More match practice for 10 Lions

Press, 23 May 1977, Page 6

More match practice for 10 Lions

From

KEVIN McMENAMIN

Gisborne

The British Lions will have their third captain in three games when they play Poverty Bay-East Coast at ! Gisborne on Wednesday. I The reins this time have (been handed to the centre, Ilan McGeechan, who capitained Scotland this year and also captains his club and | country sides. Even so the Ichoice’is still a little surprising, as Wednesday’s side I contains Frank Cotton, who was the captain against Hawke’s Bay on Saturday. The tour captain, Phil Bennett, is being rested again, which suggests that he is being kept for what is expected to be, a harder game against Taranaki next Saturday. The Lions are having a good run with injuries at the moment and the only player not considered was the lock, Nigel Horton, who was knocked out in the first game at Masterton. He will resume training today and should be fit to play on Saturday. The team for Wednesday is: Bruce Hay; Elgan Rees, lan McGeechan, Mike Gibson, Gareth Evans, John Bevan; Doug Morgan; Willie Duggan; Tony Neary, Moss Keane, Alan Martin, Trevor Evans; Fran Cotton, Bobby Windsor, Clive Williams.

It is notable that the side includes 10 players, six of them forwards, who were in the team that nearly lost at Napier on Saturday and at a press conference last evening the manager (Mr George Burrell) gave an indefinite answer to a question as to whether these players were being given a chance to “rehabilitate” themselves. Both Mr Burrell and the coach (John Dawes) said they were disappointed with the Lions’ performance on Saturday, but both spoke of the game “bringing the team down to earth.”

Dawes discounted any suggestion that the Lions had under-rated Hawke’s Bay, citing its record against touring sides to support his case.

“When August 19 arrives and we end this tour We may look back to Hawke’s Bay and say ‘thank you’,” he said. The team will train today at the earlier than usual time of 9.15 a.m., but, according to Dawes, this is only to free the players so that they can make trips in the afternoon. He was lost for words for a second or two when asked what he would be doing at training today. “Well perhaps the line-outs for a start,” he replied with a grin. Mr Dawes was quite happy with Saturday’s referee, Mr W. L. Adlam, of Wanganui, saying that he had yet to meet the perfect referee, but Mr Adlam was “as good as anyone.” The news that the Welsh No. 8, Jeff Squire, is to be the replacement for the unavailable Roger Uttley has drawn mixed reactions from the British press touring with

[the Lions. Uttley’s defection’ I is seen as a big blow, both as la player and as a pack ■ leader. Some United Kingdom writers see Squire as! ■ nothing more than a mid-; :week player and one who brings no particular new talent to the side. “When they are stuck (the ■ selectors), they just toss in: another Welsh plaver." remarked one English journalist. j The addition of Squire will ■restore the Welsh complejment to the 16 it was before IGeoff Wheel withdrew, or as] lone Welshman put it, the I whip hand in any majority; (vote. ] However, Brian Wall, the ■ (studious rugby writer for; [Cardiff's “South Wales Echo.’’ ■believes that Squire couldi [develop into a top plaj’er on] ia tour. Squire, like all otherj |British No. 8s of recent years,] 'has suffered through coinpar-: lison with Mervyn Davies. But even, Dawes ack-1 nowledges that forwards like] Mervyn Davies “don’t drop' off trees” and it is believed that he recommended the! selection of Squire. Squire is 1.82 metres (6ft) tall, but even so it was his lack of I height at the back of lineouts that caused him to be | [dropped by Wales after two], games last season. According! Ito Wall, Squire is a fast and;, tricky runner and like his]) near namesake among the I, tourists, the English wing. <

■Peter Squires, he Is alse a | county cricketer. Squire, as a physical edu- ! cation instructor, should be lin reasonably good condition ■ when he joins the team at I New Plymouth on Thursday, but he will be given time to acclimatise before he gets a ■game. At least Squire will have plenty of companions being ear-marked for the Wednesday games. Just about the entire team which played against Hawke’s Bay on Saturday is at present in this (category. i The Lions visited a farm near Napier yesterday morning where they were treated ;to a display of aerobatics. (About half die side, including the liaison officer, Mr R. W. I Thomas, of Canterbury, 'accepted an invitation to [make a flight in a Tiger Moth. I One of the employees on I the farm is an uncle of the [Scottish full-back. Andy Irivine, and for this reason [lrvine joined the team man|agemen( in being presented (with some very woolly sheepIskin rugs. I The owner of the farm, Mr ;Lou Harris, explained that the [rugs were not close-shaven, las the Lions had had their I close shave for the week-end lat McLean Park. The party flew into GisI borne yesterday afternoon, to Ibe welcomed by a crowd of [more than 1000, large by any city’s standards.