Mr G. Menzies excellent candidate as N.Z. coach

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31763, 21 August 1968, Page 11

Mr G. Menzies excellent candidate as N.Z. coach

’THE West Coast Rugby league coach. Mr G. Menxies, must be regarded as a leading candidate to coach the New Zealand

team at the world championship series in Britain and France late next year. Mr Menzies, one of the finest stand-off halves in the world during an illustrious international career that spanned 11 seasons and eight overseas tours, has been nominated by the West Coast and Canterbury boards of control for the

position of national selector. The New Zealand council will make the appointments at its meeting on August 27. Only nominees who were available to travel to the world series would be considered for the three-man

selection panel and the coaching position would be allocated to one of the selectors, the council has ruled.

The experience that Mr Menzies gained in 69 international matches (including 28 tests) greatly assisted West Coast to its unexpected and decisive 16-3 win over Auckland earlier this season. The West Coast team was one of the youngest ever fielded by the province and contained several members of the equally youthful Runanga team that

Mr Menzies has coached to a three-way championship play-off with Marist and Ngahere this season. Mr Menzies himself came

into first-class football when very young. He played for his province and South Island against the touring Australians when only 18 in 1949, was a test reserve the next season and made his debut, at 20, against France in 1951. New Zealand was left with only 12 men when J. S. Haig received a broken

cheek-bone after 10 minutes of that test but Menzies, tackling brilliantly and scoring a try in his debut, played a leading part in the Kiwis’ magnificent 16-15 win against a French team that had beaten Australia convincingly. In the last

few minutes the gallant Menzies was also forced to retire with an injury. His try on the blind-side against Great Britain dur-

ing the 1957 world series match at Sydney was regarded as one of the greatest seen in test football and turned probable defeat into an upset 27-21 victory. Upon his retirement from international football in 1962, Mr Menzies accepted a position as a player-coach in the New South Wales Country Rugby league. His speed may have been a little

less obvious, the darting runs past defenders of test standard were less frequent, but his tactical knowledge ensured success.

His experience as a player, ability to mix with and advise youngsters on the verge of national selection, and his coaching experience, have already assisted his club and province; further promotion could be a step towards improving New Zealand’s disappointing international record.