Currie to choose

Press, 22 February 1978, Page 36

Currie to choose

It is almost certain that Clive Currie, the former Wellington, North Island and New Zealand Colts full-back, will be playing senior rugby in Christchurch this year. Th» only question to be resolved is for which club. Currie has trained wnth three senior clubs and had discussions with at least one other. He has told Burnside that he will not be playing for it and the other three, High School Old Boys, Marist and New Brighton, have been led to believe they will get an answer soon.

All three clubs, no doubt, would welcome a player of Currie’s ability, although a spokesman for one of them was quite adamant vesterdav that there had been no

“chasing” on his club’s part. Old Boys would possibly have the strongest claim if the case went to arbitration. It has lost both its fullbacks of last year; Peter Buck, who has 7 retired, and lan Clark, who has gone overseas.

New Brighton will again have Dave Bowick available and the five-eighths turned full-back, Brian McLean, is likely to be Marist’s last line of defence, if Currie should go elsewhere. Nevertheless, Marist has suffered a setback with the loss of its New Zealand Junior hooker, Geoff Collins, who is going to Australia. However, because of a knee injury it is doubtful if Collins will be playing much rugby this year.