Lions look likely to win well today

Press, 1 June 1977, Page 34

Lions look likely to win well today

By

PAUL CAVANAGH

NZPA staff correspondent

Height at the lineout, and the individual brilliance of their skipper, Phil Bennett, are expected to pave the way for a comfortable British Lions win against Wanga-nui-King Country today. The combined team, with the assistance of the King Country coach, Colin Meads, [ can be relied upon to provide the Lions with a stir-| iring challenge, but there isjlittle chance that the side} iwill repeat its upset 12-61 [victory of 1966. Even Meads has conceded; I that the home team has an • enormous task in front of it. | He spoke yesterday of his, envy of the height of the i British forwards, and also of | the youthfulness and in-; experience of his own side. I The Lions will play Moss I Keane and Alan Martin at

lock tomorrow and they, with Derek Quinnell, the forward leader, will ensure lineout domination. Jumping against them will be the Wanganui pair, Graeme Coleman, a North Island representative last year, and Grant Mitchinson, but it will come as a major surprise if they are able to get an even share of the ball. I The home team might do (better in the loose, where the young flanker Brent [Middleton will come under (close scrutiny. Middleton (was a New Zealand colt last [year and is regarded as a youngster of great potential. I Ray Stafford will captain the home team from the other side of the scrum. The lions will spell their (two in-form loose forwards, (Trevor Evans and Terry Cobner, and in their places 'will be the England captain,

Tony Neary, who has yet to hit top gear in New Zealand, and Jeff Squire, who will play his first game of the tour.

In the backs, Bennett could well hold the key. He will play for the first time on the tour alongside Doug Morgan, while there is a new centre coupling of lan McGeechan and Steve Fenwick outside him.

As fine a player as Bennett has looked on the tour so far. the impression has been that he has done only what has been required of him.

Even so, he should have too much guile and elusiveness for the home team today. The weather improved slightly in Taumarunui yesterday, but even without further rain the domain ground will be slippery. Meads expressed the hope

that the match would not be i ruined by the weather. His I back line handled the ball j surprisingly well when it trained in pouring rain, but ] there is no doubt that Bill Osborne and Murray Kidd, the back line hopes, would prefer a dry ball. Osborne has been named inside Kidd for the game, and if he plays well in that position the All Black selectors might think very hard about using him inside Bruce Robertson in the first test. They might also give some thought to playing the left and right centre game, as practised by every other major rugby-playing nation. Jet-boating thrills on the Wanganui river highlighted the day’s activities for the tourists yesterday. The players finally took advantage of the jet-boat offer after a day of altered plans.

! The British Isles coach, !John Dawes said that he [would prefer the team to spend the day on a scenic [drive through the Tongariro National Park, with afternoon tea at the Chateau, but these arrangements were later cancelled in favour of the jet boats, and other leisure activities within Taumarunui. The teams for the match, which will start at 3 p.m., and which will be refereed by Mr Jeff Walker, of Otago, are.— British Isles: A. R. Irvine; P. J. Squires, S. P. Fenwick, I. R. McGeechan, J. J. Williams; P. Bennett (captain); D. W. Morgan; D. L. Quinnell; J. Squire, M. Keane, A. J. Martin. A. J. Neary; F. E. Cotton, P. J. Wheeler, P. A. Orr. Wanganui-King Country: F. W. Hill; B. W. Donovan, M. R. Kidd, R. J. Murray; W. M. Osborne, C. P. Howard; N. W. Pye; J. W. Tarrant; R. B. Stafford (captain), G. J. Coleman, G. B. Mitchinson, A. B. Middleton; G. T. Lethborg, G. Potaka, R. B. Dallison. I