Untidy, scrappy game won by Canterbury

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33251, 14 June 1973, Page 30

Untidy, scrappy game won by Canterbury

(By

K. J. McMENAMIN)

It would seem that for another year Canterbury will have to entrust its Rugby fortunes to the players who have been the backbone of the team for several seasons. Yesterday, at Ashburton, circumstances gave many of the province’s promising younger players a chance to enhance their reputations. Although Canterbury beat Mid-Canterbury, 17-4, the standard of play was most disappointing. INDECISIVE PLAY The game was a very scrappy one, with long periods of indecisive activity close to the sidelines and rucks and mauls from which the ball never looked likely to emerge. The Canterbury forwards were only a pale shadow of the forceful, constructive pack which paved the way for Town’s win over Country last week. They won few line-outs, although this was partly attributed to blatant obstruction which went unchecked. The Mid-Canterbury forwards were far more purposeful. The locks, P. Evans and. more especially, J. Ross, made some good line-out takes, and others seemed able to wrest the ball away from Canterbury players with surprising ease. SLOW MOVEMENT The home forwards were also better at moving play ahead, and it was only their failure to give the ball quickly to their backs when'

held up, that saved Canterbury from further embarrass- : ment. Canterbury scored three tries — two by the right wing, J. Hanna, and another by the centre, B. McPhail — and in each of them MidCanterbury paid the penalty ' for missing tackles. However, the best try of the game was G. Bryant’s for Mid-Canter-bury. He was fortunate with the bounce from a cross-kick, then sped away from the cover-defence before putting ' a little kick over the head of ' the Canterbury full-back, R. G. Wilson, and catching it ' again on his finger tips. Wilson, from five attempts : at goal, kicked a penalty goal and a conversion. LACK OF ROOM Although lack of good ball 1 was partly their trouble, the 1 Canterbury backs were also unimpressive. The half-back, ’ K. Lawlor, sprayed his passes, and outside him, B. N. Stewart and K. J. Gimb- : left had little room in which to move when they did get , their hands on the ball. McPhail was easily the best of the backs. He was very sharp on attack and . his deceptive running style enabled him to slip through gaps seconds before they ; closed. Hanna made the most of: his opportunities and in both ' his tries he glided easily • around the Mid-Canterbury ; full-back, P. Whinham. But on the other flank, B. Teen : did not have a good match, i He has lost some of his ] speed and once a little more i determination would have : brought him a try. Wilson was quietly effici- 1 ent at full-back, but nothing i

more, and had it not been for his defensive lapses Whinham, who is usually a half-back, would have taken an equal ranking. In fielding and clearing the ball, Whinham was very sound. In the second-half, when Mid-Canterbury had more possession, it should have made play more through its backline, especially in the direction of the energetic Bryant. As it was, the first fiveeighths, P. Keenan, repeatedly opted for the high kick, and although these tactics were troublesome to Canterbury, they prevented Mid-Canterbury from getting into good scoring positions. Of the Canterbury forwards, only the hooker, J. E. Black, with three tight heads against the experienced G. Prendergast — and some intelligent work in broken play, improved his standing. HANDY OPPONENT Even the captain, K. J. Tanner, fumbled more line-out takes than is usual for him, although he had problems with an opponent who seemed fascinated by the cloth of the red and black jersies. Of the loose forwards, S. Purdon got his backs out of some tight spots, but neither he nor the two flankers, J. K. Phillips and R. Scott, were as conspicious as they were in the Town-Country game. D. Sloper, A. Grant and Ross supplied much of the drive which the Mid-Canter-bury' forwards were able to muster, and the two flankers, R. Chilton and N. Parrish, were largely responsible for the unhappy day spent by the Canterbury inside backs.