LAIDLAW INJURY

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32362, 30 July 1970, Page 19

LAIDLAW INJURY

“Fake” Claim Denied (N.Z.P.A. Staff Correspondent) SKUKUZA. The All Blacks have vigorously denied that C. R. Laidlaw’s injury in the first test last Saturday was ••faked,” so that he could be replaced by Going in an effort to upset the Springboks. The comment was made in the “Rand Daily Mail,” whose report yesterday said that “Going took the field in his track suit and stripped down to his playing togs even before Laidlaw had been taken off and examined by a doctor.” The AU Black captain, B. J. Lochore, said the report was nonsense. At half-time, he had told the baggage-master (Mr B. Allen) to advise the management to get Going ready to take the field. “At that stage Laidlaw was not good at all. He was pretty sick. Then, during half-time, he seemed to come right and so we decided that he would play on. “But no sooner had the second half started than he got another belt on the head. After this one. Laidlaw came to me and said he had better not continue. “Going, of course, had been alerted at half-time and had been waiting on the line.” The All Black manager (Mr R. L. Burk) said: “It was a South African doctor who made the decision. This article, in effect, is a criticism of a responsible doctor by an irresponsible journalist.”