Choice of Leslie not related to club captaincy

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33514, 20 April 1974, Page 44

Choice of Leslie not related to club captaincy

“The Press * Special Service WELLINGTON. A. R. Leslie's leadership of his club, Petone. had nothing to do with his appointment as captain of the All Blacks team to tour Australia.

And, according tu the. national panel chairman. Mr J. .1. Stewart, the selectors did not take his captaincy of the Petone club on its lour of South Africa too much into account, either.

What mattered most was his “thorough grounding in provincial Rugby.” Mr Stewart said ' yesterday.

“Leslie has been through the mill with Wellington and has played more than 100 games for the province. “Provincial Rugby, of course, is not international Rugby any more than provincial Rugby is club Rugby. It’s a logical progression from each to the other but to be good at one level you must have strength below. “There are times, too, when a club player will not be any good at provincial level and a provincial player at international because in his particular strata he is playing to his level.

"But you must have some basis to have movement on and 1 am sure that Andy Leslie and the other players we have selected will be able to do that. "As a player. Leslie's great lvalue is that he is a great link man, very adept at getting things going for the backs again.” Mr Stewart said long years of observing Leslie had led him to believe he possessed j personal qualities, good I leadership and a good tactical sense on the field. i “It would be unwise and i unfair to. say the fact he has I not played a test does not I give me reservations, but I (still think he has the personal qualities to come up (with the job,” he said. I He was not worried that] Leslie had onlv limited ex-

perience captaining Wellington. He had been the Wellington vice-captain last year and had had command of the forwards. Leslie’s selection for Australia will deprive him of furthering his record of games in succession for Wellington A. Since 1968 he has made 95 successive appearances. While he is in Australia, Wellington will have matches against Wairarapa-Bush, Wanganui and Manawatu.