Kerrigan, Taie back in team

Press, 2 September 1977, Page 28

Kerrigan, Taie back in team

By

JOHN COFFEY

Two Papanui outside backs, Eddie Kerrigan and Gary Taie, have returned to the Canterbury rugby league team for its vital Rothmans tournament national semifinal against Wellington at the Show Grounds on Sunday.

Injuries prevented Kerrigan and Taie from travelling to Greymouth for the zone elimination fixture last month, but they have since proved their fitness and have shown reasonably impressive form at club level.

The selectors (Messrs Trevor Bisman, Gary Clarke, and Mel Clinton) have placed them in different positions than those they filled earlier in the season, with Kerrigan being moved to the wing, and Taie joining Michael O’Donnell (Mar-ist-Western Suburbs) in the centres.

To make room for Kerrigan and Taie, their Papanui club-mate Peter Tairi, will revert to stand-off half.

where he made his firstclass debut against Wellington at Christchurch in July. Tairi was less prominent as a centre in the subsequent 28-18 win over West Coast. Wayne O’Donnell (Marist), one of the most effective Canterbury players in his three appearances in the halves, has surprisingly been relegated to the reserves, and Francis Lawrence (Sydenham) has been dropped after- scoring two tries in his three matches on the left wing. The preference of Tairi ahead of Wayne O’Donnell suggests that Canterbury intends to put more emphasis on attack — and gives Tairi the onerous task of containing the Wellington captain, John O’Sullivan — and provides Papanui with a probable record of contributing | five of the province's firstchoice backs. The only non--1 Papanui members of the line are Michael O’Donnell and Robin Alfeld (Hornby).

No changes have been, made to the pack which performed so well in the recent victories over Wellington and West Coast. Wayne Bunn (Hornby) will be the substitute forward, the other candidate Mutu Stone (Addington), having suffered a hand injury while training for his club 10 days ago. Wellington has named a particularly powerful team for the match, one that the northern province not only regards as a stepping stone towards the Rothmans grand final but also as a platform for furthering its claims for inclusion in the rich Amco Cup tournament in Australia next winter.

Don Munro, the longstriding former test wing, has recovered from injuries, and another international, Warren Collicoat, has nudged his close rival Alan Brookes, from the full-back berth.

Two alterations have been made among the forwards from the side which lost to Canterbury 11-20, in the last encounter between the prov-

inces. Whare Henry, the World Cup loose forward, and Guy Wainohu, in the second-row, have the roles previously filled by Eddie Albright and Tam Mellars.

The teams are. — Canterbury: K. P. J. Williams, E. S. Kerrigan, M. W. J. O’Donnell, G. D. Taie, R. L. Alfeld; P. J. Tairi, K. W. Tait; A. P. Rushton, M. H. F. Godinet, T. J. Gillman; B. R. Edkins, J. Greengrass; R. S. Walker (captain), Reserves: P. W. O’Donnell, W. A. S. Bunn.

Wellington: W. R. Collicoat; D. W. Munro, J. A. Whittaker, J. Jacobson, N. J. Tupaea; J. C. O’Sullivan (captain), H. Love, Whetu Henry, K. R. Tamati, B. Jolley; G. Wainohu, W. Smith; Whare .Henry. Reserves: A. Brookes, H. Puketapi.

The referee will be Mr K. Bailey (Auckland). A Canteribury referee Mr D. Wilson has been chosen to control the other Rothmans semi--final, between Auckland and | Waikato at Auckland tomorrow.