New faces in club Rugby

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33193, 5 April 1973, Page 24

New faces in club Rugby

The programme will probably be used more than usual today at Lancaster Park—the south ground—when the first round of senior club Rugby begins. The battle between the academics. Lincoln College and University B. will feature a number of players new to the senior grade in Christchurch, and although Lincoln College should win. its way will not be easy. The Lincoln pack has been depleted with the losses of the All Black trialists. A. McLellan, south, and R. J. Lockwood, north. As well, the college team will be without S. C. M. Murray, a former Canterbury full-back, and P. A. Peacocke, the Junior All Black first five- , eighths, who have followed Lockwood across Cook Strait. UNIVERSITY TEAMS The University B team is, ' as is usual at the beginning

hof a new season, rather disIturbed by promotions to the A side and transfers. The A team has suffered more losses in the back-line than normal, and it will field (a team against Marist, also, (at Lancaster Park South., without W. J. Lewis, L. Jones, M. P. Collins and D. Murchison. All of these players are Canterbury representative hacks, but the change seems to have been as good as a holiday to University A. which has excellent preseason results. Last year's champion, Christchurch, is another club to suffer heavily in the backline. The first five-eighths,' R McGlashan, and the Canterbury wing, R. J. Knight, have both shifted, and B. C. * Cochrane, the other wing 1 and also a representative player, is playing in the < sub-unions. This suggests that Christ- > church will face a tough • hurdle in High School Old *

• Boys in the main game at “Rugby Park. Old Boys’ only great loss is of the lock, I R. H. Doell. I LINWOOD STRONG Probably the least changed of the clubs is Linwood, ’ which has been consistently the best team for a number of seasons. The only problem position: in the back-line for Linwood is first five-eighths; the incumbent. W. Robinson, has returned to Shirley. Linwood will have prob-, iems of a happier sort, how-: ever. The policemen and former Canterbury wings, j R. F. Cocks and R. J. Wool-' house, will be vying for the: two positions with T. W. Mitchell and D. McGuigan. It is the sort of problem that. Christchurch, for example, j might appreciate. Linwood should have far: too much strength, back and ! forward, for Albion, which i it nlavs at Middleton Park.'; and the competition does , seem to be the preserve ofi*

: the strong teams of recent* ' seasons: Linwood. Christ- . church, Old Boys, University A, Lincoln, and perhaps New Brighton. The latter’s only serious loss is of its forceful wing. R. D. Pierce, who is in ! Dunedin. HARD BATTLES Four of the teams which will face hard battles this season are to play among themselves in the first round Suburbs will play Merivale-' Papanui—without the stalwart forwards, D. Warren and D. C. Pirie—at Sunnyside; and Sydenham plavs the promoted club, Burnside, at 'Sydenham Park. Belfast, under a new coach. Mr A. M. Holland, this season. is the first senior club ■in several seasons to draw a bye. Golf.—A. Robinson, with a 3f>holp tola! of 150. won the senior section of the Cheviot autumn ’ournament. Other grade Winners were— lntermediate. D Bell, 168; junior. D. Slogs, 206. I