Hard Training For Canterbury XV

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32378, 18 August 1970, Page 15

Hard Training For Canterbury XV

(From

J. K. BROOKS)

TE KUITL The members of the Canterbury Rugby team were pushed almost to the limit of their physical endurance in a tough training session in warm, windless weather at Rugby Park, Te Kuiti, yesterday.

Mr M. J. Dixon, who has taken over from his fellow selector, Dr J. D. Stewart, as coach of the side for the second half of the North Island tour, had the players slogging round the field for almost two hours.

The session ended with six crossfield sprints culminating in massed rucks in which backs as well as forwards were forced to take part “Hit those rucks hard,” cried Mr Dixon. “I don’t care if we leave three or four on the ground, I want an all-out effort and there's to be no stragglers at the end of the sixth ruck.”

£] The players collapsed gasp;ing for breath. i Mr Dixon’s uncompromising ■'approach to training has also ■been reflected in the choice ’of players for the game against King Country on the i s me ground tomorrow. Rather t than give players a game by i rotation he has stuck largely ;to the side which played Hawke's Bay on Saturday.

The only changes are the forwards where C. J. Read replaces S. E. Cron on the flank and L- D. Adam comes into the front row in place of K. J. Tanner. The team is S. M. C. Murray, R. F. Cocks, L. W. Jones, M. S. Moore, K. J. Gimblett, . O. D. Bruce, L. J. Davis, L H. Penrose (captain), A. C. , Matheson, H. H. McDonald, R. ’ J. Lockwood, Read, Adam, R. , W. Norton, A. McLellan. ; At training McLellan and ; Davis proved their high stand- ; ard of fitness by being con- . stantly out in front of the , rest FENCE POSTS The reserves. Tanner, Cron, C. Johnstone, B. F. Elder and M. R. McEwan, were far from idle either. Tanner had them running relays with concrete fence posts on their shoulders and later a goal post was carried up and down the field. The Canterbury forwards made a solid showing at practice which is just as well as King Country’s strength lies in its pack. The home forwards include the All Black trialists, G. J. Whiting and W. Symonds, the national Maori representative, A. S. Marriner, and the national junior trialist, A. McGeogh, a 6ft 7in Australian whose progress in Rugby has been helped by C. E. Meads. The King Country team is J. Wereta, P. J. Strange, T. Levy, I. Milbum, D. Broderson, 1. N. Ingham (captain), M. Pevreal, B. Palmer, Marriner, McGeogh, Symonds, G. Peake, Whiting, K. Cornish or D. Peterson, G. Hill. The Canterbury team is now under new management, Mr J. K. Torrance, who was unable to leave Christchurch because of business commitments last week, took over as manager from Mr J. Storey at Napier on Saturday. Mr Dixon relieved Dr Stewart as coach on Sunday.