Robertson as test full-back again

Press, 16 September 1976, Page 36

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.