Linwood only leader to fall in senior rugby in mostly lack-lustre day

Press, 22 May 1978, Page 17

Linwood only leader to fall in senior rugby in mostly lack-lustre day

Christchurch, comfortably, and University A, not without a struggle, retained their unbeaten records and remained joint leaders of the C.S.B. Cup competition after the seventh round of senior rugby on Saturday. Christchurch beat one of this season’s improving sides, Albion, at Lancaster Park and University was extended to beat a' determined Burnside on its home ground.

At Lincoln College, Marist scored a try and kicked a penalty in the last few minutes to beat the College XV, and stay within a point of the joint leaders. However, the fourthplaced Linwood went down to a competent and well organised New Brighton at Rugby Park — to create fresh interest in the race for places in the championship play-offs in late July. In the most absorbing finish of the round, Shirley beat Sydenham, 10-9, on the strength of a last-minute penalty kicked by its wing turned full-back, Norm Chase.

Chase had good reason to make the difficult kick succeed; a few minutes earlier he had been hurt when Sydenham’s Ivan Williamson caught him around the neck in making a desperate stop in cover defence. Chase had not scored any points this season.

Outstanding individual performances on a cold and showery day included Murray Davie, the strapping 21-year-old Mbion tight-head prop, who recovered from a kick to an ankle to boldly challenge Christchurch’s supremacy, and Teddy Davis, who brought vitality and purpose to Belfast when he came on as replacement half-back.

Then there was the strapping evergreen in the Shirley midfield, Frank Jack, who played with unquenchable zest and boundless imagination against Sydenham, and Johnny Paterson, the husky Lincoln College flanker, who played his heart out against Marist — to no avail.

Neither of the big games — Christchurch-Albion and New Brighton-Linwood — produced memorable rugby. But in any case there were only about 250 spectators at Lancaster Park oval, where the loudspeaker system was on the blink, and the wind seemed to have come straight off th'; South Pole. In spite of these chill ■winds, Richard Wilson, the Christchurch and Canterbury full-back, kicked with great judgment to score 10 points against Albion, and take a one-point lead (67 to 66) over Marist’s Bernie Stewart among the individual scorers. Gary Cookson (Old Boys) reached 50 points for the season by scoring 11 against University B. Results:— University A 12. Burnside 0. Christchurch 22, Albion 10. New Brighton 7, Linwood 3. Marist 7, Lincoln College 0. Old Boys 23, University B 6.

Shirley 10, Sydenham 9. Belfast 18, Merivale-Pa-panui 9. Suburbs 9, Hornby 4. Points:—

LOTS OF STOPPAGES Although Albion achieved parity with Christchurch in possession, there was never much doubt that the red and blacks would win because of their superior possession and control. It was unfortunate that Albion was below’ strength for this important encounter, and a serious lack of liaison in midfield thwarted almost ail its attempts to develop attacks. Yet the forwards lasted well, and their spirited opposition kept Christchurch on its mettle until rhe end. However, it was one of the poorer main games of the season, with some bad errors of judgment, poor passing, and many undignified and inconclusive rucks and mauls stemming from the new tackled ball lule. These pile-ups contributed to

a lot of injury stoppages, and the lack of flow robbed the game of character. Tony Penny and Murray McEwan had matters well under control in the Christchurch backs, and Richard Wilson brought sting to the attack by entering the three-quarter line at speed. His long punting kept Albion at bay in the first half and his goal-kicking was always reliable. Up front, Peter Coleman, Mick Powley, and Neil Porter hoed away vigorously for the ball, but they had nothing to :how Albion’s Murray Davie, a tight forward with exciting potential. His contribution to his team’s stern struggle in the second half was considerable. Powley met strong hooking opposition from Paul Tew, and Murray Straight answered Mark Treweek’s block-busting runs with some startling dashes. Unfortunately. he spoilt the best of them by passing to the Christchurch first five-eighths, Barry Thomas. In the final quarter lan Barr exposed a defensive weakness in the Christchurch backs which could cost the side dear if it is not rectified soon. TENSE FINISH Desperate defence in the last Smin, with Linwood camped on the goal-line, enabled New Brighton to hold on to the four point lead and deservedly win a game which seldom reached the standard expected in senior rugby. In this final period Linwood was awarded three penalties and each time chose to attack the line rather than kick for goal. However, the tight Brlgnton defence withstood each assault and it must have been a relieved Brighton team which heard the final whistle. It was not until the sixteenth minute of the second spell that the first points were scored, and two minutes later the scoring for the game was completed.

Robert Johns kicked a 30m penalty for Linwood, and Wayne

Burleigh dropkicked a goal into the wind immediately after the kick off, and then from Linwood’s kick the ball was returned to the Linwood half, passed across the field, went to ground, and Ross Gibson kicked and chased for 50m to score.

New Brighton deserved to win because of a greater appreciation of conditions. Graham Ellis controlled play well at half-back, passing only when his outsides were unmarked, otherwise returning play to the forwards or gaining ground with well placed kicks. Outside him Burleigh also kicked astutely. All the backs chased relentlessly. to keep Linwood under pressure.

