Log o’ Wood up for grabs

Press, 17 August 1977, Page 38

Log o’ Wood up for grabs

PA Wellington The 1977 Ranfurly Shield rugby competition begins in Palmerston North today with the second division team Wairarapa-Bush challenging Manawatu for the “Log o’ Wood.” It will be Manawatu’s third challenge after successfully defending the trophy against Horowhenua and Hawke’s Bay at the end of last season.

Manawatu has not had the happiest of seasons and in the seven matches played (excluding the combined team performance with Horowhenua against the Lions) has rcorded five losses and two wins. The holder cannot afford to take the first challenge lightly, as it has been beaten by one second division side already this season. South Canterbury, the winner of last year’s South Island second division competition, beat Manawatu, 21-18, last month during Manawatu’s short South Island tour. The closeness of Manawatu’s matches this year is reflected in the over-all points for and against tally, with 106 for and 90 against.

Today Manawatu will be without the services of the All Black prop Kent Lambert, who is resting after Saturdav’s test, and the No. 8, Geoff Old. Despite Lambert’s absence there will be five All Blacks and an All

Black reserve turning out for the green and whites. The wing, Ken Granger, second-five eighths Doug Rollerson and lock John Callesen toured Argentina with Mr Jack Gleeson’s All Blacks and prop Perry Harris toured South Africa under Mr John Stewart. The captain and flanker, Kevin Eveleigh, played in the first two matches against the Lions earlier this season and also toured South Africa last year. The Manawatu half-back, Mark Donaldson, was understudy to Canterbury’s Lyn Davis for the final two tests against the Lions. The pivot-man of the Manawatu attack will be Rollerson, who scored 37 points in his province’s three shield matches last year, although the full-back, Mike Banks, has taken over the kicking role this season. An interesting feature of the match will be the dual between Eveleigh and the Wairarapa-Bush first fiveeighths, lan Snook. Snook kicked an amazing seven drop-goals for Taranaki last year before shifting to the Wairarapa and Eveleigh will be intent on giving him as little room to move as possible from set pieces. The challengers have not had a good record this season either, with two national championship wins over King Country and East Coast from eight outings.