Currie named in A team

Press, 20 September 1978, Page 34

Currie named in A team

The new All Biack fullback, Clive Currie, has been brought into the Canterbury A team to play Southland at Lancaster Park on Sunday. Currie, who in recent weeks has been playing at centre for Canterbury B, replaces the out-of-form Richard Wilson, who goes into the reserves.

Although Currie’s promotion is not unexpected, there would have been one good reason for it to have been delayed: he will play for the South Island against the North Island at New Plymouth on Saturday. Currie is one of two Canterbury players who face two games this week-end: the other is the lock, Vance Stewart, who was included in the South team as a replacement earlier this week.

There are six other changes in the Canterbury team from the one which lost heavily to Wellington last Saturday. At least one is because of injury (Terry Mitchell, who has a troublesome leg) and some of the others stem from a desire to rest players who have a prior engagement for the South Island. There is a whole new front-row. the newcomer this season, Murray Davie, being joined by the ex-

perienced Oxford pair, Hugh Taylor and Barry Thompson. Taylor, a former New Zealand Juniors hooker, has not played for the A team since he had two games on a southern tour in 1972.

The fast Albion wing, lan Mather, gets his first game for the A side, on the right wing. Another wing not considered was Randall Scott, who is still getting over a damaged hamstring. Steve Scott, who also has a leg injury and will have to pass a fitness test tomorrow before being confirmed, has been named half-back, replacing Gary Barkle, the South Island choice. There is one other change in the backs. Shane Gibbons, another on the injured list in recent weeks, has been restored to centre, a position which has been filled in his absence by John Collinson. The team is:—

Clive Currie; lan Mather, Shane Gibbons, Donald Stewart; Murray McEwan, Kieran Keane; Steve Scott; Alex Wyllie; Dave Thompson, Bruce Farmer, Vance Stewart, John Phillips; Murray Davie, Hugh Taylor, Barry Thompson. Reserves.— Bill Bush, Alwyn Harvey, John Black, John Ashworth, Graeme Higginson; Gary Barkle, John Collinson, Richard Wilson.