Weakened Juniors confident of win

Press, 24 June 1978, Page 56

Weakened Juniors confident of win

From

NIGEL HORROCKS

in Mackay for NZPA

Two of the Junior All Blacks’ most outstanding players, the three-quarter, Robert Kururangi, and the number eight, Geoff Old, are both injured and will miss tomorrow’s match against a North Queensland selection at Mackay. It had been intended to play Kururangi at centre but the Counties winger has developed water on his left knee through a knock received against Mount Isa on Wednesday night. Old was injured during a tough training session at Townsville yesterday. The tall Manawatu forward suffered a cut just above his left eye which required five stitches.

The team’s manager (Mr Ray Harper) said both could have played if necessary but that with the first test against Queensland just over a week away it had been decided to give them a rest. The loss of Old means that the Juniors will go into the match without a recog* nised line-out specialist. Old and Wayne Graham were responsible for the line-out dominance in the first two matches.

Tomorrow the Juniors will have to rely on their relatively inexperienced locks,

John Williams and Piet Grott and the prop, Mark Elliott, for success in winning the ball. At one stage during yesterday’s practice it seemed that Williams might have to stand down. He stopped training after gashing a leg and is also troubled by a recurring bleeding nose. The Juniors’ coach (Mr Eric Watson) said that he expected North Queensland to have tougher forwards than encountered in the first two games. Mr Watson will be looking for further improvement in the quality of the cover defence.

The match will be very much a trial for many players who are vying for posiplay against Queensland. Among the reserves and non players who, barring injury, are certain to be in the first-team line-up are the prop, Paul Koteka, Graham Old, Kururangi, and the full* back, Clive Currie.

Both the props tomorrow, Mark Harding and Elliott will be playing for a place as well as the locks.

Watson will be trying his third combination behind the scrum by playing Richard Dunn at "half-back and John

Waldron at first five*eighth. He is likely to run the fourth combination of Garry Barkle and Wayne Peters at Rockhampton next Wednesday night. Peters, selected as a utility back, will play at fullback tomorrow and Jim Cotter will be moved out a pace to centre, with Michael Deane coming into the side as second five-eighth. Although the Juniors will be fielding possibly its least experienced combination they are expected to be too strong again for the opposition.

The North Queensland manager (Mr Albie Taylor) said, “we expect to put up a better performance than Townsville (beaten, 33-7). We might run out of puff, but we won’t run out of spirit.” The North Queensland team was chosen six weeks ago and includes nine Mackay players. It will have its first training run today. Four of the forwards, the hooker, Ron Sullivan, the prop, Mike Crowther, and the flankers, Dick Korako and Warren Harding, are New Zealanders and Mr Taylor said that they were particularly keen to go well against the Juniors.