New format for Kiwi tour trial?

Press, 25 March 1980, Page 30

New format for Kiwi tour trial?

By

JOHN COFFEY

Criticism that Auckland players will have an advantage in pursuing their claims for the New Zealand rugby league tour to Britain and France later this year might cause a change in the trials format.

The official ' fixture list issued by the New Zealand; Rugby League some weeks ago included two trials in September, both involving the Kiwi side which will meet Australia at home in June. It was to play The Rest at Christchurch on a Wednesday evening and Auckland three days later.

Presuming that Auckland would provide about half of the members of the squad which will oppose the Kangaroos, that province would then have at least 23 of the 30 players in the final trial. The Auckland side, having had the benefit of several appearances as a unit, would have the combination to perform well. A recent meeting of the N e w Zealand Rugby League’s council considered a protest lodged by West Coast, and has reserved the right to make a change if it considers it necessary. After all, Auckland had.its least distinguished season for many years last winter, winning only three of its 10 matches and finishing a modest third behind Central Districts and South Island in the first national inter-dis-trict championship.

Much of the blame for Auckland’s lowly ranking was directed at its sole se-lector-coach, Mr Don Hammond, who discarded the services of some of New Zealand’s most experienced and effective players. Auckland has also lost several of its top performers to Australian clubs; Mr Hammond will not have Olsen Filipaina and Mark Graham to call upon this year. Whether Auckland remains one of the teams for the final trial will probably rest with its results in the 1980 inter-district competition, which will end on August 9. Its efforts in the rich Tooth Cup series in Sydney — it will meet Western Suburbs (May 7) and South Sydney (June 25) in the preliminary rounds — would also have a bearing. Naturally, other provinces would much rather have the final tour trial switched to an inter-island or inter-zone basis, or between two sides chosen from throughout New Zealand. Their proportion of representation would be that much higher, and it is traditional that final trialists leave the most lasting impressions in the minds of selectors.

The Kiwis will depart for Britain in late September, and the British Rugby League has scheduled the tests for October 25, November 8, and either November 15 or 22. The venues and dates for the other games have yet to be advised.