League team slow starting

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34123, 8 April 1976, Page 32

League team slow starting

Bp

JOHN COFFEY

The “shadow” Canterbury rugby league team, its first Amco Cup assignment in Brisbane now less than two weeks • away, took far too long to master a makeshift Maori Invitation XIII at] the Show Grounds last evening. It was not until mid-way through the third of the four; 20-minute spells, when the 1 Invitation side was ahead by one point, that Canterbury began to find its combination.' and an increasing forward dominance eventually opened a margin of 42-14. Most of the members of the Canterbury XIII justified; their favouritism for retention when the 17-man Amco squad is announced on; Saturday. The player per-j haps most under the microscope, Francis Lawrence, had a most successful night, statistically. with his three! tries, but impressed more asj a wing than in the centres.! With Bruce Dickison on the side-line because of a leg in-; jury, and Leon Paskell and 5 Gary Taie having comparatively quiet evenings, it was

heartening that Michael 1 O’Donnell should be very] prominent in all facets of the; game. His strong running car-' iried him past many tackles and once completely clear for his fourth try of the trial (series, his goal-kicking was ! accurate, and his own defence never wavered, in spite lof him requiring medical attention. For the Canterbury XIII Lawrence (three). Hudson, Bunn. Greengrass, Tait. Stone. Wilson and Rushton scored tries, and Hudson kicked six goals from 12 ;attempts. Gibbons and O’Donnel replied with tries for the opposition, with O’Donnell goaling four times from five chances. LATE TRIES Both sides held the lead twice in the final seven min- 1 utes before Riccarton upset Woolston, 16-13, in a qualify-; ing round curtain-raiser. Ric-| carton’s winning try came 1 from Phil Brown almost on I full-time. Scorers: Riccarton 16: (Brown two, Paul Everett. Maurice Kitto tries; Everett two goals) beat Woolston 13 ' (Brian Heemi two, Lou Pomare tries; Bruce Turner two goals). (