Glasgow, Scotland Playing Today

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30338, 14 January 1964, Page 14

Glasgow, Scotland Playing Today

[From A. R. VEYSEY, N.ZP.A. Special Correspondent) ABERDEEN, January 13.

Resting all but four of their probable test fifteen, the All Blacks face their third match in Scotland on Tuesday at Aberdeen.

Previous experiences in Scotland have been as diverse in sternness and character as they have been in results.

First, there was the trial by fire against South of Scotland at Hawick, the introduction to the fierce, raking type of forward play for which Scottish Rugby has become famous. Then, almost as an anticlimax, came Glasgow and Edinburgh with little fii-e in the pack, little to offer by way of resistance in the •backs and New Zealand strode to a runaway victory. Now it is the North of Scotland, a team mostly of players unknown to the tourists, yet with one old friend to lead it. At fly-half will be K. J. F. Scotland, that versatile player of the 1959 Lions tour of New Zealand. Scotland, basically a fullback but with experience in most positions in the backline, is a beautiful runner with a sharp Rugby mind. He introduced most New Zealanders to the curved run and instep-impact type of goal-kicking and achieved surprising length and accuracy with it. Other chaps in the north team on Tuesday are the well-experienced prop, D. M. D. Rollo, who will play against the All Blacks for Scotland next Saturday, and the flank forward, R. J. C. Glasgow. Rollo is regarded as the hardest prop in Scotland, as steady as the great Hughie McLeod, and fierier. Glasgow, it is said, was a shock omission from the Scotland teams named to meet France and New Zealand.

They say he is in the best tradition of Scottish loose forwards—and that means a lot to the All Blacks. On one wing is another player the All Blacks have met, an Oxford Blue, D. J. Whyte. New Zealand will field a team which is interesting, to say the least, and its most interesting point is that the skipper, W. J. Whineray, will play at number eight. Whineray is no novice in the position. In fact, he is a most effective operator and certainly one who could have made an international career for himself there. Short of locks, the touring party has posted Gray to the position for the third match in succession and will match him up this time with K. E. Barry—tiie first time on tour that no specialist lock has played. This gives the line-out a lean and hungry look. Gray has been a good clean ball-winner in his other games at lock, but the only other player ia the pack who can really get into the air is K. A. Nelson and it teems certain that they will share the possession responsibility at three and five. Laidlaw and Kirton team

up behind the scrum and Walsh runs again at second five-eighths.. This gives the inside positions a rather stolid look, but that may not be a bad thing. Flightiness has brought the tourists little cheer in recent games and linking insides could bring dividends through the three-quarters. The team is as follows: D. B. Clarke; W. L. Davis, I. R. Macrae, M. J. Dick; P. T. Walsh E. W. Kirton; C. R. Laidlaw; W. J. Whineray; D. J. Graham, K. F. Gray, K. E. Barry, K. A. Nelson; I. J. Clarke, J. Major, J. M. Le Lievre.

The North of Scotland team is:— C. C. McLeod, A. W. Sinclair, B. W. Brown, C. P. Carter, D. J. Whyte, J. K. F. Scotland (captain), I. G. Macrae, G. P. Pashley, R. J. C. Glasgow, I. C. Wood, M. G. H. Gibb, J. B. Steven, G. P. Hill, A. Brice, D. M. D. Rollo.