Second leg of hooking duel

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33609, 10 August 1974, Page 44

Second leg of hooking duel

(By

J. K. BROOKS)

The second semi-final in the senior Rugby championship today, between Christchurch and University A, will also be the second leg of a notable double for Russell Skerrett, the Christchurch hooker.

Last Sunday, he had the edge on the Canterbury and All Black hooker, R. W. Norton (Linwood); today, he will try conclusions with the New Zealand Juniors and Canterbury representative, J. E. Black. Travelling man Skerrett is a mystery man to many Rugby followers. It was only recently that he made his debut for the Christchurch senior side, after the regular hooker, M. R. Powley, was injured. For the last five years, globe-trotting has been the name of Skerrett’s game. After playing for three seasons in the club’s under-19 and senior reserve teams, he caught the travel “bug” in 1969, and has been overseas until last February. He has had an adventurous life, working for two years in New Guinea, and then another two in Africa, driving safari parties from Cape Town right up the continent. Call of Rugby As a courier, he travelled extensively in Egypt and the Sudan, and later spent a year in Canada, the United States and Europe. , “The family and Rugby drew me back to New Zealand,” he said. But Skerrett, now 25, found that getting back into Rugby was painful. “J had not played for such a long time that I found I could not adjust to the grounds,” he said. “I bruised my heels badly and then, because of fluid building up, I missed three weeks play.” Maoris’ hooker Eventually, he gained a place in Christchurch’s senior reserve team; his skill gained him promotion when the vacancy in the senior side occurred. In Norton’s absence, he has also hooked for Canterbury Maoris. “Hooking against Norton in the first-round game against Linwood was the big-

gest thrill of my football career,” he said. “I could not sleep for a week through excitement." Skerrett, who comes from a well-known Southland family, leads a busy sporting existence. As well as training twice a week with the team, he goes for solo runs, plays squash at the Christchurch club, and lines up weekly with the Rugby league international, E. Kerrigan, in the Orients men’s basketball team in the social grade.