N.S.W. Beaten By Canterbury Colts

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30782, 21 June 1965, Page 16

N.S.W. Beaten By Canterbury Colts

An injury-prone New South Wales touring team proved no match for the pick of Canterbury’s promising young players and was soundly beaten by 29 points (five tries, four conversions and two goals from penalties) to three (a try) in a colts representative Rugby match at Lancaster Park on Saturday.

The Australians began on the right note with a promising blind side move after taking a tight head in the first scrum, but it quickly fizzled out and thereafter they spent most of their time defending desperately against the hardrunning Canterbury players. Even in this department they were only partly successful, but their task was made greater because they appeared very prone to injury. After nearly every full blooded attack by Canterbury there was a stoppage to attend to the minor injuries of one or more of the New South Wales players. Before half time, the tourists lost their speedy 6ft lin left wing P. Hughes with an injury to his leg.

The teams were:— Canterbury.—R. Hicks; B. Teen, I. Maskell, R. Cocks: F. Fowler, T. Mehrtens: G. Rowsell; R. Mahan: P. Cron. M. Perkins, A. Banks, A. Wylie: L. Mclntosh, J. Oliver, B. Bampton. New South Wales.—H. Sattler; P. Hughes, W. Wheeler, V. Kearney; R. Cameron, C. Williams; P. Henry: R. Graham; D. Joy, D. Habler, N. Davidson, J. Badger (captain): P. Fenn, K. Murray. W. Swan. Hughes, injured in the first spell, was replaced by L. Tall. Tries for Canterbury were scored by F. Fowler (2), A. Wylie, B. Teen and T. Mehrtens. Wylie also kicked two goals and converted four of the tries. New South Wales’ only points came from its big 13st 61b lock, D. Habler, who crashed over for a try near the corner in the second spell. At half time, Canterbury led 13-0. Although the record of the Australians since they have been in New Zealand has not been impressive, Canterbury colts could be well satisfied with their performance. There were many faults; players were occasionally guilty of just coasting along, especially' in the closing stages. However, this is almost inevitable when the standards of two teams vary so widely. Generally, the Canterbury team showed great drive in

the forwards and plenty of sparkle and penetration in the backs, One of the most

heartening aspects of its play was the way a number of forwards ran well with the linked up with the The tourists were giving away a considerable amount of weight and height in the

forwards and then failure to ride to the occasion was understandable. But their back play was poor. The

backs showed plenty of speed—on one occasion the former secondary schools’ sprint champion, B. Teen, was brought down from behind by W. Wheeler, the centre. Unfortunately, they lacked the ability to capitalise on it. Passing and handling were very poor and there was little penetration. Overwhelming as Canterbury’s win was. it would not have been nearly so convincing had it not been for the brilliant performance of the young flanker, Wylie. He scored an individual tally of 17 points, including a fine try. While fulfilling his obligation as a loose forward admirably, he ran and passed as well as any back. His kicking ability was also outstand-

in S- . j . Another loose forward to show form was the No. 8, R. Mahan. He was much more effective that his opposite number, R. Graham, and also showed ability to link up with his backs. J. Badger was prominent in the loose for the Australians, proving a capable leader. The tourists’ hooker, K. Murray, showed promise although he lacked weight behind him. He lost more tight heads than he won but in the circumstances played a creditable game. In the backs, Canterbury had an even more overwhelming advantage. Mehrtens and Fowler showed plenty of penetration and received a good service from their half back, G. Rowsell. Hicks did nothing to impair his reputation at full-back, although he does not normally play in that position. On many occasions he added thrust to the back line. His versatility was admirable. The Australian inside backs, Williams and Cameron, seemed to have difficulty combining, losing many opportunities with bad handling. The three-quarters, Wheeler and Kearney, did not get many opportunities to demonstrate their obvious speed. The full-back, Sattler, was perhaps the most impressive of the visitors. He was exceptionally safe and his line kicking was good. Referee: Mr A. R. Taylor.