Selectors move Cottrell to ‘first-five’

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32700, 1 September 1971, Page 28

Selectors move Cottrell to ‘first-five’

The selection of W. D. Cottrell as first fiveeighths the position in which he was such a success in the fourth test against the Lions —is the most significant feature of the Canterbury team to play Nelson Bays at Lancaster Park next Saturday.

Although Cottrell has no preference for either first or second fiveeighths, his recent performances indicate that he might well be advised to concentrate on the inside position.

Cottrell’s usefulness to his team has been far more apparent when he has played at first fiveeighths than at second five-eighths this season.

In the first three tests, his play was not particularly impressive, but when circumstances brought about his switch to the inside position, he was transformed into New Zealand's best back, simply because he was able to dictate the trend of the game. Those Canterbury supporters who are enthusiastic enough to go to the park next Saturday, now that the Ranfurly Shield is no longer in the province, will be waiting with interest to see if he can place his stamp upon the game in a similar manner to that achieved at Auckland last month.

Hales centre The selectors (Mr M. J. Dixon and Dr J. D. Stewart) have made four player changes from the team which lost to Auckland last Satur-

day, as well as two positional changes. ; Besides Cottrell, D. A. ;

Hales has been subjected to a positional switch. Hales, who made such a fine job of marking B. G. Williams, on the right wing, has been brought in to centre, the position in which he plays his club football. ’ Cottrell’s selection as the first five-eighths enables K. J. Gimblett to return to the side after a business trip to Australia. The changes generally reflect the selectors’ readiness to bring some of their longsuffering reserves up into the firing line. Now that the tenseness of being the shield holder has disappeared, this can only be seen as a welcome move, and it is to be hoped that they follow a similar policy for the remaining three representative matches. It must be remembered that two of these players, who had seemed destined to the unenviable fate of re-

maining in the stand as reserves for the majority of shield matches—Gimblett and S. E. Cron —represented the South Island last season.

The Nelson Bays match also enables the promising youngsters, R. J. Lockwood

land B. Ford, to further their experience at the higher level. Presuming that this policy is consistent over the remaining games, and taking into account the selectors understandable reluctance to make too many changes at one\time, I. C. Grant, Norton’s* understudy for the last two seasons, could well get his chance against West Coast next Tuesday. The former All Black, A. E. Hopkinson, has been brought back into the side—displacing K. J. Tanner—after a robust display at Kaiapoi yesterday. O. D. Bruce, whose form has been below par recently, has been rested for the match. The team is:—

W. F. McCormick; R. J. Woolhouse, Hales, Ford; Gimblett, Cottrell; L. J. Davis (vicecaptain); I. H. Penrose (captain); A. J. Wyllie, Lockwood, H. H. McDonald, Cron; A. McLellan, Norton, Hopkinson. Reserves: B. J. Elder, Bruce, L. W. Jones, Grant, Tanner, A. E. Matheson and J. F. Bums.