Positions unchanged in C.S.B. Cup senior rugby competition

Press, 12 June 1978, Page 17

Positions unchanged in C.S.B. Cup senior rugby competition

It was status-quo day in senior rugby in Christchurch on Saturday: Christchurch maintained its newly won lead in the C.S.B. Cup competition by beating Old Boys comfortably, Marist remained unbeaten and continued to share second place with I Diversity A, and Linwood sounded a warning to aspirants for the fourth qualifying position by beating Shirley soundly.

Old Boys continued its gradual decline and at nc stage appeared likely to give Christchurch its first defeal in 10 matches. Although the captain, Alwyn Harvey, could not play, the Old Boys forwards plundered the bai regularly from the Christ-

church pack only to see it frittered away by the backs. Christchurch was constantly encourgaed by the excellent play of its' fullback, Richard Wilson, who was a deserving winner of the Fletcher Humphreys “player of the day” award. His field play was first class and his kicking authoritative. Another Canterbury All Black, Terry Mitchell, scored a typically impudent try to set Linwood on the way to a good win against Shirley. He scored two tries in the match to equal the tally of Randall Scott (University A).

Neither Marist nor University A were seen at their best in beating Sydenham and University B, both of which produced rousing opposition. Doug Heffernan scored the day’s highest individual tally, 15 points, for University A. New Brighton remained in a good position to challenge for a qualifying place by

:s beating Suburbs. Belfast, o Burnside, and Albion also e had wins. Dave Bowick it (New Brighton) and Robert e Johns (Linwood) both I, reached 50 points for the ■s season, while the leading 11 scorers, Bernie Stewart t- (Marist) and Wilson, took

their aggregates into the 90s. Results: Christchurch 19, Old Boys 6. Marist 14, Sydenham 6. University A 22, University B 9. Linwood 25, Shirley 7. Belfast 11, Lincoln College 0. New Brighton 19, Suburbs 3. Burnside 9, Merivale-Pa-panui 3 Albion 12, Hornby 0. W L D F A Pts

FULL-BACK IN FORM A polished performance at full-back by Richard Wilson was one of the main reasons why Christchurch beat Old Boys clearly in spite of being on the breadline as far as possession was concerned. The 1976 All Black scored 11 points in goals and his fine fielding, raking line kicks, and sure tackling blunted Old Boys’ enthusiasm. Christchurch exhibited greater competence and sense of purpose than its rival in the backs. This was just as well for up front Old Boys enjoyed great success in the struggle for possession. In the second half its advantage blossomed to almost three to one. Alan Croad dominated the lineouts with some athletic leaping and John Symon and Mark Harding led the charge into the ruc/s

with determination. But the side’s back play fell lamentably short of this standard and many moves foundered through crossfield running and careless passing. Clive Currie was reliable at full-back but the others were often forlorn figures. In contrast, Christchurch carried out its drills effectively and without frills. The exception was a planned move involving two decoys and it was so successful that Murray McEwan ran through a gap for a try without being touched. After McEwan had retired in the twenty-fifth minute with a cut above the left eye, Graham Sims moved into second fiveeighths from the right wing and proved to be a most effective substitute. His anticipation enabled him to place a good deal of pressure on Old Boys.

Jerry Rowberry stood out for his industriousness in an overshadowed Christchurch pack and the half-back. Tony Penny, soldiered on under difficulties. The replacement wing, Tony Murdoch, was always alert for chances. But Wilson was the star turn, and he certainly deserved his “player of the day” award. LINWOOD DRAWS CLEAR

After an even first half marked by some torrid exchanges in the forwards, Linwood took control and had a convincing win over Shirley. The turning point of the game came in the sixth minute of the second spell when the Linwood wing. Terry Mitchell, received the ball outside the Shirley 22m line and weaved his way past several defenders to score under the posts. There was little to choose between the forwards for much of the game and as the first spell was mostly a struggle up front Shirley was able to contain the more favoured opposition. However, the second spell brought a change in the Linwood side. The backs, who had looked sharper throughout, began to play with a greater confidence and frequently confused the Shirley defence with strong running and changes of direction. A feature of the Linwood play was the support both back and forward and this led to some exciting attacking movements. Shane Gibbons impressed with his ability switch play and Mitchell was always a danger with the ball in hand.

