YOUTH OF BACKS MAY TELL Southland Rugby Followers Forecast Win By France

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31726, 9 July 1968, Page 15

YOUTH OF BACKS MAY TELL Southland Rugby Followers Forecast Win By France

(From PAUL CAVANAGH, N.Z.P.A. staff correspondent) INVERCARGILL. Southland Rugby followers are not giving their side much chance of a win against the French team at Rugby Park, Invercargill, today. It will be the third match of the French tour.

They point out that their backs are young and inexperienced, and they fear that the speed and unorthodoxy of the French backs will prove too much for the Southlanders to overcome.

They could be right, but much will depend for France on the form of its young halfback, J. L. Berot. Berot had a disappointing first game for his country when France lost at Blenheim last week. He will get his chance to make amends today and to give his backs—the same set as played against Marlborough—more help than they received at Blenheim. Back Weakness The French back-line also has a weakness, at first fiveeighths, and the acting manager of the team (Mr A. Garrigue) said after training yesterday that the full-back, C. Lacaze, could be brought into the first five-eighths posi-

tion if C. Boujet was not up to form.

Boujet showed glimpses of form in the Marlborough game and Lacaze was right off form at full-back. He received a stern talking from Mr Garrigue after the game and will be out to redeem himself today. Southland's main hope will be in its forwards, led by the former All Black prop, E. J Hazlett. It will have line-out strength from.the 6ft 4in P. W. Grant and the 6ft 3in G. H. Dermody in the locking positions, but they will have to work hard to beat the veteran French line-out star, D. Dauga. The game today will be the first appearance on the tour of the French captain, C. Carrere, and the prop, J. C. Noble. Carrere has been

troubled with tendon soreness behind the knees since the team arrived, and Noble has had a calf muscle injury. Neither was troubled by injury when they trained yesterday morning. Rugby Park was frozen In a 14-degree frost when the team trained there, and with another frost forecast for this morning the ground is likely to be heavy for the game by the time the frost has thawed. The match will start at 2.30 p.m. and will be refereed by Mr J. P. Murphy, of North Auckland. The record crowd for the ground is the 23,300 who watched France beat Southland 14-6 on the 1961 tour. Since then Southland has beaten Australia, 16-11, in 1962, lost to the 1965 South African team, 16-9, and

beaten the 1966 Lions, 14-8, in their first match of the tour. Officials expect about 20,000 today. Southland has not had a game this year, but 11 members of the team were in the Southland Sub-Unions’ team which was beaten 13-5 by Otago Sub-Unions last Saturday week. The teams are:—

France.—C. Lacaze (vicecaptain); P. Besson. J. Trillo, J. Maso: A. Piazza, C. Boujet; •J. L. Berot; M. Billlere; C. Carrere (captain), B. Dutin, D. Dauga, J. P. Salut; M. Lasserre, M. Yachvili, J. C. Noble, Reserves: Backs, M. Puget, A. Campaes; forwards, J. M. Esponda, W. Spanghero.

Southland.—D. A. Nicol; A. N. Gibson, I. S. T. Smith (vicecaptain), R. Twentyman: D. Blackler. B. R. Small; C. D. Hay; R. J. Barber; H. A. Miller,; P. W. Grant, G. H. Dermody, A. | R. Frew: N. C. Gutsell, J. K. I McCrae. E. J. Hazlett (captain). 1 Reserves: Backs. R. O. Erskine, , J. C. Williamson; forwards, E. : D. McKnight, D R. Hay. '