Brighton lock back for Shield squad

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33252, 15 June 1973, Page 22

Brighton lock back for Shield squad

The return to favour of the husky New Brighton lock, E. R. Leask, is the most interesting feature of the Canterbury Rugby squad announced yesterday to prepare for the Ranfurly Shield challenges.

There can be little doubt that the findin?, of a locking partner for H. H. Macdonald has been foremost in the mind of the forward selector (Dr J. D. Stewart) as he has searched for new talent this season. Leask, as Canterbury’s reserve lock last season and a useful forward in any position, started out as the ■favourite to fill the gap left by the transfer to the North Island of the All Black trialist, R. J. Lockwood. With Macdonald unavailable, Leask and V. E. Stewart (Marist) locked the scrum in Canterbury’s first game this season — against West Coast

— but then Leask was passed over for both the Town team which beat Country and for the Canterbury side which was successful against MidCanterbury in Ashburton on Wednesday. His place was taken by the tall Linwood player D. Rowe. Dr Stewart might well have been experimenting, but whatever his reasons he has preferred Leask ahead of Rowe, and retained Stewart, for the squad. The almost complete absence of good line-out ball against MidCanterbury underlined the problem. TWO MISS Dr Stewart sprung two other minor surprises. After the Town-Country game it was generally thought that J. C. Ashworth (Linwood) and S. I. Purdon (High School Old Boys) had won themselves places in the squad, but neither has been chosen. Ashworth has been edged out by the Oxford prop, B. A. Thompson, who came on as a reserve in Canterbury’s second-to-last game last season and was then chosen for the final one. Ashworth was in the Canterbury pack which failed to impress in Ashburton, and Thompson was probably better off in the stand as a reserve. The lively University A flanker, R. C. Scott, who began his senior career in the University B team two years ago and who had his first taste of top-class football when he played for Town earlier this month, has been preferred ahead of Purdon, but it must have been a close decision. Although Purdon has shown ability as a flanker, he seems better placed as a No. 8, and it probably counted against him that A. J. Wyllie is certain to be the first choice No. 8. Even so, Wyllie is likely to be on All Black duty for some of Canterbury’s non-shield games, and if so, Purdon might be asked to fill in on these occasions.* Although he was not altogether convincing in Ashburton on Wednesday, K. J. Lawlor (Marist) has won the position of second-string half-back left open by the retirement of B. F. Elder (Linwood). On the other hand, the Mid-Canterbury game must have helped three other players secure places in the squad. They are the hooker, J. E. Black (University A), ;and the three-quarters, B.

McPhail (High School Old Boys), and J. Hanna (Christchurch). McPhail had a very good game, and Hanna, who scored two attractive tries, now appears the front-runner for the vacancy which may exist on the right wing. TRAINING The squad will begin training next week and Canterbury will face its first real test of the season when it plays Wellington in a nonshield match at Athletic Park tomorrow week. Of the squad of 23, eight have not previously been in a Canterbury shield squad. They are T. W. Mitchell (Linwood), McPhail, Hanna, B. N. Stewart (Marist), Lawlor, Black, Stewart, and Scott.