Kirkpatrick Chosen To Lead All Blacks

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32391, 2 September 1970, Page 14

Kirkpatrick Chosen To Lead All Blacks

(From EARLE READ, N.Z.P.A. staff correspondent)

ALIWAL NORTH. I. A. Kirkpatrick, the probable successor to B. J. Lochore as the AH Black captain, will lead New Zealand for the first time in the match against North-East Cape tomorrow.

Lochore, aged 29, is in the twilight of his career; the 24-year-old Kirkpatrick is among the front runners of those likely to replace him.

He has captained the South Island, but with Lochore, C. E. Meads and C. R. Laidlaw available he has not before been given the captaincy of the All Blacks. Yesterday. Lochore said he had not made a definite decision on whether he would be

available for the British Lions tour next winter. “I cannot say whether 1 will still be playing. I have just not thought that far ahead,” he said. Tomorrow’s match may be an indication if Kirkpatrick is the man to follow him, perhaps against the Lions. The All Blacks, tiring towards the end of a strenuous tour, are likely to take the risk of naming no specialist reserve half-back or hooker for the match against Northwest Cape. Throughout the tour there, has, of necessity, been a specialist reserve in each position and the halves, Laidlaw and S. M. Going, and the hookers, B. E. McLeod and R. A, Urlich, have had no time to really relax. Going and McLeod are playing tomorrow and the tourists have reached a stage where they are prepared to gamble and give Laidlaw and Urlich two free days. Milner Switched The All Blacks are resting all but two of their third test players—Kirkpatrick and H. P. Milner. The latter is having his first match on tour as a second five-eighths, but this has been forced on I him by the unavailability of both I. R. Macßae and W. D Cottrell.

Milner is playing quite confidently, and against a team .of North-East’s capabilities should acquit himself well, although he is better suited to the wing. There will be special interest in the play of Going, A. R. Sutherland, at No. 8, and K. Murdoch and B. L. Muller, at prop. The New Zealand team (the reserves to be named later) is: G. F. Kember, B. A. Hunter, W. L. Davis, M. J.

Dick, Milner, B. D. Furlong, Going, Sutherland, Kirkpatrick, A. E. Smith, J. F. Burns, T. N. Lister, Muller, McLeod, Murdoch. J. Bennett, the best of the North-East backs, was a Junior Springbok in the Argentine four years ago, N. Cretchley, one of the props, is full of experience, and the locks, P. Clarke and W. Loock, the latter being captain, are well trained soldiers of the scrummage, the ruck and the I line-out.