Irish tackles jar students

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34100, 12 March 1976, Page 24

Irish tackles jar students

(By

RON PALENSKI,

BELFAST.

The New Zealand Universities rugby players are learning a thing or two about hard tackling on the Irish section of their world tour.

The Varsities side beat Queen’s University yesterday 9-3, but the New Zealand team’s score would have been higher were it not for the tackling of the Irishmen.

The tackles were of the type the Welshman J. P. R. Williams stopped Bryan Williams with in the Welsh match at Cardiff in 1974. The players are left with no chance to recover and get the ball safely away.

Barrie Hutchinson, the Varsities' coach, said after yesterday’s game the tackling was some of the best he had seen for years and was the major factor in the New Zealanders being unable to score more than one try. The fast Manawatu wing, Hugh Blair, was getting some good ball from set phases of play, but the moves died when the opposing wing moved in. Tackling in midfield was also strong, and the Varsities’ players were unable to make use of the majority of clear possession they were getting. Queen’s officials said before the match they did not think their side would be up to matching the New Zealanders, especially when the Irish international number eight, Harry Steele, had to withdraw from the side.

But Queen’s played better than expected and gave the New Zealanders a harder match than they thought they would have.

New Zealand’s only try came when the hooker, John Black, ran on the blind side

N.Z.P.A. staff correspondent)

from some loose play and caught the Irish defence unawares. He had support from Terry Sole and Blair, and it was Blair who ran diagonally to score under the posts and gave his side a much-needed six points.

Alan Innes later landed a penalty to go with his conversion of Blair’s try. Queen’s fullback, Ronnie Elliott, kicked a penalty.

The New Zealanders’ next and last match in Ireland is against Combined Irish Universities at Cork tomorrow.