Robertson as test full-back again
From
PAUL CAVANAGH,
NZPA correspondent
Kimberley
Duncan Robertson will return to full-back for the All Blacks in the fourth test against the Springboks at Ellis Park, Johannesburg, at the week-end.
Southland’s Frank Oliver will now get his first cap at lock, and the All Blacks will field the Maori All Black front row of Kent Lambert, Tane Norton, and Bill Bush.
These facts emerged when the All Blacks held an earlymorning training run in Kimberley before flying to Johannesburg yesterday.
The All Blacks’ manager (Mr N. H. Stanley) said it had been decided to train yesterday morning, leaving the afternoon free for the All Blacks to complete shopping in Johannesburg.
This means that the test players will today and tomorrow be able to give their undivided attention to the
build-up for the big match. Mr Stanley confirmed the team on arrival at Johannesburg and was confident that all players would be fit to play. He was referring to Batty’s troublesome knee, and the hamstring injuries affecting Going. Oliver, and Lambert.
Oliver did not practise with the team in the early stages, because of a hamstring injury he aggravated in the match against Griqualand West. He jogged about the field after the team doctor, Laurie Knight, had made an examination of the injury during breakfast. Robertson’s return to fullback, the role he played in the first test, is necessitated by the recent lapses of form by the regular full-backs, Kit Fawcett and Laurie Mains. Fawcett did not play
well in the third test while Mains spoilt his test chances with a poor game against Griqualand West. With Robertson at fullback, Doug Bruce returns at first five-eighths. Fawcett is one of four third-test players dropped for the last match. Also overlooked have been Hamish Macdonald, whose place has been taken by Oliver, Ken Stewart, who gives way to Kevin Eveleigh, and Perry Harris, who goes with the reshuffled front row. The team which trained as the test combination was: Duncan Robertson; Bryan Williams, Bruce Robertson, Grant Batty; Joe Morgan, Doug Bruce; Sid Going; Andy Leslie; lan Kirkpatrick, Peter Whiting, Oliver, Eveleigh; Bush, Norton, Lambert. The reserves are Lyn Davis, Terry Mitchell, Bill Osborne, Graeme Crosman, Perry Harris, and Laurie Knight.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19760916.2.228
Bibliographic details
Press, 16 September 1976, Page 36
Word Count
373Robertson as test full-back again Press, 16 September 1976, Page 36
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Copyright in all Footrot Flats cartoons is owned by Diogenes Designs Ltd. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise these cartoons and make them available online as part of this digitised version of the Press. You can search, browse, and print Footrot Flats cartoons for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Diogenes Designs Ltd for any other use.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.