New Brighton was also more skilled in the fundamentals; high kicks were taken safely, tackles made surelv, and the passing was controlled and sensible. Dave Bowick was a safe full-back and his good positional play enabled him to take Linwood kicks with ample time and return them with interest. The forwards also played well —John Te Amo covering tirelesslj’ and Paul Bell and Kerry Tanner working hard in the tight. The Linwood forwards could not overcome the solid opposition in spit of good play from Bryce Parratt in the line-outs and Gary Hogg in the loose. The combination of Graham Parratt and Brent Nakkies behind the scrum was not a happy one, and consequently Shane Gibbens and Terry Mitchell had little opportunity to make their mark. HIGH PRESSURE For almost an hour. University A clung grimly to a three-

point lead against a determined and robust Burnside XV, but then Burnside had a flat period and the students added nine points in as many minutes, for their seventh successive win.

It was not a particularly convincing performance by University, but it deserved its win because of its more constructive play, its strength in the mauls, and its non-stop loose forward trio.

Burnside was unlucky not to lead at half-time. Doug Heffernan had three penalty attempts in the first Bmin, succeeding only with the last, to give University a three-point lead.

But for the rest of the first half, there was some untidy play and poor line-kicking by the students. Just before the interval, Burnside had Bruce Grantham in the clear and certain to score by the upright. But he was brought back for a forward pass. After a good opening in the second spell, Burnside finally succumbed to the weight advantage of University and the students prospered for most of the half, although Burnside came back spiritedly in the dying minutes and was unlucky to be denied a try after crossing the line twice.

Wayne Wooster had a splendid match at the back of the University scrum and his try was richly deserved. Ray Scott and John Chapman formed a dynamic loose trio. Gary Brown was well contained in the line-outs by Paul Smart and John Black conceded a tighthead to his Burnside opposite, Paul McKay when University was parked on Burnside’s line. Gary Barkle did not have things his own way, getting earnest attention from the Burnside half-back, Phil Walters, but the length and direction of his passes were to be admired. Heffernan was often in action and hard to stop, and Wayne Lewis tidied up well for the students on some occasions when

they were under pressure. Smart, McKay and Graeme Hogan were untiring workers among the Burnside forwards, but the outstanding individual performance came from the first five-eighths, John Lindsay. He did not have the same protection and was placed under more pressure than his opposite, Kieran Keane, but he handled difficult situations skilfully and had the better of his Canterbury rival. DRAMATIC ENDING The burly Norm Chase was mobbed by his team-mates after he enabled Shirley to snatch a last-minute victory from Sydenham with a penalty goal from a muddy patch near the right side-line. It was hard luck for Sydenham, for it had struggled valiantly against the odds throughout the second half and appeared to have survived Shirley’s pressure. Oh the other hand, Shirley seemed certain of winning after tightening its forward play and using the southerly blast to maintain a big territorial advantage in the last 40min.

Shirley scored a try and a penalty goal in the first 10 minutes after half-time, but then encountered valiant resistance from Sydenham. Before Chase’s excellent last kick, Shirley had missed three penalty kicks and a drop-kick, and had a try disallowed because of a forward pass. One of the main reasons for Shirley’s success was the assertive and constructive play of Frank Jack at second fiveeighths. He gave the attack thrust and direction and his backing-up was admirable. And, as usual, his defence was uncompromising. Brendan Dooley showed plenty of dash in the loose and Steve Scott gave a Pimpernel-like display at half-back, although some of his changes of mind on which path to pursue caused confusion in both teams.

Sydenham’s Wayne Tinker lost nothing in comparison with Scott, and he cleared the ball well under pressure in the second half. Ken Taylor, who kicked two Impressive goals for Sydenham, also figured prominently in the back attacks, and Tom Chander and Bernie Ryan were effective forwards.

The evergreen Colin King took a lot of bumps and scrapes, but scored yet another try when he took advantage of a badly sliced kick from Tawhai Taite. DAVIS DAZZLES

Spurred by a MerivalePapanui try 12 minutes into the second spell, Belfast took control from then on, overcame a one-point deficit, and went on to a nine-point victory.

The regular Belfast half, Ted Davis, came on to replace the injured Kevin Taylor and revitalised the side. Until then the Belfast forwards had played a lack-lustre game and the backs seldom reached the advantage line. The advent of Davis made all the difference; the forwards controlled all aspects of play and the backs moved with confidence. It was remarkable that one player could make so much difference. The appearance of Davis was as welcome to the crowd as it was to Belfast, for until then the game had been a dreary succession of lineouts, scrums and penalties.

Davis played a masterly game, sending out long passes and kicking astutely. He capped this with a try round the side of a ruck which sealed the match. With Dave Thompson, Tony Burrows and Andy Karatea to the fore, the Belfast forwards made several forceful hand-to-hand charging runs in this latter period and the advantage which they had held in the rucks was turned to good account by the backs again due to the good service of Davis.

