Former teaching colleagues rival captains in rugby grand final

Press, 10 August 1979, Page 24

Former teaching colleagues rival captains in rugby grand final

Bv

KEVIN McMENAMIN

A year ago Alvvyn Harvey and Jerry Rowberry were teaching colleagues on the staff at Christ’s College. On Sunday they will face each other as the opposing captains in the grand final of the premier, C.S.B. Trophy, senior rugby competition.

Contesting a grand final will be nothing new for Rowberry, the Christchurch captain. He has contested six since 1970 and he has already led Christchurch to

outright victory four times | this decade, in 1972, 1974, 1975 and 1976. Harvey, on the other hand, will be playing in his first final and this is in only j his second season as the] High School Old Boys cap-, tain. It will also be his last I — at least, for some time. Earlier this year Harveyjoined the R.NZ.A.F. as a trainee pilot and he trans- ■ fers to Ohakea in two weeks. He may not even have time for a victory | speech on Sunday, if one is. required, as he has an earlyevening flight to Auckland,; where he beings a course on I Monday. To give their captain a fitting farewell has been an| objective of the Old Boys players for some weeks. "Alwyn has played ex- ■ tremely well for us this year i and he has been an inspiring i captain. The club would love I to win on Saturday, both for! the obvious reasons and also] because it is Alwyn’s last game,” said the Old Boys president, Mr Kelvin Victor, yesterday. Rowberry, who at 31 is in the twilight of his senior career, may also be playing

his last big match fori i Christchurch. He said yester-! day that he would wait a few months before giving serious thought to retirement. The C.S.B. Trophy final is ■ one of two important . engagements Rowberry has |on Sunday. In the morning ]he is to speak on injuries | from a player’s - point of | view at a seminar on sports .medicine. It was an invitation Rowberry accepted i before he knew Christchurch i would be in the final. ! And while Christchurch I will be trying to add to its [great record of the ’7os — (four titles and two shared! ! titles — Old Boys will be | endeavouring to break a llong drought. Not since 1955 have they won the senior ! championship and that was a shared success with

Christchurch. They were, however, outright winners the two previous years. Christchurch, which must ]be favoured, will be at full strength on Sunday. Murray i McEwan has been passed as ■fit and he will return as secI ond five-eighths, with Rob|bie Deans inside him. I John Mika has been rewarded for some good recent (displays, retaining his place |at prop despite the availabil- : ity again of the New Zeai land Colts captain, Neil Porter.