The inside back combination of Graham Parratt and Dennis Andrews was a happy one and

this understanding gave their outsides the opportunity to make play. The Shirley backs looked sluggish by comparison and Steve Scott was the only one to impress. But for his steadying influence the score could have been higher for there appeared to be little understanding among the centre backs. The match began with some fierce rucking from Linwood and the tight play was closely contested. lan Mallard, until he retired hurt, was to the fore in these exchanges and was matched by the Shirley captain, Roger Smith. Others who contributed well were John Phillips and Rue Koha for Linwood and Graham Pulley and Peter Gray for Shirley. But the sting gradually went out of the Shirley pack as the game progressed because of the ineptitude of the back-line. MARIST HELD Sydenham was not quick or proficient enough to give it the chance of an upset win against Marist but it battled on with grim determination to restrict its unbeaten rival to an eight-point margin. The match, which was switched from the oval to the south ground at Lancaster Park, always appeared to be Marist’s

for the taking. The side had an advantage in possession, Adrian Young dispatched the ball with long passes, and Bernie Stewart launched the main offensive with a mixture of cunning kicks, snappy passes, and swift solo dabs. It was a measure of his poise and Pimpernel-like qualities that his jersey remained unmuddied until the end. The other Marist backs ran the ball with relish and Gary Hooper and Dave Direen on the wings made valiant efforts to bring moves to a successful end. But Sydenham defended with the utmost reliability, Gary Kirk and Alan Duffin showing the way.

As a result, Marist was restricted to two tries, and had to think quickly to get them. One came from an extraordinarily long pass from the youthful centre, Steve Hansen, to Hooper and the other from a sharp breakaway after a tapped penalty. For the rest of the time, Marist found it hard to escape the embraces of a dogged Sydenham. The Marist forwards played a little loosely at times, which encouraged Sydenham, but the over-all speed of the side carried it through. Vance Stewart made a welcome return to the Marist pack and commanded some good lineout bail. But even better in this phase of play was Terry Patterson. a lively young prop who made several clean catches at No. 2.

Colin King took the hooking honours for Sydenham and Brent Oetgen and Ken Taylor were the team’s best performers with the ball in hand. UNINSPIRING

There was not much brightness in the rugby produced in the New Brighton and Suburbs match. New Brighton deservedly won although the 16-point margin was a little flattering. The mauls were many and seldom was the ball wrested free. On occasions when the ball came loose both sides were quick to dispatch it to touch. Consequently the match never flowed.

New Brighton finished ahead because it capitalised on the few opportunities that came its way. The alert Derek Davidson scored the onlv two tries of the match, one with a perfect interception and the other with a sharp turn of speed that won him the race to the ball after a short kick ahead.

Although Suburbs was awarded 14 penalties to New Brighton’s 11 it conceded many inside its own half and Dave Bewick had six attempts, succeeding with three. The last penalty goal he kicked was the result of a senseless wild kick by Warren Hay which earned him a stem lecture.

The forwards were embroiled in a tight, hard battle. Little was seen of either back-line and on the rare occasions the ball went along the line handling errors often brought movements to a halt. Graeme Ellis and Wayne Burleigh were a safe combination among the New Brighton backs and Paul Goosey, Neil Pvne. and the very competent front-row trio, Devon Power, Bob Davison,

and Paul Bell, gave of their best throughout. Suburbs, beaten in the battle for possession in the first half, remedied that situation in the second spell but did not put it to the best advantage. Mike Cron won some good line-out ball in the second half and Eddie Cutts had a useful game as flanker.

The backs failed to make an Impression, although the little halfback, Mike Id Leivre, made one fine break from a scum that almost culminated In a try. BELFAST WINS

The power and control of the Belfast forwards carried the day against an enthusiastic Lincoln College. Although Lincoln had the edge in the backs it was unable to penetrate a tight defence. It was in the second spell that the Belfast forwards came into their own. Before half-time Lincoln had the better ■of the line-outs and shared the rucks and mauls. In this period the Lincoln backs looked superior, being willing to vary the attacking play but unable to cap promising moves. The Belfast backs responded well to the greater share of possession in the latter stages and although Teddy Davis, the half-back, did not have one of his better days, he still gave his outsides every opportunity besides covering and controlling play well. The wings, Dave Percasky and Larry Brown, showed speed and elusiveness but suffered from a slow service.

Dave Thompson played well In the Belfast forwards and received good support from Andy Karatea, who made several bruising runs in the open. But generally the forwards lacked their usual cohesion and fire. With Andv Hollander to the fore in the line-outs, the Lincoln pack was superior in the opening stages. Others who showed up, particularly in the loose, were John Patterson and Don Gillanders. but the greater experience of the Belfast forwards told in the end.

