and this marred not (only his game, but has team’s as well. i M. A. Herewiiwi will

oppose B. A. Watt in the inside position. Herewini came into his own well on into the second spell wihereas Watt looked a ball otf fire for the earlier part of the first spell but faded. Overall the forwards, though the work was so often rugged, impressed with their condition individually. A young hooker, J. Major (Taranaki), looks a fine prospect. His form as a forward rather than as a hoo-ker won him a place in the final trial ahead of such favoured candidates as J. N. Creighton and F. J. Colthurst. A. J. Stewart endorsed the impression he made last season as an outstanding young lock and he will be extremely hard to keep out of the test sides. He locked a splendid scrum with I. N. Mac Ewan. Six former All Blacks failed to gain a place in the final trial and two were named as reserves. Those not named are J. N. Creighton and W. A. Davies, both of whom played against Australia in New Zealand last season, V. M. Yates, R. J. Conway, R. H. Horsley, and J. R. Watt. In the reserves are R. C. Moreton and T. P. O’Suliivan. Cup Finalist.— Benfica of Portugal, the holder, beat Feyenoord of Holland, 3-1, last night to qualify to meet Milan in the European soccer cup final at Wembley, London, on May 22.—(Lisbon. Mav 9.)