Few new faces likely in team to play Wales

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31993, 21 May 1969, Page 13

Few new faces likely in team to play Wales

'THE All Black team to play Wales in the first Rugby test at Lancaster Park on May 31 is unlikely to differ markedly from the side which beat France in the last match of the 1968 rubber.

The New Zealand trial match at Wellington last Saturday reinforced the claims of most of the established international players for continued selection. This was particularly true of the forwards, who, by meeting the strenuous demands of a game played under the kick-into-touch rule, proved that they had heeded the selectors’ stern words on physical fitness.

The rucking, peeling and driving have been refurbished for the Welsh visit, and the scrummaging is as hard and as uncompromising as ever. The only phase of forward play which failed to come up to standard in the trial was the line-outs. K. F. Gray and C. E. Meads at Nos. 2 and 3, and B. J. Lochore, at No. 7, seldom missed opportunities, but it was disappointing that renowned leapers such as S. C. Strahan and A. E. Smith gained only one clean take between them in the match. Five of the forwards on display at Wellington appear to be certainties for test selection. Lochore is a wonderful asset to any side in the back row atrf whether going forward on attack or back in cover defence he is a grand player. Meads is still the master of ceremonies in the tight, winning and distributing the bail

wih certainty and driving ahead with awesome power.

At prop, Gray appears to be better than ever and he will be one of the fittest and strongest men in the series. B. E. McLeod is still undisputably the best hooker and I. A. Kirkpatrick’s strength and speed at flanker might make him one of New Zealand’s trump cards in the two tests against Wales. Alas, the same cannot be said of K. R. Tremain on his trial form. The veteran flanker is desperately keen to play against Wales, but at Wellington the all-round excellence of T. N. Lister and the speed shown in the open by G. C. Williams overshadowed Tremain’s contribution. Lister, a capable forward in all phases of play, would be a good choice, but Williams's fearless covering will earn him close consideration. There is little between A. E. Hopkinson and B. L. Muller for the tight head prop position. Hopkinson

earned a higher ranking last season but Muller advanced his claims in the trial by using his great strength to advantage in the tight. The Canterbury player has developed splendidly since the All Black tour of Britain, two years ago and this continued progress might keep him just ahead of his rival. The selectors might cling to Strahan as the second lock, in the belief that he might perform better for New Zealand than he did in the beaten trial team. He is certainly a gifted line-out jumper, but Smith is a better all-round forward and has physical attributes to match those of Strahan. Some thought might have been given to A. R. Sutherland, who is no stranger to the lock position but who favours the back row. A tractor accident has put him out of the running; in any case he might be a little too loose for a test lock. The New Zealand backs

will be thoroughly reliable in the inside positions and capable of exciting attacking play in the three-quarters. The form of W. F. McCormick on attack increases the All Blacks’ scoring potential tremendously and his well-timed entrances on the blind side thrusts might constitute one of the sharpest thorns in the Welsh side. McCormick, of course, is a certainty forselection. His goal-kicking at Wellington answered his diminishing band of critics; he kicked seven goals in 10 attempts. Two of his side-line conversions in the gusty wind showed his judgment and technique in a good light. M. J. Dick, at 28, is back to his best form on the right wing and his well-balanced, swerving runs should earn him selection again. 0. G. Stephens is a little ahead of M. W. O’Callaghan for the left wing position, but it seems likely that one of the two centres, G. S. Thorne and W. L. Davis, will be placed on the flank. Both men are rich in attacking talents, and if Davis is a more poised and penetrative runner in set movements, Thorne’s intuitive play in the trial stamped him as a potential match-winner. I. R. Macßae seems to have made a good recovery from his back injury of last season but he did not do enough to win back the second five-eighths position from W. D. Cottrell. The Canterbury player’s catching and passing were of a high order and he covered valiantly. On attack he was quick-footed and elusive; on defence he plugged MacRae’s midfield crunch.

The first five-eighths post will probably be retained by the reliable E. W. Kirton. The tall, high-stepping G. F. Kember made a good start in the trial but lacked Kirton’s effectiveness on the blind side. The selectors are fortunate to have two such good half-backs as S. M. Going and L. J. Davis. Going’s bubbling, non-stop style of play makes him a wonderful asset on attack and he is adept at choking breaks from mauls. But Davis, although playing behind a beaten pack, was far more reliable in dispatching the bail and his bottling up of Going was a notable feat A possible side for the first test is:—

McCormick; Dick, Davis, Thorne; Cottrell, Kirton; Going; Lochore (captain); Kirkpatrick, Meads, Strahan; Lister; Gray, McLeod, Hopkinson. Reserves—forwards: T. M. McCashin, Williams Backs: L. J. Davis, Stephens.