Key Welshmen On Injured List

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32007, 6 June 1969, Page 11

Key Welshmen On Injured List

(New Zealand Frees Association) WELLINGTON. The Welsh No. 8, T. M. Davies, one of the tourists’ outstanding forwards, is suffering from an arm injury and is in doubt for the match against Wellington at Athletic Park on Saturday.

Davies and another test forward, the flanker, J. Taylor, will visit an orthopaedic surgeon today for examinations of their injuries, the Welsh manager, Mr H. Rogers, said yesterday.

Dtvies was having treatment for back trouble earlier in the week and added to his discomfort by injuring an arm in the match against Otago on Wednesday.

He changed into his gear for the Welsh training session at Athletic Park yesterday but gave up after barely five minutes.

Any lingering injury to Davies that would keep him out of the test in Auckland on June 14 would be a tremendous blow to the tourists.

With the captain, B. E. V. Price, he has been the most consistent forward for Wales on the tour. He is a vital man at the rear of the lineouts and one of the strongest tacklers and workers in the pack.

Taylor is suffering from a shoulder injury. He lasted longer than Davies at yesterday’s training but finished

before the rest of the players.

Davies has been bracketed with Taylor in the back row in the team named yesterday for the match against Wellington. The British Lion, W. D. Thomas, has retained his position at lock at the expense of B. E. Thomas, who has been moved to the front row. The first-choice scrum-half G. 0. Edwards, who has appeared only in the first test, has been omitted. Edwards ran freely in training but he is a final-year student and will sit his teaching examin-

ations at Victoria University today and on Saturday morning. The back-line shows only one change from that which played against Otago, the utility player, A. Skirving, being on the right-wing in place of the out-oMbrm S. J. Watkins.

In his first tour match against Otago, W. D. Thomas was a resounding success, both in the line-outs' and in his field play. Another good performance would almost certainly take him into the second test team.

B. E. Thomas was Price’s regular locking partner in the 1969 five-nations’ matches but he is not a stranger to the front row. He propped for Wales against the 1967 All Blacks at Cardiff. The team is:— J. R. P. Williams; A. Serving, S. J. Dawes, K. S. Jarrett, M. R. Richards; B. John. R. Hopkins; T. M. Davies or J. Taylor; D. 0. Hughes, W, D. Thomas, B. Price, W. D. Morris: B. Thomae. N. R. Gale, D. B. Llewelyn.

Reserves.—Backs, G. 0. Edwards, P. Bennett: forwards, V. Perrins, D. J. Lloyd.