Tough Western Transvaal pack will test All Blacks

Press, 28 July 1976, Page 34

Tough Western Transvaal pack will test All Blacks

By

T. P. McLEAN

Potehefstroom

Until their pride was humbled on successive Saturdays by Western Province and South Africa, the All Blacks could have approached their match with Western Transvaal today with a tolerable degree of confidence.

But more or less coincidentally with those defeats, Western Transvaal's earlyseason misfortunes, which included defeats by Eastern Transvaal and Natal, were sensationally reversed. They beat the mighty Northern Transvaal, and followed by defeating Western Province for the first time in Potchefstroom in many years. The ingredients of these victones were simple. Western Transvaal’s tough, welldrilled forward pack took control, especially of tight play, and their backs, especially the excellent scrumhalf Martin Benadie, supplemented their strong efforts with soundly effective work. It is a method which has been victorious in scores of matches in these post-war times and it will strongly test the chosen All Black

team. Western Transvaal |< ; might be likened to South- 1 'land or Taranaki in a good I year — tough, hard, unre- ] I tenting, and capable of ex- i erting sustained pressure. i Over all last year this province, for which thej' chairman of the Springbok ' selection committee (Professor Johan Claassen), who incidentally took up the chair in education at Potchefstroom University two years ago, was formerly coach and 1 who might now be reckoned I a technical a> viser. won eight !of its 12 games scoring 230 : 'points while conceding 247. I Its deficiencies in scoring were the nnncipal cause of its failure to finish higher than seventh in the Currie Cup in which amazingly it was beaten by Boland by 16 to 25 and bv Transvaal by 7 |to 32. i Even worse, it was beaten !by Orange Free State by 36 jto 3. But its recent victories indicate that Province has ■ rebounded from a bad patch and is now riding on a high. Interestingly, two of the team. Sakkie Raath, at prop, and Giel Eloff, on the flank, played all 12 games last year, while the eighth man, Piet Eloff (no relation), who is regarded as the finest player in the side, played nine. Okkie Oosthuizen, the loosehead prop, with a distinctive blond mop, almost albino, was a fine forward for the Gazelles against the All Blacks last week, and he, Warren Jevon, at hooker, and Raath form a typical . South African front row of the old style — strong, and ' utterly uncompromising. One striking aspect of the All Black selection is the ( choice of Sutherland as the ' captain ahead of that cap- > able man, Graeme Crossman, • whose leadership is so . highly respected. Alan Suthr erland is breaking his neck ! to make the test team and it , is not impossible he could - win a place at lock by dis- ■ placing perhaps Hamish ’■ MacDonald. si If today’s match turns out 'to be stem, Sutherland could Jibe just the man to stimulate this players into effective re-

actions. Laurie Mains and j Bill Osborne, among the backs, will be watched with particular interest though it must be said that despite the extraordinary failure of Duncan Robertson on a vital tackle in the test, the outcome of that match was not in the least affected by his selection at full-back. This is a tough match today. If the All Blacks can win they will be much heartened. A late withdrawal from the team was the Auckland prop. Brad Johnstone. Johnstone injured a hamstring in his right leg at training yesterday and he has been replaced in the team by Kent Lambert. Teams for the match, which starts at 3.30 p.m. (1.30 a.m., Thursday, New Zealand time) and which will be refereed by Mr Mike Kessel, of Natal, are:— New Zealand. —Laurie Mains, Neil Purvis. Bill Caborne, Bryan Williams, Lyn Jaffray, Doug Bruce, Lyn Davis. Alan Sutherland (captain), Lawrie Knight, Gary Seear, Frank Oliver. Kevin Eveleigh, Kent Lambert, Graeme Crossman, Bill Bush. Reserves: Backs, Sid Going, Terry Mitchell. Duncan Robertson; forwards, Tane Norton, Kerry Tanner. lan Kirkpatrick. Western Transvaal. — Basil Keevy, Jannie van der Merwe, Mike Russouw, George Pearson, John Bonthuys, Schalk van der Merwe, Martin Benade, Piet Eloff (captain), Jakes Jacobs, Boet Wienand, Richard Owen, Giel Eloff, Okkie Oosthuisen, Warren Jevan, Sakkle Raath. Reserves: Backs. Andre Roussouw. Dries Ferreira, Johan van Heerden: forwards, Tom van Rooyen, Piet de Wet, Tak Jacobs.