CANTERBURY B UPSET

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32407, 21 September 1970, Page 18

CANTERBURY B UPSET

(From Our Own Reporter) GREYMOUTH. Buller scored its first win over a Canterbury side since 1955 when it defeated the major union’s B team at Westport on Saturday, 9-6, on a rain-soaked Victoria Square.

The conditions were all against open play, but Buller successfully adopted the same tactics that kept the scoring down in the Ranfurly Shield challenge match. The inside backs kept the ball close to their forwards and the latter broke fast to keep the Canterbury backs in check.

In the first spell Buller had the better of the line-out play, O. H. Nahr, W. Moultrie and K. Pratt getting the ball away well to B. Murray at half. But it seldom went past the first five-eighths, H. Pablecheque, who used his boot to advantage either to find the line or to harrass the opposing backs as his forwards followed through. The other backs confined their work mostly to defence and did it tremendously well. The hero of the game was G. W. Hart, who gave a grand' display at full-back. The captain, B. Stack, backed up well on the right wing to save his side time and again. The other backs, B. Morgan, J. Zampach and J. Dickson, did what they were faced with efficiently.

The Buller loose forwards enjoyed the conditions, C. A.

Fussell and D. Stevenson being particularly lively. In the second spell the Canterbury pack went much better and M. R. Perkins, D. Wynne and N. J. Cornelius soon wiped out the deficit in the lineouts, the last-named playing his last representative game of many for Canterbury, bowed out nobly and in the last 5 minutes Instilled great fire into his team. Wynn was in splendid allround form and P. H. Dench had a good game.

But the Buller men continued to harrass the opposing backs in the loose and the veteran, Nahr, in his best form, and T. Aldridge and J. Syron adding force from the prop positions. Play waa almost solely confined to the forwards until the last 15 minutes when Canterbury really settled down. All of a sudden the backs clicked, with M. T. Brown giving a splendid service from half-back.

It was only desperate defence by the whole Buller team that kept the scoring down. Once S. W. Bowater went within inches of scoring a try. Brown was Canterbury’s best back, but near the end P. Peacock and Bowater were going better as five-eights. The others did not get many chances to shine, but R. Griffiths was In really good form at full-back. Early In the game Cornelius was put in position by Brown from a ruck to score a good try. But a minute later Pabblecheque dropped a goal from 35 yards out. Hart put Buller ahead at half-time with a penalty goal after missing three other attempts.

He made It 9-3 soon after reaumptlon, but Griffiths brought Canterbury within striking distance with a goal. Buller held out precariously to finish the season on a good note.