Shield Defence Team Now Almost Decided

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32381, 21 August 1970, Page 9

Shield Defence Team Now Almost Decided

(From J. K. BROOKS) AUCKLAND. One of the chief aims of the Canterbury. Rugby team’s North Island tour was to discover the best combination for defending the Ranfury Shield. With the naming of substantially the same side which played against Hawke’s Bay and King Country for the game against Auckland tomorrow, this task appears to be completed.

Only two changes have been made to the XV which beat King Country on Wednesday. K. J. Tanner replaces L. D. Adam as tight-head prop, and S. E. Cron takes C. J. Read’s place on the side of the scrum.

With the exception of the regular left-wing, R. J. Woolhouse, who returned to Christchurch after being injured in the Manawatu game, the Canterbury team to play Auckland appears to be the strongest available. Settled Combination

Ten of the 15 players named appeared in the three previous tour games, and the value of this tight selection policy began to bear fruit at Te Kuiti. By the time Canterbury defends the shield against Waikato, in eight days time, the players will have achieved a high degree of understanding. The team for the Auckland match is:— S. M. C. Murray; R. F.

Cocks, L. W. Jones, M. S. Moore; K. J. Gimblett, O. D. Bruce; L. J. Davis; I. H. Penrose (captain); A. C. Matheson, H. H. McDonald, R. J. Lockwood, Cron; Tanner, R. W. Norton, A. McLellan. Reserves: B. F. Elder, M. R. McEwan, T. L. C. Johnstone, Read, Adams. Improving Players

The most notable advances have been made by the University players, Jones and Matheson. Jones has come on remarkably well in the last two games, and although his passing is still not as good as desired, his sbarpness and eye for an opportunity have established him ahead of the injured R. J. Knight at centre.

Earlier in the season, Matheson was probably the odd man out ampng Canterbury’s four top loose forwards, but bis determination and his awkward style of running have made him a leading figure in an extremely mobile pack. Cron and Read are still rivals for the other flank position, but Read has not reproduced on tour the dynamic

displays of the earlier representative games, and the sounder Cron has been preferred. The other positions have been well and truly settled, but at tight-head prop the dependable Tanner is being strongly challenged by Adam. Canterbury is fortunate to have two such able men for this demanding position. After the warmth of Te Kuiti, the team was greeted by rain and strong winds when it arrived in Auckland yesterday afternoon, and a 90minute training run was held in the wet on the back ground at Eden Park. All was not well with the Canterbury players. Moore, who has strained a hamstring muscle, jogged on his own, McLellan pulled out of the session after getting a kick on the side of the leg, and McDonald was excused from scrummaging and rucking practice because of a sore ear.

However, the coach (Mr M. J. Dixon), does not regard the injuries as serious and all three players should be able to take their places tomorrow. Read suffered a cut on the side of his head when he was felled by a blow from K. Marriner in the King Country match, but the wound did not require stitches.