Rumania has doubts

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33932, 27 August 1975, Page 30

Rumania has doubts

Although the Rumanian Rugby team has great expectations of beating South Canterbury at Fraser Park, Timaru, this afternoon, it has a nagging doubt. South Canterbury recently beat Southland by a comfortable margin. Ana Southland gave the tourists a torrid match, causing them a great deal of physical discomfort, before going down by three points. As a result of the game in Invercargill, the Rumanians are today without their beefy prop, Dumitru Musat, who has five stitches in a head wound, .and their regular right wing, lon Constantin, who has a gashed finger. The side’s leading tight forward, Gheorghiu Daraban, has a heavily bruised thigh from the same match, and he is an uncertain starter today. The Rumanians, therefore, are not taking the home side cheaply, although they are now into the count-down period for the big match of their tour, against the New Zealand Juniors in Wellington on Saturday. South Canterbury has a strong, robust pack which should control the rucks and gain an edge in the line-outs. The backs are willing attackers, given half a chance, and in the long-kicking full-back, Doug Nicol, they have a potential match-winner.

The Rumanians have been forced to make at least one replacement in each of their previous six games, and they do not want any more injuries at this stage.