Leading Clubs Meet In Rugby Today

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30472, 20 June 1964, Page 10

Leading Clubs Meet In Rugby Today

Linwood, although it has not beaten University since 1960, will go into today’s match between the two teams with the comforting thought that not only is it co«leader of the senior Rugby championship with University but also it has scored most points in the senior grade.

In recent matches Linwood has played impressively. Its forwards are stronger and more vigorous than most and its backs, if not spectacular, are very sound on defence and competent on attack.

Probably the tactical aspect of the match will be much like that of the UniversltyChristchurch game; Linwood trying to keep the ball loose, a game which, traditionally, it plays well, and University trying to gain control in the forwards and use its backs efficiently from set. play and rucks.

If University plays as it did in the first 55 minutes against Christchurch, Linwood

will have to give an outstand-' ing performance to win. In that period. University played like a strong provincial team. Its forwards gained control in the tight and were dangerous in the loose, and the backs looked a far better attacking line than did Christchurch.

Because the University backs move so efficiently there is a tendency to under-rate them, but they have scored 26 of the 32 tries compiled by the team and the threequarters have scored 19. The game may again be a high-scoring one, mainly because of the goal-kicking ability of P. Jellyman (Linwood) and D. C. Leary (University). Jellyman has scored 95 points this season and Leary 74. As the match can be expec-ted-to be a tense affair with many penalties if either of these players is in form, it could be a decisive factor.