Newcastle Severe Test For N.Z.

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31380, 27 May 1967, Page 15

Newcastle Severe Test For N.Z.

(Special Corretpondent N.Z.P.A.) . < SYDNEY, Newcastle, which will meet the Kiwis in the first match of the 1967 New Zealand Rugby League tour of Australia today, has lost one of its players because he has to officiate at a wedding.

He is Father John Cootes, who has developed into one of the personalities of the code in New South Wales this season.

A centre, Father Cootes represented the New South Wales Country second team against City earlier this month.

The following day he kicked 11 goals from 15 attempts when Introduced as a reserve kickir by his club. Western Suburbs. However, the Kiwis will still have a difficult task to beat Newcastle, which is regarded as the strongest country division in spite of its loss to Northern New South Wales in a semi-final of the 1967 country championship.

Two Toured N.Z. The hooker, A. F. Buman, and the scrum-half, T. J. Pannowitz, toureo New Zealand with the 1967 Kangaroos. Pannowitz was a loose forward on that tour but is equally proficient at scrum-half. A. Thomson and R. Home

have toured New Zealand with New South Wales. Country teams, and G. Collins, a full-back who developed his ability to kick field-goals during an Australian Rules background, made his state debut this season. R. Hensby and A Ppwell have also represented'the country districts. TtiA manager of the New Zealand team (Mr C. R. Mountford) said yesterday that teams of equal strength had been named for the two week-end games. Only the two players who are recovering from injuries—R. W. Bailey and R. I. Orchard—will not play against Newcastle or Riverina.

Riverina, the team New Zealand will meet at West Wyalong on Sunday, is coached and captained by the former Kangaroo, R. Crowe. It disappointed its supporters in its decisive loss to Hlawarra in the first round of the country championship.