Wallabies face N.I. after unlucky loss

Press, 7 August 1978, Page 28

Wallabies face N.I. after unlucky loss

From

TIM DONOGHUE

in Napier for NZPA

The Wallaby rugby team: will embark on the coming, four-match North Island seg-i ment of its tour in thej knowledge that it was al little unlucky to lose the| game against Otago at Ca-' risbrook on Saturday. The All-Black full-back,, Bevan Wilson, made the best! use of a last-minute penalty! from 20m by kicking the! ball between the uprights toi give the home side a 10-8’ win in the final act of the game. Otago won the match, l.rgely through an enter-1 prising back-line but there 1 uas also plenty to recommend itself in the Wallaby i performance. The coach (Daryl Ha-’ berecht) must have been impressed with the ball-win-' ning ability of his tight forwards, who excelled them-, selves by outplaying Otago, in scrums and line-outs. But the Otago back-line! handled the muddy condi-i tions much better than its Wallaby opponents. The second five-eighth. I Lyn Jaffray showed the All j Black selectors (Jack Glee-’ son. Eric Watson, and Peter: Burke) that he is still a player worthy of consideration foi ’ a test jersey in the coming! series. He combined well with! the centre. Neil Purvis, and, the full back. Bevan Wilson, in mid-field in several moves which gained the home side large chunks of territory. Wilson, too. did everything that was required of him apart from the kicking department, where he coulc manage a success rate of just two out of six place kick attempts. He ran onto the passes i from Jaff ray and Purvis bet ) ter than any of the Wallaby I

: backs, with the exception of the full-back, Laurie Monaghan. Once again the New j South Welshman was the Jone Wallaby back to show any real penetration from | set play. He ran on to the passes ithe match for the new cap, 'the halfback, Peter Carson, 'with a scything 30m run down the left-hand touch* > line before play was switched back to the right. The centre, Ken Wright, ’also looked dangerous on ’the burst the few times opiportunity came his way. The Carisbraok mud hin- : dered Carson’s ball delivery to the fly-half, Paul McLean, lit also affected the mobility :of the forwards and remarkably there was just one ’short period of ill-feeling betw’een the packs. The referee (Mike Farjnworth) issued a stern warnling to the offenders and play ’resumed for the final quarter I without further incident. The Sydney flanker, Gary Pearse, was the most con* Isistently mobile loose forIward on the ground. His ’speed to the breakdown and I general covering work was 1 superb. But the real plaudits lof the match in the Australian camp must go to the tight five forwards who outplayed Otago in set plays. The lock, Garrick Fay, had tn exceptional game. He and he Otago captain, Frank □liver, contested the line-out ball vigorously with neither giving anything away. Fay ilso managed to feature in the scoring of both of his ide’s tries. He scored the first himself after an enterprising tap kick and an inass from the winger, Paddy 3atch. Peter McLean (alternating I jetween two and four) and

Greg Cornelsen, at Nd. 7 provided stern line-out opposition for their respective opposites, Paul Oliver and Gary Seear.

’ Paul Oliver came into the game as a late replacement for the prop, Lindsay Clark. Similarly the Australian scrummaging unit was a slightly stronger one than Otago’s even though there W'ere no tightheads taken by the All Black reserve trialist, Ken Bloxham, or Peter Horton. McLean Park should provide the Wallaby backs with a firm surface for the match against Hawke’s Bay on Wednesday. Mr Haberecht must be concerned with the performance of his backs (with some exceptions) so far on tour. The side has revealed a complete about-face for Australian touring teams in New Zealand. In the past Wallaby teams have been noted for their ability to produce brilliant attacking backs but mediocre ball-winners among the forwards. The 1978 side has shown on muddy surfaces against Southland and Otago that the reverse could be the case. Medley record.— Jesse VessalJo, aged 16, of Mission Viejo, California, has set a new world record of 4tnin 23.395ec in the 400 m individual medley at the National Amateur Athletic Union senior championships at The Woodlands, Texas. The old record of 4min 23.685ec was set by Rod Strachan at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. — NZPAReuter.

Jump record.— ltaly’s Sara Simeoni has set a new world record of 2.01 m in the women’s high jump in an athletics match against Poland at Brescia, Italy. The previous record of 2m was held by Rosemarie Ackerman (East Germany). NZPA-Reuter.