The nick of the Lincoln backs was the w-ing, Mike McCurdy, who took some difficult passes well and impressed with his speed. Grant Shaolin was a resourceful five-eighths and

Brett Codlin played soundly In defence at full-back as well as contributing to the attacking play. ALBION STUTTERS In a match riddled with errors, Albion gained a deserved win against Honrby, although the standard of play was nothing for the Middleton Park crowd to get excited about. If Hornby had maintained the standard it set in the first smin for the remainder of the match, the result could well have been different. The first encounters produced quick possession for Hornby from the mauls and rucks, coupled with some hard running by the back-line. As the game wore on, the Hornbv forward display deteriorated. What started as a feast of possession from the rucks and mauls changed into a famine. With some good jumping by Mike Eagle and determined driving bv the No: 8, Murray Straight, Albion achieved dominance in this area. Unfortunately for Albion, the backs were not able to capitalise on having a well drilled forward pack in front of them. Possession was gained and then lost because of erratic passing and

misunderstanding between the inside backs. For Hornby, Willie Pirinl caused some embarrassment in the Albion ranks with some spectacular swerving solo efforts. Over all, it was a disappointing match. While the Albion forwards were superior to their rivals, the backs were, in the main, an unconvincing lot. LUCKY WIN Merivale-Papanui must consider itself unlucky not to have beaten its lack-lustre opponent, and only some sound goal kicking by John Lindsay and some frantic defence gave Burnside victory. The first half was a waste of time with the only relief from the constantly scrappy play coming from brief pauses for injury. Neither side appeared to be able to do anything with cohesion or intelligence. The second half brought some improvement, especially in the Merivale side, as the forwards began to win a fair share of ball and the backs launched many speedy and penetrating probes into rival territory. The half-back for Merivale, Bruce Stewart, kept his backs well fed with consistently long and accurate passes, while outside him Lindsay Thorn and Harry Rahara often broke through. Graham Northage at full-back had a fine game, looking especially good when he came into the back-line to set up attacking movements. Burnside’s pack worked tirelessly and well throughout the game but was badly let down by the backs. Ron Grossi was the dominant force in the tight, while Straun Ley and Alan Double controlled the line-outs at will. ... Burnside’s backs seemed to be plagued by a constant inability to do anything right. Attacking movements were ponderous and lacked any inspiration or flair, while the defences were often breached. Merivale-Papanui was unlucky not to score in the last quarter when it dominated Burnside in every facet of play. B TEAM BATTLES

University B fought hard before going down to the more illustrious A side.

The B forwards gave a much improved performance, their tackling, rucking, and support play being an example to the A side. None played better than the B loose forward trio, Geoff Hipkin, Duncan McFarlane, and Kevin Wooster. The tackling of the B side was dedicated, low and hard, with Neville Brown, at full-back, tackling the extra man on every occasion, completing a sound alb round game for his side.

However, the A side had enough ability, back and forward. to win, with Gary Brown gaining valuable line-out ball with assistance from John Edmonson and lan Stewart. The scrums were a cause for concern for the A side and it has further homework to do, given that John Black was on the side-line. The Junior All Black, Gary Barkle, showed his class in passing, kicking, and running and used the blind side well on occasions. Doug Heffernan returned to better form, scoring 14 of University A’s points with some strong, straight running good handling, and excellent goal kicking. Few other University A backs stamped their mark on the game, such was the close marking of their opposites. The University B back effort was spoiled by kicking away possession when in a good position to cross into the scoring zone. Alan Faith, a B wing, showed he was the fastest man on the ground on several occasions but lacked confidence to score. This confidence was the difference between the two sides. Hiro Yamashita, University B’s imported half-back, is showing a greater grasp of the English language and can claim some credit for the better marshalling of the University B team’s efforts.

Chch 10 0 0 171 66 20 Marist 8 0 2 201 64 18 Univ. A 9 1 0 181 84 18 Linwood 8 2 0 193 90 16 New Bri. 7 3 0 127 73 14 Belfast 6 3 1 121 83 13 H.S.O.B. 6 4 0 147 108 12 Albion 6 4 0 122 95 12 Shirley 4 6 0 87 98 8 Burn. 3 5 2 68 103 8 Syd. 3 7 0 100 146 6 Line. Coll. 3 7 0 62 110 6 Subs 2 7 1 85 122 5 Hornby 1 8 1 50 194 3 Mer.-Pap. 0 9 1 34 147 1 Univ. B 0 10 0 57 223 0