Marlborough’s Tackling Stopped Canterbury

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32079, 29 August 1969, Page 15

Marlborough’s Tackling Stopped Canterbury

(From

J. K. BROOKS)

BLENHEIM.

The loss of the Seddon Shield has not dampened the ardour of the Marlborough Rugby team, as the Canterbury B side discovered in winning the first of its northern tour matches, by 9-3, at Lansdowne Park yesterday.

Canterbury’s greater strength and skill in the forwards and superior speed in the backs was offset by Marlborough’s tigerish tackling and spirited forward rushes.

Superb Canterbury shortpassing movements, with the backs and forwards in concert, threatened to tear the heart out of Marlborough’s resistance, but some of the sting went out of the Canterbury effort as the players were bruised and grazed in tackles on the rock-hard ground. The Marlborough full-back, C. G. K. Rayner, was a shining example to his teammates on defence, and it was largely due to him that his team kept within striking distance of Canterbury throughout the game. Head-on Tackles

His finest feats were two head-on tackles of the rampaging Canterbury forwards, H. H. McDonald and C. F.

Cochrane, and a spectacular diving tackle to bring down his rival full-back, S. M. C. Murray. A beautifully fine day and the firm ground invited bright Rugby, and the two teams responded with lively displays. It was a satisfying outcome that all the points came from tries by the wings, F. A Fowler (2) and R. F. Cocks scoring for Canterbury, and B. Kilwortb for Marlborough. The Canterbury forwards bad a marked advantage in possession from line-outs and rucks and the half-back, M. T. Brown, who was in a constructive mood, fed his backs judiciously. In one moment of brilliance he split the defence with a darting run and threw a perfectly-aimed lob pass over the heads of three defenders to Fowler, who scored.

Murray’s goal kicking was not well timed, but he excelled in running with the ball and, with M. D. Brown, the second five-eighths, was the team’s most penetrative

back. Canterbury’s most potent manoeuvre, however, was the switching of play back to the loose forwards, and Cochrane and the diminutive J. G. Dickie, both speedy and purposeful, made the most of their chances.

Marlborough was not overshadowed on attack, for G. R. Neal and J. W. Joseph produced several driving bursts from the fringes of line-outs and mauls, and Neal, J. T. Gleeson and Rayner ran and passed with rare judgment in setting up Kilworth for his try. The South Island wing, N. M. Avery, looked dangerous but, fortunately for Canterbury, he had few chances. Escaped Penalties D. Wynne was Canterbury's best Une-out forward, but the side was fortunate in not being penalised for E. R. Leask’B lifting of McDonald. The Canterbury forwards’ best work was accomplished in winning quick ball from the rucks, and in this phase of play L. D. Adam, McDonald and Leask were more impressive than some of their counterparts in the provincial A team. The captain, N. G. Cornelius, was most effective in tidying up the loose ball and in providing a sound link between backs and forwards. R. S. Sutherland, Joseph, and G. Norton played sterling games for Marlborough in the tight, and R. J. May was an enterprising half-bapk. But Canterbury’s imperishable memory of the match will be of Rayner, and his tackling.