Shield-Holder Not Complacent About Taranaki’s Challenge

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32394, 5 September 1970, Page 10

Shield-Holder Not Complacent About Taranaki’s Challenge

(By

J. K. BROOKS)

After its morale-boosting win against Waikato last Saturday, the Canterbury Rugby team will be in a more confident mood when it faces Taranaki’s challenge for the Ranfurly Shield at Lancaster Park this afternoon.

But from the way it has trained this week, Canterbury has not become complacent because of the Waikato victory. The team’s coaches (Dr J. D. Stewart and Mr M. J. Dixon) and the captain (I. H. Penrose) all regard Taranaki as a formidable challenger.

The memories of the North Island tour are still fresh enough in the memories of the Canterbury players for them to have cultivated any misconceptions about their prowess.

Taranaki has lost five of its eight games so far this season, but as the losses have been to Auckland, Wellington, North Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and Waikato, there is no point in dismissing the challenger’s prospects of success on the score of results alone.

Taranaki will field a powerful pack, which will have an advantage in weight of half a stone a man, and the Canterbury forwards will

be doing particularly well if they can achieve 50 per cent of over-all possession.

Vital Lineouts

Canterbury has been beaten in the lineouts in the last five matches, and there will be no respite for the jumpers today, for I. M. Eliason, the 16st 81b Taranaki lock, is a capable performer in this phase of play. In the scrummaging, Canterbury should have an advantage, for L. D. Adam, who has taken K. J. Tanner’s place, is no tyro as a tighthead prop, and he should give R. W. Norton valuable assistance in the struggle for the valuable tight heads. Possession from the rucks will be eagerly sought, as al-

ways, and if the Canterbury forwards can repeat their efforts of last Saturday, scoring opportunities might be presented. Both Canterbury’s tries against Waikato were scored from planned moves after scrums, and these manoeuvres have been closely studied by Taranaki.

There is more than a passing suspicion that Taranaki’s backs will adopt the same orthodox approach which characterised Waikato’s game. If this is so, Canterbury’s hopes will rise, for the midfield defenec of K. J. Gimblett and L. W. Jones has proved most reliable. However, tactical kicking will undoubtedly play a part in both teams’ plans, and the rival first five-eighths, J. E.

Irving (Taranaki) and O. D. Bruce (Canterbury), will both aim to land the ball in the gaps to give their lively loose forwards a chance to set up second-phase possession. Harder Ground The comparative speed to the loose ball of forwards such as A McLellan and A. C. Matheson (Canterbury) and M. C. Wills and A. I. Scown (Taranaki) will form the basis for an interesting study. Taranaki has played most of its games on yielding turf this year, and the harder surface of the Lancaster Park oval, with its patches of sand, might prove disconcerting to the visitors. L. J. Davis’s good form at half-back will mean much to Canterbury, and W. J. Lewis, after his excellent debut at full-back last Saturday, will be relied upon for his soundness on defence, and for his goal-kicking. Taranaki, too, has a good goal-kicker in T. Heppell, a converted inside back, but his

fielding will have to improve dramatically if Canterbury’s quick-footed forwards are to be kept out At' centre, Taranaki has a player of genuine attacking flair, W. D. R. Currey, the former All Black wing, and the 31-year-old left wing,' K. P. Hurley, has a reputation of being a man for a big occasion. He was prominent in Taranaki’s last shield era, and earlier this season he kicked his team to victory against New South Wales.

But it is likely that Canterbury will possess the key to victory in the understanding which has been established between the loose forwards and the inside backs. If Taranaki cannot find a spanner to throw into this well-oiled machine, the shield will stay in Christchurch.

The teams are:— Taranaki. Heppell; Hurley, Currey, D. H. McGee; G. R O'Neill, Irving; D. J. Wards; R Feather; Wills (captain), Eliason, M. W. Bridger, Scown; A. J. Gardiner, F. W. Harris. J. McEldowney.

Canterbury.—Lewis; R. J. Woolhouse, Jones, M. S. Moore; Glmblett, Bruce; Davis; Penrose (captain); S. E. Crown, R. J. Lockwood, H. H. McDonald, Matheson: McLellan, Norton, Adam. The referee will be Dr H. Rainey, of Wellington.