League Three-Quarters Pose Major Problems

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31653, 13 April 1968, Page 15

League Three-Quarters Pose Major Problems

(By Our Rugby League Reporter) The withdrawal of the 1965 New Zealand Rugby league centre, L. P. J. Brown (Canterbury), from the southern zone trials this week-end, and consideration for the world championship series, has further magnified the greatest problem that the national selectors will face—the lack of fast, penetrative threequarters.

Brown said yesterday that he had withdrawn from the trials because he could not afford the time off work should he be selected for the world series. He had withdrawn from the trials to give another player the chance of winning Kiwi selection. After touring Britain and France three years ago, Brown was plagued with injuries, but in pre-season games this season his sharpness on attack appeared to have returned and his chances of national selection brightened. Injuries have also forced the withdrawal of three other players from the trials at the Show Grounds today and to-

morrow. The Papanui centre, S. Dunn, and the West Coast forwards, G. A. Cowan and P. C. Mason, will not be playing. Mason and Cowan had been named as reserves but Dunn and Brown will be replaced in the Blue team by T. Toleafui (Otago), and B. F. Dobbs (Christchurch). Toleafui will be partnered in the centres by his Otago team-mate, J. Ropata, and Dobbs will take Ropata’s wing position. Brown and M. P. Brereton (West Coast), who was kept out of the trials by a burst blood vessel, appeared to have the strongest claims for selection in the three-quart-ers. Brereton is expected to be available for the interzone match at Huntly on April 28, but the other three positions have been left wide open. EXPERIMENTAL POSITION An indication of the team to play at Huntly—and in Queensland if it beats the Northern Zone will be gained when the selectors (Messrs D. L. Blanchard, M. W. Church and W. F. Mountford) name the Southern Zone XIH to play The Rest tomorrow, after the Red and Blue trial today. The other back positions should go to the West Coast full-back, B. J. Mann, and the Canterbury halves, Z G. H. Clarke and J. A. Bond. An interesting experiment would be the playing of J. L. White (Canterbury), the former Kiwi loose forward, in the three-quarters, where he played before 1965. Such a move would follow the action of the Northern Zone panel, which has placed H. R. Sinel and B. S. Lee in the centres in an attempt to gain more penetration. FORWARD ABUNDANCE The forwards will gave the selectors as many problems—but for the opposite reason. There are an abundance of good forwards in the zone and any of five players, M. H. Mohi (Canterbury), G. M. Smith (Wellington), W. P. Noonan (Canterbury), N. P. Beri (Wellington) and J. H. Fisher (Canterbury), could win selection as prop forwards alone.

C. E. O’Neil (Wellington), who will hook against Noonan today, and the West Coast second-row forward, J. K. Dixon, appear certain of selection. Unless the selectors decide to experiment with Smith as loose forward, R. Farrell (Wellington) would have strong claims, while

Mohi and C. L. McMaster (West Coast), who withdrew from the trials with a hand injury could challenge for the other second-row position. The trial match tomorrow could be regarded as the first of three stages to win New Zealand selection for the world championship series. The inter-zone match and then the final trial. New Zealand v. The Rest at Auckland on May 11, await those who succeed this week-end. No-Surprise Selection (N.Z. Press Assn. —Copyright) LEEDS. The British Rugby league selectors yesterday named a no-surprise team of 19 players for the world championship series in Australia and New Zealand in May and June. Only four were not in the British teams that recently played France, or were not reserves. They are C. Sullivan, M. Shoebottom, K. Ashcroft and R. Haigh. The team is:— B. Risman (Leeds), C. Young (Hull Kingston Rovers), D. Edwards (Castleford), I. Brooke (Wakefield Trinity), N. Fox (captain. Wakefield Trinity), A. Burwell (Hull Kingston Rovers). C. Sullivan (Hull), M. Shoebottom (Leeds), R. Milward (Hull Kingston Rovers), T. Bishop (St Helens), M. Clark (Leeds), P. Flanagan (Hull Kingston Rovers), C. Watson (St Helens), K. Ashcroft (Leigh), J. Wartow (St Helens), R. French (Widnes), A. Morgan (Featherstone Rovers), T. Renilson (Halifax), B. Haigh (Wakefield Trinity).