Williams the kicker

Press, 10 June 1977, Page 24

Williams the kicker

Bryan Williams will do all the goal-kicking for the All Blacks in the First Test against the Lions at Athletic Park tomorrow week. This statement was made by the convenor of the New Zealand Selection Panel (Mr Jack Gleeson) after the test team had been announced in Dunedin on Wednesday night. Pressed on the question of who would be the back-up kicker in the event of Williams either being injured or having a succession of failures, Mr Gleeson named Sid Going.

This, therefore, is a return to the kicking partnership which was used with only modest success at times in South Africa last year. It also ends speculation about, the selection of Colin Farrell ( at full-back. Farrell is a useful goal-kicker, but clearly he won his place simply because he was considered the best full-back in the country.

There has been some de-1 bate about the number of new caps in the All Blackside. Farrell, of course and! Lawrie Knight are definite; new caps, although Knight I makes his test debut after | 25 games for the All Blacks. • The player at issue is I Andy Haden, whose only test experience to date was ■ in the two unofficial tests i jagainst Argentina last year.) 'The tests were unofficial be-1 cause Argentina is not a!

member of the International ilßugby Board, but at the ■ same time the New Zealand I union declared before the : i tour that the players on it I were All Blacks in every re•|spect. So it is a moot point (whether Haden will be play- ( ing his first or third test at ; Wellington. The stand of the ; i New Zealand union would ..suggest that it is his third • Iso far as the record book is II concerned.