College XV loses

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32977, 25 July 1972, Page 22

College XV loses

The Christ’s College first XV forwards need a crash course in nicking before they engage their next secondary school opponent.

This became painfully obvious when the Otago Boys’ High School pack won 99 per cent of the rucked ball at the College ground yesterday, and the home side was fortunate not to lose by a greater margin than 23-0. Otago led, 15-0, at halftime and appeared to be poised to run up a big score, for its forwards were on top and Christ’s College was facing the sun. But the handling of the Otago backs deteriorated in the second half, and several scoring chances were lost.

“Come on, College—this is terrible,” called a spectator after Otago had scored its third try in the twenty-fifth minute. But worse was to come for, 2min later, Otago increased its score to 15, and the College pack leader, N. F. Kerr, cried, “let’s do something” in anguished tones to his forwards.

There was, however, little his forwards could do against the powerful, welldrilled Otago pack, which won the rucks at will and beat College to the loose ball almost every time. In fact, near the end of the game, the entire College pack was opposed by only one Otago boy —a loose forward, at that—but it still lost the ball. On the rare occasions when College advanced, P. McLaughlan, the Otago right wing, turned the tide with superb fielding under pressure. And it was a fine tackle

by McLaughlan which stopped College’s only good movement—which featured scintillating inter-passing between S. Yuile, and flanker, and his captain, C. G. Atkinson.

Strong running Otago’s frequent attacks were boosted by the strong running of B. Brown and M. W. Scott and, every so often, by A. Larsen, a huge lock who bobbed up among the backs. Defenders melted in his path. “Tackle, College, tackle,” roared the third formers on the side-line, but the only player who did this with efficiency was C. F. H. Rhodes, the first five-eighths, who went in hard at shin-height. Rhodes’s strong punting relieved the pressure on the College line in the second half, but the team’s inability to control the ball in the forwards meant that Otago was soon back, hammering on the door. Otago’s points came from tries by Scott (2), Larsen, R. Morgan, and S. P Buttar, and a dropped goal by Brown.

The referee was Mr G. E. Albertson.