League to Rugby’s aid

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32860, 8 March 1972, Page 30

League to Rugby’s aid

The former AU Black lock forward, S. C. Strahan, will begin a bid to regain his place in the scrum for the test series against Australia this season by playing in Christchurch next Saturday—on a Rugby league ground.

Strahan will lead a Manawatu side, Oroua, against the Challenge Shield co-holder,

Albion. The Oroua team

contains the Manawatu prop forward and hooker, D. Knight and J. McKenzie. An Albion official said yesterday that because of the early date of the game—most citv council and county council grounds are occupied by cricket until the beginning of April—the club was most grateful for the co-operation of the Hornby Rugby league club, which had ottered it Leslie Park for the match. Strahan, who played the finest football of his career in South Africa in 1970, returned to New Zealand after that tour to face the prospect of having to farm two properties. He announced that he would not be available for his union, Manawatu, and soon afterwards decided that he could not afford the time for club football.

This season. Strahan has indicated that he will be available for all grades of football and will almost certajnly provide the new AU

Black; P. J. Whiting, the nowfit A. R. Sutherland andsC. E. Meads —who must be considered a very doubtful-prospect after suffering back injuries in a car accident late last year—with some healthy opposition for the two test positions. . Strahan’s experience and line-out ability would also be invaluable on the tour of Britain and France in October.