Merivale-Papanul’s efforts were sporadic. Steve Bamden and Dennis Skipper were hardworking forwards and Lucky Tutallo a hard-running wing, but the side crumpled badly when Belfast hit form in the second spell.

LATE SCORING

A sodden pitch and frequent lapses in organisation made the Lincoln College-Marlst game a trying affair; the small crowd had to wait nearly 80 minutes for the first points to be scored.

The sides appeared to have different plans to cope with the conditions and the opposition.

Lincoln, from the outset, tried to run the ball as much as possible, but Marist was keener to keep play around the forwards, and Bernie stewart, at first fiveeighths, frequently used the boot Both approaches had occasional success, but in the end Marist won by flicking the ball along to an unmarked wing, Mike O’Donovan, to score in the way that Lincoln had tried to do.

Lincoln was unlucky not to finish with a more positive result, if only for its more aggressive and attacking play. Brett Codim, at full-back for the students, gave a cool, competent display, with his handling and line-kicking safe and sure in the treacherous conditions. On the side of the scrum, Johnny Paterson gave a dynamic display, undoubtedly being the player of the game. He tore into everything with vigour and immense aggression, pouncing and tying up the loose ball with regularity. Another Lincoln player to stand out was a lock, Andy Hollander, who seemed able to win lineout bail at will.

Although the Marist backs lacked the sparkle of their opponents, Gary Hooper on the wing was bursting with enthsuiasm and was the only Marist back to regularly break through. Up front Mike Bradley and Terry Patterson -worked tirelessly to give their side dominance in the tight, while John Corby gave an industrious display in the loose. FLATTERING MARGIN Old Boys, scoring 16 points In the second half, romped away from University B at Lan-

caster Park South, but not before the students had given their more highly-rated opponents a lecture in tenacity and aggression. University held Its own for most of the first half, and trailed by only 6-7 at the interval. What the students lacked in skills and cohesion .was compensated by a terrlor-like tenacity that frequently upset the more patterned play of their fancied rival. Out-scrummaged and outjumped in the line-outs, University nevertheless did all it could to take the game to Old Boys. The forwards, led by the spirited Gilbert Enoka, bustled and fought their way around the greasy paddock, and what ball was won was smartly distributed by the mercurial half-back, Hiroshi Yamashita. The backs were eager to run, none more so than the nimble second five-eighths, Alan Trenberth. He also employed a useful line kick that often carved off metres of ground for his hard-working forwards, while the right wing, Alan , Faith, featured in several strong runs. Old Boys would have been made to work a lot harder for their victory, if University had tackled as well as it contested possession. Too many times the Old Boys backs waitzed straight through the whole University pack, and this one facet of the game allo-wed Old Boys the rather flattering 17-point victory. As the match progressed, Oid Boys won much more clean ball from set play. Ably led by the Canterbury flanker, Alwvn Harvey, the forwards drove into I rucks and mauls and made

things increasingly difficult for the tiring University team, while the backs thrived on manymissed tackles. Clive Currie turned in another good game for Old Boys at fullback. He came into the line at every opportunity, creating the overlap and seeming to relish the chance of a run. Gary Cookson played well at first five-eighths for Old Boys, his jinking runs bemusing the University defence on several occasions, while Tim Oughton on the win ran strongly when he got the chance. UNLUCKY Although neither side produced much in the way of quality rugby, Hornby could well feel it was an unlucky loser. Hornby lost in the first half when, despite the advantage of a strong wind and an abundance of possession, it failed to put points on the board. Perhaps unwisely, it chose to

run the ball at every opportunity and as a consequence made several mistakes, one of which led to Suburbs’ try early in the second half. Suburbs, on the other hand, played very cautiously and it was not surprising to see the wings still trying to warm frozen fingers late into the match — they hardly touched the ball all day. Hornby did its utmost to give its wing Bill Anderson room to move, and he proved to be by far the best of either backline. Anderson is solidly built, extremely fast, and uses the body swerve most effectively. His defence was also aggressive and he looks a player with a future in Canterbury rugby. The forward exchanges were very even with a prop, Warren Hay, leading Suburbs well in the tight. Howard Wilson, a flanker, was nearly always the first Hornby forward to the loose ball, and tackled most effectively as well.

w. L. D. F. A. Pts Chch 7 0 0 123 54 14 Univ. A 7 0 0 111 51 14 Marist 6 0 1 144 44 13 Linwood s 2 0 138 64 10 H.S.O.B. 5 2 0 107 67 10 Albion 4 3 0 74 83 8 New Bri. 4 3 0 68 54 8 Shirley 4 3 0 65 53 8 Belfast 4 3 0 93 69 8 Syd. 2 5 0 85 106 4 Line. Coll. 2 5 0 44 73 4 Burnside I 4 2 39 81 4 Subs 2 5 0 68 76 4 Hornbv 1 5 1 40 125 3 Univ. B 0 7 0 35 136 0 Mer.-Pap. 0 7 0 28 126 0