Good win for Sub-unions

Press, 15 June 1978, Page 36

Good win for Sub-unions

Special correspondent Winning a wealth of possession from all facets of play, Canterbury Sub-unions ground its way to a 17-9 victory over West Coast at Rugby Park, Greymouth yesterday.

[ Only poor kicking from ; the first five-eighths, Chris and a succession of {penalties to the West Coast, kept the home side in the game. Graeme Higginson was in tremendous form in the line-outs, and such was the control of the Subunions pack that the West Coast received only a mere pittance of useable ball. The West Coast forwards were treated almost with contempt, as Higginson and i Alan Martin reached prodigious heights, and what I little ball West Coast rekeived usually had Barry ■Thompson and Hugh Taylor hard on its heels. Sub-unions iwere dominant in all phases and the pack was able to march the smaller Coast for- ; wards backwards at every {opportunity. The pack's performance at {the start of the three-match itour must have been encouraging for the team's captain,

Alex Wyllie, who was again to the fore in marshalling his loose forwards and directing moves. The halfi back, John Munro, was ener--1 getic and had all the protec- : tion in the world to get his i backs moving, while Dennis Smolensk! made his mark with swift excursions into the line from full-back, and ■ sound positional play. Kissick put the first points on the board when he i kicked an early penalty, but Taylor, and then Smolensk!, ; barged over for first-half • tries, Smolenski converting ; the first to make the score i 10-3.

Rhodes peppered Kissick for the first 60min, and only once did he relent under pressure, although he was guilty of twice missing a rolling ball. Bray dived over in the corner early in the second spell, but the West Coast reduced the margin when Beams slipped over for a try from a scrum close to the line. Kissick converted to make the score 14-9, but a late Smolensk! penalty gave the game to Sub-unions. The referee was Mr Geoffrey King, of the West Coast, i